Intro
Behind closed doors and under some poor weather, FC Ryukyu notched their 11th win of the campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Giravanz Kitakyushu. Ryukyu had two players earn multiple points but it was the surprise performance from Inose that caught my eye. The win keeps Ryukyu near the top of the table but provided a much needed boost to the psyche of this team more than anything else.
- Highlights
- Man of the Match
- Keys to Victory
- Prediction
- Talking Points
- Round 18 in J2
- Conclusion
1. Match Highlights
2. Man of the Match
FC Ryukyu Mid Fielder Koya Kazama: Koya scored his first goal of the season, which was all Ryukyu needed for the win, added his second later in the game, and set up Tanaka for the cross on Ryukyu’s third goal. He almost had a hat-trick but he pushed the shot high from about 8-yards out on goal. There were multiple strong performances from Inose in net as well as Chinen in defense, but scoring a brace to carry the team to victory deserves all the credit.
3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. No mental lapses after scoring. Likelihood 4. An obvious yes after Ryukyu secured their first clean sheet in 5 games.
2. Protect Inose with multiple goals. Likelihood 2. Yes, though Ikeda’s day was cut short due to injury, Kiyotake didn’t do all that well, but Koya Kazama had a huge day yesterday.
4. Prediction
Thought this one would end in a 2-2 draw but the boys had other ideas. Season Record 6-4-8.
5. Talking Points from Round 18
1. Not only a scoring outburst yesterday, but an emotional one as well. Ryukyu needed a performance like that yesterday and the boys really wore their emotions on their sleeves. Obviously with no fans in attendance it was easy to hear the release of frustration, anger and jubilation after so many big plays from Ryukyu. Most notably was Koya after finally scoring for the first time this year and commenting after the game that they knew they had to win this match to stay in the hunt. Then there was the play made by Chinen to keep FC Ryukyu’s clean sheet intact. Watch the video below.
2. Speaking of big performances, Inose was spectacular. You can also add in Keita Tanaka who grabbed two assists yesterday when won the ball back in the Kitakyushu end and smartly picked out Koya in the opening half. Then he found Shintaro Shimizu with a perfectly weighted cross in the second. But it was the performance from the Ryukyu #3 GK Inose that really stood out. Inose made a fine save in the opening half, tipped another one over the bar in the second that doesn’t show up on the highlight reel, and then stopped a penalty kick at the end. It was encouraging to see such an effort from a 20-year old player making only his third start in J2.
3. Yong Jick looked a little too relaxed out there. He committed an early turnover that was almost costly and then was the offending party on the Kitakyushu PK when he stuck his arm out in what I can only assume was to block the Kitakyushu player behind him but ended up touching the ball. Ryukyu can get away with that stuff against lesser sides but will not be so lucky against better teams. Unfortunately, we’ll have to deal with this stuff for another few weeks until Okazaki returns.
4. Abe was once again doing his thing but couldn’t grab a goal. He came close in the first half when his chip rang the crossbar but that’s about it. However, he was doing everything we needed him to do on both ends of the pitch. Seeing him subbed off around the 60’ each week maybe a good thing as we’ll need him as close to 100% every game moving forward.
5. A goal from a CK? Yes! A rare site indeed for this club but Uesato picked out Koya who buried the header to put the game out of reach.
6. Yet another injury to a member of the Ryukyu starting eleven. Ren Ikeda took a nasty fall following a challenge on a ball in the air when he contacted Kitakyushu player, sent tumbling downwards landing on his back, and was unable to continue after several minutes on the ground and brief return to the match. Hopefully this is nothing more than some soreness that will lead to a stiff back all week as we really cannot afford to be without Ren’s services for an extended period of time.
7. A very important win. With some of the clubs ahead of Ryukyu in the standings dropping points, the 3-points keeps Ryukyu in the race and cuts the lead to just 1-point. It also pushes Ryukyu 7-points clear of 5th place Kofu. Despite what some might think of the opponent this week, Ryukyu needed to bust the slump they were in and gain some confidence back. It was never a given that Ryukyu would easily take this match, not with all the injuries and recent results, so grabbing a win when they needed it the most was uplifting.
6. Round 18 in J2
There was plenty of activity inside the J2 table this week with Jubilo Iwata usurping Albirex Niigata in second place following their fifth consecutive victory, 1-0 over a 10-man Ventforet Kofu, and with Albirex Niigata losing 0-1 at home to Fagiano Okayama following a very controversial goal by the guests. Kyoto Sanga conceded a late equalizer at home to Thespakusatsu Gunma (2-2) but moved into first place based on goal differential. FC Machida Zelvia’s 0-2 loss at home to Blaublitz Akita means there is a 7-ppoint gap at the top for the top four teams.
Despite Omiya earning a point at home to Tochigi SC, they find themselves logged at the bottom with SC Sagamihara who lost on the road at Mito Hollyhock. There seems to be a 4-team race to avoid the drop between Matsumoto Yamaga, Gunma, Kitakyushu, and Ehime FC with Ehime looking the worst off of the bunch. There is still plenty of games to play and these four teams are not separated by many points and others just above them in the table could find themselves in similar circumstances as the season progresses.
7. Conclusion
Ryukyu are now three points shy of the 40-point mark which puts them nearly halfway to 80, a mark that Higuchi threw out at the start of the season and one likely required to keep pace with the other three teams at the top. Truly unbelievable, but there is no time to rejoice and bask in our achievements as we haven’t accomplished anything yet. Ryukyu travel to Fagiano Okayama next week, who themselves are coming off an emotional win of their own. Fagiano are a stingy defensive side and we all saw what happened to Ryukyu when they faced a similar defensive team in Akita.
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