Intro
And still we wait. Ryukyu were gifted a PK, and then a man advantage, and yet still managed to exit match day 12 with only a single point. Truth be told, we were lucky Kanazawa didn’t win it at the end thanks in large part to the man of the match Taguchi. Who also had a fine performance throughout the night with multiple double saves. Though the man advantage was only about fifteen minutes in total, Ryukyu really needed a bit of luck to snap what ever funk they are in right now. But it just wasn’t meant to be last night.
Match Highlights
Takeaways from Match Day 12
1. Sure, no one expected much, but then again Ryukyu’s strong starts seem to always lure us into a false sense of security. After about 8 minutes that wet dream was over. And of course, right on cue, Ryukyu conceded. That was followed up by 40 minutes of Taguchi having to bail out the defense with a few Ryukyu chances mixed in. Nothing from Ryukyu really made the highlights after the Kusano PK goal. Then, out of nowhere, a Kanazawa player did the unthinkable, and earned himself a second yellow card and sending off. We repaid that kindness by attempting 1, maybe 2, chances at net before Taguchi had to be recalled into service for a double save to prevent an absolute catastrophe at home. Ryukyu played better in the second half but ultimately couldn’t find the breakthrough.
2. Seven home games, zero wins. Not sure where the disconnect is but no Ryukyu fan is loving those results. We get another crack at it on Saturday but Ryukyu are starting to flirt with some dangerous historic numbers and outcomes when it comes to their low point total. See below.
3. Three (3) games down and only a single point earned so far, though the losing streak has stopped at two. Any change would be a welcome sight while Ryukyu continue to pile drive their way back to the J3. 926 fans attending a match speaks volumes (I got it, terrible weather and mid week game). The fans ain’t there because the results ain’t there.
Round 12 in J2
Omiya, JEF, Kofu and Niigata all grabbed some nice wins with Omiya slowly inching towards Morioka in the standings. Leaders Yokohama FC drew with Zelvia which allowed Machida to go level on points, but one place higher in the standings, with Tokyo Verdy due to their loss at Kofu. Seems about 2/3 of the table is still within striking distance of the promotion playoff zone with about four teams currently looking the part of the relegation battle.
Conclusion (Fan section)
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