9/20 Matchday 30 Verdy vs. Okayama Match Report [Ajista]

[Ajista]
Of course, this is not the time to be satisfied with just one win, but it was a nice game that showed through results that what we have been building steadily without wavering is not wrong.

The opening goal came from Morita's corner kick. Someno's header was perfectly matched by the ball's path, trajectory, and speed. It showed the results of our training just 8 minutes into the match. This was Someno's first league goal since the Matchday 15 game against Yokohama FC on 5/6. With this goal, it feels like he will score many more for the remainder of the season.
After that, when the team falls behind, a heavy atmosphere tends to hang over a team that struggles with scoring.
However, in the play immediately following the second goal conceded, Hirao slid in to meet a cross from Morita, who had picked up a heel pass from Arai, equalizing the score before halftime.
This was Hirao's first goal in only his second J.League appearance. Beyond the scoring play, his relentless hunger and potential were evident in moments like his attempt to shoot while still on the ground after the ball was parried by the goalkeeper, and his diving header.
The go-ahead goal came in the 69th minute from Fukuda. It was his first goal since transferring to the team in league play. Someno, who broke through behind the opponent's defensive line to meet a long feed from Hirao, checked Fukuda's movement two or three times while dribbling up the field. Fukuda drifted to the far post just as the opposing defender moved to cover the near side, leaving him completely unmarked. It must have been a combination they practiced many times in training.
And the final blow came from Taniguchi. He intercepted an opponent's vertical pass in our own half, briefly laid it off to Fukuda, and then sprinted forward himself. When Fukuda sent a low cross back, Taniguchi dodged a sliding tackle from an opposing defender inside the box and slotted it home.
If the ball had reached Teranuma at the far post, he surely would have hammered it home, but let's save that excitement for the next match.

On the podium after the match,
when Someno powerfully declared, "We will definitely win the next one too!"
Taniguchi fired up the supporters by saying, "We're waiting for everyone in Kobe!", which sent the goal-behind stand into a frenzy.

It is significant that we have reached 35 points this matchday and maintained an 8-point cushion above the relegation zone with 8 matches remaining.
In the next match, Verdy will be at a huge disadvantage as we head away to face Kobe, who had no match this weekend, on just two days' rest, but it is precisely in times like these that we can unleash our hidden strength.
Let's carry the momentum from the last match and go get another win❗️