IWAKI (Interstat) — Tsubasa Umeki scored in the 33rd minute and Vegalta defeated Iwaki 2-0 on Saturday in a J2 League football match at Iwaki Greenfield Stadium. Vegalta was the visiting team and scored two goals total, while Iwaki was the home team and scored none. The result moved Vegalta’s record in the competition to 5 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws. Iwaki’s record in the competition fell to 3 wins and 5 losses. Vegalta’s record across all competitions is also 5 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws. Iwaki’s record across all competitions is also 3 wins and 5 losses. The game was organized by the J2 League in Japan.

Umeki, a forward for Vegalta, played 90 minutes and scored once. His first-half goal gave Vegalta the lead, and the visitors added their second goal later in the match. Iwaki could not respond. The game included four yellow cards. Iwaki’s Ryo Endo was booked in the 12th minute. Vegalta’s Mateus Moraes was cautioned in the 31st. Iwaki’s Naoki Kumata received a yellow card in the 44th. Vegalta’s Hiromu Kamada was booked in the 64th. At the 74th minute, the listed key statistics showed no figures for either side.

The bookings were spread across both sides. Endo’s 12th-minute yellow card was the first of the match. Moraes was booked in the 31st, two minutes before Umeki’s goal. Kumata was cautioned in the 44th, just before halftime. Kamada’s booking in the 64th was the final disciplinary entry listed. The 74th-minute key-stat line had no figures for Iwaki or Vegalta.

Vegalta entered the match with a run that included a 3-1 win at Tochigi City, a 1-1 draw with Consadole, a 3-1 win at Bellmāre, a 4-2 win over Tegevajaro, a 2-0 win at Vanraure, a 0-0 draw with Ōita and a 2-0 loss at Fujieda. Those results helped shape a Vegalta side that has collected 5 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws in the competition. The visiting team’s victory at Iwaki Greenfield Stadium added to that sequence and kept its record unchanged across all competitions.

Iwaki entered the match with a 3-1 win at Sagan, a 2-0 win over Yokohama FC, a 1-0 loss at Tokushima, a 3-2 loss to Albirex, a 4-1 loss at Ōita, a 3-1 loss at Fujieda and a 2-1 win over Imabari. Those results left Iwaki with 3 wins and 5 losses in the competition. The home side’s record across all competitions is also 3 wins and 5 losses. The loss to Vegalta continued a difficult run in league play.

Vegalta’s next 10 listed matches are all J2 League fixtures. Vegalta is next scheduled to host Júbilo. Vegalta will then visit Montedio, host Tokushima and Imabari, visit Albirex, host Ōmiya, visit Kataller, host Ventforet and Blaublitz, and visit Sagan. The schedule gives Vegalta a mix of home and away matches as it looks to build on its current record.

Iwaki’s next 10 listed matches are also J2 League fixtures. Iwaki begins with a road match at Consadole. Iwaki will then host Blaublitz and Ventforet before visiting Bellmāre. A home match against Júbilo follows, along with trips to Tochigi City and Ōmiya and a home meeting with Montedio. Iwaki is also set to visit Vanraure and Tegevajaro. The home side will seek to improve its record in the coming weeks.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Vegalta 2, Iwaki 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Iwaki with a 55.3 percent probability to win. The actual result delivered Vegalta a two-goal victory and a shutout on the road. The final score was Vegalta 2, Iwaki 0.