TOYAMA-SHI (Interstat) — Kataller and Yokohama FC played to a 3-3 draw in a J2 League match on Saturday at Toyama Athletic Recreation Park Stadium, a result that left both clubs with identical season records. The match took place in Japan’s second tier and produced a chaotic first half in which both teams traded goals at a rapid pace. Yokohama FC built a two-goal advantage early and led by two again in the first half, but Kataller answered through Manato Furukawa and completed the comeback to split the points. The match featured six goals overall, with Yokohama FC’s Kaili Shimbo, Kanta Chiba and Toma Murata finding the net and Furukawa scoring twice for the home side. Both teams now hold 4 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws in the J2 League, and each has the same record across all competitions. The draw extended a tightly matched stretch for two clubs separated by little in the table.

Yokohama FC struck first in the 21st minute when Shimbo scored. Four minutes later, Chiba made it 2-0 with a 25th-minute goal. Kataller cut the deficit in the 31st minute as Furukawa scored his first. Murata restored Yokohama FC’s two-goal cushion in the 41st minute. Furukawa scored again in the 48th minute, giving Kataller momentum and setting up the late equalizer. The scoring sequence unfolded across a 27-minute span, with five goals recorded before halftime or just after the break. Kang Minwoo of Kataller received a yellow card in the 53rd minute. Despite the card, Kataller continued to press for the leveling goal and eventually secured a share of the points.

Furukawa, a Kataller forward, finished with two goals while playing 67 minutes. Murata, a Yokohama FC forward, played all 90 minutes and scored once. Chiba, another Yokohama FC forward, played 67 minutes and scored once. Furukawa’s 67-minute shift included two of Kataller’s goals. Their efforts helped produce a back-and-forth contest that swung from Yokohama FC control to a Kataller response. Yokohama FC’s early precision gave way to Kataller’s persistence, and the home side’s ability to answer twice from Furukawa kept the match within reach.

Yokohama FC entered the match after a 2-1 home win over Imabari and a 2-0 loss at Iwaki. The club had also beaten Albirex 5-0 at home and drawn with Sagan before those results. Earlier in the season, Yokohama FC beat Júbilo 3-1 at home and won 1-0 at Tegevajaro, while also falling 2-0 at Montedio. Kataller arrived after a 2-0 win at Montedio and a 0-0 draw with Tochigi City. Earlier in its run, Kataller had beaten Júbilo and Imabari while also losing to Fujieda and Vanraure. Kataller also posted a 4-0 home win over Imabari and a 4-0 away win at Blaublitz, showing the form that made the side dangerous at home. Both sides have been closely matched, a trend reflected by their identical records.

Yokohama FC’s upcoming J2 League schedule includes trips to Vanraure, Tochigi City, Ventforet, Ōmiya, Tokushima and Bellmāre, along with home matches against Ōita, Blaublitz, Fujieda and Consadole. The club will look to maintain its form with a busy run of fixtures ahead. Kataller’s next stretch includes trips to Ventforet, Ōmiya, Albirex and Sagan, plus home games against Tegevajaro, Bellmāre, Consadole, Vegalta, Tokushima and Ōita. The clubs will continue their campaigns with the same overall record and level on points in the league table. Both will aim to turn the draw into momentum as the schedule thickens.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kataller 2, Yokohama FC 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Kataller a 69.6 percent probability to win. The actual result was a 3-3 draw.