KAWASAKI (Interstat) — Tatsuya Ito had a goal and an assist, Marcinho scored and Kawasaki Frontale held off Vissel Kobe for a 2-1 victory at Uvance Todoroki Stadium by Fujitsu in Kawasaki, Japan, on Wednesday. The home side moved to 2 wins and 1 loss in the competition and 5 wins and 1 loss across all competitions. Vissel Kobe fell to 1 win and 2 losses in the competition and 2 wins and 2 losses across all competitions. Kawasaki’s win came after a tight second half in which all three goals arrived in a 12-minute span, and Vissel Kobe pressed for an equalizer without finding one. The result gave Kawasaki its second win in the competition and left Vissel Kobe with its second loss.

The match remained scoreless until the 61st minute, when Marcinho broke through for Kawasaki. Ito then doubled the lead in the 71st minute, giving the home side a two-goal cushion. Vissel Kobe responded quickly, with Yuya Osako pulling one back in the 73rd minute. The sequence made the closing stages tense, but Kawasaki kept Vissel Kobe from finding an equalizer. Marcinho played 87 minutes and finished with a goal. Ito, whose statline showed 31 minutes, had a goal and an assist. Osako played the full 90 minutes and scored once. So Kawahara played 90 minutes and provided an assist. Erik played 86 minutes and assisted one goal for Vissel Kobe. Vissel Kobe pushed forward in the final quarter-hour, while Kawasaki defended its lead and looked to counter. The visitors could not produce a second goal, and Kawasaki closed out the win. Marcinho’s goal opened the scoring after a cautious opening hour. Ito’s finish gave Kawasaki breathing room. Osako’s reply restored Vissel Kobe’s hopes. Kawasaki protected the one-goal margin through the remaining minutes and stoppage time.

A. Sasaki of Kawasaki was booked in the 52nd minute. Vissel Kobe’s Y. Muto received a yellow card in the 79th minute. Vissel Kobe made a halftime substitution with K. Nagato. Kawasaki made changes in the 59th minute with S. Yamaichi and Y. Ozeki, in the 67th with Pedro Romano, in the 82nd with Derik Lacerda and R. Yamahara, in the 87th with Marcinho and in stoppage time with K. Tachibanada. Vissel Kobe also made substitutions with N. Iino in the 69th, Y. Kuwasaki in the 77th and Erik in the 86th. The changes added fresh legs for the closing half-hour as both teams sought to reshape the match. The bookings and substitutions came as the match moved into its decisive phase.

Kawasaki Frontale entered on a strong run, having won four of its previous five matches across all competitions. That stretch included a 4-2 win at Cerezo Osaka, a 4-0 win at Iwata, a 1-2 home loss to Nagoya Grampus, a 2-0 home win over Tegevajaro Miyazaki and a 1-0 win at Kumamoto. Vissel Kobe had beaten Okayama 3-0 and Jeonbuk 2-0 before a 2-4 loss at Kashiwa Reysol. Vissel Kobe next hosts Machida in J1 League play. The visitors had hoped to build on their recent victories, but Kawasaki’s second-half scoring burst proved decisive. Kawasaki’s overall record now stands at 5 wins and 1 loss, while Vissel Kobe is 2-2 across all competitions. The visitors could not turn their recent form into a result at Kawasaki.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Vissel Kobe 2, Kawasaki Frontale 1, and Interstat’s ELO system gave Kawasaki Frontale a 54.3 percent probability to win. Kawasaki Frontale was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.25. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5. The projected final score favored Vissel Kobe, but Kawasaki Frontale secured the win.