SHIZUOKA (Interstat) — Takuma Nishimura scored three goals and Machida routed Shimizu S-Pulse 5-0 on Wednesday in a competition match. The visitors scored all five goals and kept a clean sheet. Nishimura finished with three goals in 86 minutes. Koki Ogawa scored once while playing the full match, and Neta Lavi scored and played 73 minutes for Machida. Machida led 1-0 at halftime and then scored four times after the break, pulling away as Nishimura completed his hat trick. The visitors kept Shimizu under pressure after the restart and added their second goal early in the second half.

Neta Lavi opened the scoring in the 35th minute. Koki Ogawa made it 2-0 in the 50th minute. Nishimura scored in the 62nd minute, again in the 77th and completed his hat trick in the 82nd. The goals came in a steady sequence after Lavi’s opener, with Ogawa’s strike preceding Nishimura’s burst. Gen Shoji and Takahiro Akimoto each played the full match and supplied an assist. Yuki Soma had an assist while playing 73 minutes. Lavi and Soma were replaced in the 73rd minute, with Mochizuki entering at the same time for Machida. Nishimura was substituted in the 86th minute after his third goal. Mae entered for Machida in the 79th minute. Ogawa remained on for the full match and scored once.

Shimizu S-Pulse was unable to answer. Honda received a yellow card in the 17th minute. Matsuzaki was booked in the 31st minute and again in the 63rd. Shimizu made two substitutions in the 57th minute, bringing on Koizumi and Capixaba. Oh Se-Hun entered in the 69th minute. Sugai and Yumiba came on in the 79th minute as Shimizu continued to search for a way back into the match. Machida’s Lavi and Soma were withdrawn in the 73rd minute, and Nishimura came off in the 86th minute. Machida also brought on Mochizuki in the 73rd minute and Mae in the 79th minute. Shimizu used five substitutions in the second half, while Machida made five changes of its own.

The result moved Machida to 3-0 in this competition and 4-0 across all competitions. Shimizu S-Pulse is now 1-1-1 in the competition and 3-2-1 overall. Machida entered the match after wins over Avispa Fukuoka, Tampines and Kyoto. Shimizu S-Pulse had drawn with Gamba Osaka, lost to Yokohama F. Marinos and beaten Mito, V-Varen Nagasaki and Kanazawa in its recent matches. Machida’s previous wins included a 3-0 result against Avispa Fukuoka, a 1-0 result at Tampines and a 1-0 result at Kyoto. Shimizu S-Pulse’s recent run also included a 2-2 draw with Gamba Osaka, a loss to Yokohama F. Marinos, a 2-1 win at Mito, a 2-1 win over V-Varen Nagasaki and a 2-0 win at Kanazawa. Machida is next scheduled to visit Vissel Kobe. Shimizu S-Pulse is next scheduled to visit Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Nishimura had played 25 minutes against Avispa Fukuoka and 81 minutes at Tampines in his previous two appearances before his three-goal performance against Shimizu S-Pulse. Machida’s win followed its previous results this season and kept its overall record unblemished. Shimizu S-Pulse remained at one win, one loss and one draw in the competition after the home defeat, while its overall mark moved to three wins, two losses and one draw.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Shimizu S-Pulse 1, Machida 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Machida with a 66.4 percent probability to win. Machida had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 2.5.