KUMAMOTO (Interstat) — Ora Ishihara scored twice in a four-minute span late in the second half, and Kumamoto rallied from a one-goal deficit to beat Gifu 2-1 on Sunday. Gifu had taken the lead through Shun Nakamura in the 42nd minute and held it into the final quarter-hour before Kumamoto’s substitutes changed the match. Kumamoto improved its position in the competition with the home victory, while Gifu left with a narrow loss after leading for much of the afternoon. The match turned when Kumamoto found space behind Gifu’s back line and Ishihara finished twice in quick succession.

Gifu opened the scoring when Nakamura finished in the 42nd minute. Ryusei Haruna, Gifu’s goalkeeper, recorded an assist on the goal. Gifu carried that advantage into halftime and remained ahead after the break, though Kumamoto began to push more numbers forward as the second half wore on. The visiting side made changes at the interval and again on the hour, while Kumamoto also turned to its bench in search of a response. Gifu’s first-half lead was built on a compact defensive shape, and Kumamoto struggled to find clear chances until the closing stages.

Kumamoto found the equalizer in the 75th minute when Ishihara scored. Ishihara struck again in the 79th minute to put the home side in front, completing a quick turnaround. Hideatsu Ozawa and Keita Negishi each recorded an assist for Kumamoto, and Negishi also received a yellow card. Ishihara’s two goals came in a brief appearance and proved decisive in a match that had been tilted toward Gifu for long stretches. Ozawa entered as a substitute in the 76th minute and helped Kumamoto sustain pressure after the equalizer.

Discipline was a factor throughout. Gifu’s Hakozaki T. was booked in the seventh minute. Kumamoto’s Bae Jeong-Min was cautioned in the 49th, Negishi in the 62nd and Nasu K. in the 78th. The yellow cards added to the stop-start nature of the second half, and Kumamoto’s late pressure finally produced the goals that reversed the result. Gifu could not find a response after falling behind in the 79th minute. The final whistle confirmed the comeback and left Gifu with a difficult finish.

Both teams used their benches heavily after halftime. Gifu made a change at the interval, and Kumamoto brought on Iihoshi A. and Matsuda E. Gifu then introduced Asada H. and Izumisawa J. on the hour. Kumamoto replaced Bae Jeong-Min in the 63rd minute, and later brought on Ozawa H. in the 76th and Fujii K. in the 82nd. Gifu used Yakabi K. in the 76th and Hakozaki T. in the 89th. The substitutions gave Kumamoto fresh legs in attack, and the home side’s pressure increased as Gifu dropped deeper to protect its lead.

The result moved Gifu to 2-1 in this competition and 2-2 across all competitions. Kumamoto is now 3-1 in this competition and 3-2 across all competitions. Gifu had won two of its previous three matches in the competition before the loss, while Kumamoto continued a strong run in the competition with the comeback. Kumamoto’s home win came after Gifu had controlled the first half and protected its lead through the early part of the second. Gifu’s previous results included wins over Fukushima United and Gainare Tottori, while Kumamoto had beaten Gainare Tottori and Kamatamare before the loss.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kumamoto 1, Gifu 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Kumamoto with a 65.2 percent probability to win. Kumamoto had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 3 went under the over-under line of 2.5.