TENDO, Japan (Interstat) — Tegevajaro Miyazaki scored twice inside the first 15 minutes and defeated Montedio Yamagata 2-0 in a global football match on Sunday at ND Soft Stadium. Koji Okumura opened the scoring in the fifth minute, and Ken Tshizanga Matsumoto doubled the lead in the 15th. Mahiro Ano recorded an assist on one of the goals. Tegevajaro Miyazaki’s season record in the competition is now 2 wins, 0 losses and 2 draws, while Montedio Yamagata is 0 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw. Across all competitions, Tegevajaro Miyazaki is 2 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws, and Montedio Yamagata is 0 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw.

The visitors set the tone almost immediately. Okumura finished the opening chance in the fifth minute to put Tegevajaro Miyazaki ahead, and Matsumoto added the second goal 10 minutes later. Okumura’s goal came before Montedio had settled into the match, and Matsumoto’s finish gave the visitors a commanding lead with most of the first half remaining. The early two-goal cushion allowed Tegevajaro Miyazaki to control the match and forced Montedio Yamagata to chase from behind. Montedio tried to respond after the second goal but could not find a finishing touch. Tegevajaro’s back line dealt with the home side’s attempts to push forward and kept the two-goal margin intact into halftime. Matsumoto completed the match and finished with a goal, Okumura played 85 minutes and scored before being substituted, and Ano recorded an assist as Tegevajaro Miyazaki kept the home side scoreless.

Discipline became a factor later in the first half. Tegevajaro Miyazaki’s Y. Iesaka was shown a yellow card in the 21st minute, and Montedio Yamagata’s Yoshio Kaina was cautioned in the 24th. The bookings came after the early goals and added to the physical tone of the first half. Montedio Yamagata made an early change in the 36th minute when Kida R. came on, and another substitution followed in the 46th minute involving Disaro A. S. Montedio’s first change came before halftime. Tegevajaro Miyazaki made its first change in the 63rd minute with Shimokawa Y., then made two more changes in the 69th minute involving Ano M. and Iesaka Y.

Montedio Yamagata also made changes in the 69th minute, with Doi S. and Yoshio Kaina entering or departing as part of the adjustments. The home side made another substitution in the 81st minute involving Nakamura R. Tegevajaro Miyazaki completed its changes in the 85th minute with Okumura K. and Murakoshi K. The flurry of substitutions in the 69th minute broke up the flow of the match, but Tegevajaro maintained its lead. Montedio continued to search for a goal, but the visitors defended with discipline and limited clear chances. Tegevajaro’s final changes in the 85th minute came after Okumura had already made his mark on the scoreline. Despite the substitutions and the late changes, Montedio Yamagata could not cut into the two-goal deficit or produce a comeback. The visitors maintained their shape and closed out the match without conceding again.

Tegevajaro Miyazaki entered the match after a 2-1 victory over Blaublitz and a 1-1 draw with Iwata. Earlier in the run, Tegevajaro Miyazaki drew 1-1 at Toyama and lost 2-0 at Kawasaki Frontale. Montedio Yamagata came in after a 2-0 loss to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and a 0-0 draw with Fujieda MYFC. Montedio Yamagata also had a 1-0 loss to Vegalta Sendai and a 2-1 loss to Yokohama F. Marinos. The home side’s search for a first win in the competition continued as Tegevajaro Miyazaki protected its early advantage and closed out the match without conceding.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Montedio Yamagata 2, Tegevajaro Miyazaki 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Montedio Yamagata with a 60.2 percent probability to win. Tegevajaro Miyazaki had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.25. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 2.5.