TOSU, Japan (Interstat) — Sagan Tosu scored once in each half and defeated visiting Vanraure 2-0 on Sunday at Ekimae Real Estate Stadium. Ryo Shiohama gave the home side the lead in the 20th minute, and Manato Yoshida scored in the 54th minute. Vanraure finished with no goals. The match was played in Tosu, with Sagan Tosu as the home team and Vanraure as the visiting team.

Sagan Tosu scored the game’s only goals. Shiohama’s 20th-minute goal put Sagan Tosu ahead, and the home side carried that lead into halftime. Yoshida’s 54th-minute goal then gave Sagan Tosu a two-goal advantage. Vanraure could not produce a goal in response, and Sagan Tosu closed out the match without conceding.

The game’s only goals came from Shiohama and Yoshida. Shiohama scored in the 20th minute, and Yoshida scored in the 54th minute. Vanraure was held without a goal in both halves. Sagan Tosu’s lead stood at 1-0 at halftime and grew to 2-0 after Yoshida’s second-half goal. There were no further goals after the 54th minute. Sagan Tosu played the final stages with its lead intact.

The key performances, in descending order of importance, came from Yoshida, Shiohama and Ayumu Toyoda. Yoshida had one goal in 86 minutes. Shiohama had one goal in 81 minutes. Toyoda recorded one assist in a full 90-minute appearance. Toyoda’s assist was part of the home side’s attacking output, while Yoshida and Shiohama supplied the goals that separated the teams.

Vanraure was shown two yellow cards early in the second half. Takayoshi S. was booked in the 50th minute, and Sato Y. received a yellow card in the 52nd minute. Yoshida’s goal for Sagan Tosu came in the 54th minute, two minutes after the second booking. Vanraure made changes at halftime and later in the second half as it sought a way back into the match.

Vanraure made substitutions in the 46th minute involving Sawakami R. and Nakano S., in the 58th minute involving Sato A. and Sato Y., and in the 71st minute involving Otoizumi S. Sagan Tosu made substitutions in the 76th minute involving Nishizawa K., in the 81st minute involving Shiohama R. and Takahashi T., and in the 86th minute involving Morishita R. and Yoshida M. The substitutions continued after Sagan Tosu had established its two-goal lead. In total, each team made five substitutions in the match. Vanraure’s substitutions began at halftime, while Sagan Tosu’s began in the 76th minute.

The result moved Sagan Tosu to 3-1 in this competition and 5-1 across all competitions. Vanraure fell to 0-2 in this competition and 0-2 across all competitions. Sagan Tosu’s previous results were a 2-1 loss at Albirex Niigata, a 2-1 home win over Omiya Ardija, a 2-1 home win over Avispa Fukuoka, a 1-0 home win over Fujieda MYFC and a 2-1 home win over Verdy. Vanraure’s previous result was a 3-1 loss at Omiya Ardija.

Vanraure’s upcoming schedule includes matches at Bellmare and at Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, home matches against Imabari, Tochigi City, Ventforet, Oita, Omiya and Sagan Tosu, and trips to Vegalta and Kataller. Sagan Tosu’s schedule includes a later visit to Vanraure. The home side’s record in the competition and across all competitions improved with the shutout.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Sagan Tosu 2, Vanraure 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Sagan Tosu with an 83.4 percent probability to win. Sagan Tosu had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1. The over/under line was 2.5, and the total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 2.5.