HIRATSUKA, Japan (Interstat) — Shonan Bellmare erased a one-goal deficit and defeated Tochigi City 2-1 at Lemon Gas Stadium Hiratsuka on Sunday, using second-half goals from Taiyo Nishino and Sere Matsumura to overturn Tochigi City’s early lead.

Tochigi City struck first in the 33rd minute when Atsushi Yoshida scored. Tetsuya Chinen recorded an assist for Tochigi City. The visitors held that advantage into halftime, but Shonan Bellmare answered in the 54th minute through Nishino. Shohei Takeda and Soichiro Kozuki each recorded an assist for Shonan Bellmare. Matsumura then delivered the decisive goal in the 76th minute, completing the home side’s comeback. Matsumura finished with one goal in 90 minutes, Nishino had one goal in 84 minutes and Yoshida had one goal in 80 minutes.

Shonan Bellmare’s winning goal came after sustained pressure in the second half. Kozuki’s assist came during a 44-minute appearance, while Takeda went the full 90 minutes and recorded an assist. Matsumura also played the full 90 minutes and scored the winner. Tochigi City’s Chinen played 90 minutes and recorded an assist. The match included six yellow-card entries. Hiraoka M. of Tochigi City was booked in the 22nd and 40th minutes, and Teruyama H. was booked in the 89th and 90+3rd minutes. Inui T. also received a yellow card in the 90+2nd minute for Tochigi City, while Shonan Bellmare’s Fukazawa Y. was cautioned in the 57th minute.

Tochigi City’s record in the competition is now 0 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw. Shonan Bellmare’s record in the competition is now 1 win, 0 losses and 3 draws. Across all competitions, Tochigi City is 0 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, while Shonan Bellmare is 1 win, 1 loss and 3 draws. Tochigi City entered the match after a draw with Fujieda MYFC and losses to Kofu and Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Shonan Bellmare entered after draws with Iwaki, Toyama and Albirex Niigata and a loss to FC Tokyo. Tochigi City’s competition record now includes two losses and one draw, and Shonan Bellmare’s includes one win and three draws.

Shonan Bellmare had substitutions in the 46th minute involving Tamura S. and Yamaguchi G., a 63rd-minute substitution involving Okuno H., and a 70th-minute substitution involving Fukazawa Y. Tochigi City had substitutions in the 69th minute involving Okui R. and Vasquez B., then in the 80th minute involving Kato Jo and Yoshida, and in the 85th minute involving Okaniwa Y. Shonan Bellmare had a substitution involving Nishino in the 84th minute after his equalizing goal. The result gave Shonan Bellmare a second-half rally that Tochigi City could not answer, despite the visitors’ early goal and late cautions.

Tochigi City’s next scheduled J2 League match is against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. Shonan Bellmare’s victory followed a run of draws against Iwaki, Toyama and Albirex Niigata and a loss to FC Tokyo. The home side’s comeback came after Tochigi City had taken the lead through Yoshida and then absorbed pressure before Nishino’s equalizer. Matsumura’s late goal proved the difference, and Shonan Bellmare held on through stoppage time as Tochigi City picked up additional cautions. The visitors could not convert their early advantage into a second goal, and Shonan Bellmare’s defense held through the closing stages. Tochigi City accounted for five of the six yellow-card entries, and Shonan Bellmare had one.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tochigi City 2, Shonan Bellmare 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Shonan Bellmare with a 77 percent probability to win. Shonan Bellmare 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 2.75.