KITAKYUSHU (Interstat) — Sho Hiramatsu had one goal and one assist as Giravanz Kitakyushu beat Nagano 3-1 on Sunday at Mikuni World Stadium. Giravanz Kitakyushu improved to 2-2 in the competition and 2-3 across all competitions. Nagano moved to 2-2 in the competition and 2-2 across all competitions. The home side scored all three of its goals before Nagano found a late reply, and Hiramatsu was the central figure in the attacking performance.

Nagano’s Yoshizawa S. received a yellow card in the ninth minute as the visitors tried to slow Giravanz Kitakyushu’s early momentum. The home side pressed for an opener and was rewarded in first-half stoppage time. Hiramatsu scored in the 45th minute plus two minutes of stoppage time, giving Giravanz Kitakyushu a 1-0 lead at halftime. Giravanz Kitakyushu kept possession and forced Nagano into fouls, and the visitors’ early caution was a sign of the pressure they faced. The timing of the goal changed the match, because Nagano had survived the opening half only to concede just before the break.

Giravanz Kitakyushu then delivered the decisive passage early in the second half. Seung Jin Koh scored in the 51st minute, and Daigo Takahashi scored in the 54th minute as the home side turned a one-goal lead into a three-goal advantage. That three-minute burst was the most important part of the game, and it left Nagano with a steep climb. Hiramatsu provided an assist on one of the goals, and Kota Yokokubo also recorded an assist. Giravanz Kitakyushu’s pressure and quick transitions made the difference during that stretch.

Nagano made two substitutions at halftime and added two more changes by the 68th minute, seeking a route back into the match. Nagano’s substitutions included Yamanaka R. and Tomita K. at halftime, Hasegawa Y. and Yoshizawa S. in the 55th minute, and Kondo T. in the 68th. Morita D. was shown a yellow card in the 56th minute as the visitors’ frustration grew. Giravanz Kitakyushu began its own substitutions in the 63rd minute and continued to rotate through the 86th minute. Nagano finally broke through in the second minute of second-half stoppage time when Kosuke Tanaka scored. The goal gave Nagano a consolation but came too late to alter the result.

Hiramatsu was the top star for Giravanz Kitakyushu with one goal and one assist. Daigo Takahashi also scored for the home side. Seung Jin Koh scored one goal. Kosuke Tanaka scored Nagano’s lone goal. Kota Yokokubo contributed one assist. The sequence of goals and assists underlined Giravanz Kitakyushu’s balance in attack, with Hiramatsu leading the way and Takahashi and Koh providing the finishing touches. Nagano’s late goal was its only reward on a day when the visitors struggled to contain the home side’s second-half surge.

The result continued an even run in the competition for both clubs, though their overall records diverged. Giravanz Kitakyushu’s overall mark moved to 2-3, while Nagano stayed at 2-2 across all competitions. Giravanz Kitakyushu had entered the match after a loss at Fukushima Utd and a home win over Osaka, while Nagano had lost to Ryukyu and beaten Yamaga in its recent matches. Nagano had also beaten Kochi United 3-1 earlier in the season, while Giravanz Kitakyushu had lost to Nara Club and Nagoya Grampus. Those recent results gave context to a match that turned on Giravanz Kitakyushu’s ability to score just before and just after halftime. The home side’s defense protected the lead until Tanaka’s late goal.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Giravanz Kitakyushu 2, Nagano 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Giravanz Kitakyushu with a 68 percent probability to win. Giravanz Kitakyushu had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 4 went under the over/under line of 2.5.