MATSUMOTO, Japan (Interstat) — Renofa Yamaguchi broke a scoreless match with two goals in a three-minute span late in the second half and defeated Yamaga 2-0 in their competition fixture. Yamaga was the home side, but the visiting Renofa Yamaguchi pushed after a triple change in the 64th minute and produced the opening goal when Riku Gunji scored in the 68th minute. Naoki Nomura added the second in the 70th minute, giving Renofa Yamaguchi a lead that held through the closing stages. Takeru Itakura provided an assist on one of the goals as Renofa Yamaguchi turned a tight road match into a two-goal advantage.

The first half ended without a goal, and the teams remained level through the first hour. Renofa Yamaguchi made substitutions involving S. Watanabe, K. Tanabe and K. Nakashima in the 64th minute before the breakthrough. Yamaga made substitutions involving Y. Taguchi, S. Tanaka and R. Sato in the 71st minute and added changes involving H. Murakami and K. Saso in the 76th minute. Renofa Yamaguchi then made a substitution involving S. Yamamoto in the 77th minute and replaced Gunji in the 90th minute. The late flurry of changes did not alter the result, but it reflected the different positions the teams occupied as the game moved into its final quarter.

Yamaga’s R. Yasunaga received a yellow card in the 76th minute, and Renofa Yamaguchi’s K. Oiwa was booked in the first minute of stoppage time. Those were the only cautions in a match that was otherwise controlled by Renofa Yamaguchi after the deadlock was broken. The visitors’ two goals came quickly, leaving Yamaga little time to respond before the final whistle.

Naoki Nomura and Riku Gunji each scored during 26-minute appearances, while Itakura contributed an assist. Gunji’s goal opened the scoring, and Nomura followed with the second as Renofa Yamaguchi secured the win. The result moved Renofa Yamaguchi to 3 wins and 1 loss in this competition and 3 wins and 1 loss across all competitions. Yamaga is now 2 wins and 2 losses in this competition and 3 wins and 3 losses across all competitions.

Renofa Yamaguchi’s previous results this season included a loss at Ehime, a home win over Kochi United and a road win at Tochigi SC. Yamaga had beaten Kusatsu at home, lost at Nagano, lost at home to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, beaten Kagoshima Utd at home and beaten Albirex Niigata at home. The recent form had suggested a tight contest, and the first hour followed that pattern before Renofa Yamaguchi’s quick strikes decided the match.

The result gave Renofa Yamaguchi a third win in four matches in this competition and a third win in four matches across all competitions. Yamaga fell after entering with recent home wins over Kusatsu, Kagoshima Utd and Albirex Niigata. Renofa Yamaguchi had beaten Kochi United and Tochigi SC before the loss at Ehime, while Yamaga had beaten Kusatsu, Kagoshima Utd and Albirex Niigata around losses to Nagano and Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Renofa Yamaguchi’s scoring burst came after a first hour in which neither team broke through, and the visitors protected the two-goal margin through the final minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Yamaga 1, Renofa Yamaguchi 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Yamaga with a 51.6 percent probability to win. Renofa Yamaguchi had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The simulator’s projected draw did not materialize as Renofa Yamaguchi scored twice after the 64th minute. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 2.5. The two-goal margin was the final difference.