It was a nice warm day in Fukuoka. The Kanmon Straits were sparkling outside of Mikuni World Stadium. Over 4,000 people were in attendance. The recently relegated Giravanz Kitakyushu took on the new-look AC Nagano Parceiro in the opening game of the 2022 J3 season.
The game started off close. Nagano moved the ball well but didn’t take a shot until 35 minutes into the game.
Sometimes at the J3 level, the games are won by the team that makes the fewest errors, not the team that plays the best. I was worried that today would be that kind of game.
Nagano’s defense played well. The defenders were in a good position, and goalkeeper Yatagai Soki made some nice saves and passes.
Nagano dominated possession and corner kicks in the first half. Kitakyushu had some good chances but lacked a counterattack. Both teams went to the locker room without a goal at halftime.
At the start of the second half, Nagano’s offense lacked creativity again. They keep driving the ball near the goal and failing to create chances despite several opportunities to cross the ball. Finally at 56 minutes, Miyamoto Takuya.
This goal brought the Nagano team to life. Reserve member Duke Carlos looked particularly effective with a mix of speed and passing. At 75 minutes, he made a beautiful cross pass to Morikawa Takuya who put the game away with a patient, well-placed header.
It was a very successful start to the season. The final score was 2-0. The energy on the field and on the sidelines looked very real. If they can keep this up all season, good things might happen.
English Points:
"Dominated possession" - Control the ball for more time than the opponent.
"brought the Nagano team to life" - motivated the team.
"good things might happen" - Nagano might win the league, or get promoted. It could be bad luck to say that too soon.
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