Coming into game 5, the young season had been full of promise. Sometimes in sports it takes only one bad performance to erase hope that has been built up over time. Yesterday was such a game for AC Nagano Parceiro. Parceiro lost 4-0 to the Iwaki FC, a team in their first season in J3 after having competed in minor divisions before this season.
From the start of the game, Iwaki looked like the hungrier side. They hustled to the ball, and moved with purpose winning duels and keeping Nagano from making any significant threats. Near the end of the first half, they opened the scoring with a less than spectacular goal by Furukawa Daigo. It was a disappointing end to the first half. But nothing could have prepared Nagano fans for what was to come in the second half. It was an absolute and total demolition of everything Nagano had shown so far in 2022.
At the start of the second half, coach Stalph substituted Sanda Naoki. It was a sign that coaching understood that Nagano needed a boost in offense. But, it didn’t take long for that move to be neutralized.
Only three minutes into the second half, Ryo Arita found the back of the net to double Iwaki’s lead to two. Less than ten minutes later, Kotaro Arima made a penalty kick that basically put the game away. By the time Duke Carlos and Tsubasa Sano were substituted in, the game was over, and Nagano was down 4-0.
The only reason to bring in those substitutes was to hope for a goal in the last few minutes. Goals can be useful in tie-breaker situations if teams are tied in the standings at the end of the season. In such situations, one goal can be the difference between getting promoted or not.
But yesterday, nothing seemed to work for AC Nagano Parceiro who didn’t manage a single goal. Their positive goal differential was erased. They fell to fifth in the standings, while Iwaki FC moved into a tie for first. Although only three points separate them from the first place teams, a lot of work still needs to be done.
Hopefully, Parceiro will be able to bounce back with a better result next week. If this week was any indication though, Nagano is probably still a year or two away from a real promotion challenge. Let's hope they can prove me wrong.
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