Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Albirex Niigata 1st with 84 points, Grulla Morioka 22nd with 34, 50 apart. Against a league average of 1.23 goals per team per game, Grulla Morioka ran at 0.83 scored and 1.9 conceded, Albirex Niigata at 1.74 and 0.83.
Five consecutive defeats weighed on Grulla Morioka. Over the last five, Grulla Morioka had taken 0 of 15 points to Albirex Niigata's 10.
The venue was Hokujosogoundo Koen Kitakami Field in Kitakami, with room for 4,946 spectators. On the scoreboard, it was 0-0 at the break; 2 second-half goals set the final 0-2.