Match Report
The table gap was wide: 33 points between Kawasaki Frontale (8th, 57 pts) and Albirex Niigata (20th, 24 pts). On recent form Kawasaki Frontale sat only 13th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 8th overall. Per game in the league, Albirex Niigata were scoring 0.95 and conceding 1.76, Kawasaki Frontale 1.76 and 1.5, against a competition average of 1.2 goals per team per game.
Seven consecutive defeats weighed on Albirex Niigata.
GioScore's database holds 8 meetings between the two: 4 for Albirex Niigata, 2 for Kawasaki Frontale and 2 drawn, at 3.75 goals per meeting. History backs the host here — 63% of the meetings won by the home side. Three-plus goals is the norm here, arriving in 88% of the meetings, and both sides scored in 88%. Recent editions have opened up: 4.6 goals per game across the last five meetings against 3.75 historically.
The venue was Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata, with room for 42,300 spectators. It was 1-1 at the break — the second half brought no more goals and it finished 1-1.
Goal scorers
Albirex Niigata: Eiji Shirai (7') · Kawasaki Frontale: Tatsuya Ito (45')