Match Report
Gainare Tottori, 22nd on 31 points, faced a 52-point deficit to Vissel Kobe (2nd, 83). Vissel Kobe ranked just 7th in the league on five-round form despite their 2nd table position. Against a league average of 1.31 goals per team per game, Gainare Tottori ran at 0.9 scored and 1.76 conceded, Vissel Kobe at 1.86 and 0.98.
A win had eluded Gainare Tottori for 12 matches. Vissel Kobe had not lost in 5 games, having scored in 6 consecutive games. The last-five ledger: Gainare Tottori 1/15, Vissel Kobe 13/15.
The match was played at Tottori Bank Bird Stadium in Tottori. H. Kimura took charge of the match — our records show 91 games refereed with an average of 1.3 yellow cards per game. Half-time and full-time told different stories: Gainare Tottori led 1-0 at the break, before 2 more goals closed it at 1-2.