Match Report
On the table this was a mismatch: Kyoto Sanga (8th, 68 pts) held a 38-point advantage over Gifu (22nd, 30 pts). On recent form Kyoto Sanga sat only 12th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 8th overall. Against a league average of 1.3 goals per team per game, Kyoto Sanga ran at 1.4 scored and 1.33 conceded, Gifu at 0.79 and 1.86.
Gifu had not won in 6 games. The five-game form split read 9/15 points for Kyoto Sanga against 1/15 for Gifu.
The match was played at Kyōto Nishikyogoku Stadium in Kyoto (capacity 20,242). Half-time and full-time told different stories: it was 1-1 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 2-1.