R41 Battle of the newly promoted

Roasso Kumamoto 1 - 1 FC Gifu (ht 0-1)

FC Gifu kept their unbeaten record against Roasso Kumamoto in tact as well as maintaining their place at 12th on the J2 table.

Gifu started off the match well, attacking from all corners, but a defensive lapse in the 34th minute led to Roasso FW Nakayama sneaking one past GK Hino.
In the second half Gifu DF was red-carded after grabbing Kumamoto ace Takahashi's arm in a sprint to the ball. Although he cost his team a player on the field, he probably also saved them from being two points down.
So the game continued at a fast pace but it was Gifu, through back-from-injury MF Kazunori Kan, that struck the killer-blow in the 89th minute. It was a beautiful goal that just pipped past the keeper and into the top corner of the net.
Gifu then held on for a frantic few minutes to seal a well-deserved draw, and bragging rights against rivals Roasso for another year.

Next game: November 2nd (away) vs Nagoya Grampus (Emperor's Cup)

Next J2 game: November 9th (home) vs Yokohama FC

With only three games remaining for Gifu can they maintain there place at 12th on the table?? If they beat Yokohama this week they could even move on up to 11th. With Kumamoto and Ehime hot on their heels though there's still a possibility of finishing 14th so there's no room for complacency!
But first comes Gifu's first win over Nagoya Grampus next week!!

R40 Down, but not without a fight!

FC Gifu 1 - 2 Montedio Yamagata (ht 0-1)

FC Gifu's terrible run at home continued when they lost to Yamagata to leave their record of just two home wins this season in tact. Yamagata on the other hand broke their duck against Gifu and at the same time consolidated second place on the table.
Today both teams came out to play and while Gifu started of with a hiss and a roar it was Yamagata who struck first in the 30th minute, against the run of play, when DF Ishikawa capitalised on a keeper-less goal after Gifu GK Hino had dashed out to meet the ball.
Yamagata then struck again in the 63rd minute when giant FW Toyoda headed a ball in from a corner kick.
It looked like the game was over but then Gifu replied through reserve FW Koichi Sato who beat one defender and shot nicely past the keeper to score in his debut for FC Gifu.
Gifu then kept the pressure on Yamagata but time ran out and Montedio left Gifu relieved to be taking three points with them.

FC Gifu now stand even on points with rivals Roasso Kumamoto on the table. Next weeks game in Kumamoto now has extra meaning to it. Gifu are unbeaten against Kumamoto in the JFL and J2 so far and will be looking to keep their record in tact. A loss against in-form Roasso will mean a drop in places on the on the ladder.
The road is long and hard. Ganbare FC Gifu!

Next game October 26th (away) vs Roasso Kumamoto

The Emperor's Cup Round 3

Zweigen Kanazawa 0 - 1 FC Gifu (ht 0-0)

FC Gifu played Zweigen Kanazawa in the third round of the Emperor's Cup and managed to scrape out a 1-0 win after Kanazawa's tough defense finally gave in in the 83rd minute. The game was played in Toyama which is about three hours drive from Gifu City and only one hours drive from Kanazawa City. About 1500 spectators turned up to the game but they enjoyed a tough fast moving game.
In the first half both teams had only two or three shots at goal each, and while the teams looked pretty even, Kanazawa looked more dangerous in front of the goal.
When the second half came around though, Gifu started to up the pace and looked especially dangerous with the injection of FW Katagiri midway through the half. In the end they were rewarded with a goal to FW Aikawa who knocked in a chip from MF Kitamura in the 83rd minute. That was enough to seal a hard fought win for Gifu. The pressure was on them for this game and they produced the goods.
All this means that in round 4 Gifu will take a trip to Toyota Stadium to play neighbors Nagoya Grampus. With the pressure off Gifu and onto Nagoya this should make for an interesting match!

R39 At Last....

Mito Hollyhock 1 - 4 FC Gifu (ht 1-1)

Gifu stopped their winless streak at 13 with a hard fought win over Mito today. It's been a long time coming and was against the odds as Mito were in red-hot form coming into this game. However the Mito that beat Sendai last week failed to turn up to the game and were met by a Gifu team determined to get themselves out of their rut.
The game though, particularly the first half was pretty even. In the 7th minute Mito struck through MF Hori. Gifu replied in the 36th minute when a deceptive kick by DF Kawashima somehow found it past Mito Keeper Homma and into the back of the net. Mito had another couple of great chances but were only denied by some fine keeping from Hino.
In the second half a great goal in the 52nd minute by MF Umeda put Gifu on the front foot which they maintained until the end adding much needed consolation goals to FW Katagiri and MF Otomo in the 79th and 89th minutes repectively.
Mito didn't play as bad as the scoreline suggests, whereas Gifu also didn't play as good as the scoreline suggests, but for the first time in a while the ball seemed to roll the way of Gifu and in the end they earned a much needed three points.
The three points was especially important as it keeps Gifu in 12th place after Ehime also had a win and Kumamoto drew.

Next game October 12th (Toyama) vs Zweigen Kanazawa (Emperor's Cup)
Next J2 game October 19th (home) vs Montedio Yamagata