R42 vs Ventforet Kofu

FC Gifu 1 - 2 Ventforet Kofu (ht 0-0)

The motivation for promotion to the J1 proved to be too much for mid-table FC Gifu as Kofu came back from a goal down in the second half to nail home an impressive 2-1 victory at Nagaragawa. While the first half was pretty even but leaning slightly towards Kofu, the second half was almost totally Kofu. Even after Gifu DF Yoshimoto (on-loan from FC Tokyo) knocked in a fortuitous goal part way through the second half, it was always a question of when Kofu would equal the score, and then one they had done that, the knockout blow was almost inevitable.
Gifu were done by two set-plays (corners) which shows how this is still a defensive weak point for them, while their own set-plays are virtually non-existant.
It was a bitter loss. Gifu lost two in a row for the first time in a while, got beaten after leading, and lost the chance to beat Kofu for the first time in their history. They also got knocked down to 11th on the table and now have Kusatsu and Fukuoka snapping at their heels.
Next they face an on-fire Sagan Tosu. Gifu haven't lost three in a row yet this year but they're going to have to dig deep to get out of this one...