Machida Zelvia took the points with a 3-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds in the J.League, despite spending much of the game on the back foot. Urawa had more possession and more shots, but Machida were far more clinical in front of goal.
Hotaka Nakamura opened the scoring after eight minutes from Mitchell Duke's assist. Ryoma Watanabe levelled for Urawa in first-half stoppage time, but Takuma Nishimura restored the lead nine minutes after the break, and Neta Lavi added a third on the hour.
The numbers show Urawa's territorial control: 62% possession, 21 shots to Machida's 13, and 489 accurate passes to 254. Yet Machida produced seven shots on target to Urawa's three and turned three of those into goals. Yoichi Naganuma was booked late on for the winners.
