Tokyo Verdy lifted themselves eight points above the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE relegation zone on Friday night, with their 1-0 win at Lemon Gas Stadium Hiratsuka at the same time leaving Shonan Bellmare six points from safety with five games to play.
Tokyo-V had the first clear sight of goal in the 16th minute when Shoji Toyama played Itsuki Someno into space in the area and he cut back across goal, but Yuta Arai couldn’t quite stretch enough to make contact with his teammate’s delivery and the ball rolled behind for a goal kick.
The roles were then reversed five minutes later as Arai fed Someno inside the area, but his left-footed snapshot flew past the near post.
Meanwhile, hosts Shonan didn’t manage to threaten until four minutes before half-time, when Ze Ricardo surged forward with the ball after making an interception in his own half and laid into Akito Suzuki’s path. Shonan’s top scorer couldn’t make the most of the opportunity though, and his side-footed attempt from the edge of the area went straight at Tokyo-V goalkeeper Matheus.
Ze Ricardo then had a chance of his own in the 52nd minute, but his low strike from 25 yards was also easy enough for his fellow Brazilian Matheus to deal with.
The decisive goal then came three minutes later, as Someno found a way through for Tokyo-V.
First, Shonan goalkeeper Kota Sanada made a smart stop at close quarters from Koki Morita, but after the loose ball fell to Yuan Matsuhashi he did well to chip a tempting cross to the back post where Someno was waiting to head home.
Shonan came within centimetres of equalising in the 90th minute, but substitute Rio Nitta’s venomous drive from 30 yards whistled agonisingly wide of the far post.
The last chance of the contest then fell the way of Nitta’s fellow sub Yutaro Oda in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time, but after doing well to make an angle for the shot he could only fire straight at a grateful Matheus in the Tokyo-V goal.
The victory lifted Tokyo-V up into 14th place, while Shonan remain second from bottom after suffering their seventh consecutive defeat.
Shonan Bellmare vs Tokyo Verdy - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE | MW33
