Nara Hit Five to Go Provisionally Top; Ehime End Three-Match Losing Run [Summary: MEIJI YASUDA J3 Matchweek 16]

Six Matchweek 16 fixtures in the MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE were played on 7 November, with Nara moving provisionally to the top of the table after a convincing win over Kochi.

Nara cruised to a 5-0 home victory over Kochi, with Ryo Sato opening the scoring in the 39th minute. Shota Kawanishi doubled the lead three minutes later before Sato struck again in the 57th. Rikuto Ando added a fourth in the 62nd minute, and Himan Morimoto completed the scoring in the 86th. The victory was Nara's third in a row and took them provisionally top with 32 points.

Gifu edged Kitakyushu 1-0 at home thanks to Tatsuya Hakozaki's 34th-minute goal. FC Osaka defeated Gunma 2-1, with Takumi Shimada breaking a 1-1 deadlock in the 66th minute.

Fukushima cruised to a 4-1 home win over Ryukyu, with Yuki Okada and Koya Okuda each scoring twice. Kanazawa defeated Matsumoto 1-0 away from home thanks to Kyota Sakakibara's 13th-minute winner.

Ehime ended their three-match losing streak with a 1-0 home victory over Shiga. Shota Tamura opened the scoring in the 31st minute, and the hosts held on to secure all three points.

MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE Standings

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