Carry the momentum of the league victory into the next battle!

　The Emperor's Cup 3rd Round will be against Giravanz Kitakyushu. In the match against Shonan on 10/3, the team achieved a long-awaited victory with 3 goals from stable defense. Following that, a 3-day training camp was held in Gotemba. The team aimed to strengthen their unity and, under the theme of "not only the starters but also enhancing the condition and awareness of all members, including substitutes (Coach Okuma)," they have undergone rigorous training. To maintain the team's momentum, they want to not only secure victory but also engage in battles that lead to future success.

　Against Kitakyushu, they have been competing in J2 since this season and advanced to the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup by defeating Zaspa Kusatsu. Although they have only achieved one victory in the J2 league and are struggling in 19th place, under the guidance of coach Jorge YONASHIRO, they are a team that aspires to play aggressive soccer while also being able to endure defensively. They have the most draws in the league with 12. Conversely, one could say they are fighting tenaciously and not losing. For Tokyo, the key will be how quickly they can take the lead. Even if Kitakyushu tightens their defense, they want to calmly break through the defensive line with attacks from the midfield and breakthroughs from the sides.

　Tokyo is without Konno and Gonda for the activities of the Japan national team, as well as Kim Young-gun from the South Korean national team. Additionally, Okuro will miss the match due to leg tightness. However, Ishikawa, who had been injured, as well as Kajiyama and Hanyu, have returned to the squad. The starting lineup will feature Tokunaga and Morishige as center-backs, with Matsushita and Kajiyama serving as defensive midfielders. With the aim of maximizing individual strengths, they will adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation with Hirayama at the forefront and Otake just behind him. If the entire team can maintain the strength in ball contests, quick transitions between attack and defense, and not lose in duels, a chance of victory should emerge in this match.

　Ishikawa said, "With Sota at the top and Yohei just behind him, we can exert more power up front. We need to consider the risks, but as a team, we should be able to raise our awareness of scoring goals. Personally, I want to think about when and where to enter the goal area while also using different approaches from the sides to create chances." Coach Okuma stated, "While we need to prepare for Kitakyushu, the most important thing right now is to build the foundation of the team," indicating a commitment to trials that extend beyond just today's match, keeping future league games in mind. This match will be an opportunity to achieve victory and turn it into confidence and momentum. The match started at 1 PM with a kickoff from Tokyo at Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma.

Ishikawa scores the opening goal, but the first half ends without adding another point.

From the beginning, we took control and advanced the match in the Kitakyushu territory. Utilizing the movements behind Ishikawa and the bold plays of Ricardinho, starting from the front line with Hirayama and Ohtake, we created chances by having the defensive midfielders push forward. In the 8th minute, Ishikawa broke free in a high position on the right front line and dribbled along the sideline. He brought the ball to the goal area and earned a corner kick. This right corner was cleared once, but after connecting the loose ball, Ishikawa took a shot from the center. However, it was blocked, resulting in another corner kick. Despite creating chances from the sides multiple times afterward, the Kitakyushu defense held strong, and we continued to struggle to break through that wall.

　In the 20th minute, Nakamura made an advance and initiated a wide play, with Hirayama dropping a pass from Kajiyama in the center. Ishikawa, who ran from the right into the middle, took a shot, creating a decisive opportunity, but the ball went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 24th minute, this time Kajiyama passed to Hirayama, who broke through on the right flank, dribbled into the right area, and took a shot, but was once again caught by the goalkeeper. The time without scoring continued, but in the 28th minute, Kajiyama sent a long pass to Mukuara, who was sprinting up the right side. Mukuara connected with Ishikawa, who ran into the near post, and Ishikawa brought the ball into the goal area with speed and scored! They took the lead with a speedy combination play.

　After that, they continued to find their rhythm, and in the 35th minute, Ricardinho's shot-like cross from the left side saw Kajiyama sliding in front of the goal but just missing it. In the 39th minute, from Ishikawa's right cross, Ricardinho attempted a volley but sent it over the goal. In the 43rd minute, Ishikawa on the right side passed to Kajiyama, who made a heel pass pretending to shoot. Ishikawa followed up perfectly and took a decisive shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. Ultimately, they couldn't score an additional goal and went into halftime with a one-goal lead.

Pulled ahead with Hirayama's goal in the final stages to secure victory

　In the second half, it was Kitakyushu who first went on the attack. In the 46th minute, right back Sato advanced into the area. Nakamura made a sliding tackle to cut it off, but the ball was picked up, and a shot was taken from inside the area. This was saved by a mistake, but Tokyo also began to lose their rhythm gradually as they became careless in the final play. In the 56th minute, Hanyu was brought on for Kajiwara, and in the 65th minute, Shigematsu was brought on for Otake, in an attempt to revitalize the attack again.

　Then, in the 68th minute, Shigematsu broke through from a floating pass by Hanyu, cut back past two opposing defenders in the left area, and delivered a final pass in front of the goal. Hirayama connected with it and took a decisive shot, but... it was blocked by the Kitakyushu DF. After missing a good opportunity, the line gradually stretched, and on the contrary, there were increasing scenes where Kitakyushu, using substitutions, initiated power plays and managed to take shots.

　Still, they defended calmly on the final line and connected to counterattacks. In the 81st minute, Shigematsu, with his back to the goal, turned and shot, which hit the DF and struck the crossbar. Although they couldn't score, in the dying moments of the match, Matsushita broke through on the right flank, sent a sharp cross to the center, and Hirayama had a great chance just outside the area. He lost control once but tenaciously regained possession and forcefully bypassed two opposing DFs to score!! Despite taking 21 shots and only scoring 2 goals, leaving the issue of lack of finishing ability, they secured a solid victory and advanced to the 4th Round (against JEF Chiba).

　[Player Comments] {Hirayama} "For the goal, the cross came to my feet and I initially made a mistake. However, I decided to turn that around and shoot in my own way. Today I was the lone striker, but each player tried to utilize their roles. Especially Naoh-san was making a lot of moves, so I wanted to take advantage of that. We maintained a good distance from each other, and when I received the ball, Naoh-san started moving, which made it easier to play and I think we created chances. I wanted to connect more with goals, but..."

　Ishikawa: "(In the last 4 official matches, I've scored 3 goals, but I've missed more than that...) However, I have a strong desire to score even more in a good way. Today, not only with Sota, but also with Yohei, Kaji, and Wanchan, the distance between the players was good. When the ball went to Sota, the movement was good, and when Sota dropped back, Kaji moved forward in sync, creating a sense of urgency going forward. We couldn't capitalize on the chances we had, but Sota plays with intention, making it easier for me to support him. After the match, we discussed that we should play with an image of shooting and an awareness of our surroundings. The number of times I break out wide to send crosses and the quality of my movements into the box have improved. Of course, accuracy is a challenge, and moving forward, focusing on connecting with the ball will be key."

　【Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference】 "In a match where we struggled to score, we had many chances for the second goal, but in football, if we keep missing, we never know what might happen, so I want them to finish properly. However, I don't want this to end with just individual finishing ability; as seen in the Shonan match, even if Hirayama can't score, I want Ishikawa to step up, so we need to address this as a team issue and start scoring. There were moments when we missed clear chances, but I want us to rethink this as a team. There is also a need for unity in my approach, but even though we have a solid block in midfield when we are in a defensive position, we need to improve our marking when the opposing team comes at us aggressively. Especially on the right side, we encountered situations that were unintended. I want to correct the areas where we are still giving away chances and connect this to our league matches.

　(The evaluation of attacks from both sides) The number of attempts is good, so now it's a matter of accuracy. I think we were able to penetrate very well between the target defensive line and the goalkeeper. Also, in terms of ideas and creativity in front of the goal, there have been pullbacks and long shots, and I believe the variations are increasing. The question is whether we can finish those chances. As I mentioned earlier, we want to tackle this as a team issue and turn it into goals. The number of attempts has gradually increased over the last three matches, and I think the ideas have also increased compared to the match against Omiya, so I want to carry that into the league matches.

　【Summary of the press conference by Kitakyushu's Jorge YONASHIRO】 "I think we started the game well. There were some moments where we were in danger as they gradually broke through our left side. The left side was a bit unsettled, but as we entered the second half, I think we connected the ball better and passed it around more effectively. As a result, I believe we created more chances, and being able to create those chances is a positive outcome. Overall, there were several good moments throughout the 90 minutes, so I think the team performed well. I feel the players worked hard until the end. (It was your first match against a J1 club, right?) Anyway, we were conscious of pressing from the front. We wanted to see what would happen there. We aimed to press from the front. At certain points, we found it difficult to maintain that pressure from the front. There were times when we had to pull back, and it was a busy 90 minutes with moments of pushing forward, but overall, I think we responded well."