The ultimate challenge!? vs Kashima Antlers match

Tokyo, who dramatically came back to win against Iwata in the previous match and reclaimed the top spot, faced the strong Kashima Antlers away in Toyama on this day. Although Kashima is currently 7th and not yet in full form, they are one of the strongest teams in J1, boasting Olympic Japan national team stars Hirase, Yanagisawa, Nakata, Ogasawara, Motoyama, as well as former Japan national team players Narahashi, Akita, Soma, and Honda. Adding to this, Bismarck reigns as Kashima’s ace, and just before the season started, the Brazilian star Bebeto, a three-time World Cup participant and a major foreign signing, joined the squad, making their player depth one of the best in J1. However, one factor that has held them back since the start of the season and has been a miscalculation is Bebeto’s delayed adjustment. Given Tokyo’s current excellent form and momentum, they have a good chance to win. But Tokyo must not jump to conclusions here. Tokyo and Kashima have faced each other five times before (three times in the Emperor's Cup and twice in the Nabisco Cup), and Tokyo’s only victory was six years ago during the Tokyo Gas era in their first Emperor's Cup meeting. Since then, they have met in the Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round and Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round, where Tokyo’s dreams of reaching the final were repeatedly crushed. For Tokyo, Kashima is truly a formidable obstacle. This will be their first league match against each other, but to settle the score, Tokyo must take revenge on enemy ground!

First goal with TUTO's consecutive goals in two matches!

On this day, the match held in the hometown of Kashima's striker Yanagisawa (Toyama) naturally attracted a large number of local fans, who supported the Kashima Eleven with loud cheers comparable to those at their true home, Kashima Stadium. On the other hand, the Tokyo supporters behind the goal were only a fraction of Kashima's numbers, but they supported the Tokyo Eleven with their characteristically witty and unique cheering. Although they were overwhelmingly outnumbered, their powerful and loud voices echoed throughout the stadium, making one wonder, "How can their voices carry so well?" Whether this voice reached the players or not, Tokyo took the lead 5 minutes into the game when Naito, who transferred from Kashima this season, fiercely slid to intercept an careless pass from the opponent. The ball then reached TUTO, who was positioned up front. TUTO dashed forward fiercely and collided with the charging Kashima goalkeeper, but he persisted, regained control of the ball, evaded the defenders, and calmly scored the opening goal. At that moment, the stadium of over 10,000 fell silent, and on the pitch, TUTO was seen raising both hands in celebration. Taking the lead against the strong Kashima on their home ground... This was the moment when one thought, "We can do this!" but reflexively, the thought "It can't be this easy" crossed their mind.

Kashima bares its fangs!

Both teams struggled to settle the ball until Tokyo scored the opening goal, which sparked intense back-and-forth action. Tokyo applied fierce pressure from the front with their trademark high work rate, quickly supplying the ball to the two strikers, Amaral and TUTO, after regaining possession. However, due to the high individual skill level of the Kashima players and their quick passing, it was difficult to win the ball in advanced positions, resulting in regaining possession deeper on the field. Ultimately, even when they won the ball in these deeper areas and quickly passed it to the front line with Amaral and TUTO, the two became isolated, preventing a robust attacking play.

Meanwhile, Kashima struggled against Tokyo's intense play, but with Bismarck and Ogasawara at the center, they supplied sharp vertical passes from quick, low-touch passing to the forwards Yanagisawa and BETO, looking for chances. On the other hand, when Tokyo's Sandro and Komine judged that they would not easily allow a central breakthrough under tight marking, the two forwards moved wide up front, creating points by receiving the ball there, involving the attacking participation of the fullbacks, and launched balls from the outside. At 23 minutes, Yanagisawa, who moved to the right side, unleashed a powerful volley from a tight angle, but the goalkeeper Doi made a great save to prevent a goal. Then at 30 minutes, Sandro was awarded a penalty kick, putting Kashima in a desperate situation, but Doi made another fine save and did not concede. Tokyo also occasionally created chances from counters, and it seemed they would finish the first half leading by one goal, but just before halftime, from a free kick, Kashima defender Fabiano headed the ball in to equalize.

The Toughness of J1

In the second half, Tokyo brought in Kinama. He was introduced as a support player because the two forwards were often isolated. However, Kashima's midfielders and stoppers were strong, and Kinama's dribbling, which is his characteristic, was shut down. Additionally, in Tokyo's characteristic side attacks, Yukiho and Naito on the right side combined with Amaral, attempting to break through with quick one-twos, but the marking on Amaral was tight, causing them to lose the ball due to slightly mistimed movements. On this day, Amaral, who was playing through the pain with painkillers, found the two stoppers, Akita and Fabiano, too tough to handle. Furthermore, Fujiyama, who was actively participating in attacks from interceptions on the left side, created good opportunities several times with his dribbling, but the goal was still far away.

On the other hand, Kashima, who made a decisive move in the second half, started strong with a run from Nagahashi on the right side just three minutes in. He broke through two Tokyo defenders and delivered an exquisite cross to the center. When Bebeto ran in and shot, it hit the bar, and the rebound was pounced on by Ogasawara, resulting in a turnaround. With this, Kashima gained momentum and launched diverse attacks from the center and both sides, leaving Tokyo on the defensive. In an attempt to change the flow, Asano and Toda were brought in, but the overall situation did not change. Ultimately, Tokyo, unable to fully utilize Amaral's hold-up play and TUTO's speed until the end, was once again defeated by the match-savvy

Manager's Comment

Director Okuma's Comments

"In the first half, despite playing poorly, we were able to create a chance from a quick attack and score a goal. It was painful to concede a goal at the end of the first half during a critical time when we shouldn't have. Kashima never gave us space, and because the two forwards and the defensive midfielder couldn't dribble, we couldn't create our usual formation. The only time we broke through on the sides was through Fujiyama's individual skill. Following the match against Iwata, the forwards and the supporting midfielders are too far apart, leading to the forwards often being isolated, so we want to correct this going forward."