Kagami's first starting lineup. The true value of Tokyo will be tested in the match against Ichihara.

J1 League Sec. 13. Amaral and Kamino were absent due to injury, and Tokyo faced Ichihara with TUTO as the lone striker and Kagami making his first start in J1 as the attacking midfielder.

Ichihara features Baron for height and Benson for speed as their two strikers. While Ichihara sometimes plays with a double pivot focusing on defense, today they have an attacking formation with Sakai as the lone defensive midfielder, Muto on the left wing, Nakani on the right wing, and Ooshiba in central midfield. The first half progressed with both teams creating chances for each other.

It was Ichihara that took the initiative first. In the 5th minute, after Baron’s header was deflected by goalkeeper Doi, Muto chased after it towards the goal. Baron was there again to follow up. Although they couldn't bring it to a final finish, it was a close call. After that, Ichihara continued to create attacking plays, passing to Benson and Baron who made runs into the penalty area, starting from Nakanishi and Muto. Tokyo also saw an active push from Fujiyama on the left side today, dribbling inwards to create chances, but lacked the finishing touch. They attempted to exploit the high defensive line of Ichihara, but often found themselves caught offside, failing to create clear opportunities. However, around the 10th minute, Coach Okuma judged that TUTO, marked by Ichihara's defender Chano, was not able to be a focal point in the front line, so he switched the positions of TUTO and Kagami. The strategy was to place Kagami up front as a target man. From this point, Tokyo's rhythm improved, and TUTO made a free header shot, showing signs of a potential goal.

Kagami's diving header explodes! However, they take the lead...

In the 23rd minute, Benson, who competed with Komine, broke free with speed and sent a cross to Baron, but Tokyo correctly called offside. Then in the 24th minute, a pass from TUTO in the center was flicked to Seigo KOBAYASHI on the left with a heel by Fujiyama. KAGAMI connected with Fujiyama's precise cross with a header! With fast direct play, they sliced through the Ichihara defense and scored a goal!!

Looking back to last June, the away game in the 2nd Round of the Nabisco Cup. Amaral, Yukihiko, and Kagami scored to achieve a convincing 4-1 victory at the rain-soaked Ichihara Seaside Stadium. And the goal in the final match of J2 in Niigata. Kagami's diving header reminded us of those moments in an instant, taking the lead! In such important moments, the performance of players who make valuable contributions is sure to excite the "goal area" in Tokyo.

However, J1 was not so easy to defend against. In the 29th minute, Nakanishi evaded Tokyo's mark and made a through pass into the space after Fujiyama moved up. Ooshima finished it off neatly, and before we knew it, the score was tied.

After that, Tokyo had several opportunities to shoot freely, but TUTO's trap mistake and Seigo KOBAYASHI's miss prevented them from scoring. The first half ended in a tie.

Masamitsu KOBAYASHI, a determined beautiful goal! Pulling away from Ichihara, 1st

Right after the start of the second half, seeing the space, the defensive midfielder Asari dribbled forward to the goal. This play symbolized the awareness that "we want to avoid a situation like the Cerezo match, where we were equalized and lost momentum," which was evident in Tokyo that day. Kagami and TUTO changed positions flexibly without being overly concerned about their roles. "This improved the flow and disrupted the marking," said Kagami. Yukihiko aimed to break through more aggressively than in the first half. In the 61st minute, he replaced Koike with Kinama. However, Ichihara also countered when Nakanishi unexpectedly took a long-range shot, and in the 66th minute, they launched a counterattack against the attacking Tokyo, with Benson using his speed to advance. But just after that, in the 68th minute, Ichihara's defender Abe could not help but foul Yukihiko, who was trying to break through on the right side. A free kick was awarded. Of course, the kicker was Yukihiko. The ball, kicked strongly and accurately to the near post to Seigo KOBAYASHI, was sucked into the goal net the moment Seigo KOBAYASHI nodded it in.

Although Kobayashi missed several shots today, it was a wonderful goal that showed his determination to score.

Ichihara attempted to counterattack by bringing in forward Ogura and midfielder Hayashi, but Tokyo defended firmly at the final line. Conversely, in stoppage time, TOTO and TUTO, who came on for Kagawa in the 88th minute, launched a counterattack together, and in the end, TUTO scored the third goal, pulling away from Ichihara.

Currently ranked 3rd. Give it your all for the next 2 matches.

With this victory, Tokyo has risen to third place. In the next match, Naito will be suspended due to accumulated warnings, but Coach Okuma stated, "Umehara has been preparing well in the satellite team, so I am not worried," and we want to overcome this with everyone's strength. Of course, there are concerns about how quickly he can fit into the team, but if we can fight like today with new members and show new possibilities, it will be a significant gain that leads to the next step. In the remaining two matches, we want to fight through without letting our guard down, playing the kind of soccer that represents Tokyo.

Director ZAMFIR's Comments

"From before the match, it was expected to be a difficult game as we were facing a team with strong defense. The first half was still good, but in the second half, the bad aspects of Ichihara emerged. We conceded a goal from a free kick due to an easy mistake, and we had no choice but to go for goals. This gave the opponent space, and we repeated mistakes, ultimately conceding three goals. We managed to create chances with good buildup, but if we can't convert any of the four chances into goals, we will lose. This is a common reality in football."

Director Okuma's Comments

"Regarding Kagami, there are things that fall short of 100 percent of what I expected, but his first start in a while and scoring the opening goal had a significant impact on the entire team. I think we were able to stay focused in the second half as well. The breakthrough by Yukihiko starting in the second half was largely due to his own mental aspect. In the first half, he was crossing with his left foot even though there was space, so at halftime, I instructed him, 'It's okay to escape to a corner kick, but go for a breakthrough straight ahead.' He was able to get past once, and it seems he became more decisive."