Repay the debt from the 1st stage and break free from the losing streak!

On April 1st this year, Tokyo, riding high with three consecutive wins since the opening match, traveled to the opponent's Kashiwa-no-ha Stadium to face Kashiwa Reysol. If they had won the match that day, they would have set a new J-League record for a promoted team with four consecutive opening wins. Although the match was tough, with Tokyo falling behind twice, they caught up each time and fought a close battle even in extra time. However, they were ultimately defeated by a sudden death goal near the end, leaving them disappointed. Against a strong contender steadily building achievements under Coach Nishino, who won the Nabisco Cup for the first time last year, Tokyo managed to challenge them on equal footing and made it a match that boosted their confidence. Although Kashiwa Reysol remains a formidable opponent with only one win in seven matches since the JFL era (August 1993, Edogawa, score 2-1), Tokyo has a good chance of winning if they play the never-give-up style of football they showed in the 1st stage. Currently facing difficulties with two losses after five consecutive wins in the 2nd stage, it was crucial for Tokyo to win today's match to break this negative streak.

Exploited the gap left by the absence of key players, resulting in an immediate goal conceded

The venue for the match on this day is the Ishikawa Athletics Stadium in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, which is the third away home game of the season for Tokyo. Before the match, a bouquet was presented to goalkeeper Doi, who achieved his 100th appearance in J-League matches on this day. Could it be some kind of fate that the opposing team is Kashiwa Reysol, where he was affiliated until last year?

Tokyo faced the match with a difficult formation, missing their ace Amaral due to injury, along with the double pivot of Asari and Kina. Although it was expected that Kamino, who was in good form, would cover for Amaral's absence despite being a different type of player, the absence of Asari, who maintains defensive balance, and Kina, who also contributes to game-making, posed challenges that could not be easily compensated for, raising concerns.

The match started at a pace set by Kashiwa. Kashiwa showcased their momentum by targeting Kitajima, who excels in outstanding post play and scoring ability, delivering quick crosses from both sides. In midfield, they attempted to establish rhythm with a diverse passing game centered around the genius midfielder, Masaru KATO. Before the match, Coach Okuma mentioned, "How to neutralize KATO, the game maker for Kashiwa, will determine the outcome of the match," making it clear that passes from KATO were a key point of concern. KATO never held onto the ball for long, but he distributed sharp passes with exquisite timing and direction to the technician Hirayama on the left side, to Masaru KATO, who burst forward with abundant movement and speed, and to Kitajima, who was positioned right in front of the goal.

Tokyo targeted the defensive midfielder Sakai as the source of Kashiwa's passes, but they struggled to contain him, ultimately leading to their downfall. In the 18th minute, the "player to watch" Ohno initiated a dribble, prompting Kitajima to break free from his marker and surge towards the goal. Ohno then delivered a perfectly timed through ball, and despite being off balance, Kitajima managed to take a shot and score. The timing of Ohno's through ball, Kitajima's running path, and his finishing ability allowed them to concede the opening goal from a pattern they should have been most cautious about.

Counterattack begins using the space on the left side

Tokyo woke up with this one goal. In this match, it seemed that which side could gain the advantage on the flanks would be a key point, but after conceding, Tokyo began their counterattack from this "side attack." Kashiwa adopted a three-back system, and when the side halves shifted to attack, space naturally opened up there. Coach Okuma pointed this out in the pre-match meeting, and from around the 20th minute of the first half, when the players began to grasp Kashiwa's speed and attacking patterns, they started to exploit this space. Especially on the left side, Seigo KOBAYASHI intentionally broke into that space, creating chances through combinations with left side back Fujiyama and large side changes from Yukihiko on the right. At the 27th minute, a pass went from left side Seigo KOBAYASHI to central TUTO, then to Naito advancing on the right side, and finally Naito took a powerful shot, but unfortunately the ball went wide to the left of the goal. At 28 minutes, Fujiyama dribbled up the left side and passed to top forward Kamino. Kamino shook off the defender with one trap and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, but the shot narrowly missed. Then at 29 minutes, Seigo KOBAYASHI again broke through the left side and sent a fast ground ball to the center. Kamino feigned a shot and passed through, and from behind Yukihiko unleashed a powerful left-footed shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. At 35 minutes, Fujiyama dribbled past on the left side and passed to Seigo KOBAYASHI in the center. After one dribble, Seigo KOBAYASHI struck with his left foot, and the ball headed straight for the Kashiwa goal, shaking the net, but it hit the right post directly. At 43 minutes, Kamino received a ball dropped after hitting the post and charged forward dribbling, but was fouled inside the penalty area; however, no penalty was awarded.

On the other hand, after the goal in the 18th minute, Kashiwa, who had been pushed back by Tokyo, saw Ohno dribble up in the 30th minute and pass to Masaru KATO, who had broken out on the left side. KATO received the pass and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from a dribble, but the ball hit the post and did not result in a goal. In the 44th minute, after breaking through the right side and sending a cross to the far side, KATO again shot freely, but it was cleared due to a mis-hit.

In the first half, although Tokyo conceded one goal, the number of shots was equal at 8 to 8, and in terms of performance, Tokyo completely outperformed their opponents, ending the half with the outcome of the match still unpredictable as they entered the second half.

Sunk by a devastating red card...

In the second half, Tokyo continued to attack from the sides. From the right, Yukihiko created chances with bold movements, while from the left, Seigo KOBAYASHI did the same. On the other hand, Kashiwa responded fiercely. In the 2nd minute, a powerful shot from Hirayama came from a free kick, but Dohi made a fine save. In the 10th minute, another strong shot came straight from the goal, but Dohi caught it firmly. The intense and thrilling back-and-forth action showed that both teams understood well that the next goal would greatly influence the outcome of the match.

However, what determined the match was an unexpected situation. In the 22nd minute, Masuda, who had come on as a substitute for Yukihiko in the second half, fell for a provocation from a Kashiwa player and received a red card, resulting in an immediate ejection. Tokyo was in a position to equalize and turn the game around, and just when they were in a very good state during the crucial time of 'from now on,' they faced the worst possible situation. Not only as individual players but also as a team, they self-destructed due to actions that should not have been taken. Tokyo was forced into a very difficult situation where they had to fight with ten men while being one goal behind.

The decisive second goal came nine minutes later. With one player down, Tokyo had to push forward, but they were caught on the counterattack when the midfield became thin, allowing the "key player" Ohno to exploit the situation. He took a shot from the center, and despite Dohi's desperate save attempt, it was in vain, and they conceded the second goal without much resistance.

Even so, Tokyo never gave up until the very end. And they fought until the last minute. At the 37th minute, Kamino broke through on a through pass from Seigo KOBAYASHI and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, but was stopped by a fine save from the opposing goalkeeper. Immediately after, at the 38th minute, TUTO broke through the left side and sent the ball to the center, where Seigo KOBAYASHI unleashed a powerful low shot that threatened the Kashiwa goal. At the 40th minute, from a set piece, Sandro headed the ball, and in stoppage time, TUTO dribbled past two defenders on the left side and fired a fierce shot that stunned the Kashiwa defenders, but it hit an opponent and did not result in a goal. Then, mercilessly, time was up. Tokyo's fierce attack ended there. This marked Tokyo's first three-game losing streak of the season. The continuous injuries and resulting decline in team strength were undeniable. The players all fought well, but the midfield's lack of structure and the failure to deliver effective passes to the front line forced TUTO, who should have been competing in the forward position, to drop back. TUTO showed many moments of individual skill, but at the same time demonstrated his consistently high ability to break down the opposing defense. Seigo KOBAYASHI and Fujiyama also had technical aspects that surpassed Kashiwa, and the defense, including the goalkeeper, showed strong effort. Although the result of "victory" was not achieved, there were many chances, and the team is not heading in the wrong direction. This is the critical moment. If the team unites once again and heads toward the same goal, the results will surely follow.