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

On April 1st of this year, Tokyo, who had won three consecutive matches to start the season, faced Kashiwa Reysol at the away venue of Kashiwa no Ha Stadium. If they had won that match, they would have set a new J-League record for consecutive opening wins (four). Despite being behind twice in a tough match, they managed to equalize each time and even fought hard in extra time, but ultimately lost after conceding a golden goal just before the end. This match became a source of confidence for Tokyo, as they were able to challenge a strong contender, who had steadily built their achievements under Coach Nishino, including winning the Nabisco Cup for the first time last year, and managed to keep the game competitive until the end. Although they have only won once in seven encounters since the JFL era (August 1993, Edogawa, score 2-1), if Tokyo plays the kind of football they showed in the first stage, where they never give up until the end, they have a good chance of winning. Currently, after five consecutive wins followed by two losses, Tokyo is in a difficult situation in the second stage, making it crucial to win today's match to break this negative trend.

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

This one point awakened Tokyo. It seemed that which team could gain an advantage on the sides would be a key point in this match, but after conceding a goal, Tokyo began to counterattack from this "side attack." Kashiwa adopted a three-back system, and when the side half shifted to attack, space naturally opened up. Coach Okuma pointed this out in the pre-match meeting, and from 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. Particularly on the left side, Seigo Kobayashi intentionally burst into that space, creating chances through combinations with left back Fujiyama and large switches from the right by Yukihiko. In the 27th minute, a pass went from left Seigo Kobayashi to central TUTO, and then to Naito who advanced on the right side. Naito unleashed a powerful shot, but unfortunately, the ball went just wide of the left goal post. In the following 28th minute, this time Fujiyama dribbled up the left side and passed to the forward Kamino. Kamino managed to shake off the defender with a one-touch and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his shot narrowly missed. Furthermore, in the 29th minute, once again Seigo Kobayashi broke through on the left side, sending a fast ground ball to the center. Kamino pretended to shoot but let it go, allowing Yukihiko to unleash a fierce left-footed shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 35th minute, Fujiyama broke through on the left side and passed to Seigo Kobayashi in the center. After a dribble, Seigo Kobayashi swung with his left foot, and the ball seemed destined to shake the Kashiwa goal net, but it hit the right post. In the 43rd minute, Kamino dropped a ball that hit the post, and Seigo Kobayashi charged in with a dribble. He was brought down in the penalty area, but it did not result in a penalty kick.

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 end. They fought until the very end. In the 37th minute, Kamino broke free from a through pass by Seigo KOBAYASHI and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but was thwarted by a fine play from the opposing GK. Just after that, in the 38th minute, TUTO broke through on the left side and sent the ball to the center, where Seigo KOBAYASHI unleashed a powerful shot that threatened the Kashiwa goal. In the 40th minute, from a set piece, Sandro headed the ball, and in stoppage time, TUTO dashed past two defenders on the left side and unleashed a fierce shot that stunned the Kashiwa defense, but it hit the opponent and did not result in a goal. And then, mercilessly, the time was up. Tokyo's fierce attack ended here. This marked Tokyo's first three consecutive losses of the season. The continuous injuries and the resulting decline in team strength were undeniable. All the players fought well, but the lack of midfield structure and the absence of effective passes to the front line forced TUTO, who should have been competing in the forward position, to drop back. TUTO showed many instances of relying on individual skills, but on the other hand, he demonstrated his consistently high ability to break down defenses. Seigo KOBAYASHI and Fujiyama also had technical advantages over Kashiwa, and the efforts of the defense, including the goalkeeper, felt strong. Although the result of 'victory' was not achieved, there were many chances, and they were definitely not heading in the wrong direction. This is the crucial moment. If the team unites once more and heads towards the same goal, results will surely follow.