Match against in-form Nagoya

The 4th round is a match against Nagoya Grampus Eight, who are currently in 2nd place. Nagoya, who are in good form, have not lost in 3 games, in contrast to Tokyo who are in 14th place. Led by ace Stojkovic, they utilize the scoring power of Brazilian player Weslley, the balance of Dutch-born Urida, the addition of Sakai, and the play of midfielder Yamaguchi to showcase the strength of their multinational team. They are steadily achieving victories. In addition, CB Koga has been selected as a candidate for the Japan national team for the upcoming Spain match, and will surely be motivated. However, Tokyo will have their first home game since the opening of the league. It is a crucial match where they want to win and gain momentum.

Allowing the first goal from Stojkovic's brilliant pass

Tokyo started with Toda, who has speed, as the first starter. They faced the match with a midfield lineup of Kelly on the left and Masuda on the right. In the first minute, Weslley from Nagoya trapped a long ball from the DF and took a middle shot. Nagoya, who seemed to have precisely aimed for today's match due to their seed in the Nabisco Cup first round, showed their determination. However, Tokyo also fought well and evenly. In the 9th minute, Toda received a pass from Masuda on the front line and immediately passed it to the side. Naito's cross caused a scramble in front of the goal and Kelly was unable to take a shot, but it was a play that was thoroughly executed from the side.

However, in the 11th minute, Stojkovic received the ball on the left side of the midfield. Seeing that he was tightly marked on the front line, Stojkovic freely moved in the midfield and then dribbled across the field to the center, sending a delicate pass in front of the goal. And this pass was right on target! Saeki, who had run behind the defense line, managed to score against Miura and put Tokyo in the lead in the 12th minute. There was nothing to do but stay silent in front of Stojkovic's decisive work.

After that, Tokyo counterattacks. In the 19th minute, Rohisu attacks alone and shoots a middle shot. In the 22nd minute, Sandro, who had moved up to the front line from the flow of FK, shoots from Naito's cross, but both are off target. In the 24th and 32nd minutes, Tokyo defended well against Nagoya's free kick near the goal, but even when they counterattacked, they lost momentum in front of the goal. The rhythm is completely in Tokyo's favor, but they cannot break through the goal. In the 33rd minute, Naito shoots again from a vertical pass from Ueda. In the 38th minute, a through pass is made to Miura, who runs into the goal from the left side of Fujiyama, but GK Narazaki's quick footwork catches it. In the 43rd minute, when Rohisu hits a pass from the left side with one touch, Kelly, who had slipped behind the DF line at the perfect timing, shoots! But the ball narrowly hits the corner of the left goal post! ... The ball bounces back and passes by Toda, who was desperately trying to score. In the 44th minute, Masuda shoots from Rohisu's post play, but it goes over the goal. With numerous chances, they head into the second half with a feeling of scoring a goal.

The feeling of scoring, but rejected by the post...

Tokyo was able to maintain their rhythm in the second half. In the 50th minute, Kelly passed the ball, and in the 51st minute, both Toda and Robisu took shots from the ball they dropped. In the 52nd minute, Fujiyama dribbled into the center and took a shot, but it missed the goal. With a focus on making big side changes, in the 56th minute, Murata connected directly with Masuda on the right and once again Masuda aimed for the goal behind the DF line, but the jumping GK caught it.

59 minutes, Tokyo desperately tries to break through this situation and substitutes Toru KABURAGI for Toda as a FW. KABURAGI makes his first appearance this season and is a player with even more speed than Toda. This is likely an attempt to exploit the gaps in Nagoya's persistent defense. After the 60th minute, the game becomes a chaotic back-and-forth counterattack, prompting Nagoya to also substitute Okuyama for Takizawa in the 62nd minute. They are trying to match speed with speed.

Tokyo's right side is broken through, and in the 64th and 66th minutes, Weslley is allowed to shoot, but the goal is not broken. Tokyo, who survived the pinch, substitutes Asari for Kina in the 66th minute. They show a fierce attack that sticks to the Nagoya defense. In the 68th minute, Lins takes a one-touch shot from Naito on the right and hits it into the penalty area. Kelly runs in and takes a shot with tremendous speed! The ball grazes the hand of GK Narazaki and hits the left corner of the post, but Kaburagi, who followed up, can't reach it... Just two minutes later, Kaburagi shoots from a cross by Naito, but the DF barely cuts it. They miss a decisive chance. The Nagoya DF, who are tightly defending, are tough, and in the 74th minute, they are countered and the DF is broken through, allowing Okayama to take a free shot, but it misses above the goal and they avoid danger.

Attack Tokyo, Defend Nagoya

75 minutes, Tokyo substitutes Sato for Masuda, but at this point Nagoya substitutes Stojkovic for CB Umemoto. They are going for a strategy to defend their one point lead. The confidence to defend that one point, even by substituting Stojkovic, is what is supporting Nagoya right now. The 5-back defense becomes even stronger, and in the 84th minute, Kelly takes a free shot from the right penalty area, but the GK catches it. In the following 85th minute, Kelly heads Sato's right corner kick perfectly, but it goes over the goal. Sandro also joins the attack, but as time ticks away, the final whistle draws near...

The content is not bad, but unfortunately we couldn't dominate and attack, and we were hit with an early goal, resulting in a very frustrating outcome. This marks our third consecutive loss without scoring a goal in three games.

[Coach Carlos' Comments]

The game was difficult from the beginning. FC Tokyo is a strong team. However, by marking their key players tightly, we were able to do well. In the second half, the game started with our rhythm, but we gave them a chance to counterattack and were eventually pushed back. However, our players defended well.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

In the first half, there were some parts where I couldn't adjust the balance of the defense, and I think the goal was my responsibility. I was marking, but at that time, there were some areas where the balance was lacking. That's the part I need to reflect on. However, the attacking mentality of "let's score" and the overall desire to move forward were seen after the goal was conceded. The only thing left is to finish... not only accuracy, but also increasing combinations and variations, otherwise it's hard to reach the goal.