Aiming for victory...

Tokyo, eager to quickly forget the nightmarish match from the previous round, faced off against Hiroshima, who were at the bottom of the table (16th place) on this day. However, despite being in last place, the point difference with Tokyo, currently in 14th place, is only "2". If 15th place Marinos win against Verdy and Tokyo loses to Hiroshima, it would mark the first time in the club's history that Tokyo falls to the bottom of the table.

Before the match, Coach Okuma reviewed the defensive line's coordination mistakes and balance that led to conceding goals in the previous game, instructing the team to pay close attention to Hiroshima's sharp three-forward line and their long runs. He repeatedly emphasized not to make the same mistakes again. The lineup featured bold changes, including Amaral starting as forward for the first time in five matches, captain Shimodaira returning to the defensive midfield after four games, and Tetsuya ITO starting at right back for the first time this season after three matches. The highlight was the combination of Kelly and Amaral starting together for the first time. Whether this duo could become the "catalyst" to break the current negative streak was in question... If this combination works well, the team has the potential to quickly ride a wave of success; on the other hand, if it fails, a harsh reality awaits. Expectations grew high for this partnership, which holds the key to the team's future fortunes.

Conceding a goal in the early stages, catching us off guard

"Once again..." It is. Coach Okuma repeatedly emphasized before the match the mistakes in the defensive line's combination, and once again, we allowed the opening goal in a similar manner to the previous match.

On this day, from the start of the match, Tokyo was beginning to create a "good shape." In the 2nd minute, Asari, with a sharp start near the center circle, stole the opponent's ball and charged forward with a dribble, passing to Lins, who had moved to the right of the penalty area. Lins took a decisive shot. The powerful shot was caught by the goalkeeper, but expectations rose for Lins' proactive play, which had not been seen in the previous match. In the following 3rd minute, Amaral dribbled into the penalty area, attracted the opponent on the right side, and sent a pass to the free Lins running into the center, but the pass was a bit too strong and went past Lins. Missing this crucial big chance would have significant repercussions later.

Tokyo, unable to score the opening goal despite creating chances through continuous aggressive and sharp defense, gradually began to face Hiroshima's counterattacks. Hiroshima positioned their ace Kubo as a lone forward, with technician Fujimoto on the right and speedy Takahashi on the left side, launching quick counterattacks. In midfield, they quickly passed the ball to Kubo without wasting time, and Morisaki and Fujimoto picked up his lay-offs to launch sharp attacks. At the 7th minute, when Robisu lost the ball in midfield, Hiroshima connected quickly through Kubo and Fujimoto on a sharp counterattack, easily breaking down the right side. Fortunately, the cross lacked accuracy and did not result in a goal, but Tokyo continued to lose the ball easily under Hiroshima's intense midfield press, allowing Hiroshima to gain rhythm from Tokyo's own mistakes and counterattacks. At the 11th minute, when Fujiyama carelessly dribbled and lost the ball to Hiroshima's Fujimoto, Fujimoto advanced with a dribble and played a through pass to Takahashi, who had broken behind Tokyo's defensive line. Takahashi's shot hit goalkeeper Doi and lost momentum but still rolled into the goal.

A goal conceded in the same critical moment as the previous match, where it felt like 'here we go again.' Tokyo was once again caught off guard with an early goal, disrupting their game plan.

Active attacks also led to conceding additional goals, resulting in disappointment

Tokyo, wanting to reset their mindset, at the 13th minute, received a pass from Amaral, who was positioned centrally outside the penalty area, to LUBIS flowing to the right. LUBIS took a powerful shot just like he did right after the match started. The goalkeeper parried the strong shot forward, where Miura rushed in for a sliding shot, but it also hit the goalkeeper and bounced away. Amaral then attempted a volley from outside the penalty area aiming for the goal, but the ball went over the bar. Tokyo missed another big chance and was caught in Hiroshima's pace for a while afterward. However, at the 25th minute, right side back Tetsuya ITO showed bold attacking by dribbling past two opposing defenders, and at the 29th minute, LUBIS picked up a loose ball in midfield and unleashed a powerful roughly 25-meter long-range shot catching the opponent off guard. Their bold play stood out as they counterattacked. At the 41st minute, through passing combinations between Miura, Kelly, and LUBIS from the center, they broke down the opponent's defensive line and created a chance. At the 43rd minute, on a counterattack, a pass from Asari's dribble reached Amaral, who took a decisive shot, coming just one step short of scoring. Conversely, near the end of the first half at the 44th minute, near the left side corner, the ball was connected through Fujimoto and Hattori, and Takahashi flew in near side to head the ball into the goal from Hattori's cross, adding another goal. Just like the nightmare of the previous match, Tokyo conceded an additional goal during the "Now, let's counterattack" moment, falling into a tough situation trailing by two goals at halftime.

The harsh reality of falling to the bottom... Let's switch our mindset and prepare for the next match

During halftime, Coach Okuma instructed that during crucial attacking moments, the full-backs, midfielders, or Amaral should make bold movements to break through beyond forward Robson. In the previous match, after conceding a goal, the team fell into a negative mindset, losing the motivation to push forward, which diminished their attacking momentum. This emphasizes the importance of maintaining a "strong mindset" in this aspect.

However, how many players were able to understand and implement the coach's instructions during halftime on the pitch in the second half? At least it was only Shimohira who consistently displayed a fighting spirit and worked hard until the end. This was his second time on the bench this season out of seven matches (both as a starter), and while he seemed somewhat out of match rhythm, he led the team with sufficient leadership and fighting spirit to cover for that. He put his body on the line to win the ball from the opponent and delivered steady, albeit unglamorous, passes to the front line. Thanks to Shimohira's presence, the accuracy of distribution in midfield definitely improved, leading to chances up front. This was perhaps the only glimmer of hope and harvest on that day, close to a 'one-man struggle.' I couldn't help but think that his captaincy might save the current team in the future.

The second half was dominated by Hiroshima. In the 8th minute, a free kick given in front of the goal was saved by the post, but in the 17th minute, a direct corner kick from the right found Takahashi, who scored his third goal of the day with a header, completing his hat trick. Tokyo, having conceded three goals in two consecutive matches, saw their motivation drop and became defensive from that point on. The solid play of Shimohira and the improved movement of Kelly, who changed positions from the right side to the left or center in the second half, maintained a high level of quality until the end. Yuki and Kina, who came on in the second half, also created good opportunities towards the end, but the crucial duo of Amaral and Ryo was often careless, losing the ball frequently due to a lack of concentration, and they were unable to create an organized attacking shape that could lead to goals.

The reason for being completely on the defensive like this was partly due to allowing Hiroshima to take control in the first half, but more so because the Tokyo players lacked the initiative to move forward. Indeed, the opponent's three forwards often remained up front, and especially the ace Kubo's speed and hold-up play were formidable, making it dangerous for Tokyo's defense to recklessly join the attack. However, as pointed out by Coach Okuma, without bold movements from the defenders and midfielders to go beyond the forwards at crucial moments, the attack lacks depth and chances do not arise. In the latter part of the second half, Fujiyama participated in the attack several times, but there was a lack of long-distance runs to break through behind the opponent, and significant movements were insufficient, leading to no fundamental solutions.

In the final moments of the match, at the 40th minute, Fujiyama dribbled down the left side and sent in a cross, but it passed far in front of the goal. Then Yukihiko crossed back from the right side, Amaral headed it down, and Kaburagi attempted an overhead kick at the goal, but narrowly missed. At the 43rd minute, Kelly delivered a wonderful ball to Yukihiko on the right side, who passed it to Kina following up. Kina unleashed a powerful long-range shot with his left foot from about 25 meters, but unfortunately, the goalkeeper caught it right in front. Immediately after, Amaral and others rushed in on a cross from Kaburagi on the left side, but no goal. Ultimately, the match ended as it was. Before the match, the previous game was called a nightmare, but little did anyone expect an even harsher reality awaited that day... With this, the club fell to last place for the first time in its history. The next match against Sapporo is just three days away. How will they recover in such a short time? This is arguably the first (real) trial since their promotion to J1, more serious than last year's losing streak. The club believes in the manager, players, coaches, and staff. The true test of Manager Okuma's skills starts now.

[Coach Okuma's Comments]

The overall balance was not bad. As in the previous match, we conceded a goal early due to our own mistakes, which unfortunately had a significant impact on our subsequent passive play. The goal was scored by exploiting a moment of weakness, but we need to reconsider the balance of our defense. Moving forward, we want to maintain our current overall balance while thinking about how our full-backs and midfield players can make significant forward runs at crucial moments to execute attacks from the sides and speed-based attacks in the next match.