A match to test "Tokyo Soccer"

　The 9th match of the 1st stage will be an away game against the strong team Kashiwa Reysol. Kashiwa, currently in 4th place, has conceded 11 goals but has scored a total of 17 goals. They boast a strong attacking force this season, including FW Kitajima who is currently tied for 2nd place in the scoring rankings. They will surely want to extend their winning streak at home and stay in the race for the championship.

　Tokyo had a bad record of 2 losses against Kashiwa last season. How will they find a way to win this time? Most importantly, how much of Tokyo's style of soccer can they show? This will be a challenging match as they aim for a consecutive win. The starting lineup remains the same as the previous match, with a 4-5-1 formation.

Fast-paced offense and defense, but neither side gives in

　In the 5th minute of the first half, Kashiwa FW Amaral received a ball from the side and dribbled into the penalty area arc to take a powerful shot. The goal was missed, but Kashiwa continued to attack from the midfield with FW Kitajima positioned at the post and MF Ono and FW Huang providing passes from the side. They particularly targeted MF Hirayama on the left, creating numerous chances. However, Tokyo did not simply defend against this, but instead had DF Sato and DF Naito actively pushing forward from the right, while Kelly moved freely and held onto the ball to counter. In the 7th minute, Amaral received a pass from DF Naito on the right side and took a shot in front of the goal, but the ball went over the goal.

　Kashiwa, when the front is blocked, shows a sharp attack from the DF line with Hong's support. In the 18th minute, Kashiwa's CB Tsuyoshi Watanabe attacked to the penalty area, and although Tokyo DF initially cut it off, it was stolen again and connected, and Ohno, who was waiting freely, took a shot. GK Doi saved the pinch and got away with it. As if to return the favor, in the 19th minute, Sato received a ball from a side change, cut inside and took a shot. Not only vertical breakthroughs, but also a strong determination to go towards the goal, both teams showed a fast-paced offensive and defensive battle.

　But today in Tokyo, everyone showed a very high level of concentration. Sandro marked Kitajima thoroughly and even when the ball came to Kitajima from the side, he was not allowed to shoot. In the 25th minute, GK Doi gave away an indirect free kick inside the penalty area for violating the "6-second rule", but the DFs blocked the shot with their bodies. On the other hand, in the 29th minute, Kelly headed in a cross from Sato and Naito's combination play. In the 31st minute, Masamitsu Kobayashi broke through the left side, dribbled to the side of the goal, and sent a last pass that was cut off by the Kashiwa DF, but they were able to grasp the rhythm of the attack. Kashiwa also fought back with Ohno and MF Yanagi taking active shots, but in the 39th minute, a big chance came to Tokyo. Miura broke through on the right side with a one-two with Naito, dribbled past the DF, and sent a volley shot that was saved by Kashiwa GK Minami's hand and hit the post. The rebound came back to Kelly's feet, but they were unable to score in the end.

Kelly scores the opening goal! And the game is intense.

　After this play, an accident strikes. In the 40th minute, Kashiwa's Yanagi retaliated against Miura's sliding and was sent off. And... Sato, who confronted Yanagi, was also shown a red card. Both teams have been evenly matched, but with these red cards, they are now down to 10 players each. For Tokyo, it is painful to lose Sato, who has been a key player on the wing, but the decision has been made and there is nothing that can be done. They must regroup and start over. Kelly is moved to the right midfield, and Kashiwa has shifted Akira to a lone defensive midfielder for the second half.

　In the 47th minute of the second half, Tokyo dropped the ball from Kobayashi and Amaral took a shot. Immediately after, Kashiwa's Kitajima competed in front of the goal and threatened with a combination of Kii and Ohno. Then in the 50th minute, Tokyo's Miura, who had jumped into the left side, received a foul near the goal line and earned a free kick. Here, Kelly's kicked ball went over GK Minami's hand and curved into the upper right corner of the goal! With this artistic direct free kick by Kelly, Tokyo took the lead.

　The game will become more intense from here on. In an attempt to bounce back from behind, Kashiwa pushes up as a whole, with Hong attacking and Yellow charging towards the goal. Taking advantage of this opening, Tokyo launches a quick counterattack. In the 55th minute, Naito → Miura → Amaral, followed by a counterattack from Kashiwa's CK with Fujiyama and Kelly in the 56th minute, but neither team is able to score an additional point.

　Kashiwa made a substitution in the 58th minute, replacing both side halves, Hirayama and Watanabe Mitsuki, with MF Sunagawa and FW Sakai, in an attempt to utilize their attacks from the sides. However, in the 61st minute, Tokyo broke through the left side with Kelly and Fujiyama, and Kelly received a return pass in the center but his shot was saved by the GK. On the other hand, in the 62nd minute, Kashiwa's Kitajima dropped a pass from a big side change from the left, and Sakai's shot narrowly missed the right side of the goal. Just two minutes later, Tokyo's GK Doi made a great save on MF Myojin's middle shot, resulting in a corner kick and the intense back-and-forth continued. However, Doi also saved a powerful shot from Sunagawa in the 66th minute, showcasing his fine play.

Show Tokyo's uniqueness in both offense and defense

　In the 73rd minute, Amaral was substituted for Shimoda due to "pulling too much from the side and not allowing the ball to be put in from the side" (Manager Okuma's words). In the 78th minute, Miura broke through the left side DF from a free kick and attacked into the penalty area, but was blocked by the post. Kashiwa launched a fierce attack, even bringing up CB Watanabe to the front line, but Tokyo defended with their bodies and launched fast counter attacks as they usually do. They couldn't score an additional goal, but today's Tokyo never lost their focus. In the 88th minute, Doi saved Kashiwa's yellow shot. In the 89th minute, Shimoda prevented Hong's powerful shot with a soulful sliding tackle. And just when it seemed like the game would end 1-0, in stoppage time, Kelly received Naito's throw-in from the right side and sent it forcefully to the front of the goal in a difficult position. And Amaral, who was waiting in the center, aimed and headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal! With this second goal, they stopped Kashiwa's breath...

　Tokyo won their first consecutive victory of the season in a great game where both teams showed their determination. They want to continue this confidence and momentum into the next home game at Tokyo Stadium.

[Manager Nishino's Comment] "The reason for the loss was that we couldn't attack. Even though we were pushing and taking control, we couldn't break through in the end. We can't break through with slow attacks. I think we lacked balls that would challenge more. I think we have enough strength, but we can't play the soccer we are aiming for. I strongly feel that we need to create a team that can give the best performance and say 'This is Reysol's soccer'."

[Manager Okuma's Comment] "There were times when we were too defensive after scoring one goal, but our balance was not disrupted. Our defense was able to hold their ground in the zone, and our forwards were able to bring the ball to the goal. Our energy did not drop and I think we did well on both offense and defense. I want us to approach the next game with the same level of focus as today."