48,521 people of 'You'll never walk alone'

　The J1 League resumed after the Japan national team's Kirin Cup. Today's match against Kashima in Sec. 13 has set the perfect stage for a Tanabata night. In front of a 'full house' for the first time in the history of Tokyo Stadium, the Gospellers passionately sang 'You'll never walk alone' before kickoff. In a stadium that fell silent like a wave, they created a magnificent harmony, conveying the message that 'in tough times, you are not alone. Let's walk together.' Their 'performance,' recognized by themselves and others as soccer freaks, gave us courage, and the stadium reached an incredible atmosphere. With this strong support and the large crowd, the players had no choice but to ignite their passion. The kickoff marked the beginning of a quest for victory at home and the first three consecutive wins of the season.

The passionately burning home "Tokyo Stadium"

　Tokyo features Amaral as the lone striker. In midfield, Kelly is positioned centrally, with Masamitsu KOBAYASHI on the left, and Sato and Shimohei forming a double pivot. The defensive line consists of Komine on the right, Fujiyama on the left, and Sandro and Tetsuya ITO in the center, maintaining the same starting lineup as the previous match. On the other hand, Kashima is in a difficult situation with many injuries and will be missing forward Yanagisawa, who has been in excellent form for the Japan national team due to accumulated warnings. However, on the pitch, both teams displayed passionate play.

　In the 2nd minute, Tokyo's Sato broke through on the right side. In the following 3rd minute, a fast, long ground pass from Kobayashi on the left side was sent into the space behind the Kashima defense, in front of Sato. Although neither opportunity resulted in a finish, today's Tokyo showed a strong awareness of 'moving forward quickly' and attacked boldly from the start. In the 9th minute, as Amaral advanced with a dribble, a Kashima defender closed in on him, but he seized the opportunity when the defender's weak clearance came, snatching the loose ball and shooting with momentum! However, the ball hit the crossbar, and they missed a big chance.

　Kashima had a free kick in the 13th minute, with Hirase heading the shot. This was their first shot, but after winning the ball through intense pressing and challenges, they gradually began to find their rhythm. In the 22nd minute, MF Nakata headed another shot from a free kick on the left. However, GK Doi made a brave save. After that, Nakamura on the left side surged forward, creating several chances, and with Bismarck's distribution, long passes, and mid-range shots, they displayed a variety of attacks, but Tokyo remained focused and did not allow any decisive chances. In the 28th minute, a long ball was played into the right space for Kashima, and MF Nozawa almost found himself one-on-one with the GK, but Ito quickly returned to prevent the danger.

Kelly explodes with 2 goals!

　However, in the 31st minute, Kobayashi passed to Amaral on the left side, and Amaral, with a composed dribble, looked over the pitch and sent a long pass behind Kashima's shallow defensive line. This pinpoint pass reached Kelly, who made a direct shot into the goal! While Kashima continued to control the ball using the width of the pitch, they secured a crucial one chance. Amaral and Kelly executed a play that demonstrated their mutual understanding to score the opening goal.

　Tokyo, gaining momentum, passed the ball from Amaral in midfield to Kelly, who sprinted into space on the right side in the 33rd minute. Kelly brought the ball alone to the goal but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper. After that, the match saw increasingly tough challenges from both sides, with Kashima defender Ikeuchi getting injured in the 35th minute and Komine bleeding in the 38th minute. This illustrated the intensity of the match, which quickly reached the 45-minute mark and moved into the second half.

　In the second half, both teams fiercely battled with fighting spirit, but Tokyo's Kelly and Amaral held the front line well and tried to attack from the sides. In the 51st minute, Kelly stubbornly controlled the ball near the right end line, turned his body, and crossed it in front of the goal, where Amaral, waiting unmarked, connected with an inside kick shot. However, the ball went over the bar. Kashima, trying to bounce back from behind, gradually gained control of the ball as in the first half. Yet, Tokyo launched counterattacks whenever there was an opening. In the 54th minute, Kelly connected a loose ball from a Kashima corner kick, and Amaral and Sato advanced to create a 3-on-3 situation, but Sato's shot went over the goal. Then, in the 56th minute, Amaral headed a goal kick from Doi forward, and while competing with defenders, Kelly skillfully kept possession, dribbled in front of the goal, and shot!! The ball brushed past goalkeeper Sogahata's hand and shook the net, scoring an additional goal in just a few seconds of attack. Amaral's excellent decision-making and Kelly's quick reaction and technique shone in this valuable second goal.

Never lose the fighting spirit... A great game with a resounding victory

　However, as Coach Cerezo also mentioned after the match, the feeling of "never losing the will to fight until the end" was the same for Kashima. In the 62nd minute, MF Motoyama was brought on, in the 70th minute FW Ko HASEGAWA was substituted in, and in the following 71st minute, DF Uchida replaced Honda. Narahashi was pushed up one line, forming an aggressive formation with three forwards and three defensive midfielders, pressing near the goal. However, Tokyo, led by Komine, blocked Kashima's attacking chances with intense physical play, not allowing any shots inside the penalty area. By "matching with HASEGAWA inside and not allowing balls from the sides to be crossed (Coach Okuma)," they prevented any real chances and secured a comfortable victory in the 90-minute battle. Due to their intense play, Kelly and Komine received warnings and will be suspended for the next match due to accumulation, but they want to use this last home game of the 1st stage and the final match as a big momentum boost. Although today's match was held behind the scenes of the championship race with Iwata, they are grateful to the large crowd and take great pride in finishing a good game with a victory.

Director Serezo's Comments

"It was a match where Tokyo showed their strength to win. They effectively utilized Amaral and Kelly, and especially the second goal was a perfect individual skill by Kelly that made the difference. Kashima's performance wasn't bad, but there are days when the ball just doesn't find the back of the net. However, the players showed their fighting spirit until the end, so I believe it was a match that can lead to the next one."

[Coach Okuma's Comments]

I think today we were able to express what we wanted to do on the pitch for 90 minutes without interruption. It is important to continue having matches like this, and I want to prepare both mentally and physically so that we can consistently play football like today, even with injuries to the same members.