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.

　Both teams are fiercely battling it out in the second half, but Tokyo's Kelly and Amaral are holding the ball well up front and trying to attack from the sides. In the 51st minute, Kelly perseveres near the right end line, turns his body, and delivers a cross in front of the goal, where Amaral, waiting unmarked, connects with an inside kick for a shot. However, the ball goes over the bar. Trying to bounce back from behind, Kashima gradually regains ball control, just like in the first half. But taking advantage of the openings in their attack, Tokyo launches a counterattack. In the 54th minute, Kelly connects with a loose ball from a Kashima corner kick, and Amaral and Sato push forward to make it 3 against 3, but Sato's shot goes over the goal. However, in the following 56th minute, Amaral heads down a goal kick from Doi to the front line, and despite competing with a defender, Kelly skillfully keeps the ball, dribbles in front of the goal, and shoots!! The ball grazes the hands of goalkeeper Sogahata and shakes the net, scoring an additional goal in just a few seconds of attack. It was a valuable second goal showcasing Amaral's good judgment and Kelly's quick reactions and technique.

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

　However, as Coach Serezo mentioned after the match, the determination to fight until the end was the same for Kashima. In the 62nd minute, midfielder Motoyama was brought on, followed by forward Hayato Hasegawa in the 70th minute, and in the 71st minute, defender Uchida was substituted for Honda. They pushed forward with an aggressive formation, moving Narahashi up a line to create a three-top, three-midfielder setup to threaten the goal. However, Tokyo, led by Komine, stifled Kashima's attacking momentum with intense play, preventing any shots in the penalty area. "We matched the ball to Hasegawa in the center and did not allow any crosses from the sides (Coach Okuma)," which meant they could not create any real chances, resulting in a convincing victory after 90 minutes of battle. Kelly and Komine received warnings for their intense play and will be suspended for the next match due to accumulation, but this final home game of the first stage is a significant momentum heading into the final match. Today's game, held behind the scenes of Iwata's championship race, is a source of great pride as we thank the large crowd and celebrate a victory in a great match.

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.