48,521 people's "You'll never walk alone"

　After the Japan national team's Kirin Cup, the J1 League resumed. Today's match against Kashima in Sec. 13 was the perfect stage for the Tanabata Night. In front of a sold-out crowd at Tokyo Stadium for the first time in history, the Gospellers sang "You'll never walk alone" before kickoff. In the quiet stadium, they beautifully harmonized, singing "We're not alone in tough and painful times. Let's walk together." As self-proclaimed soccer fanatics, their "play" gave us courage and the stadium reached its peak atmosphere. With this strong support and a large crowd, the players couldn't help but be fired up. It was a kickoff towards a home victory and the first three consecutive wins of the season.

Passionate Home "Tokyo Stadium"

　Tokyo, with Amaral as the top striker. In the midfield, Kelly in the center, Masamitsu KOBAYASHI on the left, Sato on the right, and Shimodaira and Asari forming a double pivot. The defense line consists of KOMINE on the right, Fujiyama on the left, and Sandro and Tetsuya ITO in the center, with the same starting lineup as the previous match. On the other hand, Kashima is facing a difficult situation with many injured players and the absence of in-form striker YANAGISAWA, who impressed in the Japan national team. However, both teams showed passionate play on the pitch.

　2 minutes into the game, Tokyo's Sato breaks through on the right side. In the following 3 minutes, a fast and long ground pass from Kobayashi on the left side is sent behind the Kashima DF, into the space in front of Sato. Although neither resulted in a finish, Tokyo's strong focus on "moving forward quickly" is evident as they aggressively attack from the start. In the 9th minute, Amaral makes a run up the field and the Kashima DF tries to block him, but he takes advantage of their weak clearance and steals the loose ball, shooting with momentum! However, the ball hits the bar and the big chance is missed.

　Kashima had their first shot in the 13th minute, with Hiraishi heading from a free kick. However, Tokyo's intense press and physical play prevented them from gaining momentum. In the 22nd minute, Nakata also headed from a free kick on the left, but GK Doi made a brave save. Kashima continued to create chances through Nakamura's runs on the left and varied attacks from Bismarck, including long passes and shots, but Tokyo remained focused and did not allow any clear opportunities. In the 28th minute, a long ball was played into the space on Kashima's right, and Nogawa ran up to face GK in a one-on-one situation, but Ito quickly returned to prevent the danger.

Kelly explodes with 2 goals!

　However, in the 31st minute, Kobayashi entrusted the ball to Amaral on the left side. Amaral calmly dribbled and looked over the pitch, then sent a long pass behind Kashima's shallow defensive line. The ball reached Kelly, who had made a run into the goal area, with pinpoint accuracy and he immediately shot it into the goal! While Kashima continued to dominate possession by using the pitch widely, they were able to get one clear chance. Amaral and Kelly's coordinated play resulted in the opening goal.

　Tokyo, gaining momentum, passed to Kelly who ran up to the right side space from Amaral in the middle at the 33rd minute. Kelly took the ball all the way to the goal and took a shot, but the GK saved it. After that, the game became even more intense with both teams playing tough. At the 35th minute, Kashima DF Ikeuchi and at the 38th minute, Komine were both injured and bleeding. This showed the intensity of the game, but the first half ended quickly with a dense content and the second half began.

　Both teams continue to fiercely attack and defend in the second half, with Tokyo's Kelly and Amaral keeping the ball well in the front line and trying to attack from the sides. In the 51st minute, Kelly stubbornly turned his body and crossed the ball from the right end line, and Amaral, who was waiting free in front of the goal, shot with an inside kick. 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. However, taking advantage of the gaps in their attack, Tokyo launched a counterattack. In the 54th minute, Kelly connected with a loose ball from Kashima's corner kick, and Amaral and Sato attacked to make it 3-3, but Sato's shot went over the goal. However, in the following 56th minute, Amaral dropped a goal kick from Doi with his head to the front line, and Kelly dribbled and shot in front of the goal while competing with the defenders! The ball grazed goalkeeper Sogahata's hand and shook the net, scoring an additional goal in just a few seconds of attack. It was a valuable second goal that showcased Amaral's good judgment and Kelly's quick reaction and technique.

Never lose the fighting spirit...a great victory in a good game

　However, after the game, as coach Cerezo said, "We never lost the fighting spirit until the end," Kashima was the same. In the 62nd minute, MF Motoyama was substituted, in the 70th minute, FW Hasegawa, and in the following 71st minute, DF Uchida was substituted for Honda. They pushed forward with a three-top, three-midfielder attacking formation, with Narahashi moving up one line. However, Tokyo, led by Komine, stopped Kashima's attacks with intense plays, not allowing them to take shots in the penalty area. "We didn't let Hasegawa in the middle receive the ball, and we didn't allow crosses from the sides (Coach Okuma)," resulting in no real chances and a decisive victory after 90 minutes. Kelly and Komine received warnings for their intense plays and will be suspended for the next match due to accumulated yellow cards, but they want to gain momentum for the last home game of the 1st stage and the final match. Although today's game was played behind the scenes of Iwata's championship race, we are grateful to the large crowd and proud to have won a good game.

[Comment from Manager Serezo]

"It was a game where Tokyo showed their strength in order to win. Amaral and Kelly were used well, and especially the second goal was a perfect individual skill by Kelly, which created a gap. Kashima also didn't play poorly, but sometimes the ball just doesn't go into the net, that's just how it is. However, the players showed their fighting spirit until the end, so I think it was a game that will lead to the next one."

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

"Today, I think we were able to express what we wanted to do on the pitch for 90 minutes without interruption. It is important to continue playing this type of game, and to be able to consistently play the same style of soccer, even if there are injuries, we want to continue to do our best with the same members, both mentally and physically, and prepare for the next game."