Home at Ajinomoto Stadium, the league season begins

　The J1 League opening match of this season, held at home at Ajinomoto Stadium. Tokyo, who couldn't quite get on a roll with two losses in the Nabisco Cup, can't afford to lose at home. They want to start the league with a clear victory, with their motto being "90 minutes of attacking soccer." GK Doi, who was injured during the Gotemba camp and had to withdraw from the front line, returns to the starting lineup. The field players are the same lineup as in the Nabisco Cup.

　Kashiwa Reysol, on the other hand, seemed to be in a trial and error stage in the Nabisco Cup. With many injured players, it was difficult to predict the starting lineup for today, but they lined up in a 4-4-2 formation. Former Japan national team midfielder Akira Myojin played as a right back, and the average age of the team was 23.45 years old, making it a young lineup. Despite the chilly and cloudy weather in spring, they kicked off the first stage in Tokyo.

First goal of the league for Toda!

　Tokyo shows their fighting spirit by taking a daring middle shot by Toda in the first minute and Toda jumping into the right cross by Ishikawa in the second minute. On the other hand, Kashiwa's MF Ono takes a shot from the left side of the penalty area in the 4th minute. However, after that, both teams are under intense pressure and lose the ball frequently, leading to a tense development.

　However, the chance came surprisingly early. In the 10th minute, Kanazawa attacked from the left side with a dribble and an early cross. The Kashiwa defender was waiting in the center, but couldn't clear it and the ball rolled behind him. Toda was there and fell while taking a shot! The ball shook the net, and Toda scored the first goal of the season for Tokyo. It was a goal that took advantage of the opponent's mistake, but it was the result of Kanazawa's low trajectory cross and Toda's constant effort to aim for the back, without taking any shortcuts.

　Tokyo, now full of momentum. They use the field freely and aggressively to take control of the pace. In the 18th minute, Abe boldly shoots from the right penalty area after a counter attack. In the 25th minute, Kelly connects with Abe from Miyazawa's interception, and Toda jumps in to shoot from Ishikawa's cross, but the opponent's GK makes a fine play to stop it. In the 39th minute, Kashiwa's FW Marcio creates an opening from a left throw-in and MF Ohtani's shot hits, but Doi makes a nice save to prevent a corner kick. In the end, Tokyo overwhelms Kashiwa with 7 corner kicks and a total of 8 shots in the first half, but fails to score another goal. They head into the second half.

Unable to take advantage of the opportunity, at an unfavorable time...

　In the Nabisco Cup, Tokyo often saw a decrease in physical activity in the second half, but today in the 48th minute, Kelly made a side change and Ishikawa cut back on the right side to cross the defense. In the 49th minute, Ishikawa broke free on the right penalty area and passed to the front of the goal. However, no one was able to connect with the final pass, missing the chance.

　However, it was the 53rd minute. Kashiwa FW Yano entered the penalty area after receiving a through pass. Kanazawa's play to stop the breakthrough was judged as a foul, resulting in a penalty kick. Akira Myojin scored it perfectly, and the game returned to a tie. They couldn't score an additional goal, and the atmosphere turned unpleasant as they were equalized early in the second half.

　However, Tokyo held on today, and in the 57th minute, Abe drilled a shot from the left side of the penalty area after a pass cut from Asari. It narrowly missed to the right, but showed a strong attack. Kashiwa also regained their breath in the second half, and in the 65th minute, Myojin picked up a clear ball from the Tokyo DF and aimed for the goal, but missed the frame and escaped unscathed.

Kelly's final round goal breaks through the feeling of a goal in the air!

　Substituted Toda for Suzuki in the 68th minute. In the 70th minute, Abe's cross from the right side was blocked by the DF and went to the far side, but it didn't reach Ishikawa who was closing in. Immediately after that, Kashiwa countered and DF Hirayama took a free shot. Marcio followed up on the rebound from Doi's fine save, but it went over the bar. It was a decisive moment, but they escaped the danger. In the 71st minute, Tokyo's Abe took a powerful shot from the right penalty area. In the 80th minute, Kelly, with his back to the DF, received the ball and brought it into the goal area, taking a powerful left-footed shot. The game was intense, with back-and-forth attacks, but the aggressive play of Abe and Kelly gave a sense of a goal approaching.

　In the 81st minute, Kelly was substituted for Ishikawa and entered the field. Shortly after, in the 83rd minute, Kelly entered the center and Abe, who had been drifting to the right side, received a side change ball from Shigeta and advanced with a dribble. He sent a pinpoint cross with a strong trajectory to the front of the goal. Kelly met the ball with a header and scored the go-ahead goal!

　In the 86th minute, Abe made a solo run from Kelly's through pass, taking advantage of Kashiwa's defense. He managed to get past the goalkeeper, but was stopped by a tackle from behind by Kashiwa's defender. Abe had been playing well, with the mindset of "just one more goal", so it was unfortunate that he missed this chance. In the 87th minute, Miura was substituted for Miyazawa. In the final minutes, there was intense back and forth action, but the defense, led by Asari who made crucial saves, held strong and the game ended. Each player fulfilled their role, and FC Tokyo celebrated their first victory of the season. With this, FC Tokyo has now won their opening game for four consecutive seasons since their promotion to J1. They also won their opening game in J2 in 1999, making it five consecutive wins since the club's establishment.

【Player Comments】《Kelly》"Even without Amaral, Abe and Toda were able to utilize their strengths and send the ball to the side. I think our physicality and combination will continue to improve from here on out."《Toda》"More than my goal, it was important that the team won. There were some dangerous moments in the second half, but it was crucial that we didn't concede any additional points. I think we were able to play a game where we never gave up until the end."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We couldn't quite win in the Nabisco Cup. FC Tokyo has never lost in the opening game, so I am most happy that we were able to get 3 points. We were playing well until we conceded a penalty in the second half, and then things got a bit strange. But we held on well. Amaral, our key player, and last week's injury to Doi meant that we were missing two players who had been playing all of last year. We wanted to play with speedy players up front. We wanted to attack at home and even if we were defending, we wanted to quickly counterattack. That's the FC Tokyo style - attacking football for 90 minutes. We wanted to focus on playing our own football rather than worrying about the opponent. Suzuki and Baba have also been improving, and Miura and Amaral are showing signs of returning, so we want to continue to strengthen the team from now on."

[Kashiwa · Aurelio press conference summary] "It was a fierce battle with a balanced fight. Both FC Tokyo and Kashiwa made a good showing, but Tokyo won by taking advantage of their chances. Both goals were scored from crosses into the penalty area. Our marking and positioning were weak. We struggled because Tokyo had players who could make good crosses. We have many injured players, so we have to convert players from other positions to make do. We have many young players, and they are leading the team, such as Shimodaira and Myojin. However, we are not playing these young players to gain experience, but because they have the ability to play in the game. They are competing with other players and standing on the pitch. They are working hard, so I believe they will show their talent in the near future."