Challenge the away game with confidence!

　After a two-day break since the Nabisco Cup match against Kashiwa, the league match is here. In Sec. 5, we will face Kashima Antlers away. Today marks a third of the first stage. With high temperatures and humidity, along with a series of matches, Kashima has a high winning percentage at home. Tokyo has a past record of 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, but has never won away. Although the conditions are tough, Coach Hara is determined, saying, "Especially in humid conditions, we need to play sharp football. We will quickly switch between offense and defense, compete boldly even away, and win with our style of football."

　Tokyo's starting lineup is the same as the previous Nabisco Cup match. Kashima has FW Yanagisawa and MF Motoyama returning to the bench after being sidelined due to injury. The game started with Tokyo's kickoff.

Allowed an early goal

　From the start, both teams maintained a compact formation, countering without allowing space. Tokyo earned a direct free kick in the 1st minute and a corner kick in the 2nd minute, but neither was converted as Miyazawa's kicks could not be connected in front of the goal. In the 5th minute, Abe's cross allowed Ishikawa to attack from the right side, but he was dispossessed in front of the goal, leading to a counterattack from Kashima. Kashima connected the ball, and MF FERNANDO passed to the right side. MF Aoki took a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, but Doi made the save. The loose ball was cleared by Jean, but it rolled just outside the penalty arc, allowing FERNANDO to take a free shot. FERNANDO easily scored in the bottom left corner, resulting in an early opening goal.

　This opening goal weighed heavily on Tokyo. Against the fast-starting Kashima, they struggled to apply pressure in defense, getting bypassed and pushed back as passes connected. In the 8th minute, Kashima DF Narahashi took a long-range shot. In the 11th minute, FW Hirasu, who had broken through behind Tokyo DF from the left side cross, took a shot. Doih made a fine play to deflect it, but when the loose ball was picked up and moved side to side in front of the goal, MF Ogasawara, who had run in from behind, took a shot. Doih saved this one as well, and they finally escaped to a corner kick.

　However, Tokyo also had its chances. In the 22nd minute, Abe connected with Asari, and in the center, Kelly passed to Amaral, who surged towards the goal. Amaral briefly shifted to the right side, then ran towards the goal and headed down Ishikawa's cross. Kelly, with his back to the goal, attempted a heel kick shot from close range against GK Sogahata, but unfortunately hit it straight at him. In the 24th minute, Kelly dribbled through the opponent's DF in the penalty area. He found himself one-on-one with the GK, but the GK was a step quicker and caught the ball.

Unable to score in a decisive moment

　The first half was difficult to create rhythm, but towards the end, they pushed forward, and in the 42nd minute, Asari passed to Amaral on the right side. However, Kelly's shot, taken while free, lacked power and was caught by the goalkeeper. In stoppage time, Amaral contested a cross from the left, and Ishikawa circled around from the left side to take a shot as the ball dropped, but it went wide to the right, leaving them trailing by one goal as they headed into the second half.

　The instructions from Coach Hara at halftime were, "Abe needs to challenge more up front. There are opportunities, so let's not waste time in front of the goal and take our chances." Following those instructions, in the 49th minute, a pass from Miyazawa reached Abe, who was trying to break behind the defenders, but he was offside. On the other hand, they were unable to regain possession of the ball high up the pitch, and even when they won it in front of their own goal and sent a long ball forward, they couldn't pick up the second ball, falling into a vicious cycle.

　In the 60th minute, Kanazawa entered the penalty area from the left side, evaded the defender, and took a shot with his right foot, but it went to the left of the goal. In the 61st minute, it seemed that Abe broke free in the front line from Kaji's cross, but the ball was cleared by Kashima's Narahashi. In the 64th minute, Baba was brought on to replace Abe. Tokyo is gradually finding their rhythm, but in front of Kashima's persistent defense.

They are having difficulty finishing. In the 71st minute, Miura was brought in to replace Asari. They are trying to regroup, but Kashima also brought in MF Honda to replace Hirase at the same time, strengthening their defense.

Caught off guard, defeated by a match expert

　In the 72nd minute, Miyazawa received a throw-in from the right side and shot while turning towards the center. He earned two consecutive corner kicks, but Ishikawa's shot went over the goal. In the 76th minute, Todai was brought in to replace Miyazawa, who was injured after being kicked on the inside of his left ankle during the previous shot. Amaral, Ishikawa, and Todai were placed in the front line, with Kelly and Baba in midfield, and Miura as the lone defensive midfielder, aiming to score a goal. In the 77th minute, from a counter-attack, Baba took a shot after competing for the ball with Todai in the front line, but it went off target. In the 78th minute, Todai broke through behind the defense, receiving a perfectly timed pass from Kanazawa, but was thwarted by the quick and tenacious defense of Oiwa. In the 79th minute, Todai broke through again after a through ball from Amaral on the left side, but was offside. The match continued in the Kashima half, but they struggled against Kashima's defensive setup, failing to create any decisive chances.

　Kashima made substitutions in the last 5 minutes, bringing on FW Yanagisawa for Ogawa and DF Ishikawa for Fernando. In the 87th minute, Tokyo launched a quick counterattack, but their shot was denied by a defense that focused on crowding the goal area. Then, in the 89th minute, they were caught off guard as Yanagisawa advanced with a dribble. Although Kaji initially intercepted the ball in the center, it was picked up by Kashima Honda, who sent a ground pass to the right side. This ball reached Eurel, who was charging forward, and he took a free shot that resulted in a goal. Overall, Kashima, who was skillful throughout the match, conceded a second goal, and everything was settled.

【Player Comments】《Moniwa》"We were overwhelmed by the voices and atmosphere from the stands, and our own voices couldn't be heard. Since then, we have been trying to take action regarding our coordination..." 《Kanazawa》"We said we needed to focus and enter the match, but we lost our rhythm after the first goal. In the second half, we were well defended against. It would have been better if we could have attacked a bit more from the sides..."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We failed to start the match properly. Kashima applied pressure more than we expected, and they picked up almost all the second balls. We conceded a goal within the first five minutes, which disrupted our momentum. We managed to create a few chances after enduring that, but not being able to convert them is an issue. However, I don't think the overall performance was bad. We were challenged at the beginning and the end of the match. I don't think Kashima played exceptionally well, but once they score, they can hold on to the lead. Honestly, that's my current impression of their game management. We have another match coming up soon, so we need to switch our mindset and prepare for it."

[Summary of Coach Cerezo's Press Conference] "In the first half, having taken control and created chances like that, I believe we should have scored 2 or 3 goals. I expected the opponent to aim for a draw away, but in the second half, perhaps due to player fatigue, we allowed them some space. Tokyo skillfully exploited that with side changes, and their full-backs were pushing up. We gave time to players drifting to the sides and Kelly, who was exploiting the space, which weakened our build-up awareness. The opponent started substituting players around the 20-minute mark of the second half, but honestly, I feel that Tokyo has some good young talent developing. They began to use the space in front of our center-backs, so I instructed to tighten up in the center. Then we switched to a four-back formation to prevent their full-backs from pushing up."