Defeat Kashima at the Brazil Day, boasting an undefeated record!

　As the 2nd stage enters the second half, Sec. 9 sees a home match against Kashima Antlers, currently in 5th place. Tokyo has 4 draws and 1 loss in the last 5 matches. While they remain in 8th place, they struggled in September without a single win. However, Kashima has a similar record with 4 draws and 1 loss, with the Nabisco Cup in between. Both teams are struggling to secure wins. In order to stay in the top ranks of the closely contested 2nd stage, a clear victory is necessary to claim 3 points. Additionally, after this match, there will be a 2-week interval for the Japan national team's activities in the 2nd stage. Kashima's player, 加地, will be selected for the first time along with 土肥, and will participate in the Tunisia and Romania tours. This match will also draw attention to their performance.

　Today is Brazil Day. The traditional event that has been continued since the Tokyo Gas FC era boasts an undefeated record for the past 6 years. This year, expectations for victory are rising and the stands are heating up with the rhythm of samba before kick-off. Due to a broken nose during this week's practice, Shigeki Mogi will be playing with a face guard, but the game started with a kick-off in the autumn sky of Tokyo.

Took the lead in an unexpected way and overwhelmed Kashima!

　The start of the game saw both teams aggressively pressing and attacking, resulting in a back-and-forth battle. In the 4th minute, Tokyo took advantage of a sloppy clearance by the opposing DF from a left corner kick, with Amaral, Miyazawa, and Miura all pushing forward towards the goal. However, despite gradually finding their attacking rhythm, Tokyo was unable to capitalize on any clear chances due to the high number of fouls. In the 13th minute, a cross from Kanazawa was cleared by the opposing DF between Amaral and Toda. In the 15th minute, Kelly received a pass and made a run down the left side. He entered the penalty area, but was tackled by Kashima DF Narahashi and lost possession.

　However, it happened in the 17th minute. Kelly -> From Ishikawa's pass, he steals the throw-in from the deep right side, and Kaji takes a long throw. Amaral heads it to the far side, but before it reaches Kelly who was waiting, the opponent's defender cuts it off with a sliding tackle. This ball is sucked into the Kashima goal, and Tokyo gets the opening goal in a lucky way.

　Tokyo, who felt the momentum of today's game with this opening goal, continued to dominate the game. In the 19th minute, Kelly connected with a throw-in from Kashima in their own half, and Amaral quickly made a decision to pass to the front line. Toda broke through from the left side and sprinted towards the goal, but Narahashi couldn't help but foul him from behind. This play resulted in a red card, forcing Kashima to play with only 10 players. After an own goal and a red card, the game took an unexpected turn and became intense.

　Kashima made a substitution in the 24th minute, bringing in DF Ishikawa for FW Fukai. They first focused on strengthening their defense. However, Tokyo, who were gaining momentum, dominated the ball through Kelly and Amaral's possession and used side changes to launch wide attacks. In the 32nd minute, when the opponent was dribbling, Miura and Miyazawa surrounded them in their own half and cut off the ball. Miyazawa then boldly passed through the half-line to Amaral, who had cut inside and created space. Amaral then sent the ball to Ishikawa, who had run into the space on the right side at just the right time. Ishikawa charged into the penalty area and drew the attention of the goalkeeper in a 1-on-1 situation, then made a final pass to Kelly in the center. Kelly easily finished the goal!

　They scored their second goal with a beautiful shot, showcasing their individual decision-making and combination skills!!

Kelly and Amaral lead with three goals

　Tokyo's attack is unstoppable. In the 36th minute, Toda persistently steals a left corner kick. Kanazawa receives a short corner from Miyazawa and dodges the defender to take a shot. In the 37th minute, Toda jumps in with perfect timing to head in Akachi's early cross, but the Kashima GK makes a save. In the 38th minute, Miyazawa takes a direct shot from a free kick. In the 42nd minute, Kanazawa → Ishikawa switches sides and attacks the goal, with Miyazawa taking a middle shot from a cleared ball. And in the 44th minute, once again, Akachi → Ishikawa connects with a ball stolen on the right side of their own field, and Kelly, who is on a roll, cuts deep into the right side and floats a perfect cross over the Kashima GK's head. Amaral, who runs into the goal area, heads the ball with a high point of contact and shakes the net, scoring a goal to push Kashima ahead at a good time just before the end of the first half!!

　Tokyo, which gained a 3-point lead with the performance of Kelly and Amaral, was worthy of Brazil Day. In the first half, they kept Kashima's shots at zero, but in the second half, they were also chased by their counterattacks. Kashima's coach Toninho CEREZO said, "There's no point in panicking with a 3-point difference. Let's put Ogasawara at the top and keep the ball in the front, and push up. I want to put more players in the attacking pass work." He changed the defense to a 3-back, and with a clear goal, Kashima's passes started to connect.

　Tokyo made a substitution, bringing in Abe for Ishikawa who injured his left foot in the 50th minute. In the 53rd minute, they launched a counter attack and Abe broke through on a through pass from Miyazawa, but was slightly offside. However, after the whistle, Abe received a warning for shooting late. In the 54th minute, Kashima's MF Ogasawara received a pass from the left side and broke free in front of the goal, skillfully avoiding Miura and Jean before taking a shot. It was a decisive chance, but the ball went over the goal. In the 56th minute, MF Fernando's shot hit the crossbar. The rhythm seemed to be with Kashima. However, in the 58th minute, Ogasawara, who was competing with Shigetaka on Tokyo's left side, received his second warning of the day for rough play. He was sent off, leaving Kashima to play with 9 players. However, in the 60th minute, Tokyo gave Kashima a free kick in their own 30m area. DF Akita jumped out to meet Fernando's kick and the ball grazed Jean's head in the scramble, resulting in a goal. Caught off guard, Kashima was unable to catch up and ended up losing 3-1.

Conquer the ever-changing situation with the season's best 5 goals

　Kashima's 67th minute, Motomura receives a pass from the left side and goes around the penalty area to shoot. They show a strong attack, but it ends up being a one-off. Then in the 68th minute, Tokyo's Amaral passes to Kaji on the right side from a post-play with his back to the goal. Kaji dribbles into the penalty area and sends a sharp cross in front of the goal. Toda, who receives the ball near the goal, changes the direction with one touch and scores! It's as if they've crushed Kashima's morale by scoring their fourth goal.

　Still, Tokyo does not let up on their attack and in the 69th minute, Kajiyama is substituted for Miura. In the 73rd minute, Abe turns and takes a powerful header from Toda's left cross, but it misses the goal. However, just one minute later, Abe receives his second warning for a rough play against an opponent on the right side and is sent off. The game becomes a 10 vs 9 battle and the pace becomes frantic. In the 73rd minute, Kashima substitutes MF Honda for DF Uchida and in the 78th minute, substitutes Nakajima for FW Hirase. In the 77th minute, Tokyo substitutes Fujiyama for Kaji, who had already received a warning earlier in the game. In the 81st minute, Kashima's Fernandinho takes a direct shot from a free kick in front of the goal, but it misses the target.

　As the 3-minute stoppage time approached the end, it seemed like the game was going to end, but at that moment, Kajiyama, who received a pass in the midfield, dribbled past one opponent and advanced. Then, he made a through pass that went through the needle's eye between two DF players lined up in front of the goal. Kanazawa, who was overlapping from the left, received the pass and passed it to Toda, who was surrounded by DF players. Toda's shot from a close distance was saved by the opponent's GK, but Kanazawa reacted to the rebound and scored with his right foot!

　The attitude of attacking until the end of the match led to a valuable fifth goal that sealed the deal for Kashima. With the contributions of Amaral and others, Brazil Day celebrated another happy victory this year. And not just any victory, but a complete domination over Kashima with a season-high score of 5-1, earning 3 points for the first time in 6 games.

【Player Comments】《Amaral》"I've been aiming for goals all along, but I couldn't score. However, my motivation and determination to do my best for the team never changed. In the past few games, we were on the defensive and couldn't attack as much, resulting in many draws. But today, we were able to play a truly attacking game. On Brazil Day, the support from the fans gave us an extra boost of energy. That's why I was able to score and it was a great festival. I believe that if we continue to play well, the goals will come naturally."《Mochida》"In the second half, there were times when we felt outnumbered due to the chaotic situation. But in order to defend properly, we made sure to communicate well. It was difficult to see our feet due to the face guard, but I think we were able to defend almost perfectly."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Both Tokyo and Kashima have not won in the last 5 games, including the Nabisco Cup, and both teams were in a difficult situation. However, today was our home game and it was Brazil Day. Amaral, Kelly, and Jean fought well to the rhythm of samba. In particular, Amaral's condition has improved and he caused an own goal with his header. I would like to have Brazil Day every game if that's the case. Nagoshi was sent off and I think we were able to find our rhythm. The reason for that was because Toda made a vertical challenge from Amaral's pass. However, even in the final game of the last league, Kashima had one player sent off, but in the end they were dominated and lost. I also remembered that, so we tried to chase the goal from the front. As instructed, we scored an additional goal from Ishikawa's breakthrough and Amaral's third goal was crucial. In the second half, Kashima changed to a 3-back formation, which made it difficult for us to get into the game and find our rhythm. We also became too relaxed when the opponent had a second player sent off. However, instead of tightening our defense, we sent a message to attack more by bringing in Kajiyama. The fact that the opponent had fewer players also had an impact, but I think it was good that we were able to score the fifth goal from Kajiyama's dribble. We haven't had a clear game recently, so we want to build on this victory for the next game."

[Summary of Manager Toninho CEREZO's Press Conference] "It wasn't good to concede the first goal, but we were only losing by one point and even with 10 players, it was necessary to calmly fight. The opponent had one more player and was winning, so they were attacking with momentum. It was possible to score from counters or set plays, so we wanted to fight more calmly. One of the challenges is not being able to keep the ball in the front line. We couldn't create enough time to push up and ended up kicking the ball forward out of frustration, which prevented players like Motomura and Ogasawara from showing their creative side, causing our attacks to not come together. We were scored on first, couldn't score our chances, and ended up chasing the opponent and having to stop them with fouls, creating a vicious cycle. I want to commend the players for having the attitude to fight until the end, but the point of reflection is that we lacked concentration at the start. We must learn to start at 100% from the beginning."