A crucial match that holds the key to advancing to the top

　In the previous round, Tokyo finished with a draw against Hiroshima and is currently in 6th place with 15 points. This round, they will face Kashima who is in 4th place with 17 points. If Tokyo can win this direct match, they can surpass Kashima and aim for a higher position. On the other hand, Kashima also needs to secure 3 points in this home game in order to stay in the championship race. It will be a crucial match for both teams as neither can afford to lose.

　Tokyo made significant changes to their lineup from the previous match. In place of the injured Lucas, who has a strained adductor, Bamba will make his first start of the season as the lone striker. Toda will replace Kajiyama, who injured his ankle in the previous match, as the left midfielder. And at left back, Kanazawa, who has been out since the 6th match, will make his return. Kelly will remain in the attacking midfield position, while Tokunaga will start for the second consecutive match at right back. In the defensive midfield, Inano and Asari, who have been a solid duo since the 7th match, will once again start together.

　Kashima, on the other hand, has midfielder Nakata starting for the first time this season. In the attacking MF, Ogasawara, who has just returned from a suspension, will join the best lineup. As they suffered their first home defeat against Tokyo in the Nabisco Cup on April 29, they are expected to come out with high motivation not only to stay in the championship race, but also for revenge.

　Can Asari and Kanazawa both celebrate their 100th J1 appearance with a victory in this match? The key to advancing to the top is in this match, which kicked off at 2:05 pm at the chilly Kashima Soccer Stadium with a temperature of 11.2℃ and a light rain falling.

Kashima dominates with attacking football

　"Kashima should come out strong from the start at home. We need to compete firmly and attack quickly from the sides when we win the ball, so we don't lose to them. The way we start the game is crucial," said coach Hara, giving a pep talk before kickoff. Tokyo Eleven, following his orders, overwhelmed Kashima with their fighting spirit from the start.

　Tokyo took the first shot. It missed the goal by a wide margin, but in the first minute, Ishikawa's shot, which was more of a greeting, sparked Tokyo's momentum. Kelly collected the ball and Baba, the lone striker, created a base in the front line with his unique ball touch. On the right, Ishikawa and Tokunaga supplied high-quality crosses, while on the left, Toda disrupted the Kashima DF line with his energetic movements. In the 6th minute, Konno attacked from the left side and crossed the ball, which Toda reacted to and broke free in front of the goal, but was brought down by the Kashima DF and unable to take a shot. In the 9th minute, Kelly dribbled past the right side and crossed the ball, which flew just past the near post and almost seemed to be a goal, but the Kashima GK barely managed to stop it. In the following 11th minute, DF Shigeta made a long feed and Toda charged down the left side. Although the Kashima DF touched the ball first, Toda persevered and won it back, then sent a low cross to Kelly, who ran into the center. However, the DF cleared it just in time. Kelly then took the resulting left corner kick and sent a looping shot towards the far post, but unfortunately hit the crossbar and did not go in. The ball then rolled to the right side, where it was picked up and swung back to the left side, connecting with Ishikawa, Toda, and finally Toda again, who evaded the Kashima DF in the penalty area and took a powerful left-footed shot, but it was caught by the GK in front of the goal.

　In the 15th minute, a short pass was made from the right side to the center, connecting Ishikawa → Baba → Ishikawa, and a pass was made to Toda, who was free on the left side of the penalty area. Toda calmly crossed to the center, but the goalkeeper cleared it with a punch. Although it did not lead to a goal, in the early stages, frequent chances were created with accurate crosses.

"Shoot!"

　Tokyo's dominance continued after that. In the 22nd minute, Ishikawa kicked a low and sharp ball from a free kick on the right side, and Inano dived in with a diving header, but was blocked by the opponent's defender and resulted in a corner kick. In the following corner kick from the right, Inano took a header shot, but it went over the bar. In the 25th minute, Kanazawa, Baba, and Kanazawa connected directly on the left side, and then passed to Inano who was running into space. Inano made a deep cut and then put in a low cross, but it was cleared and resulted in a corner kick. Despite repeatedly outplaying Kashima with brilliant passing, they were unable to finish and score a goal.

　Kashima, who has been on the defensive, has Fabio JUNIOR playing as a lone striker and trying to get into the post, but with Mochida and Jean's tough checks, they are unable to push up as a team. Nakata is also far from his best form, with noticeable passing mistakes, and Ogashara and Motoyama are unable to do their job due to the tough tackles from Konno and Asari, making it difficult to create any chances.

　Kashima created a chance in the 27th minute, when Fabio JUNIOR made a forceful breakthrough and caused a scramble in front of the goal. The ball rolled to Honda, who was ready to finish it, but his shot was caught by Tsuchi. In the 31st minute, there was a momentary gap in the previously perfect Tokyo defense line, and a cross from the right side found an open space on the far side. Ogashawara charged in at full speed and headed the ball from close range, but Ishikawa made a desperate return and the ball missed the frame.

　Tokyo's biggest chance came in the 34th minute, when Kanazawa sent a low cross from the left to the goal, and Kelly kept the ball with his back to the goal. He then passed to a free Baba in the same right position inside the penalty area, who faked a shot with his right foot and dribbled past the Kashima DF with his left foot for a shot! But instead of shooting, he passed again to a free Kelly in the center. However, Kelly also fell for the fake and missed the pass, unable to take the shot. They missed their biggest opportunity.

　Afterwards, at the 39th minute, Mori's long pass was headed back by Baba, and Kelly ran in and took a shot from the front of the goal, but it went over the bar. Tokyo dominated over Kashima but couldn't convert it into a goal, and the game was carried over to the second half.

The team's strength has improved with stable defense and Kelly's recovery, but...

　"The content is not bad. Let's attack simply like we did in the first half. Let's use Ishikawa and Tokunaga more on the right side and thoroughly put in fast balls from the side. Let's try to jump closer to the crosses. We can't win if we don't score. The coach gave instructions at halftime to take shots without hesitation, and it was put into action early in the second half. In the 50th minute, Asari made a big side change from the right side to the open space on the left side, and Kanazawa rushed in for a left-footed shot. Unfortunately, it was a close scene as it was blocked by the Kashima DF's tackle."

　Kashima, who had no attacking options, made a substitution in the 52nd minute, bringing on Narahashi as a right back and Nozawa as an attacking MF. They also shifted Arai to the left side. With a more aggressive formation, they went all out for the win and managed to secure 3 points.

　Tokyo, on the other hand, saw their two defensive midfielders, Asari and Shigenobu, shine even more brightly. Asari formed a strong defense with Mochida, Jean, and others, while Imano aggressively took the ball from the front line and joined the attack. In the 67th minute, Imano broke through two defenders on the left side and was tackled by a third, but he quickly got up and continued his charge. He was fouled again and won a free kick, but his determined play only served to inspire the team.

　The back-and-forth battle intensified. In the 68th minute, Suzuki was substituted for Toda. In the 69th minute, Kelly stole the ball on the left side, passed it to Baba on the front line, and received a return pass. He then made a perfect through pass to Baba, who was running behind the defense, but unfortunately it was offside. In the following 71st minute, a pass from Ishikawa on the right side went to Kelly in the center, then to Imano who had moved up on the left side. Imano took a powerful left-footed shot, but it went just wide of the left goal post. In the 72nd minute, Kure was substituted for Baba. Suzuki was placed as the lone striker, and Kure entered as the left midfielder. In the 75th minute, Kelly dribbled from the left side to the center and took a shot that went over the bar, narrowly missing. In the following 76th minute, Kelly dribbled up the field and passed to Ishikawa who had found space in the center from the right side. Ishikawa took a left-footed shot while competing with the Kashima defense. In the opposite direction, in the 78th minute, Fabio Junior kept the ball on the right side of the penalty area, turned around and sent a low cross into the goal area. Fernando jumped for it, but it was just out of reach. In the 79th minute, Imano intercepted a pass in the midfield and passed it to Suzuki on the left side. Suzuki took a powerful shot from the middle range, but it missed the frame. It was a disappointing scene as Ishikawa and Kelly were free on the right side due to the counterattack from the left side to Suzuki.

　Kashima made their final substitution in the 80th minute, bringing on FW Dai HIRASE in place of Motoyama. In the 83rd minute, HIRASE passed the ball to Fabio JUNIOR in the penalty area from the right side, who then set up a shot for Nara Hashi, who had been attacking with momentum. The ball sailed over the bar, but it was a dangerous moment for Kashima as it was a familiar situation for them. In the final minutes, Fabio JUNIOR once again held onto the ball in the penalty area and dropped it for Ogasawara, who took a powerful shot from the front, but Kanazawa blocked it with his body. Despite Tokyo's dominance in shots (13-9), they were unable to convert their chances and the match ended in a scoreless draw, earning them just 1 point, as they did in the previous match, due to their lack of finishing ability.

【Player Comments】《Yuta BABA》"It's been a while since I played for a long time, but I was able to play well. However, when I was isolated as a lone striker, I sometimes held onto the ball too much and got it taken away, which is something I need to work on. It was easy to play with Kelly as a combination. It was a game we could have won, so it's a shame we couldn't score the final finish."《Jo KANAZAWA》"(Today was my 100th game) For me, it was just like any other game. It wasn't about it being my 100th game, but I really wanted to win because we could have gone above Kashima if we did. It was a while since I played, but I didn't feel rusty and was able to get into the game without any discomfort."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We changed the lineup from the previous match, but Lucas and Kajiyama were not fully fit due to injuries, so we decided to use Baba as a lone striker and also put Toda, who rested last week, on the left. Both of them did well. Before the match, we talked about how Antlers would come out strong from the beginning, so we wanted to play simply and try to win the ball and attack from the sides using Ishikawa on the right and Toda on the left. We created good opportunities, but our current challenge is not being able to score. In the first half, Baba's cutback and Kelly's missed shot were decisive moments, and we needed to score there. Our defense has improved and we were working hard. In the second half, Antlers made substitutions and attacked, but we held on well. Inui and Asari's selfless defense was effective, and Kanazawa's return brought stability. Right now, Inui is the one who wins the ball and goes forward, creating the most chances. Even when matched up against players like Ogashara and Nakata, Inui had more energy and was involved in more chances. In the future, we may lose players to the Olympics and Japan national team, but we will use energetic players and maintain our team's strength."

[Kashima · Toninho CEREZO press conference summary] "First of all, in the first 10 minutes, there was a difference in the momentum and enthusiasm of FC Tokyo. We had a lot of simple plays and lacked organized plays. Considering the quality of the four midfielders as technical players, it is unthinkable to have 25 missed passes in the first half. Some players were also not performing well in the second half. I wasn't counting the missed passes, but... As a trend in recent years, the games before joining the national team have been poor in content. Today was the same. However, Tokyo's defense was good today. They only allowed us to have the ball in the center back. The opponent was mentally ahead of us from the first half and we were always on the back foot. We were losing from the start. We tried to improve at halftime, but the opponent was still better in the second half. Today, it was a game that leaves regrets."