A battle that cannot be lost, and a way to break the losing streak!

　After two consecutive losses, we welcome Sec. 3 of the 2nd Stage. The last match of August will be an away game against Verdy 1969 at the Japan National Stadium. Starting from this match, the U-23 national team players who fought in the Athens Olympics return to the team. Ishikawa will be absent due to a bruise on his left lower leg, but Shigeno and Konno are included in the starting lineup. On the other hand, Verdy won against Niigata in Sec. 1, but suffered a defeat with 7 goals conceded against Urawa in the previous match. It is urgent to rebuild the defense.

　This match between teams based in Tokyo is important not only for the current stage but also to predict the future of the 2nd stage. We must absolutely avoid any further losing streaks. Cold rain poured down on the National field, and the chill felt more like winter than August, but from the away stand, voices echoed, "We cannot lose to Verdy," creating an atmosphere almost like a home game. The match started with Verdy's kickoff.

Unable to create rhythm, ending the first half in poor form

　Perhaps due to the rain, both teams started cautiously. In the 4th minute, a pass from Kelly reached Miura, who advanced on the right side and delivered a cross in front of the goal. Baba picked up the clearance from the defense and crossed again. They earned a corner kick from the attack on the side, but did not manage to take a shot afterward. By the 10th minute, Konno's pass was intercepted by Verdy's defender Yoneyama. In the 11th minute, Dohi's long kick flowed to the side, and Baba was unable to trap it. Struggling to find their rhythm, they gradually allowed Verdy to dominate possession. In the 12th minute, Kelly was fouled off the ball, earning a free kick. Jean aimed directly from a distance of over 20 meters but missed the goal by a large margin. In the 15th minute, Baba's free kick was met by Konno's header attempt, but he could not make contact.

　Verdy, applying pressure from the front line, saw MF Yoshiyuki KOBAYASHI cut the Tokyo ball in the 16th minute and take a middle shot from a free position in the midfield. However, when Dohi caught the ball, he quickly connected with Lins, who shot from a free position after a pass from Lucas. In the 23rd minute, Jean was surrounded in his own territory, and after losing the ball without a passing option, Verdy FW Sakurai took a shot. Verdy, in addition to short passes, saw MF Yamada and DF Komeyama attack from the right side at the right moment, connecting side changes and long balls from the defensive line to maintain ball possession. However, while they took shots from a distance, they could not create decisive chances to break through the Tokyo defense.

　At the 34th minute, Jean took a header shot from Baba's left corner kick, but it slightly veered to the right. At the 37th minute, Kurisawa, who had entered the right area, passed to Kaji coming from outside. Baba met Kaji's cross with a header in the center, but the shot lacked power. Immediately after, at the 38th minute, Kelly and Kurisawa combined, and this time Kelly entered the right area. After a big cutback against the defender, he crossed. Kurisawa connected with a header, and Baba took a header shot from straight in front of the goal, but it went over. At the 39th minute, Verdy's Yoneyama crossed from the right, and forwards Hiramoto and Jean tangled as they dived in, with the ball grazing the post. Tokyo tried to create chances from corner kicks and free kicks, but at the 44th minute, Lucas contested the left corner kick, and Kanazawa aimed a direct volley at the rebound from the defender, but it went to the right of the goal. The battle was back and forth, but overall the first half ended with a lackluster performance.

Abe's introduction helped regain rhythm, launching repeated side attacks

　In the second half, it was Tokyo that took the initiative. They began to pick up second balls as instructed at halftime and launched a quick attack in the 49th minute. However, Kelly's last pass was cut off by the opposing defender. In the 52nd minute, Baba played a one-touch pass to send Lucas into space on the right side, and Lucas delivered a cross. Miura picked up the rebound after the opposing goalkeeper deflected it and crossed again. However, it was cleared by the defense, and although they started to find their rhythm, they couldn't create any decisive chances. To break the deadlock, Abe was brought on for Kurizawa in the 54th minute. This would significantly change the flow of the match. Abe aggressively challenged from the left side and completely seized the rhythm of the attack.

　In the 56th minute, Kaji evaded a defender on the right side, broke into space, and delivered a cross. Abe connected with a header, but it missed the target. In the 60th minute, Abe received a switch from Kaji, initiated a dribble, and Miura picked up the loose ball, passing it to Kanazawa who surged up the left side. Although it did not lead to a finish, they were starting to create a pattern of sustained attacking by picking up second balls. In the 62nd minute, there was a decisive chance. Lucas dropped a right throw-in, Baba picked it up and took a powerful shot. The goalkeeper deflected the ball, and this time Abe picked it up and shot from inside the left area. Unfortunately, it went just over the goal, but it showed a good attacking shape.

　In the 64th minute, Kaji, who dribbled in from the side to the center, took a mid-range shot as he saw an opening in front of him. The ball flew to the lower left of the goal and was saved by the GK, resulting in a corner kick. After that, Tokyo repeatedly approached the goal from crosses against a Verdy side that had lost its momentum, winning corner kicks but failing to finish. In the 71st minute, Yusuke KONDO was brought on to replace Baba.

Kajiama's powerful shot that saved the team!

　In the 75th minute, Verdy was awarded two consecutive corner kicks, but in response, they launched a counterattack. Lucas passed to Kanazawa, who connected with Abe, and after Kanazawa fought to retrieve the opponent's clearance, he took a shot from inside the area. However, it went over the goal. In the 78th minute, Verdy's midfielder Miura aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal with a free kick, which Dohi saved, resulting in a corner kick. In the following 79th minute, Tokyo intercepted this Verdy short corner and quickly transitioned to an attack. Yusuke KONDO passed to Kelly, who then sent the ball back to the advancing KONDO. KONDO evaded the oncoming goalkeeper and directed the ball towards the goal! Everyone followed the trajectory of the ball, thinking it was a goal. However, the rolling ball was cleared by Verdy's midfielder Kobayashi just inches from the goal line. His determined sliding tackle prevented the ball from crossing the goal line.

　In the 81st minute, immediately after, Kajiyama was brought in to replace Miura, who showed signs of fatigue. Using the last substitution slot, they pressed towards the Verdy goal with all their might. In the 86th minute, Kajiyama took a left-footed shot from mid-range, but it went wide. However, the bold attitude of pushing towards the goal proved beneficial afterwards.

　In the 88th minute, Lucas received the ball from a left throw-in in the center and passed it to the free Kajiyama in midfield. Kajiyama took a touch and unleashed a shot with his right foot. Despite the tremendous speed, the well-controlled shot pierced the left side of the goal powerfully, scoring! The goalkeeper couldn't move an inch in response to this stunning shot. Kajiyama had also scored from a similar position in the Nabisco Cup match against Kashima, but this shot was even sharper. "(When the pass came from Lucas) I initially thought about shifting to the right side and trapped it to the right. But since there was space in front, I aimed for the shot," said Kajiyama. He showcased his solid technique and decisiveness, making his first league goal a 'big achievement.'

　Including 3 minutes of stoppage time, the remaining time saw Kelly, Lucas, and others skillfully keep the ball and manage the clock, allowing almost no counterattacks from Verdy, leading to the end of the match. On defense, they held Verdy's attacks scoreless, and with a strike from Kajiyama, they secured the much-needed 3 points. This valuable victory marks the end of their losing streak, and they aim to make a comeback from here!

【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"From the moment I entered the match, I thought I would keep taking shots. Since it was raining, I thought if I aimed at the goal frame, the goalkeeper might deflect it, so I boldly shot without lifting the ball. With Konno, we tried to maintain good balance even if one of us pushed forward during chances. Although we had two consecutive losses, the team's atmosphere wasn't bad, so I think we can use today as a turning point to win more." 《Konno》"My priority was to maintain balance, but it was my first match after rejoining the team, so I made some mistakes. The midfield circulated the ball, but I think it was good that we weren't beaten in the back line. Switching gears after the Olympics is tough, but now it's important to do my best in the J.League. It was a tough match, but since the team winning is the most important, I'm glad we got the result." 《Moniwa》"Honestly, I might still be a bit tired, but I think the defense was stable. There were no issues with the combination with Jean. In attack, I believed the forwards would eventually score."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We started the season with two consecutive losses and no results, but the content was not bad. The Olympic representative players returned, and we have been training with a new level of intensity this past week. Ishikawa got injured in Thursday's practice match, and we observed his condition until today, but to be cautious, we started Kurisawa. We accepted that Verdy would control the game to some extent today, so we focused on solid defense, then quickly attacked after regaining possession, expecting the second half to be the decisive moment. I thought that by bringing in offensive players like Abe, Yusuke KONDO, and Kajiyama, chances to score would arise somewhere. Abe is the type who dives into the goal area and can challenge vertically on the left side. He has also scored as a substitute in the last two matches, so he was the first to be brought on as an accent. Next, I brought in the strong shooter Yusuke KONDO, and finally Kajiyama. Considering Miura's fatigue, rather than just defending, I wanted to spread the ball from there to utilize the sides or have Kajiyama himself aim for the goal. When Yusuke KONDO's shooting chance was cleared, a draw crossed my mind, but I believe the players earned this valuable 3 points by never giving up until the end. Despite playing good matches against Deportivo and Roma, results were hard to come by, but we talked about raising the level of our football once again. The Olympic representative players joined us, and the results of our training showed. First, it was good that we kept a clean sheet. We were sometimes too focused on attack, so we aimed to defend well and score within that framework. Kajiyama has excellent shooting power, but he usually chooses to pass, so I kept telling him to aim for shots. His shots against Deportivo were amazing, and today's shots were also great. I want him to become a player with great scale. These 3 points are significant for us. G Osaka is also in good form, but we want to head into the next Nabisco Cup."

[Verdy Coach Ardiles' Press Conference Summary] "Perhaps the previous match against Reds is still affecting us, today was very poor. Several players have lost confidence. From our perspective, it was a very poor game. Although the first half was not that different and we were actually outperforming the opponent, so I was still somewhat satisfied. However, the second half was poor and concerning. We only had two shots, including Miura's free kick. Fatigue was also visible. It might all be due to loss of confidence. Our team tends to be either black or white. When we are white, we have beaten F. Marinos and Kashima. But when we are black, it becomes a very deep black and we end up with bad results. Today's result might have been a warning call that we need to be cautious here. Next is the Nabisco Cup, but we must firmly return to basics. Even the basic passing itself is not going well, so in next week's practice we will focus on that and may need to invent something, including changes to the system and members. In the current state, we cannot break through this situation."