Yoichi DOI sets a new Japanese record!

　The 2nd Stage Sec. 11 is an away match against Hiroshima. The venue is the Hiroshima Big Arch, which has not been used since 2002. It will be held on Sunday, and due to the results of other matches yesterday, if we earn 3 points today and win by a margin of 2 goals or more, we can rise from 9th to 6th place, making it an important match.

　Hiroshima currently has 2 wins, 5 losses, and 3 draws in the 2nd stage, with a total of 11 points. Their last 3 matches have all ended in draws, making it difficult to secure a win. The team has replaced forward Oki, who scored 2 goals in the previous match, with Hiroki Morisaki to increase ball possession in the midfield and strengthen their attack.

　Tokyo has also not been accumulating points well. In the last 5 league matches, they have 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 losses, and all 3 goals scored were from set pieces, showing a decline in their previously explosive attacking power. In this match, considering the condition, there will be significant changes in the starting lineup with Miura replaced by Miyazawa, Kanazawa by Fujiyama, Kelly by Kajiyama, and Baba by Norio SUZUKI, approaching the game with a fresh formation.

　In this match, Doi will set a new Japanese record with 146 consecutive league match appearances. Considering the Final Round of the Nabisco Cup on November 3 (Wednesday, holiday) in three days, I want to finish with a pleasant victory. Amidst the cold rain that occasionally fell heavily, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the victims of the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake, after which the match began with Hiroshima's kickoff.

Struggling more than expected on the slippery pitch

　Coach Hara told the players in the meeting before the locker-out, "It's important how we start the first match," "The pitch is slippery, so take care," and "Let's aim for more than 10 shots in the first half, and be aggressive." However, right after the start, Kajiyama's middle shot and Lucas's shot from a tight angle in the 7th minute followed the coach's instructions, and up to this point, they were playing an aggressive game, but gradually got drawn into the opponent's pace due to Hiroshima's unexpected set play.

　In the 9th minute, after earning a free kick on the right side, a tricky floating pass from the Morisaki brothers went behind the DF line, allowing DF Komura to take a shot unmarked, but it went wide of the goal. In the 11th minute, Morisaki Kazu kicked a corner kick to the far side, and Hattori, who ran in from behind, took a volley shot that was saved by the post. However, the DF line began to get confused, leading to the first goal being given to Hiroshima.

　In the 15th minute, Hiroshi Morisaki took a right corner kick with his left foot into the goal area, and the ball flowed to the far side where Kazu Morisaki picked it up. After a quick trap, he shot, and the ball pierced into the upper right corner of the goal, allowing Hiroshima to score the opening goal.

　Tokyo transitioned to attack, focusing on both sides after a fierce battle for the ball in midfield, but there were passing errors, making it difficult to connect rhythmically. In the 22nd minute, after winning the opponent's ball, a lob pass was made to Kajiyama. He dribbled past the opposing defender on the right side, but the cross was unsuccessful. In the 23rd minute, from the left side, Miyazawa delivered a quick free kick, which the opposing GK punched away. Kaji picked up the loose ball and shot, but it went straight to the GK.

　In the 25th minute, on the left side, Ishikawa passed to Norio SUZUKI, then to Kajiwara, and back to Norio SUZUKI for a combination play, but the opponent's defense cut it off. In the 31st minute, Lucas advanced into the right side penalty area with a dribble from a throw-in and delivered a cross, but Ishikawa picked up the loose ball and shot, missing the goal frame. Hiroshima's midfielder BETO was always involved with the ball from the front line defense, and in combination with forward Morita, they attacked the Tokyo goal, but the organized defense centered around Doi did not allow any goals. The first half ended with a lack of fluidity as the slippery pitch affected their ability to maintain possession of the ball.

Finally, the attack has rhythm with Lucas's equalizer...

　At halftime, Coach Hara instructed, "Let's not be afraid to play the ball forward to the front line and move ahead" and "Before telling others what to do, let's make sure we do our own jobs well." However, right after the start of the second half, Hiroshima aggressively attacked from the left side, and we struggled to control the ball as we wanted. But as Noriyuki SUZUKI made several strong dribbling breakthroughs on the left side, the entire team began to push forward. And finally, the equalizer was scored.

　In the 52nd minute, a switch from the left side by Noriyuki Suzuki to Konno, then to Kaji on the right side. Before the opposing defense could set up their line in front of the goal, a cross was sent to the far side where Noriyuki Suzuki won the battle against the opposing defender, headed the ball down to Lucas, who trapped it with one touch and shot with his left foot! The ball pierced the right side of the net, equalizing the score. At the same time, Baba came on for Miyazawa. Kajiyama moved to the defensive midfield position, placing Baba as an attacking midfielder, completely shifting the pace to Tokyo.

　When the combination of KAJIYAMA and BABA starts to keep the ball, the tempo of the attack improves. In the 54th minute, SUZUKI Noriyuki made a run up the left side after receiving a vertical pass from BABA, and delivered a cross. ISHIKAWA, who was closing in from the right side, attempted a direct shot, but it went wide due to a misjudged bounce. In the 55th minute, KAJIYAMA picked up a ball won in midfield and passed it to SUZUKI Noriyuki on the left side. He went to the end line and delivered a cross, which was cleared by the opposing defender, but the momentum was with Tokyo.

　In the 59th minute, Todai replaced Ishikawa. Hiroshima also brought in DF Yoshida for MF Komano in the 60th minute. They aimed to solidify their defense on both sides to stop Tokyo's momentum. Although they occasionally attempted counterattacks, in the 61st minute, Morita made a header shot from a cross by Hattori on the left side, but Dohi firmly caught it. Conversely, Tokyo had a big chance in the 73rd minute. On the right side, Kajiyama passed to Baba with a header, connecting to Todai who ran behind the DF line and took a shot, but it narrowly missed to the left of the goal.

　As the deadlock continued, Hiroshima brought on Maeda for midfielder Lee in the 77th minute. They aimed to inject momentum by introducing a young and energetic player, but the defense line centered around Moniwa and Jean responded firmly. Conversely, in the 82nd minute, they substituted Masushima for the visibly fatigued Kajiyama. Konno pushed forward more aggressively, attacking the Hiroshima goal and pinning them in front of the goal, but they couldn't find the decisive blow, and the match ended in a draw. They only managed to secure 1 point.

　[Player Comments] Lucas: The result was not satisfactory, and we couldn't create good attacking patterns. I think the goals were a result of our usual shooting practice. (Today's achievement is) that we didn't lose, and we were able to equalize even after going behind. I want to carry that feeling into the Nabisco Final Round and take the next two days to rest and adjust. Dohi: It was a match we could have won. I'm disappointed that we conceded a goal despite being careful about set pieces before the match. I believe we could have won if Toda's shot had gone in, but like the match against Marinos, we started poorly. (Regarding the new record) I'm happy about the new record, but since we didn't win... I think not losing will lead to the next match against Reds, and if we can play our style of football, I believe we can win regardless of the opponent. But it would be great if we could do it on a big stage.

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] At first, we had chances, and then we were most cautious about the opponent's set plays because they used trick plays and scored in the previous match, so we expected various tactics from them. However, they did something even more unexpected (a lob pass), which caught us off guard. That unsettled our team, and then from a corner kick, Hattori made a run and hit the post. Honestly, those two set plays really threw us off balance. Also, Miyazawa and Ishikawa made mistakes on their first controls, and their usual strengths didn’t show. I thought Miyazawa would attack using good side changes with fast players on both flanks, but his touches were rough and he got scared, so he stopped going to receive the ball. In that situation, we conceded from a loose ball after a corner kick, and the first half was completely bad. At halftime, everyone was frustrated, so I told them to focus on their own play rather than others, to get the ball without fear, and to pass it forward to the attacking players. Kaji and Fujiyama were scared and made sideways passes that were intercepted, putting us in danger. After bringing in Baba and combining with Kajiyama, the ball started moving and we gained control of the game. It was good until we equalized, but we couldn’t finish it off. It was a very tough match, and in this rain, we struggled with ball control and couldn’t fully utilize our speedy players. Hiroshima, on the other hand, played simply by hitting the ball forward and aggressively collecting loose balls. We wanted the 3 points, but we will do our best heading into the Nabisco Cup Final. (A word about the Nabisco Cup Final) Well, I’m glad we didn’t lose today. I watched the Reds’ match in Osaka yesterday, and the current Reds have good balance. I think the reason they often make back passes is because the whole team has momentum. Tanaka, Nagai, and Emerson defend well from the front, which allows the defenders to stay composed. The front three, Hasebe, Yamada, and Mitsunoshin, who jump out when we get the ball, have created a simple attacking pattern. The Reds have momentum and are a strong team, so we want to learn from today’s lesson and be even more fearless. We want to apply pressure ourselves, steal the ball, and attack quickly—that’s the key. Since it’s a one-off match, I think the team with momentum will win. This is our first Final, while the Reds are in their third consecutive Final and also aiming for the league title. As challengers, we want to play bold football and win.

　[Summary of Coach Ono's Press Conference] First of all, I would like to thank the supporters who cheered for us until the end in the rain. In the last few matches, we had been drawing, so we approached this game with the mindset of taking all three points, even if we conceded a goal, we aimed to score more than the opponent. I believe conceding one goal against FC Tokyo is understandable. Regarding our performance, I thought we did what we aimed to do until the end, but I want to take this frustrating feeling and channel it into training with the players for the next match, aiming to be a team that can attack and win in such a competitive match.