Three matches remaining, fighting for consecutive wins!

　In Sec. 32 of the J1 League, we will face Albirex Niigata away. In the previous match against Chiba, we completely took control of the game with our high work rate, achieving a nearly perfect victory. This season, we have won decisively against an opponent we had lost to in all three previous encounters, including the Nabisco Cup, and the team's atmosphere is positive. This week, we have a tough schedule with three matches in a span of two days, and it will be an away game at Niigata Stadium, but we aim to unite as one and strive for consecutive victories and a rise in the rankings.

　Niigata is currently in 12th place with 39 points, and since Sec. 27, they have been unbeaten with 2 wins and 3 draws, indicating that the team's condition seems good. In particular, the scoring ability of the Brazilian trio—FW Anderson Lima, Edmilson, and Fabinho—is a threat. In the previous match against Jubilo Iwata, Edmilson scored a hat-trick, and all 8 goals in the last 5 matches have come from these three players. Coach Hara has also expressed caution, stating, "They can score even with few chances." Additionally, numerically, there remains a possibility of a relegation playoff with J2, and it is expected that they will approach today's match aggressively to seize points.

　In contrast, Tokyo's Baba has injured his left knee in the match against Chiba, and Kaji, who has an injury to his right ankle, is included. Coach Hara stated, "Both players could play if pushed, but considering it's an away game, we will rest them this time." Kurizawa, who will start for the first time since Sec. 27, will take Baba's place as an attacking midfielder, while Fujiyama will fill in for Kaji at right back, and Kanazawa, who has returned, will take the left side. "Kurizawa has completely recovered from fatigue, and Kanazawa has a strong desire to play. Fresh players will bring new energy to the team," Coach Hara said.

　In last season's away match, as Coach Hara said, "We were overwhelmed by their high motivation," Niigata can be intimidating when they show their focus at crucial moments. It is necessary to counter with boldness rather than being on the defensive. Without being overwhelmed by the atmosphere of over 40,000 attendees, we will showcase Tokyo's football and aim to seize 3 points! Despite a brief rain and cold winds, the match kicked off at 3:04 PM in Tokyo.

Both teams launched quick counterattacks from solid defenses, but the first half ended without any goals.

　Both teams were cautious at the start, aware of each other's fast attacks, and showed a solid defense before launching quick counterattacks. Tokyo had a left free kick in the opponent's half at the 4th minute. Kajiyama aimed directly but missed the target. In the 6th minute, two corner kicks from both sides were cleared by the opponent's defense, and although they pressed into Niigata's territory from the start of the match, they couldn't create any significant chances.

　On the contrary, Niigata seizes a chance from a free kick by FW Anderson Lima. In the 8th minute, he takes a direct shot, but Doi clears it with a punch. In the 9th minute, DF Umimoto in front of the goal connects, but Tokyo's DF escapes to a corner kick. Niigata often gets caught in the net of their defensive setup, leading to counters that are stopped by fouls, resulting in a bad cycle that prevents them from gaining control of the pace.

　In the 18th minute, Niigata defender Kikuchi ran deep down the left side and delivered a low cross. Tokyo's defender cleared it, but the rebound fell to forward Edmilson, who took a shot from a tight angle that just went wide to the right of the goal. In the 19th minute, Edmilson sprinted up the right side on a quick counterattack, and central forward Lima connected, but Doi caught the ball. Although Niigata created a decisive chance, they were somehow kept from scoring. Then, following coach Hara's instructions, Noriyuki SUZUKI and Yoshiro ABE swapped the left and right sides, gradually gaining control of the attacking rhythm. In the 31st minute, on a quick counter, ABE broke into the area from a pass by Lucas, and although it seemed he was fouled by an opposing defender, no foul was called. In the 32nd minute, again on a quick counter, Kurisawa dribbled up the right side, forced a corner kick by hitting the opposing defender with his cross. From this corner, Lucas took a curling shot from the left side of the area, but it went wide to the right.

　After the 35th minute, we finally took control of the pace, especially seizing opportunities from set plays. In the 36th minute, Norio SUZUKI's right corner kick could not be finished. In the 37th minute, Jean headed a left free kick taken by Kajiyama, but it did not connect. In the 43rd minute, Kurizawa took a right corner kick, and Konno tried to push it in from a scramble in front of the goal, but was blocked by the opposing GK. Although the content was not bad at all, we could not create decisive chances due to Niigata's solid defense, and the first half ended scoreless.

Sasa's eye-opening volley shot scored, marking a second consecutive victory

　Shortly after the start of the second half, Niigata created a decisive chance. They stole the ball near the halfway line and launched a quick attack. From Lins' dribble, the ball was passed to Edmilson, who slipped through the Tokyo defense and shot freely from directly in front of the goal. The ball struck just below the left post, narrowly avoiding a critical crisis.

　In the 51st minute, Tokyo tried to regain their rhythm by substituting Noriyuki SUZUKI for Sasa. They formed a two-top with Lucas and moved Kurizawa to the right. They aimed to play long balls to the two-top early and pick up the loose balls. In the 53rd minute, Kajiyama picked up a loose ball and passed to Sasa, who attempted a one-two with Lucas and shot from inside the right area, but the opponent's defender cut it off. In the 56th minute, Kurizawa dribbled up the center and passed to Lucas on the right. He broke free in the right area and shot, but was denied by a great save from the opponent's goalkeeper. They finally started to take control, especially with Konno and Kajiyama picking up almost all the loose balls and launching wave attacks. Additionally, Niigata's occasional counterattacks, centered around Jean and Shigeno, completely prevented the three Brazilian players from making any impact.

　In the 66th minute, a long ball from Jean was headed by Konno, connecting to Yoshiro ABE who ran into the left area for a shot, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 68th minute, from a loose ball after a right free kick, Lucas took a direct volley from outside the left area, sending it high over the bar. Despite having a great opportunity, they couldn't score. In the 76th minute, Todai was brought in to replace the visibly tired Kurizawa, aiming to regain momentum on the side and go for a goal. Then, in the 77th minute, the long-awaited opening goal was scored. Yoshiro ABE, who kept the ball on the left side, evaded the opposing defender and made a ground pass to Kajiyama, who was in the right area. Just when it seemed he would trap and shoot, he passed to the center. Sasa then executed a direct volley and scored perfectly to take the lead! Finally, the deadlock was broken.

　After that, in the 80th minute, Toda made a breakthrough in the center and shot with speed, but it was saved well by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. In the 82nd minute, Sasa aimed for a shot from mid-range that went just to the right. They struggled to score an additional goal. Niigata also made three substitutions in the 81st and 83rd minutes, changing their system to launch an attack, but in the end, everyone held their ground in defense, preventing any goals and finishing the match 1-0. They suffered from Niigata's fast and sharp counterattacks, but ultimately managed to win due to the difference in finishing ability, marking their second consecutive victory.

　【Player Comments】<Sasa> "(The goal) came from a good pass by Kajiyama, and since I was free, I took a direct shot. I was confident I would score at the moment of the shot. I was also happy to be selected for the Paraguay national team, and after returning home, I was glad to score and contribute to Tokyo's victory. (You've been coming on as a substitute recently?) It's true that I want to play more, but I am a member of the team. Contributing to victory is the top priority. We haven't lost recently, and I really think this is a good team. The 'cradle' celebration after the goal was done for Lucas, who will have a child in December. I want to do it again." <Moniwa> "The current team has both fighting spirit and momentum. Spectators might have thought 'Maybe a draw?' but we were determined to win. That's why we could make bold player changes. For example, Mr. Toda came back, took a shot, then from the corner kick, we kept the ball after the rebound... we were able to play like that. It's proof that our rhythm is improving. (There was a moment late in the game when you pushed forward?) We kept winning the ball and attacking, but then losing it again up front, so I wanted to calm things down a bit. I showed the intention to use sideways passes and spread the field. Playing by repeatedly winning the ball, attacking, and losing it again won't lead to progress. Of course, we will attack, but for example, if we score one goal, we shouldn't rush to attack again. We need to play considering the timing and the opponent. Strong teams like Iwata at one time could do that. I think we are starting to play that kind of football now. We have players like Yohei who can receive and keep the ball, and we want to play in a way that makes the opponent think, 'I want to take the ball but can't. If I go, it will be a foul.' We want to play in a way that annoys the opponent. This should lead to the next step."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Both Kaji and Baba could have played if they pushed themselves, but we let them prepare for the next home game. We brought in fresh players Kanazawa and Kurisawa, who had been adjusting for today. We expected a tough match away, so winning there was very good for us. Niigata has the strength that when good balls reach their three Brazilian forwards, those three can carry the play by themselves. Especially when attacking, I instructed to take care of them. They don’t open to the sides but stay central, making it difficult for our four defenders to mark them, so we made adjustments at halftime. We used Fujiyama on the right for the first time in a while; we could attack from there, but we lost the ball a few times and faced counters. Early in the second half, FW Edmilson had a shot that hit the post, which is Niigata’s favorite pattern. Thankfully, it didn’t go in. We actually wanted to use the field more widely, but due to rain, the pitch was wet, and Norio SUZUKI was careful with his ball touches, so his strengths didn’t show. Also, because the ball slipped, it sometimes didn’t reach Lucas’s feet properly, so we brought in Sasa early, aiming to simply deliver crosses and pick up second balls. It wasn’t that Norio SUZUKI played badly; he was tired, so we brought in Sasa and balanced the team with Kurisawa. In the end, we brought in Toda and aimed for a simple battle of picking up balls and shooting to secure 3 points. Sasa was energetic throughout, and whenever loose balls came, his strength in front of goal was effective. He scored at a really good moment, and the defense stayed focused and defended well. There are two matches left, but we will fight with full effort in each game and want to play well, including the final home game. Niigata’s stadium gathers many supporters. I told the players that although it’s an away game, it’s a blessing to play in front of such a large crowd. I encouraged them to freely show their strengths."

　[Summary of Niigata Coach Sorimachi's Press Conference] "We have been progressing the game well all along, but it is disappointing that we couldn't earn points and dropped in the standings. The next match is against Nagoya, so we definitely want to jump up. It's the same as in a marathon; it's more satisfying to run the final sprint and cross the finish line, so we want to win the next two matches consecutively. Numerically, I am happy that Niigata will be able to compete in J1 next season as well. Our big goal set before the season was to remain in J1. Although we lost today's game and can't smile here, honestly, I think it was good that this was decided. I want to express my gratitude to the supporters who cheered hoarsely despite the team not being in great condition. Defensively, Tokyo plays with a single forward and wingers, so we simply organized ourselves to avoid falling behind there. We had some prediction of how to play after Sasa came in and knew they would send long balls to the front line. We thought a 2-on-2 in the center would be tough considering the strength of Lucas and Sasa, so we switched to a three-back formation once Sasa entered. Although the result didn't come, we were able to fight with a stance that disrupted Tokyo's strengths while showing our own good points. In the end, Sasa scored, and there were still parts where we couldn't handle long balls well and couldn't fight effectively. We want to reflect on the basics before the next match. There were good moments here and there, but Tokyo was stronger in the center battles, second ball recoveries, and individual power. Especially Konno and Kajiyama are excellent talents who will carry Japanese soccer forward, which I felt in this match. We must fight against them, and I hope this competition will become nourishment for us. As a losing side, I feel our approach was not bad."