Take control in the middle and outsmart your opponents!

　Sec. 7 will face Júbilo Iwata at home. In the previous match against Yokohama, the midfielders took measures to man-mark their opponents, but they were constantly on the defensive and struggled to create chances. As a result, the coach and players have had multiple meetings and thorough preparations this week. The key in this match will be how they can turn their strict marking into attacks against the skilled Iwata. They will aim to take control in the midfield, launch attacks from the sides, and strive for victory.

　Iwata is currently in 7th place. Their record so far is 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, with a goal difference of +0, the same as Tokyo. However, they have scored 1 more goal in total. On the 5th (Wednesday), they won the unusual Nabisco Cup with the help of fresh players. They will face this round with only 2 days of rest, and although it is an away game for Iwata, they will surely aim for 3 points to keep their momentum going. We should be wary of their skilled passing and game management, led by MF Nabami, who missed the Nabisco Cup to prepare his condition.

　Tokyo, with Sasa who was absent in the previous match, will start with Lucas in order to improve his physical condition. They have struggled against Iwata in the past, but last year's record was 1 win and 1 draw, giving them an advantage. The players should not have any negative feelings towards this match. With the support of the home crowd, they hope to secure a victory in this match that started at 4:03 PM at Ajinomoto Stadium, where the stormy rain has cleared up and the weather is now sunny.

Lucas scored 2 goals, moving forward with both his mind and body!

　From the start, they played an intense and forward-moving game of soccer. They didn't tightly mark the skilled Iwata FW and MF players, but instead found momentum by freely moving around and maintaining a balance between offense and defense. In the 4th minute, Lucas broke free in the area but his shot missed the target. In the 9th minute, Iwata's DF Tanaka fed the ball to FW Karen Robert who took a header shot, but it was saved by Doi. Tokyo's pressing from the front line was effective against Iwata's quick passing, but there were also some passing mistakes after winning the ball, leading to a fast-paced back and forth game.

　Still, gradually taking control in the midfield, Lucas and Sasa often received the ball up front and expanded to the sides. In the 22nd minute, Tokunaga on the right side → Kurizawa dribbled up the middle and sent a floating pass to the front line. Lucas, who had run into the goal front with excellent timing, stretched his right foot and shot a looping shot against the ball that came from behind. The ball drew a beautiful arc and went into the top left of the goal! Lucas scored his first goal of the season with a happy shot to take the lead.

　However, just after the opening goal in the 25th minute, Iwata MF Nami invaded the area and passed a heel pass to MF Fabricio. MF Fabricio sent it to the center and MF Murai ran in and took a shot. Although Doi saved it once, he couldn't control the ball with the spin. Iwata's passing play in front of the goal was overwhelmed and the score was tied, but Tokyo's momentum did not diminish and they continued to attack.

　At 41 minutes, Lucas broke through with a long through pass from Kajiyama, and crossed from the right side. Sasu followed up on the ball that the opposing defender couldn't clear, and faced the GK one-on-one. However, his shot was blocked by GK Kawaguchi's defense, and he tried to shoot again, but couldn't score. At 42 minutes, from the right corner kick earned from this play, Kajiyama kicked the ball and Lucas stretched out his right foot to score a goal! It was a difficult shot from an awkward position, but he made sure to take the chance and added another goal just before the end of the first half.

With Miyazawa's entry, the momentum increased and Kirazawa, the Jubilo killer, added another goal for a resounding victory!

　In the second half, Miyazawa was substituted for Inaba, and Inoue took on the role of the bottom of the midfield. With this, the passes were able to connect more smoothly, and Kajiyama and Inoue also pushed forward, increasing the momentum. In the 48th minute, Sasa started the attack from the front line, and Tokunaga, who had moved up to support, crossed the ball. Although they were unable to connect in the center, Miyazawa was able to follow up on the rebound and take a shot. In the 55th minute, they launched a thick wave attack, and from this continuous attack, in the 57th minute, Kajiyama picked up the opponent's defender's clearance and took a well-aimed shot, but it just missed to the left by one ball's width.

　Tokyo, who completely grasped the rhythm. In the 66th minute, Lucas was fouled on the left side and the ball was dropped, but Kajiyama, who had taken it back from the opponent's DF, persistently kept it and passed it to Miyazawa in the center. Miyazawa quickly judged and ran into the left area from the trap, and passed it to Imakano in front of the goal. Imakano made a direct pass to the ground, and Kurisawa slid in and scored the third goal from a flowing combination play! Kurisawa scored in both matches against Iwata last season, showing his strong ability to win, which can be called the Jubilo killer.

　Iwata substituted FW Maeda for FW Karen Robert in the 56th minute. Maeda tried to create chances from quick passes in front of the Tokyo goal, but Shigetaka Mori and Masakiyo Masujima put their bodies on the line and repelled them all. In the 69th minute, Iwata's wide development from right to left led to a sharp cross from MF Murai, but no one could connect. In the 76th minute, MF Fabricio took a shot from a quick attack, but Tsuchi easily caught it.

　As the intense attack and defense continued, in the 83rd minute, Sasa was fouled in front of the goal and earned a free kick. Sasa himself took the shot, but it was blocked by the opposing defender. During this time, Asari was substituted in for Kurisawa and played in the defensive midfield position. However, Tokyo continued to attack without entering a defensive stance, and constantly won the 1-on-1 situations against Iwata. They also prevented Iwata from creating any real chances during their late comeback attempt. Tokyo dominated the game from start to finish and achieved a comfortable victory over Iwata with 3 goals.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"I couldn't score for a while, but I'm glad I finally got one in my fourth game as a FW. I think it's thanks to my teammates and supporters who believed in my goal. The system has changed this season, so it took some time to get used to it, but I'm working hard to improve. I want to build on this goal in the next game."《Kurisawa》"I was focused on defense today. We were able to steal the ball from the front line, so we were able to transition to attack from there. After the Yokohama game, we talked about taking the ball from the front as a team. The players also expressed their opinions, and the coach approved. In the scoring scene, when Miyazawa had the ball, I thought he might come up to the front, so I went up to the goal. In the end, Konno put the ball in for me. (Lucas' goal) was just as I imagined. I knew he would score if I gave him that kind of ball."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "Today's game, the whole team was focused and we were able to maintain our pace until the end. Also, I think it was a game where we were able to aim for goals from the beginning to the end. We knew that Iwata was a team with good technique. However, we reminded ourselves to play our own football and I think we were able to play a good game in Tokyo. (What was Inonami's role and the intention of the substitution?) The role was to mark Iwata's Nami. However, it was also important to actively pass and attack when there was space in front. One of the reasons for the substitution was that he received a warning and there was a possibility of receiving another yellow card and being sent off. Another reason was to rotate the ball more with Miyazawa's good passes."

　[Iwata・Yamamoto's Press Conference Summary] "We expected it to be a tough game, and we wanted to show a tough attitude, but we lost our composure due to the referee's decision and mistakes, and we couldn't have a patient and persistent fight. It was good that the players fought until the end without giving up, but I think there was a little lack of motivation to win and contribute more to the team. We were tired from a tough schedule, but I thought it was a good opportunity to grow. The result is disappointing, but we have to move on because we can see various forms in the process of growth. We fought well in a two-day schedule, but there were players who could fight and those who couldn't. We want to use this point to build the team in the future. We wanted to quickly return to a good position against FC Tokyo's individual defense and compete as a group, but we couldn't compactly create a numerical advantage. We couldn't do what we are good at, which is simple one-touch and two-touch passing and sending the ball forward, especially in the first half. There are also games like this during the season. We will prepare for the next one."