Nabisco Day 2, get revenge on the league match and win

　From the 7th round of the league on the 8th (Sat), we will face the 2nd day of the Nabisco Cup qualifiers in 3 days. We will challenge Yokohama F. Marinos away. It will be a rematch with Yokohama, as we played them in the 6th round of the league on the 1st (Sat), but we were dominated throughout the game. Although we managed to draw in the last minute, it can be said that we were completely defeated in terms of performance. Based on the confidence gained in the 7th round against Iwata, we want to take revenge in this match.

　Yokohama FM, who has not won in the last three matches, seems to have chosen fresh and highly motivated players for today's match. The starting lineup for today includes 6 players who were replaced from the previous match, including injured FW Marques and MF Maglone.

　Tokyo aims to take advantage on the side against this Yokohama FM lineup and has chosen a 3-5-2 system similar to Yokohama FM. The back three consists of Shigeno on the left, Jean on the right, and Masujima in the center. The midfield sides are Suzuki, Tokunaga, and Kurisawa as the attacking midfielder, with Inano and Kajiyama behind them.

Dominating the game against the powerful Yokohama FM

　The match started at 19:00 with the kickoff of Yokohama FM at the humid Mitsuzawa Park Stadium. Yokohama FM quickly gained momentum with a middle shot from left MF Dutra, taking a CK and a heading shot from right CK by FW Oshima. In the 12th minute, right MF Tanaka made a bold cutback and shot, but was saved by Doi's good defense and escaped to a CK. After the CK, MF Yoshida broke through Tokyo's left side and sent a sharp cross from a deep position. Doi caught it firmly. In the 15th minute, FW Oshima jumped on a sharp cross from right MF Tanaka, but was well controlled by Mashima and escaped to a CK.

　Tokyo made a series of mistakes in the face of tough pressing from the opponent. They lost the ball and were dominated by Yokohama FM for a long time. Yokohama FM ran well on both offense and defense, connecting passes and taking control of the sides. Starting from MF Yoshida in the attacking midfield position, they launched side attacks one after another, especially from right MF Tanaka, and FW Sakata made runs into the goal area. In the 21st minute, FW Oshima headed in a free kick from the left area for Yokohama FM, but the previous challenge was called a foul and the goal was disallowed. In the 23rd minute, FW Sakata headed in a fast cross from right MF Tanaka. In the 32nd minute, right MF Tanaka entered the area and took a shot, but the Tokyo DF blocked it with their body.

　At 34 minutes, Kajiyama tried to break through the frustrating situation by taking a middle shot and winning a corner kick. However, Lucas jumped in for Kurisawa's right corner kick, but was unable to take a shot. In the end, Tokyo only had two shots in the first half, from Kajiyama and Lucas at 39 minutes. Despite this, Tsuchi and Mashima were able to defend well and the first half ended scoreless. There were hopes for a comeback in the second half.

Despite attacking, we suffered a complete defeat with 2 goals conceded...

　Jean and Masuzaki changed positions from the end of the first half. Masuzaki moved to the right and quickly shut down the opposing FW, joining the attack. His determination to move forward paid off, as he made a daring run and sent a through pass to the front line at the start of the second half. However, it narrowly missed Kurizawa who had made a run. In the 52nd minute, Masuzaki and Kajiyama battled with the opposing team, and Tokunaga passed to Kurizawa in the center. Kurizawa took a well-aimed shot, but it was saved by the opposing GK. Finally, the competition became more even and the attacking rhythm was starting to form.

　However, in the 57th minute, Yokohama FM was taken over in the midfield, and FW Sakata dribbled up the left side. A low and sharp cross was sent from a deep position to the front of the goal, and although Tsuchi was able to save it once, the ball floated to MF Karino, who had just come on as a substitute, and was kicked into the goal from a close distance. It was a goal that broke the start of a counterattack.

　Tokyo made substitutions in the 63rd minute, replacing Jean with Kawaguchi and Suzuki with Fujiyama in the 66th minute. They switched to an unconventional 3-4-3 formation, with Tokunaga making a comeback. They created a scene where they brought the ball from Kajiyama's pass to the right side and took a shot. In the 72nd minute, Tokunaga broke through the right side and crossed to Sasa in the center, but it didn't connect with Lucas. However, Kawaguchi from the far side made a good follow-up and took a shot from outside the left area. But it lacked power and missed the target. In the 76th minute, a through pass from Kajiyama found Kawaguchi who had made a run on the right side. Kawaguchi crossed the ball and Kajiyama, who picked up the loose ball from the defenders, took a shot but it narrowly missed the crossbar...

　In the 83rd minute, Abe was substituted for Kurisawa and they went for a scramble formation close to 4 top to try to score a goal, but they were unable to do so. On the other hand, in the 89th minute, Yokohama FM easily scored a goal from a quick restart by FW Kubo. They were caught off guard and allowed an additional goal, and the game ended. They lost the game to aggressive Yokohama in both offense and defense.

　【Player Comments】《Mashima》"In the first half, I couldn't get into a rhythm. In the middle, we were facing a 3-on-3 situation and we lost the ball due to mistakes, allowing the opponent to run. Yokohama's DF Matsuda was also pushing up and had a numerical advantage, so I switched to right DF and tried to prevent attacks while also pushing forward. Just before the start of the game, Coach Garo instructed me to be flexible in that area. There were some scenes where I could pass, but unfortunately I couldn't change the bad flow."《Kawaguchi》"(I came on) when we were losing, so with the front three, either Lucon or I would go out to the side space and create chances. The opponent's DF is tall, so I was conscious of sending low and fast crosses. As Kajiyama took a shot, if it bounces back, it can lead to a chance. I thought it was necessary to repeat that many times. However, players who come on as substitutes have to produce results even in a short time. It's a shame that it didn't lead to a goal and a win. (Do you feel like the team has regressed since the Iwata game?) It's also due to the opponent, so there's no need to be discouraged. It's important to reduce mistakes and switch gears."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "Until around 30 minutes into the first half, our marking in the midfield was weak and we allowed the opponent to freely pass the ball. Towards the end of the first half, we started to mark more tightly and were able to create some good opportunities. As for the second half, I think it was a 50-50 game, but we ended up conceding a goal due to a mistake. After conceding the first goal, we had to equalize and turn the game around, so we pushed forward. I think we had a few chances, but we couldn't convert them. In the midst of our attacking, we ended up conceding another goal in the end. I think it was a game where Yokohama's finishing ability made the difference. Our intention in playing with a back three was for our wing players to push forward and cross the ball to Lucas and Sasa. However, especially in the first half, we made a lot of mistakes and couldn't connect our passes."

　[Yokohama FM Okada's press conference summary] "Today, I wanted the top team to show the fighting spirit and unity that they have recently forgotten. They played a great game as intended. Even though their legs started to slow down in the second half, they fought well. I am satisfied with the effort that the young players put in. MF Amano can be calculated to a certain extent and is a player who can do the minimum work. He did what was expected of him. MF Karino is an attacking player, so I was worried about how much he could do, but I didn't expect him to do this much. We don't have a good FK kicker, but his kicks are accurate. He is a reliable player who can become a strong force for us. As for using FW Kubo, there was a sudden accident with Sakata's injury, so I hesitated while considering the next game and other players' tryouts. However, I also had the strong desire to let him play and win today, so I decided to put him in. I also considered using him towards the end of the game depending on how the game was going. In the past, there were times when I couldn't calculate how he would play when he came on as a substitute, but he did well for the team. I used DF Nasu on the left side of the 3-back because he was in good condition and has good accuracy with his left foot, so I could use him on the left for ball distribution. MF Kawai was always considered as a substitute for the defensive midfielder, so I had no doubts about using him."