Aiming to break the losing streak with aggressive play

　On the third day of the Nabisco Cup, we will face Yokohama F. Marinos at home. The team has suffered three consecutive losses since the match against Yokohama on April 12, the second day of the Nabisco Cup, putting them in a difficult situation. However, in the league match against Gamba Osaka on Sec. 9 held on the 22nd, they showed some momentum in the latter stages despite being pushed back. This match is crucial for them to regroup and break the losing streak by continuing to play aggressively.

　Yokohama FM, on the other hand, is currently on a four-game losing streak, with one draw (April 1st match against Tokyo) in between. They have many injured players, and MF Dutra has also left the team due to injury. However, on the other hand, MF Magron and MF Oku have returned, and young players like MF Kano and DF Amano are emerging. Among them, the only match this season without a goal was the previous match against Kofu in Sec. 9, and regardless of who plays, they launch quick attacks from a solid defense, showing a powerful offense.

　Yokohama has made significant changes to their lineup, as they are coming off just two days after the match against Kofu. DF Nakazawa is absent, and FW Kubo starts on the bench. MF Kano and Shiokawa are making their first starts of the season. In contrast, Tokyo needs to apply stricter pressure to prevent the opponent from playing freely. If they can capitalize on their chances, they should see a path to victory. This will be the third matchup against Yokohama this season, but instead of waiting to see how the opponent reacts, they aim to take the initiative and challenge without fear of failure to secure three points.

　In Tokyo, Kurizawa, who was injured in the match against G Osaka, and Tokunaga, who hurt his foot in last week's practice, will not participate today without pushing themselves. Lucas will play as the attacking midfielder, Inoha will serve as the right back, and Kawaguchi and Akamine will start as forwards. The match started at 19:00 with Yokohama FM's kickoff in the chilly Ajinomoto, which feels more like winter than spring.

Despite boldly attacking, they allowed Yokohama to capitalize on one chance.

　Right from the start, Tokyo creates a big chance. In the 3rd minute, Jean cuts off the opponent's advance towards the goal. Lucas connects to Kajiyama, and Miyazawa sprints down the left side to Akamine. Akamine's cross to the far post is headed down by Inoha, and Lucas is free in front of the goal! However, he couldn't control the ball well and missed the chance. Nevertheless, they connect the ball well and push forward, gaining momentum.

　In the 10th minute, Suzuki's early cross was dropped by Akamine, and Lucas took a shot. In the 14th minute, Inoha broke through the right side with a one-two with Akamine. He sent a fast ground pass from a deep position in front of the goal. The opposing defender slid in to cut it off, but afterwards, Kajiyama and Miyazawa's distribution, Inoha's effective attacking runs, and Akamine's reliable hold-up play created successive attacking opportunities.

　However, in the 21st minute, a cross from Tokyo was caught by Yokohama's goalkeeper, resulting in a ball for the opponent. Yokohama FM initially passed the ball around the defensive line but then suddenly accelerated. Left MF Shiokawa made a one-two with FW Oshima and surged up the left side. Tokyo was unable to stop this and allowed a cross into the goal area. Yokohama FW Yoshida received the ball in front, held it to draw in the Tokyo DF, and made a last pass to MF Hayato TANAKA, who was making a run from behind. MF TANAKA's shot was initially saved by Doi, but it was followed up and resulted in a goal.

　They had a chance to score, but they did not lose momentum. In the 24th minute, Kajiyama intercepted the ball in the opponent's half and immediately made a through pass to the front line. The ball was passed to Kawaguchi, who made a diagonal run from the left towards the goal, but his trap was cleared by the opposing defender, preventing a shot. From the resulting right corner kick, Akamine took a volley shot right in front of the goal. Kawaguchi picked up the rebound from the opposing goalkeeper's save and shot from the left. However, he was once again thwarted by a great save from the goalkeeper. In the 36th minute, after connecting the clearance from the right corner kick, Miyazawa spread the play to the right, and Kajiyama made a run inside for a shot, showing some momentum, but was unable to score. They went into halftime still trailing by one goal.

Just one step short... Three consecutive losses in the Nabisco Cup

　In the second half, we took control from the start and aggressively attacked. Just after that, in the 46th minute, Kawaguchi's cross flowed to the left and reached Akamine in front of the goal. Although he couldn't shoot due to pressure from the opposing defender, Inoha picked up the loose ball and sent a cross from the right. Kajiyama, who had made a run to the far post, headed it in, scoring a goal! We equalized with a persistent wave of attacks!

　After that, the match progressed in Yokohama FM's territory, creating chances. In the 52nd minute, the opposing player committed a handball foul, resulting in a free kick just outside the left area. However, Miyazawa's kick was cleared by the opposing DF. In the 54th minute, Kawaguchi was fouled on the right side, and Suzuki aimed directly at the free kick, but was blocked by the opposing DF. In the 59th minute, Akamine received a feed from Inoha and challenged on the right side, resulting in a corner kick. From here, Jean took a shot but missed the target. Although they were progressing favorably, crosses and free kicks were all blocked by Yokohama's tall DF...

　In an aggressive stance, in the 64th minute, Kawaguchi received a pass from Inoha in front of the goal but was surrounded by the opposing DF and lost the ball. From here, Yokohama DF Matsuda surged forward with a dribble. Tokyo was unable to stop this. A surprise looping shot went over Dohi's head and found the back of the net... Tokyo was once again trailing. In the 65th minute, they brought on Sasa and switched to a three-forward formation to attack.

　However, Yokohama gained momentum, and the back-and-forth play continued. In the end, in the 89th minute, Suzuki made a central breakthrough and launched a wave attack, but Kawaguchi's shot at the end went over the bar. Sasaki's header in stoppage time was also blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, leading to the end of the match. The accuracy and creativity in finishing were just a step short, resulting in a 1-2 defeat. This marks three consecutive losses in the Nabisco Cup. They have yet to earn any points, putting them in a tough situation for advancing to the Final Round.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"For the goal, I received a good ball from Inoha, so I thought I should finish it properly. It was my first goal with a header, but all I had to do was make contact. At the start of the second half, we were pushing forward and creating a good flow, but... From the first half, Miyazawa and Konno were balancing things out in the back, allowing me to play freely in front. I think the content was good, but... If we finish properly, the results should follow. I want to think positively and switch my focus to the next match." 《Akamine》"I'm disappointed that I couldn't score. I focused on playing my game as per the coach's instructions, but the opponent capitalized on their chances. We had opportunities, but we lacked finishing power. If we don't finish when we have the chance, we end up with results like this. I want us to combine our strengths and definitely win next time."

　[Summary of Coach Gallo's Press Conference] "Unfortunately, we did not get the result we wanted, but in the first half, I think Yokohama FM's only chance was the one that led to their goal. We had several chances in the first half. In the second half, we also had decisive chances and once scored to equalize, but Yokohama defender Riki MATSUDA scored a wonderful, beautiful goal for their second point. However, I believe we were able to play our own game. All the players were fully committed and gave their best effort. I am proud of the players' performance today. Although results have been hard to come by recently, I firmly believe they will come. We always want to play good-quality games, but with many young players, it is not always easy. Still, we strive to perform at a consistently high level. We are changing our style of play to a pattern of connecting and breaking down the opposition, so it may take time to fully take hold. That said, over the past three months, we have not taken the wrong path and I think we are progressing steadily. Having played football for many years myself, I know the direction the team is heading is not wrong."

　[Summary of Yokohama FM Coach Okada's Press Conference] "Many players were in poor condition or injured, so we used players who don't usually play much, but they really fought well. They thoroughly executed our style of play today. Also, the three-back defense centered around Matsuda stayed focused until the end. Although we dropped back a bit too much at the end, we were lucky in some aspects and managed to win somehow. I am satisfied that they fought hard, sticking to the goal of winning until the very end. (Regarding Matsuda's goal) A goal is a goal no matter who scores it. Matsuda won't get conceited even if he scores now, and since he is leading the team, I think it was good that he scored. Nakanishi, who made his first appearance this season, had hardly practiced in match form and was thrown right into the game. Magrão was not feeling well and his running decreased, so for today's game, I thought it was more important to have players who could run rather than those with skill, so I boldly used him. As expected from a veteran, he did at least the minimum required."