Win the competition in a 1-on-1 situation and secure victory!

　In the 10th round of the league, we will face Nagoya Grampus Eight at home. We will enter the Golden Week with consecutive games and a tough schedule, but we want to turn the momentum from the previous match against Yokohama in the Nabisco Cup into a victory and make a comeback. This will be an important match towards breaking our losing streak.

　Nagoya, on the other hand, is currently in 14th place with 2 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses, and they have not been able to ride the wave yet. However, they have a strong attacking lineup with Japan national team FW Tamada, FW Sugimoto, skilled MF Nakamura, Fujita, Yamaguchi, and Honda. In addition, although coach Vergoossen will be suspended from the bench for this match, coach Garlo says, "That doesn't mean the game will be easy," suggesting that it will be a difficult match. The opponent will also be desperate to get results and will come at us with all they've got.

　To surpass that momentum, it is important to first not lose in the one-on-one situations. Then, we want to take the lead and push the whole team forward to score the first goal. On defense, we want to shut down Nagoya's speedy attacking line and keep them from scoring. Shigetaka also said, "Their forwards are scary when they face forward, so we want to shut them down early." In the locker room before the game, Tsuchi and Miura were the center of encouragement for the team. Coach Garo also said, "Today is an important game. Let's concentrate and fight," and sent the players onto the pitch. The game started at 7:04 PM at the chilly Ajinomoto Stadium, after the rain had stopped during the day.

Lucas scores 2 goals, taking control and creating an ideal flow!

　From the start, both teams fiercely fought with fast attacks. In the 3rd minute, Nagoya launched a counter attack and MF Honda ran up the left side and crossed. FW Tamada jumped in with a header and hit the post. It was a close call, but in the next scene, Tokyo quickly turned to attack and Kajiyama took a middle shot. In the 10th minute, Nagoya's midfielder Yamaguchi made a through pass and FW Sugimoto ran out, but it was offside. In the 12th minute, Tokyo created a chance with Kajiyama's through pass and Imakawa ran out, but the ball went to the opponent.

　Just 14 minutes after Tokyo took the lead, Lucas received a long pass from the front line and Akamine firmly collected it, expanding to the right. Kawaguchi, who had drifted to the side, crossed and Lucas jumped in, scoring with a header! He scored a powerful first goal. In the following 17 minutes, Lucas passed to Suzuki on the left from the midfield. Suzuki put in an early cross and Lucas headed it again! The ball skimmed past Nagoya GK Narazaki's hands and went into the goal. With two goals from Lucas, they quickly took the lead.

　After that, Lucas, who was playing as a top midfielder, continued to function well. Miyazawa and Kajiyama also boldly attacked and made moves that were coordinated with the front line and sides. In the 23rd minute, Tokunaga was surrounded in his own half, but Imakawa provided support and cleanly took possession of the ball, quickly passing it to the front line. Kawaguchi made a run but was caught offside, showing a good attacking opportunity. In the 31st minute, Tokunaga caught up to a deep pass on the right side and made a bold move towards the center. He was fouled and earned a free kick, followed by a left corner kick, but they were unable to finish from there.

　On the other hand, Nagoya also pushed up left SB Abe and thickened the midfield by marking MF Kin against Lucas, changing to a 3-back formation and counterattacking. In the 36th minute, FW Sugimoto cut into the area and received a wave of attacks. From there, MF Nakamura crossed to the right and Tsuchi caught it by jumping out, but it was knocked away by a collision with the opponent. FW Tamada's shot in the area was quickly blocked by Tokunaga, but the ball ended up in front of MF Yamaguchi, who was free in front of the goal. However, Tsuchi made a sharp save on the decisive shot! He bravely defended the danger and went into the second half with a 2-point lead.

Stop Nagoya's counterattack and snatch victory with one point

　Nagoya made a substitution in the second half, replacing Abe with MF Yoshimura in the defensive midfield position. They seized an opportunity at the start. In the 47th minute, FW Tamada exchanged passes with MF Kane on the left side and cut inside to take a shot. Tsuchi made a save and it resulted in a corner kick. The initial kick was cleared, but it was picked up and FW Tamada took a sliding shot from a close distance in front of the goal. However, Tsuchi kicked it away with his foot and prevented a goal.

　In the fast-paced exchange of offense and defense, Tokyo created chances with Kajiyama's aggressive play. In the 51st minute, Kajiyama intercepted the ball in the opponent's territory and charged towards the goal. He faced the GK one-on-one, but his shot was saved by the opponent's GK. In the 59th minute, Miyazawa's sharp left cross found Kajiyama free in the right area. He controlled the ball with one touch and took a volley shot, but once again GK Narazaki made the save. In the 60th minute, from a forward run by Shigetaka, Kawaguchi's fast cross was headed by Akamine, but it missed the goal and no additional points were scored.

　In the 74th minute, Lucas, who had injured his leg, was replaced by Inaba in the defensive midfield. Kajiyama moved up one line. In the 75th minute, Rychely came in for Kawaguchi. The game continued with a quick exchange of attacks. In the 83rd minute, Nagoya brought in FW Fujita and DF Koga moved up to launch a power play. In response, Tokyo brought in Miura to calm the flow and aim to stop Nagoya's counterattack.

　However, in the 87th minute, Suzuki's left cross reached Akamine in front of the goal, but neither of them could finish the shot and were countered. Although they managed to clear it once, Nagoya MF Yoshimura was left free in the midfield and took a shot from mid-range. The powerful ball grazed over Mochida's head and went into the goal. They were now only one point behind. The intense battle continued, but they defended their goal with all their might and the time was up. They all joined forces and finally achieved a long-awaited victory!

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"We were able to play the first half in the way we wanted. We had a good shape in the second half as well, but we couldn't score and it became difficult. Not only this time, but also in the past, we have received many crosses from Suzuki and Tokunaga. I'm glad we were able to score today. In soccer, there are times when the result doesn't match the good performance. However, we are improving our level. It's difficult for any team to get used to a new system. But we are gradually understanding the new system. We have tough matches and schedules ahead, but we want to play well and get results. Today I am playing as a MF, but I am fighting with the same mentality as a FW when attacking. In defense, I am helped by Kawaguchi and Akamine who chase after the ball."《Doi》"Last time, even though we had a good performance, we couldn't get the result, so it's good that we got the result today. The team is moving in a good direction. This victory gives us confidence. We conceded a goal at the end, but in soccer, conceding a goal is inevitable. We want to accumulate points more than that. Before the match, we all talked about "let's not lose to ourselves". Today, we were able to concentrate and put our bodies on the line. We want to continue this and play the same soccer as today even in away matches."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "The Yokohama FM match was also a good game, but unfortunately we didn't get the result. Today we were able to get the result and it was a good game. The players showed their technique, connected passes, and fought with concentration. However, in the first half, we were able to score in a good shape, but towards the end, we couldn't keep up with the marking and the rhythm was bad. In the second half, Nagoya, who was losing, put pressure on us from the front line and created a good shape, but we were able to prevent it. In the second half, there were chances for both Nagoya and us, but if we had scored one more goal, it would have been 3-0 and it would have been easier. However, in the end, Nagoya scored one goal and it became difficult. It was a game where we could have scored more goals. Nagoya was also a good team, but I think we also played well. (Regarding Lucas' use as a top midfielder) For crosses, I instructed the two FWs, Kawaguchi and Akamine, plus Lucas, to aim for goals with three players. It was good that Lucas was able to score for us. His defense was also effective and it was wonderful."

　[Nagoya - Coach Dwight's Press Conference Summary] "First of all, I apologize for not having Coach Vergoossen here. Today, we thought about countering Tokyo's midfield diamond 4-4-2 system with our own 4-4-2 system. We aimed to aggressively defend from the front and not give the opponent any space. However, we conceded two goals and the situation changed, so we had no choice but to switch to a 3-5-2 formation. We created some good chances, but it was too late to score one goal. The problem in the first half was that Tokyo's midfield was in a diamond shape and Lucas was always left free. We should have pushed our midfield up tightly, but instead we ended up defending while dropping back, leaving Lucas free. We couldn't handle that, so we put MF Kan on Lucas, moved DF Abe up one line, and put MF Yamaguchi in the middle to switch to a 3-5-2 formation. After that, I think we gradually improved. Today, our 4-4-2 system didn't work, but in the match against C Osaka, we were able to defend from the front with the same formation. That was the reason for our defeat today."