Win the one-on-one situation and ensure victory!

　In Sec. 10 of the league match, we will face Nagoya Grampus Eight at home. As we enter the Golden Week consecutive matches, a tough schedule continues, but we want to turn the confidence gained from the previous match against Yokohama in the Nabisco into a victory and make a comeback. This will be an important match to break the losing streak.

　Nagoya, on the other hand, currently has 2 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses, placing them 14th, and they have not quite found their rhythm. However, they have a strong attacking lineup with Japan national team FW Tamada, FW Sugimoto, and skilled MF Nakamura, Fujita, Yamaguchi, and Honda. Additionally, this match will see coach VERGOOSSEN suspended from the bench, but coach Garo stated, "That doesn't mean the match will be easy," suggesting it will be a tough game. The opponent will surely be desperate to achieve results.

　To surpass that momentum, it is important not to lose in one-on-one situations. From there, we want to take control and push the team forward to score the first goal. On defense, we aim to contain Nagoya's speedy attack and keep the score at zero. Shigeno also mentioned, "The opposing forwards are scary when they face forward, so we want to shut them down early." In the locker room before the match, Dohi and Miura took the lead in motivating the team. Coach Garo also said, "Today is an important match. Let's focus and fight," as he sent the players onto the pitch. The match started at 19:04 with Tokyo's kickoff, despite the chilly Ajinomoto after the rain had stopped during the day.

Taking control, Lucas scores 2 goals from an ideal flow!

　From the start, both teams displayed their fighting spirit with fast-paced offense and defense. In the 3rd minute, Nagoya launched a counterattack, with MF Honda racing up the left side to deliver a cross. FW Tamada dove in with a header, but the shot hit the post. It was a moment of tension, but in the next scene, Tokyo quickly shifted to attack, with Kajiwara taking a long-range shot. In the 10th minute, Nagoya's defensive midfielder Yamaguchi made a through pass, and FW Sugimoto broke free, but was caught offside. In the 12th minute, Tokyo created a chance with Kajiwara's through pass to Konno, but the ball went astray and was handed over to the opponent.

　In the 14th minute, just as Tokyo began to take control, a long pass from Lucas to the front was firmly received by Akamine, who then spread it to the right. Kawaguchi, who had moved to the side, sent in a cross, which Lucas dove in to head into the goal! He scored powerfully to take the lead. In the following 17th minute, this time Lucas passed from the midfield to Suzuki on the left. Suzuki delivered an early cross, and Lucas again connected with a powerful header! The ball grazed the hands of Nagoya's goalkeeper Narasaki and went into the goal. With Lucas's two goals, they quickly extended their lead.

　After that, Lucas, playing as an attacking midfielder, continued to function well. Miyazawa and Kajiyama also boldly pushed forward, creating movements in coordination with the front line and the sides. In the 23rd minute, Tokunaga was surrounded in his own half, but Konno provided support, secured possession, and immediately delivered a through pass to the front line. Kawaguchi, who broke through, was caught offside, but it was a good attacking shape. In the 31st minute, Tokunaga chased a pass deep on the right side and boldly made an attempt to penetrate inside. He was fouled, earning a free kick, followed by a left corner kick, but they could not convert this into a finish.

　On the other hand, Nagoya pushed up left back Abe, with MF Kan marking Lucas to strengthen the midfield, and changed to a three-back formation to counterattack. In the 36th minute, FW Sugimoto cut into the area, leading to a wave of attacks. From there, MF Nakamura delivered a right cross, which Doih caught after rushing out, but he collided with an opponent and the ball spilled out. FW Tamada, who was closing in the area, had his shot quickly blocked by Tokunaga, but the ball fell in front of the unmarked MF Yamaguchi right in front of the goal. However, the decisive shot was saved by Doih's sharp reaction! He defended the crisis with his body and went into the second half with a two-goal lead.

Suppressing Nagoya's counterattack to just one goal, snatching victory

　Nagoya made a substitution in the second half, bringing in MF Yoshimura for Abe as a defensive midfielder. They seized an opportunity early on. In the 47th minute, FW Tamada exchanged passes with MF Kan in the left side of the area, then moved inside to shoot. Doih saved it, resulting in a corner kick. This kick was cleared initially, but the ball was picked up, and finally, Tamada slid in to shoot from very close range in front of the goal. However, Doih kicked it away with his foot, preventing a goal.

　In a fast-paced game with quick transitions between offense and defense, Tokyo created chances through Julian's aggressive play. In the 51st minute, Julian intercepted the ball in the opponent's half and charged towards the goal. He found himself one-on-one with the GK, but his shot was blocked by the opposing GK. In the 59th minute, Miyazawa's sharp left cross found Julian free on the right side of the area. After a one-touch, his volleyed shot was again saved by GK Narasaki. In the 60th minute, from a forward run by Shigeno, Kawaguchi delivered a fast cross that Akamine headed, but it missed the goal, and they could not add another point.

　In the 74th minute, Lucas injured his foot and was replaced by Inoha as a precaution, with Kajiyama moving up a line. In the 75th minute, Rychely came on for Kawaguchi. A rapid exchange of attacks continued, leading to frantic defensive plays. In the 83rd minute, Nagoya brought on forward Fujita, and defender Koga also moved up to the front line to initiate a power play. In response, Tokyo brought on Miura to stabilize the flow and aimed to cut off Nagoya's counterattack.

　However, in the 87th minute, Suzuki's left cross reached Akamine and Rychely in front of the goal, but neither could take a shot, leading to a counterattack. Although they cleared it once, it went to Nagoya midfielder Yoshimura, who shot from mid-range. The powerful ball grazed Mobi's head and went into the goal. They were pulled back to within one point. After that, intense back-and-forth continued, but everyone put their bodies on the line to defend the goal, and the time was up. Together, they achieved the long-awaited victory!

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"In the first half, we were able to play as we intended. In the second half, we had some good opportunities, but it became difficult as we couldn't score. Not just this time, but in the past, there have been many crosses from Suzuki and Tokunaga. I'm glad we were able to convert one today. Sometimes in football, even if the performance is good, the results don't follow. However, we are improving. It's difficult for any team to adapt when the system changes. But we are gradually understanding the new system. We will continue to face tough matches and schedules, but we want to play well and achieve results. Today I played as a midfielder, but during attacks, I fight with the same mindset as a forward. In defense, I am helped by Kawaguchi and Akamine chasing the ball for us." 《Doi》"Last time, we had a good performance but didn't get the result, so I'm glad we got a result today. The team is moving in a good direction. This victory will lead to confidence. We conceded a goal at the end, but conceding is something that happens in football. More than that, we want to accumulate points. Before the match, we all talked about not losing to ourselves. Today we were focused and put our bodies on the line. We want to continue this and play the same football away as we did today."

　[Summary of Coach Garo's Press Conference] "The match against Yokohama FM was also a good game, but unfortunately, we didn't get the result. Today we were able to achieve a result and it was a good match. The players showcased their technique, connected passes, and fought with concentration. However, while we started well in the early part of the first half, we lost our marking towards the end, and our rhythm was poor. In the second half, Nagoya, who were losing, applied pressure from the front and created good opportunities, but we were able to defend against that. Both Nagoya and we had chances in the second half, but if we had scored one more goal, it would have been 3-0 and we would have felt more comfortable. Instead, we conceded a goal to Nagoya at the end, which made things difficult. It was a match where we could have scored more goals. Nagoya was a good team, but I think we also played well. (Regarding Lucas's use as an attacking midfielder) For crosses, I instructed the two forwards, Kawaguchi and Akamine, plus Lucas, to aim for goals with three players. It was good that Lucas was able to score. Our defense was also effective and outstanding."

　[Summary of Coach DWIGHT's Press Conference] "First of all, I apologize for the absence of Coach VERGOOSSEN here. Today, we considered countering Tokyo's diamond-shaped 4-4-2 system with our own 4-4-2 formation. We aimed to defend aggressively from the front and prevent the opponent from having space. However, after conceding two goals, the situation changed, and we had no choice but to switch to a 3-5-2 formation. We created several good chances, but it was too late to pull one back. The issue in the first half was that Tokyo's midfield was diamond-shaped, and Lucas was always left free. It would have been better if we had pushed the midfield up properly, but we ended up defending while falling back, allowing them to be free. Since we couldn't respond to that, we assigned MF Kan to Lucas, moved DF Abe up a line, and brought MF Yamaguchi into the center to switch to 3-5-2. After that, I think we gradually improved. The 4-4-2 didn't function today, but we were able to defend from the front in the same shape against C Osaka. The inability to do that today was the reason for our defeat."