Show your determination to win!

　Sec. 14 will be held at Matsumoto Hirano Comprehensive Park General Ball Game Field in Nagano Prefecture as a home game, facing Kashima Antlers. In the previous match against Fukuoka, we were unable to play the kind of soccer we wanted due to harsh pitch conditions. Baba and Ishikawa are both determined to bet on this match, saying "Next time for sure...!" After the Fukuoka match, the team will directly move to Matsumoto for training. We will confirm the improvement of defense in the midfield, which was a challenge in the previous match, and the cooperation in the attack, and prepare for consecutive matches.

　Kashima is aiming for a more scoring soccer based on the cooperation accumulated until last year under the new coach Paulo AUTUORI from this season. They have attacking players such as Japan national team's FW Yanagisawa, MF Ogasawara, U-20 Brazil national team's new addition Fabio Santos during the break, and FW Alex Mineiro, but they are currently in 6th place with 7 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses. In the last match against Kawasaki, midfielder Fernando was sent off and they suffered their third consecutive loss in the league. Therefore, they must have a strong determination to win this match just like Tokyo.

　Tokyo's formation is 4-4-2 on the member table, but the defense consists of three backs: Shigetaka, Jean, and Tokunaga. Konno and Inoha form a double pivot in midfield, with Ishikawa on the right and Suzuki on the left. Up front, Baba is placed, with Lucas and Kajiyama below, making changes from the previous match. Regarding this intention, coach Garo said, "I want to use the speed of Suzuki and Ishikawa to utilize the sides. Not only correcting the defense in midfield, which was a problem in the previous match, but also using the sides by having two pivots," and approached the kickoff.

Lucas scores the first goal, but concedes a goal just before the end of the first half...

　The heavy rain that had been hitting Nagano for the past few days has stopped and the weather is clear. The pitch is also in good condition, and a great game is expected. Before kick-off, a moment of silence was held for the victims of the flood. The game started at 6:06 PM with Kashima's kick-off. However, just 6 minutes into the game, Suzuki collided with the opposing defender Iwamasa and fell down. He dislocated his right shoulder and had to be substituted. As a result, Miura was brought in as a defensive midfielder and Inaba was moved to the left side.

　Respond calmly to this accident. In the 7th minute, a pass from Baba to Ishikawa on the right side, who then cut inside and took a shot. In the 14th minute, Ishikawa crossed from an interception by Tokunaga. Baba jumped into the center and created a chance for Kajiyama to follow up on the loose ball from the defenders, and from there, Ishikawa and Inonami were able to establish a rhythm. In the 33rd minute, Tokunaga intercepted a long pass from Kashima inside Tokyo's territory. Lucas then slowly dribbled forward, and when he saw that the opponent wasn't closing in, he took a shot from just outside the area on the right side! It was a beautiful goal, perfectly placed in the bottom left corner, giving the team the lead.

　At 36 minutes, Inonami's left cross, Ishikawa picks up the ball that falls to the far side and shoots. At 40 minutes, Kajiyama passes from right to left, and Imakawa goes up to the front line and heads to the left. Inonami showed a good development with a left cross. However, Kashima did not panic. At 42 minutes, a strong and fast right cross from FW Alex Mineiro goes between Tokyo DF and GK. YANAGISAWA jumps in, but the shot goes over the bar and avoids danger.

　We wanted to keep the lead and go into the second half, but in stoppage time, we were slow to respond to Kashima's quick restart. We allowed a right cross from Kashima's right SB Uchida, and MF Ogasawara was left free at the far post to score with a header. We were caught up in the final minutes and ended the first half tied 1-1.

Unable to take advantage of opportunities, defeated by Kashima's finishing power

　It was the second half where we approached with a fresh feeling, but once again we allowed a goal in a crucial time where we needed to concentrate. In the 47th minute, Kashima took advantage of Jean's clearance and passed it to MF Motomura on the front line. From here, the ball was passed to DF Uchida who came up from the right. At this point, the pressure on Uchida was a moment late, and he was able to take a powerful shot from just outside the box, resulting in a comeback goal.

　Tokyo substituted Rychely for Kajiyama in the 55th minute. Brought Baba down to MF and launched a counterattack. In the 59th minute, Lucas received a pass from Baba just outside the area and, once again seeing little pressure from the opponent, aimed and shot. The ball was beautifully curved into the right net, equalizing the score once again. From here on, both teams aimed for "one more goal" and the game continued with quick changes between offense and defense. In the 67th minute, Tokyo substituted Kawaguchi for Miura, who entered the left side while Inonami moved to the bottom of the midfield.

　With this formation, chances were created from Baba's passes and Inoue's aggressive attacks. In the 68th minute, Inoue took a decisive shot in front of goal from Baba's skillful hold, but the opponent's GK made a save. In the 69th minute, Shigeki's clearance went to the opponent's FW Fukai in front of goal, causing a dangerous situation, but the DF held their ground and did not allow a shot. Nozawa connected and took a shot from the left side, but Tsuchi caught it and there was no harm. However, it was Kashima, the experienced team, who took advantage of the opportunity while both teams were pushing forward.

　In the 74th minute, Kashima's right corner kick was kicked by MF Nozawa, and DF Oiwa headed the shot. Unable to keep up with DF Oiwa's mark, they lost their third goal... On the other hand, Tokyo was unable to score a header from Inano in the 76th minute from a left corner kick. In the 82nd minute, Lucas broke through on a through pass from Baba and was brought down, but there was no foul. In the final minutes, Jean also pushed forward and fought with determination, but in the 89th minute, they were cut off by Tokyo's Sloan and a quick counter resulted in a solid fourth goal. In the end, Tokyo had 19 shots and 2 goals. They were unable to capitalize on 7 corner kicks and made crucial mistakes. Kashima took advantage of those mistakes and scored 4 goals with 12 shots, showing the difference in finishing ability.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"Scoring two goals, the angles were different, but we were able to catch the ball in a good position outside the area. Whether as a MF or FW, I think we are able to execute as planned under the coach's instructions. However, it's more disappointing that we couldn't achieve a team result rather than individual goals. A strong team is able to take advantage of the opponent's mistakes and score precisely. In terms of the game, I think Tokyo was dominating, but Kashima didn't miss any mistakes and were able to convert them into goals. Thanks to the supporters who always cheer us on, we are able to play well. We are grateful that they came all the way here today, but it's disappointing that we couldn't live up to their expectations."《Miura》"We needed to end the first half with a 1-0 lead. There's a big difference between ending with a lead and being tied. It was an accident that I came on as a substitute, but it's tough when you can't produce results in these situations. We couldn't change the flow of the game and I lost my presence. It's very disappointing."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "I would like to thank the many supporters who came to Matsumoto and cheered us on. It was a great encouragement for us. In the first half, we were able to play the game as we intended, with positioning, marking, and quick attacks. Unfortunately, our rhythm was disrupted towards the end of the second half and we ended up losing after conceding a goal. Overall, I think both Kashima and us played well, but Kashima is still a great team with the ability to capitalize on the opponent's mistakes. Of course, we also played well, but as you can see, all four goals were scored from our mistakes. Kashima's ability to turn all four mistakes into goals is impressive, but we also had chances to win. Despite that, we lost due to our mistakes. However, I think we were able to play the kind of soccer we wanted to play. (Do you think Baba is better utilized as a number 10 rather than a forward?) We wanted to have a player who could hold the ball up front, so we used him as a forward in the first half. I think it worked well in this formation. In the second half, we brought in Rychely to make runs behind the opponent's defense and push forward, so we took Baba off and gave him the ability to make passes. I think we were able to make good use of Rychely, Kawaguchi on the left, and Ishikawa on the right."

　[Kashima · Paulo Autuori press conference summary] "We conceded goals in places where we lacked concentration and attention. But the players showed their desire to win and fought until the end believing in victory. One of the reasons for the win was that we caught up in the first half. And in the second half, we changed from a horizontal passing game to a fast vertical passing game, which allowed us to keep possession. That was the key to our victory. FC Tokyo's fantastic football added value to our win. (Nawazawa played well in the second half. Why did you substitute Yanagisawa?) The formation we had been working on in practice was a double pivot that we used in the second half. The ball was moving well, so we stuck with this formation. Yanagisawa was substituted because he received a yellow card at the end of the first half. He has a high level of ability and movement. He struggled against FC Tokyo's tough marking, but he is starting to regain his form. He is a player who can fight and also convey his experience and feelings to those around him."