Victory at the National Home! Stay focused and aim for consecutive wins

　In Sec. 19, we will face Avispa Fukuoka at home in National. After a fierce battle with Chiba in the previous match, we have a game in just two days, raising concerns about fatigue. However, Coach Kuramata stated, "We will assess the condition until this morning," and we will approach the match with the same starting lineup as the previous game. Inoha, who has completed his suspension, will also be on the bench.

　Fukuoka is currently in 17th place with 1 win, 8 draws, and 9 losses. Since the arrival of new head coach Ryoichi KAWAKATSU, they have not achieved results with 3 draws and 3 losses, but they are gradually transforming into a more attacking style of football. Although they are at the bottom, they are not an opponent to be underestimated. In particular, Tokyo has played Fukuoka three times this season, including the Nabisco Cup, with 2 draws and 1 loss, indicating a poor matchup. Additionally, after a big win against C Osaka in Sec. 15, Tokyo lost without scoring against Hiroshima in Sec. 16, so they must approach this match with focus.

　Fukuoka's right midfielder Nakamura and left side back Alex actively participate in the attack. In response, we want to quickly switch to offense after regaining possession and exploit the space on the sides. Just like in the match against Chiba, we aim to defend aggressively and launch fast attacks to secure 3 points.

Fujiyama breaks the deadlock with his first J1 goal!

　In the humid Japan National Stadium, the match started at 7:04 PM with a kickoff from Fukuoka. From the beginning, Tokyo took the lead in the match, threatening the Fukuoka goal mainly through the breakthroughs of Ishikawa and Kawaguchi on the flanks. In the first minute, Ishikawa cut inside, and from the left to Fujiyama, then to the center to Kawaguchi's post, Lucas, who made a run, took a shot. In the fifth minute, Kawaguchi made a deep cut inside from the left side, but just before sending the last pass, it was cut by the Fukuoka defender, resulting in a corner kick.

　In the 9th minute, from a free kick in the opponent's half, Kajiyama dribbled forward and took a mid-range shot. The opposing GK deflected it for a corner kick. Connecting from this left corner kick, Akamine aimed with a header, but the effort was weak and was blocked by the crossbar. In the 10th minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and crossed, but Lucas's header was caught by the GK. In the 13th minute, Ishikawa received a pass from Asari and boldly took a dribble shot from the right, but it went to the left.

　Despite breaking through the midfield press and attacking, they were unable to score against the solid Fukuoka defense in front of the goal, and time passed. In the 22nd minute, Fukuoka midfielder Yabuta received a second warning and was sent off. Tokyo gained a numerical advantage, but their play slowed down as if to match the one less player on the opposing team, and they continued to struggle to create finishing opportunities. However, it was Fujiyama who broke the deadlock. Until then, he had been pushing forward at opportune moments and actively creating chances to advance, and it finally bore fruit.

　In the 35th minute, Fujiyama reacted to a rebound from Ishikawa's shot from the center and aimed for the goal. Ishikawa shot again after the Fukuoka DF's clearance, resulting in a left throw-in. Lucas, who received the throw-in, kept the ball and passed to the center. Fujiyama, who ran in, shot again. Although it initially hit Akamine at the front line and the opposing DF, the shot that followed quickly grazed the opposing DF, changing its course and going into the bottom left corner! With this joyful first J1 goal at the age of 33, Fujiyama scored the opening goal, taking a 1-point lead into the second half.

Akamine, Ishikawa, and Abe scored in two consecutive matches, and Inoha also scored for a resounding victory!

　In the second half, Fukuoka switched from a four-back to a three-back formation. They moved left back Alex forward to strengthen the midfield, aiming to win the ball and launch counterattacks. Tokyo initially gained a corner kick from Tokunaga's overlap and Ishikawa's cross, but they couldn't score an additional goal. In the 52nd minute, they were caught off guard by a momentary lapse in marking. Fukuoka's right midfielder Nakamura took a throw-in. During the connection from defender Alex to forward Atsushi TANAKA, they left midfielder Nakamura free, allowing him to penetrate deep into the right side of the area. A low cross sent from near the goal line deflected off Tokunaga's foot and went into the goal. They were equalized by an own goal.

　However, there was no need to panic. In the 59th and 61st minutes, they faced counterattacks from Fukuoka, but thanks to the opponent's missed shots, they managed to survive the crisis and continued to attack persistently. Not only did Ishikawa and Kawaguchi break through, but Tokunaga also made overlapping runs, and Akamine put his body on the line in front of the goal. In the 64th minute, Tokunaga's right cross was cleared by the opposing defender. Kawaguchi, who rushed in from the left, took a volley shot. The ball, which bounced once in front of the goal, was redirected and pushed in by Akamine with the heel of his right foot, securing the go-ahead goal!

　In the 66th minute, Kawaguchi received a pass from Lucas and sprinted down the left side. He advanced into the area and took a shot. The opposing goalkeeper blocked it, and the loose ball spilled into the right area, but Ishikawa, who had run in, trapped it with his chest and unleashed a powerful shot with the outside of his right foot! The ball pierced the top left corner, quickly giving them a two-goal lead.

　Fukuoka gradually slowed down with one player less, and after that, Tokyo attacked with ease. In the 76th minute, Akamine jumped in from Ishikawa's cross to win a right corner kick. Inohara, who came on as a substitute, made a high header shot from Ishikawa's kicked ball! The 20-year-old Inohara scored his first goal in J-League, securing the fourth point.

　In the 79th minute, Abe was substituted for Kajiyama, and in the 86th minute, Baba was brought in for Akamine. In the 89th minute, Baba sent a pass to Abe, who was running on the left side of the front line, and Abe, who caught up, won a left corner kick. Abe scored with a header at the perfect timing from Baba's corner kick. Although Abe had fractured his nasal bone in the previous match against Chiba and was guarded with tape, he made a daring leap that showed no signs of the injury and scored the fifth goal.

　There were times when we lost our rhythm in front of Fukuoka's solid defense, but towards the end, we efficiently scored from set plays, achieving a big win with 5 goals. Akamine, Ishikawa, and Abe scored goals for the second consecutive match, marking our first victory at home since the match against Nagoya in Sec. 10! Following the match against Chiba, we achieved two consecutive wins.

　【Player Comments】<Fujiyama> "After the last match against Chiba, Coach Kuramata kept telling us 'The next game is important.' Even during practice scrimmages, if I slack off, I'll be replaced, so I maintain tension and keep a good flow. I hadn't had a chance to play until now, but I played with the mindset of not wasting the opportunity given to me. It feels like 'Sorry for the wait for my first goal,' but the next match is coming soon. I'll fight each game to improve our ranking even by one place." <Ishikawa> "I try to make quick decisions and simply choose whether to cross, break through, or shoot. There are still mistakes in judgment and play, but I have many images in mind. It's of course important to play as expected when passing or shooting, but I also think unexpected plays are necessary. Regarding the goal, Lucas was asking for a pass beside me, but since I confirmed the goal position, I took the shot. I was able to shoot relaxed in a good form. (Two consecutive goals?) I think the fact that I boldly challenge chances and run close to the goal position leads to scoring."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "Overall, I think it was a well-played game. In the first half, I wanted to apply more pressure from the front, but due to fatigue from playing two games in three days, we couldn't press effectively and ended the half that way. In that situation, Fujiyama scored a shot, allowing us to go into halftime with a 1-0 lead. When the opponent was down to 10 players, I wanted to be more aggressive, but it didn't go well. We aimed to press both sides of the opponent, but in the second half, we were instead pushed back and conceded an own goal. The reason we couldn't press was due to physical condition. I thought we could do a bit more, but the reality was we couldn't. However, thanks to Fukuoka's physical decline, we were able to attack from the sides. (You have been able to maintain good form for two games in a row?) Until now, after playing good games, there was a dip—not in performance but in awareness. I gave strict warnings about that before the match. I told the team to try to replicate what we did in Chiba in this game. Looking ahead to the Shimizu match, we will review video footage and consider our approach. Since we have to play again in two days, we want to manage our conditioning carefully."

　[Summary of Coach Kawakatsu's Press Conference] "Recently, we have had many matches where we conceded goals early in the first half, so we made adjustments to our defense to avoid breaking down the game even if we went into halftime without scoring. However, with one player sent off, I think it became a burden given the current state of the team. The players did well to equalize in the second half. We changed the system to 3-4-2 in the second half, placing MF Nakamura and DF Alex on the sides of the midfield, and instructed them on marking and covering the back of the sides. I instructed that while we might concede some on the outside, we should respond to the central marking against crosses and aim for counter-attack opportunities... We have many injured players, but I want to do my best to respond to the supporters' cheers."