Always aim for 3 points by taking the initiative!

　J1 League Sec. 23 will be an away game against Kyoto Purple Sanga. After two consecutive wins, the team has suffered three consecutive losses and has been unable to find their rhythm. In all three losses, they have conceded the first goal and have had to play catch-up. With 8 goals conceded, there are still defensive issues that need to be addressed, especially in set pieces where opponents are left unmarked or goals are conceded from loose balls that were not cleared properly. These are things that can be prevented by making small adjustments in marking and increasing the overall concentration of the team. Therefore, in today's game, we aim to take the initiative in both offense and defense and strive for 3 points.

　Kyoto, on the other hand, is currently in 16th place with 3 wins, 6 draws, and 13 losses. After a win and a draw in the 18th round, they have suffered 3 consecutive losses and have not been able to ride the wave like Tokyo. However, despite their lower ranking, they have lost their last two games to Shimizu and Kashima by a narrow margin of 0-1, and they will surely come to take a victory at home today. The top two, FW Paulinho and FW Andre, both have a strong finishing ability and are known for quickly bringing the ball to the sides and utilizing the two of them from crosses. In addition, attention must be paid to FW Hayashi, who has speed and excels in making runs behind the defense.

　Tokyo has changed the starting lineup from the previous match. In the midfield, Imakano returns. Although he says "there is still fear," coach Kuramata expects him to be fine once he gets his game sense back. He is the type to make decisions and move on his own during the game. He hopes he will play as he has been until now. In addition, Lucas will be at the forefront, Baba at the top, and Kurisawa at left MF. In the midfield, Imakano, Baba, and Kajiyama's passing work will be used to take advantage of Ishikawa's breakthrough power and Kurisawa's movement, and run into spaces that the opponent dislikes to aim for goals. In addition, Washington will be on the bench, and his goal-scoring sense is highly expected in situations where goals are needed.

　In the previous round, the difference in finishing ability greatly influenced the game, but if we can calm down and play in our own rhythm, our attacking power is not inferior to other teams. If we fight together as a team and regain our momentum, there should be plenty of opportunities to win. The match started at 2:04pm in Kyoto at the Nishikyogoku Comprehensive Sports Park Athletics Stadium, where a pleasant breeze blows.

Although they have the upper hand, they gave away a penalty kick and allowed the first goal.

　Tokyo's attack continues from the start of the first half. In the 2nd minute, Tokunaga picks up the clear from Baba's kick from the left FK and shoots it over the bar. In the 5th minute, Lucas cuts into the area and steals a CK. In the right CK from Baba, Imakawa tries to hit it, but it doesn't connect. In the 8th minute, Ishikawa, Baba, and Tokunaga attack from the right side and steal a right CK, but Kajiyama shoots from the loose ball from this CK and hits the DF, resulting in another CK. Lucas jumps in with a header from the left CK, but it goes over the bar. In the 10th minute, they take back the opponent's counter and Lucas shoots a powerful middle shot from the left side, but the opponent's GK saves it. So far, they have not allowed Kyoto to create any real chances, but it was Kyoto who took the lead.

　From the left CK in the 15th minute, there was a scramble for the loose ball and a pass was made to FW Paulinho who was left in the area. Inaba fouled Paulinho and gave away a PK. This was neatly converted and the first goal was conceded. However, Tokyo did not panic and started their counterattack. In the 18th minute, Tokunaga dribbled and cut inside, getting fouled by the opponent and earning a right FK. Baba aimed directly and earned a right CK. From the short corner, Imano headed but it went left. In the 21st minute, Ishikawa attempted to break through from the right FK and crossed. Jean, who was in the center, headed but the GK caught it.

　28 minutes, Kyoto FW PAULINHO's dribble is cut off by Fujiyama. Tokunaga connects and breaks through the area, left CK. Jean heads the ball from Baba's kick, but it doesn't go into the frame. In the 31st minute, Ishikawa starts from the right side and gets a FK just outside the area. This is returned to Kurisawa from Baba. Unfortunately, this middle shot hits the top of the bar. In the 39th minute, Kurisawa breaks through in front of the goal with a through pass from Fujiyama, but is blocked by the opposing DF and cannot take a shot. In the 41st minute, they counterattack after taking the ball in their own half. Ishikawa on the right side cuts inside with a dribble and takes a shot, but it goes over the bar. Tokyo continued to attack, but their shots did not go into the frame, and the first half ended with a 1-point deficit.

Unable to break through the opponent's solid defense until the end, resulting in defeat.

　Substituting Washington for Ishikawa from the start of the second half, forming a 2-top with Lucas. Bababa and Kurizawa on the left and right MF, trying to counterattack. In the 49th minute, a pass from Konno to Washington, dribbling through and earning a left CK. In the 50th minute, Lucas, who received a right throw-in, kept it in the area, and Kurizawa, who ran in, boldly attacked and shot, but was blocked by the opposing DF. In the 57th minute, Jean ran in on Baba's left CK and headed it over the bar. In the 59th minute, Inonami attacked from the left side and crossed. Lucas in the middle headed it but it didn't hit.

　60 minutes, Washington, who advanced into the right area from Kurisawa's pass, took a shot, but the opponent's GK saved it and it became a CK. In the 63rd minute, Abe was substituted for Baba. Then in the 68th minute, Abe timed his run perfectly behind the DF from Kurisawa's pass, but was slightly offside. In the 70th minute, Abe from the left side passed to Kurisawa, who then passed to Lucas. His well-aimed shot from outside the area narrowly missed the right side of the goal. In the 76th minute, Lucas kept the ball on the right side. Before he could get past the opponent's DF, he crossed it and Washington jumped in with his head, but it narrowly missed the left side of the goal. In the 78th minute, Miyazawa was substituted for Kajiyama. In the 80th minute, Fujiyama sent a long ball to the center. Abe headed it down and passed it to Washington, who took a shot, but it didn't hit.

　In the 83rd minute, Miyazawa → to the right side to Tokunaga. He entered the area from a one-two with Kurizawa, but the cross was cut off by the opposing DF and went to the right CK. Washington hit a header from Miyazawa's kick, but the DF cleared it. In the 89th minute, the opposing GK collided with Washington's trap from a counterattack. He received his second warning and was sent off. After that, Jean was brought up to the front line and they tried to score one more goal with a power play, but they couldn't break through the opposing defense and the game ended. They dominated Kyoto with 20 shots to 5, but most of them missed the target and they couldn't score. This was their fourth consecutive loss.

　【Player Comments】《Imano》"It was hotter than I thought, and physically it was tough, but I'm okay. I think my condition will improve from now on. I wanted to be more involved in the attack, but it was difficult without space. I wanted to take the ball further up and go on the offensive. It would have been great if we could have attacked from a high position and made some moves together..."《Miyazawa》"I don't think we were able to play our own soccer at all. It's been a long-standing issue that we can't break through when we're being pushed back. Even though we had a lot of shots, I don't think we had many decisive moments. Our plan was for the FW to make quick runs and receive long passes, but we weren't able to create those opportunities. We ended up just crossing the ball aimlessly. When we can't break through, how do we change things up... We need to regroup and come back stronger."

　[Summary of Manager Kuramata's Press Conference] "We conceded a goal again from a set piece, and although we had chances on the attacking end, we lacked finishing and ended up going until the end. We also had multiple chances from set pieces, but couldn't convert free headers, and that ended up affecting us until the end. (Wasn't it disjointed not only in terms of set piece finishing, but also in the flow of the game?) We wanted to make runs from the second line when the ball entered the top to break through Kyoto's defense, but we couldn't do it and ended up like this. (What was the intention behind substituting player Ishikawa?) Because he couldn't utilize his usual strength of breaking through on the side. Initially, Lucas played as a lone striker, but we brought in Washington to make it a two-striker formation."

　[Kyoto - Summary of Coach Hashitani's Press Conference] "It was very good to be able to get 3 points in this ranking. It was the first time this season that we were able to keep the opponent at zero, and our defense was very stable. We said at halftime that we absolutely wanted to keep it at zero, and as a result, we were able to hold them back and gain confidence. The key to being able to keep a clean sheet was that we were able to faithfully follow our team's concept. If I were to be greedy, it would have been nice to score a second goal and then go for a third goal when the opponent came out. When we had a chance on the counter, there were mistakes in the final pass or cross, and we ended up wasting the chance. This led to many missed opportunities in the attack, and a little bit of anxiety prevented us from making accurate plays. However, I think that we were able to have a relatively stable game by everyone on the team doing what we are trying to do in both defense and attack. We want to make sure we are well prepared to get 3 points in the next game."