A match to overcome adversity together

　In Sec. 25, we will face Albirex Niigata at home. The team is currently on a five-game losing streak and is in a difficult situation. Although there are moments when the team shows its characteristic strengths typical of Tokyo, they have always fallen behind after conceding the first goal. Today, with the support of our home crowd, we want to start strong and definitely achieve victory in this match.

　However, Lucas injured his knee, Washington hurt his rib, and Ishikawa's knee condition was not good, so they could not be included in the squad. Jean, who is not in perfect condition, and Kajiyama, who is concerned about fatigue, are on the bench. The starting lineup features Nakazawa, who is making his first start of the season as a center-back. Miyazawa also starts for the first time since the match against Omiya on May 6, playing alongside Konno as a defensive midfielder. Kawaguchi is on the right wing, Kurizawa on the left, and Hirayama, who is making his J-League debut, pairs with Toda in a 4-4-2 formation. This match is one to watch for Hirayama, who has improved his condition, but the team is united in facing this challenging situation.

　Niigata is currently in 11th place with 30 points. They had been on a losing streak, but they achieved victory against Kofu in the last match, improving the team's situation. The point difference with Tokyo is only 3, and they will likely come to seize a victory away. This match will see MF Fabinho suspended, but caution is needed against their attacks starting from side MFs Suzuki and Matsushita. In particular, we want to be fully alert to sharp counters utilizing the speed of FW Edmilson. The match started at 15:03 with Niigata's kickoff in a refreshing climate with no wind.

Kawaguchi took the lead with a spectacular goal, but immediately conceded a goal...

　In the early stages, Tokyo pushed forward. They aimed to connect the ball to Hirayama at the front line, with Toda joining in, and won a corner kick by the first minute. From Miyazawa's right corner, Nakazawa dropped the ball, but they couldn't take a shot. At five minutes, Kurizawa, who had drifted to the right, sent in a cross. However, it didn't reach Hirayama in front of the goal, and the opposing goalkeeper caught it. Shortly after, Niigata launched a quick counterattack, with forward Tanaka breaking through on the right cross, but he was offside. The game changed at the ten-minute mark when Dohi took a free kick from their own half to Hirayama at the front line. Hirayama dropped the ball in front of the goal, where Toda and the opposing defender competed for it. The ball spilled into the right area, and Kawaguchi, who had made a run, powerfully kicked it into the goal, scoring! They seized the long-awaited opening goal from the desired play.

　However, the joy was short-lived. In the 12th minute, just 2 minutes later, Niigata DF Chiba entered the Tokyo area and headed the loose ball forward. This was touched by FW Tanaka right in front of the goal. Nakazawa was evaded by this pass, and it went to left MF Suzuki, who charged into the center. Fujiyama quickly dove in, but was also turned around, and MF Suzuki took a free shot. Calmly, he slotted the ball into the goal, quickly leveling the score. In the 17th minute, from a left throw-in in Niigata's own half, FW Tanaka dribbled through the Tokyo DF and passed to the right. In the center, FW Edmilson let it go, and the ball reached right-side MF Matsushita, who then made a precise shot that went into the goal. Up to this point, Niigata had only taken 2 shots, but they scored 2 goals, allowing an early turnaround.

　Still trying to find a way to counterattack, they approached the Niigata goal starting from Miyazawa's pass. In the 27th minute, Todai broke free from Miyazawa's vertical pass and got in front of the right goal. However, there was no angle, and the shot was saved by the GK. In the 29th minute, from Hirayama's drop, Kawaguchi turned and prepared to shoot, but the opposing DF cut it off. Connecting the loose ball, Konno and Miyazawa launched a wave attack, but in the end, they were forced to a left corner kick. The kicker, Miyazawa, tried to match Hirayama and said, "I changed my kicking style from usual and kicked a line drive ball," but they couldn't take a shot from there. In the 30th minute, the opposing GK punched away a right cross. Kurizawa, who ran in on the loose ball, shot over the bar.

　They continued to dominate the ball and attack, but could not break through the goal. Gradually, they lost possession due to mistakes and were hit by Niigata's quick counterattacks. In the 39th minute, Tokunaga's right cross found Hirayama in front of the goal, but he collided with Kawaguchi and failed to make contact. In the latter stages, Niigata increased their scenes of finishing from quick counterattacks, and they went into halftime trailing by one goal.

Conceded four goals in a complete defeat after being overwhelmed by Niigata's quick counterattacks.

　In the second half, Niigata gained momentum, but Tokyo's defense held firm and transitioned to attack. In the 48th minute, Tokunaga crossed from the right to Kawaguchi, and Hirayama headed the ball, but the shot narrowly went to the right. In the 53rd minute, Tokunaga cut inside and passed to Kawaguchi on the outside. Toda attempted a header from the right cross but failed to connect. Miyazawa's long shot in the 54th minute just went over the bar. Immediately after that, Abe was substituted in for Kurizawa as a left midfielder. In the 56th minute, after Tokunaga was fouled, Abe ran in to head Miyazawa's free kick, but the goalkeeper caught it.

　In the 64th minute, Akamine was brought on for Kawaguchi, with Toda moving to right MF. In the 65th minute, Abe moved inside and took a shot from just outside the right area. It flew towards the far post but was caught by the GK. In the 69th minute, Abe took another well-aimed shot from the left side, but again it was caught by the GK. Both teams launched quick counterattacks, and the back-and-forth battle continued until the 74th minute. Unable to pick up the loose ball, Niigata MF SILVA passed to MF Matsushita, who took a middle shot from the center. The well-aimed shot grazed the bar and went in. Overcommitting, they were caught off guard in defense, resulting in a painful third goal conceded.

　In the 76th minute, Baba was brought on for Inoha as an attacking midfielder, switching to a three-back formation to launch a counterattack. However, although Hirayama became the focal point in the front line, all second balls were picked up by Niigata, leading to a difficult situation. They couldn't create any decisive scenes and ended up with a monotonous attack. In the 79th minute, Niigata's substitute FW Yano cut into the right area, and Nakazawa fouled him, resulting in a penalty kick. The penalty was neatly converted by FW Edmilson, making it 4 goals conceded... In the 88th minute, Abe's right cross was cleared by the opposing defender. The loose ball was volleyed directly by Hirayama, but it just went slightly to the right, sealing their fate. They lost 1 to 4, marking their sixth consecutive defeat.

　【Player Comments】<Hirayama> "It's disappointing to lose the first match in the J.League. I think the momentum would have shifted if I had scored when my chance came. The coach told me, 'Go for it boldly.' It would have been better if I had scored or increased the goals through my play. The current team is unclear about what we want to do or how we want to defend, and the players are confused. We need to clarify this more." <Kawaguchi> "I believed the ball would drop and ran into position. It dropped in a good spot. I aimed for the opposite side's course and just tried to meet the ball. Everyone thought the first goal was important, and we scored at a good time. It's disappointing that we conceded immediately after. I think conceding was a concentration issue. The clearance was half-hearted, and we stopped there and got scored on. Personally, I regret that I was too far open and couldn't pick up the loose ball. When I had the ball, there was distance with Tokunaga, and when Tokunaga had it, there was no support. Hirayama was working hard, so I hope we can develop patterns like runs from the second line. There must be a cause for the six consecutive losses. With nine matches remaining, we want to work hard to get results."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "The content was a complete defeat. We were able to take the lead in a good way using Hirayama's header from a free kick, but things went bad after that. All the goals conceded were from quick counterattacks. While attacking, we were able to break down well, but we couldn't finish, and instead, we were hit by counters. Because the transition between offense and defense was slow, we were vulnerable to quick attacks. Especially, the marking on Niigata FW Edmilson and Tanaka was lax, allowing them to hold the ball and break through from the second line, resulting in all four goals in a similar manner. Although instructions were given, we couldn't correct it easily. We must firmly accept the result of six consecutive losses and think about it. (What was the intention behind repeatedly bringing in FW?) To score goals. We aimed to get the ball to Hirayama from the sides. As you can see, Hirayama is a player with great height and ball retention. He was not losing in headers. Even if his stamina dropped, we decided to use him until the end today. The failure to finish attacks that utilized him was a major cause of the defeat."

　[Summary of Niigata Coach Suzuki's Press Conference] "The players worked hard. Also, the supporters cheered well, and I think we were able to secure the victory. The start of the first half was not bad, but we couldn't collect the loose balls from FC Tokyo's long balls. Also, the defensive line couldn't fully mark their opponents and couldn't keep up with Tokyo players' movements. We adjusted midfielder Terakawa's position, which allowed us to pick up second balls. I believe scoring a goal early on led to the victory. At halftime, I talked about how crucial it is to win second balls, the space on the sides, defensive pressure, and how to start the second half. As a result, we scored an additional goal and were able to finish in a very good way. However, in the middle of the second half, despite several chances, we couldn't score, and the situation became tough. Even after scoring the fourth goal, there were some careless plays, and as professionals, we needed to play properly until the end. Overall, the players did well, but there is no time to relax. We want to connect the next game to a victory as well."