Stirring up Omiya DF, aiming for consecutive away wins

　In Sec. 29, we will face Omiya Ardija, heading to the away match at Komaba. After a dramatic comeback victory against G Osaka in the previous match, we aim for consecutive wins in this game. However, this match will see Kajiyama suspended due to accumulated warnings. Jean is also unable to play due to an unfavorable condition of his left knee. Additionally, in the first half of the week, Inoha, Kajiyama, and Hirayama will be absent due to activities with the U-21 Japan national team, and in the match against China on the 25th (Wednesday), Inoha and Hirayama will play the full match. After joining the team, they have been working on a separate training regimen, but there are concerns about their condition.

　Omiya is currently in 12th place. After two draws since Sec. 20, they had been on a losing streak, but they won against Chiba in the last match, and it can be said that their team situation is quite similar to Tokyo's. Their strategy of launching counterattacks from a solid defense centered around a four-back formation remains intact, and in attack, FW Allison, who joined at the end of August, has fit well into the team. He scored his first goal in the last match, and his form is improving. Additionally, particular caution should be exercised regarding FW Kobayashi Dai, as it is not an exaggeration to say that all attacks start from him. In this match, Inoha will mark FW Kobayashi Dai, while Shigeno will mark the speedy FW Allison.

　Tokyo replaces Hirayama with Baba in the starting lineup. In attack, Toda and Ishikawa will run to exploit the gaps behind the opponent's defense line, aiming to create chances. This is an important match to make a comeback as we head into the final stages of the season. Although it is an away game, we will play aggressively to seize the 3 points. Miyazawa will start for the first time since the match against Niigata on September 30, partnering with Konno in the midfield. Masushima also returns to the bench for the first time since the match against Cerezo Osaka on August 30, and the match kicked off at 14:00 in Omiya.

Kono scores in consecutive matches, taking the lead early

　The game started with action. Within the first minute, Toda, who aimed to break through on the left side of the opponent's territory, was fouled and earned a free kick. In the 1st minute, Miyazawa's kick was met by Konno, who surged forward and made a free header. This beautifully scored, giving Konno his second consecutive goal and securing the opening point!

　In the 8th minute, Omiya was awarded a free kick in the center of Tokyo's territory. Omiya forward Kobayashi's kick flew straight to Doih's position, but he couldn't catch it. The ball spilled into the right area where defender Hato rushed in to shoot. It barely crossed the goal line, and the goal was avoided. After surviving the crisis, they then started to attack with Miyazawa as the starting point, while Toda and Ishikawa ran to exploit the gaps behind the opponent's defense. Baba also actively aimed for a shot. In the 12th minute, Baba's long-range shot was on target and had power, but the opposing goalkeeper managed to punch it away. In the 13th minute, from a cross by Konno on the right side, Toda rushed to the near post, but the shot did not connect.

　However, Tokyo was unable to get into the rhythm, and as time passed, Omiya gradually took control of the pace, leading to a back-and-forth development. In the 20th minute, Omiya forward Allison sent a cross that forward Kobayashi Daisuke dove for, but Doih caught it firmly. In the 26th minute, Baba intercepted in the opponent's half. He quickly launched a counterattack to Lucas. However, the decisive shot taken from the right side of the area hit the opposing defender and resulted in a left corner kick. From Baba's corner kick, Inoha at the far post took a shot but missed. In the 36th minute, Omiya connected in front of the Tokyo goal, and left midfielder Fujimoto evaded Konno and took a shot, but Doih made the save.

　In the 40th minute, Toda and Baba worked hard on the left side to regain possession, and Baba sent a floating pass to the front line. Toda made a run and returned the ball, but Ishikawa's direct shot was blocked by the opposing DF. In the 43rd minute, Omiya DF Hato's right cross found FW Kobayashi Daisuke free in the center, but his header went wide to the right. While both teams created chances, they couldn't score an additional goal, but they maintained their focus in defense and went into halftime with a one-goal lead.

Everyone concentrated on defending against Omiya's fierce attack, achieving a shutout victory in consecutive wins!

　In the second half, aiming to score the second goal, in the 46th minute, Fujiyama made a mistake and lost the ball, allowing Omiya's right midfielder Hisanaga to take a decisive shot. Although it narrowly missed the target, in the 50th minute, a mishap occurred as Moniwa injured his thigh and had to leave the pitch. He was substituted by Miura, and Konno was moved back to the final line to mark Omiya's forward Allison.

　They solidified their defense and aimed for a counterattack, but in the 52nd minute, they stole the ball in the opponent's territory, and Lucas initiated a quick attack. Baba's shot from a rebound off Omiya's DF hit the left post... In the 57th minute, Toda, who had broken through to the front line, shook the net, but this was ruled offside. Against Omiya's defensive setup, Tokyo stole the ball high up the pitch and connected it to their attack, but Omiya also launched counterattacks using long balls. In the 71st minute, Doih was unable to catch a through pass to Omiya's forward Kobayashi, leaving the goal wide open, but Fujiyama managed to hold on and defend.

　In a back-and-forth counterattack, Omiya brought in the tall FW Morita in the 77th minute. They switched to a three-forward formation and launched a fierce power play. In response, Tokyo brought in Masushima. Masushima marked FW Morita, Konno marked FW Allison, and Inoha marked FW Kobayashi. Still, the momentum was with Omiya. In the 82nd minute, a right cross was perfectly met by FW Morita at the far post, who delivered a precise header. This was blocked by Doi with a long jump, clearing it with his left hand!

　In the final stages, Tokyo was connected by clearances, and crosses were continuously delivered to Omiya MF Hashimoto, who came on as a substitute. Tokyo was unable to push up their defensive line, resulting in a one-sided defensive situation. Although there were tense moments, in the end, Lucas also returned to solidify the area in front of the goal, preventing any goals and bringing the match to a close! This marked a clean sheet victory since the opening match against Oita. Regardless of the inability to dominate the ball and fully attack, the fact that everyone remained focused and maintained Tokyo's characteristic resilience to keep the score at zero can be considered a commendable performance. They secured valuable away points with a win and achieved consecutive victories.

　【Player Comments】《Konno》"(For the goal) I tried to move to shake off the opponent because if I stayed still, they would mark me. Once I was free, I was able to score. After that, I was marked by the opponent's defensive midfielder, so I tried to run to places that would make it difficult for them and looked for gaps to move forward. If I went into a defensive mindset, I would be countered, and I wanted to score another goal, but I dropped back to the defense line after Shigeno was substituted. From then on, I only thought about not conceding a goal. I received instructions to mark Allison, and at first, I was nervous, but I think the man-marking worked. We faced a fierce attack, but I thought it was okay as long as they crossed from the outside. I was only careful about being caught off guard and having a shot taken on a quick break. The forwards were also working hard, and everyone was focused." 《Inoha》"In the end, the three defenders were marking Omiya's three forwards, almost in a man-to-man situation. I had been watching forward Kobayashi from the first half, so I was focused on not letting him do his job. I think it's commendable that we finished without conceding, but we still have a long way to go in terms of connecting plays. We won today, but I don't think we could win against a higher-level team in the current state of our football. I want to play better football."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "Regarding the result of 1-0, it was the first time since I took office that we managed to keep a clean sheet, so I think that was good. Omiya sets up a defensive block, so we aimed to exploit the space behind them from the start of the first half. We earned a free kick from that and defended the goal we scored. From the middle of the first half, Omiya was picking up loose balls in midfield, so we focused on that in the second half. We adopted a strategy of solid defense and counterattacks, but we couldn't score a second goal, and in the end, we held on to the one goal despite facing power plays. I moved Konno to the back line to be cautious of the speed of FW Alison. I anticipated that Omiya would definitely bring in the tall FW Morita in the final stages, so I was considering marking him with Mashima."

　[Omiya - Coach Miura's Press Conference] "We conceded a goal in the first minute, which was a very bad way to start the match, especially since it came from a set piece. We had been practicing defending set pieces all week, so the players were disheartened, and the first 15 minutes were very poor. After that, I think we managed to recover to some extent and progressed the game while creating chances. However, it was difficult to maintain our shape of 'defending well in a 4-4-2 and then attacking from there.' I thought the second half would be more in our pace, but if we forget about the conceded goal and don't fight in our own way, Tokyo will instead defend and counterattack. If we concede a second goal, it would become even more difficult, so we had to be careful and progress the game. I believe we had plenty of chances, but we couldn't convert them, or it was a match where we could say Tokyo defended well. Tokyo took the lead, and it turned into a situation where players like Ishikawa and Lucas were able to run in the best form of Tokyo's counterattack. It's true that the flow of the game didn't go as we wanted. However, considering today's flow, we had decisive opportunities, and I thought it could have been a game where we could score and turn it around."