Aiming for victory by leveraging the home advantage

　Due to the Emperor's Cup, the league Sec. 30 will be held after a two-week interval, where we will face Kawasaki Frontale. We will welcome them at home. In the Emperor's Cup on the 5th, we scored a total of 7 goals to secure victory, and we are currently on a three-match winning streak in official matches since the league Sec. 28 match against G Osaka. The players were all focused, stating, "It shouldn't be that easy in J1," but the team's condition is improving. We hope to achieve a three-match winning streak in the league, something we haven't accomplished since 2002.

　Kawasaki is currently in 3rd place. They are only 4 points behind the leaders, keeping their championship hopes alive. They apply pressure from the front, with midfielders Nakamura, Taniguchi, and Maginun working together to launch quick counters. The scoring ability of the forward duo JUNINHO and Ganaha is also a threat, making them a formidable opponent without a doubt.

　In response, Tokyo will counter with a strategy that thoroughly targets the opponent's DF. In particular, they want to utilize the space created after the both sides' MF Marcon and Mori from Kawasaki move up, aiming for chances behind the three-back DF. In that sense, the midfield battle should be one of the highlights. They want to take control without being pressured in defense, with Baba and Lucas also breaking forward from the sides to launch a more robust attack.

　A match aiming for victory by taking advantage of the home advantage. The members are Dohi, Toda, and Ishikawa, who did not have the opportunity to play in the Emperor's Cup match against Vissel Kobe, starting. The center backs will be Mashima and Inoha in the formation. Unfortunately, due to the rain since morning, the match started at 15:04 with Kawasaki's kickoff in chilly weather.

Allowed a 2-point lead due to mistakes in the counter exchange

　From the beginning, there was a fierce exchange of counterattacks, leading to intense offense and defense. As the match progressed at a fast pace, a free kick was awarded to Tokyo near the left sideline in the 7th minute. Kawasaki MF Maginun kicked it in front of the goal, and Dohi managed to save it with one hand, but the ball hit the post. Dohi cleared it again, but the rebound was put in by MF Taniguchi, resulting in a goal.

　However, in the 13th minute, Konno passed to Lucas in the space on the right side. Tokunaga advanced into the goal area and won a right corner kick. In the 14th minute, Baba's kick was initially cleared by the Kawasaki defense, but Baba connected again and delivered a cross. In response, the opposing goalkeeper came out and punched the ball, and Lucas headed in the loose ball for a goal! They equalized early and brought the match back to square one.

　However, after that, they ended up conceding goals due to their own mistakes. In the 17th minute, they lost focus during a left throw-in by Kawasaki, allowing midfielder Taniguchi to dribble deep into the left area. Then, a negative last pass was delivered to forward Ganaha, who scored easily. Tokyo also attacked with good tempo, but they were countered by Kawasaki after losing the ball in the front line. Even after the 30th minute, the pace did not drop, and the fast-paced exchanges continued.

　In the 42nd minute, Konno intercepted and advanced, but was surrounded and dispossessed, allowing Kawasaki MF Maginun to sprint down the left side. JUNINHO, who ran into the center, executed a jumping volley in response to a fast cross. The powerful shot pierced the net... Despite this, the number of shots in the first half was 10 for Tokyo compared to 8 for Kawasaki. Although only one goal was scored, the content raised expectations for a counterattack as they headed into the second half.

Despite a 3-point deficit, they achieved a dramatic comeback to win the fierce battle.

　In the 49th minute of the second half, a corner kick from Tokyo reached the opposing goalkeeper, who sent a long pass to the front line. The ball went over Inoha's head and reached midfielder Maginun, who broke through. Fujiyama chased after him but was outpaced, and in an instant, a goal was scored. This moment also exposed the weaknesses in defense, allowing a three-goal lead. However, there was still time left. In the 51st minute, they earned a free kick from a deep position on the left side, and Baba quickly restarted the play towards the goal. Todai reacted skillfully and scored! This was Todai's first goal of the season, signaling the start of a counterattack.

　Then, in the 53rd minute, Kawasaki FW JUNINHO received a second yellow card and was sent off. In response, in the 54th minute, Suzuki came on for Ishikawa, in the 62nd minute, Miyazawa came on for Kajiwara, and in the 68th minute, Hirayama came on for Toda, making a series of substitutions. Tokunaga was moved forward, and Fujiyama entered the center of the three-back formation to launch an attack. The ball was gathered to Hirayama from the side, and players like Konno, Baba, and Suzuki picked up the loose balls one after another to create chances. However, time passed without being able to score against a defensively solid Kawasaki team.

　The perseverance paid off in the 83rd minute. Konno's floating pass to the front was cleared by the opposing goalkeeper. Suzuki connected with the floating ball with a header, and Hirayama pushed it in with another header! They closed the gap to one goal, and as the mood for a comeback intensified, in the 84th minute, Kawasaki's midfielder Maginun was sent off with a second yellow card. The match became chaotic, but Tokyo, undeterred, launched a fierce attack against Kawasaki, who were down to nine players.

　Although they completely grasped the flow of the game, they entered 6 minutes of stoppage time. Still, they never gave up. In the 89th minute, Fujiyama's right cross was contested by Hirayama and the opposing DF in front of the goal. The ball dropped in the area, and from the rebound off the opposing DF, Suzuki on the left sent a cross that was shot towards the goal. Miyazawa at the far post headed it in, finally equalizing!

　And just after 5 minutes of stoppage time had passed, Konno received a sideways pass from Tokunaga, and seeing that there was no pressure from the opponent just outside the area, he struck with his right foot! The ground ball slipped between the opposing defenders and found the bottom right corner of the goal!! Achieving a dramatic comeback, the match ended shortly after. With a total team effort, they completed the comeback and won the fierce battle. As a result, they secured their third consecutive victory in the league, accumulating 39 points, and confirmed their stay in J1 League.

　【Player Comments】<Konno> "I think the biggest reason for today's win was that the opposing team had a player sent off. In the first half, it felt like we were asleep, and I was losing 1-on-1s against the opponent, which is frustrating to look back on. The atmosphere at halftime wasn't good either. I don't think Tokyo is a team that loses easily, so I was also irritated. I was thinking of going more aggressively for the ball. I hesitated whether to take the middle-distance shot, but since I had been practicing recently, I tried it and scored. Before that, I took a shot with my left foot, but it was blocked by Kawasaki's defender. I guess the opponent thought they wouldn't let me shoot again this time... The stands were so lively, and the mood was 'A draw is not enough, we have to turn it around!' Tokyo is strong when allowed to get carried away. It's not about bullying the top teams, but every match is a battle. Above all, we can't lose at home, and we fight with Tokyo's pride on the line." <Hirayama> "The goal came from a good ball, so I just had to connect with it. I was happy, but everyone had the atmosphere of 'Let's score one more!' so it wasn't a time to celebrate. Before playing, I was told, 'The ball will come from the side, so do your job there.' When I was watching from the bench, it felt like we were being punished by our own mistakes, but I wasn't pessimistic. Everyone helped each other and had a strong desire to win. I think scoring goals is the best way to make an impression, but I want to keep working hard to contribute to the team."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "Once again, I realized that if you don't give up until the end, you can play a game like this. In the first half, we played football close to our intended style, but we conceded two goals from set pieces and one from a quick counterattack. Kawasaki launched quick attacks, so our challenge was not to lose the ball easily, but the central attacks increased, leading to losing possession. In the second half, we focused on maintaining the flow from the first half and being careful of the opponent's quick attacks. I instructed the team to thoroughly break down the sides and create numerical superiority, believing that we could play our style of football then. I think we achieved that to some extent. Although it became a game where we had to endure somewhat, the opponent had a player sent off and was down to ten men, and in the end, we managed to come from behind and win. (Regarding defense) I instructed Inoha to man-mark FW JUNINHO closely to prevent him from working freely. He marked him fairly well and did a good job. I made Masushima focus on FW Ganaha and told Inoha to cover. Regardless of the coordination between the two, we need to correct the fact that we conceded many goals. Especially, the transitions were slow, and corrections are needed for situations like the second goal from a throw-in."

　[Summary of Coach Sekizuka's Press Conference] "(Regarding the refereeing?) I would like to refrain from speaking on this matter from this position. We are training within the standards of J-League's judgments, but if they are too far off, we cannot respond. It was a match that made me think a lot about what I should be teaching. The players have endured tough training, and I truly believe they have done well towards winning the title. Right now, all I could say to the players is, 'Thank you for your hard work, let's go home soon.'"