Switch your mindset and aim for victory at home

　Sec. 32 will face Yokohama F. Marinos at home. In the previous round, they were defeated by Iwata away, but in this round, they want to switch their mindset and take advantage of their home field to win. However, the team's condition is not perfect. Ishikawa, who had injured his right foot, will return, but Inonami, Kajiyama, and Hirayama have left the team for the activities of the U-21 Japan national team since the 19th, and all three played in the match against South Korea on the 21st (Tuesday). Inonami also accompanied the Japan national team for the Asian Cup qualifiers held in Sapporo last week, and considering each player's condition, Inonami and Kajiyama will not participate in today's match.

　The members, with Jean starting for the first time since the October 15th Hiroshima match. In addition, Konno was used as center back, and Miura and Miyazawa formed a double pivot to face the game. Coach Kuramata explained, "I considered the combination with Jean, and also converted Konno because Yokohama kicks the ball early, so I had to consider how to deal with that."

　Yokohama FM, on the other hand, is currently in 12th place with 39 points, the same as Tokyo. Despite trying to turn things around with the arrival of new coach Takashi MIZUNUMA in the middle of the season, they have been on a three-game losing streak and their form has not been improving. However, they should be wary of the attacking play from the wings led by MF Hayato TANAKA, the runs from the top by Koji YAMASE, and the speed of FW Sakata. They also pose a threat with their powerful plays targeting FW Oshima from accurate passes.

　It should be an intense match, but Tokyo will take the lead and want to counterattack by attacking more. Although the DF line will be "improvised", they want to extend the time of attack and finish with a goal, while preventing goals from counters. In attack, they want to find opportunities by exploiting the space behind the Yokohama FM's high defensive line. The match started at 3:04 pm with Tokyo's kickoff at the cloudy Ajinomoto Stadium, where the cold of midwinter can be felt.

Grab the rhythm and take the lead with Lucas's PK!

　In the first half, we pressed from the front and took the ball, and grabbed the rhythm with fast attacks. In the 2nd minute, Ishikawa cut inside from the left corner kick and took a powerful shot. In the 5th minute, Yokohama FM also created a chance. Right MF Hayato Tanaka forcefully broke through the side. He crossed from the end line and FW Oshima chested it down for a shot. The ball hit the left post and we avoided conceding a goal.

　Still, Tokyo took the lead and threatened the Yokohama FM goal mainly through set pieces. In the 6th minute, Toda broke through the front line and was brought down by the opposing GK just outside the left area, earning a free kick. In the 15th minute, Ishikawa made a run and won a free kick outside the right area. Miyazawa's kick was deflected by the GK and resulted in a left corner kick. In the 16th minute, Ishikawa and Miyazawa combined for a free kick from outside the left area, followed by a left corner kick. However, Miyazawa and Baba's kicks were both blocked by the Yokohama FM DFs and did not lead to a goal.

　In the 17th minute, Yokohama FM launched a wave attack in front of the goal, and in the end, Miyazawa sent a lob pass to Lucas in the area. Yokohama FM's DF Nasu competed with Lucas and won a penalty kick. In the 19th minute, Lucas scored the penalty kick and took the lead!

　At 34 minutes, create a chance for an additional point. Lucas skillfully controls the throw-in from his own zone and sends the ball floating to the right front line. Ishikawa runs in and shoots from the right area, but is blocked by the opponent's quick reaction. At 38 minutes, Lucas → Toda connects with Baba directly from the post and the shot shakes the net, but is called offside by Toda. At 43 minutes, Lucas tenaciously keeps the ball on the right side. Ishikawa reacts to the pass and avoids the opponent's DF who jumped in, and shoots from just outside the goal area. It was a decisive chance, but the ball barely misses to the left... Unable to score an additional point, they head into the second half with a 1-point lead.

Yokohama FM was pushed in and suffered a frustrating comeback loss.

　In the second half, Yokohama FM launched a counterattack. In the midst of intense ball battles, they gradually pushed Tokyo back. However, Tsuchi, Jean, and Imakawa calmly defended and the game became a back-and-forth battle. In the 60th minute, Yokohama FM took advantage of their aggressive play and Baba ran up the left side, sending a cross to the far side. Ishikawa met it with a direct volley, but once again it was saved by the goalkeeper.

　Yokohama FM substituted MF Tanaka with MF Oku in the 63rd minute. They were able to connect passes quickly and control the pace of the game. On the other hand, Tokyo's energy levels dropped and their DF line started to drop back. In the 67th minute, Tokyo substituted Ishikawa with Suzuki at left MF. They hoped to score an additional goal with Toda moving to the right. However, in the 75th minute, Yokohama FM also substituted MF Kano with FW Marques. Just after that, Yokohama FM's MF Oku sent a high pass into the box. Tokyo's DF cleared it, but it fell to MF Yamase who crossed it to DF Dutra on the left side. FW Oshima jumped in front of Jean and headed the ball from close range. The shot was saved by Tsuchi but it fell to MF Oku who pushed it in, equalizing the score.

　In the 80th minute, Toda, who had jumped out to the right front line, returned the ball to Lucas in the middle. Surrounded by DF, Lucas passed it back and Miura ran in, but unfortunately the pass didn't connect... In the 84th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Miyazawa. However, Yokohama FM completely pushed forward and dominated the power play. In the 88th minute, from Yokohama FM's FW Marques' sharp left cross, FW Oshima's header hit the frame, but Jean blocked it just before the goal line! As the game entered the 2 minutes of stoppage time, MF Kawai → MF Yamase connected and passed to DF Kurihara, who was free on the right side. Kurihara's shot was saved by Doi, and it seemed like they had escaped the danger with a corner kick.

　However, with this right CK, FW Marquez's kick was headed by DF Nasu for a heading shot. The ball floated high in the air and Jean jumped for it, but couldn't reach it and it went into the goal. After that, Jean also moved up to the front line and tried to counterattack until the end, but it was in vain. In the end, they allowed a winning goal and suffered a painful comeback defeat.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"I was given a break in the previous match, so my body felt too light. I was moving too much and my muscles and knees couldn't keep up with my body's sharpness, which scared me. I had a decisive chance, but my first shot was saved when I aimed high. For my second shot, I aimed low and the direction was as planned, but it missed. Recently, Yokohama FM has been connecting passes on the ground a lot, so I chased from the front line at the start. If the opponent started kicking long balls and our second line couldn't pick them up, we were planning to drop our defensive line and go for the ball. However, we ended up being pushed back. In the second half, we were tired and could have been more compact. Next match is our final home game. Instead of trying to stop the opponent's victory, we want to play a game that will lead us to the Emperor's Cup and next season."《Konno》"Looking back, we lost... and it's a tough result that leaves us tired. Today, we tried to defend well and counterattack. Our strategy didn't change between the first and second half, but we couldn't execute our counterattacks in the second half and our defensive line couldn't hold up. It was my first time starting as a center back, but I believed that if I didn't lose in one-on-one situations, we wouldn't concede. I was marking my opponents to a certain extent, but towards the end, Yokohama FM kept coming out from behind and we ended up conceding. It's frustrating and disappointing to lose like this, but we have another game coming up soon. We need to switch our focus and fight hard for a win."

　[Summary of Manager Kuramata's Press Conference] "We were turned around, but I think we were able to play the soccer we aimed for in the first half. We were able to aim for the back of the Yokohama DF line and respond to early feeds. In the second half, we were able to care for the opponent's risk-taking attack, but we conceded the first goal due to a mismatch in marking caused by the opponent's player substitution, and the second goal was conceded due to our own mistake. If we had scored an additional goal early in the second half, we would have had a good chance of winning, but we couldn't score. We had chances, so if we had scored there, the result would have been different. We were able to care for Yokohama FM FW Sakata's runs, so that was good. He also made runs forward after winning the ball, so there were no problems with Inono as a center back. Jean played in a game for the first time in a while, so I think there were some parts where he lacked game sense. I haven't confirmed it yet, but we need to fix the part where he left his mark on crosses. (There's a game against Urawa in 2 days?) I haven't thought about it yet. We'll watch the video and think about the lineup from now on."

　[Yokohama FM Manager Mizunuma's Press Conference Summary] "I'm relieved that we got the result. Up until now, the players have been doing what they were trying to do, but they couldn't get the results and felt a lot of responsibility. Before the game today, I told them, 'FC Tokyo's soccer is aggressive and very scary. But by going forward, we also carry risks.' We invited decisive chances and conceded goals, but at halftime, we talked about tactics and instructed them, 'If we can create opportunities in the midfield, we can make it work.' The ball started to settle there and we were able to move forward. We were changing players and they had different levels of motivation, but the players who played today did a good job. It was good that we were able to get results for the fans. We want to fight desperately in the remaining two games and get results. DF Nasu, who scored the winning goal, hasn't been used in the past few games, but he is a hard worker and a player who can bring back his performance on his own. I had no doubts about using him. He did a good job of containing Lucas and I never thought he would score the winning goal, but he did. Above all, when everyone ran to him after the goal, I felt the unity of the team."