Launch an attack utilizing the open space and achieve victory at home!

　In Sec. 3, we will face Júbilo Iwata on Sunday. In the previous match, we kept Omiya scoreless and achieved a clean sheet victory. This match aims to secure our first home win at Ajinomoto while striving for consecutive victories, starting with solid defense and quick attacks. However, last week, Hirayama, Inoha, and Kajiyama went on an expedition to Malaysia for the Olympic qualifiers. They participated in the match on the 14th (Wed) and returned the following day. Therefore, considering fatigue, Hirayama and Kajiyama will start on the bench. Inoha stated, "I have no fatigue. Just like the match against Omiya, we need to focus on solid defense first. In attack, we want to consider timing and improve quality. If we can make 2-3 good plays out of 6 attempts, that would be great," and he will start. Additionally, we will deploy a 4-3-3 formation with Lucas, who missed the previous match due to a cold, positioned at the forefront.

　On the other hand, Iwata conceded 4 goals to Kashiwa in their opening match, but they managed to regroup against Oita in the last match and will want to build momentum from here. Today, MF Kikuchi and MF Naraoka are absent, but Japan national team GK Kawaguchi returns from injury for his first appearance of the season. FW Karen Robert is positioned at the forefront, with Ota on the right FW and Nishi on the left. In midfield, the formation features Funatani as the attacking midfielder, with the fluid movement of holding midfielders Marquinhos and Fabricio. They have countered with a similar 4-4-3 system as Tokyo.

　Yokohama will follow a man-to-man defense, so if we can evade the markers, it should create a big opportunity. In particular, against Yokohama's four-back, Noriyuki SUZUKI and Ishikawa will become the starting point on the sides, while Kurizawa and Fukunishi will create chances with attacks that exploit space. We need to score reliably when it matters and take control of the game to secure a victory at home! The cold has returned, and the wind is chilly at Ajinomoto, starting with a kickoff in Tokyo at 16:03.

Enduring the "Iwata time" to grasp the rhythm...

　Both teams pressed and fought for the ball, and the start was tightly contested. However, gradually, Iwata began to dominate possession. In the 18th minute, from a big switch by Lucas, Ishikawa moved inside and took a shot. This was Tokyo's first shot. Tokyo found themselves pushed back into their own half, but they remained focused in defense, not allowing Iwata to create any real chances.

　In that situation, looking for a chance, in the 27th minute, Ishikawa intercepted on the left side of the opponent's half. He connected with Lucas, who turned to the center and shot. In the 28th minute, Inoha's early cross was met by Lucas with a header, but both attempts missed the target. In the 34th minute, Lucas made a quick cross to the right, and Noriyuki Suzuki ran into the goal area. Although he was closely marked by a defender and couldn't get a shot off, the team started to find their rhythm and showed good attacking shape.

　In the 36th minute, Iwata MF Fabricio received a second warning and was sent off. Iwata was left to fight with 10 men. Immediately after that, in the 37th minute, Fukunishi rushed to the front of the goal and made a through pass to Norio SUZUKI, who ran into the left area. Although he was initially blocked by an Iwata defender, the ball spilled back into the area to Fukunishi's feet. Without hesitation, Fukunishi struck with his left foot, but the shot went over the bar, missing a big chance to take the lead.

　In the 41st minute, Lucas dropped a left cross from Kanazawa, and Ishikawa shot from the right area! It was saved by Iwata GK Kawaguchi, but Lucas rushed in to shoot at the rebound in front of the goal. However, this was also blocked by the determined Iwata DF, and the chance was missed, ending the first half at 0-0.

Despite launching a fierce attack, conceded a goal from a free kick. Lost without scoring.

　In the second half, we attacked aggressively from the start. Just after the kickoff, Lucas received a right cross from Inoha and took an overhead-like shot. In the 47th minute, Ishikawa's right corner kick spilled out, and Kanazawa, positioned outside the area, took a precise shot, but both were right in front of Iwata GK Kawaguchi. In the 53rd minute, Kurizawa, who drifted to the left, sent a cross in front of the goal. Inoha slid in to reach the ball sent to the far post, but this shot was also blocked by Iwata GK Kawaguchi with one hand.

　In the 54th minute, they faced a counterattack from Iwata, but Kanazawa returned well, and FW Ota's shot was caught by Doi. In the 57th minute, Hirayama was brought in for Ishikawa. They strengthened the front line with Lucas, but Iwata changed to a three-back formation, with Ueda on the left side and Kaga on the right also falling back to defend. In front of their solid defense, although crosses were made, there was a prolonged period where they couldn't create decisive chances. In the 71st minute, Baba was brought in for Norio Suzuki, and in the 77th minute, Wanchope was brought in for Kurizawa. Wanchope and Hirayama were placed at the forefront, launching an overwhelming attack.

　In the 79th minute, Lucas delivered a fast cross, and Hirayama made a header, but it narrowly missed to the right. Tokyo continued to attack, while Iwata was in a counter situation, but until now, Iwata's attacks were defended without any issues. However, in the 82nd minute, Iwata's right DF Kaga advanced, and Kanazawa stopped him just outside the area. This play was deemed a foul, resulting in an indirect free kick. Iwata used FW Nishi as a decoy, and DF Ueda took a quick kick in front of the goal. DF Suzuki ran in and connected with a perfect header to score. They conceded a goal from a set piece.

　Tokyo was deprived of the lead but launched a fierce counterattack. In the 83rd minute, Hirayama dropped Kanazawa's early cross, and Wanchope's shot shook the net, but Fukunishi and Wanchope were in an offside position. In the 87th minute, Hirayama headed a floating pass from Baba, but GK Kawaguchi caught it. Following that, Fukunishi and Lucas connected in front of the goal, and Hirayama shot from the right area! However, this was also thwarted by a great save from GK Kawaguchi. In stoppage time, they clung to the front of the Iwata goal, with Lucas, Baba, Tokunaga, and Wanchope attacking one after another, but they couldn't break through Iwata's solid defense, and time was up. In the end, Iwata, with 10 men, scored on a single chance, and Tokyo did not achieve their first home victory following the opening match.

　【Player Comments】<Kurizawa> "We couldn't finish when it mattered. The opponent's passing was skillful, and we couldn't defend from the front, so the beginning was a period of endurance. After that, I wanted to score during the time we were doing well. The opponent had one player sent off, and I think we were able to attack by exploiting the space, but there are still issues with how we utilized the numerical advantage. We need to unify our intentions on how to break down the defense when the opponent pulls back, whether with lofted passes or short passes... However, since we only conceded that one goal, I want to continue the good parts for the next match. I want to add a little ingenuity in front of the goal and score." <Fukunishi> "It's just frustrating. We had the numerical advantage, but when the opponent was down to ten and tightened their defense, we became too cautious. Maybe we should have simply and quickly passed to the forward players more often... Still, I think we were aware of scoring opportunities and were able to take shots. But the result is everything. We have to reflect and make use of this for the next game. I want everyone to share what we gained and felt from this match and build a better team together."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "At the start, our pressure on the ball was a bit weak, and we were pushed back. Once Konno started making side changes, we began to find our rhythm. After the opponent had a player sent off, our tempo worsened and ball movement slowed, so at halftime we decided to move the ball one tempo faster. In the second half, there were several good crosses, but only Lucas was in front of the goal, so we thought bringing in Hirayama would create chances from crosses and loose balls. However, Hirayama's condition was worse than expected, and the game stagnated. We then brought in Baba to receive the ball and instructed the fullbacks to push forward more. In the end, we brought in Wanchope hoping he would do something in front of goal. During that time, we conceded from a free kick. It was a match where we were punished in the moments we 'didn't score or couldn't score.' The content was never bad, and it was good when it was 11 vs 11. It's regrettable that we became passive after going down to 10 men. The goal was conceded at the 82nd minute, and after that, we got flustered. The crosses could have been delivered after cutting deeper, but they ended up being kicked from around the center backs, making it easier for Jubilo to defend."

　【Summary of Coach ADILSON's Press Conference】 "In the first half, we were able to control the game well, but the problem was that we couldn't finish. Then, MF Fabrício was sent off, and FC Tokyo had two or three chances. Especially, there was a decisive chance for player Fukunishi, and I'm glad it didn't lead to a goal. I expected player Hirayama to come in and that there would be aerial battles. I had considered substitutions for that, and we were able to implement what we practiced this week in the match. The reason for today's victory was the players' fighting spirit. We could see their commitment. Thanks to the players, the two forwards and the two midfielders are all capable of reaching the goal. Now, I want to work on timing our breakthroughs and improving our play in chances. I want to continue practicing to improve our finishing accuracy."