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

　Sec. 3, Júbilo Iwata will face off against each other on Sunday. In the previous match, they kept Omiya scoreless and achieved a shutout victory. In this match as well, they will aim for a quick attack from a solid defense, and hope to secure their first home victory at Ajinomoto Stadium and continue their winning streak. However, last week, Hirayama, Inonami, and Kajiyama traveled to Malaysia for the Olympic qualifiers. They played a match on the 14th (Wednesday) and returned to Japan the next day. Therefore, Hirayama and Kajiyama will start on the bench due to fatigue. Inonami, on the other hand, stated "I am not fatigued. In this match, I want to focus on our defense like we did in the Omiya match. In our attack, I want to consider timing and improve our quality. If I can make 2-3 good plays out of 6 attempts, that would be great" and will start. Additionally, in the previous match, Lucas was absent due to a cold, but he will start in a 4-3-3 formation this time.

　Kashiwa, who conceded 4 goals to Iwata in the opening match, managed to bounce back against Oita in the previous match and will be looking to build momentum from here. Today, MF Kikuchi and MF Naruoka are absent, but Japan national team's GK Kawaguchi returns from injury and makes his first appearance of the season. FW Karen Robert leads the front line, with Ota on the right wing and Nishi on the left. In midfield, Shipponya plays as an attacking midfielder, while Marquinhos and Fabricio move fluidly as defensive midfielders. They will be playing in a 4-4-3 system, just like Tokyo.

　Iwata should have a big chance if they can avoid the man-to-man defense. In particular, Norio Suzuki and Ishikawa will be the starting points on the side against Iwata's 4-back, and Kurisawa and Fukunishi will create chances with their attacking runs into space. They need to finish in crucial moments and take control of the game to win at home! The game started at 4:03 PM in Tokyo, at the cold and windy Ajinomoto Stadium.

Enduring "Iwata's time", but struggling to find a rhythm...

　Both teams pressed and fought for the ball, and the game started off tightly. However, as the game went on, Iwata began to dominate possession. In the 18th minute, Lucas made a big switch to the side, and Ishikawa moved up and took a shot. This was Tokyo's first shot of the game. Tokyo was pushed back into their own half, but they remained focused on defense and did not give Iwata any real chances.

　In that situation, I waited for a chance and in the 27th minute, Ishikawa intercepted on the left side of the opponent's field. He connected with Lucas in front and Lucas turned to the center and took a shot. In the 28th minute, Lucas headed Inaba's early cross, but both shots missed the goal. In the 34th minute, Suzuki ran into the goal area to meet Lucas' fast cross that went to the right. He was blocked by the defender and couldn't take a shot, but they found their rhythm and showed a good attacking form.

　At 36 minutes, Iwata MF Fabricio received his second warning and was sent off. Iwata had to fight with 10 players. In the immediate 37th minute, Fukunishi ran up to the goal and passed to Norio Suzuki who ran into the left area. Although initially blocked by Iwata DF, the ball fell to Fukunishi's feet again inside the area. Fukunishi quickly swung his left foot, but the shot went over, missing a big chance for the first goal.

　At 41 minutes, Kanazawa's left cross was dropped by Lucas, and Ishikawa took a shot from inside the right area! It was saved by Iwata GK Kawaguchi, but Lucas followed up with a shot from the front of the goal. However, it was blocked by the Iwata DF who put their body on the line, and the first half ended 0-0.

Despite launching a fierce attack, they conceded a goal from a free kick and lost without scoring.

　In the second half, we aggressively attacked from the start. Shortly after the start, Lucas received a right cross from Inaba and took an overhead shot. In the 47th minute, Ishikawa's right corner kick was spilled and Kanazawa aimed for a shot from outside the area, but both were saved by Iwata GK Kawaguchi. In the 53rd minute, Kurizawa crossed in front of the goal from the left. Inaba slid in to meet the ball sent to the far post, but his shot was also blocked by Iwata GK Kawaguchi's right hand.

　54 minutes, Iwata receives a counter, but Kanazawa returns firmly, and FW Ota's shot is caught by Doi. In the 57th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Ishikawa. Along with Lucas, the front line was thickened, but Iwata changed to a 3-back and Ueda on the left side and Kaga on the right side also pulled back to defend. In front of this solid defense, although crosses were sent in, there were few decisive moments. In the 71st minute, BABA was substituted for Norio SUZUKI, and in the 77th minute, Wanchope was substituted for KURIZAWA. Wanchope and Hirayama were placed in the front line, and they overwhelmingly attacked.

　79 minutes, Lucas' fast cross is headed by Hirayama, but it narrowly misses to the right. Tokyo continues to attack, while Iwata counters. However, Iwata's attacks have been safely defended so far. But in the 82nd minute, Iwata's right DF Kaga advances and Kanazawa stops him just outside the area. This play is judged as a foul, giving an indirect free kick. Iwata uses FW Nishi as a decoy and DF Ueda takes a quick kick in front of the goal. DF Suzuki runs in and heads it perfectly into the goal. They conceded a goal from a set piece.

　Tokyo, who had their lead taken away, 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 took a shot from the right area! However, this was also blocked by GK Kawaguchi's great save. In stoppage time, Tokyo continued to push forward with Lucas, Baba, Tokunaga, and Wanchope attacking the Iwata goal, but they couldn't break through their strong defense before time ran out. In the end, Iwata, who were down to 10 men, were able to score one chance and Tokyo couldn't secure their first home victory, following their opening game loss.

　【Player Comments】《Kurisawa》"We couldn't score when we needed to. The opponent's passing was good and we couldn't defend from the front, so it was a tough time for us. After that, we wanted to score during the time we were doing well. The opponent had one player sent off, so we were able to take advantage of the space, but we still have room for improvement in how we use our numerical advantage. We need to have a unified strategy for breaking down the opponent when they sit back, whether it's through lofted passes or short passes...etc. However, we only conceded one goal, so we want to continue the good things into the next game. We want to add some creativity in front of goal and score."《Fukunishi》"I'm just really disappointed. We had a numerical advantage, but when the opponent had one less player and defended tightly, we became too cautious. Maybe we should have just kept it simple and passed to the players in front of us more... Even so, we were still aware of scoring and were able to take shots. But in the end, it's all about the result. We need to reflect on this and use it in the next game. We want to share what we gained from this game and what we all felt, and continue to build a strong team."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "In the beginning, our approach to the ball was a bit weak and we were pushed back. But once players like Nakano started making side changes, we were able to find our rhythm. After the opposing team had a player sent off, our tempo slowed down and our ball movement became sluggish. So at halftime, I told the team to move one tempo faster. In the second half, we had some good crosses, but there was only Lucas in the box, so I thought if we brought in Hirayama, we could create chances from crosses and loose balls. However, Hirayama's condition was not as good as expected and it became stagnant. So I brought in Baba to receive the ball and instructed our fullbacks to push up more. In the end, I put in Wanchope, hoping he would do something in the box. But during that time, we conceded a goal from a free kick. It was a game where we couldn't score despite having chances. It wasn't a bad performance, especially when it was 11 vs 11. It's a shame that we became more passive after going down to 10 men. The goal was conceded in the 82nd minute and we became desperate afterwards. Our crosses could have been deeper and more dangerous, but we ended up just kicking them from around the center back, making it easier for Jubilo to defend."

　[Iwata Adilson coach's press conference summary] "In the first half, we were able to control the game well, but the problem was that we couldn't finish. Then MF Fabricio was sent off and FC Tokyo had 2-3 chances. Especially, there was a decisive chance for Fukunishi player, and it was good that it didn't lead to a goal. I expected that Hirayama player would come in and it would become an aerial battle. I was also considering a substitution for that. We were able to put into practice what we practiced this week. The reason for today's win was the players' fighting spirit. We saw them sacrificing their bodies. It's thanks to the players. Both of the two top players and the two halves are players who can go all the way to the goal. We want to improve our timing for breakthroughs and our play in chances. We want to continue practicing to improve our finishing accuracy."