Desired victory at home. The key is the offensive and defensive play on the sides.

　In Sec. 5 of the league, we will face Albirex Niigata at home. Following the Nabisco Cup match against Oita on Apr 4 (Wed), we aim to achieve consecutive victories, and a win at home is essential in this match. Although it will be a battle just two days after the Oita match, Fukunishi, who missed the match on the 4th due to a foot injury, will return. Coach Hara stated, "In the Oita match, we saw signs of our style of football. Given the short time since then, I wanted to maintain our base. In particular, the coordination between Konno and Kajiyama in the defensive midfield was good. On the other hand, we can expect Fukunishi to bring unexpected plays and strength in front of the goal," and he will utilize Fukunishi as an attacking midfielder. By combining with the members from the Oita match, we will not lose the momentum we have started to build, fight more aggressively, and aim for victory.

　Niigata, on the other hand, seemed to struggle to find their rhythm right after the opening, but in Sec. 4, they achieved a convincing victory against Kawasaki Frontale. In the Nabisco Cup match against Nagoya held on the 4th, they showed resilience by coming back to equalize after being two goals down in the final moments. In particular, the combination of forward Edmilson and Yano possesses speed and height, along with abundant stamina. Additionally, both full-backs, Uchida and Sakamoto, aggressively initiate attacks from high positions, adding intensity to the offensive line.

　In response, Tokyo wants to steal the ball from their well-coordinated defense and launch a counterattack. If they can exploit the high side of Niigata, they should be able to create many chances. The battle on the flanks will be one of the highlights of this match. The players are all saying, "We want to play our style of football at home and win!" as they unite for victory in this match. The game started at 14:04 with Niigata's kickoff in the warm Ajinomoto stadium under cloudy skies.

Conceded a goal from a mistake. Lacked decisiveness and couldn't attack effectively.

　From the start, both teams pressed each other, leading to a rapid exchange of offense and defense. In the 2nd minute, Fukunishi passed to Kajiyama, who then passed to Konno, and they advanced with fluid movement. Konno's pass was aimed at Kawaguchi, who tried to break free in front of the goal, but he couldn't take a shot. They faced a counterattack from Niigata. Niigata's forward Edmilson initiated an attack from the left side and took a shot. As the struggle for possession continued, in the 17th minute, a switch from right to left to right led to Inoha moving inside and taking a shot, but the opposing defender blocked it. In the 18th minute, they earned a free kick from about 26-27 meters on the right side. From Norio Suzuki's kick, Kajiyama, who was quick to react to the opposing defender's clearance, took a shot but missed.

　Until now, we had not allowed Niigata to take a shot, but in the 21st minute, we permitted Niigata to advance, and DF Nagata sent a vertical pass into the space on the left flank. Kawaguchi, who had returned to defense, managed to cut it, but the trap was too heavy, and it was intercepted by Niigata's left back, Sakamoto. DF Sakamoto charged into the area. He faked out Tokunaga, and Fujiyama, who closed in, was also too late. We conceded a goal from Niigata's first shot.

　Tokyo, trailing by one goal, tries to connect passes and launch an attack, but it feels somewhat disjointed and they cannot finish. They lost possession and allowed Niigata to counter. In the 38th minute, Ishikawa was brought on to replace Kawaguchi. Shortly after, they earned a free kick from the right area, and Noriyuki SUZUKI's kick was dropped by Lucas. Kajiyama connected the play, and Konno turned to shoot in front of the goal, but he couldn't hit the target. They went into halftime trailing 0-1.

They fought back with 10 players, but could only score 1 point...

　Still, only one goal was lost. Expectations were placed on the recovery from here. In the second half, Noriyuki SUZUKI was pushed further forward, forming almost a two-top formation with Lucas, while Fukunishi supported from the left. Just after the start, in the 46th minute, Ishikawa broke through the right side. The cross was cleared by the opposing defender, but Fukunishi, who rushed in with great speed, entered the area. He took a shot, but it went over the bar, missing a great opportunity.

　In the 50th minute, a free kick was awarded to Niigata in the Tokyo half, and Niigata quickly restarted. From here, DF Sakamoto attempted to break into the area again, and Inoha fouled him. This play resulted in a penalty kick, and at the same time, Inoha received his second warning of the day and was sent off. In the 52nd minute, this penalty kick was successfully converted by MF Marcinho Richardes, resulting in the second goal conceded.

　With 10 players, Tokyo had Konno move to the right side, making Kajiyama the lone defensive midfielder. However, in the 55th minute, they were caught off guard by a gap in the defense, allowing Niigata FW Yano to break through in the right area. From there, a backward pass was sent to FW Edmilson, who assisted MF Marcinho Richarlison for a shot. It hit the crossbar, but the rebound was converted by FW Edmilson.

　However, Tokyo, now trailing by three goals, had no choice but to attack. Perhaps having shaken off their hesitation, they gradually began to move with sharper intensity. In the 59th minute, Wanchope was brought on to replace Fukunishi. Together with Lucas, Wanchope created opportunities at the front with his unique rhythm, aiming for the goal. In the 61st minute, Konno displayed his fighting spirit by intercepting in the opponent's half, advancing with a dribble, and spreading the play to the left. Suzuki Noriyuki, receiving the ball, aimed for a direct shot, but the ball went well wide of the target. However, this led to an own goal by the opponent, bringing one point back! From here, there was a back-and-forth of counterattacks, with Niigata creating decisive chances due to their numerical advantage. Still, Shioda, at the center, did not allow any additional goals.

　In the 81st minute, Hirayama was brought on for Kanazawa. Norio SUZUKI moved back, with Kajiwara and Lucas in the center. Up front, Wanchope, Hirayama, and Ishikawa launched a fierce counterattack. However, in the 82nd minute, Wanchope's header from a right cross was saved by the GK. In the 89th minute, Kajiwara received a pass from Wanchope and advanced into the right area while evading the opposing defender. He held on and made a backward pass, but Lucas's shot was thwarted by a great save from the GK... Ultimately, the counterattack did not bear fruit, and they lost 1-3. Tokyo's aim of 'quick attacks after regaining possession' was countered by Niigata, resulting in a missed victory at home.

　[Player Comments] <Fujiyama> "I am truly sorry we couldn't win at home. We tried to press forward from the start, but it didn't work out well. I wanted to control the game at our own pace a bit more... Our work rate was lower than in the Oita match, and we lost in physical contests as well. There are things that absolutely must be done as the foundation for both individuals and the team. The team's condition is poor, but we must reflect and switch our focus to the next match." <Shiota> "We prepared well, but it's disappointing that the results didn't follow. Since things weren't going well in the league matches, I really wanted to win today. I played and got results in the previous Nabisco Cup, so I was ready to step up again if given the chance this time. Results are everything. No matter how many crises I stop, it means nothing if it doesn't lead to victory. All three goals conceded were due to mistakes. I wanted to hold on better during the bad periods. I wish I had communicated more and given more effective instructions... There's no excuse, but the next match is coming soon. We won't look down; we'll move forward to the next game."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We haven't won at home for a long time, so I talked with the players about approaching the game with the same mindset as at the start of the season and playing solidly. However, we often slowed down at the crucial moments, taking too much time and losing the ball when we could have shot or crossed, leading to counters from Niigata's forward Edmilson. We conceded a goal due to a trap mistake, which further drained our energy, so at halftime, I said, 'Let's regroup as a team and go for the ball.' In the early part of the second half, we were starting to improve, but we conceded a penalty and had a player sent off, making it a difficult game. However, I felt that after going down to ten men, we played with more determination in our ball play and attacks. I feel very sorry that we can't win at home with so many fans coming out and supporting us. However, we have the Nabisco Cup on Wednesday. It's at National, but I believe we need to show our style of football."

　[Summary of Niigata Coach Suzuki's Press Conference] "We are very grateful that many fans came to support us even away from home. The result was 3-1, but the content of the game was not satisfactory. Due to fatigue from consecutive matches, we struggled to apply pressure in midfield, and there were many cases where the ball was carried to our back line. We wanted to press from the front, but the defensive coordination was lacking. Even so, we were helped by Tokyo's mistakes and scored one goal, which allowed us to take a favorable position in the game. That led to the second and third goals. After going up 3-0, the way we managed the game was not good, and we spent the remaining time without making use of the advantage of having one more player. There were moments when we hesitated on the counterattack. Mentally, if we don't have the determination to score the fourth and fifth goals, this kind of game will happen. I believe these reflections will lead to better performances in upcoming games, so we want to prepare thoroughly for the next match."