Wanchope makes his first start in the league, aiming for a home victory!

　Sec. 7 will face Yokohama FC at Ajinomoto Stadium. In the previous match against Oita, it ended in a draw, but this is a crucial match where a home victory is expected. Both teams have only won one match in the league so far, making this a must-win game in the battle for rankings. There was a 5-day interval since the previous match, during which the Olympic national team went on a trip to Syria and returned last night, resulting in their absence. Imamura was at the Japan national team training camp until the 18th (Wednesday), but today he started as a center back, just like in the previous match. On the other hand, Shigetomo has fully recovered and made it to the bench after participating in the red and white match and practice matches.

　This week, we have been training with a top two of Lucas and Wanchope, as well as Baba entering the top lineup, not just in the midfield. Manager Hara is determined to "build a stable foundation and win by playing our own soccer better than the opponent." He also talks about his intentions, including the use of Wanchope, saying, "Recently, even when crosses come in, there haven't been enough people in the middle. By having a top two, we can not only keep the ball up front, but also expect movement with more people jumping into the center." As a countermeasure against Yokohama FC, who will defend by pulling back, we will challenge with a 4-4-2 formation.

　This season, Yokohama FC, which has been promoted to J1, is currently in last place with 4 consecutive losses. There are also many injured players, and the situation is difficult. The total number of goals conceded so far is also the highest in the league, but GK Sugano has outstanding reflexes and is a formidable presence when he is on target. In addition, MF Oku has the ability to make decisions, although his condition may not be perfect. MF Takizawa, who has a high accuracy in crosses, is also a player to watch out for. However, if we can take advantage of Yokohama FC's stable defense and counterattack when they come to attack, we can also be effective with two players remaining in the front line. Let's quickly turn the tables and get 3 points!

Allowing Yokohama's attack, but counterattacking from the counter

　The match started at 2:04 pm with a kickoff from Tokyo at Ajinomoto, where the cloudy sky was starting to clear up. However, Yokohama FC attacked from the beginning. In the early stages, left MF Takizawa took a middle shot. In the 2nd minute, Wanchope was caught in a big side change and gave a CK from a counterattack. In the following 4 minutes, they couldn't clear the CK and were connected to Yokohama FC, where MF Miura broke through from DF Ota's through pass. It was a decisive shot, but it narrowly missed to the right and avoided danger.

　After surviving this time period, we regained our composure and launched a counterattack against Yokohama FC. As Yokohama FC's defense maintained a higher line than expected, Lucas and Wanchope were able to move the ball well with Ishikawa and Kurizawa, looking for opportunities behind the defense. However, in the 14th minute, after Asari's interception and a pass from Fukunishi, Lucas sent a long pass to Wanchope on the front line. Wanchope controlled the ball in the right area, drawing in the opposing DF and sending a pass into the middle. Ishikawa made a run and got into position for a shot, but the ball was deflected by the DF and went wide.

　19 minutes, Kurihara received a big change from Kanazawa in the right area and took a shot, but couldn't catch the frame. In the 28th minute, Fukunishi started a counterattack. Lucas, Kurihara, and Asari connected, and finally Kanazawa raised a left cross, but it didn't reach Lucas or Wanchope in the middle. In the 31st minute, Lucas reacted to a loose ball from Kurihara's post. He dashed fiercely towards the goal, but couldn't break through the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation. In the end, despite taking 8 shots compared to Yokohama FC's 5, there were few clever plays and intentional plays in the final moments, resulting in a scoreless first half.

Kono scores a goal! Ajinomoto gets their first victory at home with two consecutive clean sheets.

　In the second half, Tokyo seizes the chance in the early stages. In the 46th minute, they get a free kick on the right side of the Yokohama FC's defense, and Lins connects the ball from Kurisawa and passes it back to Asari. Asari crosses the ball from the right side of the half line without hesitation. Wanchope heads it down and Inokoshi runs in to trap it with his chest and takes a left-footed shot. The ball goes through the opponent's GK's legs and into the goal, scoring the first goal!

　From there, they dominated the ball and pushed the whole team up, and a wide attack was developed. In the 50th minute, Wanchope's acrobatic connection, Lucas dribbled up and picked up the loose ball tenaciously, and passed it to Fukunishi. From there, a through pass was made to Ishikawa in the right area, but was blocked by the DF and resulted in a right corner kick. From this corner kick by Ishikawa, Lucas headed freely but it went outside the frame... In the 56th minute, they gave a free kick to Yokohama FC outside the left corner of their own area. It was the only chance they gave to Yokohama FC, but MF Miura's direct shot went outside the frame.

　After that, Tokunaga and Kanazawa also overlapped, taking crosses and CKs to create chances. In addition, they created many scenes where they jumped in with numbers against these crosses. In the 60th minute, Wanchope headed a shot from Kurisawa's left cross, but the GK caught it. In the 66th minute, Baba was substituted for Wanchope, and in the 71st minute, Nori Suzuki was substituted for Ishikawa. These two were the center of fast attacks. Immediately after in the 72nd minute, Baba sent a perfect floating pass to the goal, and Nori Suzuki jumped out and tried to shoot with his left foot, but it just missed.

　77 minutes, approaching the goal from a FK, and now Kono runs in from the cross of Tokunaga. It was a similar scene to the opening goal, but unfortunately he couldn't take the shot. In the 84th minute, from Lucas' connection, Nori Suzuki sprinted down the left side. Although he slowed down once, he aimed carefully and took a shot, which was saved by the GK and resulted in a right CK. In the 88th minute, BABA, who had cut deep into the right area, made the final pass. Nori Suzuki and Fukunishi were also there, but they couldn't finish it, and they couldn't add another goal until the end. However, they didn't give Yokohama FC any chances with their coordinated defense. They got their first victory at Ajinomoto Stadium with a score of 1-0!

　【Player Comments】《Imano》"It was a tough game. We were only able to score one goal on the attack, and the defense was also difficult, but the front line moved well and we were able to hold on. In the scene of the goal, the ball passed over my head and went to Wanchope, but I believed that it would come to me and ran. He gave me the ball in the ideal spot. I thought it would be easier if we could score a second goal, so I went on the attack. Until the Niigata game, the team was under pressure and it wasn't working, so I was getting frustrated. Recently, we have been able to focus on playing in a compact shape during practice. As for me and Asari, we are stable in defense, but it's not just the two of us. The team's overall mindset is changing. I am currently playing as a CB, but I think I am a good player who can play at a high level consistently, which is what the coach expects of me. So I don't know where I will play in the future depending on the team's situation. I want to continue to do what is necessary."《Wanchope》"(On starting in the league for the first time) It took a while, but I think the quality of my play has improved. Not just in the assist situation, but I always have to watch the movements of other players. Today, when the cross came, I was thinking of creating a chance by looking at the players in front of the goal. When I saw Imano running there, I immediately passed it to him. What I feel after the 7th round is that there is hardly any difference between us and any other team. We will be facing top teams in the future, but I want to give 100% and score goals."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "In the league games, especially at Ajinomoto Stadium, we were having a hard time winning. In the opening game against Hiroshima, we were countered while attacking, and in the Iwata game, we created decisive chances but were defeated by the opponent's one chance while they were down to 10 men. From that point on, our rhythm was disrupted, and in the Niigata game, we attacked with more players but our rhythm was off. After Inoha was suspended, we stabilized our defense by putting Inoue as a stopper, moving Tokunaga back to his original position on the right, and bringing in Asari. While valuing that, we wanted to have a more dynamic attack, so we started Wanchope. His combination with the team is not perfect, but he is able to contribute to scoring like he did today, and his movements are improving. We couldn't start off well, and there was a scene where Yokohama FC's MF Miura said, 'Did we get done in?', but I think we endured that time and were able to score in the second half. We are still not in our best condition, but it is important to defend well right now. Today, we didn't use the three players from the Olympic team because we won't know their condition until we try. Winning with the remaining players will lead to the future. Despite the continued inability to win, everyone was still cheering us on today. It makes me really happy that we were able to give them a victory. We want to play even better soccer and aim higher from now on."

　[Yokohama FC Manager Takagi's Press Conference Summary] "I think the players worked hard and played a good game. As a game plan, we did very well in the first half. We tried to continue fighting in the second half, but the timing of the goal we conceded was very bad. There was a time when we could have equalized, but in our current team situation, it is difficult to come back from being behind. However, the team's aim and performance have improved compared to the previous game. I can't say if we were able to continue this momentum in the next game, but the players played well. It's tough to lose, but that's the reality. We brought in MF Oku in the middle and changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation with 1 top and 1 shadow. Then, when we put DF Nakajima in as a fullback, we brought FW Yabuta up front and tried to put more numbers in attack by making the midfield a diamond shape. DF Nakajima also has the ability to cross and shoot with his left foot. It was a difficult situation to break through with short passes, so we wanted to create a focal point for him. We also wanted to increase the number of players going into the box by putting more numbers forward. (Kono scored a goal, but isn't that kind of accent necessary for Yokohama FC as well?) It wasn't a special attack because of a set piece breakdown. If there is a high chance of FW Wanchope winning the ball, the players will come up. However, we didn't mark him well and that led to the goal."