Challenging the Tama River Clasico in an all-out battle

　Sec. 10 will face Kawasaki Frontale and invade the away Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium. There is a history of many fierce battles with Kawasaki since the JFL era. Taking that into consideration, it was named the "Tama River Clasico" as a "traditional battle" across the Tama River, and this time it is counted as the 11th edition. The results of the matches since 1999 (J2) are 3 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses for Tokyo. Especially in the J1 matches, they have a better record with 3 wins and 3 draws. Currently, Kawasaki is in the top ranks of the league, but today's match is expected to be a heated battle with pride at stake, and it will be a crucial match that cannot be lost.

　Tokyo, Kanazawa is out of the lineup due to injury. As a result, the defensive line will consist of Shigenobu and Konno, who will make their first start of the season as center backs, and Fujiyama will serve as the left back. Shigenobu will make his first appearance since October 28th last year (Sec. 29 vs. Urawa). Despite having a short preparation period as a starter during the busy schedule, he stated, "I feel responsible for the team's performance. I want to do my best and win." In addition, Wanchope will start on the bench considering his condition. Lucas will lead the front line, and Baba will play as an attacking midfielder.

　Kawasaki, on the other hand, is currently in 6th place with 4 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses. This season, they are participating in the ACL, which means they have been facing tough schedules in Asia, even more so than in the J-League. In the past two matches where MF Nakamura was absent, they only managed a draw against Chiba and a loss against Yokohama FM. This match, MF Magunun will be suspended and FW Ganaha will also be on the bench, making it a difficult situation. However, MF Nakamura will be returning for this match. MF Ohashi, who will be starting for the first time, will take over the attacking midfielder position left by Magunun, and they will be playing in a 3-5-2 formation. With a strong attacking lineup and Nakamura as the playmaker, they will pose a great threat and must be approached with caution.

　Tokyo, which is concerned about its scoring ability, wants to create chances from the fluid movement in the midfield and side changes that it showed glimpses of in the previous match. They also want to take risks and commit more players to the attack, such as pushing up Fukunishi. Both teams suffered losses in the previous match and want to avoid consecutive defeats. They will challenge with a challenger's spirit and aim for victory in the "Classico" with an all-out effort.

4 consecutive goals conceded from Kawasaki's counter attacks

　On the final Sunday of Golden Week, the match started at 4:04 pm with a kick-off from Kawasaki in the unfortunate weather of heavy rain. Right after the start, it was Kawasaki who took the lead. In the 2nd minute, Kawasaki's Fukunishi stole the ball and passed it to Ishikawa in their own half. Ishikawa ran up to the opponent's half, but was intercepted by Kawasaki's DF and a counterattack was launched. Kawasaki's MF Ohashi received a pass from MF Nakamura and dribbled up the field. Without being pressed by Tokyo, Ohashi made it to the edge of the half-line and took a shot from outside the penalty area. The ball slipped through the hands of Shibata and went into the bottom right corner. They were already behind in the early stages of the game.

　Still, there was plenty of time left and there was no need to rush. They pressed from the front and in the 5th minute, Kurizawa dribbled past the Kawasaki defender on the left and crossed it to the center. Ishikawa was waiting just outside the box and took a direct shot. In the 9th minute, Fukunishi made a run on the right. Ishikawa received the cross and Lucas was able to get a corner kick. However, in the 11th minute, they tried to launch a quick attack after stealing the ball from Kawasaki in their own half, but Fukunishi's pass to Baba was intercepted and they were countered. Kawasaki's right back Ito received the pass and forward Kurotsu ran up to the edge of the box and took a shot. Just like the first goal, they were able to score perfectly from a counter attack and conceded their second goal.

　After that, the line was drawn and allowed Kawasaki to dominate. Even when attacking, it ended with monotonous crosses and passes, easily defended by Kawasaki DF and immediately turned into a counterattack. In the 29th minute, they took Kawasaki's throw-in, Lucas and Fukunishi persistently connected, and Ishikawa sent a perfect through pass between the opponent's GK and DF. Here, Kurizawa jumped in and had a big chance, but Kawasaki DF Minowa cleared it by a hair. They escaped with a CK. In the 34th minute, from the ball taken by Fukunishi, Baba sent a long through pass to the front line. Lucas ran in, but was blocked by Kawasaki DF.

　From this time, Fujiyama moved to center back and took care of Kawasaki FW JUNINHO. At the same time, Imakawa was placed on the left to make use of attacking power. With this, they regained their composure and the game went back and forth. Just when it seemed like the first half was about to end, in the 42nd minute, they received a counter from Kawasaki and Asari fouled FW JUNINHO, giving a free kick. From just left of the penalty arc, MF Ohashi took a direct shot that sharply pierced the top right corner, scoring a goal. With this, Kawasaki regained their momentum. Just after entering stoppage time, they showed a thick attack in front of the Tokyo goal, spreading from left to right. MF Nakamura entered deep into the right area and took a shot from an impossible angle, which was saved by Shioda, but then kicked in by Kawasaki MF Murakami. In the blink of an eye, they lost two points and went into the second half with a large deficit of four points.

Lucas, Ishikawa scores a determined goal, but the comeback is too late...

　In the second half, Wanchope and Kajiyama were substituted for Baba and Asari. Right-back Tokunaga was positioned higher up, with the defense in a formation close to 3-back. Up front, Wanchope and Lucas were joined by Ishikawa, who took on a fluid positioning, as they launched a full-scale counterattack. In the 46th minute, Kawasaki FW JUNINHO created a scoring opportunity, but it was saved by Shioda and resulted in a corner kick. In the 51st minute, a pass was made from Kajiyama's development, and finally Ishikawa sent a perfect ground cross. Lucas connected with it, but it went over the bar...

　58 minutes, from Inamoto's interception, Lucas connected and Ishikawa took a bold shot from the front of the area. However, it was saved by the Kawasaki GK and escaped to a corner kick. In the 59th minute, Kajiyama's through pass was passed by Ishikawa in front of the goal. Wanchope behind him took a great shot, but once again it was blocked by the Kawasaki GK and Lucas followed up with a shot that hit the defender and resulted in a corner kick. In the 60th minute, Norio Suzuki replaced Kurisawa. From the loose ball from the previous play, Norio Suzuki took a shot but it curved to the right.

　In the second half, we put more players on the attack and gradually started to find our rhythm. However, in the 68th minute, Kajiyama was dispossessed in the opponent's half and we were caught on the counter by Kawasaki. They found FW Kurotsu free in the area and although Shigeta rushed out to cover, he was unable to stop the shot. Fujiyama managed to clear the ball once, but it fell to FW JUNINHO who scored, resulting in a goal against us...

　Tokyo went on the attack despite losing 5 points. In the 74th minute, Lucas was brought down in the area after cutting in from the right, earning a penalty kick. Lucas himself converted the penalty in the 75th minute, securing 1 point. Konno also made a bold attack, leaving only Shigeno and Fujiyama in defense. In the 85th minute, Lucas showed persistence from a throw-in, sending a cross from the right deep into the area. Wanchope trapped it and passed it back with a heel, allowing Ishikawa to make a run and take a shot. The shot hit a defender and resulted in a corner kick. The right corner was cleared by the opposing defense, leading to a left corner. Suzuki Nori dropped the ball from the kick, and Ishikawa on the left side of the goal area volleyed it with his left foot! Ishikawa's determined goal brought the score to 2-0.

　However, there is little time left and the counterattack is also over. In the 89th minute, Norio Suzuki launched a counterattack from his own half, went up the left side, and crossed. Kajiyama tried to head it to the right, but it was taken away by the Kawasaki DF. In stoppage time, Lucas headed perfectly from Fukunishi's FK, but it flew straight to the GK and the time was up. It was a big defeat that showed the difference in strength, and it was the first loss against Kawasaki in J1 and the second consecutive loss.

　【Player Comments】《Shigenobu》"For me, today was the first game of the season, but my position was a hole and there were many scenes where Fujiyama and Konno covered for me. However, we lost, but we can't just look down. We have pride and we can't end like this. If we can improve our condition, I have confidence that we can stop the attack. If we do that, we can also improve the team's condition. I was moved by the Moniwacall, so I want to do my best to live up to expectations."《Konno》"I think Kawasaki was also good. However, our mistakes were the biggest problem. We couldn't get to the ball and they were able to shoot, so it must have been easy for the opponent. We should have been more aggressive. To regain our confidence, winning is the most important thing. As professionals, we need to push our feelings to the forefront and fight with the attitude of winning no matter what."

　[Summary of the press conference by former coach] "We had a bad start to the game. We conceded early on, and everyone, including Mochida who made his first appearance in a while, was in a state of chaos. The second goal was also conceded on a counterattack when we were trying to attack. We lost confidence due to conceding the type of goal we feared the most, so it's disappointing that we showed that kind of performance. Right before the end of the first half, we conceded a third goal from a free kick, and then a fourth goal in a situation where no one was defending. At halftime, we talked about not being able to end the game like this, and we managed to recover a bit in the second half, but the way we started was the reason for today's defeat. We were able to generate excitement with the Tama River Clasico event, and despite the rain, many fans came to watch, so it's really regrettable that we played such a disappointing game. Very disappointing."

　[Kawasaki-Sekizuka coach's press conference summary] "I would like to thank the many supporters who came to the game in heavy rain. I think the players were tired, but I believe we were able to win thanks to the support of our fans. It was a game that came after a two-day break from the previous match and a disappointing loss, but the players were able to switch their mindset and start strong. I am grateful to the players for that. MF Nakamura returned and MF Ohashi took the place of the suspended Magunun, and I think we started with a 50-50 chance. The fact that we were able to score the first goal brought us into a good rhythm. MF Ohashi did a great job. He must have been waiting for his chance to play, but he answered it well when given the opportunity. His performance was crucial for us as a team fighting together. We conceded 2 goals after scoring 5, so we want to fix that and aim for a clean sheet. We have the ACL on Wednesday, but we want to prepare well for the first round of the J-League. Before the game, we expected Tokyo to put Baba on the right side against our 3-back formation and have Lucas play as a lone striker. But because we scored first, our start was better than the opponent's and we were able to play a solid game. We were most cautious of Tokyo's attacks from the right side. Another thing we were paying attention to was the transition from attack to defense. We were able to quickly switch and launch attacks, which was the key to winning the game. The fact that the ball was moving also contributed to our goals."