Entering the second half! We want to decorate it with a victory to make a comeback.

　In Sec. 18 of the league, we will face Kashima Antlers away. After finishing the first half of the season in Sec. 17 with 6 wins, 2 draws, and 9 losses, we are in a difficult situation with 20 points. In the last match against G Osaka, we took a 2-goal lead but ended up losing heavily with 6 goals conceded. Although we started the first half with the desired flow, we couldn't stop the bad momentum after conceding goals due to mistakes, resulting in a frustrating battle. In this match, we aim to strengthen our defense and secure 3 points to prepare for a comeback in the second half of the season before the break.

　Kashima is currently in 3rd place with 30 points. Although they do not have the explosive attacking power of G Osaka, they have been winning consecutively with solid gameplay. They have been on a nine-match unbeaten streak since the match against Tokyo on May 3rd. The players to watch out for are the decisive FW Marquinhos and the attacking MF Nozawa. Coach Hara warned, "We will send long balls to FW Marquinhos, MF Nozawa, and left MF Motoyama, and then launch quick attacks from there." It is important for Tokyo to maintain their concentration and not allow them to play easily. Additionally, great care is needed for MF Nozawa's precise set pieces.

　Tokyo has changed its lineup from the previous match against G Osaka. In this match, the battles on the flanks will be a key point, so we have included speedy players, Noriyuki SUZUKI on the right MF and Rychely on the left MF, to exploit the space behind the advancing Kashima full-backs and create chances from there. There are concerns about the condition since Konno and Inoha participated in the Japan national team training camp, but this time Akamine is on the bench, and we hope he can create opportunities with his quick movements against the tall Kashima center-backs when we need goals.

　Kashima Soccer Stadium, where there has never been a victory in league matches in the past. Although it is a tough opponent, we will counter with Tokyo's soccer by applying pressure from the front and launching quick attacks once we regain possession. We want to create opportunities by continuing to attack the flanks of Kashima and fighting until the end without giving up. The match started at 16:00 with Kashima's kickoff.

Unable to create an attacking rhythm, they go into halftime trailing by one goal

　From the start of the match, Kashima takes the offensive. In the 4th minute, FW Tashiro drops the throw-in, and from the scramble in the area, FW Marquinhos shoots. In the 5th minute, MF Aoki takes a long shot but it goes to the left. Tokyo also seizes a chance from the right side. In the 7th minute, Noriyuki Suzuki drags the opposing defender while forcefully cutting into the right area to shoot, but with no angle, it hits the side netting. In the 9th minute, Lucas, who attempted a breakthrough outside the right area, is fouled and earns a free kick. Noriyuki Suzuki's kick is cleared by the defender, resulting in a left corner kick. This corner kick by Kajiyama is caught by the opposing goalkeeper, and conversely, Kashima launches a counterattack. Finally, MF Motoyama takes a long shot but it goes to the right.

　Gradually, Tokyo takes control of the ball and launches an attack. In the 13th minute, from a counter, the ball goes from Rychely to Fukunishi to Kajiyama, and if the pass to the free Norio Suzuki on the right side had connected, it would have been a big chance, but Kajiyama's last pass was cut off. In the 14th minute, from a throw-in by Kanazawa, Lucas perseveres, and Kajiyama picks up the loose ball and takes a shot from outside the area. It is caught by the opposing goalkeeper. Unable to find their rhythm, Kashima sends long balls aimed at forward Tashiro, picking up the loose balls to transition into attack. Then, in the 21st minute, Konno fails to handle a loose ball kicked behind the defensive line, allowing Kashima forward Marquinhos to break free and shoot. Although Doih was able to make a good save initially, the loose ball was connected again to forward Marquinhos, who confidently scored, allowing a goal.

　Tokyo wanted to attack, but due to their unfamiliarity with the deep grass, they often struggled to regain control of the ball, causing them to fall behind in tempo and slowing down their offensive speed. During this time, Kashima was able to organize their defensive shape, leading to a vicious cycle where the player in possession was surrounded and lost the ball, or they suffered a counterattack due to passing mistakes. In the 30th minute, a quick restart led to a cross to the right for Tokunaga. Fukunishi, who had surged into the area, stretched out but missed the ball. Conversely, in the 31st minute, Kashima MF Motoyama passed to MF Nakago, who broke into the left area and faced Doih in a one-on-one situation, but a great save resulted in a corner kick.

　In Tokyo, from the 35th minute, Rychely and Noriyuki SUZUKI swapped positions. Gradually, the attacks from the sides began to develop smoothly, but they were unable to create any decisive chances. Just before the end, Kashima forward Tashiro broke into the area and took a shot unmarked, but once again, Doih's save prevented the crisis. The first half ended with a score of 0-1. Doih made a series of excellent saves, managing to limit the damage to just one goal, leaving enough opportunity for a comeback in the second half.

From a set play, Lucas and Norio SUZUKI scored to achieve a comeback victory!

　From the start of the second half, Tokyo fiercely aims for the goal. In the first minute of the second half, Tokunaga advances and delivers a right cross. Lucas lets it pass, and Fukunishi, waiting behind, takes a shot from close range but is blocked by the post. Lucas also aims for the rebound but it narrowly goes to the left. In the second minute of the second half, a cross from Lucas is cleared by the Kashima defender, and from the loose ball, Kajiwara cuts into the area and wins a right corner kick. Tokunaga heads back Kajiwara's corner kick, and Lucas volleys it directly. This pierces the goal net, equalizing in the early moments of the second half.

　Following the instructions from Coach Hara during halftime, when we have the ball, we start to build the rhythm of our attack by quickly spreading it to the sides. In the 52nd minute, on the left side, Norio SUZUKI connected a pass to Lucas, and Inoha, who moved up, aimed from mid-range but it went to the right. In the 55th minute, after a pass cut by Kajiyama, Lucas sent a perfect through ball to Rychely, who broke forward. It was a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he was blocked by a save, resulting in a left corner kick. From there, we quickly earned consecutive corner kicks. Then in the 56th minute, Kajiyama's right corner was headed down by Konno, and Lucas aimed for the goal but was blocked by the Kashima defense. This time, from the rebound, Norio SUZUKI, who ran in from behind, powerfully shot the ball into the goal to turn the game around.

　Tokyo continues to apply pressure. In the 60th minute, Kajiyama steals the ball and passes it to Rychely. He dribbles up the right side but is unable to deliver a cross. This time, Lucas intercepts a pass and sends a cross from the right side, which is met by Inoha's header, but it goes straight to the opposing goalkeeper. In the 64th minute, Kashima makes two substitutions to change the flow of the game, but Tokyo also brings in Baba for Rychely in the 69th minute, and the back-and-forth battle continues. In the 71st minute, Norio Suzuki takes a direct shot from a central free kick, but it goes wide. In the 73rd minute, Lucas runs forward and challenges the opposing DF in the right area. Baba connects with the last pass, but he is surrounded by Kashima's DF and unable to take a shot.

　In the 76th minute, Kashima's midfielder Masuda received a pass from the left just before the area and took a shot with speed, but it went wide to the left. However, Lucas, who went to block this shot, injured his left leg and was substituted for Akamine. Then, in the 78th minute, Kashima brought in forward Sasaki to replace defender Araiba. They increased their numbers in the front line to launch a counterattack. The time spent with the ball being held in the Tokyo half increased, and they were pushed back by Kashima, who continuously threatened the goal from set pieces.

　In the 83rd minute, Moniwa was brought on for Fukunishi. They tried to solidify their defense and hold on, but an incident occurred just before the end. Moniwa was called for a foul in the area, unrelated to the ball, against Kashima's right cross, resulting in a penalty kick. However, the ball kicked by Kashima's midfielder Nozawa hit the post and did not result in a goal. Doi's veteran calmness and composed reaction saved them from this dire situation. The match ended as it was. They achieved their first league victory at Kashima Stadium in their eighth year.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"I approached the match taking lessons from the game against G Osaka. I'm happy to have achieved a good result. In the next Nabisco Cup, there will be two matches, home and away, so I want to play aggressively throughout the 180 minutes." 《Noriyuki SUZUKI》"I had an image of the goal coming to me even before I kicked, so I focused on taking the shot. However, I've been missing the target a lot lately, so I aimed to strike a controlled ball. I also found it easier to move to the left midway through the first half. But I think it's good that I can expand my play on the right side as well. In the first half, I created breakthrough opportunities 2-3 times, so I want to be able to finish those chances."

　【Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference】 "After a heavy defeat to G Osaka in the last match, we took a week to gather our thoughts and entered today's match in good shape. Despite that, we conceded a goal. In the first half, Kashima assigned tall players to Fujiyama, and instead of connecting in midfield, they simply pushed forward to pick up loose balls. We were careful not to lose those battles for the ball. The first goal conceded was not due to being broken down; it was a situation where a ball was thrown in, and there was a slight judgment error from Konno, which led to the goal. In attack, I believed that using the flanks would create chances, but we were a beat slow, and on the resilient grass, we were slow to connect the balls that came to our feet. At halftime, I said, 'If we keep passing and moving out, we can create chances.' In the first half of the second half, there was a scene where Fukunishi hit the post, and we started to create shapes. It was significant that we began to form those shapes. We were careful about Kashima's restarts, but conversely, we were able to score from a quick restart early on. That restored confidence in the players. G Osaka in the last match was indeed strong, but it felt more like we self-destructed. Moreover, it was difficult to shake off the six goals conceded. However, I told the players, 'We are scoring goals, and we are creating good shapes.' We also organized our defense for corners and free kicks. The youth of Kajiwara and Inoha, which showed in the G Osaka match—good at times but can lose focus at others—was evident at the start today, but in the second half, Kajiwara's work rate and dynamism came through. Inoha's defense in the center was solid as well. When those two are doing well, the team does well. Also, Norio Suzuki's left-footed strike is valuable for us. We have never won in league matches at this stadium. I have watched many Kashima matches, and they are skilled at counterattacks and restarts, making them clever in matches. Therefore, I said we should concentrate and be careful with set pieces. Today, conversely, we scored two goals from corners. Winning here for the first time in league matches feels like a good wind is blowing for the team. Today was a tough game, and we were fortunate that the opponent missed a penalty, but we want to cherish this valuable victory and prepare well for next week's Nabisco Cup and the resuming league matches.

　(What is the summary of the first half of the league?) After returning to FC Tokyo, I thought about how to utilize and incorporate big players like Wanchope, Evaldo, and Fukunishi. Evaldo has been unable to practice much due to injury, and Moniwa has also been injured. Therefore, we experimented with moving Tokunaga to center back and Inoha to the right. Additionally, players like Hirayama, Inoha, and Kajiyama returned from the Olympic team but struggled with their condition or had different playing styles, making it difficult for them to reintegrate. We tried various ways to make the most of Wanchope's strengths, but that led to losing some of the qualities that FC Tokyo possesses. We also experimented with Fukunishi's position, trying him as a defensive midfielder and further up the field. Recently, we have finally started to see FC Tokyo's characteristic side attacks and speed-based offense. There were certainly tough times, but the players and staff have persevered without complaining. With the Nabisco Cup coming up, we want to enhance our precision while maintaining the essence of FC Tokyo. The key point is the center backs. I never expected to use Fujiyama and Konno as center backs this much. I want to express my gratitude to the two who have been holding strong until now. Ideally, I want to let Konno play in midfield, but for that to happen, Moniwa needs to regain his condition. If we can't hold up at center back, it will become difficult. I also want to thank the supporters for continuing to cheer us on despite the tough situation. F. Marinos is strong, but I want to advance further in the Nabisco Cup.

　【Summary of Coach Oliveira's Press Conference】 "(There was confusion in the first 20 minutes of the second half, was the cause a mental aspect like the players' complacency?) There was no such aspect. The opponent kept coming forward, so we were talking about focusing, but we lacked attention. Regarding set plays, we had been able to handle them well until now, but we were not focused when we conceded a goal. After that, we adjusted our balance and counterattacked, but it didn't mesh well. (What was the cause of the imbalance in the second half?) I think the loss of balance was due to the mental aspect of conceding goals in quick succession. After that, we tried various methods to regain balance, but we couldn't finish at the crucial moment. That's disappointing. (How did the performance of the sides change with DF Uchida's absence and DF Araiba coming in on the right?) Certainly, DF Uchida functioned well in the previous match, and his ability is outstanding. However, his absence was not the cause of the defeat. The cause of the defeat was that we couldn't maintain the focus we usually have during set plays today. We need to reflect and correct the fact that we were caught in the center. In soccer, if you correct one thing, the opposite side tends to collapse, and it's a cycle. This time it ended in a disappointing way, but there will be another match, so I believe the players will do their best. (What is your summary of the first half of the league?) At the beginning of the season, there were times when we were forsaken by luck, and the players felt pressure due to the lack of results, which caused some parts not to function well. However, as time passed, it gradually permeated. We were able to deepen our mutual understanding and have various discussions to work towards solutions. In particular, I think the players' willingness and awareness to change something and their own actions led to their confidence. I wanted to finish today with a win and maintain the upward momentum. However, the league is only halfway through. We have not reached a conclusion yet. There are still many challenges, and I want us to work together to tackle them."