Second half start! We want to finish with a victory to make a comeback.

　In the 18th round of the league, we will face Kashima Antlers away. After finishing the first half of the season in the 17th round, we are still struggling with 6 wins, 2 draws, and 9 losses, with only 20 points. In the previous match against G Osaka, we took the lead with 2 points, but ended up losing with 6 points. Although we were able to proceed as planned from the start of the first half, we couldn't stop the bad flow of conceding goals due to mistakes, and it became a frustrating battle. In this round, we will aim to improve our defense and aim for 3 points to turn the tide in the second half of the season, and welcome the break period.

　Kashima, on the other hand, is currently in 3rd place with 30 points. While they may not have the explosive attacking power of G Osaka, they have been on a winning streak with solid gameplay. They have been on a roll since their match against Tokyo on May 3rd, with 9 consecutive wins. The players to watch out for are the skilled FW Marquinhos and the top MF Nozawa. Coach Hara has stated, "We need to send long balls to Marquinhos, Nozawa, and left MF Motoyama, and then quickly attack from there." Tokyo must stay focused and not allow them to play easily. Additionally, they must be careful of Nozawa's precise set plays.

　Tokyo has changed its members since the last match against G Osaka. In this match, the battle on the sides will be a major point, so we want to put Norio Suzuki on the right MF and Rychely, a speedy player, on the left MF, and attack the space behind the advancing Kashima side backs to create chances from there. Konno and Inoha were participating in the Japan national team training camp, so there are concerns about their condition, but this time Akamine will be on the bench and we hope he can create chances with his quick movements against the tall Kashima CB when we need a goal.

　In the past, Kashima Soccer Stadium has never won in the league. Although it is a tough opponent, Tokyo's soccer will counterattack by pressing from the front and launching a quick attack once they have taken the ball. They want to open up a way out by continuously attacking Kashima's side and never giving up until the end. The match started at 4pm with Kashima's kickoff.

Unable to create an attacking rhythm, we head into halftime trailing by one point.

　Kashima starts attacking from the beginning of the game. In the 4th minute, FW Tashiro drops the ball from a throw-in and FW Marquinhos shoots from the crowded area. In the 5th minute, MF Aoki takes a shot from the middle but it goes to the left. Tokyo also seizes a chance from the right side. In the 7th minute, Norio Suzuki cuts into the right area while dragging the opponent DF and takes a shot, but it goes to the side net without an angle. In the 9th minute, Lucas, who made a breakthrough from the outside of the right area, is fouled and earns a free kick. Noriyuki Suzuki's kick is cleared by the DF and goes to the left corner kick. Kajiyama's corner kick is caught by the opponent GK and Kashima counterattacks. In the end, MF Motomura takes a shot from the middle but it goes to the right.

　Gradually, Tokyo took control of the ball and launched an attack. In the 13th minute, Rychely on the left from a counter, passed to Fukunishi, and then to Kajiyama on the right side, who was free. It was a big chance, but Kajiyama's final pass was cut off. In the 14th minute, Lucas showed persistence from Kanazawa's throw-in and Kajiyama picked up the loose ball from outside the area and took a shot. However, it was caught by the opponent's goalkeeper. Kashima, who couldn't find their rhythm, aimed for FW Tashiro with a long ball from the front line and turned it into an attack. Then, in the 21st minute, Inakano couldn't handle the loose ball kicked behind the DF line, and Kashima's FW Marquinhos broke through and took a shot. Although Doi made a great save, the ball was picked up again and passed to FW Marquinhos, who scored a goal.

　Tokyo wanted to attack, but they were not used to the deep turf and often had to recover the ball, causing their attack to be delayed. Meanwhile, Kashima was able to organize their defense and surround the player with the ball, leading to a vicious cycle of losing possession or conceding a counterattack due to a passing error. In the 30th minute, a quick restart led to a cross from the right by Tokunaga. Fukunishi stretched out his leg in the box, but it didn't connect. On the other hand, in the 31st minute, Kashima's MF Motoyama passed to MF Nakago who broke through the left side and faced off against Doi in a 1-on-1 situation, but a great save led to a corner kick.

　Tokyo switched positions between Rychely and Norio Suzuki after 35 minutes. Although the attack on the side gradually developed smoothly, they were unable to create a decisive chance. Towards the end, Kashima FW Tashiro was released into the area and took a free shot, but once again the danger was avoided by Tsuchi's save. The first half ended 0-1. Tsuchi made a series of great saves, keeping the score at 1-0 and leaving a chance for a comeback in the second half.

Lucas and Norio Suzuki scored goals from set plays to secure a come-from-behind victory!

　Tokyo is fiercely aiming for a goal from the start of the second half. In the first minute of the second half, Tokunaga advances and crosses from the right. Lucas lets it go through and Fukunishi, who was waiting behind, takes a shot from close range, but it hits the post. Lucas also tries to score on the rebound, but it narrowly misses to the left. In the second minute, Kashima DF clears Lucas' cross and Kajiyama cuts into the area, winning a corner kick. Tokunaga heads back Kajiyama's corner and Lucas takes a direct volley shot. It hits the back of the net, equalizing in the early stages of the second half.

　As instructed by coach Hara during halftime, the rhythm of the attack begins when the ball is quickly spread to the side. In the 52nd minute, Norio Suzuki passed to Lucas on the left side, and Inaba, who had moved up, aimed for a middle-range shot but it went to the right. In the 55th minute, from Kajiyama's interception, Lucas passed to Fukunishi, who made a perfect through pass to Rychely, who was running towards the front line. He was one-on-one with the GK, but his shot was saved and resulted in a left corner kick. From there, we continued to win corner kicks. Then in the 56th minute, Inaba headed down Kajiyama's right corner kick, and Lucas tried to score but was blocked by Kashima's DF. This time, Norio Suzuki ran in from behind and kicked a powerful shot into the goal, reversing the score.

　Tokyo continues to attack without letting up. In the 60th minute, Kajiyama steals the ball and passes it to Rychely. He dribbles up the right side but is unable to cross. Next, Lucas intercepts a pass and crosses from the right side, but Inonami's header is saved by 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 free kick from the center but misses the target. In the 73rd minute, Lucas runs up the front line and takes on the opposing DF in the right area. Baba receives his last pass, but is surrounded by Kashima's DF and unable to take a shot.

　76 minutes, Kashima's MF Masuda receives a pass from the left and takes a shot near the area with speed, but it curves to the left. However, Lucas, who went to block this shot, injures his left leg and is replaced by Akamine. Then, in the 78th minute, Kashima substitutes DF Arai for FW Sasaki and launches a counterattack with more players in the front line. The time spent keeping the ball in Tokyo's territory increases, and Kashima is pushed back, with consecutive threats on goal from set pieces.

　In the 83rd minute, Shigetoshi Hasebe was replaced by Shigeki Shigeno. We tried to hold on to our defense and escape, but an accident happened at the end. Shigeno was fouled in the area, unrelated to the ball, against Kashima's right cross, giving away a penalty kick. However, Kashima MF Nozawa's shot hit the post and we did not concede a goal. The veteran Tsuchi's calmness and cool reaction saved us from this desperate situation. The game ended like this. In our 8th year, we achieved our first league victory at Kashima Stadium.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"We approached the game with the reflection from the G Osaka match. I'm happy we were able to get a good result. For the next Nabisco Cup, we have two matches at home and away, so I want to play aggressively for the full 180 minutes."《Norio Suzuki》"I had the image of the ball coming loose before I kicked it, so I just focused on taking the shot. However, I've been missing a lot lately, so I tried to control the ball. It also became easier for me to play on the left side in the middle of the first half. But I think it's a good thing that the width of my play expands on the right side as well. In the first half, I was able to make 2-3 breakthroughs, so I want to be able to score in those situations."

　【Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference】"We suffered a big defeat against G Osaka in the previous match, but we were able to enter today's game in a good shape after a week of regrouping. However, we still conceded a goal. In the first half, Kashima put a tall player on Fujiyama and instead of connecting in the midfield, they simply pushed forward and picked up loose balls. We were aware of this and tried not to lose out on those loose balls. The first goal we conceded was not due to our defense being broken down, but rather a misjudgment by Imakawa when the ball was thrown in and Kashima was able to score. In our attack, I believed that if we used the sides, we would create chances, but we were a bit slow and struggled to connect on the sticky turf. At halftime, I told the players to keep passing and moving forward to create chances. In the second half, we were able to create some chances, such as when Fukunishi hit the post. That was a big turning point for us. We were cautious of Kashima's restarts, but we were able to score a goal ourselves in the early stages of the second half. This gave our players confidence. The previous match against Gamba was tough, but it felt like we self-destructed. It was also difficult to bounce back from conceding 6 goals. However, I told the players that we were scoring and creating good chances. We also organized our defense for corner kicks and free kicks. Kajiyama and Inonami, who played in the G Osaka match, are young and can be great when they are on form, but can also struggle when they are not. In today's match, Kajiyama's energy and dynamism were evident in the second half, and Inonami's defense in the center was solid. When these two are playing well, the team plays well. Also, Norio Suzuki's left foot is a valuable asset for us. We have never won a league match at this stadium. I have watched many of Kashima's matches and they are skilled at counterattacks and restarts. That's why I told the team to be focused and careful of set pieces. However, today we were able to score two goals from corner kicks. This is the first time we have won at this stadium in the league, and it feels like a good wind is blowing for the team. Today's game was tough and we were fortunate that the opponent's penalty kick missed, but we will cherish this valuable victory and prepare well for next week's Nabisco Cup and the resumption of the league."

　(How was the first half of the league?) Upon returning to FC Tokyo, I thought about how to utilize and incorporate big players such as Wanchope, Evaldo, and Fukunishi. Evaldo was injured and couldn't practice much, and Shige also got injured. So we tried different things, like putting Tokunaga at center back and Inoha on the right. Also, when players like Hirayama, Inoha, and Kajiyama returned from the Olympic team, they were struggling with their condition and had trouble adjusting to the team's style. We also tried various ways to make the most of Wanchope's strengths, but that ended up taking away FC Tokyo's own strengths. We also experimented with Fukunishi's position, playing him as a defensive midfielder or in the front. Recently, we have finally been able to see FC Tokyo's characteristic side attacks and speedy attacks. It was certainly a difficult time, but the players and staff never gave up. From here on, we have the Nabisco Cup, and we want to improve our precision while utilizing FC Tokyo's style. The key is still the center back position. I never thought we would use Fujiyama and Konno as center backs this much. I want to thank these two for holding on until now. I really want to let Konno play in the midfield, but for that to happen, Shige's condition needs to improve. If we can't defend well at center back, it becomes difficult. The supporters have continued to cheer for us despite the tough situation. F. Marinos are strong, but we want to move up in the Nabisco Cup."

　[Kashima Oliveira coach's press conference summary] "(There was confusion in the first 20 minutes of the second half, was the cause due to the players' arrogance and mental aspect?) There was no such aspect. The opponent kept coming forward, so we talked about focusing, but we weren't careful enough. Regarding set plays, we were able to bounce back without any problems before, but we weren't able to concentrate when we conceded. After that, we tried to adjust the balance and counterattack, but it didn't work well. (What was the cause of the balance being disrupted in the second half?) I think the reason for losing balance was due to the mental aspect of conceding goals in succession. After that, we tried various ways to balance it, but we couldn't make it work in the end. That's a shame. (How was the performance of both sides with Arai entering as a right DF in place of the absent Uchida?) It's true that Uchida played well in the previous match and his ability is excellent. However, his absence was not the reason for the loss. The reason for the loss was simply that we couldn't concentrate on set plays, which we usually do well. We all need to reflect on and correct the fact that we were beaten in the center. In soccer, if you fix one thing, the other side will crumble. It ended in a disappointing way this time, but there will be another game and I believe the players will do their best. (What is your overall assessment of the first half of the league?) At the beginning of the season, there were times when we were unlucky and the results didn't come, so the players felt pressure and there were parts where they couldn't function well. However, as time went by, it gradually permeated. We were able to deepen our understanding of each other and work towards a solution through various discussions. Especially, the players had the desire and consciousness to change something, and I think that led to their confidence. We wanted to end today's game with a win and continue our upward trend. However, the league is only halfway through. We haven't reached any conclusions yet. There are still many challenges, and we want to work together to overcome them."