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 Manager Hara's Press Conference] "After a heavy defeat to G Osaka last match, we took a week to regroup mentally and entered today's game in good shape. Despite that, we conceded a goal. In the first half, Kashima assigned a tall player to Fujiyama, and rather than connecting through the midfield, they played simply forward and collected the loose balls. We were careful not to lose those battles for the second balls. The first goal conceded was not due to a breakdown; it was a long ball, and there was a slight judgment error by Konno, which allowed them to score. In attack, I thought using the flanks would definitely create chances, but our timing was a bit slow, and on the resilient grass, our passing to feet was delayed. At halftime, I said, 'If you keep passing and moving yourself, chances will come.' Early in the second half, Fukunishi hit the post, and the team started to take shape. That was significant. We were cautious about Kashima's restarts, but on the contrary, we managed to score from a restart early on. That restored the players' confidence. Gamba was certainly strong last match, but this game felt more like we self-destructed. Also, overcoming conceding six goals was difficult. However, I told the players, 'We are scoring goals, and good shapes are forming.' We also organized our defense on corners and free kicks. The youthfulness of Kajiyama and Inoha, which showed in the G Osaka match—good when they are good but prone to losing composure when bad—was evident at the start today as well, but in the second half, Kajiyama showed his stamina and dynamism. Inoha's central defense was solid too. When those two are good, the team is good. Also, Norio SUZUKI's left-footed strike is precious for us. We have never won a league match at this stadium. I've watched many Kashima games; they are skillful with counters and restarts and tactically astute. Therefore, I told the team to be careful and focused on set pieces. Today, on the contrary, we scored two goals from corners. Also, winning here for the first time in the league feels like a fresh breeze for the team. It was a tough game, and we were lucky 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 resumption of the league."

　(Summary of the first half of the league?) Returning to FC Tokyo, I thought about how to make the most of big-name players like Wanchope, Evaldo, and Fukunishi, and how to integrate them into the team. Evaldo was barely able to practice due to injury, and Moniwa also got injured. So, we experimented by putting Tokunaga at center back and Inoha on the right. Also, players like Hirayama, Inoha, and Kajiyama returned from the Olympic team but were out of condition or struggled to adjust because the approach was different. We tried various ways to utilize Wanchope to bring out his strengths, but doing so diminished the qualities FC Tokyo has. We also tried different positions for Fukunishi, such as defensive midfield and forward. Recently, we have finally started to see FC Tokyo's characteristic side attacks and speed-based offense. Certainly, there were tough times, but the players and staff never complained and kept going. From here, we have the Nabisco Cup, and we want to improve precision while making the most of FC Tokyo's style. The key point is the center back position. I never thought we would use Fujiyama and Konno so much as center backs. I want to thank these two who have held firm so far. Ideally, I want Konno to play in midfield, but for that, Moniwa's condition needs to improve. If we can't repel attacks from the center back position, it becomes difficult. Despite the tough situation, the supporters have continued to cheer us on. F. Marinos are strong, but we want to advance further in the Nabisco Cup.

　[Summary of Coach Oliveira's Press Conference at Kashima] "(Was the confusion in the first 20 minutes of the second half caused by players' complacency or mental aspects?) There was no such aspect. The opponent kept pressing forward, so we talked about staying focused, but we lacked attention. Regarding set pieces, we had been clearing them well until now, but we weren't focused when we conceded the goal. After that, we adjusted our balance and counterattacked, but it didn't work out well. (What caused the loss of balance in the second half?) I think losing balance was due to the mental impact of conceding goals in quick succession. After that, we tried various ways to regain balance, but we couldn't finish in the final moments. That is regrettable. (With DF Uchida absent and DF Araiba playing on the right side, how were both flanks?) Certainly, DF Uchida functioned well in the previous match, and his ability is excellent. However, his absence was not the cause of the defeat. The cause was that the concentration we usually have was missing during today's set pieces. We were beaten through the center, and everyone needs to reflect and correct that. Soccer is a constant cycle where fixing one area can cause the other side to collapse. Although this ended regrettably, there are more matches ahead, and I believe the players will do their best. (Summary of the first half of the league?) At the start of the season, we were unlucky at times and results didn't come, so the players felt pressure, which caused some dysfunction. However, as time passed, things gradually settled. We deepened mutual understanding and worked toward solutions through various discussions. Especially, the players' willingness and awareness to change something, and their own initiative, led to confidence. I wanted to finish today with a win and on an upward trend. But the league is only halfway through. We haven't reached any conclusions yet. There are still many challenges, and we want to tackle them together."