Aim for victory and fight with concentration!

　The 20th round of the league will be an away game against Júbilo Iwata. In the previous round against Oita, which was the first game after a one-month break, we took the lead but ended up losing due to two goals from the opponent's restart. It was a frustrating defeat as we were determined to make a comeback, but this week we have back-to-back games, so we want to switch our mindset and focus on each game in front of us.

　Iwata, on the other hand, is currently in 8th place with 9 wins, 1 draw, and 9 losses. In the previous match, they lost 0-4 to Vissel Kobe, but head coach Hara is determined, saying "We conceded goals because we were down to 10 men and were trying to score, and we were caught on the counter. We have the strength and are good at switching as a team." In this match, defensive midfielder Fabricio will be suspended, but in his place, MF Inuzuka will be starting, and in the center back position, Tanaka and Suzuki have been chosen. In terms of attack, the performance of FW Maeda will likely determine the outcome. As head coach Hara says, "With FW Maeda returning from injury, our scoring ability has clearly improved," using his ball control skills to create opportunities in the front line, allowing MF Ota and Nishi to make runs from the second line and create decisive moments. Tokyo will need to prevent FW Maeda from playing freely with a strong defense and contain runs from the second line.

　Tokyo will have no changes in the starting lineup from the previous match against Oita. In this game, the key will be to gain an advantage in the midfield battle and quickly exploit the space behind the opponent's full-backs once the ball is won. Ishikawa stated, "The opponent has many skilled players in passing, but we want to press and win the ball in good positions. In order to launch a good attack, we need to start from defense." Kajiyama also expressed his determination, saying, "We want to limit where Iwata's balls come from. Fukusan and I will work together to contain their central midfielders." We want to press early and win the ball, and then launch speedy attacks from there.

　In addition, in the Oita match, we were caught off guard for a moment and conceded a goal by being beaten behind the DF line, but in this match, it is also important to continue to play compactly and not be afraid of the opponent's attack, and to keep the DF line high. The word that the players talk about is "result" at the Yamaha Stadium, where they have never won before. Both Shigenobu and Ishikawa say, "We want to get rid of the unpleasant image of the Yamaha Stadium soon," and aim for victory in Tokyo's soccer even though it is an away game. The match started at 19:04 with Iwata's kickoff.

Iwata takes the lead, trailing by one point at halftime

　From the start of the match, Iwata was forced to play defensively due to the intense press and attacking momentum. In the 4th minute, DF Tanaka took a shot from the center of the goal after a loose ball from a corner kick, but it went wide. In the 9th minute, MF Ota brought the ball into the center from the right side and took a shot from outside the box, but it was saved by Doi. In the 10th minute, FW Maeda dribbled into the box and took a shot. Iwata's quick passing game focused on the right side, with FW Nishi and MF Ota keeping possession of the ball, while DF Kaga aggressively overlapped and crossed or took shots from the center. Tokyo was unable to stop Iwata's momentum at all.

　Tokyo also tries to take the ball and launch an attack, but the quick switching of Iwata's offense and defense quickly takes back the ball, leading to a vicious cycle. Konno and Shigetani were able to hold off Iwata's attack on the final line, but in the 20th minute, they finally conceded a goal. Iwata's left corner kick was cleared once, but then taken back again, and crossed from the right side. This was also cleared, and the ball went to MF Ota on the left. Ota was not pressed, and he carefully judged the position of the goal and took a looping shot. Although there was distance, it was sucked into the right side of the goal.

　However, Iwata took the lead and started to slowly pull back and then expand their attack, and after 25 minutes, Iwata's press gradually weakened and Tokyo started to rotate the ball and launch attacks. In the 27th minute, Tokunaga was fouled and earned a free kick just outside the right area. Norio Suzuki's shot was blocked by the wall. In the 28th minute, Fukunishi won a duel and Inonami dribbled and took a shot, winning a corner kick on the right. In the 31st minute, Norio Suzuki was fouled and earned a free kick just slightly left of the goal. Lucas' shot hit the wall and went out for a left corner kick. From this corner kick, Tokunaga took a difficult shot, but the opposing DF cut it off.

　At 37 minutes, Fukunishi, who received a pass from Tokunaga with his back to the goal in the center, turned forward while competing with the DF and dribbled around in the area. He took a shot from the right area, but it went to the right corner kick. Despite creating several chances, they couldn't reach a decisive moment. On the contrary, at 39 minutes, Iwata's right side MF Nishi crossed and FW Maeda jumped in for a perfect header. It narrowly missed to the left, avoiding an additional point. At 43 minutes, Kajiyama → Tokunaga broke through the right side. Lucas headed the cross, but it was cut off to the left by the competing DF. Although the beginning was completely dominated by Iwata, they managed to hold on and ended the first half with only one goal against.

Hirayama and Akamine show their determination by scoring goals, but they still lose with 5 points conceded.

　At halftime, we made adjustments to the positioning of Ishikawa and Norio Suzuki on both sides and sent them onto the pitch. In the 47th minute, Ishikawa passed to Tokunaga on the right, who then crossed the ball. Norio Suzuki followed and passed it to Lucas in the middle. He tried to connect with Kajiyama with a back pass, but was countered by Iwata. Ota, the midfielder, ran up the right side and took a shot, but it went over the bar. In the 52nd minute, Kajiyama passed to Lucas on the right, but Norio Suzuki couldn't get a touch on it. In the 53rd minute, Baba was substituted in for Norio Suzuki.

　55 minutes, passed to Lucas who ran into the space behind at the perfect timing from Baba, and ran up the left side. Cut inside, dodged the DF and took a free shot. It hit the bottom left but the opponent's GK saved it. In the 59th minute, Kajiyama → Ishikawa took a bold gamble on the right side and crossed. Although it was cleared by the DF in front of the goal, the side attack was functioning. In the 63rd minute, Akamine was substituted for Fukunishi, and at the same time, the positions of Konno and Inonami were changed. Immediately after that, from Iwata's throw-in, MF Marquinhos Parana, who was on the left side, became free and his well-aimed middle shot went over the hand of Tsuchi and into the goal. They lost their second goal.

　In the 68th minute, Iwata DF Ueda attacked from the left side on a counter and the ball he sent into the goal was deflected off the top right post and bounced into the goal for the third goal. In the 71st minute, Hirayama was substituted for Ishikawa, but shortly after the substitution, Iwata scored an additional goal from a counter through MF Naruoka. Still, Tokyo's two top players, Hirayama and Akamine, moved around the front line, picking up loose balls and attempting a comeback. In the 79th minute, Hirayama's high header from Inoue's early cross was decisive, but unfortunately it went to the right. In the 84th minute, Iwata scored a goal from a sharp counter, skillfully dribbling past FW Maeda, but Tokyo continued to attack fiercely towards the goal.

　Then, in the 89th minute, Robert flew out to the front line, cut in from the left, and although he collided with the opponent's DF and the ball became loose, he didn't give up and picked it up again, shooting from an angleless position. The ball bounced off the bar and Taira SHIGE followed up, but was pulled from behind, earning a PK. Taira SHIGE himself scored it perfectly. Immediately after, a long ball from Robert was headed down by Taira SHIGE, and Akamine took a direct shot. The ball went over the opponent's GK and into the goal. Although they were able to score two points and retaliate, the game ended in a loss.

　【Player Comments】《Hirayama》"We couldn't eliminate Iwata's strengths. Before the match, I was instructed to compete firmly for long balls and become a starting point. I also tried to play using my strong points within the given time. (There was a header shot from player Konno) I wanted to score that. I wanted to score with a header... I wanted to take the PK myself, so I asked Lucas to let me take it. It was GK Kawaguchi, so I thought if I could score, it would give me confidence. I kicked it with all my might. I gained confidence in PKs, but I don't feel relieved that I scored."《Akamine》"We couldn't play in our own rhythm and we couldn't get our feet and emotions going forward. We may have needed more clear plays when pressing. The goal was exactly as we planned. We tried to play close to Sohta. We practice this formation regularly. I believe that if I get more playing time, I will have more chances. We couldn't win today, but when I get the chance, I want to contribute to the team's victory."

　【Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference】"Unfortunately, towards the end of the game, our concentration seemed to have dropped. In the first half, Jubilo had a better start. They made a side change and players like Kaga, who played as a right back, were making aggressive moves. We were a step behind in responding and ended up giving away corners and free kicks, which led to their goal. (Jubilo's) Matsuki was down, and we were all watching him, which led to their goal. This is the current state of our team. We were hoping that the opponent would kick the ball out of bounds when one of their players was down, or that they would hesitate and give us a chance to shoot. But during that time, we were not playing well. Even when we managed to steal the ball, we couldn't connect passes and they would take it back right away. In the second half, we tried to use the sides more, and crosses started coming in from players like Ishikawa and Tokunaga. Since Norio Suzuki hasn't been in his best condition since his injury, we decided to bring in Baba and Akamine to try and turn the game around. For their second goal, we were slow to react to a throw-in, and they managed to score from a long distance. It was a great shot, but we were too slow. The same thing happened for their third goal, where Ishikawa was slow to react and they scored. After that, our concentration dropped, including our back line, which was disappointing. In the end, we managed to score two goals, including a penalty kick. We need to show more determination, like Inano did when he got the penalty kick. Even if we get scored on, we need to keep fighting and go towards the opponent's goal. And we need to keep it simple, like Akamine did when he scored, and just keep moving the ball forward, even if it gets deflected. I think we were trying to play too beautifully and ended up losing the ball too many times. We let down our fans who were cheering for us. We need to reflect on this and show our determination in the next game, which will be at home in Ajinomoto Stadium. Iwata's Maeda has good ball control, so Ota and Nishi were coming inside to help, but our reactions and passes were a bit slow. Kajiyama and Inaba were struggling when the game didn't go at their pace, and they were trying to do difficult things instead of focusing on defense, which led to us losing the ball. Also, Shigetaka is not yet back to his usual self since his injury. Maybe because of his anxiety, he tends to lose his mark. Even in the scene where he was beaten by Maeda, he couldn't react properly. He's still not in his best condition."

　[Iwata・Adilson's Press Conference Summary] "I think we played a good game overall. In the first half, we were able to control the game and create chances, and we were able to score one goal. There were also a few scenes where we could have scored more. In the second half, there were some dangerous moments, but we were able to create chances by effectively using counterattacks. There were also some scenes where we could have scored more. If our accuracy was a little higher and we were able to finish properly, we could have scored a little more. In the defensive midfield, Inuzuka, who started, did what we were looking for. The balance with Marquinhos Parana and the triangle with Kaga and Ota were also good. The biggest difference from the previous match (a big loss) was that Fabricio was sent off. It's difficult to play soccer with one less player. Also, each player showed the desire to win. And Tokyo came out and played in front, while Kobe was playing defensively. It's a shame we conceded two goals at the end, but this kind of thing happens often in soccer. Of course, it would have been better if we didn't concede any goals. In Japanese soccer, it's common to see a big loss followed by a big win. What I value is being able to consistently perform well. I want to continue to demand this from my players and guide them if they can't do it."