A match that cannot be lost in order to advance to the top ranks

　In Sec. 29 of the league, we will face Nagoya Grampus Eight away. In the previous match against Yokohama FM, we came from behind to win 2-1 despite conceding the first goal. There was a two-week interval due to national team duties, but in the six matches before the break, we had a good atmosphere with five wins and one loss, despite a defeat to Chiba. To climb the rankings from here, we want to maintain our momentum and accumulate victories one match at a time. Additionally, Konno, Hirayama, and Inoha, who were away with their national teams, have rejoined the team in good spirits and have made the squad.

　Nagoya, after the 28th round, is in 12th place with 36 points. FW Yonsen, MF Fujita, and DF Masukawa, who had been sidelined due to injuries, have returned. They will likely approach the match aggressively at home to try to improve their ranking. Coach Hara stated, "When FW Yonsen comes in, the style of play changes. He becomes a focal point, allowing players from the midfield to make runs. In the past, we have been caught off guard by the 'one shot' from MF Nakamura and Fujita. Each player has the ability to break through individually," emphasizing the need for caution. In response, it is crucial to prevent FW Yonsen from receiving the ball as much as possible, and even if the ball does reach him, it is important to be quick to react to loose balls and maintain concentration during the match.

　In the home match at Ajinomoto against Nagoya, we lost 0-1. Coach Hara reflected, "Our attacks became too centralized, and we were dispossessed by Nagoya's midfielders Honda and Kan, who quickly turned to face forward." Considering this, today's battle will likely hinge on the offense and defense on the sides. It is necessary to create more opportunities by utilizing the speed of Rychely and Noriyuki SUZUKI, targeting behind Nagoya's defense from the flanks.

　Recently, Nagoya has been alternating between wins and losses, struggling to find their rhythm. When they concede the first goal, they tend to lose their composure and continue to concede more goals. Therefore, Tokyo aims to launch a speedy attack from a solid defense, hoping to take the lead and control the match. Even if they concede the first goal, if the attacking line, which scored 16 goals in the last 6 matches before the break, can maintain that momentum, there seems to be a good chance of victory. The match started at Toyota Stadium with Nagoya's kickoff at 14:03.

Neither team was able to create a rhythm, and the first half ended scoreless.

　From the start of the match, against Tokyo's defense, Nagoya circulates the ball in the DF line, passes to FW Jönsson, and picks up the second ball to launch an attack. In the 4th minute, Nagoya's left FW Honda dribbles forward and sends a through pass to the MF Kan who has broken into the front line. He gets into a shooting position, but Fujiyama cuts it off, resulting in a left corner kick. Tokyo responds with calm defense and gradually begins to attack. In the 7th minute, Akamine competes for the ball and earns a free kick on the left side. With a quick restart, Konno passes to Noriyuki SUZUKI, who breaks through on the left side. Lucas heads the fast cross but it goes straight to the goalkeeper.

　In the 10th minute, Lucas held on in the front line and won a left corner kick. On the second corner kick, Norio SUZUKI's kick was chest-controlled by Konno, who attempted a shot but was quickly closed down and cleared. In the 12th minute, Norio SUZUKI aimed directly at a free kick from the center of the opponent's half, but it curved to the upper right. In the 15th minute, Konno chased the ball in the front line, stole it on the right side of the opponent's half, and immediately passed to the free Akamine. Akamine advanced with a dribble and took a shot from just outside the area, but it went to the left of the goal. It was a decisive chance, but they could not convert.

　Conversely, in the 17th minute, from Nagoya's direct play, FW Yonsen drifted to the right and made a cross. FW Honda jumped in from the left, creating a decisive opportunity, but the header went wide, avoiding a crisis. After that, both teams engaged in intense pressing and made mistakes in midfield, failing to create any decisive chances. Additionally, in the 32nd minute, an incident occurred when Fukunishi collided with an opponent and injured his left foot. As a result, Asari was substituted in.

　As time passed, they became somewhat defensive, and Nagoya kept most of the ball. In the 37th minute, they suffered a counterattack, but Fujiyama cut it off with a sharp start. In the 40th minute, Tokunaga cleared the ball intended for Nagoya FW Jönsson. This went to Nagoya and to the forward FW Jönsson who broke through. He was in a shooting position in the left area, but Fujiyama and Shigeno blocked it with a sliding tackle. In the 42nd minute, from a scramble for the ball, Nagoya quickly restarted to FW Honda up front. Honda aimed for a mid-range shot without hesitation, but it lacked power and Shiota caught it. In the end, the first half ended scoreless.

The team united to defend Lucas's single goal and earn 3 points.

　After being instructed to "do a little more defending from the front line" at halftime, we approached the second half. Early on, there were moments when we were pushed back by Nagoya's quick start, but we began to create attacking shapes. In the 50th minute, Akamine broke forward on a feed to the front line and delivered a left cross. Lucas connected at the near post, but couldn't hit the target. In the 55th minute, Akamine played tenaciously at the front line and won a corner kick. The second kick from Norio SUZUKI was punched away by the goalkeeper. Kanazawa chased the loose ball and took a shot, but his position was off, sending it over the bar.

　Then, in the 57th minute, Kanazawa kept the ball on the left side and made a perfect through pass to Konno, who ran inside around the opponent's DF. Konno cut in deep and delivered a negative last pass from the goal area. The ball went through the opponent's DF, and Lucas, who was closing in, managed to score with his right foot while falling down! They took the lead with the goal they wanted.

　However, immediately after, Nagoya's counterattack begins. In the 60th minute, from a left corner kick by FW Honda, FW Jönsson heads the ball, but Shiota catches it. In the 61st minute, DF Abe advances into the left side of the area on a counterattack and passes in front of the goal. MF Kan jumps in, but fails to take a solid shot. In the 63rd minute, Tokyo substitutes Ishikawa for the visibly tired Rychely. However, Nagoya also brings in FW Sugimoto and MF Fujita for FW Ogawa and MF Yamaguchi, further increasing their attacking momentum and aiming for a goal. The match progresses completely dominated by Nagoya in the Tokyo area.

　In the 76th minute, Nagoya's right cross is cleared by Tokyo's DF. The loose ball is picked up, and finally, from FW Sugimoto's right cross, FW Jönsson unleashes a perfect header, but Shiota makes a super save with one hand at the top right of the goal. In the 77th minute, a free kick is awarded to Nagoya just in front of the left area. MF Fujita's shot, assisted by MF Nakamura, is blocked by Fujiyama who throws his body in the way, resulting in a corner kick.

　In the 74th minute, Hirayama, who was substituted for Akamine, took the ball on a counterattack and finished. In the 82nd minute, after Fujiyama's interception, Ishikawa crossed from the right side, and the ball was chest-trapped in the left area. He took a shot from a tight angle, but the ball hit the post. This time, he headed a cross from Tokunaga on the right, but it lacked power and went straight to the goalkeeper. In the closing stages, Nagoya sent a long ball to forward Jönsson and initiated a power play. However, Fujiyama and Shigeno responded with focus, and Asari fiercely contested the loose ball, preventing any shots. The team held strong against Nagoya's fierce attack until the end, securing a valuable 3 points away.

　【Player Comments】<Shiota> "We won because everyone worked hard on defense. (There were many fine plays, right?) Starting with Moni, everyone put their bodies on the line, so it was easier for me to focus. I could somewhat predict the routes they would take. I expected FW Jonsen's header to come there. The first half had a bad rhythm, but the FW chased well, so I think we managed to hold on. In the second half, we scored first in a good way, and then everyone worked hard. Mr. Doi also gave instructions from the bench and definitely contributed to the team's strength. Including Mr. Doi, I think this was a victory everyone earned together. We want to keep improving through friendly competition and connect this to the next game." <Asari> "When the opponent's sides attacked inside, our fullbacks followed them, leaving open spaces that were exploited. When the defensive midfielders covered, MF Kan would break through the center, so we wanted to fix that. Moni and Fuji on the DF line coordinated to clarify roles such as passing off. However, in the second half, the opponent mostly kicked the ball away, so I was absorbed into the DF line. If I pushed forward there, the space would be exploited, so I had to pull back somewhat and defend using the surrounding players. Lucas also chased well and helped a lot. (Next is the Kawasaki match?) In the first half of the Kawasaki match, I couldn't play well and was substituted. If I get a chance to play, I want to be proactive and play aggressively without hesitation."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Nagoya lost to Shimizu S-Pulse in the previous match, but I think their overall performance was better than Shimizu's. They switched their system to a 4-back, and their high pressing was very good; I thought they had momentum. Also, there is a big difference when FW Yonsen is on the field and when he is not. When the ball is played to him, he holds it deep, allowing midfielders Kim, Nakamura, and FW Honda to face forward and play. Another threat is the players who make runs from the second line. Instead of having two or three players focus only on FW Yonsen, we talked about paying attention to those players making runs from behind. In the first half, the opponent pushed forward and we were often pressed back. On the other hand, even when we won the ball, the ball reached Lucas, but Akamine's movements were a bit slower than usual, and he couldn't hold the ball well, so we couldn't create good chances in the first half. Because of that, fast players like Norio SUZUKI and Rychely couldn't face forward and play well, which was not good. At halftime, I told Akamine to move more dynamically and receive the ball while moving. After he was able to do that, we created a focal point in the front line, and there were more scenes where Norio SUZUKI and Konno made forward runs. Fukunishi got injured in that situation, so we brought in Asari, which turned out to be better. Fukunishi is excellent offensively, but when the opponent's midfielders Kim and Nakamura aggressively came in and Tokyo's defense was on the back foot, Asari balanced things well. As expected of Asari. Defense stabilized with Konno and Asari. Rychely showed signs of fatigue, and we were pushed from the left side more often, so we brought in Ishikawa and tried to attack from our right side. Also, we brought in Taira SHIGE not to drop back and defend but to hold the ball up front. Taira SHIGE had several chances, and it would have been good if he had scored. It was a tough match, but everyone held on well. Moniwa has improved, and his partnership with Fujiyama was good. There were also fine saves from Shiota. Doi had been out for a while due to back pain, but with his return, Shiota's concentration seemed to increase even more. It was a tough match, but they kept their focus until the end and worked hard. (How do you evaluate today's defense?) I think the partnership of Moniwa and Fujiyama was stable. Also, Kanazawa and Tokunaga were in good condition and fought well. And Konno in midfield was excellent. His strength in duels was remarkable. He won headers, made forward runs, and even provided assists. Also, even in that situation, Asari calmed the midfield well. Inoha was also an option, but since he played as a left-back for the Olympic team and had little time to adapt, we chose Asari. Including defense from the front line, there is no doubt that everyone defended well."

　[Summary of Nagoya VERGOOSSEN Coach's Press Conference] "Today was not a lucky game. I thought FC Tokyo has been a very strong team recently. Just like the previous match against Shimizu S-Pulse, we controlled the game. Not everything was perfect, but we played good football and were able to firmly control the game against a defensive opponent. We only created a few clear chances, but I think we had opportunities to score two goals. If we had been 5% faster or if the ball had moved 10cm further forward, these small details determine whether it leads to a goal or not. There were some close moments in front of the opponent's goal and some unlucky parts as well. In games like this, one defensive mistake can decide the match. After conceding one goal, we had to take risks to push forward, but FC Tokyo's defense was very strong, and we couldn't break them down. The opponent became defensive, sometimes defending with eight players inside the penalty area. We didn't create ten clear chances, but there was a chance to equalize, and maybe we could have won. Although we lost, I want to praise the team for showing a fighting spirit. There was confusion within the club this week, but even so, the players fought hard and tried to get the three points. The team was unsettled by the coaching issue, but the players prepared well for the match and had no mental problems. We couldn't get the result, though."