Tamagawa Classico, revenge for the away match

　In League Sec. 30, we will face Kawasaki Frontale in the 12th Tamagawa Classico. We will welcome them at home. In the previous match against Nagoya, we secured 3 points despite not performing well. Based on the confidence we gained, we aim for our third consecutive win with a strong determination to pursue victory.

　However, Fukunishi injured his left knee. With Baba and Kajiyama also out, the team is in a difficult situation due to the consecutive departures of midfielders. Coach Hara laments, "There is no player to replace Fukunishi. Along with Kajiyama, we have lost a type of player who can take advantage of the opponent in midfield," but he also shifts his mindset, saying, "If that's the case, then we want to play a simpler style of football where everyone runs and we exploit the gaps behind the opponent's defense without overcomplicating things. That has always been one of Tokyo's strengths," as he aims for victory with strong football.

　Kawasaki is currently in 8th place with 43 points. It seems that the fatigue from the intense ACL battles has worn off, as they have not lost in their last three league matches. They have also advanced to the Final Round of the Nabisco Cup and are in good form. They often score late in matches, so it is expected that the battles will be intense until the very end. In particular, their attacks, led by the incredibly fast forward JUNINHO, are formidable. Tokyo will need to be thorough in marking and covering. Additionally, their counterattacks are highly precise, so losing the ball due to half-hearted play and facing a counterattack is the biggest concern. It is also important to increase the awareness of finishing with a shot and to keep pressing the attack.

　Tokyo starts Inoha as a defensive midfielder. Hatta, who is making his first appearance this season, is on the bench. They want to showcase their home strength and erase the frustration of their away defeat. The match took place at Ajinomoto Stadium, under clear skies after the typhoon that hit the Kanto region the day before. The match started at 14:05 with Tokyo's kickoff during the 'Brazil Festival'.

A vicious cycle of being robbed and suffering counterattacks, conceding 4 goals in the first half

　In the early stages, there was a fierce battle for the ball. Kawasaki quickly restarted in the 4th minute, with FW Zheng turning and shooting in front of the goal. In the 7th minute, FW Zheng moved up the left flank, and MF Maginun matched a negative pass to shoot from the right corner of the area, trying to find a rhythm. Tokyo attacked, but they struggled to keep the ball in the front line, losing it and facing counterattacks as the game progressed at a fast pace. Nevertheless, in the 17th minute, Lucas passed to Norio Suzuki, who broke through on the left side, and Lucas jumped in again for the cross, but he couldn't connect well.

　As the tough exchanges continued, in the 23rd minute, Rychely broke out to receive a long through pass from Kanazawa, but the goalkeeper caught it a step earlier. Immediately after, Akamine caught up with a feed to the front line and boldly challenged in the left area. The development up to this point had been back and forth. However, in the 25th minute, Kawasaki initiated a series of passes in front of the Tokyo goal starting from the right side. FW Jeong's pass to MF Nakamura, who moved inside, was cut off by Lucas, but FW Jeong reacted to the loose ball and shot from just outside the right area. The sharp ground ball rolled into the lower left corner of the area, allowing an unexpected first goal against.

　However, in the 26th minute, Norio SUZUKI took a return pass from Akamine and unleashed a powerful shot from distance, launching a counterattack. In the 28th minute, Kawasaki's FW Jeong exchanged shots from the right area, and in the 29th minute, Kawasaki connected after a clearance from Tokyo, with MF Kawamura passing to FW JUNINHO who had drifted to the right. FW JUNINHO sent a cross from near the goal line, and FW Jeong, who dove in at the near post, took a shot. Although Tokyo's DF initially blocked it, the rebound was stubbornly pushed in by FW Jeong, allowing the second goal.

　With this, Tokyo became unsettled and lost control to Kawasaki. In the 34th minute, Ishikawa was brought in to replace Rychely. They attempted to regroup, but could not create any decisive chances. They repeatedly lost the ball due to build-up mistakes, allowing Kawasaki to counterattack while the forwards and DF were stretched. In the 39th minute, Kawasaki MF Taniguchi's right cross was deflected by Kanazawa for a corner kick, but in the 40th minute, they failed to clear the cross from MF Maginun from a short corner, and once again, DF Minowa pushed it in at the near post, making it a three-goal difference.

　In the 42nd minute, Kawasaki MF Maginun intercepted a short clearance from Tokyo and passed to FW Zheng, who broke through the front line. Although Shigeno was facing him, FW Zheng struck the ball with his right foot from inside the right area without hesitation, and it hit the left post and went in. This allowed FW Zheng to complete his hat trick. In midfield, they struggled to contain the advancing Kawasaki attackers, showing vulnerability by conceding goals immediately after scoring, and they lost four goals in the first half.

Lacking brilliance in both offense and defense, a humiliating defeat...

　Still, last season, in the match against Kawasaki at Ajinomoto, we achieved a remarkable comeback from a 1-4 deficit. Everyone must have thought, "If we score one goal, the momentum will change." In the second half, we substituted Hirayama for Inoha. We strengthened the front line and prepared to counterattack with Konno as the lone defensive midfielder. However, just after the start of the second half, in the 47th minute, Akamine broke free to meet a long pass from Kanazawa, getting into the goal area. He shot to shake off the pursuing defender. However, the ball hit the left post, missing a big scoring opportunity.

　In the early stages, they seized the second ball and launched an offensive, but Konno's long shot in the 53rd minute went high. In the 58th minute, a cross from Konno to Ishikawa earned a corner kick, but they couldn't convert it into a finish. Kawasaki made a substitution in the 62nd minute, bringing in DF Terada for FW Zheng to strengthen their defense. In the 63rd minute, they launched a quick counterattack from Ishikawa's interception, and Noriyuki Suzuki attempted to connect with Lucas on the cross, but Kawasaki defended well. In the 65th minute, an early cross from Konno to Tokunaga allowed Noriyuki Suzuki to break into the area and take a direct shot while free, but he couldn't hit the target... In the 67th minute, the opposing goalkeeper rushed out to intercept Tokunaga's feed, colliding with Ishikawa. The ball rolled in front of the goal, but Kawasaki's defense cleared it.

　While unable to capitalize on their chances, Kawasaki launched a sharp counterattack from their solid defense. In the 69th minute, Tokyo was caught off guard as they pushed their defensive line high, resulting in a corner kick from a cross by Kawasaki MF Nakamura. Although they managed to defend this corner, they conceded Kawasaki's fifth goal in the 74th minute. Kawasaki MF Taniguchi sent a long pass from their own half to the left front. FW JUNINHO, after gently holding the ball, accelerated and delivered a cross. Tokyo DF was unable to mark MF Maginun, who jumped in front of the goal and scored with a header.

　After that, Kurisawa was brought in to replace Kanazawa. However, in the 77th minute, the ball was taken away in their own half, and Kawasaki MF Taniguchi took a shot. Although it was initially saved by Shiota, resulting in a corner kick, a second left corner kick was given, and in the 79th minute, MF Nakamura's kick led to DF Terada scoring with a header... In the 81st minute, Kawasaki MF Maginun received a second warning and was sent off. Although they had a numerical advantage, in the 84th minute, Kondo's through pass allowed Akamine to break free, but he couldn't shoot before the goalkeeper's quick advance. Immediately after, while pushing forward, Hirayama lost the ball, and FW JUNINHO turned past Shigemi and charged towards the goal. They conceded the seventh goal in a moment of lost concentration.

　In the 89th minute, Hirayama headed a shot from a corner kick, followed by Konno taking a long-range shot, but both went just wide of the target, ending the match without scoring. Lacking brilliance in both offense and defense, they were unable to surpass the score of the first half of the clásico. They suffered a humiliating defeat, conceding 7 goals for the first time in the club's history.

　【Player Comments】<Fujiyama> "This season, whenever we conceded a goal, we often ended up conceding multiple goals in a panic. Recently, we had been able to hold it back well, but today that happened again. I think the last goal conceded was unavoidable, but we should never concede four goals in the first half. That was everything. The start of the match wasn’t bad, but we couldn’t seize the momentum. It would have been good if the players could have talked and corrected things, but we were scored on before we had the chance. It’s very disappointing to end up with this result after everyone got excited at the Tamagawa Clasico." <Ishikawa> "From the start of the match, Kawasaki was stronger in the duels for the ball, and we lost there. I think that was the biggest cause of our defeat. We thought about attacking behind the opponent’s defenders, but with such a large goal difference, the opponent dropped back, and Tokyo couldn’t play the ideal attack. Kawasaki played the kind of football we wanted to play. We have to play good football like that."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Since this was the Tamagawa Clasico, it is very disappointing that many fans gathered but the result was unfortunate. The players were not careless, but Kawasaki quickly passed the ball to FW Jung, and we lost possession of the rebounds. After conceding the first goal, I think we became fearful like in the previous match. We stretched out and gradually dropped back. I encouraged the team by saying we could come back from 1 or 2 goals down, but immediately after conceding the third goal from a short corner, we quickly conceded the fourth. I believe our inability to hold on there was the cause of the defeat. In the second half, we brought in Hirayama to try to score first. If Akamine's initial chance had been converted, the momentum might have shifted to us, but instead, we conceded more goals on the counterattack, resulting in this outcome. Recently, the team had been able to hold firm even in close matches, but today, despite the strong spirit, concentration broke when we conceded 2 or 3 goals. That is very regrettable. We started Inoha because of his potential and to counter the opponent's height. However, although he played in the final line for the Olympic team, he has not always played as a defensive midfielder for Tokyo, and after conceding one goal, there were moments when he seemed unsure of his positioning. Certainly, using Asari might have brought stability, but that is hindsight. Inoha has the ability to compete even in tough matches against strong opponents, so we gave him the chance. We planned to use Ishikawa at a decisive moment. However, Rychely was hardly able to move as usual. The goal conceded came from a situation where he received the ball at his feet and passed back, which led to danger. I felt he was afraid to receive the ball, so I judged that we needed to bring Ishikawa on early to stop Kawasaki's momentum. The last title remaining for us is the Emperor's Cup. We want to take today's match as a lesson and prepare for that."

　[Summary of Coach Sekizuka's Press Conference] "FC Tokyo has been in good form recently with 6 wins and 1 loss, and I told the players that if we don't stay focused, we could face painful consequences. Following that instruction, they started off strong. By stopping FC Tokyo's speedy momentum and scoring the first goal, I believe we were able to carry our momentum forward. I'm very satisfied to have achieved 2 wins this season in the Tamagawa Classico. However, we have an important Nabisco Cup Final Round next week, so I want to prepare thoroughly."