Aiming for victory with an aggressive fight even as the away team!

　In Sec. 2 of the league, we will face Albirex Niigata away. In the opening match, we ended in a draw while creating chances with dynamic soccer, and in this match, we want to achieve a 'result' at all costs. During this one-week interval, we have been training repeatedly for higher levels of coordination and precision. Even though it's an away game, we aim for victory with an aggressive approach.

　Niigata, under the guidance of coach Jun SUZUKI, has entered its third season aiming for a style of football where both the ball and players are in motion. Coach Jofuku mentioned, "I think both Tokyo and Niigata have similar styles of football they aim for," but he continued, "Niigata has another strength." The attack that utilizes the height of FW Yano from long balls and the movements of newly joined FW Alessandro to break through is a significant characteristic of Niigata, but he heightened his caution by stating, "If they effectively showcase both the connecting style and long balls, Niigata will seize the pace of the game." Therefore, it is necessary to apply pressure from the front to prevent Niigata from easily playing long balls and to connect solid defense to good attacks.

　Tokyo has seen injuries to Sahara and Kondo, but on the other hand, as Coach Jofuku mentioned, "The results in practice lead to results in matches," the well-performing Kawaguchi, Akamine, and Yoshimoto have made the squad. In particular, Yoshimoto started due to the height of Niigata FW Yano. He expressed his determination, saying, "I want to go in aggressively without fearing mistakes. I will stop all the balls that Niigata kicks forward without letting them spill behind. I want to focus on the results." Additionally, Cabore's condition has improved, and he has also made the starting lineup. Although there are concerns about coordination since he has only been with the team for about three weeks, his individual abilities were proven in the opening match. We hope to see his first goal soon.

　Niigata lost without scoring in the opening match against Omiya, so they will likely aim for a more aggressive approach at home this round. Coach Jofuku noted, "Both teams must have a strong desire not to concede first. We need to watch how the opponent plays," indicating caution in how they start the match. However, Niigata is expected to push forward with both full-backs positioned high. In response, Tokyo wants to launch attacks that exploit space. While suppressing the opponent's strengths, they aim to leverage their own strong points to seize the opportunity for victory. The match began at 16:03 with Niigata's kickoff at the cloudy and chilly TOHOKU ELECTRIC POWER BIG SWAN STADIUM.

Taking the lead with three goals at halftime

　Right after the match started, Niigata created chances, including a shot on goal, but with a quick transition from defense to attack, three goals were scored early on. In the 6th minute, Kajiyama sent a ground through pass to the right front line, which Ishikawa reacted to and directed to the center. Here, Emerson, who ran into the goal area, easily connected and scored the opening goal. In the 8th minute, a left corner kick was connected short from Ishikawa to Hanyu, and Ishikawa received the return and took a powerful shot. Cabore followed up on the rebound from the opposing goalkeeper's save and scored! From Ishikawa's assist, Emerson and Cabore each scored their first goals in the league, quickly taking a 2-goal lead.

　In the 11th minute, a kick from Shiota towards the front line was not fully cleared by the opposing DF, and Konno skillfully kicked the ball into the unguarded goal as the Niigata GK rushed out, extending the lead to a 3-goal difference. Tokyo's offensive continued after that. In the 21st minute, Emerson passed to Cabore, who broke free on the right front line. This drew a handball from the opponent, earning a free kick. Kajiyama's direct shot from this free kick hit the opposing DF and resulted in a right corner kick. In the 22nd minute, after stealing the ball from Niigata in midfield, Konno passed to Hanyu, who then passed to Cabore, who took a free shot from the left side of the opponent's territory but was blocked by the GK's save.

　Gradually, Niigata is regaining momentum, but Tokyo calmly circulates the ball and takes their time. Additionally, they aggressively press to win the ball high up the pitch, preventing the opponent from creating scoring opportunities. In the 34th minute, Ishikawa received a through pass in the opponent's half during a counterattack, quickly turned around, and charged forward with a dribble. He passed to Emerson, who was free in the right area and prepared to shoot, but was closed down by a defender and couldn't take the shot. In the 36th minute, Yoshimoto connected with Ishikawa's right corner kick with a header, but it went high over the bar.

　Around the 40-minute mark, we were dominated by Niigata and faced a counterattack. However, with Minobe at the center, we responded well and did not allow them to create any decisive chances. In the end, we went into halftime with a 3-goal lead.

Withstanding Niigata's fierce attack, we celebrate our first victory of the season

　Niigata took the initiative to attack from the start of the second half. With a speedy offense, they approached Tokyo's goal. In the 52nd minute, DF Uchida's cross was perfectly matched to MF Honma in front of the goal, resulting in a header shot that narrowly went to the right, avoiding a crisis. Then in the 57th minute, DF Uchida advanced on the right side, dribbled inside, and took a shot. The ball pierced the net to the right, scoring a goal. Immediately after, in the 58th minute, from MF Terakawa to FW Yano, who sprinted up the left side. Yano then forcefully cut into the left area, easily evading Tokunaga's press, and took a shot. They conceded two goals in quick succession.

　Tokyo, wanting to stop Niigata's momentum, brought in Asari as a central defensive midfielder in place of Emerson in the 62nd minute. They changed their formation with Hanyu moving to left midfield, focusing on solid defense to stabilize the match. Then, in the 71st minute, Kawaguchi replaced Ishikawa, and in the 82nd minute, Akamine came on for Cabore. With aggressive movements on both offense and defense from the two substitutes, they responded well. However, they found themselves under pressure from Niigata, who launched sharp counterattacks, but they tried to regain their rhythm by calmly connecting passes.

　In stoppage time, Hanyu picked up a clearance mistake from the opposing defender and advanced into the area. He faced a one-on-one situation with the opposing goalkeeper but missed the timing to shoot. Niigata's fierce attack continued until the end, but the entire team held firm and managed to maintain the lead until the final whistle. They secured 3 points away in Niigata for the first time since 2004 and celebrated their first victory of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Yoshimoto》"Starting in the league match for the first time in a year, I felt pressure at first. Including the Nabisco Cup, in the matches I played, we haven't won yet, so today I really wanted to focus on the result. I approached the game with the feeling that if we lost, there would be no next chance, probably no more appearances, so I am very happy we won. I was cautious of Niigata FW Yano, who moves well and is strong in heading, so I focused on disrupting his attempts to get the second ball and covering for the second ball as well. Not only did I go for headers, but I was also aware that if Moni went up, I would cover. There were parts I did well and parts I didn't, but it’s frustrating that we conceded 2 goals in that time during the second half. (What are your reflections?) Everyone panicked after conceding. The opponent started moving early, and our line dropped, which I regret. If we had held them to just one goal, the game would have changed more. Even so, Moni controlled the line and really helped us. It’s good that the team was able to win, but personally, I still have a long way to go. I want to practice more and become a player who can control the defensive line. I want to get better." 《Cabore》"We scored in the first half and ended with a great 3-0. In the second half, mistakes piled up and we conceded goals. However, after that, we corrected ourselves and everyone endured until the end, which I think led to the victory. (About the goal?) Ishikawa took a good shot, the goalkeeper fumbled, and I was there to follow up on the rebound. I feel my condition has improved, and I wanted to start. Niigata’s two center backs are both good players, tall, and tried to intercept several times. But I was also conscious not to lose the ball there."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "Both in the opening match and in this week's practice game, the way we started the match was not good, so we placed great importance on how we begin the game. Fortunately, we were able to start very well and scored while maintaining that momentum, which was lucky for us. The overall content was good, and I think scoring at the right times worked to our advantage. After that, we fell into a defensive posture and had periods where we were overwhelmed by the opponent's possession. If you ask whether we could hold on defensively for the remaining 60 to 70 minutes, a team as excellent as Niigata would be too much to withstand. After conceding two goals, we tightened our focus again and started reconnecting our play properly when we regained possession. In that sense, the period between scoring the third goal and conceding two goals is a major issue for us. In the end, I think it was great that we held on well and earned 3 points from Niigata. (How do you feel about the first victory?) I am purely happy about the win. I am truly glad we could present a victory to the many fans who came to support us. (How complete is the team currently?) It's hard to say what percentage of the football we aim for we have achieved, but we want to maintain the level of play we had around the time we scored in the first half for longer periods. Also, once we score first, we tend to become more defensive. When we regain the ball, the play often ends quickly with a yes or no on a counterattack, so we need to redo that and shift from quick attacks to slower build-up play, thereby drawing the game into our control. This is part of gaining experience and becoming more tactically savvy. In terms of our style of football, we still have a lot to build up. I believe we are still in the process of gaining experience in controlling the flow of the game."

　【Summary of Coach Suzuki's Press Conference】 "First of all, I think we played a very poor game for the fans. I apologize for that. Mentally, after conceding the first goal, we lost focus and made many mistakes, which is very disappointing. In the second half, we did make a comeback, and I believe we played forward despite being down 0-3, but it's unfortunate that we couldn't do that from the first half. I placed Davi on the right because Tokyo's Tokunaga overlaps frequently and pushes forward, so I thought Terakawa would be better suited to handle that. Alessandro was unable to contribute much today. He worked hard and contributed defensively, but he couldn't become a focal point in the attack or create shooting opportunities."