Tamagawa Classico, suppress Kawasaki's momentum and get revenge from last season!

　In Sec. 7 of the league, we will face Kawasaki Frontale, welcoming the 13th Tamagawa Classico at home. In the Nabisco Cup match against Iwata, we showcased our style of football but were equalized just before the end. In this match, we aim to stick to our desired style of play and strive for victory with a tenacious fight. However, Hanyu has left the team due to injury. As the number of injured players increases, and considering the consecutive matches, we will make changes to the lineup starting from the Iwata match. The center backs will be Sahara and Fujiyama, with Asari in the central defensive midfield, and Akamine will also start. Kurizawa will serve in the midfield formation.

　Kawasaki is currently in 10th place with 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in the league. They have not been able to find their rhythm since the start of the season, and head coach Takashi SEKIZUKA is absent due to health issues. However, under the guidance of coach Tsutomu TAKAHATA, FW JUNINHO scored a hat trick in the last match against Kashiwa, and it seems they are finally getting into gear. The combination of FW JUNINHO and Jeong has both speed and strength, so it is crucial to prevent this two-top from gaining momentum. Additionally, it is important to restrict the play of the holding midfielder Nakamura and the wingers Yamagishi and Mori, who are key playmakers on the sides.

　The match against Kawasaki has seen many intense battles since our time in the JFL. Coach Jofuku strongly declared, "Every game is worth the same three points, but I fully recognize the feelings of the fans and players. I want to express those feelings on the pitch and create a fierce battle." Let's secure victory by dominating the midfield, suppressing Kawasaki's powerful attack, and achieving revenge for last season's heavy defeat!

　Although the rain stopped yesterday, it is cloudy and windy at Ajinomoto. The match started at 16:04 with Kawasaki's kickoff.

A fierce exchange of goals, Cabore and Akamine bring it back to square one

　From the very beginning, a speedy and intense battle unfolded. In the 4th minute, Cabore brought the ball from the post on the right side into the area and took a shot, but it went wide left. In the 7th minute, Nakamura, who had drifted to the right for Kawasaki, made a big cross to the left front line. This perfectly reached Yamagishi, who had moved close to the goal area, ready to shoot. However, Fujiyama quickly covered and deflected it for a corner kick. In the 9th minute, Nagatomo surged up the left side, challenged the Kawasaki defense, and managed to cross. Akamine at the far post attempted to return it, but Cabore in the center couldn't connect. In the 12th minute, Cabore tried to head a cross from Kajiyama on the right but failed to make contact.

　The transition between offense and defense was quick, and both sides made attempts, but even so, they held each other in key defensive areas, resulting in few shooting opportunities. However, in the 19th minute, Sahara committed a foul in the Tokyo area and received a warning. This gave Kawasaki a free kick, and MF Nakamura's kick was dropped by FW Jeong in the area, leading to a floating pass from FW JUNINHO right behind him. FW Jeong reacted immediately, turned, and shot. A sharp goal was scored, and they allowed the first goal by being caught off guard during the set play.

　Still, without rushing, Kajiyama and Nagatomo became the starting point, and the two forwards handled the ball well to counterattack. In the 25th minute, Nagatomo broke through and won a free kick on the left front line. From this free kick, Kurizawa kicked a low ball, and Cabore pushed it into the goal as it bounced in front of the goal! They equalized. However, just after that, in the 26th minute, another free kick was awarded to Kawasaki in the center of Tokyo's territory, and MF Nakamura's kick to the front line was contested between FW JUNINHO and Tokyo's DF, with the loose ball being returned to the front of the goal by FW Zheng on the right area with a ground pass. Tokyo couldn't clear this, and the loose ball was finished by MF Taniguchi... Once again, they lost the lead from a set piece.

　However, Tokyo did not lose their rhythm and launched an attack utilizing the speed of their front line. In the 36th minute, Kurisawa broke free from a feed by Kajiyama to the left front line, connecting with Cabore in front of the goal to Akamine behind him, but was quickly closed down by the Kawasaki defense. In the 42nd minute, the ball stolen by Sahara was passed from Kajiyama to Cabore to Akamine to Kajiyama. Although it was once spilled, Konno regained possession and passed it to the right. Tokunaga's cross flowed to the far side and went out of bounds, but they created an attacking shape by connecting passes directly.

　Then, in the 43rd minute, Kajiyama sent a long ball to the left front from his own half. Nagatomo caught up with it and crossed from the sideline. The ball went over Cabore and Akamine's heads, but Akamine quickly turned to the right, skillfully evading the Kawasaki defenders to shoot! He scored to the left of the goal, bringing the match back to square one and ending the first half.

Otake's first goal gives us the lead, and we achieve a comeback victory with our style of football!

　The second half started with a speedy exchange of attacks. In the 50th minute, Kawasaki MF Ohashi's through pass found FW JUNINHO, who broke through the front line, but Fujiyama stubbornly closed in and prevented the shot. In the 53rd minute, Kawasaki quickly switched from defense to counterattack. MF Nakamura sent a through pass to FW Jeong on the left front line, but Sahara managed to win the race and escape to a throw-in. By suppressing Kawasaki with tight defense, Tokyo gradually took control of the game. They calmly circulated the ball looking for opportunities, and in the 58th minute, from Asari's advance, Kajiama passed to Konno, and finally, Nagatomo, who moved up from the left, took a shot from the middle. However, the shot went wide to the right.

　Kawasaki launched a quick attack, and in the 62nd minute, FW Zheng was evaded by Fujiyama, cutting inside to take a shot, but Shiota made the save. In the 63rd minute, Ohtake was brought on to replace Kurizawa. Then, it was just after that moment. They intercepted Kawasaki's goal kick and connected it to Cabore, who flowed to the left and delivered a cross. Although Kawasaki's DF cleared it once, the ball spilled in front of the area and Kajiyama followed up. Ohtake seized the loose ball from the scramble again, advancing into the right area. A shot aimed with a toe kick, looping through the gap between the DFs, was sucked into the goal. Ohtake, just after coming on, marked a wonderful first goal and succeeded in taking the lead!

　Having completely grasped the rhythm, Tokyo creates a decisive goal from flowing passing work in the 70th minute. In the opponent's territory, Kajiyama and Cabore persistently connect, and next, Konno passes to Cabore and runs forward. Cabore passes to the left-sided Akamine, who then finds Otake in the center. Without hesitation, Otake sends a through ball to Konno, who precisely strikes it into the left corner with a ground shot for the goal! Tokyo's pursuit of "Moving Football" is showcased as they score their fourth goal.

　After that, Kawasaki also focused the ball on forward Zheng and JUNINHO, and the intense offense and defense continued. However, in the 76th minute, from Kawasaki's right corner kick, a header aimed at FW Zheng to FW JUNINHO was saved by Shiota with one hand in the upper left corner. In the 86th minute, FW JUNINHO advanced up the left side and made a sharp shot towards FW Kurotsu, who ran into the middle, but this was also saved well by Shiota, resulting in a corner kick. Shiota concentrated on defense, especially in the defensive line, and the time was up. In the second half, they achieved a thrilling comeback with the soccer they aimed for, winning the Tamagawa Classico and marking their third consecutive league victory.

　【Player Comments】<Otake> "I entered the pitch with instructions to receive the ball, become a starting point, and play tough defense. I was brought on when the score was tied, but I get more fired up in such situations. I played with the intention of scoring myself. The goal was exactly as I aimed, but I was surprised it went in. When I had the ball, I was surrounded by opposing defenders, so I instinctively thought the only option was to go over them. I’m good at lob shots. (About the through pass that led to the 4th goal?) I saw Konno moving forward, so I just had to pass it. I think it wasn’t just about scoring, but also about showing the style of football the team wants to play. Everyone was moving, and it felt just like in practice. With each match, we’re able to play the football we want, and I want to keep this up and win by playing good football. I want to work hard to achieve 4 consecutive wins." <Kajiyama> "We suffered a heavy defeat last season, so today even if we conceded first, we aimed to not collapse and play our usual football. We talked about playing a passionate game at home with many supporters coming out. Kawasaki players always make good passes when given space, so we focused on being strong in one-on-one battles. Although we conceded in the first half, we continued with the team’s plan and I think it led to good attacks in the second half. We want to extend the time we can play football like in the second half. It was a good game in terms of revenge, but we want to improve on the good points and fix the issues so we can build on this."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "Kawasaki's powerful attack starts with solid build-up in midfield, so we approached the game with the mindset of not allowing them to establish their midfield first, to prevent their attackers from moving freely vertically and horizontally. In the first half, there were one or two through passes from MF Nakamura to FW JUNINHO, but other than that, it was mostly set pieces and restarts. I think we hardly allowed anything else. However, conceding two goals from those restarts was a very unpleasant way to concede. If I recall correctly, the first goal was also Kawasaki's first shot. Although we didn't feel pressured in attack, we conceded goals, but without losing heart, we maintained our pace, patiently defended, and when we won the ball, we connected passes properly and moved forward... I believe this persistence led to our four goals. At halftime, I told the players not to lose their balance out of frustration and that we would not change our approach. We made minor defensive adjustments, such as the positioning of Akamine and Cabore, and raised the defensive line a bit, but overall I told them to stick to the plan. I said that if we did so, scoring opportunities would surely come. The fourth goal was a pattern we have been practicing repeatedly this season. It was very good in the sense that we finally realized our aim to score and break down defenses in that way. I think the players took that shot with confidence. I believe it was a goal the team earned together. (Regarding the three consecutive wins) The league has just started, and we still don't have enough time to fully implement what we want to do and the style of attack we want. Of course, that was true today as well, but scoring goals in our own flow gave the players confidence in what they have been building up. From that perspective, today's victory is meaningful. Winning is always pleasing, not just the three consecutive wins, but the greater joy comes from building up and seeing that reflected in results. Moving forward, we want to work hard to create more scenes like today's fourth goal."

　[Summary of Coach Takahata's Press Conference] "In the first half, we were able to score early, but we were caught up and it became a back-and-forth game. I wanted to correct the unpleasant flow in the second half, but we ended up conceding two goals. It was a disappointing result as we were overwhelmed by FC Tokyo's momentum. However, I want to thank the players who gave their all until the end and the supporters who backed them. (There was an impression that the defense was struggling. Did you have trouble dealing with player Nagatomo?) I felt that we were slightly losing in one-on-one situations, so at halftime, I emphasized that we should not lose in one-on-ones and that we should be strong in those situations. We dealt with player Nagatomo by positioning FW Jeong more to the right and having MF Mori support from behind. I don't have the impression that we were caught off guard there."