Shut down Oita's momentum and break their solid defense to win at Ajinomoto!

　In Sec. 9 of the league, we will face Oita Trinita at home. In the previous match against Shimizu, we lost due to a single goal from a set piece. Therefore, this match is crucial as we want to avoid consecutive losses and secure a victory at Ajinomoto. The lineup sees Shigenobu starting for the first time in five league matches. Kurizawa will be in midfield, while Kanazawa will play as a defensive midfielder, with Kajiyama in central midfield and Konno on the right. Coach Jofuku explained, "Condition is one reason due to the consecutive matches, but we have chosen the members to win against Oita."

　Oita currently has 3 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses. They are in 9th place, but the point difference with Tokyo is 3, and depending on the results of this match, they could be overtaken. Although they are missing key players like FW Takamatsu and Weslley due to injuries, they won the last match by keeping Yokohama FM scoreless. Coach Jofuku expressed caution, stating, "The absence of key players like FW Takamatsu and Weslley creates a sense of crisis, and their strong mentality is leading to good results." In particular, the three-back defense is tall and strong, and they transition quickly between offense and defense. They want to break down Oita's defense, which, like Shimizu, builds a block to defend, and score a goal.

　At the same time, when Oita creates a starting point on the side, there are sharp runs from MF Suzuki's cross to MF Nemoto and FW Kanazaki. In response, Tokyo wants to take control on the side. In the first half against Shimizu, they were pushed back and struggled to advance the full-backs, but they want to regain possession with coordinated pressing and launch quick counterattacks. Additionally, attention is needed for the fast breaks initiated by Oita's holding midfielders Roberto CESAR and Edmilson, who connect precise passes and strike quickly. FW Matsuhashi and other forwards have both stamina and speed, so they aim for victory with an aggressive approach that surpasses their momentum without losing in terms of physicality.

　The match started at 16:04 with a kickoff from Tokyo at Ajinomoto, under a calm and sunny sky. The weather was such that one could feel the heat with just a little movement.

Kurizawa's corner kick was dropped by Sahara, and Akamine scored a powerful goal to take the lead!

　Both teams entered the match with focus, leading to a cautious start. Tokyo's attack was thwarted by Oita, who managed to defend in front of the goal after escaping a set piece. In the 3rd minute, Kurizawa's right corner kick was chest-controlled by Konno at the far post, and a shot was taken from the left area, but it went over the bar. In the 5th minute, a free kick from the left side led to a corner kick, but Oita cleared it. In the 11th minute, Oita's midfielder Suzuki intercepted a pass in Tokyo's half and launched a counterattack. He dribbled forward and took a shot from distance, but it went well wide. In the 13th minute, a play from Kajiwara to Cabore led to Tokunaga holding on the right side, earning a corner kick. In the 14th minute, Kurizawa took this right corner kick, and Sahara headed it down in front of the goal, which Akamine struck directly with his left foot, scoring a magnificent opening goal!

　After that, they tried to take control by connecting passes, but Oita launched sharp counterattacks from their solid defense, resulting in a back-and-forth battle. In the 25th minute, Cabore received a feed from Shiota, dropped it, and exchanged passes with Akamine to break into the area. He collided with the goalkeeper and fell, but there was no foul by Oita. In the 28th minute, a switch from Oita's DF Uemoto perfectly reached MF Suzuki on the left front line. MF Suzuki cut back past Tokyo's DF and moved inside to shoot. In the 29th minute, Tokyo had a similar opportunity, with Akamine receiving a long pass from Sahara just in front of the left area and managing to shoot, but both attempts went wide of the target.

　In the 32nd minute, Cabore was fouled on the left side and earned a free kick, but Kurizawa's kick hit the crossbar... From the rebound, Cabore and Kajiyama took shots, but they were blocked by Oita's defense. In the 33rd minute, Oita also made an attack from the right side, and forward Matsuhashi turned and took a decisive shot in front of the goal, but it went wide, avoiding a crisis. Towards the end of the first half, Tokyo controlled the ball, but in the 44th minute, Akamine's header from Nagatomo's left cross just missed the target. They couldn't secure an additional goal and went into halftime with a one-goal lead.

Calmly fighting through a hectic development and achieving victory without conceding a goal

　In the second half, they attacked by exploiting the gaps behind Oita's DF. In the 49th minute, Kajiyama aimed for the space behind Oita's DF and sent a long pass to the front line. Cabore started to run towards it, but was cleared by the opponent's goalkeeper's quick advance. In the 53rd minute, Akamine received a pass, and Konno sent a cross from the left to Nagatomo, who had moved up. He delivered a low trajectory ball, but the opponent's DF cleared it. In the 55th minute, Akamine, positioned in front of Cabore, reacted to a pass sent by Cabore with a header. He aimed for the goal as he turned, but the ball went over. In the 56th minute, Cabore was fouled in the center of the opponent's territory, earning a free kick. Kajiyama aimed directly at the goal, but it curved to the left.

　Although there was some movement, there was a continued period where they couldn't get a shot off against Oita's solid defense. In the 59th minute, they substituted Kurisawa for Otake, aiming for the second goal. However, gradually both teams' lines began to stretch, leading to a rapid exchange of offense and defense. In the 62nd minute, Kanazawa passed to Cabore, who sprinted through the center. He was fouled just before the area, earning a free kick. Tokunaga aimed directly at the goal, but was blocked by Oita's defensive wall. In the 67th minute, Oita's midfielder Suzuki delivered an early cross, and substitute FW Maeda made a dive but just missed it. Following that, they launched a quick counterattack, with FW Kanazaki taking a shot from distance. It was powerful but went over the bar. Although they were aided by Oita's mistakes, both teams managed to control key areas and did not create any clear scoring opportunities.

　In the 71st minute, Otake intercepted a pass from Oita in the midfield and made a through pass to the front line. Cabore, utilizing his speed, found himself one-on-one with the GK, but the Oita GK saved it with one foot... Both teams launched quick attacks with long balls, leading to a frantic development. In the 72nd minute, Asari was brought in for Kanazawa at the bottom of the midfield, with Kajiyama on the right and Konno on the left. With this, Tokyo regained composure and responded well to Oita's counterattacks. In the 83rd minute, Oita also brought in FW Ichihara for DF Uemoto to strengthen their front line in search of an equalizer. Immediately after the substitution, FW Ichihara received a pass from MF Roberto on the left side, cut into the area, and took a shot, but Shiota made the save.

　In the 87th minute, Cabore advanced with speed after intercepting a pass from Konno, but was brought down just outside the area. In this play, Oita defender Morishige received his second warning, leaving Oita with 10 men. However, Otake's direct free kick was blocked by the defensive wall. As the ball spilled out, Asari connected it, and Otake distributed it to the right. Konno attempted a header from Tokunaga's cross but hit the post... They couldn't secure a second goal, but in stoppage time, Oita forward Maeda received his second warning for rough play. While Oita had their second player sent off, they calmly fought through and shut down the counterattack. They won 1-0.

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"I absolutely did not want to have a losing streak. I scored a goal, but the most important thing is that the team won. I'm glad we got results at home. The goal came from a perfect cross from player Sahara. I didn't think about the course; I just decided to kick it with all my strength. If I had scored a second goal today, it would have made things easier for the team. I need to focus a little more and finish. I believe if I don't deliver results when given playing opportunities, there won't be a next time. The competition for the forward position within the team is fierce, so I will give my all in daily practice to win that competition." 《Moniwa》"Since I was given the chance to play, I entered the match with the determination to definitely make the most of it. Keeping a clean sheet is a confidence boost for both myself and the team. Oita's attack has strengths no matter who comes out, so we defended not just individually but as a whole team to prevent them from showing those strengths. There were some dangerous scenes in the first half, but I discussed with player Sahara and made adjustments for the second half. Sahara and I understood each other's characteristics, and our combination worked well. Until last year, Tokyo often lost to lower-ranked teams but played well against top teams. Moving forward, I think we need to play good matches against top teams while avoiding dropping points against lower-ranked teams; otherwise, we can't maintain our current position. I received courage and motivation from the Moniwa calls from the supporters. I want to repay their support by delivering solid results on the pitch."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "Oita's defense is tenacious and solid, so I thought it would be difficult to score. In the first half, we positioned the midfield wide to stretch the opponent, but perhaps we focused too much on that, and the distance between players was too far, so the ball didn't move well. The defense did not collapse, but when the opponent had the ball, the players at the back pushed out, and it would have been better to apply a bit more pressure. Because of that and the distance between the midfield players, the ball circulation was poor, so we made adjustments in the second half, bringing the players closer to each other to improve ball movement. Also, when the ball reached the top, we instructed support players to be in positions where they could receive a one-touch drop and then switch the play. However, the challenge was that there were only a few scenes where the switch was triggered leading to a shot or just before a shot. Still, keeping a clean sheet was an achievement. We want to continue focused defense. (Regarding Akamine) I don't think it was an easy goal. He reacted well and made solid contact with the ball. However, not only him but also the team had many moments when, after transitioning from opponent possession to our possession, the most space should have been available. Due to control mistakes and pass errors to Cabore and Akamine, there were many times when we couldn't establish rhythm. That is a challenge for him personally and for the team."

　【Summary of the press conference by Oita's coach CHAMUSCA】 "In the last match, we achieved a good result, and we wanted to ride that wave. We came into the away game aiming for consecutive wins, but the opposing team was strong, and things didn't go well. As a team policy, we obviously fight to win every game. However, the game content was not effective. We couldn't keep the ball in the front line, and we couldn't create effective attacks in our ball movement. The game turned out to be far from the level we have been performing at. Additionally, the goals we conceded came from set pieces. Unfortunately, in today's game, our defense at that stage did not function well. I believe that was what decided the outcome. After falling behind, we ended up being countered instead of executing the counterattacks we wanted to do. The opponent pulled back once and effectively exploited the space behind our defense. When you fall behind, that kind of situation arises."