We want to aggressively fight at home and end the consecutive games with a victory.

　In the 12th round of the league, Kashiwa Reysol will face off against their opponent at home. In the previous round, as coach Jofuku reflected, "we became too passive" and struggled against Nagoya's intense pressure. In this round, as coach Jofuku plans, "we will be aggressive in both attack and defense" and aim to end the 5-game stretch with a victory at home.

　However, Nagatomo injured his right arm. Kurisawa also felt discomfort in his left calf and both will be absent. On the other hand, Kajiyama returns from suspension and will play as left fullback this round, with Shonan as center back, Fujiyama as right back, and Asari in the central position. Nakano and Kajiyama will form the midfield with Hayashi joining in, and Mukuhara will make his first appearance of the season.

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, is currently in 7th place with 5 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses. In the last 2 matches, they have won against Chiba and Kobe, and can be said to be on a roll. In particular, they have struggled against intense pressing from the front line in the past. Looking back at their past matches, they are currently on a 4-game losing streak. Their last victory was in May 2004 (9th league match, 29th Nabisco Cup), and they have only won once at Ajinomoto since March 22, 2003. This match will be a test to see if they can overcome their weaknesses and find their rhythm.

　Kashiwa has scored 3 out of 4 goals in the last 2 games from set plays. It is important to stay focused and not lose your mark during set plays when MF Alex and FW Popo are taking the kick, but it is also important to avoid careless fouls if possible. In addition, Kashiwa's side MF Ota and FW Suganuma have speed and it is important to finish strong in order to avoid quick counterattacks. Let's play aggressively on both offense and defense and aim for a victory at home!

　Unfortunately, the game started at 4:05 PM in Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium, with chilly weather and rain.

Despite the fast-paced offense and defense, the first half ended scoreless for both teams.

　In the first half, Kashiwa's speedy counterattacks caused trouble. In the 6th minute, from Kashiwa's throw-in, right back Kurakawa sent a long pass to the front line, where MF Kanno was able to break through the defense. However, the shot missed and Tokyo quickly switched to their own attack. In the 7th minute, they earned a corner kick on the right side and from Hanyu's kick, Kajiyama headed the ball towards the far post, but it went over the bar. In the 12th minute, they started an attack from their own half after Inano's interception, with Kajiyama and Inano moving up on the right side. In the end, Hanyu was able to steal the corner kick from the cross, but they were unable to bring it to the goal from the short corner.

　24 minutes, the ball was taken away from the ball that was trying to clear in their own field, and Kashiwa FW Popo quickly to right MF Ota. MF Ota rushed into the area at high speed and was given a minus pass to MF Alex in front of the goal, but the shot went over the bar. Helped by the mistake, Tokyo also maintained their balance and gradually controlled the ball. Kajiyama spread the pass and tried to attack with Cabore in the front line. However, they were unable to create a decisive chance.

　At 34 minutes, Tokunaga's right cross, Cabore in front of the goal, followed by Akamine competing, but couldn't take the shot. At 35 minutes, Kashiwa MF Ota made a fierce run into the right area, cut back the Tokyo DF and took a shot, but Shioda made a great save. At 38 minutes, from a throw-in in Kashiwa's half, Cabore competed on the side and Akamine chased after the ball that spilled into the center and took a shot, but the GK caught it. At 41 minutes, Kajiyama received Akamine's return pass and kept it in front of the area, then aimed for the goal with a loop, but it curved to the left and the first half ended with a 0-0 tie.

16 shots but no goals...first consecutive loss of the season

　In the second half, Tokyo took control from the beginning. Shortly after the start, Kajiyama took a precise shot from the midfield. The ball was saved by the GK, but no one was able to follow up. Still, until around the 60-minute mark, they didn't allow Kashiwa to take any shots. Kajiyama created opportunities, sending crosses to the front line from Kanazawa's interception and Imakawa's attacking runs. In the 48th minute, Cabore broke through from the right side, causing a corner kick with Kashiwa's DF sliding. The ball was kicked out by Hayashi, and Kanazawa took a shot from outside the left area, but it was blocked by Kashiwa's DF. In the 51st minute, Redmine picked up the loose ball from Cabore's right cross and crossed from the left area. Kashiwa's DF cleared it, resulting in a right corner kick.

　However, they were unable to take advantage of their set piece opportunities. In the 59th minute, Kanazawa intercepted the opponent's pass and attacked, passing to Kajiyama in the center. Kajiyama's attempted shot hit the opponent and resulted in a corner kick. Immediately after, Ohata was substituted for Hanyu. On Ohata's left corner kick, Imano headed the ball but it narrowly missed the goal... In the 65th minute, Ohata received a pass from the right with his back to the goal. He cut inside and turned towards the goal to take a shot, but it was caught by the GK.

　In the 68th minute, Kondo was substituted for Asari on the right side, with Konno and Kajiyama in a double pivot. Otake played as an attacking midfielder, with Akamine on the left and Konno providing support, in an attempt to take the lead. However, in the 74th minute, they gave away three consecutive corner kicks to Kashiwa, and in the end, Shioda punched away Popo's left corner kick. However, the ball fell to Kashiwa's midfielder Ohtani, who scored with his right foot, resulting in a goal... They were unable to defend against Kashiwa's set pieces, which they had been wary of.

　Substituted Hirayama for Akamine in the 78th minute. They launched a fierce attack against Kashiwa, who were defending deep. In the 79th minute, Kondo and the opposing DF competed for Inano's left cross, and Hirayama was in a shooting position after the ball fell to the right area. However, it did not hit due to Kashiwa's DF closing in... In the 82nd minute, Kanazawa entered the left area from Cabore's post and crossed in front of the goal. Hirayama in the center dropped the ball at his feet, but there was no follow-up. In the 83rd minute, they earned a left corner kick, but Otake's kick was cleared by Kashiwa. In the 84th minute, Kashiwa's DF Koga hit his head while jumping with Inano in the midfield, and the game was interrupted.

　After that, the game was resumed, but there were still 6 minutes of stoppage time left to catch up with the tie. At this point, they got a corner kick and Tokunaga headed in Otake's left corner kick perfectly. Then, Otake took a shot in the area from a right throw-in, but both were blocked by the Kashiwa DF. Despite taking a total of 16 shots in the first and second half, they were far from scoring a "goal" and suffered their first consecutive loss of the season with a disappointing defeat at home.

　【Player Comments】《Shioda》"The goal we conceded was due to a combination of various factors, but it was my mistake. We weren't being broken down until then, and as the captain, it's unacceptable to be the cause of a goal. However, there's no time to hang our heads. It's important to switch our focus to the game against Iwata."《Kanazawa》"I think the difference showed in the tough moments at the end. The players who played in the game need to take responsibility and fight. Everyone needs to be aware that winning is the most important thing. We can't afford to lose three games in a row. It's an away game, but we want to break the negative trend of not scoring and get three points in the game against Iwata."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We were troubled by Kashiwa's sharp counterattacks a few times, but I think we were able to play equally or even better at certain times during the game. However, we cannot win without scoring goals. In the penalty area leading up to the final goal, I think the opponent's defensive spirit was stronger. As for the goal we conceded, we need to review it again as we don't know the details leading up to the corner kick, but there are always multiple reasons for conceding a goal. In the corner kick situation, the goalkeeper punched the ball and there was a free player... Of course, the opponent's shot was good, but we conceded because of our own mistakes, and we have to accept that. (On Hirayama's substitution) He was able to carry the ball up to the goal and in a slippery situation where mistakes are likely to happen, I also expected him to have the finishing touch in the penalty area. (Despite dominating for two games, you couldn't win?) Today was particularly slippery, so it was difficult to carry the ball without making technical mistakes. However, we need to create more opportunities by breaking through the middle and then expanding to the outside, or by showing the option of shooting and then coming up with a different idea. We are keenly aware that we need to increase the quantity and quality of these attempts."

　[Kashiwa Ishizaki's press conference summary] "The players did their best in a tough battle with only 2-3 days of rest during Golden Week. We had many injured players, but those who played took responsibility and fought hard. I think that's what led to today's 1-0 result. However, we still have a problem with creating chances and moving the ball well in the attack. We have one week until the next game, so we want to try again. It was a tough match, but I'm glad we won thanks to the players' efforts. (Did you endure without changing players even though the opponent was controlling the pace for a long time?) Tokyo brought in big players like Hirayama and Kondo, but we didn't have many players to substitute. MF Sugiyama is still recovering from an injury and has limited playing time. However, we were able to maintain our defensive rhythm. We didn't want to disrupt the rhythm by making too many substitutions, so we endured it to some extent. Due to DF Koga's injury, we moved MF Sugiyama to defensive midfield and put MF Kamata back, but our defensive line stayed focused and did well in picking up loose balls."