Winless in 6 league matches... aiming for 3 points at home

　In Sec. 19 of the league, we will face Yokohama F.Marinos at home. In the previous match against Kyoto, we managed to draw at the last moment. With the one point we earned as a stepping stone, we aim to rise from here in this match. It is also a game where we desperately want a victory at home. This week, Nagatomo and Kajiyama left the team to prepare for the Beijing Olympics. However, Coach Jofuku stated, "Rather than filling the gap they left, I want to find a different plus," and for this match, Kanazawa will be used as a defensive midfielder. At the same time, Konno will also play as a defensive midfielder, with Fujiyama as center-back and Mukuhara as right full-back. Additionally, Akamine, who performed well in the Kyoto match, will start, with Emerson on the right midfield and Hanyu on the left.

　Yokohama FM is currently in 16th place and on a six-match losing streak. Under the new manager Kokichi KIMURA, they have lost two matches in a row without results, both narrowly. In particular, forward Koji YAMASE, who was a key player in the first half of the season, is capable of making decisive plays. It is essential not only to take good care of him but also to pay attention to accurate long balls and high-scoring set plays centered around DF Nakazawa. Maintaining concentration with a compact formation and how long they can continue organized defense is a key point. In attack, they want to finish off with a decisive play after a well-timed setup. Given that Yokohama FM's central defense is solid, they want to create chances by exploiting the spaces on the sides of the three-back formation and between the defensive midfielders and defenders.

　Both teams are in a tough situation with no wins in their last six matches, but they are up against an opponent they lost to 0-3 in the first half of the season. They want to stay strong mentally and seek revenge in this match, which started at 19:04 with a kickoff from Yokohama FM at Ajinomoto, under a cloudy sky despite the harsh heat.

Although they allowed the first goal early on, they equalized with Emerson's skillful goal!

　In the first minute, Yokohama FM launched a counterattack from their offense, and when Cabore was brought down inside the opponent's territory, they earned a free kick. Kanazawa's kick from a leftward position was cleared by the opposing DF. Hanyu, who followed up, attempted a volley shot after a chest trap, but it was caught by the GK. However, in the fourth minute, Yokohama FM's left MF Komiyama shook off Makuhara and delivered a left cross. Although the Tokyo DF cleared it once, the ball reached FW Koji YAMASE just in front of the left area, who aimed for the goal without hesitation, and the shot was directed to FW Oshima. This was neatly kicked in, allowing an early goal to be conceded.

　However, Tokyo did not lose heart and displayed an aggressive attitude. In the 9th minute, Kanazawa passed to Cabore, who dribbled up the left side and passed to Emerson, who ran in from the right. Emerson skillfully trapped the ball near the penalty arc, lifting it over the opposing defender Matsuda. He calmly slotted it past the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation to equalize!

　Both teams continued to launch speedy attacks, and the match progressed at a fast pace. In the 25th minute, from a free kick earned on the right side, Kanazawa took a precise kick towards the goal, but Konno just missed it. In the 32nd minute, following a free kick from Sahara, Akamine broke free in the right area and created a decisive opportunity, but the shot narrowly went to the left. In the midst of a quick transition between offense and defense, chances were created. In the 41st minute, Fujiyama seized a loose ball in his own half and quickly moved it to the left flank. Akamine, who broke free, turned towards the goal and aimed for a direct shot, but it went wide.

　Conversely, in the 42nd minute, FW Sakata, who received a pass just before the left area of Yokohama FM, made a fierce dribble. He brought the ball in front of the goal and was about to shoot, but escaped to a throw-in due to Sahara's sliding tackle. Following that, from a left free kick, FW Koji YAMASE headed the ball, but it went over the bar. In stoppage time, although they cleared a long ball from Yokohama FM once, they were struck by a mid-range shot from Yokohama FM MF Hyodo after the ball spilled. In the latter stages, there were moments when they were pushed back by Yokohama FM's long balls, but they maintained their concentration and defended well, going into halftime with a score of 1 to 1.

Unable to seize the rhythm and mount a counterattack... Struggled to a draw at home

　In the second half, Yokohama FM took control of the pace. Under severe pressure, Tokyo was unable to connect passes even after regaining possession. Conversely, they were pushed back by Yokohama FM's long balls. In the 49th minute, Yokohama FM's FW Koji YAMASE received a pass from the left in midfield and boldly attempted a shot from distance that flew into the bottom right corner, but Shiota made the save! In the 51st minute, this time, Yokohama FM's FW Koji YAMASE, who was free in the center, received a pass from MF Hayato TANAKA on the right side and took a shot from distance. It was off target, but they couldn't keep up with his movement. Tokyo also had a chance in the 55th minute when Fujiyama took a free kick from the right side, and Cabore, who was persistent on the right flank, followed up with a negative last pass from the right area. He sent it into the open space, but neither Emerson nor Kanazawa could capitalize on it.

　In the 59th minute, Tokyo substituted Hayato TANAKA and Ishikawa for Cabore and Emerson. They aimed for an additional goal with the substitutions, but the momentum remained with Yokohama FM. In the 67th minute, Yokohama FM's right MF Hayato TANAKA delivered an early cross on the ground, which was met by FW Sakata. In the 69th minute, Hanyu was fouled after receiving a vertical pass from Hayama, earning a free kick on the left side of the penalty arc. Ishikawa aimed directly, but the ball went over the bar. Ultimately, the only shots Tokyo took in the second half were Ishikawa's direct free kick and a mid-range shot from Hayama in the 74th minute. In the 75th minute, Ohtake was brought in for Kanazawa as a left MF, with Hanyu moving to a defensive midfield position to launch a counterattack, but both teams experienced stretched lines, leading to intense counterattacks.

　In the 79th minute, Ohtake kept the ball on the left front line, inviting Tokunaga to advance, and from Tokunaga's cross, a corner kick was awarded. However, Ohtake's left corner kick was cleared. In the 81st minute, Ishikawa received a pass from the left inside the area, controlled it with his chest, and Akamine broke free in front of the goal. However, he collided with the opposing GK, resulting in a handball foul and a ball for Yokohama FM. In the 84th minute, from Tokunaga's left throw-in, Konno delivered a left cross. Akamine was there at the far post, and it was a great chance, but the opposing GK managed to punch it away.

　In the 88th minute, Yokohama FM earned a free kick on the left side of Tokyo's territory, and Kawai headed the ball from a kick by FW Koji YAMASE. In the 89th minute, they were cut through on the right side of Tokyo, leading to a cross. MF Mizunuma, who capitalized on a rebound from Tokyo's defense, took a decisive shot from the right area, but it went wide. In stoppage time, Ishikawa was fouled while trying to cut off a counterattack from the opponent, earning a free kick from the right side of Yokohama FM's territory. From this, Okatake's kick was met with a header from Konno, but it was blocked by the defense and resulted in a corner kick. While they were helped by a missed shot from Yokohama FM, they could not capitalize on a set piece at the end, finishing the match at 1-1. They narrowly ended in a draw at home.

　【Player Comments】《Emerson》"(About the goal) Whether I’m passing or receiving, I’m always aware of the movements of other players. Today, I thought a pass would come from Cabore, so I started moving accordingly, and just as I expected, a good ball came. I was able to trap it well and calmly finish the shot. It was good to have equalized. However, after that, we couldn’t connect well enough to bring the ball to a finish. In such moments, I think I should have actively taken shots from outside the area to create rhythm. I want to be more conscious of that going forward. If I could play more calmly, maybe we could have achieved better results." 《Kanazawa》"We conceded early and had a tough start. It was good that we quickly equalized, but we couldn’t really control the game at our own pace. There are things to reflect on. Personally, I tried to play with balance in mind. I aimed to get all three points, but it’s disappointing that we couldn’t. The first goal allowed the opponent to gain momentum. Although we managed to equalize afterward, the opponent was able to show their strong attacking points. We had few chances leading up to shots, so I want to increase both the patterns and number of more offensive plays. I think it would have been better if we could have played in a way that posed more threat to the opponent."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "Nearly 30,000 people attended, and I wanted to share the joy of victory with everyone. It's unfortunate that we couldn't do that. I can't proudly say the match was even. There were 2 or 3 shots that could have easily scored against us, and although we weren't completely overwhelmed, Yokohama FM had the upper hand in momentum. The players showed the determination to earn 3 points, and I believe we could have prevented goals after the first one. However, continued mistakes in attack and poor decisions caused us to miss chances, and we couldn't create good opportunities during the flow of the game. Yokohama FM was very focused, and to exploit any gaps, we needed to move the ball more. Regarding whether players performed confidently in various positions, I recognize that some gradually lost confidence in their play. (The intention behind simultaneously bringing on Hirayama and Ishikawa) was to stimulate the team since their physical output was unsatisfactory. I don't know if the substitutions prevented us from taking shots, but I think we failed to carry the ball forward in a way that allowed us to face the opponent positively and compete. Whether this was due to the forwards, midfield, or defensive build-up is something we need to carefully analyze and consider."

　[Yokohama FM - Coach Kimura's Press Conference Summary] "This is my third match as coach, but today the game plan slightly fell apart. The pitch was worse than expected, and not only our players but also Tokyo's players struggled with footing. That led to some dangerous moments, and there were times in midfield when we couldn't circulate the ball as we wanted. In the first 5 to 10 minutes, we applied a power press and chased from the front to create rhythm. After that, the plan was to use the flanks effectively, but due to the pitch condition, we couldn't exploit that. In the second half, the amount of running was less than in the first half; not everything was perfect, but we got used to the pitch. I intended to use some energetic players, but there were many long feeds. However, we did manage to attack down the sides in some parts, and I think we are just one step away from our first win. We had chances, so now it’s about scoring goals. I told the players that conceding one goal is unavoidable. On the other hand, if we don’t score two goals, we can’t win football matches. I’m not thinking about playing to score one goal and defend it. Every opponent attacks, and I don’t think there is much difference in level among the 18 J1 teams. In the last three matches, I have selected players in good condition, and today we played our best game. We maintained our running until the end, and in that regard, I am confident we were superior."