Tokyo Showdown, surpassing Verdy's unity, goals and victory

　In Sec. 22 of the league, we will face Verdy at home, Japan National Stadium. In the previous match against Urawa, we dominated possession but failed to score and suffered a defeat. This match is crucial for us to convert our desired style of play into goals. It will be the fourth encounter of the season in this Tokyo showdown, and we must secure a victory at home to gain momentum.

　Tokyo's Nagatomo and Konno had temporarily left the team for activities with the Japan national team, but this match sees them back in the starting lineup. Kanazawa and Akamine also return to the starting lineup for the first time since the Nabisco Oita match on August 6. Additionally, the attacking positions have changed from before, with Akamine moving to the front line, Cabore on the left, and Emerson on the right, forming a shape close to a three-top formation. The midfield will consist of Konno, Kajiwara, and Hanyu.

　Verdy is currently in 13th place, only 3 points behind Tokyo. The members have changed since the last Tokyo showdown, showing some evolution while enhancing the team's unity and maturity. In attack, they will rely on forwards Hiramoto, Iio, and newly transferred forward Okuro, maintaining balance and attacking with coordinated movements. While it is essential to be cautious of the dynamic forwards, it is also important to properly care for the midfield players, including MF Diego and Fukunishi, who are the source of the ball.

　At the same time, Verdy applies aggressive pressure from the front, so one key point is how to maneuver the ball to the front line while evading that pressure. Coach Jofuku stated, "The way we apply pressure is different from the Verdy of the past, but our ball movement does not change significantly. We aim to connect the play to score goals," and he wants to create rhythm with quick passing and side changes. Additionally, in moments of opportunity, he wants to show momentum and intensity.

　In the three Tokyo battles so far this season, Tokyo has achieved victory every time. This round, Verdy will come with a strong determination of 'absolutely cannot lose.' Whether they can surpass that and bounce back is also a significant point. They aim for goals and victory in a fierce battle. Although the rain is not very heavy, it is pouring at the National. The match started at 18:34 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Initiating soccer typical of Tokyo, taking the lead with Cabore's super goal!

　On a slippery pitch due to the rain, a quick transition between offense and defense continued. Amidst this, they initiated a style of soccer characteristic of Tokyo and found their rhythm. In the 6th minute, they stole the opponent's ball, and Hanyu advanced with a dribble from the left side into the area, taking a shot that went wide. In the 7th minute, from a play by Kajiyama, Konno moved up the right side and delivered a cross. It was a good setup, but was blocked by the opposing defender, resulting in a throw-in. In the 8th minute, they earned a right corner kick from a cross by Nagatomo. Although Hanyu couldn't capitalize on the ground kick, Kajiyama picked up the loose ball and took a shot from distance. In the 13th minute, Cabore passed to Kajiyama, who attacked from the left and dribbled inside. He took a shot from the left side of the area, but couldn't hit the target.

　In the 18th minute, Verdy's MF Diego passed to FW Ooguro, who faced off against Sahara in a one-on-one situation in the left area. Ooguro was about to shoot, but Sahara blocked the attempt. In the 21st minute, Konno, who had suffered a facial injury earlier, started bleeding again and left the pitch for treatment. During his absence, Verdy's left SB Hattori advanced and sent an early cross. The ball was perfectly delivered in front of the goal, and FW Ooguro attempted a diving header, but his close-range shot was saved by Shiota, avoiding a crisis. In the following 23rd minute, Verdy connected passes from the left side, and finally, MF Diego took a shot from the center of the area, but Shiota saved this one as well. Verdy continued to dominate, with Hayakawa and Emerson making dynamic movements, while Konno and Kajiwara alternated pushing forward, creating chances from crosses by Cabore and Nagatomo on the left side.

　In the 25th minute, Konno advanced from the right and passed to Nagatomo on the outside as he entered the area. Nagatomo's cross landed perfectly at the far post for Hanyu. Hanyu couldn't make solid contact, but the ball he returned reached Cabore in the center, but the shot was a miss. Then, Konno picked up the ball in the right area, but the shot went high... They created several scoring opportunities in succession but couldn't convert. However, in the 28th minute, Cabore bravely chased down the ball in his own half, connected with Hanyu in front, and pushed forward. Receiving the return pass, he saw he was free in midfield and took a shot from distance. A stunning shot pierced the net, and it was a goal! Cabore scored a superb goal to take the lead.

　In the 34th minute, we thwarted the opponent's free kick and launched a counterattack. From Konno's dribble, Hanyu followed on the left and delivered a final pass into the left area. Cabore made a run and aimed for a shot with the outside of his left foot, but missed the target. In the 40th minute, we earned a free kick just before the corner of the left area, and Kajiyama aimed directly, but the opponent's GK caught it. We ended the first half with a one-goal lead.

Allowed a comeback while being aggressive, resulting in a painful defeat...

　Aiming for an additional goal, they aggressively attacked in the second half and created chances. Early in the match, Emerson intercepted a pass from Verdy's DF line and passed it to Nagatomo, who advanced on the outside. Nagatomo delivered a cross from a high position, but Cabore and Akamine collided in the center and couldn't finish. However, Akamine persistently chased the loose ball and attempted an overhead shot, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 49th minute, they seized a loose ball in midfield, passing from Cabore to Akamine on the left. Akamine skillfully evaded two approaching DF opponents and passed to Emerson, who had advanced from the right. From there, Kajiwara made a run to meet a floated pass but was caught offside. In the 53rd minute, Nagatomo picked up a rebound from Konno's shot just outside the area and delivered a backward pass from the right area. Akamine took a direct shot in front of the goal, creating a big chance, but it narrowly went to the right...

　Unable to secure an additional goal, in the 54th minute, the ball was stolen in midfield, and Verdy's SB Hattori passed to MF Diego, who made a powerful shot from distance. It hit the post and bounced back, but it was a high-precision, forceful shot that caused a scare. Then in the 61st minute, after Emerson's pass was stolen again by Verdy in their own half, MF Diego passed to the substitute MF Leandro, who made a through pass to the front line. At the same time, FW Ooguro quickly broke behind Tokyo's DF and faced Shiota one-on-one. Ignoring the pursuing Tokyo DF, he scored a goal, equalizing from a mistake...

　It was disappointing to concede a goal after building a good rhythm up to that point, but still, Verdy did not let the pace slip away. In the 63rd minute, Asari was brought on for Emerson to play as a defensive midfielder, while Kajiyama took a more advanced position, aiming for the second goal. In the 65th minute, Shigeno stole the opponent's ball high up the pitch and passed to Cabore. Cabore managed to carry the ball into the left area while competing with DF Tsuchiya and took a shot, but it went wide. In the 71st minute, Kajiyama passed to Hanyu, who surged forward and took a precise shot from just outside the left area. The ball hit the top right corner of the goal but was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 73rd minute, a free kick was earned from the left side. It was cleared by the DF once, but Nagatomo picked up the loose ball and unleashed a powerful shot that shook the net, but forward Konno was ruled offside...

　In the 78th minute, Ishikawa was brought on for Hanyu, but both players showed signs of fatigue afterward, and their activity level dropped, leading to a series of counterattacks. In the 84th minute, Verdy passed the ball around in our half, and we couldn't clear it completely. In the end, Kanazawa's pass reached Verdy DF Hattori, who took a shot from the left area. In the 86th minute, Ishikawa brought the ball in from the right side; it was initially blocked by the opposing DF, but he aimed for the rebound with a looped shot.

　Neither team could score, and it seemed like the match would end in a draw, but during the 3 minutes of stoppage time, the situation changed. Even so, while pushing forward with more players, the ball was taken away, and Verdy's midfielder Diego unleashed a sharp shot from distance. The deflected ball was saved by Shiota, resulting in a corner kick... From this corner, Verdy's defender Nasu was left unmarked and scored with a header, leading to the end of the match. In the final play, they couldn't stop the goal and allowed the opponent to take the lead, suffering a painful defeat in the crucial Tokyo battle that they couldn't afford to lose.

　【Player Comments】Cabore "I think we played very well in the first half, but it's very disappointing that we couldn't win. The opening goal came from me stealing the ball on the left side, receiving a return pass from Hanyu, and then taking a long shot... that was the sequence. I think it was a good shot. This week, I focused on attacking from my left side and aimed for scoring chances, so I'm happy that I was able to finish there. Playing near the left side is comfortable for me because it's a position where I can receive the ball and take on one-on-one situations, utilizing my speed." Konno "At the end, we conceded a counterattack, and due to my mistake, they took a middle-range shot that led to a corner kick, so I feel very frustrated and disappointed. Today, I partnered with Kajiyama, and our approach was that one of us would always mark Verdy's midfielder Diego, and when we attacked, I would move forward and if there was a chance, Kajiyama would also push up. There were moments when I went forward, but I really wanted to score then. If we don't finish in those situations, it becomes difficult at the end. That was also disappointing. As a team, what we lack to score the second goal is not only finishing itself but also the accuracy and quality in the process leading up to the shot. We want to improve that more."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "I am very sorry for making our fans frustrated at home, just like in the previous match. The biggest reason for the defeat was not being able to score the second goal. Even though we created chances, not scoring is my responsibility, and there may be some technical issues on the pitch. There were moments when we shook the net but did not score, which is very frustrating, but still, we should have scored the second goal earlier. Regarding the goals conceded, of course any mistake is regrettable, but both goals were preventable. This includes personal mistakes and a lack of experience. I believe we must deeply learn from this experience. (Cabore often received the ball on the left side?) In practice, we worked on positioning so that Cabore can face forward easily. When he faces forward, he can dribble deep into the opponent's territory, so the aim was to utilize his strengths there. As a team, this is an important weapon for playing soccer in the opponent's half. (Regarding the response to Verdy MF Leandro who came on as a substitute) I expected Verdy to bring on attacking players, including FW Hiramoto, when they went on the attack. Among them, we aimed to form a defensive block and reduce the number of times they could play around MF Diego. I don't think we failed in that. Of course, we understood the characteristics of the Verdy players coming on as substitutes, but first, we prioritized not breaking our block and properly carrying the ball when we had possession. (It has been two months with only one goal scored; do you think a bold move is necessary to break through?) Whether today's move was bold or not depends on the viewer's judgment, but I personally think it was not an ordinary move."

　[Verdy - Coach Hashiratani's Press Conference Summary] "We were able to play a passionate game typical of a derby. And I am very happy to have won for the first time in a while. Although we conceded first, the players showed great patience and did not allow additional goals. We took a chance in the second half and successfully scored the second goal. In the first match, we lost by a comeback at the very end, so this time we are very satisfied to have won by a comeback. In the first half, they effectively created 2-on-2 or 3-on-2 situations on the sides and switched the play again... It felt like we wanted to push forward but they skillfully controlled the game. However, we anticipated that and had a plan to launch counters even within that. Being forced to retreat was within an acceptable range. I instructed the team to defend firmly. In the second half, we brought in MF Leandro to make a difference, so until then we aimed to maintain balance. Also, we tried to use the sides more. I was a bit surprised by Cabore's superb goal, but I accepted it and instructed the team to proceed as if it was 0-0. (Is this the first comeback win this season?) Becoming able to hold on was important, and also, in the previous match against Kashima, we were too weak in one-on-one situations and got beaten, which I thought was a matter of mindset. Being able to hold on in one-on-one situations meant we could bring the match into a close contest. (Why did you place MF Diego on the left side in the second half?) Since Nagatomo pushes forward, the whole team had discussed before the match to create a base there afterward. The instruction was to flow into the opponent’s space with direct play instantly and create a base to bring the ball to the opposite side. Nagatomo is skillful and fast, so it was difficult to do, but as Tokyo pushed forward and both sides opened up, MF Diego used his head well there. I think there was also a discussion with MF Leandro."