Team united to aim for victory

　In the 32nd round of the league, we will face Vissel Kobe away. In the 5th round of the Emperor's Cup against Niigata, we struggled but managed to achieve a come-from-behind victory, making it our 4th consecutive win in official matches. We cannot afford to lose a single game in order to continue the fight for the championship until the very end. However, coach Jofuku said, "We have been practicing as a team and there is hardly any play where we let our guard down. There are 11 players on the pitch, and 18 including the bench, but all players are preparing without any regrets. That's the most satisfying and encouraging thing," as the team comes together and heads towards victory against Kobe.

　Kobe, who is currently in 8th place, will face them. Although they lost to Tosu in the Emperor's Cup, they have won 5 consecutive games in the league and can be considered the most powerful team at the moment. Each player moves quickly and aims for plays that lead directly to goals. Coach Jofuku also warns that their counter-attacks are one of the best in the J-League. In particular, FW Leandro, FW Yoshida, and MF Yu Okubo have speed and finishing ability to break through the defense, making them a formidable presence. In addition, their quick attacks from the midfield make it a battle where you can't let your guard down for a moment.

　Tokyo, with Japan national team's Nagatomo and Konno joining energetically, and Ishikawa, who was worried about his participation due to injury, also in the starting lineup. The key point of this match will be how well they can play in their own rhythm against Kobe's solid defense, which has conceded a total of 31 goals so far. If they can avoid Kobe's pressing and play a calm game, they should be able to create chances. Kajiyama says, "We want to increase the number of times we support the front line without panicking against Kobe's pressing. If we can connect well and create numerical advantages, we can definitely score goals," sharing the confidence gained in the past few matches.

　Shigeta says, "(In order to aim for the top) we are in a position to chase. Still, this kind of situation will make us grow. Kobe is a tough opponent, but we will fight with even more determination." Show the growth of the team and bet on the upcoming match! The game started at exactly 1:00 pm with Kobe's kickoff at the sunny Home's Stadium Kobe.

Unable to keep up with the rhythm...Allowed one point lead and ended the first half

　In the early stages, the attack and defense continued to go back and forth, but Kobe gradually gained rhythm with their sharp start. Then, in the 15th minute, they were countered by Kobe and MF Leandro took a shot. The shot was blocked by Sasakihara, but MF Tanaka was able to score from the rebound, allowing Kobe to take the lead from a cautious position. This gave Kobe momentum and they continued to attack. In the 23rd minute, Tokyo's Cabore kept the ball in the center and passed it to Ishikawa on the right side, who then crossed it to the center. In front of the goal, Imakawa persisted and the ball fell to Nagatomo, who took a shot but it curved to the left.

　Kobe continues to dominate. Tokyo loses the ball due to mistakes caused by the opponent's pressing, and they are repeatedly hit by sharp counters. FW Leandro and MF Yu OKUBO take consecutive shots, but the defense led by Shioda holds strong and does not allow any additional points. In the 28th minute, Cabore breaks through after a pass exchange with Nagatomo on the left side and crosses the ball. In the 31st minute, Ishikawa receives the ball from Kajiyama on the right side and makes a through pass to Hirayama, who runs behind the defense. Although neither of these chances result in a shot, Tokyo begins to create opportunities.

　36 minutes, Hayashi, who took the ball from the opponent on the left side, quickly moved to the side to Hiraoka. The ball was returned to Hayashi, who had moved up to support, and he shot a middle from the outside of the area, but it went outside the left frame. In the 44th minute, Cabore took the ball from the left side of his own field and passed it to Nagatomo. He brought it to the front line and sent a cross, but it was bounced off by the opponent's DF. However, Hayashi quickly reacted to the loose ball and headed it, but Kobe GK Enomoto caught it. After passing the 40th minute, they brought Cabore, Ishikawa, and Hayashi into their attacking formation, but they couldn't create any decisive scenes. They ended the first half behind by one point.

Cabore's passionate goal equalizes, but ends in a painful draw...

　In the second half, Tokyo actively attacked from the beginning. Shortly after the start, Cabore failed to hit the cross from Ishikawa after a interception by Shige. Furthermore, Hirayama followed up on the loose ball, but was stopped by the Kobe DF. In the 48th minute, Ishikawa took a shot from the loose ball from Hayu's cross, but it went over the frame. They were unable to convert any of their chances into goals. As a result, they were once again troubled by Kobe's sharp counterattacks, and were unable to find their rhythm.

　Still, without giving up, in the 59th minute, Otake was substituted for Ishikawa. In the 60th minute, from Otake's right FK, Tokunaga headed the ball back to the far side. Hirayama received the ball with his chest, but couldn't take a shot. After that, Suzuki and Akamine were substituted, chasing after one goal. In the 78th minute, Kajiyama's through pass found Cabore, who broke through the front line and faced the GK in a one-on-one situation. It was a decisive moment, but the shot was saved by the GK and no goal was scored.

　At 79 minutes, Nagatomo gets a left corner kick from a cross. Although the opponent's defense clears it once, Kajiyama picks up the loose ball from the corner and takes a shot with his right foot from outside the area. However, it goes over the goal. In the following minutes, they create multiple chances and at 83 minutes, Cabore calmly enters the area and scores the equalizer from the ball dropped by Akamine in the center. After that, both teams continue to fiercely attack, including 5 minutes of added time. They show a passionate battle and Kobe's strong attack is defended by everyone's concentration, but they are unable to score a second goal. ...It ends in a painful draw.

　【Player Comments】《Cabore》"Of course, it was a game we wanted to win, but looking back calmly, it was good that we were able to get 1 point by drawing away from home when we were losing 0-1. Today, we entered the game with high motivation as we were 3 points behind the top team Kashima, but unfortunately, this was the result. It's a difficult situation, but it's still possible to break into the top ranks, so I want to approach the next game with a high level of awareness. We conceded a goal in the first half, but we made a lot of mistakes and couldn't play well. On the contrary, I think it was good that we only conceded one goal. In the second half, Tokyo's rhythm improved and we were able to catch up, but if we break our rhythm due to mistakes in the first half, it's difficult to get good results in the late stages of the league. (What about the goal?) Before the goal, I had a great chance to score one-on-one with the opponent's goalkeeper, but unfortunately, he stopped my shot. So I was thinking that I would definitely score next time. It was good that I was able to score after receiving a good pass from Shingo Akamine. Next is the final home game. We played against Niigata in the Emperor's Cup the other day, and they are a very strong team. I want to train for a week to get 3 points in this game."《Nagatomo》"Kobe's players came forward more aggressively than we expected and their counterattacks were fast, so it was a tough game. It was good that we were able to hold on to a draw from there. In today's game, we only focused on winning. Unfortunately, we ended up with a disappointing draw, but we still have 2 games left, so we want to reflect on today's game and make corrections. Personally, I didn't do anything today. I wanted to be more involved in decisive plays and be more aggressive. In the last 2 games, I want to accept today's result and switch gears to approach the game. It's also the final home game, so I want to play a hot game and make the people who came think "I'm glad I came"."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "Kobe, who has won 5 consecutive games, is indeed a good team and it was a very tough battle in both offense and defense. We knew it would be like this, but we had to continue to earn 3 points in every remaining game, so it's very disappointing that we could only earn 1 point regardless of the content. The players, the supporters who came from Tokyo, and all the supporters who supported us in Tokyo were all hoping for 3 points, so I am filled with regret. As for the content, we were behind in the midfield marking at the beginning and we couldn't take advantage of the opponent's top player pulling back, and they were able to take several shots from there. The goal we conceded was a quick counter, but I don't think the situation was good. Towards the end of the first half, we started to calm down a bit and were able to do what we wanted to do. In the second half, we were attacking, but there were technical and judgment mistakes before the shot, and we couldn't create any decisive scenes leading to a shot. So, while gradually changing the members and the system, I conveyed the desire to score to everyone. It was good that we scored one goal, but I think it was a little too late. (The gap with the top widened?) Today's game was the same, but we just focus on the game in front of us rather than looking at other teams. We want to pour everything into accumulating 3 points in each and every game."

　[Kobe Matsuda's press conference summary] "It's very disappointing that our winning streak has ended. In the beginning of the game, we were able to play according to our plan and exploit the opponent's weaknesses. However, one goal was not enough. If we had scored a second goal... Even after being caught up, we had several chances. In order to improve our ranking, we need more goals. It's a shame. However, the players gave their all until the end. I think that's amazing."