With a fighting spirit at the forefront, aiming for the first victory at home

　In Sec. 3 of the league, we will face Montedio Yamagata at home. After suffering two consecutive losses since the opening, the players have no hesitation in overcoming the difficult situation, saying, "Let's stay positive." This match is crucial as we aim for results, wanting to secure 3 points with the soccer we aspire to play and regain our confidence. This week, Sahara and Ishikawa, who have fully recovered from injuries and prepared their condition, will start. Hirayama will also be in the starting lineup, and rookie Yonemoto will be on the bench. We hope that these fresh players will invigorate the team and help us find our rhythm.

　Yamagata, which has been promoted to J1 this season, plays freely with a solid defense and sharp counterattacks, which have been well-regarded since their time in J2. They have started the season strong with 1 win and 1 draw. The counterattacks initiated by forwards Furuhashi and Hayato HASEGAWA are sharp, and in addition to MF Kim Byung-seok, who adds an attacking accent, the accuracy of kicks and crosses from MF Miyazawa and DF Ishikawa is also high. The double pivot of Akiba and Ken Sato has abundant stamina, making it a team where everyone can give their best.

　This will be the first matchup since 1999 (J2), but we cannot afford to be on the defensive against Yamagata, who will come at us aggressively. We want to showcase our fighting spirit by returning to our roots and aim for our first victory of the season. A calm and sunny Ajinomoto. The match started at 14:04 with Yamagata's kickoff.

Establish rhythm from defense and create chances from counterattacks

　At the start, Yamagata tried to take control with intense pressing and initiated attacks from the sides. However, Tokyo calmly entered the match and aimed to create rhythm from defense. In the 7th minute, Nagatomo intercepted Yamagata's switch of play. He connected with Hirayama on the left side, and Hirayama sent a low, fast cross in front of the goal. From the resulting right corner kick, Ishikawa's kick was perfectly met by Sahara, who headed the ball, but it was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper's save.

　As time passed, both teams launched quick attacks against each other, creating decisive moments from counterattacks. In the 23rd minute, Yamagata forward Furuhashi became the starting point with a post, passing to midfielder Kim Byung-seok, who ran in from the right for the last pass. He took a decisive shot while free, but it was saved well by Gonda, resulting in a corner kick. Tokyo also launched a counterattack from the opponent's corner kick in the 24th minute, with Kajiwara passing to Ishikawa, allowing Cabore to break free. He faced the goalkeeper one-on-one and took a decisive shot from inside the left area, but it just veered slightly to the right.

　After that, they continued to create chances with powerful attacks. In the 27th minute, Tokunaga dribbled into the right area and made a short pass to Hirayama, who was close to the goal at the near post. Hirayama aimed for the goal but couldn't shoot due to pressure from the DF. In the 28th minute, Hirayama connected a right throw-in, and Konno, who ran in from behind, took a shot but it was blocked by the DF. In the 32nd minute, Kajiyama received a floating pass just in front of the goal area, central position. He aimed for a shot that would catch the opposing GK off guard with his skillful control, but it was saved just barely, resulting in a corner kick. They couldn't break through the solid defense of Yamagata and ended the first half scoreless.

Hanyu's goal becomes the Final Round point! Securing a clean sheet and grabbing 3 points.

　In the second half, at the start, Nagatomo aggressively aimed for the goal from the left side, showing a spirited performance, but was thwarted by a great save from the opposing goalkeeper. In the fast-paced exchange of offense and defense, in the 55th minute, Ishikawa, who had drifted to the left side, applied intense pressure on Yamagata's fullback. After winning the ball, he connected with Nagatomo, who overlapped and surged up the side, moving towards the center. Cabore, with the defender behind him, made a one-touch pass to Hanyu, who was coming up from the right. Hanyu trapped it with one touch and confidently scored with his left foot, securing the long-awaited opening goal!

　In the 62nd minute, Suzuki was brought on for Ishikawa, and in the 69th minute, Kondo was brought on for Cabore. Tokyo wanted to carry the momentum of the opening goal into a second, but mistakes during their attack led to a frantic development. While they did not allow Yamagata to create any clear chances, in the 80th minute, after a interception by Nagatomo, they connected passes in front of the goal, but Suzuki's shot from just outside the area missed the target.

　Both teams began to lose their momentum, but in the 82nd minute, YoneMoto made his professional debut, replacing Hanyu. Yamagata also brought in DF Sonoda to the front line, replacing FW Furuhashi. They went for a power play, but Tokyo's DF responded calmly without panicking. In the 87th minute, KajiYama passed to Suzuki, who broke into the right area and delivered a superb last pass to the center. Hirayama jumped in with his head, but was blocked in the midst of the scramble. In the final stages, there were moments of struggle against Yamagata, who never gave up until the end, but everyone stayed focused on defense and shut down the counterattack. They managed to keep a clean sheet and secured their first victory of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Hanyu》"The goal was the shape we practiced. However, in that moment, I was completely focused. It was a chance that came to me as a result of everyone working hard to connect the play. I believe it was a goal we scored together. This season, we have tried various things from the start, but I may have been too caught up in that and hesitated to show my individuality in the matches. I think we lacked the fundamentals of fighting and winning loose balls before tactics and technique. So today, I wanted to bring that out. We were able to win today, but the place we are aiming for is much higher. Still, if everyone doesn't play with determination, we won't get results. That was the lesson learned today." 《Sahara》"The team had been a bit lacking in energy lately, but we couldn't let it continue like this, so we tried to return to our roots and fight with passion. There were moments when we were attacked by Yamagata, but I don't think there were many dangerous situations. In the end, everyone was able to defend with their bodies. If we could have scored the second goal, it might have made things a bit easier, but right now, we need results more than content. Winning without conceding a goal is a positive outcome."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "The joy of our first victory is half relief. Despite two consecutive losses, many fans came to support us, and I am happy that we were able to meet their expectations. While we needed to prepare for Yamagata, it would be counterproductive to win points by deviating from what we have been doing since last year and what we aim to do this season. First, we tried to stick to what we want to achieve. Not everything went perfectly, but the players made a solid effort. We did not change our approach significantly from the start of this season; rather, we discussed with the players when we should take risks and when we should not during these two matches. The soccer we are challenging this season will not dramatically change from last season, but we aim to position ourselves and define roles that allow us to showcase our members' strengths more effectively. Within that, we reaffirmed 'how to take risks.' I do not think we were perfect in that regard, and while we only scored one goal, we must reflect on the gaps we created. I want to ensure that we address those issues moving forward. Yamagata is a very good team, and I felt they have the strength to compete in J1. They will likely be a tough opponent even in away games, but it is important to connect this victory to the next and return to an even record. We will prepare from tomorrow to give our best in each match of the Nabisco Cup."

　【Summary of Coach Kobayashi's Press Conference】 "Both side midfielders became too defensive. If we could have positioned ourselves a bit higher and involved the side backs to effectively utilize the space on the sides, we could have created situations of 2 against 1. We were unable to do that. One of the reasons was that when Tokyo's player Konno drifted to the left side, our midfield players ended up in a shape where there were two outside, which hindered our attack. Especially in the first half, right midfielder Kim Byung-seok was pulled back, passing and moving forward, while forward Furuhashi was pulled to mark Konno, causing our midfield to collapse. Overall, we were able to defend well in the first half. This was different from Tokyo's previous matches, as they did not attack with many players. Unlike the last two matches, they seemed to have a mindset of managing risks while pushing forward. They entered the match with a solid defense, with a holding midfielder among the four defenders, or three or five remaining, and we couldn't break through that. The goal we conceded came when our legs started to slow down. The opponent's press eased a bit, and just when we said, 'Let's circulate the ball without forcing it,' we allowed a fast counterattack. That was unfortunate. Substituting the side players created some chances, and we also resorted to power play at the end, but we could only do that a few times. It would have been better if we could have simply thrown the ball in more, but it took a bit of time to settle in. Additionally, our attacking variations were limited. From the next match, while continuing to maintain solid defense, we need to think about how to score. Today, overall, the midfield press was quick, and there were easy mistakes there. We were dispossessed just before entering the attack, and we couldn't quite find our rhythm, which is something to reflect on."