Aim for consecutive victories as a team

　In the 4th round of the league, we will face Júbilo Iwata away. In the Nabisco match against Kobe, we faced it with a fresh lineup and in a battle where we were strongly conscious of defense, we held the opponent's attack to zero points and won by a close 1-0. Coach Shirofuku said, "We will use this battle as a foundation and build on it to get closer to 3 points. First, we will return our league record to 50-50 and then take on new challenges." He also vowed to fight for 3 points even away from home today.

　Iwata, who are currently in 18th place. They conceded 6 goals in the opening match against Yamagata and 4 goals in the 2nd match against G Osaka, but they have been thoroughly focused on improving their defense and have managed to keep a clean sheet in both matches of the Nabisco Cup. For Tokyo, the key will be whether they can patiently and persistently attack from the sides against the opponent's defense, which will likely be compact in the center. In addition, while their scoring may be low, they need to be wary of the front line duo of FW Elsinho and Maeda. It will be important to concentrate on marking these two players and not allowing them to play freely.

　Tokyo, with Nagatomo returning to the starting lineup after conditioning with the Japan national team, will face the same lineup as the Kobe match. Otake said, "If it becomes a tight game, set pieces will be key on both offense and defense. I want to kick a good ball and score soon. Of course, I will aim to attack towards the goal even in the flow of the game, and I think I have to live up to expectations on the defensive side in order to continue starting. It makes a big difference whether we end this round with 1 win and 3 losses or 2 wins and 2 losses. In that sense, it is a very important match. I want to do my best to show the determination to bet on each game in my play." In addition, Bruno QUADROS has made the starting lineup for the first time since the opening match.

　Asari said, "It's important to add a plus alpha to the Kobe game and see how many goals we can score by moving the ball and people. Personally, I want to focus on defense, but also come up with ways to increase possession as a team and be creative in our movements. If we lose to Kobe, there won't be a tomorrow for me, and if we lose today, there won't be a next time. I want to express that strong feeling on the pitch and compete." He vows to produce results and move on to the next game with a sense of crisis. It is expected to be a tough battle as both teams want to use this game as a turning point. The match started at 19:04 at the rainy Yamaha Stadium, with Iwata kicking off.

The first half ended in a 0-0 tie, with a great save by Gonda.

　Immediately after the start, it becomes a pinch. Iwata FW Julian sneaks behind Tokyo DF and shoots freely from inside the area, but Kanda saves it by throwing his body! It was a decisive moment, but they didn't allow a goal. Tokyo regains their composure and creates a chance. In the 3rd minute, Otake takes a left corner kick and Akamine heads it from the far side. From here, Otake connects with Hayashi and crosses it in, but the goalkeeper punches it away. In the 9th minute, Tokunaga attacks from the right after Kajiyama in the center, Hayashi, and Otake. Cabore jumps in near the goal, but the ball floats away.

　Both teams have a strong defensive awareness and fiercely compete for the ball. In particular, Tokyo dominates possession and passes well in the midfield, but struggles to create scoring opportunities against Iwata's compact defense. On the other hand, Iwata counters and puts pressure on Tokyo's defense. In the 19th minute, Imakano heads a left corner kick from Otake, but the shot goes wide. Tokyo manages to threaten the opponent's goal from set pieces, but fails to convert any clear chances.

　At 34 minutes, Iwata's right MF Ota sends a high pass to the front line. Sasaki clears it, but the ball goes to MF Yamamoto who has advanced into the area... He takes a free shot from directly in front of the goal, but Gonda blocks it and prevents the goal. Just before the end of the first half, Maeda takes a perfect diving header, but it goes outside the frame. Thanks to Gonda's great save and the opponent's mistake, the game remains 0-0 and will continue into the second half.

Red Mine's goal, which demonstrated their strength, earns them 3 points.

　The second half continues with a battle for the ball. Tokyo calmly passes the ball around, looking for a chance, but they are unable to take a shot. In this deadlock, Tokyo makes the first move. In the 65th minute, Ishikawa is substituted for Otake, and in the 71st minute, Cabore is substituted for Suzuki. They aim to score with a wide position. In the 70th minute, Iwata substitutes FW Banji for FW Eusinho, who had been the starting point for chances. This gives Tokyo a chance to find their rhythm with speedy attacks, but they are unable to break through. They are unable to overcome Iwata's counterattacks.

　However, in the 82nd minute, Tokunaga on the right side sends an early cross. Akamine competes with the opponent DF in the center of the opponent's field. Suzuki connects the loose ball short and Akamine, who cleverly turned the opponent DF, advances with a dribble. He sees the movement of the GK and takes a precise shot that pierces the goal net! He secures the one chance and scores against Iwata for the third consecutive season. Regaining momentum, in the following 83rd minute, Ishikawa leaves two opponents behind on the right side and dribbles up the center. He takes a powerful left-footed shot from outside the area, but the opponent GK makes a great save and it becomes a corner kick.

　The opponent's attack, which had launched a counterattack, was met with pressure from a high position, and the ball that was thrown into the goal area was safely bounced back, preventing any chances. In the end, this valuable goal became the winning point, and the defense kept Iwata's attack from scoring, leading to the final whistle. Despite being away, they were able to secure a very valuable 3 points.

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"I don't think our performance was good. But it's good that we were able to get a result. If we had more crosses from the side and through passes that we challenged, I think we could have created more chances... However, even when the ball didn't come to the front line, I didn't panic or get frustrated. It's a time where patience is necessary. I think we are trying to play in that way. The goal was scored because Tatsuya (Suzuki) gave me a well-timed pass. I was able to dodge the DF nicely and had time to see the GK. Nokatsu (Nohara) aimed for the opposite direction where the weight was put. There's nothing special about the Iwata match or Yamaha Stadium. I'm not conscious of it... (There's also the expectation that "if Akamine scores, we won't lose") I want to do my best to live up to that expectation. We can't afford to lose at home next time. I'll do my best to score again."《Gonda》"(There was a pinch at the beginning, but you stopped it with your face?) I didn't expect it to come so suddenly. I couldn't get my face in time, so I stopped it with my throat (bitter smile). (Did you get on that play?) I don't know if I got on it, but I was determined. Especially, I didn't want MF (Yamamoto) Yasuhiro to score. After that, Yasuhiro said to me, "Why did you stop it! It would have been my first goal if it went in" (laughs). There were a few dangerous situations today, but I think the DF stopped them more often. We couldn't attack because we couldn't hold onto the ball, and the sides were lacking. The balance when attacking was bad, and there was a risk, but everyone was focused at the end. (The coach said "thanks to Gon-chan") It's not good for the GK to stand out all the time, but if it's once in a while... If my save can bring the team together and contribute to a victory, I'm happy. (How about your injured left shoulder?) It hurts, but I think the pain will go away in two days. It was unnecessary to get injured from a foul, but I think it was a situation where I had to jump out no matter what."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We had been losing since the opening, so we came into today's game with a strong desire to win and return to Ajinomoto with 5 points. The players also played with a strong determination to meet the expectations of the fans who came all the way in the rain. However, we knew that the opponent would have a strong block in the first half, but we kept going inside for the finish. There were some moments where we were able to break through by patiently passing the ball and using the outside, but we also lost the ball by going inside too much and were countered by using the wide areas. Thanks to Konda who prevented several decisive scenes, we were able to end the first half with a 0-0 draw, which was also a bit of luck for us. In the second half, we came in with a strong awareness of breaking through to the wide areas, but Cabore was having trouble finding his space to move, so we made some changes including player substitutions and positioning. The players who came in later fulfilled their tasks, and we were able to bring the pace closer. In any case, I am relieved that we were able to meet the expectations of the fans."

　[Iwata・Yanagishita Coach's Press Conference Summary] "In this bad weather, many supporters have been cheering for us, and I feel that it was a game where we absolutely had to take 3 points. It's frustrating that we couldn't do that, and I feel sorry for the supporters. As for the game, our defense has been stable in the last 2-3 games, and we have been able to create chances in our attacks, so the players are gaining confidence. I thought we could continue in that way for this game as well. In fact, we created several decisive chances in the first half, and there weren't many dangerous situations for us, so I don't think the team is in a bad state. However, not being able to take 3 points and having 3 consecutive games with no goals is worrying because it may affect the players' confidence. We have a solid formation, so if we continue like this, we will definitely score. We want to continue training and recover mentally and physically as soon as possible to prepare for the next game."