Aiming for 3 points with a strong mentality even though we are away!

　In the 7th round of the league, we will face Oita Trinita away. In the previous round against Chiba, we were defeated by a disappointing comeback with 2 points scored in the final moments. Regarding our performance in each situation, there were many opportunities to finish, and coach Jofuku calmly analyzed, "It wasn't a good performance, but it wasn't a losing performance either." In the future, we will have a tough schedule with 5 games in 2 weeks, and coach Jofuku says, "One of our goals is to return to a winning record of at least 5 minutes after finishing the consecutive games. In order to do that, we need to take each game seriously." In this round, even though it's an away game, it's an important match to gain momentum for the consecutive games and aim for 3 points.

　Oita, on the other hand, is currently in 17th place with 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses. FW Takamatsu, DF Uemoto, and MF Roberto CESAR are all out due to injuries, making it a difficult situation. However, at the Kyushu Oil Dome, they have only lost once (against Yamagata in Sec. 5) and have only conceded one goal. Their home strength is still strong, with a stable 3-back led by DF Morishige. In addition, their front line of FW Morishima, Weslley, and MF Kanazaki are all individually strong players. We must be thorough in not allowing them to easily move forward. At the same time, we must be cautious of MF Edmilson's quick transitions and set plays led by MF Suzuki.

　Tokyo has changed its members since the last match. Shigetaka Mori returned to center back and Junya Inoue joined as a defensive midfielder. Mori said, "If we can win against the strong defense of Oita in the first match of consecutive games, it will give us confidence. However, if it becomes a tough game, set pieces can also determine the outcome. Therefore, I want to avoid making careless fouls in dangerous areas. We want to stick to our style of play without being intimidated by playing away." In attack, it will be important to strengthen the center and create numerical superiority on the sides against the strong Oita defenders, and use the open space to make plays.

　Kondo vows, "In the Chiba match, I was able to create chances to shoot. It depends on whether I can score or not. I want to continue to aim for the back of the opponent's DF and break through Oita's strong DF. I want to make the most of my chances and win." This season, there have been no games with 2 or more goals, but coach Jofuku says, "I don't think we can easily score 2 or more goals against Oita, especially away." He also says that we need to first minimize goals against us and then increase our attacking mindset to win! The match started at 19:05 at the chilly Kyushu Oil Dome at night, with Oita's kickoff.

The opponent has become 10 people, and although chances are created, there is no score and it is turned back.

　Both teams cautiously observed each other's movements and entered the game with solid defense. However, it was Oita who took advantage of the gaps and boldly took shots. On the other hand, Tokyo tried to connect passes and create chances. In the 13th minute, Cabore made a run from a left throw-in and Nakano took a shot after bringing the ball inside. The ball was deflected to the right by the opponent's body. In the 18th minute, Tokunaga dribbled up the field from Nakano's side change and crossed, but it was deflected by the opponent's defender.

　At the 20th minute, Kashiwagi's pass found Ishikawa who made a run behind the defense and crossed from the right, with Cabore running in from the opposite side to finish it off. In the 25th minute, they created another decisive scene when Ishikawa dribbled the ball from a counter attack and played a perfect through pass to Cabore who had made a run behind the Oita DF, but Cabore's shot missed the target... In the 29th minute, Kashiwagi was fouled in the center and earned a free kick just outside the box. Kashiwagi took the shot but it narrowly missed to the right.

　At 32 minutes, Oita MF Edmilson received his second warning and was sent off. With Oita down to 10 men, they took control on the right side, with Ishikawa and Tokunaga repeatedly leading the attack. At 38 minutes, Tokunaga sent a low cross from the right. Kondo got in front of the Oita GK and changed the direction of the ball, but it narrowly missed the goal. At 42 minutes, Imakano sent a fast cross to the center, where it fell to the free Cabore, who immediately took a shot, but it went straight to the GK. They were unable to capitalize on the chance, and the first half ended 0-0.

Kajiyama scores a PK just before the end, and manages to secure a victory despite the struggle.

　Tokyo dominated the ball from the start of the second half. In the 51st minute, Kondo took a direct shot from Ishikawa's ground cross, but it went over the frame. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama ran to the left area and took a ground shot, but the GK caught it. Oita left FW Weslley up front and all other players dropped back to defend. Despite their focused defense, Tokyo struggled to break through into the area. They substituted Otake and Akamine for Ishikawa and Kondo in an attempt to change the situation.

　67 minutes, Daichi Otake passes short to the center from a FK, and Kajiyama's shot is fiercely attacked by the GK, but it is saved. In the 68th minute, Sasaki, who was still attacking, headed a left cross, but it went straight to the GK. In the 74th minute, they quickly counterattacked from their own half, and Kajiyama → Cabore cut into the area from the left and took a shot. However, it was blocked by the GK's save, and Nagatomo took a shot from the rebound, but it was also blocked by the Oita GK's great save.

　After that, Suzuki was substituted for Hanyu and launched a wave attack, but was unable to break through the Oita GK's great save. By the 89th minute, the team had shot a record high of 27 shots, but couldn't score and the game seemed to be heading towards a scoreless draw. In stoppage time, Cabore dropped a feed to Sasaki on the front line, and immediately after, Akamine was brought down by the opposing DF in the area, resulting in a PK. Kajiyama kicked a powerful shot into the upper left corner and scored! Despite a close victory, they were able to snatch 3 valuable points away in a dramatic finish.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"I decided to take the PK from the beginning and told everyone. I was able to kick it calmly without feeling nervous because I had been practicing it. The shot and the direction that Oita GK Nishikawa went were the same, but I thought it was okay because I aimed for the corner. I was relieved when the whistle blew for time up right after I scored. (Is this your first goal this season?) I scored the PK, but I still haven't scored in the flow of the game. I want to be able to score from the flow."《Sahara》"Playing against 10 players is always difficult. We knew it would be tough. In last year's game against Kawasaki, we were also down to 10 players but we were able to defend. It's hard to score when the other team is defending deep. That's just how it is. As defenders, we made sure to mark our opponents tightly. We knew that Oita would use FW Weslley as their main attacking threat, so we discussed in detail who would go for the through balls and who would cover. But even though we created so many chances and it was an away game, I didn't think a draw was good enough. I think it was our strong determination that led to the PK. We want to use this victory to continue our momentum in the upcoming games. We're still in a losing position."

　【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】"In the midst of struggling with results, there were many fans who came all the way to support us, and I think it was great to be able to share the joy with them. As for the content of the match, our aim was to be patient at first and then be able to control the ball in the middle of the game, and I think we were able to do that to some extent. The players were conscious of switching from side attacks to counterattacks. However, it is usual for a game to become difficult if we cannot score in the finishing moments or have many missed opportunities. Especially when the opponent is down to 10 players, they tend to defend more clearly, and it became a very frustrating game for us to keep missing chances. At halftime, I reminded the defense that the biggest enemy is to become complacent when the opponent is down to 10 players. I think the defense did a great job of staying focused, which was the biggest reason for our victory today. It was clear that the forward line owed a lot to the defense today. We didn't get attacked much, but I think being able to get 3 points in such a frustrating game where we missed so many chances will lead to the next game."

　[Summary of Oita Chamusca's press conference] "Today was a game where we had to win and get points to improve our ranking. From the start of the game, the team was able to play both defensively and offensively in a solid manner. However, I felt that we needed to improve our passing accuracy, especially in front of the goal. Defensively, we started with a 4-back formation and when we won the ball, we were able to switch to a 3-back formation with the side players moving up. However, when one player was sent off, we had to switch to a complete 4-back formation. In reality, we asked MF Kanazaki to play in two positions in a 4-4-1 formation. Although it was a difficult position, I think he showed stable performance both offensively and defensively. We were also able to create chances by effectively using counterattacks. In terms of transitioning from defense to offense, I think MF Kiyotake and Suzuki showed good movement. However, since MF Takahashi was playing on the side, we were not able to utilize him well when attacking from the center, and as a result, we were vulnerable to attacks from behind. Nevertheless, the players showed their fighting spirit until the very end, but unfortunately, we ended up conceding a penalty and losing the game."