Aiming for 3 points with strong determination, even as the away team!

　In Sec. 7 of the league, we will face Oita Trinita away. In the previous match against Chiba, we suffered a frustrating comeback loss after conceding two goals just before the end. Regarding the plays in each situation, there were several moments where we could have finished, and Coach Jofuku calmly analyzed, "While it can't be said to be good, it wasn't a performance that deserved to lose." Moving forward, we have a tough schedule with five matches in two weeks, and "one goal is to return to a performance of five points or more after the consecutive matches. To achieve that, we need to take each game seriously," he said. Although this match is away, we want to secure three points to build momentum for the consecutive matches.

　Oita is currently in 17th place with 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses. With FW Takamatsu, DF Uemoto, and MF Roberto CESAR all injured and unable to play, they are in a difficult situation. However, at the Kyushu Oil Dome, they have only lost once, including the Nabisco Cup (Sec. 5 against Yamagata), and have conceded only 1 goal. Their strength at home remains intact, and the three-back defense led by DF Morishige shows stability. Additionally, the forwards FW Morishima, Weslley, and MF Kanazaki are all strong individual players. We want to ensure they cannot easily advance. At the same time, we need to be cautious of MF Edmilson's quick transitions and set plays centered around MF Suzuki.

　Tokyo has changed its lineup from the previous match. Moniwa returns as a center-back, and Konno has been placed in the defensive midfield. Moniwa expressed, "If we can win against Oita, who have a solid defense, in the first match of this consecutive series, it will boost our confidence. However, if the match becomes tight, set pieces could determine the outcome. Therefore, I want to avoid unnecessary fouls in dangerous areas. Even though it's an away game, I want to stick to our style of football without fear." Additionally, in attack, the key will be whether we can create numerical superiority on the sides against Oita's strong central defense and exploit the open spaces.

　Kondo said, "In the match against Chiba, we were able to create chances to shoot. It all depends on whether I can finish. I want to continue making runs behind the opponent's DF and break down Oita's solid defense. I will do everything I can to capitalize on our chances and win." So far this season, there haven't been any matches with more than 2 goals, but Coach Jofuku mentioned, "I don't think we can easily score more than 2 goals against Oita, especially away." First, we need to minimize the goals conceded, and then increase our focus on attacking to achieve victory! The match started at 19:05 with Oita's kickoff in the chilly Kyushu Oil Dome at night.

The opponent is down to 10 men, creating chances but going into halftime without scoring.

　Both teams entered the match with careful defense, watching each other's moves. Nevertheless, Oita boldly took a shot, exploiting any openings. In response, Tokyo aimed to create chances by connecting passes. In the 13th minute, from a left throw-in, Cabore became a pivot, and Konno brought the ball inside to shoot. However, the opponent closed in on him, causing the ball to go wide to the right. In the 18th minute, from Konno's switch, Tokunaga dribbled up and crossed, but it was deflected by the opposing defense.

　In the 20th minute, Ishikawa made a right cross after breaking through with a pass from Kajiyama, and Cabore ran in from the opposite side to connect. In the 25th minute, after winning the ball in the center during a counterattack, Ishikawa dribbled forward and delivered a superb through pass to Cabore, who had broken through the Oita defense, creating a decisive scene, but Cabore's shot missed the target... In the 29th minute, Ishikawa passed to Kajiyama, who was fouled in the center, earning a free kick just outside the area. Kajiyama aimed directly at the goal, but it went just slightly to the right.

　In the 32nd minute, Oita MF Edmilson received a second warning and was sent off. With Oita reduced to 10 men, they took control on the right side, with Ishikawa and Tokunaga repeatedly creating opportunities to attack. In the 38th minute, Tokunaga delivered a low right cross. Kondo intercepted in front of the advancing Oita GK and changed the course, but it narrowly missed the target. In the 42nd minute, a quick cross from Konno to Tokunaga in the center. The ball spilled 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 match went into halftime at 0-0.

Kajiyama scored a penalty just before the end, securing a hard-fought victory.

　Since the start of the second half, Tokyo has been in control of the ball. In the 51st minute, Kondo connects with Ishikawa's ground cross directly, but it goes over the goal. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama passes to Konno, who runs into the left area and takes a ground shot, but the goalkeeper catches it. Oita has left forward Weslley up front while the rest of the team falls back to strengthen their defense. Tokyo struggles to penetrate the area against Oita's concentrated defense. Tokyo substitutes Ishikawa and Kondo for Otake and Akamine in an attempt to break this situation.

　In the 67th minute, Ohtake played a short free kick to the center, and Kajiyama's shot was fiercely attacked by the GK but saved. In the 68th minute, Sahara, who had stayed forward, headed a shot from a left cross, but it went straight to the GK. In the 74th minute, they stole the ball in their own half and launched a quick attack, with Kajiyama passing to Cabore, who cut in from the left into the area to shoot. However, it was blocked by the GK's save, and Nagatomo's follow-up shot was also thwarted by a great save from the Oita GK.

　After that, Suzuki was brought in to replace Hanyu, and although they launched a wave of attacks, they were thwarted by a great save from the Oita goalkeeper, and they just couldn't break through for a goal. By the 89th minute, they had taken a record 27 shots, but were unable to score, and the atmosphere of a scoreless draw began to settle in during stoppage time. Cabore dropped a feed from Sahara to the front line, and shortly after, Akamine was fouled by the opposing defender in the area, earning a penalty kick. Kajiyama took the shot and powerfully kicked it into the top left corner for a goal! Despite a hard-fought victory, they dramatically snatched a valuable 3 points away.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"I decided from the beginning that I would take the penalty kick and told everyone. I was calm and able to take it without feeling nervous because I always practice. The shot and the direction that Oita's goalkeeper Nishikawa jumped were the same, but I thought it would be fine since I aimed for the corner. I felt relieved when the whistle for time-up blew right after it went in. (Is it your first goal of the season?) I scored the penalty, but I haven't scored from open play yet. I want to be able to score from the flow of the game." 《Sahara》"This is what it's like to fight against an opponent with 10 players. I thought it would be difficult. In last year's match against Kawasaki, we also had 10 players but managed to hold on. When we defend deep, it's hard to score. That's how I see it. As a defender, I tried to firmly mark my opponent. I knew that Oita would use FW Weslley as a starting point, so we discussed in detail who would go for the ball and how to cover. But even though we created so many chances and it was an away game, I didn't think a draw would be good enough. I believe that my strong feelings and everyone else's led to the penalty. I want to carry this victory into the upcoming consecutive matches. We are still in a losing position."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "In the midst of struggling without results, there were many fans who came to support us from afar, and I think it was good that we could share joy with them. Regarding the content of the match, we had the intention that if we could endure a little at the beginning, we would be able to circulate the ball in the midfield, and I think we were able to achieve that to some extent. I believe the players were conscious of the side attacks and the switch to the opposite side. However, the finishing accuracy was too poor, and when you miss that many clear chances, it becomes a tough match, which is usually the case. Especially when the opponent has one player sent off, they tend to pull back even more, and it turned into a very unpleasant match where we continued to miss clear chances. At halftime, I confirmed with the defense that the complacency of having one less opponent is the greatest enemy. I believe that the defense maintaining their concentration was the biggest reason for today's victory. Today, it was clear that the forwards created a debt to the defense. Although we were not pressured, being able to take three points in such an unpleasant match where we missed so many clear chances will lead to the next step."

　【Oita - CHAMUSCA's Press Conference Summary】 "Today was indeed a match where we had to win to gain points and improve our ranking. From the start of the match, the team was solid in both defense and attack. Once the match began, I felt we needed to improve the accuracy of our passes, especially in front of the goal. In defense, we started with a four-back formation, and when we regained possession, we switched to a three-back shape with the sides pushing up; I think we executed that transition well. However, after one player was sent off, we had to switch to a complete four-back formation. In fact, we asked MF Kanazaki to perform movements in two positions in a 4-4-1 formation. Given this positioning, there were difficulties in the attack, but I believe we demonstrated stable strength in both offense and defense. We were able to create chances effectively using quick counterattacks. I think MF Kiyotake and Suzuki showed good movements in transitioning from defense to attack. However, although MF Takahashi was positioned on the side, we attacked from the center and couldn't utilize him well, which allowed the space behind Takahashi to be exploited. Nevertheless, the players showed their will to fight until the very end, but unfortunately, we conceded a penalty and ended up with a disappointing result."