Calmly play our own soccer and aim for goals and victory.

　The league has reached one third of the season, and the 12th round is being held. They will face Yokohama F. Marinos at the away Nissan Stadium. In the previous round against Kyoto, they created many chances but were unable to convert them into goals. On the other hand, they were able to keep a clean sheet by extending their own possession time. In this round, the focus will be on how they can prevent goals while also converting their chances with their own style of play.

　Manager Shirofuku said, "We conceded the most goals in the first 10 games. In the next 10 games, we aim to be the team with the least goals conceded." However, he continued, "That doesn't mean we will play defensively. We will reduce the number of goals conceded by increasing our awareness of keeping possession and being careful with how we lose the ball. We are also working on how to make the most of our chances."

　Ishikawa, who injured his foot, will be absent this week. Right MF Suzuki, who has not started since the 2nd round against Urawa, will start. Nakamura, who has fully recovered from his injury, will make his first appearance on the bench since his transfer. Regarding Nakamura, Coach Shirofuku expects him to bring various abilities and techniques, such as strength in 1-on-1 situations, accuracy in kicks, and a calm way of holding the ball, and to be able to be used in both attacking and defending situations. With his experience, he should be able to bring what the team is lacking in various situations.

　Yokohama FM, on the other hand, is currently in 8th place with 15 points. They have only won once in the league, just like Tokyo, and it cannot be said that they are riding the wave. However, with their speedy ball movement and high individual player abilities, they must be cautious. In particular, their front line is filled with players like FW Sakata, Watanabe, and Yamase who can break through any situation on their own, and their set pieces are also a threat. In addition, DF Kurihara will return from this match and change their formation from a familiar 3-back to a 4-back. They will have FW Watanabe up front, FW Sakata and MF Karino in the front line, MF Yamase and Hyodo in the midfield, and MF Matsuda as the bottom of the midfield in a 4-3-3 formation.

　In response to this, Coach Shirofuku said, "The best strategy is to continue playing the soccer we aim for," and plans to counter by aggressively pressing and increasing ball possession. They will calmly execute their own soccer and aim for a goal and victory. The match started at 7:04 PM at Nissan Stadium, where the cloudy sky and chilly weather could be felt.

Developing soccer that starts from the side and initiates from ourselves

　Both teams were focused on defending from the beginning and did not allow the opponent to move freely. Shortly after the start, Yokohama FM took advantage of a throw-in opportunity and allowed FW Watanabe to enter the area, but Yonemoto quickly returned and escaped with a corner kick. In the 8th minute, Kajiyama sent a high pass to the front line, and Akamine followed up on the opponent's clearance, falling just outside the area, but the whistle did not blow. In the 14th minute, from Inamoto's interception, Suzuki → Tokunaga dribbled forward on the right side and entered the opponent's territory, but was cut off.

　There were scenes where Tokyo panicked due to Yokohama FM's tough press and couldn't connect passes, but gradually settled down and played. They threatened Yokohama FM's goal with attacks starting from the side. In the 20th minute, Akamine's header from Tokunaga's right cross. Immediately after, Akamine, who had moved to the left from Kajiyama, crossed and Suzuki ran into the far goal to create a decisive opportunity, but was stopped by the goalkeeper's great save...

　35 minutes, Yokohama FM FW Sakata started the attack, right SB Tanaka crossed. Tokyo DF's clearance fell to the far side, and then left SB Komiyama took a shot, but it went over the frame. In the 38th minute, Kajiyama was fouled on the left side of his own goal, and Imakawa quickly restarted. A long ball was sent to the left front line, and Nagatomo ran in and crossed. They launched a speedy attack, but couldn't connect in the end and couldn't take a shot.

　Both teams attacked each other, and in the 39th minute, Yokohama FM launched a quick attack. FW Sakata broke through on the left side and made a fierce dribble towards the area. The Tokyo DF tried to cut him off, but in the end, they were able to steal the ball and avoid danger through their defensive coordination. They remained focused in defense and were able to hold off Yokohama FM's attacks. In the 43rd minute, Suzuki's cross was dropped by Akamine, and Nagatomo also joined in the attack, showing a strong offensive presence. Although there were few shooting opportunities, they were able to maintain their rhythm and head into the second half.

Nakamura scores first goal! Protecting this one point, we secure a valuable victory.

　Kajiyama was injured in the second half and was replaced by Nakamura, who made his first appearance after transferring in the 55th minute. However, with Nakamura's entry, the game became more active, with both teams quickly attacking and defending. In the 56th minute, Nakamura, who had just entered the game, received a ball from the left and boldly aimed for a shot from the front of the right area, but missed the target. In the 57th minute, Yonemoto took a powerful shot, but it did not hit and went to the goalkeeper.

　In the 61st minute, Nakamura → Akamine, Hanyu cuts off the last pass sent into the area and earns a right corner kick. In the 62nd minute, Suzuki takes this right corner kick and Hiraoka, who is competing with the DF, drops the ball off his body. The ball falls to Nakamura, who is positioned in front of the area and in the center. He kicks it in with a powerful left-footed volley and scores a goal! Nakamura scores his first goal and makes a stunning debut, taking the lead.

　Tokyo, who is on a roll, continued to threaten Yokohama FM's goal one after another. In the 67th minute, Nakamura passed to Hirayama on the right side, who then passed to Hokuto in the middle. Hokuto then looked around and passed to Suzuki, who was making a run on the opposite side. Suzuki took a shot with speed, but it hit the opponent's defender and resulted in a corner kick. From the resulting left corner kick, Tokunaga's shot was saved by the goalkeeper... On the other hand, Yokohama FM also made substitutions and started their counterattack. In the 72nd minute, newly substituted FW Saito dribbled in from the right and crossed a high ball to the center. MF Hyodo headed the ball towards the goal, but it narrowly missed and they avoided a dangerous situation... In the 78th minute, Yokohama MF Matsuda stole the ball from Tokyo's defense and launched a counterattack. The shot narrowly missed to the left, but it was a close call.

　In the 81st minute, Tokyo quickly moved the ball and attacked the Yokohama FM goal. Substitute player Otake dribbled in from the left, skillfully passed the defenders, and made a final pass to the center. Hayabusa ran in from behind and got into a shooting position, but was unable to shoot due to the defense. However, he persisted and picked up the loose ball, passing it to Nakamura on the right, who then passed it to Suzuki who had just barely avoided being offside. Suzuki brought the ball inside and took a shot from close range, but the goalkeeper blocked it and they were unable to score an additional point.

　In the final stage, they were under fierce attack from Yokohama FM, who put DF Kin forward. In the 88th minute, MF Hyodo flew out smoothly in response to a pass to the front line, creating a decisive opportunity, but the shot was saved by Konda, avoiding danger. Even during the long 5-minute stoppage time, everyone on the team worked together to repel Yokohama FM's power play with all their might, and the game ended. It was a fierce match, but they managed to protect their lead and earn a valuable 3 points away from home.

　【Player Comments】《Nakamura》"Entering the midfield in a 0-0 situation, I focused on defending from the front and getting involved in scoring. I also tried to play with a high awareness of scoring. I thought about what was expected of me and stepped onto the pitch. The goal came at a good time. I thought about controlling and shooting the ball when it came to my left foot. I think I was able to shoot calmly and it was good. (I struggled with injuries for a long time) It took longer than I thought, but I tried not to panic too much. I still wanted to move quickly. However, I was able to fit in well with the team during practice, so I wasn't worried about playing today. I wanted to do some kind of performance when I scored, but everyone gathered around and I couldn't do anything (laughs). Still, it was my first appearance after transferring, and I felt like I had kept the supporters waiting, so I naturally made a guts pose."《Suzuki》"I was conscious of being the starting point in a high position on the side and thought about utilizing our strong point, the side back. I think we were able to express our will to take action through our play. There were chances for us to take the lead or add a goal, and if we had scored there, we could have won more easily, but in the end, this kind of win brings the team together. The next game is important to continue winning from here. I want to connect today's victory to the future."

　【Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference】"We have had a string of games where we couldn't turn it into a win, and today was a game that we absolutely could not afford to lose. The players themselves were well aware of that and they stepped onto the pitch. We were the team with the most goals conceded in the league up until the 10th round, so our current motto is to become the team with the least goals conceded in the next 10 games until the 20th round. This doesn't mean we will play defensively, but we believe the best way is to keep possession of the ball for longer and go all the way to the finish. Until we scored our first goal, we tried our best to do that. Regardless of whether it worked or not, we were able to keep the ball and continue playing instead of just kicking it away like we used to. As for our defense, both our smaller and bigger players went for the ball with their heads and showed great determination. There are still various challenges and we are not perfect, but today the players' spirits were high and we were able to keep a clean sheet. In the past few games, we have taken almost 20 shots but still couldn't score. However, we have improved by 50-60% compared to last year in terms of taking shots, and that is a positive sign. We need to keep our heads up and continue working on our skills and team unity. It won't happen overnight, but we need to keep at it. We are able to bring the ball up to that point, so we need to focus on improving our skills and working together as a team."

　(Next week will also be a series of games) The challenge for today is to score the first goal. We want to be able to play soccer where we can create our own time and keep the ball in the opponent's territory. This year, after scoring one goal, there are some unstable situations, so we want to work on those areas in the Nabisco Cup and make it to the final tournament. We want to prepare well and continue today's win to the next game. (About Nakamura) We are grateful as a team that we were able to get 3 points with his one swing. However, we expect him to create opportunities for a second goal with his abilities. We don't want him to be satisfied with just one goal today."

　[Yokohama FM Manager Kimura's Press Conference Summary] "It was the first game after the 5 consecutive games during Golden Week, and we made some changes to the system. However, in the first half, we became too defensive against the opponent's momentum. Even when we were able to take the ball, our forwards were not able to keep it properly, resulting in many mistakes and difficulty creating attacking opportunities. Therefore, we made adjustments during halftime, but we ended up conceding a goal from a corner kick. After that, we switched our mindset and our players went on the attack. In the last 10 minutes, we even put DF Kan in the front line, but we were too eager to win and resorted to just sending the ball in. It wasn't so much about the system, but rather our mistakes. When FC Tokyo is playing well, they come at us aggressively like they did today, and we end up playing their style of football. We had talked about this beforehand, but unfortunately, we couldn't change the shape of the game in the first half. However, today we had DF Tanaka and Komiyama as our fullbacks, and there was more space in front of them compared to when we play in a 3-4-3 formation, so they were able to push forward. I think their timing was good. However, there were still parts where we couldn't execute or finish, so we need to make some adjustments. Next week, we have the Nabisco Cup and a series of games, so we will continue to make adjustments while playing."