Cabore won a penalty, Kajiyama struck, taking the lead early on

　In the 6th minute, Ishikawa intercepted a ball from Shimizu in the midfield and was fouled while trying to advance, earning a free kick. This free kick was sent forward by Bruno QUADROS, and Cabore, who was in the area, dropped it and was fouled while trying to break free, earning a penalty kick. In the 7th minute, Kajiyama's penalty kick, taken with his right foot, found the sharp course to the opposite side, scoring the opening goal early in the match.

　In the 14th minute, they launched a counterattack from their own half, with Cabore skillfully holding the ball in the right area. Ishikawa, who joined the attack, sent a cross to the center, and Hirayama attempted an overhead shot in front of the goal, but it missed the target. Shimizu also attacked thoroughly behind Tokyo's DF, starting with FW Jönsson, with MF Okazaki and FW Hara. In the 15th minute, after the ball was dropped to Shimizu FW Jönsson, MF Okazaki made a move in the left area, delivering a final pass to MF Hyōdō, who ran in from the opposite side. MF Hyōdō took a step with the dribble and got into shooting position, but Konno intercepted and deflected it for a corner kick.

　In the 29th minute, a left free kick was awarded to Shimizu in Tokyo's territory, and MF Hiyato delivered a sharp kick to the front line. Just in front of Gonda, he was challenged by MF Okazaki, and after the ball was dropped, FW Jönsson made a run, but Bruno QUADROS slid in to cut it off just before the goal line. It was a dangerous scene, but Tokyo's defense responded calmly. From their resilient defense, they aimed to connect passes and initiate their own style of football.

　In the 35th minute, Tokunaga's early cross was sent to the far post, and Cabore jumped but couldn't connect. In the 36th minute, Ishikawa, who changed positions to the left side, took a shot from the middle but it just went wide of the goal. In the 40th minute, Tokunaga, Hanyu, Kajiyama, and Cabore exchanged short passes on the right front line, and finally, Yonemoto advanced to the sideline and delivered a cross, but the ball went out. The match continued to be back and forth, ending the first half with a score of 1-0.

Tied up, but Ishikawa scores in three consecutive matches! Gritting it out to seize victory

　In the early stages of the second half, in the 46th minute, Shimizu's free kick was headed by forward Jönsson. In the 47th minute, Cabore crossed from the right to Tokunaga, and Hirayama headed it down in the left area, but Ishikawa's left-footed shot in the center missed the target. In the 50th minute, Cabore seized on a control mistake by the Shimizu defender and quickly advanced towards the goal. He found himself one-on-one with the Shimizu goalkeeper, but his shot went wide left, missing a big chance.

　With Shimizu trailing by one goal, they gained momentum. Starting with FW YONSON, MF OKAZAKI, who changed positions to play just behind the forwards, made a sharp move to target the space behind Tokyo's defense for a counterattack. In the 58th minute, Shimizu's left-back OHTA sent a long pass to MF OKAZAKI, who had broken through the defensive line. For a moment, it seemed like offside... but the ball cleared by Bruno QUADROS with a header reached Shimizu's FW YONSON in the area, who scored directly, resulting in a conceded goal...

　They equalized, but without panicking, we launched a counterattack. Four minutes after conceding, in the 62nd minute, Nagatomo on the left side passed to Hirayama in the center. Kajiyama connected with the ball that was spilled by the opposing defender, and Ishikawa, who had moved in from the right, took a shot with the outside of his right foot. The ball hit the inside of the crossbar and fell down, scoring a goal! Ishikawa's remarkable third consecutive goal secured the lead.

　Still, Shimizu did not give up and launched a powerful counterattack, causing trouble with their momentum. In the 81st minute, Shimizu's right back Ichikawa overlapped and delivered a precise cross. Gonda, who came out, could not touch it, and it was returned to the center by Shimizu MF Fujimoto from the far side, but it was cleared with determination. In the 85th minute, Mukuhara was brought in to replace Cabore, and everyone put their bodies on the line and supported each other. In the 89th minute, Shimizu FW Jönsson sent a ball to the left front line, and MF Okazaki made a run, but Konno responded perfectly. Immediately after, FW Jönsson shot to MF Okazaki, but Kajiyama calmly cut it off in front of the goal, and the time was up. Even when Shimizu seized the momentum, they showed resilience and achieved their second consecutive victory in the league.

　【Player Comments】<Kajiyama> "We scored early and I think we were able to proceed in a good way. In the second half, Shimizu gained momentum and caught up, but Nao scored the second goal and we were able to secure the win. In the second half, since Shimizu was definitely going to attack to overcome the deficit, I focused on closely contesting against FW Jørgensen and thoroughly covering around him. I think we achieved that defensive aim. In attack, we were able to get crosses in, but that alone was being repelled. What kind of play to make at that time is still an issue. We want to raise the team's shared awareness and make corrections." <Yonemoto> "If we won today, we could gain momentum again, so we absolutely wanted to bring our record to even. We scored first and I think we were able to calmly circulate passes in the first half. However, the start of the second half was a problem. We were under attack for a long time, and it would have been better if we could have pressed more from the front... We all tried to keep a compact formation, but Shimizu targeted behind our defenders and we dropped back a bit too much. Even in such situations, raising the defensive line is a challenge we need to work on."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "This season has been tough from the start, and March to April was really difficult. It was two months of experiencing the pains of birth while trying a new style of connecting football. However, from May onwards, we started to feel a sense of progress, and including the Nabisco qualifiers, I think we have gradually been able to show what we aim for in our games. And as the results gradually followed, if we can even the score today, we can make a fresh start and begin a summer of counterattack. With this strong determination, everyone took to the pitch. Last season, we faced Shimizu five times and struggled to break down their solid block. How to break through that thorough zone defense was a major point that would determine our season. In the recent Nabisco match, we happened to score three goals, and today everyone bravely tried to build up play and shake the opponent. Although we are not yet satisfied with the level of completion, I believe everyone's efforts led to the results. It was great that 29,000 fans came, and we were able to start the summer of counterattack together with everyone."

　[Summary of Shimizu Coach Hasegawa's Press Conference] "It is very disappointing. I don't think the result reflected the content of the match. Many supporters gave us passionate cheers, and both teams played a heated game in response to that support. We made some adjustments to our system at the start of the second half, aiming to create more pressure in front of the goal, and we were able to equalize as planned. After that, it became a matter of which team would score... but unfortunately, a wonderful shot from Tokyo went in first, and we were unable to add another goal. However, in terms of the match content and the players' mentality, they performed well. Of course, I knew Tokyo has been in good form lately, but this was a game where we wanted to gain more confidence by beating such a team. Still, the league is still competitive. We want to switch gears and prepare for the next home game."