Switch both mentally and physically, and aim to secure 3 points away!

　As we enter Sec. 18 of the league, this match is against Omiya Ardija. After winning two consecutive matches against Nagoya Grampus in the league and Nabisco Cup, we are currently on a seven-match winning streak in official competitions. In the league, our victories have been leading, and our goal difference has finally turned positive. Today marks the third match in a row with only two days in between, but we want to switch our mindset and continue to build on our momentum.

　Omiya is currently in 12th place. Although they couldn't gain momentum in April and May, everyone has maintained a high defensive awareness and has worked hard on both offense and defense to regroup. They lost to Kashima in the last match, but prior to that, they went five matches without a loss, steadily accumulating points. Additionally, Dudu, the top scorer from last season in the Korean K League, has joined the team. Today, due to the injury of forward Fujita, he is included in the starting lineup. At the same time, the newly joined midfielder So Yeondok has made his first appearance on the bench as a substitute.

　Not only Dudu in FW, but Omiya will launch attacks targeting the space behind the DF starting from FW Ishihara. Therefore, we want to defend while coordinating between the defensive midfielders and the DF to avoid conceding the first goal. In attack, the key is how to score the first goal by exploiting the gaps in Omiya's organized defense. If we can play our style of football with both offense and defense working well together, there should be no problem. Hayu mentioned, "After a game with a lot of goals, we need to be careful about how we start. It's okay to be somewhat overpaced in the early stages, but we want to show that we have no gaps. If we can grasp our rhythm, we should be able to control the game given our current team condition."

　While the players keep in mind their strategies against Omiya, they are focused on the importance of playing their own style of football. Even as the away team, they aim to control the game at their own rhythm and secure 3 points! Today marks the first day of a 3-day holiday during the summer break. Despite the cloudy weather, with no wind and the humid conditions at NACK5 Stadium Omiya, the match kicked off at 18:04 in Tokyo.

Despite struggling against Omiya's solid defense, Hirayama scored the opening goal just before the end of the first half.

　Indeed, the signs of fatigue were hard to hide. From the early stages of the match, we suffered from pass mistakes and faced quick attacks from Omiya. In the 4th minute, a pass from Kajiyama was intercepted in our own half, and Omiya passed directly to forward Ishihara, who broke through. However, Tokyo's defense quickly returned and managed to hold on. In the 5th minute, Omiya made a quick pass from just before the halfway line, getting behind Tokyo's defense again. The ball reached forward Ishihara once more, but Tokunaga quickly returned, preventing a crisis.　

　In defense, we maintained our concentration and tried to find our rhythm from there. In the 6th minute, Bruno QUADROS intercepted and advanced the attack to Ishikawa at the front. Ishikawa quickly turned and unleashed a powerful shot from distance, but it was saved by the goalkeeper, grazing the crossbar. It resulted in a corner kick. From this right corner kick clearance, Yonemoto took a long shot, but it missed the target. Gradually, Kajiyama also had more opportunities to advance, and with Cabore and Ishikawa as the starting points, we entered Omiya's territory with more players. However, Omiya's defensive awareness was high, and we struggled to create decisive chances.

　In the 31st minute, Kajiyama advanced deep into the right area, skillfully keeping the ball and passing it back to Cabore, who ran into the right area, but he couldn't trap it well and it was cleared. In the 36th minute, Tokunaga cut Omiya's corner kick. They launched a counterattack, with Cabore and Hanyu connecting, and Ishikawa moving into the right area. He evaded the opposing DF and sent a last pass to the center from near the goal line, but it was cut off by Omiya's DF. In the 43rd minute, Ishikawa broke forward, competing with the opposing DF while charging into the area. However, today Omiya's marking was strict, and with no support, he couldn't take a shot.

　Omiya made a substitution in the 44th minute, bringing in the newly signed midfielder So Yondoku for the newly signed forward Dudu. Shortly after, during stoppage time, Konno sent a feed to the right front line, which Hirayama controlled. Cabore, in the area, competed with the opposing defender for the loose ball, which was then connected by Hanyu to Hirayama on the right side of the area. Without hesitation, Hirayama struck with his right foot, kicking it into the near side for a goal! They took the lead at a perfect time just before the end of the first half and headed into the second half.

Seizing the chances and scoring 3 points, achieving 5 consecutive league wins!

　Omiya launched a vigorous attack in the second half, centered around FW Yong Duk SEO. However, Tokyo connected passes and counterattacked. In the 47th minute, Cabore sprinted down the left side. Ishikawa jumped in front of the goal and connected the ball backward, allowing Hanyu, who ran into the right area, to pick it up. Hanyu tried to cut back past the opposing defender to take a shot, but he was closed down and couldn't shoot. In the 50th minute, Omiya's left MF Uchida passed to MF Yong Duk SEO, who unleashed a powerful shot from midfield! However, Gonda managed to punch it away.

　In the 60th minute, Tanabe was brought on for Hanyu. Immediately after, in the 62nd minute, Cabore broke free from a floating pass to the front line, cut back against the opposing defender in the right area, and then turned to keep the ball. From there, he took a relaxed shot, but it was saved by the GK and resulted in a corner kick. Ishikawa's left corner kick was met by Konno, but he couldn't hit the target. In the 66th minute, Hirayama challenged the Omiya defender in the right area and won a corner kick. Bruno QUADROS took a standing header from Ishikawa's right corner kick, but it went over the bar.

　In the 70th minute, Hirayama was fouled in the opponent's half, earning a free kick. Ishikawa sent the left free kick forward, and Bruno attempted to receive it at the far post, but the Omiya defender cleared it first, resulting in a corner kick. In the 71st minute, from Ishikawa's right corner kick, a shot by Bruno QUADROS hit the crossbar and bounced back, but Konno neatly pushed in the rebound for a goal!! They took advantage of the set-piece opportunity to score the second goal!

　After extending the lead to two points, they calmly suppressed Omiya's counterattack. In the 76th minute, Omiya's left cross was cleared by Tanabe, resulting in a corner kick. Following that, from Omiya's right corner kick, the ball was about to reach the free DF Mato positioned in the left area, but Gonda quickly rushed out to catch it. They did not allow any significant chances, substituting Cabore for Kondo in the 79th minute and Ishikawa for Suzuki in the 85th minute.

　Ishikawa couldn't achieve a consecutive goal, but just before the end, they launched a speedy counterattack, with Tanabe passing to Suzuki, who delivered a precise through ball into the area. Here, Hirayama, who had slipped behind the defense, slid in and scored the third goal with his left foot. Despite struggling against Omiya's solid defense, Hirayama scored two goals, leading to a 3-0 victory and their fifth consecutive win in the league! They achieved an eight-match winning streak in official competitions.

　【Player Comments】《Hirayama》"I'm happy about the winning streak. The defense has kept a clean sheet, which I think is also a factor in our consecutive wins. The opening goal came from Cabore and Hanyu connecting and passing to me. So I didn't think at all and just took a powerful shot. Scoring right before the end to make it a three-goal difference was good, but I want to improve accuracy and score even more. My body was really exhausted, but I'm the type to be used by those around me. The other players are making good use of me." 《Konno》"When we took Omiya's defender Mato out of the game, if Hirayama received the ball, he could definitely become the starting point. Then Cabore would break behind defender Mato. That was the team's plan. When we struggled to connect short passes, we talked about using that approach, and it worked well. Right now, everyone is playing while thinking. There are bad moments, but we think about what to do and discuss it then. If something doesn't work, we try something different, and ideas keep coming one after another. I think the team is running with a good rhythm."

　【Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference】 "Including the Nabisco Cup, we happened to arrive at today with seven consecutive wins. We were able to play a solid game against Nagoya at Ajinomoto, but considering it was after a match with a lot of goals, and with three consecutive games in very hot conditions, I thought today would be a difficult match in terms of physicality and other factors. When considering Omiya's motivation, I expected it to be a 1-0 match. Becoming a team that can handle a 1-0 match will lead us to the next stage. The players had a high defensive awareness and were able to create chances while patiently connecting in attack. Also, in terms of our challenge of finishing, we were able to score an additional goal in stoppage time, and I want to commend the players for their efforts. I want to continue training so that we can finish like this. It was great to have many of you come to the away game and celebrate together."

　【Omiya Coach Zhang's Press Conference Summary】 "First of all, I feel very sorry for the fans and supporters for having such a boring match at home. Today's match allowed the opponent to utilize their strength, which is counterattacks driven by our mistakes. Today, FW Fujita got injured during practice, and I thought that FW Dudu would be the best partner for FW Ishihara, so I started him. We aimed to launch fast side attacks based on him and target the opponent's flanks, but considering his match sense and the combination with surrounding players, I substituted him before it got worse. As a team, I think we are slow in switching from attack to defense and from defense to attack. I want to utilize the midfield more and especially hope to score from fast side attacks, but the transition from defense to attack is delayed, and I feel that the goal is far away."