A battle focused on securing 3 points even as the away team

　In Sec. 22 of the league, we will face Montedio Yamagata away. In the previous match against Yokohama FM, despite being forced to make changes to the lineup, we showed resilience as a team and managed to secure 1 point. This match comes with a tight schedule of just two days in between, but Coach Jofuku stated, "The only way to validate our efforts from the last match is for the players in this match to secure 3 points," vowing to turn the result of the draw into a victory.

　Yamagata, currently in 14th place with 24 points, has not achieved victory in the last three matches. However, Coach Jofuku emphasized, "They can compete closely against any team and have the potential to earn three points. In particular, they are well-organized in both offense and defense, and they understand when to fight and where to battle." Yamagata has a unified awareness among all players and a quick transition between offense and defense. In attack, they excel at counterattacks utilizing tall FW Masaru HASEGAWA and the breakthrough ability of FW Kitamura, starting from the sides.

　Tokyo, in addition to Kajiyama, who has returned from suspension, sees Bruno QUADROS and Nagatomo getting back into the starting lineup after conditioning adjustments. Suzuki has been added to the roster in place of Ishikawa. Nagatomo confidently declared his return, stating, "Since I haven't been away for a long time, there are no issues with my condition. I plan to regain my game stamina and sense during the match and give my all for 90 minutes. While being mindful of defense, I want to push forward and switch gears when the ball reaches Hanyu and the others in attack." Yamagata's defense boasts strength in one-on-one situations and is solid. They will apply man-to-man marking, but we want to break through with Tokyo's characteristic passing and combinations.

　Coach Jofuku stated, "When we are forced to defend, it is not easy to break through. Therefore, we must consider bringing the game to one-on-one situations and creating chances." Since the match against Hiroshima on July 25, in Sec. 19, we have not achieved victory in the last four matches. Today, even though it is an away game, we must aim for "3" points, not just 1. We will adopt an aggressive stance in both offense and defense, aiming for goals and victory! The match started at 19:04 Tokyo time at NDsoft Stadium Yamagata, which we are visiting for the first time in the J1 League.

A battle focused on securing 3 points even as the away team

　In Sec. 22 of the league, we will face Montedio Yamagata away. In the previous match against Yokohama FM, despite being forced to make changes to the lineup, we showed resilience as a team and managed to secure 1 point. This match comes with a tight schedule of just two days in between, but Coach Jofuku stated, "The only way to validate our efforts from the last match is for the players in this match to secure 3 points," vowing to turn the result of the draw into a victory.

　Yamagata, currently in 14th place with 24 points, has not achieved victory in the last three matches. However, Coach Jofuku emphasized, "They can compete closely against any team and have the potential to earn three points. In particular, they are well-organized in both offense and defense, and they understand when to fight and where to battle." Yamagata has a unified awareness among all players and a quick transition between offense and defense. In attack, they excel at counterattacks utilizing tall FW Masaru HASEGAWA and the breakthrough ability of FW Kitamura, starting from the sides.

　Tokyo, in addition to Kajiyama, who has returned from suspension, sees Bruno QUADROS and Nagatomo getting back into the starting lineup after conditioning adjustments. Suzuki has been added to the roster in place of Ishikawa. Nagatomo confidently declared his return, stating, "Since I haven't been away for a long time, there are no issues with my condition. I plan to regain my game stamina and sense during the match and give my all for 90 minutes. While being mindful of defense, I want to push forward and switch gears when the ball reaches Hanyu and the others in attack." Yamagata's defense boasts strength in one-on-one situations and is solid. They will apply man-to-man marking, but we want to break through with Tokyo's characteristic passing and combinations.

　Coach Jofuku stated, "When we are forced to defend, it is not easy to break through. Therefore, we must consider bringing the game to one-on-one situations and creating chances." Since the match against Hiroshima on July 25, in Sec. 19, we have not achieved victory in the last four matches. Today, even though it is an away game, we must aim for "3" points, not just 1. We will adopt an aggressive stance in both offense and defense, aiming for goals and victory! The match started at 19:04 Tokyo time at NDsoft Stadium Yamagata, which we are visiting for the first time in the J1 League.

Unable to score until the end, lost without any goals

　In the second half, in the 50th minute, Tanabe was brought on to replace Suzuki. However, while Tokyo was attacking, they lost possession, leading to a period of counterattacks from Yamagata. Still, in the 60th minute, Cabore aimed for a long shot from a loose ball, but it went over the goal. In the 64th minute, Hanyu made a run into the area from a typical Tokyo combination play. After a one-two with Cabore, he broke free and took a decisive shot, but it was thwarted by a great save from the opposing goalkeeper. In the 65th minute, Kanazawa was brought on as a left-back to replace Hanyu, moving Nagatomo up a line to strengthen the attack.

　In the 67th minute, Cabore received a vertical pass from Tanabe to Yonemoto, and from the center, he unleashed a powerful shot with his left foot as he entered the penalty area, but it went wide. In the 76th minute, a shot from Cabore earned a right corner kick. The rebound from the corner kick taken by Tanabe was seized by Kajiyama just outside the area, who turned past the opposing defender and took a shot, but the goalkeeper made a save. Then, in the 77th minute, Akamine came on for Cabore. He attempted to break through Yamagata's compact defense by delivering a cross from the side.

　However, they were caught off guard while attacking, and in the 85th minute, Ishikawa, the left back from Yamagata, broke through on the left side. The cross was cleared by Kanazawa, but it went to the opposing right back Kobayashi. From there, a right cross was sent in, and it was pushed in by forward Hayato HASEGAWA, resulting in a goal conceded... After that, Bruno QUADROS and Konno also pushed forward, launching a fierce attack with more players in the front line. In the final stages, Tanabe and Bruno QUADROS took shots one after another, but none were able to find the back of the net. A single goal was elusive, and they suffered a defeat without scoring.

　【Player Comments】<Nagatomu> "The image was to move up one line forward, then stay wide on the side for a cross at the end... However, since we were behind, I really wanted to score, so I tried not only to stay wide but also to exploit the space behind the opponent. Especially after Shingo came in, I aimed for loose balls as well... but it didn't go well. I played for 90 minutes and my condition is fine. As for match rhythm, it's something you can only regain by actually playing, and I think I was able to recover that too." <Kajiyama> "In the first half, we tried to launch quick attacks before the opponent's defense could get back, or when they pulled back, we used Sota as a starting point to connect passes and break them down. We created chances and I think the game management was not bad. But in the second half, even when we played vertical passes, it felt like the opponents were targeting the moments when the forwards tried to face forward. Still, we managed to create some good opportunities... If we had scored one goal, the game would have unfolded very differently."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "First of all, I want to apologize to the fans who came to support us despite it being a weekday and far away. Regarding the result, we have to accept the 0-1 outcome. We should not judge the game based only on the impression from the last few minutes, and we must analyze it calmly. Just because we played well until the breakdown, it doesn't mean we can comfort ourselves with that in this game. We must firmly accept that the absence of players who can shake the goal net reflects the level of our team, and we have to work on that. However, I do not want to decide based solely on the impression of the last few minutes of the game itself, and I want to remain calm. (How did you change your approach to player Hirayama in the second half?) We are not building up the play focusing only on Hirayama, but in the end, if we cannot score, our position is that we failed to respond, and even if we break through, our position is that we failed to convert."

　[Summary of Coach Kobayashi's Press Conference from Yamagata] "In the first half, Hirayama dropped back, and it was more like a one-top vertical relationship. They used that well against us. It was tough in the first half as the passing and marking didn’t go well. In the second half, either the defensive midfielders caught them or when the ball was passed, one of the center backs marked, and both fullbacks pressed in, which worked a bit better. It was scary when they focused on aerial battles centered on Hirayama, but our defenders repeatedly put their bodies on the line, which caused the opponent’s shots to be rushed and not on target. Regarding our attack, compared to the previous match, I think we had a bit more time to keep possession, but many times we lost the ball when trying to use the defensive midfielders to push forward or turn with the ball, so we need to fix that. When the opponent got past the front line and midfield, the last line’s approach was a bit weak, so I think Kitamura and HASEGAWA were able to do what they wanted. If we had realized that a bit earlier, we could have played without rushing. Kim got injured midway, so we had to change the lineup immediately, which made the end tough, but even when the opponent went for power play, I think the team kept fighting hard until the end. We had lost to FC Tokyo in both the league and the Nabisco Cup, and I think showing the video and discussing the reflections from those two games helped the players express themselves well. I’m really glad we were able to get the 3 points in the end."