A hard-fought battle for 3 points, even though we were playing away.

　In the 22nd round of the league, we will face Montedio Yamagata away. In the previous round against Yokohama FM, despite being forced to make substitutions, we showed resilience and were able to secure 1 point. This round, we have a tight schedule with only 2 days in between, but coach Jo Fukuyama said, "The efforts from the previous round will only be rewarded if the players in this round's match can secure 3 points," and vowed to use the draw as motivation to achieve victory.

　Yamagata, on the other hand, is currently in 14th place with 24 points. Although they have not been able to secure a victory in their last three matches, coach Jofuku stated, "We will have a close match against any team and have the potential to earn 3 points. They have a strong impression of being well-prepared in both offense and defense, and know where to fight and when to fight." Yamagata has a unified mindset and quick transitions between offense and defense. In their attack, they utilize their tall FW Masaru HASEGAWA and speedy FW Hayato KITAMURA, starting from the sides and using counterattacks as their strength.

　Tokyo, with Kajiyama returning from suspension, Bruno QUADROS and Nagatomo returning to the starting lineup after adjusting their condition. Suzuki replaces Ishikawa in the squad. Nagatomo declared confidently, "I haven't been out for a long time, so there are no issues with my condition. I plan to play the full 90 minutes while regaining my game stamina and sense on the pitch. While being conscious of defense, I also want to switch on and join in the attack when the ball is with Uyu and the others." Yamagata's defense is strong in one-on-one situations and solid. We want to break them down with Tokyo's passing and combination play.

　Manager Jofuku says, "It's not easy to break down a team that defends deep. That's why we have to create chances and make it a one-on-one battle." From the match against Hiroshima on July 25, we have not been able to achieve victory in the last four games. Today, even though it's an away game, it's a match where we have to go for "3" points instead of just one. We will take an aggressive approach on both offense and defense, aiming for goals and victory! The match started at 7:04 PM in Tokyo at ND Soft Stadium Yamagata, which is the first time for us to visit in the J1 League.

A hard-fought battle for 3 points, even though we were playing away.

　In the 22nd round of the league, we will face Montedio Yamagata away. In the previous round against Yokohama FM, despite being forced to make substitutions, we showed resilience and were able to secure 1 point. This round, we have a tight schedule with only 2 days in between, but coach Jo Fukuyama said, "The efforts from the previous round will only be rewarded if the players in this round's match can secure 3 points," and vowed to use the draw as motivation to achieve victory.

　Yamagata, on the other hand, is currently in 14th place with 24 points. Although they have not been able to secure a victory in their last three matches, coach Jofuku stated, "We will have a close match against any team and have the potential to earn 3 points. They have a strong impression of being well-prepared in both offense and defense, and know where to fight and when to fight." Yamagata has a unified mindset and quick transitions between offense and defense. In their attack, they utilize their tall FW Masaru HASEGAWA and speedy FW Hayato KITAMURA, starting from the sides and using counterattacks as their strength.

　Tokyo, with Kajiyama returning from suspension, Bruno QUADROS and Nagatomo returning to the starting lineup after adjusting their condition. Suzuki replaces Ishikawa in the squad. Nagatomo declared confidently, "I haven't been out for a long time, so there are no issues with my condition. I plan to play the full 90 minutes while regaining my game stamina and sense on the pitch. While being conscious of defense, I also want to switch on and join in the attack when the ball is with Uyu and the others." Yamagata's defense is strong in one-on-one situations and solid. We want to break them down with Tokyo's passing and combination play.

　Manager Jofuku says, "It's not easy to break down a team that defends deep. That's why we have to create chances and make it a one-on-one battle." From the match against Hiroshima on July 25, we have not been able to achieve victory in the last four games. Today, even though it's an away game, it's a match where we have to go for "3" points instead of just one. We will take an aggressive approach on both offense and defense, aiming for goals and victory! The match started at 7:04 PM in Tokyo at ND Soft Stadium Yamagata, which is the first time for us to visit in the J1 League.

Lost with no points, one point away from the end

　In the second half, at the 50th minute, Tanabe was substituted for Suzuki. However, while Tokyo was attacking, they were intercepted and Yamagata continued to counterattack. Still, at the 60th minute, Cabore attempted a shot from a loose ball, but it went over the goal. In the 64th minute, Uyu rushed into the area from a typical Tokyo combination. He passed Cabore and took a decisive shot, but... it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's great save. In the 65th minute, Kanazawa was substituted for Uyu as left back, and Nagatomo moved up one row to join the attack.

　Cabore, who received a vertical pass from Tanabe to Yonemoto in the 67th minute, entered the area from the center and shot a powerful left-footed shot, but it went outside the frame. In the 76th minute, a right CK was obtained from Cabore's shot. Kajiyama, who was in front of the area, grabbed the loose ball from Tanabe's CK, cut past the opponent's DF, and took a shot, but the GK made a save. In the 77th minute, Akamine also came in for Cabore. He tried to open up Yamagata's defense by crossing from the side.

　However, they were caught off guard by an attacking opportunity and in the 85th minute, Yamagata's left SB Ishikawa broke through the left side. The cross was cleared by Kanazawa, but it ended up with the opponent's right SB Kobayashi. From there, a cross was sent in from the right and FW Hasegawa was pushed in the center, resulting in a goal... After that, Bruno QUADROS and Imamura also pushed forward, launching a fierce attack with more players in the front line. In the final minutes, Tanabe and Bruno QUADROS took shots one after another, but none were able to find the back of the net. They suffered a defeat with no goals, far from the one point they needed.

　【Player Comments】《Nagatomo》"I had the image of moving up one line and then spreading out to the side for crosses. However, we were behind so I really wanted to score, so I also tried to make runs behind the defense. Especially after Shingo came on, I also tried to go for loose balls... but it didn't work out. I played for 90 minutes, and my condition is fine. As for my game sense, it's something that can only be gained by actually playing in a match, but I think I was able to regain that as well."《Kajiyama》"In the first half, we tried to launch quick attacks before the opponent's defense could regroup, or when they dropped back, we tried to connect passes through Taiga and break through. We were able to create chances and I don't think our game management was bad either. However, in the second half, whenever we tried to play a vertical pass and turn forward, we were targeted. Even so, we were able to create some good opportunities... If we had scored one goal, I think the game would have had a completely different outcome."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "First of all, I would like to apologize to the fans who came to support us despite the long distance on a weekday. As for the content, I think we have to accept the result of 0-1. We should not judge the game based on just the last few minutes and we need to calmly analyze it. Just because we were good at breaking through, it was not a game where we could comfort ourselves. We need to firmly accept that we do not have players who can score goals at the level of our team and we need to do something about it. However, I do not want to judge the content of the game based on just the last few minutes and I want to remain calm about it. (How did you handle the change in the second half for player Hirayama?) We are not just building up around Hirayama, but it is our position to be criticized for not being able to respond if we cannot score and for not being able to break through even if we try."

　[Yamagata Kobayashi Coach's Press Conference Summary] "In the first half, player Hirayama dropped back and it became more of a vertical relationship like a one-top. We were able to use that well. It was difficult to make passes and marks in the first half. In the second half, the defensive midfielder caught the ball and the CB followed, and the fullbacks squeezed, which worked well. We were afraid of aerial battles with Hirayama as the center, but the defense repeatedly held their ground, causing the opponent's shots to become rushed and off target. As for our attack, compared to the previous game, we had more time to pass the ball ourselves, but we were often caught when trying to use the defensive midfielder to move forward or when the defensive midfielder tried to turn. We need to fix that. The opponent's final line is a bit weak when they go beyond the front line and midfield, so I think Kitamura and Hasegawa were able to do what they wanted. If we could have felt that a little earlier, we could have done it without panicking. Kim got injured in the middle, so we had to change the lineup immediately, but I think we did our best until the end, even though the opponent had a power play. We showed the players videos and talked about the lessons we learned from losing to FC Tokyo in both the league and Nabisco Cup, and I think they expressed it well. I'm really glad we were able to get 3 points in the end."