Aiming to take 3 points and challenge the top-ranked Kashima

　The 23rd round of the league will be held on Sunday, facing Kashima Antlers away. In the previous round, they were unable to convert their chances and lost due to a counterattack in the end. Despite only having 3 days to recover from the shock of the Yamagata match, it is important to switch both mentally and physically for this round.

　In particular, the last 5 games have been without any wins, and we will face the top team in a difficult situation. However, Coach Jofuku said, "It won't be easy to win at Kashima's home, but we will aim for 3 points. Of course, there is a possibility that we will play defensively depending on the situation, but that is a strategy to prevent conceding goals. We will always play with the goal of winning in mind." However, we will be cautious about Ishikawa's return and carry it over to the next game. This game, Nakamura will start as the right midfielder, making his first start since the Nabisco Yamagata game on June 3rd.

　Kashima, who is currently in first place with 47 points, will be facing off against the top team. In the 20th round, they suffered consecutive losses in the away games against Hiroshima and Kobe, but they still maintain an unbeaten record at home, showcasing their immense strength. In this round, FW Marquinhos, who was absent in the previous round, will be returning. FW Okazaki has also been pushing through an injury to start. Tokyo has been unable to score in the past two games, so the focus will be on whether they can break through Kashima's solid defense in this round. In order to do so, it will be important for them to continue playing their trademark coordinated football.

　The Kashima Soccer Stadium, enveloped in the summer twilight, began its match. This important game, where they will show their determination and the soccer they have built up until now, and use it as a stepping stone to rise up in the rankings, started at 6:34 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Conceded two points and brought into the desired development by Kashima

　4 minutes into the game, Kashima's left back Arai advances forward and passes to the forward Nogawa, who had moved up the field. Tokyo's right side is broken through and a ground pass is made towards the goal. Central midfielder Danilo's timing is slightly off, but he manages to take a shot with his left foot while off balance. The ball hits the inside of the post and bounces into the goal, giving up an early lead...

　At 6 minutes, Kashima's right MF Nozawa crosses to FW Koroki who jumps out and shakes the net, but it's offside. Immediately, Tokyo counterattacks at 7 minutes, with Hirayama receiving a pass with his back to the goal on the left side and quickly turning to aim for a middle shot. However, the shot hits the bar and bounces back... Tokyo continues to move the ball and look for chances, but at 20 minutes, Hirayama's header from a free kick from the right side, kicked by Hayashi, goes over the bar.

　And in the 21st minute, from a connection in the Kashima DF line, GK Sogahata sends a long ball up to the front line. Breaking through the center of the Tokyo DF, Kashima FW Marquinhos makes a fierce dash. He shakes off Bruno QUADROS and calmly scores a shot over the head of Gonda, resulting in the second goal being lost.

　Kashima, who took a 2-0 lead, tightened their defense and comfortably controlled the game. Tokyo, on the other hand, struggled to create decisive opportunities against the tough defense, despite being able to pass the ball around. In the 35th minute, Hirayama intercepted a pass mistake from the opponent in their own half and launched a counterattack. Cabore, who had moved up from the right side, took a shot and earned a corner kick. However, they were unable to capitalize on the corner kick. In the 41st minute, they earned a free kick from a slightly right position in the opponent's half, but Nakamura's direct shot missed the target. They ended the first half still trailing by two goals.

Otake assisted, but Cabore's goal was not enough...

　In the second half, Kashima retreated to a defensive position and launched sharp counterattacks. In the 49th minute, Hayashi → Kajiyama in the center sent a vertical pass to Cabore on the front line, and he also tried to enter the area, but was cut off by Kashima's defensive line and suffered a counterattack. However, Tokunaga eventually cleared the ball. In the 50th minute, Nakamura broke through on the right side and sent a cross, but it was caught by the opponent's GK before reaching Hirayama. In the 53rd minute, Tokyo earned a left corner kick from Cabore's cross. From this corner kick, Cabore once again entered a shooting position, but it was once again escaped by a corner kick.

　Substituting Nakamura and Hayu for 60 minutes, Suzuki and Otake were put in. This was an opportunity to create a quick passing game and establish an attacking rhythm. In the 63rd minute, Suzuki on the right front line → Followed by Tokunaga, who put in an early cross, but Kajiyama headed it outside the frame. In the 64th minute, they got a free kick in the opponent's territory, and Otake → Suzuki sent a shot-like cross from the right side to the front of the goal. Cabore jumped in and slid to connect, but the shot missed widely... In the 67th minute, Suzuki brought the ball up from the right and sent a through pass to the center of the goal. Cabore broke through and faced the GK in a 1-on-1 situation. He created a decisive opportunity, but still couldn't score...

　But in the 77th minute, when they were pushing forward, Tokyo was broken through on the right side by Kashima DF Arai, and a ground cross was put in the center. FW Marquinhos' shot was blocked, but the ball floated high and was headed in by substitute FW Osako, losing the third goal... In the 85th minute, Otake cut back the opposing DF on the right side and sent a last pass to the goal, and Cabore scored with his right foot. Otake created a chance with his passionate play and got one back, but that was as far as the comeback went... The game ended 3-1, with Kashima always leading and succumbing to their skillful game management at home.

　【Player Comments】《Otake》"We were down 2-0, but I believed we had a chance to turn it around if we could make it 2-1. I tried to touch the ball a lot and create a rhythm, and get involved in the attack. However, the third goal was painful. (On Cabore's goal) I knew Kashima was wary of my left foot, so I cut inside and passed with my right foot. I touched the ball a lot today, but the team couldn't win... In the future, I want to continue creating opportunities like this and contribute to the team's goals."《Nakamura》"It's been a while since I started, so I just wanted to move as far as I could. Even in that, I focused on defense in the game. In the end, we conceded a goal and I think I should have shown more of my strengths in the attack. There were also moments where I felt the difference in Kashima's quick counterattacks and strength in duels. In the future, I want to keep that in mind and practice and prepare to be able to play in every game."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "I am very disappointed to have let down our passionate supporters and it is very frustrating. Our players had a strong mentality going into the match, but careless mistakes led to us conceding two goals against the reigning champions Kashima. We must take this to heart. When we were down two goals, the opponent retreated and it became very difficult for us. We are currently working on breaking through that defense, but we scored too late. We must learn from today's experience and use it to our advantage. Kashima's two strikers were a threat and their counter attacks were dangerous. As a result, even when we had possession, it was a tough game for us. (On the difference between us and Kashima) They scored first and controlled the game well. In that aspect, there is a clear difference. However, I don't think we should ever lower our heads when it comes to the quality of our game. We need to continue to connect our attacks from both counter and slow build-up and improve our accuracy. We have few players with finishing abilities, but we must continue to work on it. Today's result was our own doing, so we must take it as a learning experience and go into the next game with a mentality and quality of play that we can immediately use."

　[Kashima - Coach Oswaldo OLIVEIRA's press conference summary] "In the previous match against Kobe, the humidity was high and it affected our physical condition in the latter part of the game. Therefore, we held a mini training camp starting from Friday with the aim of quickly recovering the players. Sleep and rest are also necessary, and there is also more time for medical treatment and discussions among teammates. Also, our opponent is a tough team with high attacking abilities, so we expected a tough and challenging match. I believe the effect of the training camp showed in the result, and the players understood the purpose behind it. Today, despite the high temperature and humidity, we were able to play our game while effectively containing the opponent's abilities and quality. (Regarding the player substitution in the second half) At the time of the substitution, it was clear that FC Tokyo was trying to break through our sides. Especially on the right side, which was our left side, they were leaning towards it. Our MF Danilo was injured and it was expected that he would not be able to last the full 90 minutes due to playing three consecutive matches. Another reason was that Tokyo brought in a side attacker, and we predicted that our physical condition would drop and we would not be able to keep up with their speed. Therefore, we put MF Nakata in the center and put MF Aoki, who has high physicality and power, on the side with DF Arai to contain the sides. Unfortunately, this strategy did not work 100%, and it led to the goal we conceded. Although we were in a difficult situation, overall, I am satisfied with how everyone followed the game plan we set up today with discipline. We conceded a goal, but considering the score was 3-1 at that time, I think it was a satisfactory game overall."