Aiming for top placement while maintaining the momentum of Nabisco!

　In the 25th round of the league, we will face Kyoto Sanga F.C. away. In the Nabisco Cup Shimizu match held on 9/6, the team's common consciousness was thoroughly implemented, and we won with Tokyo-style soccer, securing our spot in the final. On the other hand, Cabore's transfer to Qatar has been decided. Coach Shirofuku said, "We must all work together to turn negatives into positives," and while continuing the momentum from the Nabisco Cup, we want to cover it with unity and solidarity.

　Kyoto, currently in 10th place, has been preparing carefully for this match after a two-week interval since the 8/30 Sec. 24 match, during which time their Korean representative DF Lee was absent. The defensive line is led by DF Lee and includes DF Mizumoto and Mashima, all strong players with height and physicality. The key to today's match will be how we can break through this solid defense. We want to control the game from the midfield, bypassing Kyoto's pressing from the front line and creating as many chances as possible.

　Tokyo, with Japan national team's Nagatomo and Konno returning energetically to the starting lineup. Akamine will replace Cabore. Akamine said, "I have been playing with Aita for a long time, so I know his strengths well. I want to make use of Aita's ball control and height, and also showcase my own strengths, to bring out the best in each other." The defense has also been stable and focused lately, so we want to suppress the opponent's attack with coordinated defense, bring the game to Tokyo's pace, and fight patiently without getting flustered.

　The match record against Kyoto has ended in a draw for the past three games, but Coach Shirofuku explains his aim, saying, "Kyoto is skilled at neutralizing the opponent's strengths and changing their tactics and system according to the situation. Therefore, we must also prepare for several options and mentally prepare." At the same time, in previous matches, we were confused by the opponent's changes in the final stages and ended up in chaos, so it is necessary to calmly read the flow of the game. Stay calm and adapt to changes in the situation, and aim for a fight that will lead to advancement! The match started at 13:04 with Kyoto's kickoff at the Kagoshima Prefectural Kamoike Athletics Stadium.

Easily conceding the first goal, and then being led until the end of the first half.

　Immediately after the start of the match, Kyoto attacks from a FK. Left MF Tsunoda advances into the center of the area, and then FW Diego exchanges passes with Bruno QUADROS and moves forward. The shot is scored in the lower left corner, resulting in a goal... We allowed the first goal due to a lack of concentration. After that, Tokyo switched their mindset and began attacking by connecting passes as usual. In the 8th minute, Akamine on the left side receives a vertical pass from Kajiyama and passes to Hirayama in the center. Hirayama dribbles past the opposing DF and almost breaks through in front of the goal, but is stopped by the DF and results in a CK.

　At 15 minutes, Konno powerfully cuts the ball in the opponent's territory. In the center, Hayashi → Ishikawa connects directly, and tries to pass to Akamine who is attacking the goal, but it is cut off. At 21 minutes, Hayashi runs to the far post from Ishikawa's right cross and heads it back, but it narrowly misses Hirayama. At 25 minutes, Hayashi speeds up to the left front line space from Kajiyama's long feed, and sends a sharp cross. Akamine heads it perfectly timed, but it narrowly misses the goal...

　Against opponents who were completely defensive, we were attacking but our final play lacked precision and we couldn't create any decisive chances. However, with 10 minutes left in the hot weather, we finally found ourselves in a decisive situation in front of the goal. In the 34th minute, Hirayama received the ball from Imamura and passed it to Ishikawa in the left area. He entered the left area and took a powerful left-footed shot, grazing the defender and resulting in a corner kick. In the 38th minute, Akamine on the left passed to Hirayama in the center, who hit the post, and Ishikawa quickly moved in from the left and took a shot. It was a powerful shot, but it hit the crossbar and went out... In the end, we went into the second half with a one-goal deficit.

Defeated by conceding a goal from a counterattack despite gaining momentum with Ishikawa's equalizing goal

　In the second half, Suzuki was substituted for Akamine as a forward. This sparked movement in the team and the game progressed in the Kyoto territory. In the 53rd minute, Suzuki took a shot from the left side but it was blocked by the defense. Then in the 60th minute, Hayashi → Kajiyama attempted to dribble through the central area. And just to the left, Imakawa was also pushing forward, but he passed to Ishikawa on the outside. Ishikawa controlled the ball from the left area and scored a sharp shot into the net! This was Ishikawa's first goal since the August 1st Kawasaki game, finally equalizing the score.

　Tokyo, who had gained momentum, continued to pass and create chances in search of a go-ahead goal. In the 62nd minute, Imakawa intercepted the opponent's ball and ran up the field, crossing it. Suzuki tried to finish it in the center, but it was ruled offside. In particular, Kajiyama made his presence known in the midfield, continuously sending vertical passes to the front line. In the 69th minute, he picked up a loose ball from a right corner kick, entered the right area himself, and managed to get past the GK, but was unable to score from such a close distance.

　85 minutes into the game, while pushing forward, the ball was taken away by the opponent's DF and cleared to the midfield. Here, Yonemoto competed with Kyoto FW Kim, but the ball hit FW Kim and went towards the Tokyo goal. Gonda also rushed out, but FW Kim dribbled past him and scored into the empty goal, resulting in a goal against Tokyo. Despite Tokyo's efforts to equalize, they were unable to score and the game ended. While Tokyo tried to dominate possession and score a second goal, they were caught off guard and suffered a defeat. They were unable to start the league with a win.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"It's a shame that we couldn't score another goal after equalizing. We had discussed before the game where to defend and where to aim for chances, and the equalizing situation was just as we had imagined. Then, it was time to go for the winning goal, but unfortunately we couldn't convert our chances. (Was the goal as you had imagined?) Yes. However, I am disappointed that I couldn't score in the first half. I think we spent too much time chasing the game. We wanted to equalize in the first half. It doesn't matter who made the mistake for the goal, it was a mistake that the whole team should not have made. We need to reflect on that, but maybe we equalized a little too late. We need to adjust our game plan according to the situation, but in the end, we lacked composure. It felt like Kyoto had taken control. (Are you back to your pre-injury form?) Rather than going back to how I was before the injury, I am striving to evolve. We scored the equalizer today, but I want to contribute more. It's easy to get down after a loss, but I want to change the team's atmosphere."

　《Kajiyama》"At first, we couldn't concentrate and ended up conceding in that way. However, we didn't panic and were able to connect and gradually get into our rhythm. In the second half, Tatsuya was able to make runs behind the defense and the team's rhythm started to come together. We had a feeling we could turn the game around... (What about the shot in the 69th minute?) The opponent didn't come to mark me too much. There were other chances besides that one, and I was trying to aim for the goal instead of just getting it near the goal, but it ended up going off target... I wanted to be involved in a goal."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "It was a game that is hard to put into words. I feel sorry for the fans who came all the way here. Everyone knew that today's game would be a difficult situation, so I don't want to make any excuses and I don't think I should. The team that won was strong, and we were weak." (What was the intention of putting in Suzuki from the beginning of the second half?) "We couldn't give the opponent a threat from behind, so we used a player who could run behind. Of course, it's not because Akamine was bad, but as a balance, we have to show both the feet and the back to be a threat to the opponent. In the first half, we decided that we couldn't give a threat even though we had possession. The Kyoto DF line was dropping back, but we need to be more aware of when we can run behind. When we win the ball, the opponent's line is not dropping back, so we need to create a situation where they can drop back quickly. I think there were some problems with both the passer and the receiver, as we could only move the ball in that way." (How will you regroup for the next match?) "We need to reorganize our mentality. The fans who came all the way here were singing the cup song, which is very much appreciated and also gives us courage, but it is also a humiliation in a way. We only have the cup matches left this season. I think it's meant to give us courage, but as a team, we need to work towards how we can play the remaining 9 league matches and make sure we don't just sing the cup song next time. We want to go for all 3 points."

　[Kyoto Coach Kato's Press Conference Summary] "We were able to play a home game in Kagoshima, which is the hometown of our main sponsor Kyocera and also the hometown of Chairman Inamori. Many people came to support us, even from far away Kyoto. I think we were able to give them a good return. In the first half, we scored a goal very early, which of course gave us a big advantage. I think the players started to feel the importance of the game. We should have played more with our own ball or moved the ball faster, but I think we lost some of our aggressiveness and energy to move forward. As a result, we were pushed back by FC Tokyo, but I think it was good that we were able to end the first half with a 1-0 lead. In the second half, I was thinking of bringing in FW Yanagisawa at some point. Today's match was played in higher temperatures than usual, and FW Hayashi also did a great job, but I expected FW Yanagisawa to create time for us up front, so I brought him in at the beginning of the second half. In the middle of the game, MF Shijikurei got injured in an accident, and we were pushed back a bit. MF Shijikurei has a big presence, but he is not always in his best condition, so I thought we needed to reduce our dependence on him as a team. After that, FW Kin and MF Nakamura's positioning and balance were very good, and FW Kin scored the winning goal for the second game in a row, which I think will give a big boost to the team. I think he will have a positive influence on other young players. We were able to get 3 points from FC Tokyo, who have a lot of strength and have advanced to the final of the Nabisco Cup, and I think the players are very satisfied. However, there are still 9 games left in the league, so we want to gradually catch up with the top teams and aim higher."