League Match Resumes! Keep the Momentum Going and Win at Home

　The league resumes. In the 29th round, we will face Kashiwa Reysol at home. In the Emperor's Cup, we had some challenges but we achieved a great victory against Kamatamare Sanuki with a united effort. We will continue this momentum and carry it through to the end of the season. Japan national team players Imamura, Ishikawa, and Tokunaga have joined the team. They have all mentally and physically prepared and are in good condition. On the other hand, Nagatomo is injured in his left knee and Suzuki is suspended, so they will not be playing in this round. As a result, Murahara will play as right back, Tokunaga as left back, and Hiraoka and Akamine will lead the front line.

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, is currently in 16th place with 27 points. They will be desperately aiming to escape the relegation zone, as they are 4 points behind 15th place Yamagata. In the Emperor's Cup match against JEF Reserves (JFL), they ultimately won in a penalty shootout. Under the guidance of coach NELSINHO, who took over in the 19th round, they have 2 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses in the league. They have been steadily accumulating points with their "unbeatable" style of soccer.

　Originally known for their strong defense and counterattacks, coach Jofuku also warned, "Even if the coach changes, the "strength of Kashiwa" remains the same. The defensive awareness of all players has been added, making the team even harder to beat." This round, all eyes will be on how to break through this solid defense. Kashiwa's center backs, Yuki Kobayashi and Kondo, are both strong in one-on-one situations, so the attacking team will not be able to easily move forward. If possible, they will want to launch quick attacks before Kashiwa's defense is fully set up.

　Kashiwa will be without DF Park Dong-Hyuk and FW Otsu due to suspension. Additionally, FW Fransa will be absent due to injury, and FW Popo will start on the bench. A win today will secure their spot in J1 for next season, but they cannot afford to lose in order to stay in the top ranks until the final match. Furthermore, they have not won a home game against Kashiwa since 2004. This season, they hope to take advantage of their home field and secure 3 points. The match started at 1:04 PM at a cloudy Ajinomoto Stadium.

Redmine scores a valuable opening goal just before the end of the first half, dominating the ball!

　Both teams showed a lot of energy from the beginning, with a fast-paced game of attack and defense. Tokyo, in particular, remained calm and controlled the ball. They connected passes through players like Hirayama and Akamine, with Hayashi and Ishikawa often involved, trying to create chances. In the 10th minute, Kajiyama made a big side change to the right side. Ishikawa ran onto it, evaded the opposing defender in a high position, and took a shot! It was a familiar situation, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 12th minute, they created another opportunity from the left side, with Kajiyama following up with a shot from the middle.

　At 15 minutes, Kashiwa's midfielder Kurisawa passed to FW Suganuma on the left area. From here, a cross was sent to FW Kitajima on the right area. A decisive opportunity was created, but the shot was blocked by Tokyo's DF and went out for a corner kick. At 19 minutes, Hirayama carried the ball up from the left side and made a through pass to the right area. Ishikawa managed to get a shot off from just outside the right goal area, but it was saved by the goalkeeper... At 27 minutes, Kashiwa launched a counter attack and MF Tanaka sent a cross from the left. The back of Tokyo's DF on the right area was left open and MF Yamazaki made a run, but the final touch was not successful and the danger was avoided.

　The time continued without being able to bring a decisive finish, but towards the end of the first half, they launched a series of powerful attacks. In the 38th minute, Yonemoto sent a floating pass to the left area, and Ishikawa persistently won a 1-on-1 battle with the opponent's DF, and made a short cross to the center. However, Akamine's header went over. In the 39th minute, Tokunaga went up from the left side → from Akamine's post, Uyu ran into the area and took a shot from a direct play, but this also went outside the frame.

　But in the added time, from a pass exchange on the left side of their own field, Imakano → Kajiyama sends a long pass into the opponent's field, which Uehara traps and sends a ground ball to the front of the goal, and Akamine runs in at the right timing and shoots it into the lower left corner for a goal! They took the lead from a flowing development. There were also scenes where they were countered by Kashiwa, but they ended the first half with a one-point lead.

Scored 4 goals and won with the intended style of soccer!

　In the second half, we continued to attack aggressively without losing our rhythm. In the 46th minute, Ishikawa aimed directly at the goal from a free kick on the right side of the opponent's field, but the powerful shot was punched away by the GK. In the 50th minute, Hayashi connected a side change from the right side to the high left side, and Tokunaga aimed for the goal from the left corner of the area, but it went wide. In the 53rd minute, Kajiyama and Ishikawa sprinted down the right side and sent a strong ground cross between the DF and GK in front of the goal, but Hirayama's sliding attempt was blocked by a Kashiwa DF just before.

　At 55 minutes, Hirayama → Mokuhara overlapped and was pushed to the right front goal line by the DF, but he persisted and passed to Akamine in the middle. Akamine was also marked by the DF, but he persistently took the ball at the goal line and sent a minus pass to the front of the goal. Hayashi, who ran here, kicked it in perfectly and got the second goal! He connected the ball at the goal line without giving up and scored an additional point.

　After that, Kashiwa had no choice but to attack and take advantage of the defensive gaps. From Kajiyama's development, Hayashi repeatedly made dangerous through passes to the opponent's area. In the 62nd minute, Bruno QUADROS intercepted the opponent's pass, and Hayashi in the midfield hit Akamine in front of the goal, received the return pass, and made a through pass to the front line. Hayama, who followed this, dribbled forward while carrying the opponent's DF, and powerfully swung his left foot for the third goal. It was a long-awaited goal for Hayama himself, the first since the 18th round against Omiya in the league.

　In the 69th minute, Konno → Kajiyama passed to Hayashi on the left side of the opponent's field. Hayashi sent a floating ball into the area, and Ishikawa ran in and scored with a looped shot!! They scored a total of 4 goals and pushed Kashiwa ahead, but Ishikawa collided with a defender during this play and injured his left knee...... He was forced to be substituted for Tanabe. Although there were concerns about Ishikawa's injury, Kashiwa was able to shut out any further attacks. They achieved a home victory with coordinated soccer and won their third consecutive league game.

　【Player Comments】《Hayu》"Kashiwa marks man-to-man in the attacking third, so we practiced creating gaps and running into them, and I think everyone's positioning led to goals. The first goal was a play that I can be satisfied with. It was the result of each person firmly showing what they can do and making decisions for the team's success. I think it was a goal that we all took together. Even if it's with the help of others, we are fighting with the mindset that if we lose, we will have nothing left to gain in the final match. Kashiwa also has high motivation, and there have been many games where we have lost to such opponents. So I think it's worth evaluating that we were able to score 4 goals and win. We have confidence in the good parts, but there are also areas that we need to improve. We will continue to work hard to not stop our growth and move in a positive direction."

　《Akamine》"The opening goal was a great pass from player Hanyu, who skillfully bypassed the opponent's DF. It was just before the end of the first half, but I think we were able to gain momentum by taking the lead as a team. In the second half, we were able to score a second goal in a good way. We were able to keep the ball moving and stop it, so all I had to do was pass it to Hanyu. I think I was able to repay the favor of the opening goal."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "I think it was a very good result considering Kashima's strength and current motivation to end with a score of 4-0. As for the content, in the first half, both teams cancelled each other's strengths and I thought it would be a tight game, but we were able to score a good goal just before the end of the first half, which made us mentally relieved. In the second half, there was more space and we were able to pass the ball for a longer time, and we were able to switch gears frequently in the attacking third. We may have wanted to score more goals, but I am satisfied with the result of 4-0 against Kashima."

　However, the bench members must have seen Ishikawa leaving the pitch in that situation. So, they sent in all the players from the second row as substitutes, but I am very dissatisfied with their attitude. If young players can only approach the game with this kind of attitude, this club will not become stronger. I have a great sense of crisis about that. I cannot let them stand on the pitch in the future without instilling in them the pride of wearing blue and red. I feel that much frustration. It is also my responsibility that I could not let them stand on the pitch by firmly conveying to them what position I would be in if Ishikawa got injured. In order to go further, to create a miracle in the final match, it is impossible with only 11 starting players. I want to once again instill the meaning of wearing the blue and red uniform and the attitude to show it.

　[Kashiwa NELSINHO Coach's Press Conference Summary] "This past week, we prepared a game plan to play against Tokyo and focused on countering their defense. We were able to defend well against their key players, Kajiyama, Ishikawa, and Hirayama, who are the core of Tokyo's attack. However, in the final moments, we lost concentration near their goal and they took advantage of that moment to score a beautiful goal. Ultimately, I think that goal was what caused us to lose the game. Even in the second half, we were unable to respond to Tokyo's individual quality movements, especially their diagonal runs, despite being aware of them in practice. (This was the most goals we have conceded since taking over) Today's four goals were not due to the absence of regular players. It was because Tokyo's players were clever and took advantage of their scoring opportunities."