Sec. 17 Tamagawa Classico held, a match to clear last season's regrets

　The league matches resume. Sec. 5 will be held on Sunday as an away game against Kawasaki Frontale, marking the 17th Tamagawa Clasico. In the Nabisco match against Nagoya, we conceded 2 goals, but Coach Jofuku said, "The issues are basic as a team. Extending our own possession time, the way we lose the ball, and the play just before losing it are things that apply against any opponent," aiming for further improvement. However, regarding the Kawasaki match, he stated, "Of the results against last season's top teams, which were 2 draws and 6 losses, 2 of those losses were against this opponent. That is why we absolutely want a result. That feeling is conveyed from the players as well. We value channeling that frustration and the progress we have made so far."On the Kawasaki side, experienced players such as MF Inamoto and DF Komiyama have newly joined this season. On the other hand, injuries have hit MF Nakamura, Kikuchi, FW JUNINHO, and others. So far in the league, they have 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, entering this match with the same 7 points as Tokyo. Also, on the 31st, they will play an ACL away match in Australia, so their condition may not be perfect. Nevertheless, players like FW Choi Tae-So, Renatinho, Kurotsu, and others with high individual ability are gathered, and their attacking power remains a threat as before. Against Kawasaki, we want to deny them time and space and switch from organized defense to attack.Regarding the Tamagawa Clasico, it is positioned as "Both Tokyo and Kawasaki joined the J.League as 'latecomers.' Within that, how to assert presence. Also, as teams from the metropolitan area, what should be done for the prosperity of the J.League... Those thoughts are packed in." The passionate feelings of both sides will clash on the pitch, but ideally, we want to avoid a goal-fest and extend our own possession through calm judgment. However, there will be times when Kawasaki launches vigorous attacks. How resiliently we can fight then is key. We want to aim for victory by turning a composed game into chances.Under cloudy skies with light rain starting, the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium is packed. Tokyo’s Nagatomo, who missed the Nabisco Nagoya match, has recovered his condition and returned. Morishige is also named in the starting lineup, and at 16:03, Tokyo kicked off to start the match.

Grasp the rhythm and create scoring opportunities, but allow Kawasaki to take the lead with a 'single blow.'

　From the beginning, Kawasaki applied intense pressure and did not lose in one-on-one battles. In midfield, Tokunaga often became the starting point, connecting passes to create their own time. At 3 minutes, a pass reached Ishikawa, who tried to break behind the opposing DF, but it was offside. At 4 minutes, from Konno's forward pass, Hirayama took the ball after the opponent's DF clearance, advanced forward, and aimed for a middle-range shot. However, Kawasaki's counterattack was fast, and the game saw quick transitions between offense and defense. At 11 minutes, Kawasaki launched a counterattack, with right side back Mori crossing. MF Taniguchi jumped into the area and trapped the ball with his chest, but a handball foul gave Tokyo the ball.At 18 minutes, Tokyo launched a quick attack, with Suzuki advancing and passing to Ishikawa on the right. Ishikawa cut in from the right side, and his shot hit a DF and rebounded. Nakamura, following up from the left, took a direct shot. It was well saved but went wide to the right. Until then, Kawasaki had almost no shooting chances, but at 21 minutes, FW Kurotsu broke through the left side and crossed from the sideline. Mori cleared it, but FW Jeong near the edge of the area reacted skillfully to the ball. Taking advantage of Tokyo DF's delayed response, he scored a powerful shot, conceding the first goal.However, without losing spirit, Tokyo moved the ball and attacked. At 24 minutes, from Nakamura to Nagatomo's cross, Hanyu took a shot but hit the left post... Hirayama connected to the rebound and shook the net, but it was offside. At 28 minutes, Hanyu pressed the opposing defensive midfielder and stole the ball, passing to Ishikawa. Ishikawa's grounded backward cross reached Hirayama in the center, but the shot was half-hearted and went out of bounds. At 32 minutes, Mukuhara overlapped and sent a cross, and Hirayama connected with a high header, but the shot hit the bar... The rebound flew to Nakamura in the left area, but his shot missed.At 37 minutes, Hanyu passed to Nakamura, who dribbled centrally. He gave a last pass to Hirayama as if to cross forward, but the timing was off, and Kawasaki's GK caught it. In all these last plays, the accuracy and coordination were lacking, and Tokyo ended the first half without scoring a goal.

Conceding a goal from FK, Konno snatches a tenacious goal but suffers a frustrating defeat...

　At 47 minutes, early in the second half, Ishikawa received a pass from Hirayama and broke behind the opposing DF to enter the right area. He faced a golden opportunity, but the final cross was too strong and did not reach Suzuki or Nakamura who had moved forward. After missing this chance, Kawasaki also aimed for an additional goal, gathering long balls to FW Jung up front to build momentum. Therefore, at 59 minutes, Kim Young-gun was brought on as a center back replacing Nakamura. Konno was moved up to defensive midfield, and Hanyu shifted to left MF in a formation to counterattack. However, at 61 minutes, a foul on Kawasaki FW Jung resulted in a free kick just outside the left area. FW Jung sharply targeted the goal with a ground shot, which slipped under the jump of Tokyo’s DF wall, deflecting off Gonda’s hand and going in. This meant conceding the second goal from a set piece... At 63 minutes, Shigematsu replaced Suzuki, and at 68 minutes, Otake came on for Hanyu. They connected passes and pushed the ball forward aiming for a goal, but at 71 minutes, Otake received the ball between the opposing DF and MF and sent a lofted pass to Shigematsu in the left area. However, tightly marked by Kawasaki’s DF, they could not finish. There were also noticeable moments of losing the ball during attacks, leading to Kawasaki’s powerful counterattacks. Time passed without a decisive moment. It seemed the match would end scoreless, but just after entering 4 minutes of stoppage time, Hirayama dropped Gonda’s kick, Ishikawa broke into the area and earned a throw-in. Mukunohara threw it, Ishikawa to Mukunohara crossed, and Shigematsu shot from behind Hirayama who had jumped in the center! The close-range shot was saved by the GK, but Konno followed up on the DF’s rebound and scored a consolation goal! They never gave up and earned a determined goal, but it was only a single goal, and the 17th Tamagawa Clasico ended in defeat. 【Player Comments】《Tokunaga》“There were times when we played our football, but also times when we were pressed. There were many mistakes and much to reflect on. Of course, we had to score, but conceding first made it difficult. When Kawasaki scored first, we inevitably tried to counterattack, which allowed them to launch counters. It’s difficult to fix these issues immediately, but we want to keep our composure and extend our own time on the pitch.” 《Morishige》“After conceding the second goal, maybe some impatience arose. We made substitutions and changed formation, but couldn’t change the flow in the second half. As defenders, we wanted to limit it to one goal. Regarding the first goal, the response to the cross was just barely, so I tried to block it... We want to show more ‘strength’ as we play more matches.” 【Coach Jofuku’s Press Conference Summary】“Last year, we suffered a last-minute comeback loss here at Todoroki. Afterwards, we won the Nabisco Cup, but at Todoroki, we didn’t recall that at all. Not only us, but Tokyo supporters who came to cheer also faced the pitch with that frustration. Even after conceding the first and second goals, the supporters kept cheering, which I think led to the final goal. We are truly grateful for the strong support from the fans. It is very disappointing that we couldn’t clear last year’s frustration for ourselves and the fans here. Regarding the content, I think the first goal was conceded despite having enough defenders. We must strongly reflect on that. However, in the first half, we showed an attitude to play our football and try to score. There were many chances to equalize. The first half was not bad in terms of building through the center and attacking from outside, including finishing accuracy. Honestly, we wanted to equalize in the first half. But when Kawasaki pressed again in the second half, we couldn’t overcome it. We must reflect on how we started the second half. Also, substitutions disrupted the pace we had in the first 30 minutes of the first half, so I reflect on the substitutions as well. Although it’s hindsight, I want to take it as a personal and team challenge. We couldn’t clear last year’s frustration, but considering that, the next match is important. I want to fight together with everyone again.” 【Kawasaki Coach Takahata’s Press Conference Summary】“After a long trip from the ACL match in Melbourne, Australia, we had three days rest and today was the last of five consecutive matches. We were worried about condition, but we talked about helping each other and getting three points with the supporters’ power, and sent the players out. The players played aggressively from the start, showing our style of football and fought well with concentration for 90 minutes. The supporters gave their usual passionate cheers. It was a difficult match, but I am grateful to the players who performed our style well for 90 minutes.”