A match against the strong Jubilo, aiming for consecutive wins at home National

　On the 28th (Wed), Sec. 15 of the league was held. We face Júbilo Iwata at home at National Stadium. In the previous match against Shonan, Daikoku scored his first goal since the transfer, securing 3 goals and a victory. This match is one where we want to achieve consecutive wins, which we have yet to accomplish this season, and also secure a home victory. Tokyo's Gonda has fully recovered both physically and mentally and will start. Other than that, the formation remains the same as the previous match, with Kim Young-gun as center back and Morishige as defensive midfielder. Although fatigue is a concern with only two days between matches, Coach Jofuku said about the strategy, "We want to use our stamina as actively as possible and take control of the game." Júbilo Iwata currently sits 13th with 16 points. They have had a series of injuries in their defensive line and suffered a come-from-behind loss in the previous match against Kashima, but since the return of midfielder Jucinho, they have maintained good form. Coach Jofuku noted, "Júbilo Iwata plays high-quality football and has enough attacking power to execute it. Their attack, centered on forward Maeda, is versatile, and their wing-based offense is particularly dangerous. Their defense is also tough, and their biggest strength is aggressive defense leading to counters," indicating it won't be an easy game. It looks like a tense 90 minutes, but if we fall behind defensively, we will allow Júbilo Iwata to dominate. Tokyo must increase ball possession and not lose battles on the flanks to secure victory. It is also important not to lose the ball carelessly against Júbilo Iwata's counterattacks. Above all, this is a match where expectations for a home win are high, and we will aim for victory with full force. On a summer evening with a pleasant breeze at National Stadium, the match kicked off at 19:04 with Tokyo starting.

Although they were dominated by Iwata, they patiently endured with Gonda at the center.

　Tokyo struggled to find their rhythm and advance the ball forward against Iwata, who applied intense pressure in midfield and maintained a compact formation. Still, in the 7th minute, after a clearance by the opposing DF, Otake passed to Nakamura for an early cross. Okuro made a run behind the defense, but the Iwata goalkeeper caught the ball first. In the 14th minute, Tokyo failed to connect passes in midfield, losing possession to Iwata. The right fullback Komano pushed forward and crossed precisely to forward Maeda in front of the goal, who headed the ball sharply, but Gonda made a close save to the upper left corner, averting danger. At the 19th minute, Morishige’s header from a free kick by Matsushita on the right side shook the net, but it was ruled offside. After that, Iwata’s forward Maeda created opportunities with accurate play up front, causing difficulties for Tokyo. In the 22nd minute, Maeda skillfully held the ball on the right front, picked up a loose ball, and immediately took a shot, but Gonda saved it. In the 29th minute, a long feed from DF Oi from Iwata’s half reached forward Maeda. Although Konno was marking him, Maeda controlled the ball with his chest, turned, and aimed for goal. Despite being pressed for a long time, Tokyo endured stubbornly, centered around Gonda. At the 45th minute, Kajiyama passed centrally to Okuro, who shifted the ball left. Ricardinho made a move in the left area and sent a final pass in front of the goal. However, it was cut off by Iwata’s DF, and no chance was created. The first half ended scoreless.

Oguro scores in consecutive matches to take the lead! However, they were equalized immediately after...

　At 2 minutes into the second half, Ricardinho was fouled near the right sideline inside the Iwata half, earning a free kick. Kajiyama quickly restarted, sending a lofted ball into the penalty area. Daikoku, exploiting a gap in Iwata's defense, leapt and headed the ball powerfully into the right side of the net! Daikoku scored for the second consecutive match to put his team ahead.However, immediately at 51 minutes, from Iwata's left corner kick, MF Elsinho's header was cleared, but the ball was again sent out for a corner. From this right corner kick by MF Ueda, DF Nasu's header grazed Gonda's hand... Tokyo's defenders covered, but Matsushita's clearance went into the net. An own goal leveled the score.At 58 minutes, Tokyo substituted Ishikawa for Otake. But at 60 minutes, Kajiyama lost the ball in midfield, and Iwata's MF Nishi launched a counterattack. MF Elsinho in the left area took a decisive shot, but Gonda saved it. Immediately after, Tokyo replaced Ricardinho with Akamine, aiming to regain the lead. Iwata responded by bringing on DF Kanazawa at 62 minutes, pushing DF Park Chuho forward to adjust their tactics. Tokyo struggled to calmly connect passes and faced Iwata's quick transitional attacks. At 69 minutes, Iwata's FW Narioka fired a decisive shot from the right area, but Gonda saved again, forcing a corner. From the corner's rebound, Iwata MF Kosuke YAMAMOTO's long-range shot deflected off a forward, changing its course. Yet Gonda reacted quickly and maintained the defense.At 79 minutes, Suzuki came on for Hanyu. In the final stages, as counterattacks exchanged, at 87 minutes Morishige skillfully broke through the left front and passed to Suzuki advancing into the left area. Suzuki sent a final pass to the goal area, and Akamine prepared to shoot from the right, but was blocked at the last moment by Iwata DF Kanazawa. In stoppage time, Tokyo won the ball deep in their own half and launched a counterattack. Akamine passed to Kajiyama, who then played to Akamine running again on the right side. From there, a low, quick final pass was sent centrally, but Morishige's shot was cut off by the opposing defender... The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and once again Tokyo could not secure a home victory.Player Comments【Gonda】"Since it was a home game, I wanted to win. We were cautious of Iwata's style and I think we responded well defensively. Everyone was moving, and the fullbacks and center backs put their bodies on the line. (You made several great saves?) That's the goalkeeper's job. Still, we lost 2 points. We took the lead in a good way, but conceding at that time was unacceptable. Even in the conceding moment, I wonder if I, as the goalkeeper, could have somehow touched the header... I couldn't, and that is very frustrating."【Daikoku】"We knew beforehand that Iwata is strong in the first half, so keeping it 0-0 was according to plan. Scoring early in the second half was good. At the free kick, I noticed Kajiyama looking at me, so I adjusted my body orientation and prepared. I couldn't see the goal, but I headed the ball instinctively. The main issue was not scoring a second goal. We want to improve our teamwork more."Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary"I appreciate many people coming despite it being a weekday. We haven't won at home for a long time, and today I wanted to celebrate with the fans, but we couldn't, which is disappointing. From scouting recent matches, we knew Iwata is top-level both offensively and defensively. Against top teams, we have been competing not only in results but also in quality, so I expected a very tough match today. Especially in the first half, I anticipated it would be difficult to break through their midfield block, so our theme was how to exploit behind or widen the field with side changes. But Iwata focused on switching play with a single pass from their defensive line to FW Maeda. FW Maeda not only wins aerial duels but can also control the ball with his chest. There were several moments when they switched the play successfully. We didn't have many players in good form individually, and we felt the pressure, so our attempts to get behind or use side changes didn't go as planned.However, Iwata can't maintain such a solid block for 90 minutes, so I thought we could break into the block in the second half. Substitutions were a key, but they didn't work well, and we couldn't bring out individual strengths. It was a tough match as expected, and while we didn't lose, considering our position, we must strive to get 3 points at home. The players showed that attitude, but we must face the fact that we couldn't get 3 points. (What specifically will you focus on?) Fatigue is present with only two days between matches, but even so, players must take proper positions. We have worked on positioning from the build-up phase and creating 2-on-1 situations, but fatigue prevented us from gaining numerical superiority. We were pressured and couldn't get time on the ball, which is due to insufficient positional adjustments. These are small details, but I think we were lax."Iwata Coach Yanashita's Press Conference Summary"It's disappointing not to get 3 points with this performance. But considering we were overturned from 2-0 in the previous match, I want to accept getting 1 point away. The players played aggressively from the first half and moved the ball calmly, creating several chances. The first half was fairly good. At halftime, we talked about 'watching Daikoku's movements,' but we conceded early in the second half from a single play. Still, the players didn't hang their heads and kept aiming for the opponent's goal. Reflecting on the previous match, I felt the team has become mentally stronger."