Aiming for victory away with fresh players in a tough schedule

In the 16th round of the league, we will face Albirex Niigata away. In the previous round against Iwata, we lost in the beginning and in terms of physicality, and were forced into a tough battle. We will face this round with only two days of rest, just like the previous round. The schedule is tough, but as coach Jofuku aims to "keep the number of goals conceded to a minimum and break through the opponent's defense with our ball movement," we must not use fatigue as an excuse and maintain an aggressive attitude in both offense and defense, hold onto the lead for as long as possible, and aim for victory. On the other hand, Niigata is currently in 9th place with 22 points. In the previous round against Kashima, midfielder Homma was suspended, but they approached the game with an attacking formation of three forwards and pushed Kashima back. Although the result was a draw, they have not lost in 9 league matches since the 7th round on April 17th, with 5 wins and 4 draws, showing their strength in crucial moments. In particular, starting from forward Yano, left side player Cao makes bold moves, and midfielders Marcio Richardes and forward Misael create chances with their fluid movements. We must also pay close attention to the set pieces of the in-form midfielder Marcio Richardes. Tokyo will use fresh players based on "three points: three consecutive games, injuries, and strategies against Niigata (coach Jofuku)." Murohara will play as right back, with Morishige and Takahashi forming a double pivot in midfield, Suzuki and Hayashi on the left and right wings, and Okubo and Akamine as the two forwards. Although they won 1-0 in the Nabisco Cup qualifier on May 22nd, coach Jofuku is cautious, saying "Niigata's style of play is the same as in the Nabisco Cup, but that game was also a close match. However, they have gained a solid confidence from their unbeaten record in the league." Takahashi says, "We need to take care of when forwards Cao, Misael, and midfielder Marcio Richardes come inside. Also, we need to drop back as defensive midfielders to defend against long balls from the backline to forward Yano. We want to run more and win the ball more than other players." In terms of offense, the key will be the wings. Niigata's side midfielders and fullbacks also take up high positions, so we want to create chances by attacking the space behind them. The match kicked off at 19:03 at the Tohoku Electric Power Big Swan Stadium with Niigata's kickoff.

Conceded a goal from a mistake and facing a tough situation. Trailing at the end of the first half.

　Niigata pressed from the start of the first half and tried to attack by connecting passes. In the 4th minute, Akamine jumped out to the right front line to meet a long pass from the back and crossed it to the center. Suzuki ran into the goal area, but was stopped by the opposing DF. On the other hand, Niigata also launched a speedy attack, resulting in a back-and-forth game. However, in the 15th minute, Takahashi's pass was stolen by Niigata MF Misheu in their own half, and a through pass was sent behind the DF. Yano calmly scored, giving up the first goal in the early stages. But they did not panic and launched a counterattack with their own style of soccer. In the 26th minute, Hayashi → Morishige received a foul after dribbling from the right to the left near the area, earning a free kick. Matsushita aimed for it, but the shot hit the top left bar. In the 34th minute, Kim Yong-gun dribbled up, passed to Matsushita, and Suzuki moved to the left and crossed. Akamine jumped in front of the goal, but missed. In the 38th minute, Imakawa made a big side change to Suzuki on the right side. He dribbled in and sent a low cross into the goal area, but it was cleared. In the 40th minute, from Mokuhara's cross to the right corner kick. Hayashi picked up the loose ball from Matsushita's kick. He dribbled past the opposing DF near the area and took a powerful shot, but it went straight to the GK. After that, they continued to push Niigata, but could not get the ball to Okubo or Akamine in a good position. Niigata also had sharp counterattacks, making it a tense game, but they couldn't create any clear chances and ended the first half.

Defeat despite narrowing the gap to one point with Konno's goal