Aiming for victory away with fresh players amidst a tough schedule

In Sec. 16 of the league, we face Albirex Niigata away. In the previous match against Iwata, we were outpaced and outworked, forcing a tough battle. Like the last match, this game comes after just two days of rest. Despite the tough schedule, as Coach Shofuku aims, "We want to carry the ball in a way that breaks down the opponent's defense while keeping the goals conceded to a minimum," we will not use fatigue as an excuse, maintain an aggressive attitude both offensively and defensively, control the game for longer periods, and aim for victory.Albirex Niigata currently sits 9th with 22 points. Although defensive midfielder Honma was suspended in their last match against Kashima, they adopted an attacking 3-forward formation away and pressed Kashima. The match ended in a draw, but since Sec. 7 on April 17, they have remained unbeaten in 9 league matches with 5 wins and 4 draws, showing strong competitiveness. Especially with forward Yano leading the attack, left-side player Cho aggressively challenges, and fluid movements from MF Marcio Richardes and FW Michel create chances. Also, great attention is needed for set pieces from the in-form MF Marcio Richardes.Tokyo, considering "three points: the three consecutive matches, injury impact, and Niigata countermeasures (Coach Shofuku)," will field fresh players. Mukuahara will play right back, Morishige and Takahashi form a double defensive midfield, Suzuki and Hanyu on the left and right midfield, and the two forwards will be Oguro and Akamine. Although they won 1-0 in the Nabisco Cup qualifier on May 22, Coach Shofuku warns, "Niigata's style hasn't changed from the Nabisco match, and that game was a close call. But they have gained solid confidence from their unbeaten league run."Takahashi expressed his determination: "We must carefully cover FW Cho, Michel, and MF Marcio Richardes when they move inside. Also, when long balls are kicked from the defensive line to FW Yano up front, we defensive midfielders need to drop back to defend. I want to run more than others and win the ball more often." Offensively, the sides will be a key factor. Since Niigata's side halves and fullbacks take high positions, we want to exploit the space behind them to create chances. The match kicked off at 19:03 at the Tohoku Electric Power Big Swan Stadium with Niigata starting.

Allowed a goal from a mistake, leading to a difficult situation. Trailing at the end of the first half.

　From the start of the first half, we pressed Niigata and tried to attack by connecting passes. At 4 minutes, Akamine made a run to the right front line in response to a long pass from the back and crossed to the center. Suzuki ran into the goal area but was defended by the opposing DF. Conversely, Niigata launched speedy attacks, and the game continued with back-and-forth exchanges. However, at 15 minutes, Takahashi's pass was intercepted by Niigata MF Michel in our own half, who then played a through pass behind our DF. FW Yano calmly finished, conceding an early goal. But without panic, we launched our own soccer and counterattacked. At 26 minutes, Hanyu passed to Mori Shige in front, who moved from right to left near the area and was fouled, earning a free kick. Matsushita aimed for it, but the shot hit the upper left bar of the goal. At 34 minutes, Kim Young-gun dribbled forward → Matsushita → Suzuki, who moved to the left and carried the ball forward to cross. Akamine jumped in front of the goal but missed the connection. At 38 minutes, from Konno's large side change to Suzuki on the right side. He dribbled in and delivered a low cross into the goal area but it was cleared. At 40 minutes, from Mukuhara's cross, a right corner kick. Hanyu picked up the rebound from Matsushita's kick. He dodged the opposing DF near the area and carried the ball forward, releasing a powerful shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. Afterwards, we continued to press Niigata, sending crosses from the sides, but the ball did not reach Daikoku or Akamine in good positions. Niigata's counterattacks were sharp, making it a tense game, but no decisive chances were created, and the first half ended.

Kono's goal narrowed the gap to one point, but they couldn't score again and lost the match.