Sec. 18 Tamagawa Classico Held! Aiming for consecutive official match victories

　Sec. 31 of the league is held. As the 18th Tamagawa Clasico, Kawasaki Frontale is welcomed at home. In the Emperor's Cup match against Chiba, a fresh lineup showed dynamic play and secured a comfortable victory at Ajinomoto. This match comes just two days after that, but with the mindset switched back to the league, the team aims for victory with unity and a good atmosphere. Kawasaki, on the other hand, currently sits 5th with 49 points. This is the first Tamagawa Clasico since the World Cup after GK Kawashima and FW Jung transferred overseas. MF Nakamura is suspended this match. Additionally, DF Mori was injured in the Emperor's Cup match against Yamagata on the 20th. At the same time, three players are absent due to the Asian Games, making the team situation difficult. Still, players like FW JUNINHO, MF Vitor Junior, and Kusukami, who can break through with individual skill, are present. Great caution is needed against counters starting from them. In response, we want to prevent Kawasaki's forwards from receiving the ball as much as possible by aggressively winning the ball in midfield. In attack, outpacing Kawasaki in quick transitions should be the key to goals and victory. Recently, the team has been thoroughly focusing on leveraging individual strengths to create chances, and expectations are high for continuous goals from FW players like Hirayama and Oguro. Also, the team is unbeaten in the last five official matches. Against Yokohama FM and in the Emperor's Cup, they made situational decisions to draw victory to themselves. Tokyo will deploy Tokunaga at right back. Morishige returns from suspension to play center back. The Tamagawa Clasico is always an intense match, but even if it turns into a goal-fest, calmly fighting will surely create chances to win. Combining aggressiveness with composure, now to the Clasico stage! The weather is clear at Ajinomoto. The match kicked off at 14:04 with Tokyo starting.

Unable to grasp the rhythm of the attack, time passes in the struggle for possession in midfield

　They started aggressively from the beginning. At 2 minutes, Hirayama dribbled in from the left side and passed to the right side. Ishikawa timed it well and took a shot from the area, but it lacked power. At 5 minutes, Kajiyama advanced to the right side and crossed. They tried to pick up and connect the clearance, but lost the pass from there and suffered a counterattack from Kawasaki. Several times during their attacks, the ball was taken away, and Kawasaki launched counterattacks leading to finishing chances. At 8 minutes, a quick attack initiated by Kawasaki MF Vitor Junior was cut off by Tokunaga who returned promptly.At 10 minutes, Kawasaki’s left side back Komiyama overlapped, and FW JUNINHO took a toe kick shot in front of the goal, but Gonda saved it. At 12 minutes, the ball was lost during an attack, and from an advance by Kawasaki MF Vitor Junior, FW JUNINHO who ran through the center took a shot, but Konno managed to deflect it to a corner kick.Tokyo focused on quick transitions in attack, but could not find their rhythm against Kawasaki’s tough defense. As time passed, the battle for possession in midfield intensified. Kawasaki connected passes and took control, but Tokyo stayed focused and neither side created decisive chances. Tokyo’s only shots in the first half were Ishikawa’s early attempt and two set-piece shots by Morishige and Ohguro at 36 and 37 minutes. Meanwhile, Kawasaki was only allowed two shots in the early stages. The scoreless match was carried over into the second half.

Morishige equalizes with a header, but allows the opponent to take the lead due to a mistake...

　At 46 minutes, just after the start of the second half, Kawasaki's attack was cut off, and Hanyu → Kajiyama quickly connected a direct pass to the forward Oguro, but it was offside. Immediately after, at 47 minutes, Kajiyama carried the ball into the area, and Hanyu crossed from the left. However, Kawasaki's defenders stopped it, and they suffered a counterattack. The ball was connected to the front line, from the left midfielder Kusukami's dribble to the left area FW JUNINHO, then to FW Yajima in front of the goal. FW Yajima quickly turned and shot, scoring in the lower left corner of the goal. They conceded the first goal early in the second half... However, there was still time left for a counterattack. At 50 minutes, Ricardinho was brought on for Hanyu, and at 57 minutes, Mukuhara was substituted in for Oguro as right side back. Tokunaga was moved to defensive midfield, and Kajiyama was pushed forward one line to attack aggressively. At 65 minutes, Ricardinho used his speed and skillful dribbling to break through, was fouled just outside the left area, and earned a free kick. Ishikawa aimed directly at the goal with this free kick, but the shot on target was saved by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. Then at 66 minutes, Mori shige jumped and headed in Ishikawa's right corner kick, scoring a goal! They took advantage of the set-piece chance and equalized. The mood to take the lead grew stronger as they tried to press Kawasaki. At 68 minutes, Ricardinho ran up the left side and crossed. Ishikawa jumped to meet the ball in the center but couldn't finish, and the shot went straight to the goalkeeper. At 75 minutes, Ricardinho again entered the left area. He sent a skillful dribble and a backward pass, but Tokunaga's shot was blocked by Kawasaki's defenders. Then Tokunaga advanced close to the left area near the goal after a series of passes in front of Kawasaki's goal, but his attempt to cross was blocked, resulting in a corner kick. At 78 minutes, Kajiyama spread the ball to the right front. From Mukuhara's forward run, they earned a corner kick. From this right corner kick flow, Kajiyama, who persistently chased the ball, aimed at the goal from just outside the right area, but the shot went wide. Kawasaki also quickly sent the ball to the front line, and in the final stages, both teams' lines stretched, exchanging counterattacks. At 84 minutes, Kawasaki connected from their own half, and left midfielder Vitor Junior sent a long pass to the front. Mori shige tried to clear it but the ball spilled back, reaching Kawasaki FW JUNINHO who had come out. He lobbed the ball, and the shot went over the head of the rushing Gonda into the empty goal... Defensive lapses showed, and they conceded the go-ahead goal... Still, they did not give up until the end. At 86 minutes, Maeda was brought on for Nakamura. They strengthened the front line, and Konno also pushed forward, pressing Kawasaki's goal. In 4 minutes of stoppage time, they earned a corner kick, and Gonda also advanced, but they couldn't get a shot. In the final moments, they launched a wave of attacks, and Hirayama took a shot from the center, but it was straight at the goalkeeper and offside. They could not shake the net until the end... The 18th Tamagawa Clasico ended in a painful defeat. 【Player Comments】 <米本> "I think we couldn't position ourselves well or take the ball effectively today. Especially in the second half, the lines stretched too much, and we needed to communicate better. Kawasaki FW JUNINHO played skillfully, but it wasn't just him who beat us. We want to reflect on that and correct it. The situation remains tough, but we must switch our mindset properly for the next game." <Ishikawa> "We couldn't find our rhythm today and conceded first. After equalizing, it felt like we could turn the game around... But we won't hang our heads and will focus on the next match. Right now, rather than thinking about other teams, we need to improve the quality of our own football. We want to pursue our own style without worrying about others." 【Coach Okuma's Press Conference Summary】 "Regarding the content, I don't think there's anything to be pessimistic about. We kept it compact and aimed for a second goal. However, in football, self-inflicted mistakes make it hard to change the result. For the remaining three matches, we want to fix what needs fixing and fight properly. (Regarding the psychological care players need as pressure builds) There were late goals conceded even before I took over as coach, and that still affects us. But as long as we don't make mistakes, the players have developed the strength and mentality to overcome that. I told them to have confidence, not overconfidence. Even today, despite conceding first, they fought without despair. We have to trust what we've built so far and keep fighting." 【Kawasaki F. Takahata Coach's Press Conference Summary】 "We fought for 120 minutes and a penalty shootout in the Emperor's Cup but unfortunately lost, and the title chance was gone. Then, after two days, we faced today's match. I told the players to fight hard in the remaining four matches aiming for the ACL, and to express on the pitch what we've done so far for our supporters. It was physically and mentally tough, and a difficult game, but the players fought well. I'm truly grateful we won this match. We have three matches left this season, and we want to accumulate points and aim higher in the standings. We want to express on the pitch what we've worked on this season without regrets."