Concluding the final home match with a victory, aiming for a rise in the standings

　On Saturday, 11/27, Sec. 33 of the league was held. The final home game at Ajinomoto saw Montedio Yamagata come to town. In the previous match against Nagoya, we secured a valuable victory. Before Tokyo's match this round, 16th-placed Kobe had already won, so the current points are tied at 35. Even if Tokyo loses this round, the ranking will not change due to goal difference, but there has been no victory at Ajinomoto since the opening game this season. For survival and to meet the expectations of fans and supporters who have cheered throughout the season, this match is one where a win is absolutely necessary. Montedio Yamagata is currently 12th but raised their points to 40 with a win in the previous round, securing their J1 status. They also surpassed last season's final points of 39, and the team atmosphere seems good. This round, they changed their lineup slightly, with DF Miyamoto at right side back and DF Kobayashi on the left. Up front, FW Hasegawa leads the line with FW Ito on the left side. Against a hard-working Yamagata, Tokyo wants to compete without losing in stamina and quickness, launching speedy and varied attacks to score goals. Tokyo welcomes back Hirayama to the starting lineup after suspension this round. However, this is the fifth match in two weeks and only three days after the last game, so considering condition and balance (according to Coach Okuma), Tokunaga is deployed as center back. They will play a 4-4-2 formation with Okuro and Hirayama as the two forwards. Without losing in quickness, they aim to control the flanks, add Kajiyama's forward runs and Hirayama's aerial presence, and launch speedy and varied attacks to score first. Coach Okuma declared strongly, “We have experienced tough situations where one match or one goal changes everything, but there is no 'fluke' in victory. We have fought with spirit so far, but it is important to clearly recognize our position and fight steadily toward our goal. The final home game will be the same; we want to launch a spirited fight and draw the win.” It was a clear Saturday, but as the sun set and it got colder at Ajinomoto, the match kicked off at 15:32 with Tokyo starting.

Unable to break Yamagata's solid defense, ending the first half scoreless

　From the beginning, they showed passionate play. They launched quick attacks following tough defense. Controlling the ball, they initiated moves from the right side. At the 7th minute, from a cross by Mukuhara to Ishikawa, Daikoku headed at the far post. At the 9th minute, Kajiyama carried the ball inside from the left area corner and took a shot, but both attempts went off target. At the 16th minute, Ishikawa intercepted the opponent's pass, advanced to the right front line, and crossed. This reached Hirayama, who was free at the far post, but he couldn't shoot directly. While gauging the distance from the opposing defender, he was closed down and the shot was cut off. At the 18th minute, Hirayama entered the right area from a pass by Kajiyama. He dodged the defender and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, but his posture was off-balance and the close-range shot was saved. Afterwards, Hirayama continued to be the focal point up front and carried the ball into dangerous areas, but struggled against Yamagata's deep defense and could not create decisive chances. On the other hand, Yamagata launched sharp counters from their solid defense, making the game tense. At the 35th minute, Ishikawa injured his right foot and was forced to be substituted. Therefore, Ricardinho was brought in as left midfielder, and Hanyu shifted to the right, trying to regain control of the flow. At the 41st minute, from Tokunaga's forward run, Daikoku expanded play to the right. Mukuhara overlapped in coordination and sent a right cross, but it was cleared by Yamagata. At the 42nd minute, Ricardinho used his speed to attack the left area, but his cut-back to the center was intercepted, resulting in a corner kick. At the 44th minute, Hirayama dribbled past on the left side and passed to Hanyu in the area. Hanyu passed to Daikoku who had moved up centrally, but just before receiving it, he was held back by a Yamagata defender... In the end, there were only 4 shots in the first half. Defensively, they stayed focused and limited Yamagata to just 2 shots, going into the second half scoreless.

Hayama scores the opening goal! However, they were caught up in the final stages, resulting in a regrettable draw.

　The second half was a period where we wanted to break through Yamagata's defense, but the early stages saw a back-and-forth battle. Trying to break this deadlock, Maeda came on for Oguro in the 53rd minute. In the 60th minute, Yonemoto’s lofted pass was dropped by Hirayama on the left side of the area, and Hanyu prepared to shoot after a chest trap, but the quick advance of the goalkeeper prevented the shot. Yamagata also brought on FW Tashiro in the 59th minute, gathering the ball up front. Still, time passed with neither side able to find a decisive chance. In the 64th minute, Morishige replaced Hanyu, Tokunaga moved to defensive midfield, and Kajiyama was pushed up to attacking midfield as the formation aimed for the goal.At 68 minutes, Morishige’s pass into the area was contested by Kajiyama with a header, and Ricardinho seized the ball that spilled to the far post. The shot was blocked by a defender, but at 74 minutes, Morishige again sent a vertical pass to Kajiyama trying to advance on the right side. Kajiyama skillfully evaded the opposing defender just outside the area and passed to Hirayama in the center. Receiving the ball, Hirayama slid sideways to avoid pressure from Yamagata’s defenders, turned, and fired a shot that grazed a defender and went into the top right corner—goal!! The long-awaited opening goal was scored.However, Yamagata did not give up and increased their momentum to push forward. The final stages became a series of counterattacks, but in the 86th minute, Yamagata circulated passes in midfield. Despite pressing, we couldn’t regain possession. Yamagata MF Miyazawa created a starting point at the left corner of the area, with Kobayashi overlapping on the left side. They were allowed to enter the area and sent in a cross. From there, FW Tashiro scored a high-headed goal in the center...After being equalized, Morishige and Konno also pushed forward and launched a fierce attack, but at 89 minutes, Konno took a shot after exchanging passes with Kajiyama inside the area, which just veered slightly to the right... In 4 minutes of stoppage time, Morishige connected Konno’s throw-in to the area, and Maeda rushed in, but Yamagata held firm, preventing the winning goal. This match symbolized the tough battle of this season and ended in a regrettable draw at home...【Player Comments】《Hirayama》“We have struggled all year, and the result reflects that. Yamagata defended strictly from the first half, making it a difficult match, but I wanted to score in the first half if possible. However, if we had scored easily then, the team wouldn’t be struggling this much. Scoring first in the second half gave me some relief... but no one is downhearted. We will prepare thoroughly to contribute to the team’s victory in any way and fight only for the three points.”《Konno》“We continue to fight in tough situations at the edge. But we have to overcome this pressure ourselves. Even though we haven’t really won at home so far, the supporters have never abandoned us and kept cheering. That feeling is incredibly encouraging, and I want to repay them by securing our place next. The final match doesn’t depend on past results; we just focus on winning to stay up. We want to show our true strength.”【Coach Okuma’s Press Conference Summary】“We didn’t give Yamagata many chances in the last 7-8 minutes, and we had enough players in front of the goal during the conceded goal. I have always emphasized marking players tightly in front of the goal, so it’s very disappointing. But we can’t just regret the draw. Kobe is also fighting hard, but we still have an advantage. We want to reset everything and fight as one team with no regrets in the final match.(Before the match, Kobe won) I didn’t say anything deliberately. We just focused on winning and prepared regardless of the opponent’s situation, and that was our mentality. However, I think there was some inconsistency in condition. That was unexpected, but after so many consecutive matches, it might be unavoidable. In the first half, I felt stiffness from the need to win, but including Ishikawa’s injury, the difference in condition seemed to have more impact.(About Hanyu’s positioning?) Yamagata played with one forward and three players in the second line. Behind them were two more players, leaving the flanks open. To exploit that, we pushed Kajiyama forward and instructed Hanyu to maintain balance. At halftime, I told him to receive the ball not in a safe area but higher up where the opponent dislikes when attacking. Regarding substitutions, it was due to injury concerns and the need to increase forward momentum.(Facing Kyoto, already relegated and one point behind 16th place, in the final match?) Neither I nor the players consider the opponent’s situation; we have always said to give 100% against any opponent. So there is no relaxation against Kyoto. However, how the tension in the final match will affect the game is uncertain. We will also carefully check conditions during the break and fight the last match.”【Yamagata Coach Kobayashi’s Press Conference Summary】“We couldn’t take shots in the first half, but our balance wasn’t bad. Tokyo attacked from the right with Ishikawa, but from midway Ricardinho came on, and we couldn’t suppress attacks from the left. Still, we expected them to try to score in the second half, which would open spaces, and we were able to use those spaces. The way we conceded was bad, but scoring in the last 15 minutes was good, and gaining one point connects to the final match. It was a tough game, but the team played a match that leads forward. To firmly keep this position, we want to play well again next time.”