Cover the absence of injured players with fresh energy and achieve victory at home.

　On Sunday, May 22nd, in the 7th league match, Shonan Bellmare will face off against each other in the 13th section. In the Kusatsu match, they took the lead with a PK, but suffered a painful comeback defeat. At the same time, Takamatsu left the team. The team continues to struggle with a series of injuries. However, the team does not look down and is trying to overcome the difficult situation by coming together with fresh energy. Due to the departure of Hirayama and Takamatsu, the team has slightly changed their way of playing and has also been practicing to focus on defending from the front and connecting passes to create opportunities.

　Shonan, on the other hand, is currently in 4th place with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. In their last 3 games, they have only scored 2 goals, so it cannot be said that they have a strong attacking force. However, they have a well-balanced game, with MF Azier as the playmaker, FW Maki as the target man, and energetic FW Takayama as the second striker. In the previous game, they were able to score a goal from the attacking run of DMF Nagaki, showing that they are gaining momentum. On the other hand, they have only conceded 2 goals in total, giving them confidence that they can win in a low-scoring game. In order to break through this, they will need to control the rhythm of the game from the beginning and aim for the first goal.

　Tokyo started the season with Tanabe as the left MF. Roberto CESAR also started for the first time in three games. Nakamura played as the left side back, with Tokunaga and Kajiyama as the double pivot, Suzuki on the right side, and Uyu as the attacking midfielder. The weather suddenly changed in the afternoon, with occasional heavy rain falling at Ajinomoto Stadium. The game started at 4:04 pm with Tokyo's kickoff.

Injury-hit Tokyo Call On Fresh Legs

Shonan Bellmare were the visitors to Ajinomoto Stadium for the 7th game of the year, in what should have been the 13th fixture. In the previous outing, against Thespa Kusatsu, Tokyo had been hit by the double blow of losing an early early lead and slumping to defeat, while striker Takamatsu suffered a fractured tibia and would be out of action for at least three months. Although the injuries continued to mount there was no reason for the side to be downhearted as fresh reinforcements were called into the squad. Missing the height of Takamatsu and Hirayama in attack, Tokyo were forced to alter their approach with emphasis on pressing from the front and a short passing game in training.
Opponents Shonan sat in 4th place in the league at kick off with a W3 D2 L1 record. With only 2 goals scored in their previous three games the side was far from prolific but had begun to develop a team balance centered on midfield game-maker Adiel, the hold-up play of striker Maki and the hard-running of fellow forward Takayama. Defensive midfielder Nagaki had chipped in with a goal in their last outing as the team showed signs of finding some momentum in J2. Defensive solidity had been the key to success so far with only two goals conceded, so it was vital that Tokyo begin strongly and score first.
Tanabe made his first start of the season on the left of midfield while Roberto Cesar returned for the first time in three games. Nakamura appeared at left back, Tokunaga and Kajiyama teamed up in central midfield, Suzuki played on the right and Hanyu slotted in behind Cesar in the withdrawn striker position.
The hot, summery conditions of the morning gave way to a storm front that brought torrential rain and a fierce wind. Tokyo kicked off shortly after 4pm.

Lightning fast! Roberto CESAR scores the first goal!!

　The match started with a bang. In the first minute, Mori Shige took the ball forward and sent a pass to the front line where Roberto CESAR broke through and crossed the ball. It was initially cleared, but Kajiyama was able to win a throw-in. Tanabe received the throw-in and passed it to Mokuhara in front, who then turned and brought the ball forward to the center of the area. The free Roberto CESAR took a direct shot with his left foot and scored in the bottom left corner! With this lightning-fast goal, CESAR took the lead.

　After that, we continued to press from the front, steal the ball, connect passes, and grasp the rhythm, approaching the Shonan goal. In the 8th minute, Suzuki chased after the ball on the right side, closed in on the opponent's DF and stole the ball from their clearance. From there, Mukuhara sent the ball to the center, and Hayashi aimed for a shot. He hit it just inside the right post, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 22nd minute, Cesar used his right foot, and in the 25th minute, Tanabe passed to Kajiyama, who had run up to the front line. Kajiyama evaded the opponent's DF and took a shot.

　On the other hand, in the 15th minute, FW Takayama entered the area for Shonan, but escaped with a sliding by Morishige. From this corner kick, DF Usui took a shot, but it was blocked by Tokyo DF. In the 38th minute, they received a counter attack and DF Ishigami took a shot from the rebound, but Gonda made a save. They were able to hold on without any danger and continued to create attacking opportunities through fluid positioning by Hayashi, Tanabe, and Suzuki. However, they were unable to score an additional goal and ended the first half with a score of 1-0.

Cesar Bags First For Tokyo In Lightning Start

The game burst into life in the very first minute. Morishige brought the ball out of defence, Tanabe picked out Cesar unmarked on the right and the Brazilian curled a challenging cross into the Shonan penalty area. The visitors cleared the ball out for a throw in but then failed to mark up correctly, allowing Tanabe to find Mukuhara. Mukuhara took the ball on and slipped it inside to Kajiyama who turned past a defender, burst into the penalty area and cut the ball back to Cesar, alone and in acres of space. Cesar struck the ball first-time, low and hard, and although Nishibe made faint contact with his fingertips he was unable to prevent it nestling inside the far post. Cesar's first goal for the club had given Tokyo the lead with less than a minute on the clock.
Tokyo continued to press hard from the front, settled into a passing rhythm and threatened the Shonan goal. In the 8th minute, Suzuki chased a long ball down the right channel then pressured a defender into losing possession. Mukuhara played the ball infield to Hanyu who unleashed a thunderous drive that was headed for the top corner until a fine fingertip save from Nishibe turned the ball around the post. In the 22nd minute, Cesar cut inside from the left and drew a save with a right-footed shot while Tanabe picked out Kajiyama with a neat through ball in the 25th. Kajiyama evaded a defender and shot but was unable to beat Nishibe.
Shonan threatened briefly in the 15th minute through forward Takayama's burst into the Tokyo area until Morishige's sliding tackle took the ball out for a corner. Defender Usui shot from the edge of the penalty area but the home defence blocked his effort away. The visitors countered in the 38th minute, defender Ishigami drawing a good save from Gonda with a raking drive. Following that moment of danger, Tanabe, Hanyu, and Suzuki showed great fluidity of movement in attack but Tokyo were unable to find the net again and the first half finished 1-0.

Missed the chance to score, resulting in a draw against Shonan's persistence...

　In the second half, Shonan tried to recover and came out with momentum in the beginning. In the 47th minute, right back Usui dribbled up and FW Maki took a direct shot from the pass to the center. In the 59th minute, a shot was taken by left MF Sakamoto from the ball dropped by FW Maki, but Gonda escaped the pinch with a one-handed save. They maintained a solid defense against Shonan's momentum and couldn't grasp the rhythm.

　However, in the 65th minute, Shonan made a double substitution, bringing in fresh players up front. In the 72nd minute, Tokyo also made a substitution, bringing in Tanihara for Tanabe. However, the final play lacked precision and the game remained back and forth. In the 78th minute, with chances for both teams, Shonan connected passes and entered Tokyo's territory. A sharp cross was sent from right back Usui, and at the perfect timing, FW Nakamura jumped in and headed the ball... equalizing the score for Tokyo.

　Substituted Ohata for Hanyu in the 79th minute. Tried to launch a thick attack to aim for a lead, but couldn't take advantage of the chance from the CK in the end. In the 87th minute, Kajiyama pushed into the Shonan camp from the development power and Suzuki aimed for a middle, but it cut to the left. We rotated the ball and launched an intentional attack, but couldn't score an additional point until the end. Ended in a draw at home.

　【Player Comments】《Roberto CESAR》"(About the goal) I aimed for a controlled shot because the pitch was slippery. I've always wanted to contribute with goals, so I'm happy about that, but the ultimate goal is to win. So the result of a draw is disappointing. I want to score and work hard for the victory."《Tanabe》"I wanted to contribute by playing my usual game without putting too much pressure on myself. I think I was able to create a rhythm from passes, but I have room for improvement and reflection on my shots and final passes after moving up to the front line. I need to practice more. I want to raise everyone's understanding to make decisive plays by increasing our awareness of shooting."

　[Summary of Coach Ooguma's Press Conference] "There have been many injuries to midfield and forward players, and we have been trying different directions. However, with Cesar's return to form, we were able to clearly establish our direction. The team has been patient, but there have also been many positive things. We need to reorganize our thinking, including player substitutions, to prevent conceding goals. Also, we are creating chances, but we are not able to finish them. We want to pursue both individual decision-making and team creation. (Regarding Tanabe's use) It was one of the key points today. There were signs that he could add something to the team, and his defensive switching was quick. That was a big gain. In the future, we want to incorporate him into the team in the right position. He is young, but we want him to approach it with the mindset of being a key player."

　(What is the reason for not being able to score a chance?) The directionality, such as the quality of crosses and the way to get into the final position, is becoming clearer. It is necessary to grow in terms of accuracy, number, and quality, and I think patience is necessary. (Is the rainy pitch an advantage?) There are many players who are good at that type of play, but their physical strength to finish and the number of passes to the back have decreased. It has become just passing the ball, and there were also parts where players seemed satisfied with just having the ball, instead of going out to the space like in the beginning and connecting with Hayato, Cesar, and Tatsuya. I felt that we need to consider the physical strength to continue playing the type of soccer that goes for the second goal in that rhythm for 90 minutes and the substitution of players.

　[Summary of Shonan - Antomachi Coach's Press Conference] "It was an away game, but we are grateful to have many supporters who came to cheer us on, even after being scored on. We are thankful to our supporters. FC Tokyo has a characteristic of scoring from throw-ins. We tried to stop that, but it didn't work out and that was my mistake. However, after taking the lead, Tokyo may have played it safe. I want to give credit for being able to have an even match. In the second half, we kept pushing forward without stopping. In the rain, we were able to win even balls in the air and it was a good game. We wanted to turn the game around, but Tokyo is a high-quality team, so we will take the draw. For us, earning 1 point today was valuable."

Tokyo Rue Missed Chances As Shonan Grab Equaliser

The visitors regrouped at half time and fought back strongly as the second half opened. In the 47th minute, right back Usui raced forward and set up Maki for a shooting opportunity, while Sakamoto drew a superb one-handed save from Gonda in the 59th minute after Maki neatly knocked the ball down into his path. Tokyo defended solidly against the newly resurgent visitors but were struggling to regain their rhythm.
Shonan replaced their front pair in the 65th minute while Tokyo responded by sending on Yazawa for Tanabe in the 72nd. The home side failed to find any accuracy with the final ball and the game ebbed and flowed until the 78th minute when the visitors constructed a passing move down the right. Right back Usui curled a tempting cross into the Tokyo area where substitute Nakamura flung himself between two defenders to power a header past Gonda and tie the score.
Otake replaced Hanyu in the 79th minute as Tokyo sought to add weight to the front line in the search for another goal. Tokyo failed to take advantage of a late corner and Suzuki lashed a low drive narrowly wide following good work from Kajiyama in the 87th minute. The home side moved the ball around with intent but the Shonan defence remained impervious and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.


Players' comments
Roberto Cesar
"The pitch was very slippery so when the ball came to me I was focusing on controlling the shot. I had wanted to contribute with goals so I'm happy but winning is the most important thing. It's disappointing that we could only draw the game. I want to score goals that win games for us in the future".

Tanabe
"I didn't want to get too worked up and just wanted to contribute by playing my usual game. I thought we created a rhythm through our passing but the issues of shooting and the accuracy of the final ball still remain. We have to practice more, particularly shooting, and I have to work harder to improve my understanding of how to create decisive openings with my teammates".

FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"We've lost midfielders and forwards to injury one after another so it's been a case of trial and error to find the right direction to take. However, Cesar has regained his fitness and I think we showed the direction we should be moving in today. The team showed great tenacity again and we can take a lot of positives from the game. The goal we conceded shows we have to organize our approach, including the use of substitutions. We made several chances again but didn't put them away. We have to search for a way to improve our finishing, both individually and collectively.
Tanabe's performance was an important point today. He showed promise for the future and the way we quickly switched over from defense to attack bodes well. It's a question of how to fit him into the team from now on. He's still young but I believe he's going to become a central player.
Why can't we convert our chances? Well, I think we saw the direction we should be taking in the quality of our crossing and the way we got players forward today. We need to improve our quality and we need to persevere, I think.
Was the wet pitch to our advantage? We have several players who favor those conditions but we lack some physical strength and didn't play enough passes behind their defense. We passed the ball around a lot and that was satisfying but were a little slow in getting forward into space. We have to think about how to maintain that rhythm for 90 minutes, considering the players stamina and the substitutions, as we aim to score a second goal".


Shonan Bellmare manager Sorimachi
"I'd like to thank our fans for making the trip to support the team today and for the great boost they gave us after we fell behind. Scoring from throw-ins is one of FC Tokyo's specialties so we had wanted to restrict them but it didn't work and I have to accept the blame for that. After they took the lead they played it safe I felt, and the game was fairly even. We didn't let up in the second half, kept pushing forward, won a lot of the ball and played a good game. We had wanted to get the winner but Tokyo is a top quality team with top quality players so finishing the game on level terms is a good result. This is an important point for us".