Achieve consecutive victories at home at Ajinomoto Stadium and advance to the top!

　As we approach the 10th game, which is almost a quarter of the league season, the 17th round will be held at Ajinomoto Stadium against Tokushima Vortis. Following Ehime and Kumamoto, this will be the first match against Tokushima, but it will be a game where we aim for a consecutive victory that we have not achieved this season by taking the lead with our own soccer and scoring additional points. In this round, Kanda will be absent as he will be participating in the Olympic Asia 2nd qualifying round as a member of the U-22 Japan national team. In goal, Shioda will be starting for the first time since the opening game. On the other hand, the field players will face the match with the same members as the previous round.

　Tokushima, on the other hand, is currently in 6th place with 18 points. Naohiko MINOBE is the coach, in his 4th season. In the last 3 games, they have had 2 draws and 1 loss, unable to secure a win. However, they have steadily built up their team strength and are in the upper ranks. Today, the starting lineup is 4-3-3, with FW Tsuda and DOUGLAS as the top two. MF Shimada on the right, FW Kakitani on the left. MF Hamada and Kurakura in a double pivot formation, utilizing each player's strengths to play an aggressive pressing game in hopes of achieving their first win in 4 games, even away from home.

　If we lose the ball here, it will be difficult for Tokyo to grasp the rhythm. We want to calmly assess the situation and connect passes to control our own pace. It's cloudy, but the humidity is high and it feels muggy. The match started at 6:04 pm with Tokushima's kickoff.

Tokyo Aim For Consecutive Wins

Tokushima Vortis were the visitors to Ajinomoto Stadium for the 10th fixture of the year, originally scheduled as the 17th game. It was the first ever meeting between the sides and, following a hard-fought victory over Kumamoto in the rain in Kyushu, Tokyo were aiming for a win that would give the side consecutive wins for the first time this year.
Gonda was away on duty with the U-22 Olympic team, allowing Shiota his first appearance since the opening game of the season. The outfield players were unchanged from the previous week. Visitors Tokushima lay in 6th place with 18 points at kick off. The side had shown steady improvement under fourth-year manager Naohiko Minobe but was winless in four outings, having drawn 2 and lost one of the last three games. The side was registered in a 4-3-3 formation on the team sheet but on the field played 4-4-2 with striker Kakitani on the left wing behind forwards Tsuda and Douglas. Midfielder Shimada played on the right with a double defensive midfielder pairing of Hamada and Kuranuki in the centre. Tokushima were expected to play a hard-pressing game from the front. Tokyo would need to retain possession, remain patient and pass the ball around to find a rhythm.
The visitors kicked off shortly after 6pm on a cloudy, humid evening.

Finally, Kajiyama scores the first goal just before the end of the first half!

　Tokyo almost dominated the ball and tried to move forward without giving Tokushima the freedom to play from the start. In the 12th minute, Roberto CESAR and Taniyama connected passes and entered a dangerous area. Although they were initially blocked by the Tokushima defenders, Takahashi and Kajiyama managed to cut back and take a shot near the goal. In the 16th minute, CESAR dribbled from the left side and took a shot.

　After that, the game continued without any decisive chances being created despite attacking, and there were also moments where Tokushima faced a counterattack. However, they regained their rhythm from a stable defense and in the 27th minute, Inamoto quickly restarted the game with a left free kick and passed it to the front line. Morishige, who had timed his run, headed the ball but it went wide... In the 33rd minute, Tokunaga passed the ball from the right side to the center. Taniyama made a decisive move but his shot went wide... In the 37th minute, Cesar drifted to the left side and Takahashi, who had moved up to the goal, took a shot but also missed the target.

　However, in the added time, the ball from Shiota was quickly connected and the tempo was increased as it entered the midfield. Takahashi → Tokunaga on the right side → Kajiyama in the center passed to Hayashi running on the right front line. Although it was cleared by the opponent DF once, the loose ball went to Taniyama on the right side. From there, Taniyama lifted a right cross and Cesar dropped it with a header, and Kajiyama pushed it in with his right foot, GOAL!! Shaking the opponent DF, they finally took the lead and headed into the second half with a 1-point lead.

Kajiyama Gives Tokyo Lead On The Stroke Of Half Time

Tokyo shackled the visitors from the start, controlling possession and attempting to play the ball forward. In the 12th minute Cesar and Yazawa exchanged passes and moved into a threatening area before running into trouble and losing the ball. Takahashi regained possession and picked out Kajiyama on the edge of the penalty area; Kajiyama neatly sidestepped a defender and managed to get a shot away despite tight marking. In the 16th minute Cesar cut inside from the right and shot.
Following those two early chances Tokyo struggled to create decisive openings despite largely controlling the ball. Tokushima threatened occasionally on the counter attack but the Tokyo defence dealt with any potential danger. In the 27th minute Morishige headed Konno's quickly taken free quick narrowly wide. In the 33rd minute Tokunaga whipped a low cross into the danger area between the Tokushima defence and the goalkeeper, Yazawa made a darting run to beat a defender to the ball at the near post but scooped his shot over the bar. In the 37th minute Tokyo moved the ball smoothly down the left, Cesar played it infield to Takahashi and the midfielder fired a volley narrowly over the bar from the edge of the area.
Tokyo finally made the breakthrough as the first half moved into additional time. Shiota bowled the ball out and Tokyo produced a high-tempo, incisive move as Takahashi found Tokunaga on the right, Tokunaga moved the ball infield and Kajiyama stroked it forward to meet Hanyu's run into the Tokushima penalty area. A defender slid in to clear the ball but the clearance fell kindly to Yazawa on the right. Yazawa curled a weighted cross to Cesar beyond the far post where the Brazilian striker cushioned a header back to Kajiyama who prodded a bounding volley past Oh. Sharp movement and crisp passing had torn the visitors' defence apart and given Tokyo the lead moments before the half time whistle.

Despite leaving room for improvement by not being able to score additional points, we secure our first consecutive victory and move up to 4th place.

　'In the second half, the focus was on the 'additional point', and we pressed from the front and took control of the pace. In the 54th minute, Mori Shige from the far side shot from the left CK kicked by Tanizawa, but it was blocked. Mori Shige, who took the ball again, was free in the left area and passed it to Cesar. Cesar passed it to Takahashi on the right, but Takahashi's shot ended up being an air shot...'

　In the 62nd minute, Julian from the center area received a short pass from Lins and took a shot, but it hit the DF and resulted in a CK. In the 65th minute, Hayabusa from the right corner of the area received a pass from Morishige and left the opposing DF behind with a turning movement, but his shot was blocked by the GK... Unable to convert their chances, time passed.

　In an attempt to break the situation, Iwakawa was substituted for Tanabe in the 71st minute. On the other hand, Tokushima also used player substitutions to launch a speedy attack. In the 79th minute, Tokyo lost possession of the ball and was hit by a counterattack. Tokushima FW Sato passed the ball to FW Tsuda from the post, creating a chance with a direct play. FW Kakitani ran in from the left to cross, but his shot missed the target, avoiding danger... In the 84th minute, Tokushima DF Elizeu sent a high ball to the front line. The FW dropped it and FW Kakitani took a shot, but Shioda made the save.

　However, apart from this scene, they did not allow any chances. In the 86th minute, Uehara was replaced by Kamisato, and in stoppage time, Tanizawa was replaced by Shimoda. Although they were unable to score an additional goal due to a lack of precision in the last play, they defended safely and the game ended 1-0. They achieved their first consecutive win of the season and rose to 4th place in the rankings.

　【Player Comment】《Kajiyama》"(About the goal) At first, I was expecting a pass from Tanihazawa on the right side, so I was preparing for a shot. In the end, Roberto CESAR dropped it on the left side, but I was prepared, so I think CESAR saw me too. It barely reached and went in a good spot. I was happy about that. The challenge is still the "second goal". The accuracy is still lacking. If we can score another goal, we can have an easier game and we don't know what will happen with just a one-point lead. We want to solve this challenge and continue winning."

　"Shioda" "The atmosphere of the stadium is really great, and I would like to thank the fans and supporters again. In the first half, there were times when the tempo didn't pick up, but in the second half, I think the tempo picked up and there were more scenes in front of the goal. We were able to enter the opponent's block while connecting firmly. It gives confidence to the team, and we want to push for the "second goal" from here. There are players who can break through in the front line, so it's not just about passing, but I think the way to find space and pass has become clear."

　[Summary of Coach Ooguma's Press Conference] "If we don't eliminate our continuous mistakes, our team won't find its rhythm. Today, we had possession of the ball, but some players couldn't find their rhythm due to those mistakes, and the opponent was able to create counter-attack opportunities. That's unfortunate. Also, our ball possession was quite high, but when our feet stopped, we lacked fear, ideas, numbers, and combinations. I feel that it's necessary to break down the opponent, including making player substitutions. In order to score a second goal, we need to continue building as a team. However, including the substitute members and Kajiyama, the midfielders couldn't keep up today. We want to continue and maintain that, and keep playing the game."

　[Tokushima Minoe Coach's Press Conference Summary] "We lost, but the players fought well. Before the game, I felt FC Tokyo's possession and individual ability to not lose the ball, so the theme for the first half was to create a block and defend firmly. We wanted to keep a clean sheet, but we conceded a goal at the end. That was the biggest reason for our loss. Considering the timing, we should not have lost the ball there. We were able to stay compact in the first half, but in the second half, we wanted to be even more compact and increase the pressure to win back the ball."

　I was a little afraid to move the ball from the first half, and I was being timid. I don't know how much the players felt the pressure, but from the outside, there were scenes where they were afraid to move the ball and lost it. We will use this as a point to improve in the second half, and we were able to move the ball and had chances to shoot... However, we couldn't score in the end and it became a disappointing game. However, we haven't given up yet in the midst of a close battle. We want to regroup and move on to the next game.

Issues Remain As Tokyo Move Up To 4th.

Tokyo continued to dominate as the second half began, pressing from the front in search of a second goal. In the 54th.minute Yazawa's deep corner from the left reached Morishige beyond the far post; Morishige shot and the ball cannoned back to him via a defender's legs. Morishige then elected to chip the ball over the Tokushima defence to Cesar on the left; Cesar skipped inside past a defender and faked a shot before stroking a low pass through the ruck of bodies in the goalmouth to Takahashi, unmarked at the far post. With the goal gaping Takahashi missed his kick entirely and the ball rolled out for a goal kick.
In the 62nd.minute Yazawa received the ball from Tanabe, turned neatly and unleashed a fierce drive in the same movement that clipped a defender and deflected out for a corner. Three minutes later Hanyu received the ball from Morishige on the corner of the Tokushima area, deceived a defender with a slick turn and fired a hard, low shot to the near post that drew a sharp save from Oh.
In an attempt to inspire a second goal Tokyo replaced Tanabe with Ishikawa in the 71st.minute. Tokushima responded with substitutions of their own and increased the tempo of their attacks. The visitors' best chance of the game came in the 79th.minute after Tokyo had misplaced a pass in midfield, allowing rapid interplay between Sato and Tsuda to set up Kakitani, unmarked in front of goal. Kakitani snatched at his shot and the ball sailed harmlessly wide. In the 84th.minute Elizeu hoisted a long ball forward and Kakitani pounced on the knock-down, drawing a good save from Shiota, low to his right.
That was the final chance of the game for Tokushima. Tokyo made a pair of late substitutions and comfortably ran down the three minutes of additional time. Despite lacking the decisive finish needed to conjure a second goal Tokyo defended well enough to earn a second consecutive win that lifted them up to 4th. in the league ranking.


Players' comments
Kajiyama
"At first I thought Yazawa was going to cross the ball to me and I prepared to shoot. He crossed to Roberto Cesar instead, but I thought he had seen me and I was ready when the ball came. I stretched and just about made contact with it. It was a great time to score and I was very pleased with it. The problem is still scoring that second goal, though. We're just lacking in accuracy at the moment. If we could score again, it would make the game much easier as you never know what's going to happen with only a one goal lead. We want to find an answer to these issues and keep on winning games".

Shiota
"There was a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium and once again I'd like to express my thanks to the supporters. In the first half there were times when we couldn't raise the tempo but in the second half we sped up the play and created far more chances. We passed the ball solidly and broke our opponents' lines. That will boost our confidence so from here we want to follow through and score the second goal. We have the players up front to do that. It's not a case of simply moving the ball around but moving it around to find space. We have a far clearer picture of what we should be doing".

FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"If we don't cut out the mistakes this team can't find a rhythm. We enjoyed a lot of possession today but several players made mistakes that prevented us from finding a rhythm and allowed our opponents to counter attack. That was disappointing. At times we stopped running and lacked a threat and lacked ideas. We didn't get enough bodies forward and our combination play suffered. I really felt our need for ways to decisively open our opponents up. On the other hand the midfield, including Kajiyama and the substitutes, kept going the whole time and I hope that will continue".

Tokushima Vortis manager Naohiko Minobe
"We may have lost but I thought the team performed well today. We knew Tokyo's ability to retain possession and individual players’ skill at not losing it so set up in blocks and attempted to defend solidly in the first half. We had wanted to keep them out but then conceded just before half time and that was the main reason we lost today. Considering the time we should never have lost the ball when we did. We kept a compact formation in the first half, continued in the second and we wanted to apply more pressure and win the ball.
We seemed nervous about moving the ball around in the first half and were a little timid. I don't know how heavy the players felt the pressing was but from the sideline it seemed they were reluctant to play the ball around and that led to us losing possession. We fixed that at half time, moved the ball around more and created shooting opportunities. We couldn't put those chances away and that was disappointing. Even though we've fallen in the rankings we're still in the mix and aren't about to give up yet. We have to reorganize and look forward to the next match".