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

　As we reach the 10th match, which accounts for almost a quarter of the league matches, the match against Tokushima Vortis in Sec. 17 will be held at Ajinomoto. Following Ehime and Kumamoto, this will be our first encounter with Tokushima. It is crucial for us to initiate our style of football and take the lead, as well as to aim for additional goals to achieve our first consecutive wins of the season. This week, Gonda will be absent as he participates in the U-22 Japan national team for the Olympic Asian second qualifying round. The goalkeeper will be Shiota, making his first start since the opening match. Meanwhile, the field players will remain the same as in the previous match.

　Tokushima, currently in 6th place with 18 points, is led by coach Naohiko MINOBE in his 4th season. In their last 3 matches, they have had 2 draws and 1 loss, struggling to secure a win, but they are steadily building their team strength and maintaining a position in the upper ranks. Today, the lineup shows a 4-3-3 formation, with forwards Tsuda and DOUGLAS as the two strikers. On the right side of midfield is MF Shimada, and on the left is FW Kakita. MF Hamada and Kurakuni form a double pivot, and they are expected to press aggressively from the front in pursuit of their first victory in 4 matches, even while playing away.

　If we lose the ball here, it will be difficult for Tokyo to find their rhythm. We want to stay calm, assess the situation, and connect our passes to establish our pace. Although it's cloudy, the humidity is high, and it feels muggy; the match started at 18:04 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 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 scored the opening goal with Kajiyama's goal just before the end of the first half!

　From the start, Tokyo did not allow Tokushima to play freely, dominating possession of the ball and trying to move it forward. In the 12th minute, Roberto CESAR and Tanizawa connected passes and advanced into a dangerous area. They were initially blocked by the Tokushima defense, but from the rebound, Takahashi passed to Kajiwara, who feinted an opponent just before the area and took a shot. In the 16th minute, CESAR brought the ball in from the left side and took a dribbling shot.

　After that, while they continued to attack, there were periods where they couldn't create decisive chances, and they faced counterattacks from Tokushima. However, they regained their rhythm with stable defense, and in the 27th minute, Konno quickly restarted from a left free kick and passed to the front line. Morishige, who timed his run, headed the ball but it went wide... In the 33rd minute, Tokunaga from the right side delivered a last pass to the center. Tanizawa, who ran in, created a decisive moment, but his shot also went wide... In the 37th minute, from the left side, Cesar passed to Takahashi, who moved up in front of the goal, but he too couldn't hit the target.

　However, in the stoppage time. Connecting the ball from Shiota smoothly, they accelerated as they entered the midfield. Takahashi → Tokunaga on the right side → Kajiyama in the center sent a pass to Hanyu running on the right front line. Although it was cleared by the opposing DF once, the loose ball went to Tanizawa on the right side. From there, Tanizawa delivered a right cross, which was headed down by Cesar at the far post, and Kajiyama, while losing his balance, pushed it in with his right foot, GOAL!! They shook the opposing DF and finally took the lead, returning to the second half with a 1-point advantage.

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 counterattack, but the Tokyo defense dealt with any potential danger. In the 27th minute, Morishige headed Konno's quickly taken free kick narrowly wide. In the 33rd minute, Tokunaga whipped a low cross into the danger area between the Tokushima defense 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’ defense apart and given Tokyo the lead moments before the halftime whistle.

Despite leaving issues unresolved by failing to score additional points, we achieved our first consecutive wins and are in 4th place.

　In the second half, which focused on the 'additional goal', we pressed from the front and seized the pace. In the 54th minute, after a left corner kick taken by Tanizawa, Morishige shot from the far post but was blocked. Morishige, who regained the loose ball, found Cesar, who was free in the left area. Cesar, in a shooting position, made a through pass to Takahashi in front on the right. It created a great opportunity, but Takahashi's shot ended up being a miss...

　In the 62nd minute, Yazawa received a short pass from Tanabe just in front of the center area, turned to face forward, and took a shot, but it hit the DF and resulted in a corner kick. In the 65th minute, Hanyu received a pass from Morishige at the right corner of the area, made a turn to leave the opposing DF behind, and took a shot while free, but it was blocked by the GK... Unable to capitalize on the chances, time passed.

　In an attempt to break the deadlock, Ishikawa was brought on for Tanabe in the 71st minute. On the other hand, Tokushima also made substitutions and launched a speedy attack. In the 79th minute, they intercepted a pass from Tokyo and countered. From a post by Tokushima FW Sato, FW Tsuda received a pass in the area. A direct play created a chance, and FW Kakita, who ran in from the left to cross, took a decisive shot, but it went wide of the goal, escaping the danger... In the 84th minute, Tokushima DF Elizeu sent a high ball to the front line. After the FW dropped it, FW Kakita took a shot, but Shiota made the save.

　Still, apart from this scene, they did not allow any real chances to be created. In the 86th minute, they substituted Hanyu for Uesato, and in stoppage time, they brought in Shimoda for Tanizawa. Although they couldn't score an additional goal due to a lack of precision in the final play, they defended securely without any danger, finishing the match with a score of 1-0. They achieved their first consecutive wins of the season and rose to 4th place in the rankings.

　[Player Comment]《Kajiyama》"(About the goal) At first, I thought the pass would come from Tanizawa on the right side, so I was preparing to shoot. In the end, it turned out that Roberto CESAR on the left dropped it for me, but I was prepared, so I think CESAR was also watching. It reached me just in time and went into a good spot. I was happy about that. The challenge is still the 'second goal.' The accuracy is still lacking. If we can score an additional goal, we can manage the game a bit more comfortably, and with just a one-goal lead, anything can happen. I want to resolve these issues and continue our winning streak."

　"Shioda" "The atmosphere of the stadium is really great, and I want to express my gratitude to all the fans and supporters once again. In the first half, there were times when the tempo didn't pick up, but I think in the second half, the tempo increased and we had more chances in front of the goal. We were able to connect well and penetrate the opponent's block. That builds confidence as a team, and from here, I want to focus on scoring the 'second goal.' We have players in the front line who can break through, so it's not just about passing the ball around, but I believe we have clarified how to look for space and how to play."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "We must eliminate the series of mistakes; otherwise, the current team cannot find its rhythm. Today, we had possession of the ball, but some players were unable to maintain rhythm due to those mistakes, which allowed the opponent to create counterattack opportunities. That is unfortunate. Although our ball possession was quite high, when our legs started to stop, we lacked fear, ideas, numbers, and combinations. I feel it is necessary to break down the opponent, including substitutions. To score the second goal, we must build up as a team. However, including the substitutes and Kajiyama, the midfield players did not stop today. I want to continue with that consistency and perseverance in the match."

　【Summary of Coach Minobe's Press Conference】 "Although we lost, the players fought well. From before the match, I felt FC Tokyo's possession ability and individual skill in retaining the ball, and the theme for the first half was to create a block and defend solidly. I wanted to keep it at zero, but we conceded a goal just before the end. That was the main reason for our defeat. Considering the timing, we should not have lost the ball there. We were compact in the first half, but in the second half, we wanted to be even more compact, increase the pressure, and win the ball back."

　We were a bit afraid to move the ball from the first half and became timid. I don't know how much the players felt the pressure, but from the outside, there were scenes where they were losing the ball out of fear when they could have moved it more. We will address that as a point for correction in the second half, and although we managed to move the ball and had some shooting chances... we unfortunately couldn't finish in the end, making it a disappointing game. However, even though we dropped in the rankings, we still have not given up in this tight competition. We want to regroup and move forward to the next challenge.

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 defense 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 though but I thought he'd 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 then 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".