A crucial match where we want to secure 3 points away from home, based on a solid defense.

　In the 23rd round of the league, we will face Giravanz Kitakyushu away. After finishing two consecutive home games, we will now have two away games in a row. In the previous round against Kumamoto, we took advantage of our numerical advantage and scored 5 goals, achieving a comfortable victory. However, in the first half, we struggled to convert our chances into goals. In order to consistently convert our chances into goals, we need to increase our power and decisiveness, and aim for another consecutive win in this match.

　Kita-Kyushu, on the other hand, is currently in 5th place with 8 wins, 3 draws, and 6 losses. Last season, they were promoted to J2 but only managed to win one game and finished in last place. However, this season they have welcomed Yasutoshi MIURA as their coach and have added new players such as MF Yasuda (formerly of G Osaka), MF Kimura (formerly of Kawasaki), and MF Morimura (on loan from Tokyo). So far, they have scored a total of 17 goals and conceded 19, which may not be outstanding numbers, but they have achieved a balanced game and are making progress. In this match, MF Morimura and anchor MF Kuwahara will be suspended. The absence of these two key players, who are also the main players in passing, will surely be a blow to Kita-Kyushu.

　Tokyo, in the previous match, Nakamura injured his right ankle and Abe returned to the starting lineup in his place. Currently, the team has kept a clean sheet for 5 consecutive matches, but coach Okuma said, "The defensive line, led by Shioda, with Morishige and Konno also communicating, has a sense of unity and stability. We also want to keep the players close together and compact at the back, so that we can handle any pressure from the opponent."

　Furthermore, as coach Okuma says, "We have been able to make adjustments during the game. Even if we make mistakes, there are moments where we improve in the next scene. The key is how well we can adapt to the situation and overcome tough opponents to claim victory!" The match kicked off at 6:03 PM in Tokyo at the Kitakyushu Municipal Honjo Athletics Stadium.

Defensive Stability The Base As Tokyo Aim For The Points In Kyushu

For the 23rd game of the season, FC Tokyo traveled south to Kyushu to face Giravanz Kitakyushu. After winning two consecutive home games, Tokyo now had two away games in a row. In their previous game, they had a dominant 5-0 victory against ten-man Kumamoto, but struggled to convert their chances until the final minute of the first half. In order to continue their winning streak, Tokyo needed to increase their intensity and improve their finishing.
Their opponents, Kitakyushu, were in 5th place in the league with a record of W8 D3 L6 at kick off. The club made their J2 debut in 2010, but had a difficult season, only winning one game and finishing at the bottom of the league. However, new manager Yasutoshi Miura had turned things around with the signings of midfielders Yasuda from Gamba Osaka, Kimura from Kawasaki Frontale, and the loan of Morimura from Tokyo. With 17 goals scored and 19 conceded, the team had a balanced attack and defense and was making progress. Both Morimura and midfield anchor Kuwabara were suspended for the game, which was expected to have a major impact on the team's chances.
For Tokyo, Nakamura was sidelined with an ankle injury from the last match, and Abe returned to the starting eleven at right back. The team had kept five straight clean sheets, and as manager Kiyoshi Okuma stated, "With Shiota leading the defense and Konno and Morishige providing vocal support in front of him, we have a sense of stability. We are compact at the back and the players maintain a close distance from each other. No matter who we are playing against, we want to continue to withstand their pressure." He also added, "Recently, we have been making adjustments during the games. If we make a mistake, we correct it in the next similar situation. Being able to adapt like that is the key to winning games."
With the manager's emphasis on adapting their decision-making to the situation, Tokyo kicked off shortly after 6pm at the Honjo Athletic Stadium.

Kajiyama's missed penalty kick resulted in a scoreless first half.

　Both teams utilized their strengths and engaged in an attacking match from the start. However, Tokyo gradually overcame Kitakyushu's organized press and created more opportunities to move the ball forward. In the 6th minute, Tanabe made a direct run into the box from Tokunaga's cross, but the shot missed. In the 8th minute, Roberto CESAR on the left side received a pass from Takahashi on a counter attack and took a shot after a one-two with Taniyama, but it went wide of the goal.

　At 11 minutes, we created a rhythm from a pass exchange, connected from a loose ball, and Kajiyama took a middle shot when attacking, but it was only enough to get a CK with a good save from the GK. At 20 minutes, Kajiyama's middle shot was avoided by a CK, but in this CK situation, Morishige in the area received a foul and got a PK. However, Kajiyama's kick was blocked by the GK's save, and we couldn't take advantage of the first chance.

　Still, Tokyo has the lead in the game. In the 31st minute, Tanabe dribbled past the defenders on the left side after Morishige's interception and took a shot. In the 43rd minute, Roberto CESAR and Tanabe combined for a shot by Takahashi, but both were off target. Kitakyushu's defense was also strong, preventing any breakthroughs, and the first half ended scoreless.

Kajiyama Misses Penalty In Scoreless First Half

The game began in an open, attacking manner with both sides playing to their strengths but Tokyo slowly began to sidestep the Kitakyushu pressure and move the ball forward. In the 6th minute, Tokunaga raced forward and crossed, narrowly escaping Tanabe's lunge. In the 8th minute, Tokyo counter-attacked, with Takahashi finding Roberto Cesar on the left wing. Cesar played a one-two with the on-rushing Yazawa and fired a shot that drifted wide of the home goal.
In the 11th minute, Tokyo found some rhythm with a neat passing move and when the ball fell loose to Kajiyama, he let fly with a scorching drive that deflected off a defender and drew a fine save from Sato, who turned the ball around the post for a corner. Kajiyama attempted another shot from middle range in the 20th minute, earning a corner. As the ball came into the penalty area, a foul was called on Morishige, giving Tokyo the opportunity to take the lead from the penalty spot. However, Sato blocked Kajiyama's spot kick and a golden chance to break the deadlock was wasted.
Despite the miss, Tokyo continued to enjoy the upper hand. In the 31st minute, Morishige intercepted a pass and sent Tanabe away down the left, where the young midfielder slid past a defender and took a shot on goal. As the first half drew to a close in the 43rd minute, Cesar and Tanabe combined neatly to set up Takahashi, but his shot sailed wide. The first half ended scoreless.

Defeated despite fighting back until the end, unable to score after conceding first.

　In the second half, Kitakyushu put numbers in front of the goal and tried to break through from Roberto CESAR's pass. From this loose ball, Tanabe was in shooting position. In the 53rd minute, Tokunaga dribbled up from the right side and crossed to Taniyama who jumped in. However, Kitakyushu's defenders blocked both attempts and the situation remained unresolved. They couldn't take advantage of the consecutive corner kick opportunities and instead faced Kitakyushu's counterattack.

　In the 59th minute, Kitakyushu's left back Seki made a run up the field and passed it to FW Ikegane who was running inside. He took a powerful shot from near the right corner of the area, and the ball went over the outstretched hand of Shioda and into the top left corner... Despite pushing forward, Tokyo conceded their first goal in 6 games on a counter attack. In an attempt to make a comeback, Lucas was substituted in for Tanabe in the 61st minute.

　In addition, in the 72nd minute, Otake was substituted for Takahashi. In the 74th minute, Lucas cut off the ball from the opponent's GK and immediately aimed for a shot, but it went off target. In the 78th minute, chances were created from the passing work of Hayu, Lucas, and Otake, but the precision of the final play was lacking... In the 80th minute, Uesato was substituted for the left side back. Despite aiming for a goal in an all-out effort, they were unable to bounce back from being behind against the solid defense of Kitakyushu, and suffered their third defeat of the season since the match against Kusatsu on May 14th.

　【Player Comments】《Abe》"In the end, it's all about the results... It's important to focus on the content, but in order to stay at the top, it's more important to win even if the content is not good. We've been on a good streak lately, but personally, I have to reflect calmly on the fact that I played and we ended up with this result in an away game. It's a plus that I've been able to bring the ball into the box more often with crosses. However, the fact remains that there is some weakness in being able to assist a goal by just a few centimeters. I want to work on that in practice. Above all, I think the way we play away games is crucial. I want to think about that."

　"Konno" "When we lose, it's this kind of loss... it became a typical game. If we had taken even one chance in the first half, it would have been a problem-free game. But the opponent also worked hard, and the time went on with 0-0, and I think it made us feel like "we can do it". Kitakyushu's concentration increased, and they thoroughly played the game of defending and countering after scoring. We have to reflect on the scene of conceding, but we also conceded a great shot from a counter... Personally, I want to pursue scoring before the end of the first half or the beginning of the second half. Of course, we were also trying to score, and there were attacks from the side and the full-backs. I think we were close. There may be more games like this in the future. We have to turn today's defeat into a positive, but we don't need to look down here."

　[Coach Oikuma's press conference summary] "I think it's the fear of soccer. The counter and the opponent's concentration in the midst of indecision. We couldn't break through and couldn't make decisions. Missing the penalty kick is painful, but I think things like that happen, so it's necessary to make decisions in the flow. We need more courage and bold moves to get into the attacking third and give the opponent more threat. They had a high level of concentration and we need to reflect on that. As a team, we will switch gears and continue to move forward."

　[Press Conference Summary of Kitakyushu and Miura Coach] "The environment, individual player skills, stadiums, training grounds, supporters, media, everything is at the J1 level, and I think the players worked very hard to be able to fight against FC Tokyo and ultimately win. We were prepared for tough and difficult matches, or difficult times, or times when we couldn't have the ball. We told them that we would find something within ourselves that would surpass FC Tokyo within the 90 minutes. I feel the team's growth in sticking to their attacking attitude even after scoring one goal by firmly taking advantage of the limited chances."

　I also believe that there will be support and encouragement from the supporters who will create this atmosphere at this home stadium, and I think that the players will be rewarded for their efforts and concentration in training every day. There are still some areas that need to be organized, so we need to analyze ourselves carefully and make sure we don't make mistakes in our self-evaluation, and we need to firmly keep our feet on the ground and prepare for the next game. We have not become a big team, but I want to face the next Tokushima game with confidence that we can fight against such a big team.

Tokyo Frustrated By Kitakyushu Defence In 1-0 Loss

Tokyo pushed men forward from the second half kick off and Roberto Cesar nearly succeeded in putting Takahashi clear on goal. The ball deflected to Tanabe who wound up to make an attempt on goal. In the 53rd.minute Tokunaga swept down the right flank and rolled a low cross into the box, aimed for Yazawa as the midfielder burst forward. Once again the Kitakyushu defence interceded and prevented Yazawa from making contact with the ball. Tokyo won consecutive corners which came to nothing, and then Kitakyushu suddenly struck back.
In the 59th.minute left back Seki made a sharp burst upfield, then moved the ball on to forward Ikemoto in the inside right channel. From the corner of the Tokyo penalty area Ikemoto unleashed a thunderous drive that flashed beyond Shiota's outstretched hands and found the far corner of the net to give the home side the lead. After applying pressure for most of the game Tokyo had been caught out on a counter attack and conceded their first goal in six games. The visitors made their first change in the 61st.minute, replacing Tanabe with Lucas.
Otake replaced Takahashi in the 72nd.minute. In the 74th.minute Lucas intercepted a clearance by the Kitakyushu goalkeeper and shot immediately but failed to hit the target. In the 78th.minute Hanyu, Lucas and Otake combined to fashion a fine move although the accuracy of the final ball was missing. Uesato made an appearance at left back in the 80th.minute. Tokyo fought to the bitter end but were unable to breach the solid Kitakyushu defence and the final whistle blew on a 1-0 defeat, the first since the loss to Kusatsu on May 14th. and the third of the season.


Players' comments
Abe
"The result is everything. Of course the performance is important but to stay at the top it's important to win even if we play badly. Things have been going well for us recently so for me to make an appearance in a game that ends with this kind of result means that I have to take a calm look and reflect on my performance. On a personal level I was able to increase the number of crosses I put into the danger area; on the other hand they were a few centimetres from being accurate enough to result in a goal, and that's the fact of the matter. I want to put these things together in training. More than anything though I feel that our approach to away games is the most important thing and I want to consider that as much as possible".

Konno
"When we lose this is the way we lose and it became a stereotypical game, unfortunately. If we could have taken just one of the chances we created in the first half the match would have been no problem. But our opponents were playing tenaciously and the longer it stayed at 0-0 the more confidence they had that they could actually get a result. They increased their concentration and after they scored they did a complete job of defending in depth and attempting to hit us on the counter attack. Although we have to hold our hands up after conceding it was an astonishing shot from a counter attack. Personally I think we have to score within the first half and the beginning of the second. Of course we're trying various tactics to score, using the wings and having the sidebacks push forward, but we need a little more. I think there are going to be many more games like today's from now on. Still, there's no need to be downhearted; we have to take what we've learned from today's match and move on".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"That's the scary thing about football I think. The concentration needed for counter attacks when you can't put your chances away. We couldn't break that and we couldn't take our chances. Missing a penalty hurt us but that happens sometimes and we need to be able to score from open play. We should have been a little bolder and more determined and taken the ball deeper along the wings in the attacking third to carry more of a threat as our opponents were looking confident. I’m sure the team will bounce back, though".

Kitakyushu manager Miura
"Everything about FC Tokyo is J1 class - the players, the stadium, the training facilities, the supporters and the media so for us to win a game such as this means the players have performed extremely well. We expected an intense and difficult game where we would be suffering for stretches and I envisaged the worst possibilities that could occur in various situations such as when we didn't have the ball. I told the players that they would have to find something inside themselves that would allow them to surpass Tokyo for the 90 minutes. We decisively finished one of the few chances we made and I felt very strongly the development of the teams as one that has real penetration in attack. That comes from the support of our fans here at Honjo Stadium and is a just reward for the hard work the players put into training day after day. There are a few issues we need to sort out and we have to assess ourselves in a realistic way to keep our feet on the ground in preparation for the next game. It isn't that we've become a big team, but beating a big team in the way we did today will give us confidence as we look forward to the game against Tokushima next week".