Enter the second half of the league, take revenge on Kusatsu at Ajinomoto!

　League Sec. 24 match against Zaspa Kusatsu will be held. We will have a home game at Ajinomoto Stadium for the first time in about a month. The league has completed 19 games and is now entering the second half. In the previous match against Gifu, we struggled away but managed to take 3 points and regain the top spot. This match is against Kusatsu, who defeated us in the first half, but regardless of the opponent, we are determined to play the game in our own rhythm at home and continue our winning streak.

　Tokyo, while Otake has completed a temporary transfer to C Osaka, Nagasato and Sakata have joined the team. In addition, Konno, Gonda, and Tanabe will only have one day of actual practice with the team due to their respective national team activities. However, based on what they have built up so far, Konno and Tanabe will also start and the team will face the same lineup as the previous match.

　Tokyo, who also struggled, had FW Rafinha transferred to G Osaka in July. The team seemed to have a period of decline, but with the addition of MF Tatsuki Kobayashi, who has breakthrough power, and DF Masaki Yanagawa, who has height, they have had 2 wins and 1 draw in the last 3 games without a loss. In particular, in the previous match, they broke through Tosu's solid defense and achieved a come-from-behind victory, covering for the absence of FW Rafinha with the hard work and perseverance of all players.

　The key to Kashima's survival is the distribution from midfielders Matsushita and Kumabayashi. Not only do they need to press them, but they also need to minimize mistakes and increase possession in order to shut down Kashima's attack. On the other hand, the key to their own attack is to score the first goal before being pushed back. Kashima has the second worst record with 31 goals conceded, but they have height advantage and will look to use the width and depth of the pitch to break through. The game started at 6:34 PM in Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium, with a humid atmosphere despite the cloudy sky.

Tokyo Aim For Revenge Over Kusatsu

Thespa Kusatsu were the visitors to Ajinomoto Stadium for a game that marked the start of the second half of the season. Tokyo had ground out a 2-0 away win over Gifu in their previous outing, a result that kept the side top of the league at the halfway point. Kusatsu had beaten their hosts in the reverse fixture earlier in the year but at home Tokyo were aiming to dominate and embark on another winning spree.
In a flurry of midweek transfer activity midfielder Otake moved to Cerezo Osaka on loan while Tokyo gained midfielder Nagasato and striker Sakata. Konno, Gonda and Tanabe had all been involved in international games at their respective levels meaning that the full squad had only a single day's training together. Nevertheless, Konno and Tanabe both started in an unchanged first eleven.
Visiting Kusatsu lay in 12th place with 26 points at kick off. Forward Rafinha, who tormented Tokyo in the first meeting between the sides, had departed for Gamba Osaka and the team suffered a dip in form afterwards, but the arrival of midfielder Shota Kobayashi and defender Masaki Yanagawa prompted a revival with the team unbeaten in three, having won twice and drawn once. The come from behind win over the usually miserly Tosu in the previous fixture had been particularly impressive with the side making up for Rafinha's absence with hard work, grit and determination.
Midfield instigators Matsushita and Kumabayashi were the pair Tokyo would need to control, pressing them hard to deny time on the ball and nip potential attacks in the bud. The visitors had conceded 31 goals thus far, the second worst in the league, so using the full width and depth of the pitch would be the key to opening up the shaky defence.
Tokyo kicked off shortly after 6:30pm under a cloudy sky on an oppressively humid evening.

Unable to create scoring opportunities despite holding onto the ball...

　After the start of the match, Kusatsu received a quick attack and a sharp shot was taken by FW Alex who broke through the left side from MF Kumabayashi's long pass. However, Tokyo gradually gained possession of the ball and found their rhythm after Shioda saved the shot. However, the fullbacks were also actively attacking and carrying the ball up to the edge of the area. In the 19th minute, Tanabe, who was positioned in the center, dropped a pass to Hayashi in the front line, who then returned it to Tanabe for a shot, but it was caught by the goalkeeper.

　In the 21st minute, the right side of Tokunaga → Tanabe → the center of Hayashi connected, and finally Roberto CESAR, who went around the area in front of the goal, took a shot, but it was blocked by the defender and resulted in a corner kick. In the 24th minute, Morishige took a direct free kick, and in the 30th minute, Nakamura aimed for the goal, but couldn't shake the net.

　At 36 minutes, Tokunaga received a foul and earned a free kick from the right side. From Tanizawa's kick, Morishige hit a sharp header, but it was cleared by the defense near the goal. In stoppage time, Kajiyama also received a foul and earned a direct free kick from a counter attack, but Tanizawa's kick was cleared and the first half ended. Against Kashima's focused defense, they were unable to create any decisive opportunities.

Tokyo Dominate Possession

Kusatsu nearly caught Tokyo cold from the kick off as forward Alex sprinted down the left, latched onto a long ball from Kumabayashi and hammered a drive at the near post. Shiota stood up and parried the shot away. Following that effort Tokyo slowly began to dominate possession and find their rhythm. Despite the sidebacks pushing forward aggressively clear-cut chances were few and far between. In the 19th minute Tanabe chipped a pass forward to Hanyu who controlled the ball and played it back to Tanabe whose shot drew a save from Kita in the Kusatsu goal.
In the 21st minute a neat passing move sparked by Tokunaga's foray down the right created a shooting opportunity for Cesar; his effort struck a defender and flashed narrowly wide of the post with Kita wrong-footed on the goalline. Neither Morishige's fiercely struck free kick in the 24th minute nor a Nakamura shot in the 30th troubled the Kusatsu keeper.
Tokyo won a free kick in a good position on the right after a foul on Tokunaga in the 36th minute. Yazawa whipped a telling ball into the danger area where Morishige made a firm connection but a defender was well-placed to clear the threat. The visitors broke up a Tokyo counter attack by fouling Kajiyama in additional time; Yazawa's free kick was cleared and the whistle blew on a scoreless first half. Despite controlling the game Tokyo had struggled to create decisive openings in the face of Kusatsu's defensive concentration.

After gaining momentum in the second half, they only scored one goal through a PK, but they secured a solid victory.

　In the second half, in the 48th minute, a counter was launched and Roberto CESAR took a shot from the right area. Although it was saved by the GK, this gave the team momentum. In the 54th minute, Roberto CESAR dribbled from his own half and made it all the way to the finish. After the 60th minute, Hanyu, Taniyama, Tanabe, Kajiyama and others created a series of strong attacks through their passing. However, all of their shots were blocked by the Kashima DF.

　In an attempt to break the situation, Iwakawa was substituted for Tanabe in the 66th minute. However, their aggressive attitude paid off in the 67th minute when Nakamura received a lob pass from the left area and Taniyama, who had jumped out, was pulled by the Kashima DF and earned a penalty kick. In the 69th minute, Roberto CESAR scored this penalty kick and finally took the lead!

　After taking the lead, they safely defended against Kashima's attacks and were able to connect to their own attacks. Ishikawa and Roberto CESAR stirred up the front line, and the defense line pushed up and went for the second goal. In the 75th minute, Ishikawa launched a counterattack from Kashima's corner kick, and Imakawa pushed up and connected, and Ishikawa, who had gone up the right again, crossed. Tanizawa jumped out in the center, but it was offside...

　Substituted Lucas for Roberto CESAR in the 81st minute. In the 85th minute, Imakawa passed to Taniyama who ran to the center of the front line from a pass cut by Takahashi in their own territory. However, Taniyama lost control when he turned around. In the 89th minute, Suzuki replaced Hanyu. They launched a fierce attack by utilizing the movement of the front line, but... In the end, despite Tokyo shooting 20 shots against Kashima's 4, they were unable to score an additional goal and only managed to score one goal from a penalty kick. However, they kept their defense solid and secured a win, maintaining their top position with consecutive victories.

　【Player Comments】《Roberto CESAR》"The flow of the game wasn't bad, but we couldn't score and it became a difficult match. However, we were able to score one goal with a PK and maintain our top position. Of course, we wanted to score in the first half, but at halftime we talked about continuing our strategy from the first half. We were able to score as we continued. It was only 1-0, but it was important to get all 3 points without conceding. Regarding the PK, I briefly remembered missing the last one, but I was focused when I kicked it. The next match will also be a difficult away game. However, we must win. We will continue to strive to maintain this rhythm and score goals to win."

　"Tanihara" "I'm not satisfied with just scoring from PKs. I want to play a game where we can connect passes and break through to score more points, but recently there have been some scenes where the balance is off. I want to communicate more and play a game where we can connect and break through. (What about the second half of the season when you're in first place?) Compared to the beginning, our style of play has become clearer and the team has become more cohesive. With the addition of players like Nagasato and Sakata, we want to have a good competition and see individual growth, and be able to play well as a team."

　[Coach Oikuma's Press Conference Summary] "Compared to other games, today's game against Kusatsu started with a focus on defense. It was difficult to break through their defensive line. Our players in the back zone, especially Tanabe, did a great job, but since we are playing with a formation close to a single striker, we lacked combination play, numbers, and intensity in the first half. Tanabe made few mistakes, but we need to figure out how to turn that into fear and decisiveness in front of goal. In the second half, both teams were affected by the heat and the game became stretched out, but our priority was to attack from the sides and increase variation in the middle. However, we couldn't score a second goal and Kusatsu showed their determination. That is something we need to reflect on. However, our players kept running for the full 90 minutes without stopping in both attack and defense. We need to maintain that and make up for our shortcomings, and focus on the next game."

　[Kusatsu Vice Island Coach's Press Conference Summary] "We won against Tosu in the previous round and aimed for 3 points today, but FC Tokyo was still one or two steps ahead. It was a hot and humid match, and we were forced to run a lot, which was very exhausting. If we could create more time to move the ball in the final line, we might have been able to grasp the rhythm a little more. We want to list up the challenges in those areas again and try to catch up and win in this kind of game."

Penalty Earns Tokyo Solid Win

In the 48th minute, Tokyo launched a counter attack, with Cesar forcing a save from Kita with a powerful shot. This chance gave the team momentum and Cesar came close again in the 54th minute, narrowly missing the target after a strong run from deep. As the second half progressed, Hanyu, Yazawa, Tanabe, and Kajiyama all joined in the attack, but their attempts were either blocked by Kusatsu defenders or saved.
In the 66th minute, Ishikawa replaced Tanabe in an attempt to break the deadlock. Just a minute later, Tokyo's aggressive play paid off as Nakamura spotted Yazawa's run into the box and chipped the ball to him from the left. Yazawa was pulled back by a defender, earning Tokyo a penalty. Roberto Cesar calmly converted the penalty, giving Tokyo a valuable lead.
After taking the lead, Tokyo successfully shut down Kusatsu's attack and regained possession. Ishikawa and Cesar continued to lead the front line, while the defense pushed forward in search of a second goal. In the 75th minute, Tokyo launched another counter attack after a Kusatsu corner, with Ishikawa and Konno leading the charge. Ishikawa crossed from the right, but Yazawa was ruled offside as he entered the box.
In the 81st minute, Lucas replaced Roberto Cesar. In the 85th minute, Takahashi intercepted a pass in midfield and Konno played a through ball to Yazawa. However, Yazawa lost control of the ball and the opportunity was lost. In the 89th minute, Suzuki came on for Hanyu to add some speed to Tokyo's attack. Despite their efforts, Tokyo was unable to score a second goal and the game ended with a 1-0 victory, with Cesar's penalty being the deciding factor. Tokyo had 20 shots compared to Kusatsu's 4, kept a clean sheet, and maintained their position at the top of the league.


Players' comments
Roberto Cesar
"We weren't playing badly at all but couldn't get the ball in the net and that made the game difficult. Still, we scored from a penalty and that kept us at the top of the table. Of course we had wanted to score during the first half but at the break we just talked about continuing with what we were doing in the second half. We kept going and then got the goal. It may have only been 1-0 but we kept a clean sheet and it was a solid performance, which is important. When we won the penalty I had a momentary flashback to the last time, when I missed, but as I ran up to shoot I kept my concentration. We're away again next week with what will be another difficult game. Even so, we have to carry on winning. I'll be doing my best to play with the kind of rhythm we had today, get on the scoresheet and win the match".

Yazawa
"We're not satisfied with scoring a single goal from a penalty. We want to pass the ball around more to open the opposition up but to some extent our balance has been poor on many occasions recently. Communicating better and playing flowing football to wear down our opponents is the way we want to go.
What about staying at the top in the second half of the season? Well, compared to the beginning of the year we've isolated the way we should be playing and the team is settled. We've got Nagasato and Sakata to come in which is great for the competition for places and should lead to individual improvement".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"Compared to their other games, Kusatsu started far more defensively today. It was very difficult for us to find space behind their defense. Tanabe and the others did very well playing behind the zone, but with us fielding something close to a single forward formation today, we had trouble in the first half with our combination play, lack of numbers, and a shortage of momentum going forward. Although Tanabe made very few mistakes, there's a question of how to add some threat in front of goal and some decisive finishing. In the second half, the heat took its toll and both teams lost their shape somewhat. We wanted to add some variation to our attack, using the flanks and then moving into the middle. Not scoring a second goal left Kusatsu with some hope of salvaging the game, and that showed in their spirited approach. It's a point we have to reflect on. Still, we kept running for 90 minutes. We have to maintain that as it's some compensation for areas we're lacking in as we prepare for the next game".

Thespa Kusatsu manager Soejima
"We beat Tosu last time out and had wanted to take the points again today but, as I anticipated, Tokyo were one or two steps ahead of us. We were forced into a lot of running in the heat and that exhausted our energy, making the game very demanding. If we could have played the ball around more at the back then perhaps we could have enjoyed a better rhythm to our game. That's an issue we have to address as we work on ways to take something from games like this".