A match aiming for 3 points and 5 consecutive wins while away

　In the 30th round of the league, we will face Tokushima Vortis away. In the previous round, we were struggling against Kitakyushu's hard work, but we were able to achieve a 4-game winning streak with our perseverance and the "quality" of our offense and defense. This round will be the last of a 3-game series, but coach Ohkuma vows to fight with a tournament-like mentality and aim for a victory and a 5-game winning streak, even away from home.

　Tokushima, on the other hand, is currently in 3rd place with 49 points. The gap between them and Tokyo is 5 points. The gap with 4th place is 2 points, and it can be said that they are in a state where they do not want to lose a single game towards promotion. Moreover, this round is a home game, and as coach Okuma says, "We should approach the game with the same mentality as the final round." Tall FW Sato, FW Tsuda, and left side FW Kakitani have each scored 6 goals, and it is important to not let the attacking line, including right MF Hamada and Eto, gain momentum.

　Tokyo, with Sotan TANABE suspended due to accumulated warnings, will have Nagasato starting for the first time since his transfer. As Tanizawa said, "In the absence of Sotan, I want to be aware of the balance and take advantage of the strengths of the players on the opposite side to find scoring opportunities by calmly taking control of the midfield." Takamatsu, who has returned from injury, will also be on the bench to showcase his good form. From here on, we want to fight each and every game carefully in a total team effort towards the end of the season.

　Both teams are desperate for the first goal, but Tokyo has been able to dominate the game by making strategic player substitutions. Even if the score remains tied, if they can create opportunities to make the opponent anxious, they should be able to seize the chance to win. As Tokunaga says, "We need to have confidence and stick to our style of play to earn 3 points," controlling the game will break Tokushima's fighting spirit and lead to victory. The match kicked off at 4:04 PM at POCARI SWEAT Stadium in Naruto-Otsuka Sports Park.

Aiming For 5th. Straight Win In Tricky Away Fixture 

FC Tokyo traveled south to the island of Shikoku to take on Tokushima Vortis in the 30th. game of the season. In their previous outing Tokyo had been made to work hard by a resilient Kitakyushu team but quality at both ends of the pitch and sheer perseverance produced a well-earned 2-0 win. Going into the third game in a week, Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma had urged his team to, "Play like it's a cup game," and in turn the players had vowed to win and extend the winning streak to five games.
Opponents Tokushima lay in 3rd.place at kick off, 5 points behind Tokyo. In turn, Tokushima were 2 points ahead of the fourth-placed club, making the game a vital one for their own promotion hopes. With home advantage, "They're going to come at us as though it were the last game of the season," commented the Tokyo manager. Towering striker Sato, his partner in attack Tsuda and left-sided forward Kakitani had all notched 6 goals apiece so far, and together with midfielders Hamada and Eto would provide a stern test for the Tokyo defence.
For Tokyo, Tanabe was suspended, earning Nagasato his first start since his arrival at the club. Yazawa commented, "Since Sotan is out I'll be looking to keep the balance on my side and let the guy on the opposite side play to his strengths". Forward Takamatsu had returned from long-term injury and was sufficiently recovered to take a place on the bench. As the league prepared to enter the final stretch playing to the full extent of the available strength in each game became vitally important.
Although both sides would be desperate to score first, in recent games Tokyo had shown an ability to ask questions of the opposition with their substitutions. Further, if the game remained deadlocked at 0-0 the opposition's impatience to find a goal could leave them open at the back. Tokunaga was bullish about the match, "We want to play our own game with confidence and take the three points."
Tokyo kicked off shortly after 4pm on a cool, windy afternoon in the Pocarisweat Stadium.

Leading with Nagasato's first starting goal after transfer, the first half ends.

　Tokushima, who started the game with a strong momentum, was pushed back. However, they calmly responded and managed to withstand without conceding a goal. In the 9th minute, a quick restart led to Lucas passing to Mokuhara on the left side, who then earned a corner kick. However, no one was able to connect with Tanizawa's kick. In the 11th minute, Tokunaga intercepted on the right side. He connected with the front line, and Hayashi passed to Lucas in the center, who then made a through pass to the right area. Tokunaga made a run, but his shot was blocked.

　Then, in the 15th minute, Kajiyama won the ball against the opponent in a feed to the front line and sent it to the center. From the follow-up by Tokunaga, Tanizawa received a deflection off the Tokushima DF and earned a corner kick. From this right corner kick taken by Tanizawa, Inamoto in the left area sent the ball forward and Nagasato, despite losing his balance, changed the direction and pushed it into the goal! They took advantage of the set piece opportunity and took the lead.

　Although we wanted to catch the rhythm, we couldn't stop the flow of Tokushima's counterattack and the flow completely went to Tokushima. MF Kakitani and Kurakatsu were quickly brought to the front line and chances were created one after another. However, Tokyo defended their goal until the end and did not let it break. On the other hand, they couldn't create any shape in their attack and in the first half, Tokushima had 12 shots while Tokyo only had 3. Still, they maintained a one-point lead and headed into the second half.

Nagasato Gives Tokyo Crucial Lead

As expected, Tokushima flew at Tokyo from the kick off and penned the visitors back. Tokyo held firm and coolly weathered the early storm before breaking out of defense in the 9th minute and earning a corner from Mukuhara's left-wing cross. Yazawa stroked the ball into the danger area but was unable to find a teammate. In the 11th minute Tokunaga intercepted a pass on the right, laid the ball off and continued his forward run. Hanyu found Lucas infield and the Brazilian rolled the ball into Tokunaga's path on the right of the area. Tokunaga let fly but a defender blocked his drive away.
In the 15th minute Kajiyama won an aerial duel for a long ball, Tokunaga collected the knock down and attempted to find Yazawa, the ball striking a Tokushima defender and going out for a corner. Yazawa took the corner on the right, Konno headed the ball back across goal from the left and Nagasato, on his first start for the club, twisted athletically to hook the ball into the net. Tokyo had made a set play count to grab a vital early lead. With the breakthrough in the bag Tokyo were looking to impose their rhythm on the game but the hosts fought back strongly to dominate proceedings.
Tokushima midfielders Kakitani and Kuranuki used their pace to move the ball forward quickly as the hosts began to create chances. In response to the intensifying pressure, the Tokyo defense flung themselves into the breach, denying Tokushima an equalizer. The home side mustered 12 attempts on goal to Tokyo's 3, yet it was the visitors who led at half time.

Ishikawa scored a goal precisely from a counter and pushed ahead, achieving 5 consecutive wins.

　Tokyo creates a chance from the start of the second half. In the 47th minute, Kajiyama steals the ball from Tokushima MF Kakitani in their own territory and counterattacks. Receiving a return from Lucas, they advance and send a through pass to the left area. Nagasato breaks through and takes a shot while competing with the defender, but fails to hit the target. In the 49th minute, from a combination between Tokunaga and Hayashi on the right side, Hayashi breaks through to the right area and sends a low shot to the far post. Nagasato was ready behind, but couldn't step forward in time to make the shot.

　However, after that, the pass to the front line did not match and it was taken away, leading to a counterattack. In the 57th minute, Ishikawa replaced Nagasato. In the 66th minute, Takahashi and Hanyu connected in the center, and Lucas in front of the area turned around and took a shot, but it hit the GK's face. In the 71st minute, Sakata was substituted for Hanyu. However, Tokushima also used attacking player substitutions and came out even more aggressively. In the 77th minute, when Tokushima was pressing forward, Tokyo launched a counterattack, with Lucas → Sakata using their speed to run up the left side.

　Sakata did not pass the opponent, waited for his teammate to move up calmly, and passed to Nakazawa in the center. Nakazawa attracted the defense while moving up and went to the right area. It was a slightly long and risky pass, but Nao ran in and scored a beautiful shot from an angleless position! The second goal was obtained with a powerful counterattack. They did not give up and pushed away Tokushima, who continued to attack, and managed to win with a strong defense in a tough game, taking 3 points away and achieving their 5th consecutive win!

　【Player Comments】《Nagasaki》"(About the opening goal) I could see the position of the goal, so I hit it with my right instep. Everyone said 'I thought it was an own goal' (laughs). It's a shock (laughs). I wanted to show my strengths of making runs behind the defense and dribbling when I played. I knew that was what was expected of me, but we struggled against Tokushima. Everyone must have been tired, and we didn't have much time to connect passes, but we were able to win by basing our game on defense. A good team won't lose if everyone works hard. That's how I feel, and I think this game proved it."

　Starting was very nervous. Playing as a starter in Tokyo, I feel a sense of responsibility that is incomparable to others. It is an honor to be able to play there as a player, but I have to get used to it more. Of course, we have to aim for good content and winning soccer, but there will be games where we cannot catch the rhythm and the opponent will show their strength. I want to take today's two goals and use it as confidence to continue in future games."

　《Ishikawa》"In the midst of a series of must-win games, we absolutely wanted to win today as well. Since it was an away game, we were careful about how we started the match and tried to bring it to our own rhythm. The bench had the same idea. Even after I came on, I couldn't quite find my rhythm, but I was conscious of playing with speed on both offense and defense. (On the goal) They created a good rhythm on the left side and connected it to me, allowing me to showcase my strengths. Everyone is saying that Yaza's pass was 'too long' (laughs), but if it was a little shorter, I could have aimed for both the far and near post, and there would have been some hesitation in the defenders' positioning."

　In a state of riding on speed, it was a near-only selection, so the course was clearly visible. It was just a matter of kicking it in. Yaza made a build-up and took away any hesitation, so it was a good pass in that sense. (Did you get results as a substitute?) I think the first goal was big today, but I also wanted to score a goal and as a team, we wanted to get the second goal quickly. It will be an all-out effort towards promotion, but whoever comes out, I want to play FC Tokyo's soccer and in the end, the mindset is also important. I myself have pride. While taking tough matches like today as nourishment, I want to play aggressive FC Tokyo-like soccer."

　[Summary of Coach Ohkuma's Press Conference] "As expected, Tokushima is a good team that we want to focus on, so it was a tough game. There was also the wind, but we endured the first half with a solid defense centered around Gonda. We were able to turn the tide in the second half by persevering and enduring together. Since we both have consecutive games, we want to drag the momentum to our side by making substitutions. I think Nao's goal was big both as a role and as a flow. The Emperor's Cup is coming up, but the schedule in November will be even more intense than this consecutive game, so it will be an all-out battle. Having a standby for anyone other than the 11 players and practicing for it will lead to results like today. We want to focus on each game, including the Emperor's Cup."

　[Summary of Tokushima Mino's coach's press conference] "Today, we had a match against FC Tokyo and we had a lot of people come to watch, so it's very disappointing that we couldn't get a good result. However, overall, I think the players did their best in terms of the game's content, controlling the game, and creating chances and shots. We wanted to leave a good game and content, but it's very unfortunate that we couldn't do that. (What was good?) We didn't hesitate against the strongest team in J2, FC Tokyo, and we set our line high and approached the game, resulting in a faster transition between offense and defense, and we were able to create many attacking opportunities."

Ishikawa Goal On the Counter Seals 5th. Straight Win

Tokyo created the first chance of the second half. Kajiyama robbed Tokushima midfielder Kakitani inside his own half, exchanged passes with Lucas and strode forward before releasing the ball into Nagasato's path inside the opposition penalty area. Nagasato held off a defender and shot but failed to hit the target. Tokunaga and Hanyu combined down the right in the 49th minute, Hanyu darted into space inside the penalty area on the right and drove a low cross to the far post where Nagasato failed to connect by the narrowest margin.
After that brief burst Tokyo struggled to connect their passes in attack and once again the pendulum swung back to the hosts. Ishikawa replaced Nagasato in the 57th minute. In the 66th minute Takahashi and Hanyu combined in midfield and moved the ball on to Lucas on the edge of the Tokushima area. Lucas swiveled and shot in one movement but his effort flew straight at Oh in the Tokushima goal. Sakata replaced Hanyu in the 71st minute. Tokushima made attacking substitutions themselves, pushing further forward in search of an equaliser. Then, in the 77th minute, Tokyo caught Tokushima on a counter attack. Sakata received the ball from Lucas and used his pace to drive down the left wing, then held the ball up as he waited for support from the midfield. Sakata slipped the ball inside to Yazawa, who drew the home defence towards himself before moving it out to the right, to meet Ishikawa's run. Yazawa seemed to have overhit the pass at first but Ishikawa met the ball at full speed and drove it firmly inside the near post from a tight angle. A deft and lightning fast counter attack had given Tokyo a two-goal cushion at the perfect moment. Tokyo blunted the Tokushima attack with a tenacious defensive display while clinically dispatching their own chances, taking the three points and extending the winning streak to five games.


Players' Comments
Nagasato
"I saw where I was in front of the goal and caught the ball with my right instep. Everybody said they thought it was an own goal ( Cries ). I was shocked ( Bitter laugh ). When I knew I was starting I wanted to show what I'm capable of: using my movement to get in behind the opposition defence and my dribbling ability. That's what was wanted from me but Tokushima pushed us back and put us under pressure. I'm sure everyone was suffering from fatigue and we really didn't spend a lot of time moving the ball around but we started from a defensive base and managed to see out the win. If you're a good team and everyone works hard then you're not going to lose. That's what I felt and the game made it clear, I thought.
I was very nervous about starting the game. You can't really compare the sense of responsibility you feel starting a game for Tokyo with anything else. It's an honour and it's something I have to get used to more. Of course we want to play attractive, winning football but there are going to be more games where we can't find our rhythm and the opposition play well. Scoring twice and winning today will give us confidence for the upcoming games".

Ishikawa
"The games we can't afford to lose are coming thick and fast and today was another one we absolutely wanted to win. Since we were away we were very careful about the way we started, about keeping our rhythm, and that was the same for us on the bench as well. After I went on we still couldn't really find our rhythm so I was focusing on using my pace in both defense and attack. For the goal the guys created a nice rhythm down the left and worked the ball across to me, where I was able to show what I can do. Everyone said Yazawa's pass was too long, (Laughs). If it had been a little shorter I could have gone for the far post as well as I was a little undecided as I ran onto the ball.
At full speed there was only the near post I could go for but I saw the path clearly and just hit the ball. The way Yazawa held the ball up and made the decision of where to aim for me meant that it was a good pass. Did my substitution decide the game? The first goal was very important but I've been after a goal for a while and I just wanted the team to score again as quickly as possible. We need to play to the limit of our ability to achieve promotion and want to play FC Tokyo-style football regardless of who is in the team, so spirit is the most important thing. I've got the backbone for the fight as well. We want to take the performances from tough games like today's and use them as we carry on playing aggressive Tokyo-style football in the future".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"Just as we expected Tokushima concentrated well as they're a good team and it became a difficult match. We had the wind in our favour in the first half but we defended perfectly, with Gonda at the heart of it. Everyone was tenacious and persevered, then in the second half we controlled the flow of the game. Nao's role off the bench and goal was massively important in shaping the outcome today. With the Emperor's Cup game in there as well, the November schedule is even harder than this run of games so we'll need everyone to play their part. Apart from the first eleven the other players have to be ready when called upon and what we work on in practice is reflected in results like today's. We want to carry taking each game as it comes".

Tokushima manager Minobe
"Today was the showdown with FC Tokyo and that drew a lot of people to the stadium so it's very disappointing that we couldn't get the result. But if you look at the performance, the game control, the numbers of chances created and those on target, then you can see that the players fought hard. It was a good game and we played well so it's disappointing not to take anything away from it.
What was good about the performance? Many things, I felt. Tokyo are the best team in J2 yet we played without fear, kept a tight high line and developed our moves. We went out to win the ball, switched over from defence to attack quickly and created a lot of chances".