Overcoming the away team's weakness and challenging the winning streak record

　The postponed Sec. 6 match will be held, facing Yokohama FC away. In the previous match, they won 3-0, achieving a league record of 6 consecutive wins. However, the next 2 matches will be away games. All of this season's losses have been away games. This will be a tough match in a hard schedule, testing their growth. They aim to maintain their concentration for 90 minutes, completely overcome their weakness in away games, and achieve further consecutive wins. On the other hand, Yokohama FC is currently in 15th place with 31 points. They have not won in the last 7 league matches, and also lost to JFL's Matsumoto Yamaga in the Emperor's Cup, losing confidence. However, in the previous match, they returned to their roots and fought hard against Gifu. Although they were ultimately defeated, they have regained their energy and fighting spirit. Above all, their attacking lineup, centered around FW Caio, with FW Miura, Namba, and others, is diverse. In this match, they will face the challenge with a different formation, with FW Caio at the forefront, FW Miura as the attacking midfielder, and MF Namba and Arabori on the sides. Coach Okuma said, "Yokohama FC will come at us fearlessly at home. However, we will aim for victory by expressing the parts we have cleared through our previous experiences, and whether we can do so away from home." Tokyo will face the match with the same lineup as the previous match, including the bench. The temperature has dropped significantly, and the match will start at 19:33 at the cold Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium, with Yokohama FC's kickoff.

Tokyo Aim To Dispel Away Day Blues

In a fixture postponed from gameweek six FC Tokyo took on Yokohama FC. Following a comfortable 3-0 win over Okayama on Sunday that earned a record-tying sixth consecutive win, Tokyo faced two away trips in succession, aware that all the defeats suffered this season had come on the road. Although the match was expected to be a challenging encounter it would serve to show how far the team had developed. Maintaining full concentration over the 90 minutes to banish the away day blues and earning a win to extend the winning streak was the order for the evening.
Opponents Yokohama lay in 15th.place with 31 points at kick off. The side was mired in a seven-game winless streak and had crashed out of the Emperor's Cup to Matsumoto Yamaga of the JFL. The team had tried to regain confidence by going back to basics with a hard-running performance in the previous outing against Gifu; although that game had also ended in defeat the dynamism and fighting spirit showed signs of returning. Forward Kaio was the focus of a diverse attack, supported by Miura and Namba.
The hosts lined up in a slightly different formation than usual: Kaio led the line with Miura playing a more withdrawn role, while Arabori and Namba played on the flanks. Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma commented, "Yokohama fear no-one at home. Even so, the game will be a matter of whether we can reproduce what we've learned up to now in an away setting". Tokyo were unchanged from the previous game.
The temperature had fallen sharply after dusk and there was a chill in the air at Mitsuzawa Stadium as Yokohama FC kicked off shortly after 7:30pm.

Together, we will fight with our fighting spirit and bring it to the forefront, in an intense game.

　The game became intense from the start. Against the tough press of Yokohama FC, Tokyo also competed well in the ball battles and had quick transitions in attack and defense. In the early stages, they couldn't convert their chances, but they continued to fight without panicking and gradually created more opportunities to finish. In the 18th minute, Tanihara dribbled past his opponent on the right side and made a pass into the box. Kajiyama let the ball go through and Tanabe had a great shooting chance in front of goal, but he was challenged by the opposing defender and couldn't get a clean hit. In the 23rd minute, Tanabe was fouled while making a run and they were awarded a free kick just outside the box on the right side. Morishige took a curved shot directly at goal, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 25th minute, Kajiyama quickly switched to attack after an interception and passed to Lucas who was making a run up front. Lucas controlled the ball while being marked by a defender and took a shot with his right foot, but it went way over the goal. In the following 26th minute, they launched a powerful counter attack and Tanabe dribbled up the middle before passing to the right. Tanabe then made a diving header from the cross by Tanihara, but it went wide to the right. In the 31st minute, Tanihara attempted a tricky free kick and passed it to Tokunaga who was free in the middle from the right side. Tokunaga took a direct shot, but it was weak and hit the wall of defenders in front of goal, causing a scramble. In the chaos, Imakawa took a shot from inside the box, but he couldn't find the target. The first half ended with a scoreless tie.

Grit To The Fore In Fierce Encounter

The game began at a furious intensity with Yokohama FC pressing Tokyo hard. The visitors responded by aggressively attacking the ball as the game rapidly shifted from end to end. There were few chances created in the first quarter but Tokyo slowly began to move the ball into threatening positions. In the 18th minute, Yazawa evaded a defender down the right, took the ball to the byline, then cut inside and stroked a pass across the face of the goal. Kajiyama stepped over the ball at the near post, leaving Tanabe with what seemed like a golden opportunity to give Tokyo the lead until a defender stepped in to clear the danger at the last moment. Tanabe was clattered to the ground as he broke through the home defence in the 23rd minute, earning Tokyo a free kick just outside the penalty area to the right. Morishige curled his effort on goal but Seki, the Yokohama keeper, was able to make the save.
In the 25th minute, Kajiyama intercepted the ball in midfield and quickly played it forward to Lucas. Lucas controlled the ball neatly and held off a defender before taking an early shot that flew well wide of the target. Tokyo launched a stirring counter attack in the 26th minute, Tanabe racing forward before finding Yazawa out on the right. Yazawa crossed and Tanabe, having continued his run into the box, flung himself at the ball, making contact but steering it wide of the post.
Tokyo won a free kick in a central position in the 31st minute. Yazawa attempted to catch the Yokohama defence off-guard by laying the ball off to Tokunaga on the right instead of shooting himself; Tokunaga shot but the effort lacked pace and hit the defensive wall, provoking a scramble for possession. Konno reacted fastest and pounced on the ball first but was unable to direct his shot on target.
The first period ended 0-0.

In the midst of a tense draw, Nao scores a crucial volley!! Dramatic victory for 7 consecutive wins!

　In the second half, they were able to connect chances by overcoming Yokohama's tough press. In the 56th minute, they launched a thick attack from the left side with quick passing, and Takahashi in the left area took a decisive shot from Tanabe's pass. However, it was blocked by the concentrated Yokohama defenders. In the 59th minute, Ishikawa was substituted for Tanabe. Immediately after that, they took advantage of a chance from a left throw-in, and Takahashi in the near area touched it slightly and passed it back, but Hayashi in front of the goal took a volley that was blocked by the crossbar...

　Yokohama did not give up and continued to push forward. In the midst of intense changes between offense and defense, in the 62nd minute, Yokohama's MF Takachi was cut into the left front line, creating a 1-on-1 scene with Gonda. However, Morishige and Konno quickly covered and Gonda was able to block the shot with his body.

　In the 69th minute, Roberto CESAR was substituted for Hayu, but in the 73rd minute, Ishikawa broke through the opponent's DF and sent a cross to the left front line. CESAR, who was standing in front of the goal, headed the ball but... it went wide. In the 78th minute, Imakano advanced and passed to Ishikawa on the left, who then passed to CESAR in the center. The shot was blocked by the opponent's DF, but it went to Kajiyama who had moved inside. Kajiyama took a shot from just outside the box, but it went wide. They continued to struggle to score against Yokohama's focused defense.

　At 88 minutes, Cesar received a foul in the right area and earned a free kick. In this play, Yokohama DF Nakano received a second warning and was sent off. But now it's entering stoppage time. As a last chance, Kashiwagi steals the loose ball from the left CK and Ishikawa sends a cross. Inui's header grazed, but Kajiyama slid inside and crossed the ball again, and Inui shot again! But it crossed the frame... It seemed that it would end scoreless like this.

　But immediately after that, from the flow of the FK, Tokunaga sends a cross up the right side. The Yokohama DF's clearance falls to Ishikawa in front of the area, and Ishikawa immediately volleys it! The ball goes over the stretched hand of the GK and into the bottom right corner! In the final moments, Ishikawa's team is saved by a priceless goal, securing a dramatic victory and their first 7-game winning streak.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"When the ball was in the air from the cross, the image of my goal from last season's Emperor's Cup (Fukuoka match) came to mind. I thought about waiting until the last second to kick it so it wouldn't float. I think staying calm in any situation led to the goal. (About the cradle performance) I had forgotten about it. Then everyone came together... not only that, but the supporters in the stands celebrated with us, and I am truly happy. I want to become stronger and get promoted to J1. It's still a process, but I feel like we have been building up even in difficult times. The tough schedule continues, but I want to fight together as a team."

　《Konno》"It wasn't a satisfying game in terms of content, but the substitute players, especially Ishikawa, scored for us and I was also excited. The sense of unity was amazing. Yokohama FC changed their system a little from what we had analyzed beforehand and played with a compact formation to prevent us from playing passing football. When we won the ball, they came out with great force and were really here to win. But we were able to handle it calmly. I don't think our defense was bad either. By bringing the win in a situation where a draw seemed likely, I think it will give the team momentum."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "The 90 minutes today was like a symbol of the struggles we have faced so far. We have also studied our opponents and prepared for the game, but Yokohama FC also made some changes with a 4-1-4-1 formation. Their defensive awareness was very high, and their counterattacks were clear, so I felt it would be difficult to break through. In the midst of that, substitute Ishikawa delivered results for us. In this schedule and in the tough J2 league, we cannot rely on just our starting lineup. It was not just 11 players, but 18 players, and now we have won with a team of 32. The game is still ongoing, and even if we scout our opponents, they will surely come up with different strategies. We have become more flexible and have more options, but we want to continue to increase our options and fight with the same perseverance as today, and achieve our goals."

　[Yokohama FC Manager Kishino's Press Conference Summary] "I do think that we have to win because it's a competition. However, the players gave their all to aim for victory and showed their fighting spirit through their play. The support from the fans also gave us a lot of strength, and I think the players fought until the very end. However, conceding a goal at the end... Even if we have players sent off, we want to make sure we can defend as a team. We want to continue playing games like this at the very least, and we want to think about attacking more, connecting more, and pushing forward more."

　(What were the points of improvement from the previous match?) There were a few, but we focused on Lucas, who is the starting point, and catching Yuu. In the first half today, there were a few scenes where Tanizawa went inside and became free, so we fixed that at halftime. I think we were able to control the line better than usual, and the marking was also at a high level today, not allowing them to create starting points. We were very focused. (Was changing the formation to 4-1-4-1 a factor in today's game?) FC Tokyo has high individual skills, so if we leave any ambiguity, they will exploit it. Therefore, we first made it clear who our marks were. From there, it was about how we could widen our defense. That was the point of improvement from the previous match."

Dramatic Last-gasp Winner Earns Tokyo 7th.Straight Victory

Tokyo continued to create sporadic chances in the second half. In the 56th minute, some neat pass-work allowed Tokyo to attack in force down the left, Tanabe eventually setting up a shooting opportunity for Takahashi on the left of the Yokohama area. Takahashi let fly but a defender blocked his effort away. Ishikawa replaced Tanabe in the 59th minute. Moments later, Mukuhara crossed following a throw in on the left, Takahashi made the faintest of connections at the near post to flick the ball on into the middle where Hanyu crashed a volley against the bar.
The hosts began to push forward themselves as the end-to-end nature of the game intensified. In the 62nd minute, midfielder Takachi broke through on the left with only Gonda to beat. Morishige and Konno raced back to cover, while Gonda blocked the shot away with his body.
Roberto Cesar replaced Hanyu in the 69th minute and was presented with a chance to break the deadlock shortly after but headed Ishikawa's whipped cross over the bar from a good position. Konno pushed forward in the 78th minute and found Ishikawa on the left. Ishikawa moved the ball inside to Cesar who was prevented from getting a shot away by the close attentions of a defender. Cesar laid the ball off to Kajiyama whose shot from the edge of the area sailed narrowly wide of the post. Yokohama's solid defense continued to frustrate Tokyo.

In the 88th minute, Yokohama defender Nakano committed a foul on Cesar outside the area on the right, receiving his second yellow card of the game and being sent off early. The game went into extra time with the score still tied when Tokyo won a corner on the left, their final chance of the game. Ishikawa sent the ball into the danger area where it deflected off Konno's head and went past the far post. Kajiyama slid in and redirected it back towards Konno once again. The Tokyo defender took a shot but it went agonizingly wide of the post.
It seemed like the end of the game, but moments later Tokunaga received a free kick and made his way down the right wing before crossing the ball into the penalty area. The home defense cleared the ball, but only as far as Ishikawa on the edge of the penalty area. Ishikawa took aim and struck a powerful first-time volley that beat Seki's desperate dive and found the back of the net. With virtually the last kick of the game, Ishikawa had secured a crucial win for Tokyo, extending their winning streak to seven games, a new club record.


Players' comments
Ishikawa
"As the ball was in the air the image of the goal I scored against Fukuoka in the Emperor's Cup last year burst into my mind. I just tried to keep my shot down and waited until the last moment before I hit it. No matter what the situation keeping your composure will bring goals.
What about the cradle-rocking celebration? I'd forgotten about it myself. Then everyone got together and we celebrated with the fans in the stands. It was a very happy moment. I'm getting stronger and I want promotion back to J1. We're in the thick of the fight right now but it feels like we're getting somewhere. The schedule is relentless and we have to fight on with our full power".

Konno
"It wasn't a satisfactory performance but Ishikawa scoring the winner was incredibly exciting. The feeling of team unity was unbelievable. We analyzed Yokohama in advance but they changed their system slightly, keeping a more compact formation to prevent us playing our passing game. As soon as they won the ball they pushed forward powerfully and were really up for the match. Nevertheless, we kept our composure and dealt with it. Our defense wasn't bad at all today, I felt. Snatching victory from a game that seemed to be heading for a draw like that will give us a great boost in the future".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"The 90 minutes tonight was like a condensed version of all the hardships we've suffered over the course of the year. We researched Yokohama thoroughly but then they changed to 4-1-4-1 formation. Their defensive concentration was extremely high, they counter attacked crisply and I felt it was going to be very difficult to prise them open. And then substitute Ishikawa got the result for us. You can't play against this schedule and the persistence of J2 teams with only your starting eleven. It's not 11 but 18, and today's win was earned by the whole of the 32-man squad. The games keep coming and even though we scout them teams will change their tactics, that's for sure. We have to play it by ear and adapt ourselves to the circumstances to win hard-fought games like today's and to achieve our overall objectives".


Yokohama FC manager Kishino
"It's a contest so you have to win, I believe. However, our players gave their utmost today. The fans gave the team incredible support and it was amazing the way the team fought to the bitter end. That said, we want everyone to defend, even if someone is sent off. This kind of performance has to be the standard, with more in attack, more possession football and more forward movement.
What did we change from the last game? There were a few things but mainly we focused on stopping Lucas, their prime mover, and Hanyu. Several times during the game Yazawa came inside and escaped his marker and we put that right at half time. Our line control was much better than usual, I felt, our marking was tight and the way we prevented them from putting moves together was top quality. We concentrated very well.
What was the main reason for shifting to a 4-1-4-1 formation? Tokyo have technically gifted players and we felt that if there was any ambiguity about marking responsibilities then they could make us pay. The formation was used to clearly assign marking duties. That's what we modified from the last game".