Despite having a player sent off and enduring a tough time, Watanabe scored his first goal after the transfer, leading to a third consecutive victory.

　Considering the condition of his legs in the second half, Tanizawa was brought in as a right MF in place of Kajiyama. From the start, Kobe launched an attack. In the 5th minute, a free kick from the left side by Kobe was cleared by Takahashi with a header, resulting in a corner kick. From the sharp left corner kick by MF Nozawa, a decisive shot was taken by MF Tanaka inside the area, but it went wide. In the 12th minute, a long feed from Kobe allowed FW Yu OKUBO to break free, but Kaga closed in, and Morishige covered well to hold him off. In the 17th minute, a pass sent to the left area caught Tokyo off guard, and FW Yu OKUBO broke through. The last pass to the goal from here was cut off by Takahashi, who ran to cover, resulting in a corner kick.

　The development centered around set plays and starting from Kobe's FW Yu OKUBO gradually pressed forward. In the 25th minute, Watanabe was brought in to replace Hanyu. Lucas moved into the attacking midfield position. However, Kobe's momentum did not stop, and in the 28th minute, a pass was intercepted, leading to a swift counterattack from within Kobe's half. A long feed was headed down by FW Tokura in the center of the area, creating a scoring opportunity for FW Yu OKUBO on the right side, but Kaga responded tenaciously. The shot was off target.

　In the 32nd minute, Ishikawa, who was showing signs of fatigue, was replaced by Muku Hara, who was immediately put in as a side half. Although a fresh player was introduced, the flow remained with Kobe. Tokyo struggled to maintain possession of the ball, but they remained focused and resilient, preventing any goals. In the 86th minute, Hasegawa received a second warning and was sent off. With only ten players left, they found themselves in a desperate situation, but Gonda and the defense held firm, repelling the opponent's attacks. Then, in the 6th minute of stoppage time, Gonda kicked the ball forward, and Watanabe, competing with an opponent, headed it forward and broke free, finishing confidently in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper to seal the victory. Watanabe scored his first goal since transferring, leading to a third consecutive win in the league.　

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"(About the goal) First, I passed to Yohei because at that moment I wanted to create a play on the opposite side rather than trying to break through myself. Lucas has been the focal point as the lone striker, which has created space on the sides, and I felt I also needed to take on a striker's role. (Is your awareness of scoring high?) That's thanks to those around me supporting me. On top of that, I feel I have to be the one to finish it off."

　We took advantage of one chance, albeit a rare one, but we had numbers in that situation. Although we didn't have many opportunities, I believe it's important to seize the opponent's weaknesses in that way moving forward. In the match against Ulsan, we were caught out in the final stages, but today, including the long stoppage time, I think we applied the lessons learned from previous matches on how to finish. Overall, the opponent came at us more aggressively than we expected, and we seemed to be on the back foot. Moving forward, I want to ensure we can surpass them in every aspect.

　"When the match ended, I don't think there was a player who was truly happy. It was good that we were able to earn 3 points, but in terms of content, it was the worst match of the season. When we carried the ball to the midfield, we couldn't connect more... and ended up playing a style of football that suited the opponent. Perhaps it was a good thing that we didn't end up in a situation where we were countered by Kobe due to our own mistakes."

　(Although we were targeted by Kobe from the beginning?) We had reflections from the Ulsan match, so we were conscious of making corrections there. I think we were able to defend with good distance and balance while communicating. Especially after we took the lead, the opponent was pressing from the front, but we matched the number of players at the back, creating a situation where Hide or someone else would drop back. I believe if we could connect a bit more, we could have a more stable performance.

　[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference] "First of all, I am satisfied with the result of the victory. I am also pleased with the players' attitude of not giving up and their desire for victory. However, compared to previous matches, there are aspects of the performance that I cannot be fully satisfied with, and considering our true potential, I cannot be 100% satisfied. Of course, the tight schedule is one reason for this. Kobe had a highly accurate counterattack, and I am satisfied that we managed to keep a clean sheet against such an opponent, and I believe we only allowed them to create one decisive chance."

　We are trying to play fair, but I felt there was a lack of respect for that. I think you will understand if you watch the footage, but the opponent's number 9 committed fouls at every ball contest and only received one card. Meanwhile, Hasegawa received two cards. I would like everyone to watch this match again and make a judgment. Overall, I believe the referee's decisions today were good, but I think reviewing such aspects will contribute to the development of Japanese football. I want us all to reconsider fair play, sincerely thinking about what constitutes fair play and what does not.

　[Summary of Coach Wada's Press Conference] "Thank you for your hard work. First of all, I believe we had a very engaging game. The fans and supporters really created a great atmosphere and provided us with support. I think the players ran until the very end. In that sense, it was a very frustrating loss. However, I could see that the team is improving in many areas, so I want to think positively. I believe that not scoring when we should have is one of the reasons we couldn't win this kind of game."

　In the first half, there were very good moments, and even when cleared, we saw secondary and tertiary attacks being picked up. In the second half, the opponent was also aiming for counterattacks since they had the lead. We were pushing forward, but I felt that their way of playing after taking the lead was good. However, we did not give up and aimed to score at least one goal back. I want to commend and thank the players for fighting with that mindset. I hope we can prepare well for the next match without dragging this defeat with us.