The long-awaited Tamagawa Classico is held on the J1 stage

　In Sec. 5 of the league, we will face Kawasaki Frontale in the 19th Tamagawa Classico. We will be heading away for this match. In the ACL match against Beijing Guoan, we fought with all our might and brought back a valuable point. However, we are now facing this match just three days later. Although Kawasaki also played in the Nabisco Cup on the 4th, we can say that we are at a significant disadvantage in terms of condition.

　Nevertheless, in this traditional match, the players' motivation is high. And since they lost to Hiroshima in Sec. 4, they must avoid consecutive losses in the league. Using their heads in battle and maintaining focus may be one key.

　In this match, Hyun Soo JANG, who is making his league debut, will be used as a center-back in place of the injured Kaga. Maruyama is also included in the squad for the first time. Meanwhile, Coach POPOVIC is cautious about Kaji's return. Therefore, similar to the match against Beijing Guoan, Takahashi and HASEGAWA will form a double pivot, with Ishikawa and Tanizawa on the flanks, and Hanyu playing as an attacking midfielder. The forward line will consist of Lucas.

　Kawasaki has 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the league. They haven't won in the last 3 matches, but this season's team aims for a style that combines speedy soccer utilizing individual abilities with careful passing to break down defenses. Looking at the attacking line, the newly joined FW Renato has speed, and FWs Yajima and Komatsu have height and decisive finishing ability. Above all, we must be very cautious of the plays from midfielders Nakamura and Shibasaki that leverage the strength of the front line.

　Although it is an away game, we want to seize victory by controlling the ball for as long as possible and continuing to try without fear of making mistakes. It was sunny, but the wind was cold, making it feel chilly at Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium. The stands of both teams were heated, overflowing with anticipation, and the match started at 16:03 with Kawasaki's kickoff.

Both sides displayed their fighting spirit and aggressive stance, leading to intense offense and defense.

　From the start, both teams aggressively attacked. Tokyo connected one-touch passes to move forward, while Kawasaki utilized the speed of FW Renato, starting from FW Yajima, trying to create chances by exploiting each other's weaknesses. In the 9th minute, from Lucas's drop pass, Takahashi sent a floating ball into the left area, where Ishikawa broke through and faced the GK one-on-one, but... the shot was blocked by the GK's quick advance.

　In the 20th minute, a quick transition attack was initiated, and from Lucas's pass on the right side, Hanyu broke through to the right front line and made a low cross in front of the goal. There, Tanizawa jumped in and created a decisive opportunity, but... the pass was slightly weak and was blocked by Kawasaki's quick-returning DF. On the other hand, in the 22nd minute, Kawasaki's FW Renato made a dribbling shot from the left area. In the 23rd minute, DF Jesse took a shot from a left corner kick, creating a situation where they brought the attack to a finish with bold moves.

　In a back-and-forth match, in the 27th minute, Tokunaga's dribbling breakthrough led to a right corner kick, and Tanizawa pounced on the loose ball from the scramble, shooting at just the right moment but unable to hit the target. In the 30th minute, from their own half, Hyun Soo JANG passed a long ball to Hanyu, who made a sharp decision to break forward towards Ishikawa. Ishikawa, seeing the position of the advancing Kawasaki GK, aimed for a looping shot from just outside the right area, but was thwarted by GK Ishikawaseibu.S's save while retreating...

　Immediately after missing a chance, Kawasaki created a scoring opportunity from a pass by midfielder Futoshi NAKAMURA, but Gonda made a save. As the game saw rapid changes in offense and defense, in the latter part of the first half, they continued to suffer from counters due to mistakes, but Morishige, Ota, and others responded with focus. Neither team allowed a goal, and they went into halftime scoreless.

A classic where something happens... Even with 10 players, a dramatic victory with Morishige's header!

　It was a second half where we wanted to capitalize on our chances, but in the 48th minute, Hasegawa received a second warning and was sent off. This forced us into a situation of numerical disadvantage early in the second half. Therefore, in the 51st minute, we substituted Hanyu for Yonemoto to strengthen the midfield. However, in the 52nd minute, we tried to catch Kawasaki's forward Yajima offside, but at just the right moment, forward Renato broke through from behind and took a decisive shot from the left area, which was saved by Gonda! Following that, Kawasaki's MF Nakamura passed to MF Tasaka in the right area, who took a shot, but we were saved by a mistake.

　In the 67th minute, from a play by Kawasaki MF Nakamura, MF Tasaka broke through the right front line and delivered a negative last pass to the center. FW Kobayashi in the area was free and took a decisive shot, but once again, Gonda made a save! Under the relentless attack from Kawasaki, the team faced continuous danger, but with Gonda and the defenders putting their bodies on the line and maintaining focus, they not only defended without retreating but also keenly exploited Kawasaki's gaps to look for chances and launched a counterattack.

　In the 75th minute, Tanabe came on for Tanizawa. Kawasaki also brought in midfielder Inamoto, followed by forward Komatsu, applying pressure to the front line. As the tense moments continued without a moment's relaxation, Ishikawa sprinted down the right side in the 86th minute. Without forcing it, he waited for his teammates to advance and connected a pass to Tokunaga, who delivered a cross. Tanabe, who entered the area from the far side, couldn't take a shot, but this led to a throw-in for Kawasaki, which Yonemoto chased fiercely. He intercepted and passed to Lucas in the center. From there, it went to Tanabe on the left, and Takahashi, who advanced centrally, took a shot from distance that flew towards the goal.

　Blocked by a GK save, they only managed to earn a corner kick, but in the 87th minute, Ishikawa took the right corner kick, and Morishige powerfully pierced the net with a high header! They brilliantly capitalized on the set-piece opportunity to secure the goal. After that, including a long stoppage time of 6 minutes, Kawasaki created chances from free kicks, but everyone maintained their concentration and defended successfully, leading to the final whistle. In a thrilling development, they bounced back from a numerical disadvantage and achieved victory with a score of 1 to 0.

　[Player Comments] {Morishige} "The style of football that Popovic shows us is clearly defined. Even when we were at a numerical disadvantage, everyone remained calm and tried to play our football. We weren't just being pushed back the whole time; we tried to win the ball back and attack aggressively, and we didn't lose our attacking mindset. We all endured where we needed to, and I believe the victory we achieved on top of that is significant. (At the moment the goal was scored) I wanted to share the joy with the stands. I also felt happiness to be able to compete in this clásico in J1 with the supporters who came to various away games last year in J2."

　Hyun Soo JANG: "At first, I couldn't get used to this atmosphere and there were parts where I was confused. There were moments when we were really pushed back, but we helped each other and ultimately achieved victory. I think we proved that we can fight even with ten players. I wanted to win, and I'm honestly happy about the victory."

　[Summary of Coach Popovic's Press Conference] "It was a wonderful match. It's not just because we won, but as I always say, what matters is the content and process of how we won. Even when we were down to ten men, we maintained our style and played connecting football. In the match against Hiroshima, we didn't get the results, and I was asked afterward, 'Should we change our style?' The result of not changing our style is reflected in today's match. If Barcelona had changed their style every time they lost, there wouldn't be the current Barcelona. And our fight today was about believing in ourselves until the end and persevering through any situation. Each individual showed a fighting spirit for the club and the team; I think it was a very good match."

　I want to express my gratitude to all the fans and supporters of both teams who came to the stadium and created a wonderful atmosphere. I especially want to thank the fans and supporters from Tokyo for their passionate support until the very end, which gave us strength and support. I want to say thank you. I believe this was a significant match that proved what FC Tokyo is as a club and team. Even with fewer numbers, the players showed an attacking style of soccer, connecting passes without dropping the line. This is a victory for the team. It is the result of everyone fighting for the team. Lastly, I want to say that the fans and supporters of both teams today were truly amazing. Please make sure to convey my gratitude.

　[Kawasaki - Coach Soma's Press Conference Summary] "As it was a clásico, many fans and supporters gathered. It is disappointing and I apologize that we ended up with this result, especially since the opponent had a player sent off and we were in a situation where we had to win. However, if we cannot score when we need to, we will end up with results like today. Today was exactly that kind of game. In the professional world, I, as the coach, take full responsibility for the results, but we have been making significant progress with what we have been working on recently, so I want to build on that for the next time."