A matchup since the Xerox Super Cup, facing last season's champions, Kashiwa

　The league Sec. 9, which was postponed due to the ACL, will be held. The home game will be moved to Japan National Stadium, where they will face Kashiwa Reysol. In the previous match, despite struggling against Cerezo Osaka's counterattacks, they managed to keep a clean sheet and secured victory with goals from Hasegawa and Lucas, rising to 5th place in the standings. This result highlighted the importance of a win, but to stay competitive in the tight upper ranks, they cannot afford to lose this match. They aim for consecutive victories while also seeking to avenge their defeat in the Fuji Xerox Super Cup on March 3.

　However, Kajiyama, who injured his right calf in the previous match, will be absent. On the other hand, Shiota, who had an ankle injury, has returned. Hasegawa, who left the previous match early, spent some time on a different training regimen but is not seriously injured and will start. Yonemoto will be used as a starter in one of the defensive midfield positions, with Lucas at the top, Hasegawa in the attacking midfield, and Tanizawa and Tanabe on both sides. Additionally, Yukino will be on the bench for the first time.

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, currently has 21 points and is in 11th place. The reigning champions had some mismatched games at the beginning of this season, and like Tokyo, they were eliminated in the Round of 16 of the ACL. However, as the condition of midfielder Leandro DAMIAO and Jorge Wagner improves, their performance has also been on the rise. It seems they are on an upward trend with no losses in their last five league matches.

　Particularly against Kashiwa's attacking power and the sharpness of their counterattacks, concentration is required throughout the 90 minutes. Tokyo wants to counter by dominating possession and forcing Kashiwa into defense. The speed of attacks and the quick transitions between offense and defense will be more important than ever, but we want to seize victory through proactive play. The match started at 19:04 with Kashiwa's kickoff in the well-lit National Stadium during a break in the rainy season.

Both teams create chances by utilizing their strengths, but a painful goal is conceded just before the end of the first half.

　The early stages were closely contested. Right after the start, Tokyo maintained possession of the ball, connecting passes and looking for opportunities, but Kashiwa also sent the ball to forward Kudo from their solid defense, launching a counterattack. Both teams showcased their strengths, but gradually Tokyo found their rhythm.

　In the 20th minute, Yonemoto initiated a counterattack, and Tanabe advanced into the left area. He sent a last pass in front of the goal. In the 22nd minute, Tanizawa took a shot from the middle. In the 26th minute, Morishige aimed directly for a free kick. In the 28th minute, they quickly launched an attack from their own half, and Mukuahara shot from Tanizawa's cross. Following that, Tanizawa attempted to break through on the right flank, and a negative cross reached Tanabe's feet in front of the goal. However, he couldn't control it here. In the 30th minute, Lucas chased the opposing defender and stole the ball near the goal line, passing it to the free Hasegawa in front. However, Hasegawa's decisive shot was blocked by the Kashiwa defender...

　Tokyo created chances with a bold development, but couldn't finish. Kashiwa launched sharp counters, leading to tense offensive and defensive exchanges. However, they managed to defend calmly around Morishige, seemingly finishing the first half scoreless. But in first-half stoppage time, a free kick was awarded to Kashiwa in a left-side position within Tokyo's half. MF Jorge Wagner sent a kick forward, and DF Kondo shot with his right foot from the far side. Gonda made a save initially, but the rebound was pounced on by Kashiwa DF Masushima... After being so focused until then, conceding a frustrating goal allowed them to go into the second half trailing.

The single goal conceded weighed heavily, and the counterattack was fruitless...

　In the second half, after launching a counterattack, they initiated a vigorous attack at the start. In the 47th minute, from a scramble near the area, Tanabe seized the loose ball and charged into the area with a dribble. He tried to take a shot after evading the Kashiwa DF, but he was tackled and, although he regained his balance, he couldn't take the shot. In the 52nd minute, a header from DF Kondo during Kashiwa's right corner kick shook the net, but there was a foul by Kashiwa just before that, resulting in no goal.

　Both teams launched speedy attacks and engaged in a back-and-forth battle, but gradually, there were more moments where Tokyo was countered due to passing mistakes. In the 56th minute, a counterattack occurred from a steal by Kashiwa's right-back Sakai. DF Sakai's cross was cleared by Morishige, who threw himself to block it, but the loose ball fell to Kashiwa's central midfielder Leandro DOMINGUES, who took a shot. However, it went wide, avoiding a crisis. In the 60th minute, Hasegawa passed to Mukuhara, who advanced into the left area. A final pass was sent in front of the goal, but Lucas got tangled up with the opposing DF and could not finish the play.

　In the 72nd minute, Watanabe and Kono were brought on to replace Tanabe and Tanizawa. Watanabe moved to the top, Lucas played just behind the striker, Kono took the right side, and Hasegawa went to the left side, giving their all to launch a counterattack. In the 74th minute, following Hasegawa's dribble, the ball was spread to the right side, with Tokunaga passing to Hasegawa, and then Yonemoto advancing into the right area, but the final cross went across the front of the goal. In the 80th minute, Watanabe broke free from the defensive line with a long pass and turned to shoot, but it went over the bar...

　In the 88th minute, Kono created a breakthrough with a dribble and spread the play to the right. Tokunaga delivered a cross, but it did not connect with Watanabe, Lucas, or Hayato HASEGAWA at the near post, flowing to the far side. Although they stood firm against Kashiwa's powerful set pieces and counterattacks, preventing additional goals, they lacked the final precision in their attacks and ended up scoreless. Ultimately, the single conceded goal weighed heavily, resulting in a frustrating defeat.

　[Player Comments] {Yonemoto} "I regret conceding a goal from a set piece, and it was a very frustrating defeat. Personally, it was my first time playing a full 90 minutes in a while, and I was able to run more than I expected, and I think I did okay defensively. However, Tokyo's lifeline is 'passing.' I needed to be more involved in that, and I believe that's why we ended up with today's result. I want to stick to our style of football, score goals, and win."

　Takahashi: "To stay at the top, we need not just one win, but consecutive victories. It's disappointing that we couldn't achieve that. Overall, I don't think we were completely overwhelmed like in the match against Yokohama FM, so I don't feel it's something to be pessimistic about. However, there must be a reason why teams like Kashiwa become champions, and today we were outsmarted, especially with the restarts from fouls."

　[Summary of Coach Popovic's Press Conference] "I think we played better football, but Kashiwa won. Given this result, I cannot say I am satisfied, and I would like to congratulate Kashiwa. There were moments when I felt that the refereeing standards were not the same for our players and the opposing players. Of course, I do not believe that the refereeing affected the outcome of the match, but I think it did influence the rhythm of the game."

　However, I recognize that the situation in which we conceded a goal was due to our own shortcomings. Even so, given the team's situation with many injuries, everyone who stepped onto the pitch today gave their all. After watching today's match, I believe it didn't feel like we were missing key players. Even with missing players, I think we were able to show what we needed to do. That's why, although we couldn't achieve a result, I want to say 'well done' for being able to compete evenly with last season's champions.

　Although (Yamamoto and Takahashi players often stole the ball and controlled the game, it didn't go well when connecting to Hasegawa and Lucas?) there were mistakes on our part, and of course, Kashiwa applied good pressure. However, even while making mistakes, I recognize that our team moved forward without hesitation or fear, showing a desire to take control. After conceding a goal in first-half stoppage time, many teams lose their mental strength in the second half, but we did not show such a demeanor until the very end, and we continued to take risks with courage to try to turn the game around. The only regret from today's match is that we couldn't achieve a result. I want to believe in what we need to do and continue to think about building our quality.

　[Summary of Coach NELSINHO's Press Conference] "We approached this as an important game, and the players executed the team's tactics from start to finish. Their strong desire to win was evident in their play, and although the score was 1-0, I believe we managed the game calmly for 90 minutes. Today was a very important game because winning would bring us closer to the top, so I am satisfied with the good result."

　I think the first half was a closely contested game, but from a certain point on, I believe there were influences from the decisions made. The play was interrupted, and there were many moments where the game stopped, which put Reysol at a disadvantage, and it seemed that Tokyo managed to seize the flow of the game. I believe we played well in both the first and second halves without losing our formation or balance, and we were controlling the game.