Outperform the opponent at home and achieve victory in the league!

　The league Sec. 22 is held. We face Omiya Ardija at home. In the previous match, despite being at a numerical disadvantage and enduring a fierce attack from Kashiwa, we managed to secure 1 point away. As a result, we have not lost in 3 official matches in August. In terms of match content, we always have our "time" where we take control and create chances, while also demonstrating resilience. However, in the league, we have not won since the match against Gamba Osaka on July 7, and this match is one we must win at home.

　However, as the transfer window was nearing its end, Tanizawa completed a full transfer. Meanwhile, Tokunaga and Gonda, who were participating in the London Olympics, returned to the team after about a month. After that, due to activities with the Japan national team, Takahashi and Gonda joined the team for only two days, but each prepared and got in shape to start. Additionally, since Kaga was suspended this match, Takahashi was positioned as a center-back, with Tokunaga on the right side and Nakamura on the left. Edmilson was set to lead the front line, with Ishikawa and Lucas on the sides.

　Omiya is currently in 16th place with 20 points. They changed coaches to VERDENIK during the season. Additionally, large FW Zlatan and Novakovic from Slovenia have joined, significantly changing the roster since they faced each other in the league opener this season. They have not won in their last four matches, but still, in the previous match, FW Zlatan scored his first goal, and they have managed to score in every match, so their attacking power requires significant caution.

　Today, FW Zlatan is not in the lineup. FW Novakovic and MF Cho will start on the bench, but the coach remains cautious, stating that "Omiya is still a dangerous team." However, we cannot afford to perform poorly at home like in the match against Niigata in Sec. 20. It is essential to avoid creating gaps, to be quick in transitions, and to excel in duels, as this match requires us to win with our own style of football. The morning thunderstorm and the evening rain have cleared, leaving the humid Ajinomoto. The match started at 18:34 with Omiya's kickoff.

Enter the match aggressively, but unable to connect the ball effectively and attack

　From the start, both offense and defense showed an aggressive attitude. In the first minute, Edmilson took a shot from the right area. In the 9th minute, Lucas, positioned to the left, passed to Kajiyama at the front and ran forward. He took a mid-range shot from the drop but it went slightly to the right. Conversely, in the 12th minute, Omiya switched sides, and left-back Shimohei received the ball, sending a sharp cross into the right area. The ball went over Nakamura's head and reached right midfielder Watanabe, followed by right-back Watanabe, but Morishige continuously blocked with his body.

　However, during this play, Morishige injured his foot and temporarily left the pitch. From that point on, they gradually lost the ability to regain possession of the ball, and their attacks became misaligned, allowing Omiya to control the ball. Nevertheless, they maintained their concentration in defense, and in the 27th minute, Kajiyama received a pass to the left front, cut back past the opposing defender, and took a shot from the left area. However, the angle was slightly off, and the ball hit the post. Edmilson, who was following up on the rebound, collided with an opponent and was unable to take the shot...

　Kajiyama created a big chance with his individual skill, but they couldn't finish it here. In the 38th minute, Omiya's midfielder Aoki sent a long pass, and forward Takumi HASEGAWA broke through, but Takahashi cleverly positioned himself to take the ball away. They continued to fight without panic, trying to take control, but noticeable coordination errors and the rough pitch hindered their ability to connect effectively and attack. In the 44th minute, from Yonemoto's setup, Tokunaga sent an early cross, and Lucas jumped in at the far post, but the Omiya defense managed to deflect it for a corner kick, ending the first half scoreless.

We allowed the opening goal due to a gap in our defense, and despite a fierce attack from everyone, we were unable to score...

　In the second half, after regrouping, Tokyo maintained control of the ball throughout. Around the 50th minute, they earned consecutive corner kicks, pushing Omiya back. In the 52nd minute, Lucas on the left passed to Kajiyama in the center, who took a sharp shot just before the area, but it was blocked by the GK. In the 60th minute, Tokunaga advanced with the ball and aimed for the goal from the right area. This was blocked, resulting in a corner kick, but from this flow, the ball spilled to Kajiyama just in front of the central area. He took a direct shot to the bottom right, but was again stopped by the GK's save.

　In the 63rd minute, a quick pass was made to the front line, and Ishikawa delivered a floating ball pass to the right area. Lucas, who ran in, tried to connect but lost his footing and fell out of position. Omiya brought in FW Novakovich in the 65th minute. However, they couldn't change the flow of the game, and in the 67th minute, Hasegawa evaded Lucas with a one-two and took a decisive shot from the center, but it went wide... Shortly after that, Tokyo also brought in Nemanja VUCICEVIC, making his debut, and in the 77th minute, Watanabe was introduced to seize victory. However, in the 78th minute, FW Novakovich skillfully scored from a counterattack, resulting in a conceded goal.

　Still not giving up, they launched a counterattack, and in the 82nd minute, from Hasegawa's vertical pass, Lucas in the left area passed to Watanabe in the right area for a shot, but it was blocked. In the 84th minute, from Yonemoto's through pass, Watanabe broke into the right area. There was no angle, but the shot aimed at the goal where the Omiya GK had rushed out was blocked by the Omiya DF who came to cover... In the 86th minute, they persistently connected the second ball, and Lucas on the left side sent a lob into the area. Nemanja VUCICEVIC, who had jumped out with his back to the goal, aimed for a volley but missed the target.

　In the 88th minute, Mita came on. The team launched a fierce attack, and in the 90th minute, Mita received a pass from Yonemoto in the left area and took a direct shot on target, but it was saved by the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. In stoppage time, Nemanja VUCICEVIC headed a cross from Yonemoto, but it went wide of the goal. The team continued to push Omiya by putting more players forward, but in the end, they were solidly defended in the center, and their scoring opportunities were blocked by Omiya's physical defense, leading to the final whistle. They were caught off guard by a moment of defensive lapse and ended the match with a painful defeat of 0 to 1.

　[Player Comment] {Tokunaga} "We were able to control the ball and create chances. On the other hand, we were caught by Omiya's single strike, which is very frustrating, but I believe that if we continue this style of football, we can achieve results. It's important to keep going. Personally, it's been a while since I returned to the team, and that's why I absolutely wanted to win. I want to continue playing the kind of football we played today, where we take the initiative and win."

　Gonda: "Conceding goals decides the game. That's why I have regrets, but there were mistakes by the defense, including myself, in addition to the goal conceded. That may have given the momentum to the opponent. If that mistake hadn't happened, we might have scored as well... I think we need to correct that."

　(Regarding Omiya FW Novakovich) He has experience from around the world and is a wonderful player. I returned from the Olympics and talked about 'playing to world standards,' and I think today's shot was exactly that. However, we cannot just dismiss it by saying 'the opponent was clever.' It should have been prevented, and we play to prevent such things. But I believe the reason for our defeat is different from 'lack of decisiveness.' We created chances by breaking through so much and took 18 shots, yet Omiya managed to defend at the last moment. That can be resolved by continuing with patience.

　[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference] "We lost 0-1 in such a match situation, but I want to say the players did well. It is true that the pitch was in poor condition, but I believe we were able to express what we have been working on in training, and we showed play that did not feel the impact in terms of moving the ball and breaking through. In such pitch conditions, it is not easy to connect passes simply with fewer touches, but we created many scoring opportunities. However, we were also let down by luck and could not convert. Regarding the conceded goal, we had three players approaching one player from Omiya. We need to correct the situation where we were scored on in a 1-to-3 scenario."

　I really want to thank all the fans and supporters. I believe that the applause after the match was because you felt which team was superior today, and your perspective on soccer will guarantee the future of the club. Both teams played cleanly today, and I feel that the referee made good judgments. (Why did you keep Morishige on the field until the end after he was injured in the first half?) He said he could continue, so I let him keep playing. I don't think his performance quality dropped because he continued, and I believe there was no impact from the injury.

　[Summary of the press conference with Omiya's coach VERDENIK] "Despite the poor pitch conditions, we played well and I am very satisfied with earning 3 points away. The opponent also had decisive chances, but if the pitch conditions had been a bit better, we could have moved the ball faster and made more accurate vertical passes. I believe the same applies to the opponent, but due to these conditions, many mistakes occurred. However, we were able to transition quickly in both defense and attack, and there were many switches to the sides and crosses."

　I think we played better than our opponents in the first half. The start of the second half was also good, but in the last 20 minutes, we were pushed back and they created decisive chances. However, there was also a lucky aspect, as we were able to finish the match without conceding a goal. (Did FW Novakovich score his first goal?) At this point, I can't say we are fully prepared, but if we were better prepared, he would be a player with more goal-scoring threat. Whether in simple situations or difficult ones, he plays collectively, and if he has two chances, he can score at least once. That is his quality as a player, and today he demonstrated enough goal-scoring threat. I believe he is a player who can help the team.