Despite the continued injuries, aiming for a consecutive victory since May

　In the 24th round of the league, we will face Yokohama F. Marinos. The league season is already about 2/3 over, with only 11 games left to play. In the previous round, we won against the top-ranked Hiroshima away, bringing our record to 10 wins, 3 draws, and 10 losses. With this victory, we aim to continue our winning streak with the support of our home fans.

　However, Edmilson and Nakamura have been injured again, making it difficult to organize a red and white scrimmage during this week's practice. In addition, Ishikawa has developed a migraine and will be out of the lineup for this round. On the other hand, Hanyu will be on the bench for the first time since May 6th (Sec. 10). "He still can't play for 90 minutes (Coach Popovich)," but it is reassuring to have a strong player returning to the team.

　Yokohama FM, who are currently in 6th place with 35 points, will face them. Although they lost to C Osaka in the previous match, they had been undefeated for 15 consecutive matches since April 28 (Sec. 8). They have steadily accumulated points by utilizing their solid defense, the scoring ability of FW Marquinhos, and the precision of MF Nakamura's kicks in set plays. In this match, MF Nakamura will start on the bench. The two forwards will be FW Marquinhos and FW Ono, and they will be supported by midfielder Nakamachi.

　Tokyo will face a match where they want to show their soccer and take revenge, as they were only defeated in the previous away game. Kajiyama and Tanabe will play as attacking midfielders, and they will face the game with a 3-4-2-1 formation, following the one used in the Hiroshima game. The heavy rain that has been falling intermittently since the morning has stopped, and the game started at 6:34 pm at Ajinomoto Stadium, where the sun can be seen.

Do not miss the mistake, Tanabe takes the lead! Lucas extends the lead with his second consecutive goal.

　Yokohama FM, who started off with momentum, was attacked. In the 4th minute, from Yokohama FM's right corner kick, MF Nakamachi's left cross was returned to FW Ono, who then jumped into the center and was cleared by MF Marquinhos. Tokyo remained focused and gave away several set pieces, but they were able to respond well. They also pressed from the front line, led by Yonemoto, and were able to steal the ball and connect it to a fast-paced attack.

　At 11 minutes, Kajiyama made a strong dribble into the left area, but Lucas in the center area missed the middle shot. In the 22nd minute, Tokunaga launched a counterattack from Hasegawa's development and went up the right side, with Kajiyama in the center and Tanabe running to the far side, but the last pass was blocked by the opposing DF. After that, although the ball was dominated by Yokohama FM, they persistently responded and did not allow any chances. In the 32nd minute, Yokohama FM was given a free kick from the right side of the Tokyo team's territory, but FW Marquinhos' fast shot missed to the left.

　At the 35th minute, Lucas, the left side back of Yokohama FM, received a back pass from GK and connected it to DF Nakazawa, but Lucas snatched the ball and faced GK in a one-on-one situation. Although the shot was saved, Lucas once again put his body on the line and regained possession, and Tanabe, who was following up, pushed the ball into the net for a goal! Despite being dominated by Yokohama FM, they did not miss the opponent's mistake and were able to score the opening goal precisely.

　At 42 minutes, Yonemoto on the left side passed to Lucas with speedy passing, Kajiyama turned skillfully and passed to Tokunaga on the right with his right foot. Tokunaga took one step forward and sent a grander last pass to Lucas who had advanced to the goal. Lucas scored with a direct shot, extending the lead with his second consecutive goal and ending the first half.

Lucas scored a brilliant FK and pushed Yokohama FM ahead, winning consecutive games!

　Yokohama FM brought in MF Nakamura in the second half. This allowed them to regain ball possession. In the 51st minute, Yokohama FM's MF Saito cut into the left area and FW Marquinhos' shot was blocked by Morishige, but it was taken back and a shot was taken from outside the area, but Kanda saved it. Immediately after in the 55th minute, Murohara ran up the left side and entered the left area freely. He took a shot himself, but it was saved by the GK and resulted in a CK...

　And in the 66th minute, Yokohama FM started with MF Nakamura, and MF Hattori on the left side of the penalty area aimed for the back of Tokyo's right side with a pass. There, left back Dutra ran in and passed back to MF Hattori who was free in the area. He was able to score a sharp shot directly... and the goal was broken.

　Tokyo made substitutions in the 69th minute with Hayashi and Watanabe. Immediately in the 70th minute, Yonemoto passed to Watanabe who launched a counter attack and dribbled towards the goal, but was fouled just outside the box, earning a free kick. Lucas took the free kick from just outside the penalty area and with a quick shot, the opposing GK couldn't move and it went in on the right side. With a brilliant direct free kick, Tokyo extended their lead to 2 points once again.

　Yokohama FM tried to counterattack by sending in FW Daiki Okubo in the 75th minute and FW Dai Matsumoto in the 84th minute, but Tokyo also sent in Nemanja VUCICEVIC as a top player in the 80th minute. In the 86th minute, they won the midfield battle and VUCICEVIC broke through to the left area with the ball sent to the front. His shot was saved by the GK... and the rebound was headed in by Watanabe, but it was also saved by the GK...

　Although we couldn't take the fourth point, we were able to create chances from effective counters and kept the minimum number of goals conceded in defense until the end. We achieved our first consecutive victory in the league since May 20th.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"Scoring goals is important, but the most important thing is for the team to win and continue our winning streak. I wanted to score a free kick before the game, but in that situation, it just naturally fell to me. There isn't much difference in our formation, even with changes. I often play close to Kajiyama, and we've been playing together for a long time, so we can make eye contact and understand what kind of play we want to make. Today, I think I had two good passes that created chances. Tanabe also played well, and we're building a good momentum."

　"Tanabe" "With Kajiyama and Lucas freely changing positions, they both created space and made it easier to play. However, there were many challenges in the game. I felt that I needed to show my face more in the midfield and receive the ball, and there were few opportunities to break through behind the defense. Recently, the coach has pointed out that "it's not the best yet", and my condition was not perfect, but it was good to be able to score a goal in that situation. I want to work hard to contribute to the team's victory as a good opportunity."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "It was a satisfying game not only in terms of the result, but also in terms of the content. We were disappointed with the loss in the previous away game, but today we were able to make up for it. Yokohama FM is a great team that plays good football. I think we were only broken down once when we conceded a goal. And we were able to score when we needed to and get the result. On the other hand, there are also losses like the Omiya game, and it is not easy to play good football and get results. I hope everyone can develop an eye to judge not only the results, but also the quality of football and the spirit with which it is played."

　There have been injured players and national team activities, and for the past two and a half months, half of the players have been absent. Nevertheless, we have continued to play our own soccer and have persevered. I think that our efforts are paying off and it is a chance for players who have had few opportunities to play. Since the beginning of the season, I have been saying, "Opportunities will come equally, so don't miss them." I wanted them to firmly grasp the opportunity, but even though the number of players has been halved, they have filled the gaps and I feel that the results are showing because they have been consistent every day.

　To all the fans and supporters, we are grateful for your continuous support during difficult times. We are also thankful for those who have traveled to far away places, including away games in Hiroshima, to cheer us on and give us courage. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude once again.

　[Yokohama FM Higuchi Coach's Press Conference Summary] "The result is truly disappointing. We were unable to respond to the loud support of many supporters. We lost, but I personally feel a slightly different meaning from the previous match. In the previous match, we had been doing it since the camp, taking action ourselves to steal the ball, but we couldn't move the ball. As for today, I think the players showed an aggressive attitude from the start of the first half and it was reflected in both offense and defense. Of course, there are problems with how we conceded and the timing, and we need to fix them, but I see it as a defeat in the way of fighting that will lead to the next match. I want to fight firmly in the remaining 10 matches."