Dedicated to winning and aiming to win

The 5th round of the league will be held at home, facing Omiya Ardija. The Nabisco Nagoya match ended in a scoreless draw, and the league match is currently on a 2-game losing streak. The frustration of not being able to turn good performances into results remains, but we must continue to strive for victory and aim to win.

In this round, which comes two days after the Nabisco previous round, Watanabe, who did not have a chance to play in the Nagoya match, will be in the top position, with Lucas on the left side. Lee will be in the top position, and Higashi will be in the right MF. Hasegawa and Takahashi will face Yokohama FM with the same members as the double volante in the previous match.

Omiya, on the other hand, is currently in 4th place with 2 wins and 2 draws in the league. Although they suffered a loss in this season's Nabisco Cup, they have remained undefeated in 15 matches in the J1 league since September of last year. In response, Watanabe says, "We want to fight tenaciously, be flexible and play smart according to the situation," and this will be a match where we will need to correct the challenges we have faced so far and test our ability to control the game. We want to surpass Omiya, who is in good form, without fear and connect our goals and victory with our quick start and transitions.

Ajinomoto Stadium, where low pressure and stormy weather are forecasted, seems like it's about to start raining any minute now. The game started at 2:03 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Struggling with Omiya's quick and intense movements

Omiya showed their quick start and pushed Tokyo back into their own territory. However, Tokyo remained composed and did not allow any chances. On the other hand, in the 10th minute, Hasegawa was fouled and earned a free kick from just outside the left area. MoriShige aimed for it directly, but it hit the wall and bounced back to him for another shot. The ball was aimed at the bottom left corner, but the GK made a save and it resulted in a corner kick.

The intense battle for the ball continued, and amidst the tense development, both teams were unable to bring the ball to the finish. Tokyo tried to break through the tough defense and find a rhythm through short and long passes, but their attacks aimed at the high line of Omiya were all caught offside. In the 33rd minute, Omiya created an opportunity on the left side and defender Takahashi, who had moved up to the area, took a shot, which was Omiya's first shot. In the 35th minute, Omiya's midfielder Cho entered the left area and took a shot, but it went wide and they escaped danger.

At 41 minutes, Tokunaga passed to the right front line and behind the opponent's DF. East caught up in the area and crossed to the far side. Lee jumped in, but was cut off by Omiya DF just before and only managed to take a left CK. At 43 minutes, Lucas received a right throw-in and skillfully turned to cross. Watari then headed perfectly, but the shot went just left of the goal...

Despite being troubled by the intensity of Omiya's ball control and quick start, we were able to observe the situation from a focused defense and connect to chances. However, we were unable to make the final decision here. We went into the second half with a scoreless tie.

Conceded from a set piece... ended with no goals, 3 consecutive losses in the league

In the second half, Omiya's momentum did not decrease, so in the 53rd minute, they substituted Lee for Yonemoto. Higashi moved to the center and Hasegawa tried to break through on the right side. This allowed them to start winning the ball back, but in the 58th minute, Omiya's DF Takahashi dribbled up and passed to the free FW Tomiyama in the center, who took a shot. However, Gonda made the save. In the 64th minute, Omiya's right MF Watanabe's cross went past Tokyo's DF and was taken by Omiya's free FW Zlatan in the center for a direct shot, but it narrowly missed the goal and was saved by a mistake.

As time passed, Tokyo dominated the ball and Omiya launched sharp counters, but in the 77th minute, Omiya's left side MF Cho Yong-Chol dribbled. Tokunaga chased from behind, but was slipped through, and Kaga, who covered, stopped with a foul. This gives Omiya a FK from the left area outside the side line. Omiya DF Shimodaira takes this FK to the center. Gonda jumped out but missed, and Omiya FW Zlatan scored a header... Once again, they conceded a goal from a set piece.

Substituted Mita in the 82nd minute and Nemanja VUCICEVIC in the 85th minute. They launched a fierce counterattack and pushed Omiya back. However, in the 88th minute, Mita broke through on the left side and sent in a sharp cross. It couldn't be connected in the center, but Ota persistently linked up and this time sent a cross to Watanabe on the far side. Watanabe headed it, but... it was blocked by the goalkeeper and hit the post. In stoppage time, Ota's left cross was met by Tokunaga, who ran into the right area and connected with his foot, but... they couldn't break through Omiya's defense, who continued to bring in more and more defenders. They ended up with no goals and suffered their third consecutive loss in the league.


[Player Comments]
《Tokunaga》"Throughout the game, I felt like we didn't have much time. Omiya had a quicker reaction to the second ball and it was a tough battle overall. They were more aggressive in terms of their start and predictions. Fatigue can't be an excuse and personally, I need to improve the quality of my play."

《Yonemoto》"I went onto the pitch with the intention of not conceding any goals and definitely securing at least 1 point. So losing there, I feel sorry. The real strength is still not in Tokyo... But I think it starts from here. We can't go up with this kind of losing streak, so it's important to see if we can turn things around here."


[Coach's Press Conference Summary]
《Coach Ranko POPOVIC》"I expected a tough and strict game, and I thought that the game would be decided by one small detail. We were the ones who were able to decide the game in those small details. Our start in the first half became tighter than usual. The reason for that was because we were only thinking about stopping Omiya's winning streak and we couldn't do what we were supposed to do, so we ended up playing the game in a way that was convenient for the opponent. In the first half, we were not able to show everyone's involvement in both defense and attack."

In the second half, we were able to show what we should have done, but we were caught off guard for a moment and ended up losing. It can be said that this is a mental issue. However, it is important to analyze this defeat thoroughly and move on to the next one. We don't need to look down, but we keep repeating childish mistakes when looking back at the goals we conceded. We need to fix this and make sure it never happens again. We need to have confidence in what we have been doing and give it our all. It is important to show that on the pitch."

"Omiya Verdenik Manager" "I am satisfied not only with the results, but also with the aggressive attitude of the players, especially in the first half of the game. I talked to the players before the game about two things. One is to not lose in aggressiveness and to challenge in a fierce battle. The other is to focus on the quality of play in both offense and defense. It was difficult for the team six months ago to win in a game like today, but now we are able to secure a victory without losing. It is important to not lose in intensity and grit, but the most important thing is to play soccer."

By rotating the ball with tempo and rhythm, the opponent's defense becomes confused. By taking control and causing confusion, mistakes can occur. Today, we were able to shake up the opponent and intentionally break them down. The areas that were lacking were the accuracy of shots and final passes. Those may have been a little off. In the second half, the opponent had power and attacked aggressively, making it difficult for us to rotate the ball effectively. In that aspect, it may have been similar to the second half of the Yokohama FM match.

If the opponent becomes aggressive and attacks, spaces will open up, and we should have taken advantage of that to connect and counterattack. However, thanks to our well-organized defense, we were able to take the ball without being broken down by the opponent. Our goal is to play our game for the full 90 minutes. That is our objective, but it is difficult to maintain stability while playing in a tight schedule of consecutive games."