Focused on the competition, aiming to win decisively

In Sec. 5 of the league, we will host a match against Omiya Ardija. The Nabisco Nagoya match ended in a scoreless draw, and we are currently on a two-game losing streak in the league. There is a lingering frustration of not being able to translate good performances into results, but we must continue to focus on winning and aim to secure victories.

In this match, which comes two days after the Nabisco previous round, Watanabe, who did not have playing time in the Nagoya match, will play as an attacking midfielder, with Lucas on the left side. Lee will be in the attacking midfield position, and Higashi will be on the right MF. They will approach the match with the same lineup as in the Yokohama FM game, where Takahashi and Masaru HASEGAWA formed a double pivot.

Omiya, currently in 4th place with 2 wins and 2 draws in the league, has suffered 1 loss in this season's Nabisco Cup. However, they have remained unbeaten in the J1 league for 15 matches since last September. In response, Watanabe stated, "We want to fight tenaciously, play flexibly and wisely according to the situation," indicating that this match will test their ability to address the challenges faced so far. Against a strong Omiya, we aim to outperform them with quick starts and transitions, leading to goals and victory.

A low-pressure storm is forecasted, and it looks like it will start raining at Ajinomoto. The match started at 14:03 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Struggling with Omiya's quick and intense movements

From the start, Omiya showed quickness and pushed into Tokyo's territory with that momentum. However, Tokyo maintained their composure in defense and did not allow any chances. Conversely, in the 10th minute, Hasegawa was fouled, earning a free kick just outside the left area. Mori-shige aimed directly at the goal, but his shot hit the wall and bounced back, leading to another shot from Mori-shige. The ball hit the lower left corner but was saved by the GK, resulting in a corner kick.

The fierce battle for the ball continued, and amidst the tense developments, both teams struggled to create finishing opportunities. Tokyo tried to break through the tough defense and gain rhythm with a mix of short and long passes, but their attacks aimed at exploiting Omiya's high defensive line were consistently ruled offside. In the 33rd minute, Omiya created an opportunity on the left side, and DF Takahashi, who had advanced into the area, took a shot, marking Omiya's first shot. In the 35th minute, Omiya's midfielder Cho entered the left area and took a shot, but it went across the goal, allowing Tokyo to escape the danger.

In the 41st minute, Tokunaga passed to the right front line, behind the opponent's DF. Higashi caught up in the area and crossed to the far post. Here, LORI jumped in but was cut off by Omiya's DF just before, resulting in a left corner kick. In the 43rd minute, Lucas received a right throw-in, skillfully turned, and crossed. Watanabe made a perfect header, but... the shot was just to the left of the goal...

Despite being troubled by Omiya's intensity and quickness at the ball, we observed the situation from our concentrated defense and created chances, but we couldn't finish them. We went into the second half scoreless.

Conceded a goal from a set piece... ended without scoring, marking three consecutive league losses

Even in the second half, Omiya's momentum did not wane, leading to the substitution of Lee for Yonemoto in the 53rd minute. Higashi moved to the center, and Hasegawa shifted to the right side in an attempt to break through. Taking advantage of this, they were able to regain possession, but in the 58th minute, Omiya DF Takahashi advanced with a dribble and connected with free FW Toyama in the center, who took a shot from distance. However, Gonda made the save. In the 64th minute, Omiya's right MF Watanabe's cross slipped past Tokyo DF and was met with a direct shot by free Omiya FW Zlatan in the center, but it narrowly missed the target, aided by a mistake.

As time passed, Tokyo dominated the ball while Omiya launched sharp counterattacks. In the 77th minute, Omiya's midfielder Cho Yong-cheol dribbled down the left side. Tokunaga chased from behind but was bypassed, and Kaga, who covered, stopped him with a foul. This awarded Omiya a free kick from the left area outside the sideline. Omiya's defender Shimohei took the free kick to the center. Gonda rushed out but couldn't touch it, and Omiya's forward Zlatan scored with a header... once again conceding a goal from a set piece.

In the 82nd minute, Mita was substituted, and in the 85th minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC was brought on. They launched a fierce counterattack and pushed Omiya back. However, in the 88th minute, Mita broke through on the left flank and delivered a sharp cross. Although it couldn't be converted in the center, they persisted and this time Ota sent in a cross. It was delivered to Watanabe at the far post, who headed it, but it was deflected 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 tried to connect with his foot, but... Despite bringing in defenders one after another to solidify their defense, they could not break through Omiya. The match ended without scoring, resulting in a third consecutive defeat in the league.


[Player Comments]
"Tokunaga" "I think we didn't have much of our own time throughout the match. Omiya reacted faster to the second balls, and overall it was a tough battle. Omiya was more aggressive in terms of their pace and anticipation. Fatigue cannot be an excuse, and personally, I need to improve the quality of my play."

"Yamamoto" said, "I stepped onto the pitch thinking that we must not concede any goals and absolutely aim for at least one point. I feel sorry for losing there. It shows that we still don't have true strength in Tokyo... But I believe this is where it starts. If we continue to lose like this, we won't be able to rise up, and it's important to see if we can recover from here."


【Summary of the Coach's Press Conference】
《Ranko POPOVIC》 "I expected it to be a tough and difficult match, and I thought that a single detail would determine the outcome. It was us who decided the match on those fine details. However, we started the first half more rigidly than usual. The reason for that was that we were only thinking about stopping Omiya's winning streak, which prevented us from doing what we needed to do and allowed the opponent to dictate the game. In the first half, we were unable to show our all-out defense and all-out attack where everyone was involved with the ball."

In the second half, we were able to show what we should be doing, but we were caught off guard for a moment, resulting in a loss. What can be said here is that it is a mental issue. However, it is important to analyze this defeat thoroughly and connect it to the next match. There is no need to look down, but even when reflecting on the goals conceded, we are repeating childish mistakes. We must correct this so that it never happens again. We need to have confidence in what we have done and give our all. It is important to show that on the pitch.

"Omiya's VERDENIK coach" "I am satisfied not only with the results but also with the players' aggressive attitude, especially the performance in the first half. I spoke to the players before the match about two things. One is to not lose in aggression and to challenge in fierce battles. The other is to focus on the quality of play in both offense and defense. Six months ago, it was difficult for the team to win in a match like today, but now we are able to not lose and to connect firmly to victory. While it is important not to lose in intensity and grit, the most important thing is to play football."

By moving the ball with tempo and rhythm, the opponent's defense becomes confused. By taking the initiative and causing confusion for the opponent, mistakes occur. Today, we were able to create a situation where we intentionally shook the opponent and broke through. The areas that were lacking were the accuracy of shots and final passes. That may have been slightly missing. In the second half, the opponent came at us with power and was quick in transitions and ball contests, so we couldn't move the ball effectively. In that regard, it may have been similar to the second half of the match against Yokohama FM.

When the opponent pushes forward and makes an attack, space opens up, and we should have utilized that to connect our plays and lead to counterattacks. However, thanks to our very organized and solid defense, we were able to win the ball without being broken down by the opponent. What we aim for is to control our game throughout the 90 minutes. That is our goal, but there is a challenge in maintaining stability amid the tight schedule of consecutive matches.