Return home and do your best to stop the losing streak.

After a one-week interval, the 7th round of the league will be held, with Nagoya Grampus facing off at home. The team has suffered four consecutive losses in the league. The last victory was on 3/23 against Kashima (2nd round of the Nabisco Cup qualifiers). Although the performance in the matches has been considered "good", the team has been unable to secure a win for about a month. That is why, during this one-week period, the players have been searching for the reasons for their losses and making adjustments in the details.

We will continue to stick to our own soccer and aim for victory, but we will also focus on our awareness of scoring, pressing from the front line, strength in duels, and quick transitions, as we head into this match.

Nagoya, on the other hand, is in 4th place with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. Although they did not have a good start, they have improved their performance during matches and are currently on a 3-game winning streak, rising up in the rankings. They also faced each other in the 4/3 Nabisco Cup, which ended in a scoreless draw, but the current situations of both teams can be said to be quite different.

Still, Tokyo will face the match with the same starting lineup as the previous round, based on the momentum felt in the Sendai match. Nagoya, on the other hand, will have FW Kennedy starting for the first time this season, after returning from injury in the previous round as a substitute. It will be a match where Tokyo aims for victory by surpassing Nagoya's advantage of "height" with a sense of unity and aggressiveness in both attack and defense.

Ajinomoto Stadium, where the cold was severe and light rain began to fall. The match started at 14:04 with Nagoya's kickoff.

Conceded the first goal, but Lucas equalized with a PK just before the end of the first half.

Moving the ball quickly from the start, they approached the Nagoya goal from the side. In the 3rd minute, Lucas crossed from a right throw-in and Watanabe shot with his right foot in front of the goal. In the 5th minute, Tokunaga passed to Lucas who broke through the right front line again, and then to the free East in the center of the area. It was a great scoring opportunity, but East's direct shot missed the frame.

Afterwards, Tokyo continued to dominate possession and take the lead, but Nagoya calmly shifted from a solid defense to an attacking strategy. In the 25th minute, Yonemoto sent a long pass from the left side of the midfield to the right area. Lucas broke through here and controlled the ball with a trap, but was immediately blocked by a defender and unable to shoot. From here, Nagoya launched a counterattack, with Yano crossing from the right. Kaga managed to escape with a header, but this led to Nagoya pushing forward and putting pressure on Tokyo.

28 minutes, Nagoya's right cross was dropped by FW Kennedy, and MF Ogawa ran into the area from behind and took a shot from close range, but Gonda made a save! In the 30th minute, Gonda punched away Nagoya's right corner kick, but MF Danilson connected with a sharp cross from the left area. From here, FW Kennedy was able to score a high header in front of goal. Nagoya couldn't stop their momentum and ended up conceding the first goal.

However, today Tokyo showed a strong determination in their play and launched a counterattack. In the 33rd minute, Watanabe jumped in to head in a cross from Tokunaga. In the 34th minute, Higashi was cut on the forehead in a clash with Nagoya DF, but quickly returned to the pitch. In the 39th minute, Morishige made a sharp cross after advancing to the right area. It hit a DF and then was punched away by the GK, but Watanabe in the center reacted to the loose ball and took a shot. It appeared that a Nagoya DF in the area had blocked it with their hand, but no whistle was blown.

However, in the first half stoppage time, the attack that started from the side would bear fruit. In the 90th minute +4, Nagoya DF committed a foul against Tokunaga, who had escaped behind the right area DF, and earned a PK. Lucas took the PK, grazing the hand of Nagoya GK Narazaki and going in to the bottom left. They caught up to a tie in the first half and returned to the starting point of the game to start the second half.

In the second half, we also won a PK, and Watanabe pushed ahead to win the intense game in a come-from-behind victory.

In the second half, we focused and entered the game, creating a big chance in the early stages. In the 48th minute, Nagoya DF's back pass was intercepted by Watanabe, who then took the ball to the right area and took a shot. It missed the target, but in the following 50th minute, Ota → Higashi → Hasegawa's quick passing led to Morishige charging into the left area. He was fouled and we were awarded another penalty kick. Lucas calmly converted it, successfully taking the lead!

Tokyo, who completely grasped the rhythm, crossed the ball to the left front line in the 59th minute. Lucas in the center of the area headed it perfectly, but the GK blocked it straight on. However, Nagoya's GK threw the ball to the left side of their own field. Nagoya's DF received it and Tokunaga pressed fiercely to steal the ball and send a pass to the center. Watanabe controlled it with one touch, took it outside, and shot with his right foot, piercing it near the goal!!

As the lead expanded, in the 63rd minute, Hyun Soo JANG replaced Ota, who had injured his leg, as center back. Kaga moved to right back and Tokunaga took over on the left, but they remained calm in defense and connected sharp counters. In the 68th minute, Lucas dribbled through the center and received a return pass from Higashi, who had broken through on the right. He aimed for the center of the box and took a precise shot, hitting the post...

73 min, MF Yonemoto connects from the DF line and Tanaka sends a through pass to the front line. Substitute Lee timed his run perfectly but the ball was slightly too long. They couldn't score a fourth goal, but on the other hand, both teams received multiple warnings for fouls and in the 85th minute, Nagoya MF Taguchi received his second warning and was sent off. However, Tokyo remained calm and closed out the game by carefully assessing the situation. They turned the game around and stopped their losing streak with their first win since Sec. 2 in the league.


[Player Comments]
"Lucas" "Even at this age, I always get nervous in PK situations. I've kicked about 15-16 PKs in the J-League, but I only remember missing once in the past, against Nagoya. The opposing GK was Naraizaki. That came to mind today, but I had confidence in scoring, so I kicked it harder than usual. The GK, Naraizaki, touched it, but I was able to kick the second PK more calmly."

Even without PK, I think we were able to make good plays from the combination with Tokunaga on the right side. I was also conscious of going inside. I think we were able to play well as a team. The next league match is the "Classico". Both teams should have high motivation to win this round. However, since it is our home, we will fight together with the stands and definitely want to win."

"Mori Shige" "In today's game, I was thinking about showing my strengths first in a team situation where we have lost four games in a row while playing good soccer. The opponent won't break down unless we take risks. So I wanted to add some accent and challenge myself. In hindsight, it turned out in a good direction, but taking risks can also lead to bad results. Today, when I went up, the two defensive midfielders were always watching the balance and supporting me."

[Coach's Press Conference Summary]
《Coach Ranko POPOVIC》"Looking at the result, it was fantastic and the game was also fantastic, showing the quality of football and mental strength. I think it was a questionable game outside of football, but we want to continue to show the same kind of football as today. We want to continue to show games with both quality and results."

I think the club was able to face this match as one unit, and as a result, everyone fought together. There were times when the results didn't come, but the fans and supporters supported us firmly. I am grateful for that, and I think that winning 3 points with this kind of performance is also a gift from the club."

"Manager Stojkovic" "First of all, congratulations to FC Tokyo. We sent a fresh air to the team that had lost four games in a row. We brought fresh oxygen. We made a lot of mistakes in this game, and I think it was a fair result."