Sec. 21 Tamagawa Classico, a hot match that blows away the cold

As we enter Sec. 8 of the league, we will face Kawasaki Frontale at home in the 21st Tamagawa Classico. The previous Nabisco match was a frustrating battle, but we value the accumulation as a team and aim to move forward little by little without stagnation, seeking consecutive victories in this league match. As evening approached, the match was held in a chilly climate, but Coach Popović expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "We want to show intensity and strength in duels, creating a match that touches the hearts of those who watch."

Kawasaki is currently in 14th place with 6 points. They were winless until Sec. 6, but due to injuries to players including MF Nakamura, they changed their formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2. In Sec. 7 against Sendai, they scored multiple goals from speedy attacks, securing their first league victory. They also won 3-1 against Kofu in the following Nabisco match, and it can be said that they are truly on a roll. At the same time, Tokyo has been on a three-game losing streak at home in the Tamagawa Classico since 2009.

Takahashi reflects on last season's battle at Ajinomoto, saying, "We were overwhelmed by Kawasaki, and despite that, we conceded goals due to mistakes and set plays, leading to our defeat." This is the unpredictability of a 'Classico.' To achieve victory, it is essential to avoid creating gaps throughout the 90 minutes and, conversely, to exploit the opponent's weaknesses without hesitation. Since both teams aim to connect passes and break down the opponent, Tokyo wants to enhance ball possession and continue various attacking challenges to lead to goals.

Tokyo's Ota returns, and they will approach the match with the same starting lineup as the previous league match. Kawasaki will be without MF Nakamura and Renato, but will use DF Jesse and Ito as center-backs. DF Mitsutou will play as right back, and DF Tanaka will be on the left. The holding midfielders will be MF Inamoto and Yamamoto, with MF Kobayashi and Oshima on both sides of the midfield. The formation features a two-top with FW Yajima and Yu OKUBO, and the match started at 19:04 with Kawasaki's kickoff.

Taking control of the match calmly, Lucas scores the opening goal!

In the 6th minute of the match, Lucas attempted to return the ball to Tokunaga but was intercepted, leading to a counterattack. In the 10th minute, while trying to advance from their own half, they were intercepted again, putting them in a precarious situation, but Takahashi stepped in to cover, preventing Kawasaki from creating a chance. In the first half, Tokyo maintained possession of the ball. They circulated the ball calmly, but struggled to break through Kawasaki's high line and block.

Even so, in the 22nd minute, while Yonemoto was injured in a contest with an opponent, Takahashi kept possession in his own half. When Yonemoto returned, they connected passes, with Tokunaga on the right side passing to Watanabe, who moved inside, and then to Higashi in the center. Higashi sent a vertical pass to Hasegawa in the central area, who quickly one-touched it to Lucas on the left. Lucas received the ball and struck a sharp shot directly into the goal, scoring. This was Tokyo's first shot of the day, but through a coordinated play, Lucas scored his second consecutive goal in the league, taking the lead.

After that, there were moments when Kawasaki launched a vigorous attack, but the focused defense led to opportunities for additional goals. In the 42nd minute of the first half, Tokyo was countered from a corner kick, and Kawasaki FW Yu OKUBO took a shot, but it went wide. In the 45th minute, Kawasaki FW Yajima entered the left area. Despite competing with Tokyo's defense, he managed to take a shot, but Gonda made a save right in front, preventing a goal. They maintained a one-goal lead as they headed into the second half.

Dynamic in both offense and defense, Higashi marks his first goal since transferring in the league match, securing a victory without conceding a goal.

In the second half, Tokyo aggressively shifted to attack from an early defensive start, taking control of the game. In the 51st minute, they transitioned from the left side through the center with Masaru HASEGAWA and Hayato HASEGAWA to the right. Lucas, who entered the right area, couldn't take a shot but moved back to the center. They launched a thick attack, but the final shot taken by Masaru HASEGAWA in the center grazed past Hayato HASEGAWA and failed to hit the target. Immediately after, from a throw by Kawasaki's goalkeeper, right midfielder Kobayashi broke through to the right front line, and the last pass sent from just outside the area was cut by Kaga with his left foot. This momentarily caused a scare as it headed towards the goal, but it missed the target and went out for a corner kick.

In the 57th minute, Higashi made a left cross. Following that, Yonemoto executed a large switch to the right flank. They attempted to attack repeatedly from the sides, exploiting the high line of Kawasaki. In the 62nd minute, Watanabe intercepted a pass from the Kawasaki goalkeeper near the left corner of the area. He immediately took a shot, but it was blocked by the defense, preventing them from scoring an additional goal. Then, in the 65th minute, in a deep position on the right side of their own half, Yonemoto showed his strength. He stole the ball from Kawasaki, passed it to Lucas in front, and Watanabe in the center carried it forward with a dribble, launching a counterattack.

After connecting with Hasegawa on the left, he slowed down for a moment, but Hasegawa calmly delivered a long through pass to Higashi, who ran into the left area. Higashi broke free to circle around in front of the goal and calmly scored a shot through the goalkeeper's legs, securing a goal. This was his first goal since transferring to the league, adding a valuable extra point.

In the 70th minute, Kawasaki changed their formation. Inanoto played as a lone defensive midfielder, with FW Yajima and MF Kobayashi forming a two-top, and FW Yu OKUBO positioned just behind them to strengthen their attack. This change allowed them to gain momentum and press into Tokyo's territory. However, Tokyo also made substitutions, bringing in Hyun Soo JANG as a defensive midfielder in the 89th minute. They moved Yonemoto and Takahashi forward to shut down Kawasaki's counterattacks. They maintained their focus until the end, keeping a clean sheet and securing victory in the Tamagawa Classico, achieving their second consecutive win in the league.


[Player Comments]
《Lucas》 "I'm happy to score! Especially being able to do it in a match like the Tamagawa Classico where everyone gets excited. I want to aim for the top by continuing to win from here. The important thing is not to lose the ball in strange ways, but today I was able to regain possession after losing it, which led to chances that we were able to capitalize on. The area that needs improvement, including myself, is the accuracy of the final pass. If that improves, I believe it will lead to even better attacks and goals."

"Of course, I always want to win, and I also want to score. I've had many chances before, but today I was able to shoot calmly. It gave me confidence that if I stay calm, I can score. Above all, I think being able to take the lead today made things easier. Everyone continued to show aggression from the first half, which was fun, and our defense was stable. We also transitioned quickly. We were able to regain possession for 90 minutes when we lost the ball, and when we had the ball, I think we were able to create good opportunities calmly. Kawasaki has good players and is a team that likes to maintain possession. It became a battle for possession between us, but I think we were able to surpass them in both taking the ball and controlling the game."


【Summary of the Coach's Press Conference】
《Ranko POPOVIC》 "It was a very high-quality and good match. We fought smartly and persistently according to the flow and situation of the game, and at times aggressively. In the first half, we conceded a counterattack due to our own mistake, but we want to correct that."

Our ideal is to move the ball throughout the 90 minutes and play at a high pace. However, there are times when that is not possible. Today, we were able to endure when things were not going well, and when we couldn't connect or carry the ball effectively, we made sure not to let the opponent take advantage. We organized our defense, rested our bodies, and played efficiently by moving forward once we regained possession. Even during difficult times when we couldn't hold the ball, we clearly unified our intentions as a team.


"Kawasaki Coach Kazama: The start wasn't that bad. However, we fell behind due to a positional misalignment. I think the team's tempo dropped a bit from there. We changed the system midway, and gradually we were able to face forward, creating a good rhythm for a few minutes. However, I felt that we needed to draw the ball out in the midfield from the very beginning and play soccer at our own rhythm, and the players are capable of doing that. I want to improve on that moving forward."