A crucial match where both performance and victory are expected at home, a good start to August.

Sec. 19 of the league will be held. Oita Trinita will be welcomed and challenged at home at Ajinomoto. In the previous match, it ended in the first scoreless draw of the season. Although they have remained undefeated in the last four matches, the lack of attacking force and number of shots remains a challenge.

Manager Ranko POPOVIC also said, "We must focus on scoring goals," but "In the biggest chance of the Shimizu game, Senma broke through the area and was cleared by the Shimizu DF. Of course, it won't be decided if you don't shoot, but just increasing the number of shots is meaningless. The process of creating chances, breaking through, and the accuracy of finishing are important. We want to focus on that and actively aim for goals."

Oita, on the other hand, has not won since the 5/18 Niigata match and is currently in 18th place with 4 consecutive losses. However, they have only had 5 scoreless games in the league. As shown in the previous match where they scored 2 goals from restarts, Oita's set plays utilizing the kicks of MF Miyazawa and their attacks using height and sharp counters are also their weapons. It is necessary to pay close attention to these and have a solid defense that does not leave any openings.

In the Shimizu match, we felt the rewards of a calm defense centered around Morishige and Gonda, but in this match, the key will be how we can shorten the time we are pushed back and take control of the game ourselves. We want to connect good defense to good offense and earn 3 points. The match started at 7:04 PM in Tokyo, at the humid Ajinomoto Stadium.

Although the start is cautious, gradually grasp the rhythm.

In the early stages, Oita, who actively pushed forward, was pushed back. Despite pressing from the front against Oita, who aggressively put long balls into the front line, they were unable to steal the ball. They also couldn't pick up the second ball, and although there were no decisive moments, there were many scenes where Oita could attack.

The defense line did not leave any gaps, but there were concerns about the team's passive performance. However, the home crowd quickly started cheering on the team. In response to this support, the team gradually regained an aggressive attitude and started creating opportunities to move forward, especially after the 20-minute mark when they began attacking from the sides. Around the 30-minute mark, they also changed to a 3-back formation. Takahashi dropped back to defense, while Yonemoto and Hasegawa formed a double pivot in midfield.

In the 32nd minute, Oita pushed forward into the area, but at first they couldn't finish. They reorganized and played a strong vertical pass to the center, where Lucas received it and turned to unleash a powerful volley. The ball hit the right post, but this helped them find their attacking rhythm. In the 34th minute, Ota skillfully evaded the opposing defender and crossed it to Watanabe, who headed it towards the goal.

At 35 minutes, speedy attack from the center by Yonemoto to Lucas on the right side. Lucas cuts inside the opponent DF in the right area and takes a decisive shot, but it is saved by the GK. At 37 minutes, Morishige's pass from his own half is initially intercepted by the opponent, but Higashi picks up the loose ball and dribbles inside, drawing the opponent DF to the left area before making a final pass to the right area. Watanabe controls the ball with one touch and shoots with his left foot to score the first goal. Thanks to Higashi's bold attack, Watanabe scores the opening goal and the first half ends.

Watanabe extends lead with PK, now at the top of the scoring rankings

In the 47th minute of the second half, Watanabe received a feed from the east and advanced with a dribble between the opponent's defenders. He was fouled in the area and earned a penalty kick. Watanabe calmly converted the penalty kick to add another point. Tokyo took an early lead and completely dominated the game afterwards.

In the 56th minute, Hasegawa made a side change and Tokunaga received the ball in a high position on the right side, brought it in and took a shot. In the 59th minute, Oita cleared a cross and Lucas on the right side connected with Watanabe on the left side. Watanabe dribbled forward and took a shot from outside the area, but the GK caught it. In the 64th minute, Watanabe headed a corner kick from the left side. In the 68th minute, a quick pass found Watanabe in the back of the right area, but his shot from a difficult angle went through the legs of the opposing defender and hit the post, resulting in a corner kick.

Although there are moments where they allow attacks from Oita's restarts and crosses, they defend them without any danger and try to score more goals. In the 81st minute, from a speedy pass in the midfield, Yonemoto made a decisive pass to the right area. Watanabe, who was free, slid in and took a direct shot, but it curved to the right and missed the chance. In the 89th minute, they launched a counterattack and Hasegawa, who had moved up the center, passed to Ishikawa who had slipped behind the opponent's DF. Ishikawa's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's one-handed save, and Watanabe ran in for the rebound, but the opponent's DF cleared it just a step ahead.

Turn on the attack switch until the end, and in the second half, we took 9 shots. There was also a chance for Watanabe himself to score a hat-trick, but he couldn't get the third goal. However, Oita's counterattack was shut out. We maintained our rhythm throughout and achieved a victory without conceding any goals.


[Player Comments]
Watanabe
"I thought we could win if we could score one goal because our DF was stable. The first goal was a result of changing our formation and it became a one-on-one battle. Ota made a move inside and the Oita DF was distracted, so all I had to do was score. In the scene that led to the PK, I aimed for the back as soon as I stole the ball. I ran forward and a good ball came to me. I scored two goals, but there were more chances to score. I actively aimed for the third goal, but I also think I should have calmly used my teammates more. The next Tama River Clasico is also a highly anticipated match. I want to score and win again."

"Ota"
"The coach has always demanded not only crosses, but also other forms of play. Today, we were able to cut inside and score the opening goal while the opponent was trying to defend vertically. Before the scoring scene, we were also able to make good breakthroughs. If we can bring the ball up to a high position on the side, I have confidence in our play from there. I think the process of getting there is important. I want to approach the Kawasaki game with the awareness of increasing the variety of our attacks."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"It is common in the soccer world that playing against the last place team becomes difficult. The atmosphere around us also becomes one of expecting to win from before the game. So we have been reminding ourselves not to let our guard down. Today, I wasn't nervous, but I couldn't find the rhythm to do what I wanted to do. However, once we changed the balance on the pitch, we were able to find a good rhythm. It was a good game with both content and results, and many children came to watch during summer vacation. I think it's a big deal to be able to show this kind of content to the children who will lead the future. Also, the soccer we showed today was something that would make you want to come back to the stadium again."

I don't want to talk only about the system, but it's smoother to just stick to the same formation. Initially, the fullbacks couldn't join the attack because they were taking care of the opponent, but by switching to a back three and playing in a higher position, we have more options and variations in our attack. That's why we made the change. However, even if we change the system, I think it's a result of the players always thinking and doing what they aim for and have been doing. The most important thing is to not forget what we aim for and what we have been working on, and to fight in our own style. We can also evaluate that we didn't give the opponent many chances to score, and on the other hand, not being able to convert many chances into goals is a challenge for the next game.

[Summary of Oita Tazaka's Press Conference]
"I feel sorry for the supporters because we couldn't win. Even in Kanto, many supporters have been supporting us since before the game. It really touches my heart and I want to do something about it. We couldn't get the points today, but our start wasn't bad and we took advantage of the mismatch to take it to the finish. We expected them to come with a 3-back formation because they had a closed practice yesterday, but when we were matched up, the difference in strength inevitably showed. We conceded a goal from a mistake and then the game was carried on at their pace."

In the second half, we tried to create chances by using a 2-top and 2-shadow formation to create mismatches, but we couldn't break through in the finishing area in front of the goal. Even if we create mismatches, we can't win in soccer if we can't finish in the end. We have no choice but to continue training for that and I think there will be teams that will match up against us in the future, but we want to find a way to get points by somehow getting through that."