A match where performance and victory are required at home, a good start in August

League Sec. 19 is held. We will face Oita Trinita at home Ajinomoto. In the previous match, it was the first scoreless draw of the season. Although we have not lost in the last four matches, the lack of attacking power and the low number of shots remain issues to be addressed.

Coach Ranko POPOVIC also mentioned, "We must be focused on scoring goals," but added, "The biggest chance in the Shimizu match was when Chima broke into the area, only to be cleared by the Shimizu defender in the end. Of course, if we don't take a shot, we won't score, but simply increasing the number of attempts has no meaning. The process of creating chances, breaking through, and the accuracy of finishing are important. I want to focus on that and actively aim for the goal."

Oita has not won since the Niigata match on May 18 and is currently on a four-game losing streak in 18th place. However, they have only had five scoreless matches in the league. As seen in the previous match, they scored two goals from a restart, and set plays utilizing the kicks of Oita's midfielder Miyazawa and their height advantage, along with sharp counterattacks, are also their weapons. It will be necessary to pay close attention to these and maintain a defense that does not create openings.

In the match against Shimizu, we felt a sense of achievement with a calm defense centered around Morishige and Gonda, but this time the key will be how to shorten the time we are pressed and how we can take the initiative in the game. We want to connect good defense to good offense and secure 3 points. The Ajinomoto Stadium is cloudy and humid. The match started at 19:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Although they started cautiously, they gradually found their rhythm.

In the early stages, we were pushed back by Oita, who aggressively moved forward. Despite applying pressure from the front against Oita, who sent long balls into the attack, we were unable to win the ball. We also couldn't recover the second balls, and although it wasn't decisive, there were noticeable moments where Oita threatened us.

They did not create gaps in the defensive line, but the fight seemed passive, prompting early calls from the home stands to inspire the team. Responding to this voice, they gradually regained an aggressive stance, creating opportunities to push forward from the 20-minute mark, starting to initiate plays from the sides. At the same time, around the 30-minute mark, they changed to a three-back formation. Takahashi dropped back to defense, while Yonemoto and Masaru HASEGAWA formed a double pivot.

In the 32nd minute, they pushed Oita into their area, and although they couldn't finish initially, they reorganized their play, and central player Yonemoto delivered a strong vertical pass towards the center. Lucas in the area received it, turned from the trap, and unleashed a powerful volley. The ball hit the right post, but this allowed them to gain rhythm in their attack. In the 34th minute, from a play initiated by Higashi, Ota advanced on the left, skillfully evading the opposing defender to deliver a cross. Watanabe then executed a header shot.

In the 35th minute, a speedy attack was initiated, with Yonemoto advancing through the center to Lucas on the right side. Lucas cut back inside against the opposing defender in the right area and took a decisive shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save. In the 37th minute, a pass from Morishige from his own half was initially intercepted by the opponent, but Higashi recovered the loose ball. Ota, who advanced from the outside, dribbled inside, drawing the opposing defenders in the left area before delivering a final pass to the right area. Watanabe controlled it with one touch and struck with his left foot to score a goal. Thanks to Ota's bold play, Watanabe secured the opening goal, leading into the second half.

Expanded the lead with a penalty kick, and Watanabe tops the scoring rankings

In the 47th minute of the second half, Watanabe received a feed from Higashi between the opposing defenders and advanced with a dribble. He was fouled just as he entered the area, earning a penalty kick. Watanabe calmly converted this penalty kick for an additional goal. They expanded their lead early on, and from that point, Tokyo completely took control of the match.

In the 56th minute, Tokunaga received a side change from Hasegawa and moved in from a high position on the right front to take a shot himself. In the 59th minute, Lucas cleared a cross from Oita and connected with Watanabe on the left front from the right side of his own territory. Watanabe advanced with a dribble and aimed for a shot just before the area, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 64th minute, Watanabe headed a shot from a left corner kick by Higashi. In the 68th minute, after quick passing, a pass was sent to Watanabe at the back of the right area, and his shot from a tight angle went through the opponent's defender's legs and hit the post, resulting in a corner kick.

Although there were moments when they allowed Oita to attack from restarts and crosses, they defended without any danger and aimed for additional goals. In the 81st minute, after a speedy passing sequence in midfield, Yonemoto broke through on the left side and delivered a decisive pass into the right area. Watanabe, who was free, slid in and attempted a direct shot, but it went wide, missing a great opportunity. In the 89th minute, they launched a counterattack, with Hasegawa advancing through the center, and Ishikawa, who came on as a substitute, broke behind the opposing defense. Ishikawa's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's one-handed save, and Watanabe rushed in for the rebound, but the opposing defender cleared it just a step ahead.

Kept the attacking switch on until the end, and in the second half, took 9 shots. Watanabe himself had a chance for a hat trick, but couldn't score the third goal. However, Oita's counterattack was shut out. Maintained the rhythm throughout and achieved a victory without conceding a goal.


[Player Comments]
《Watanabe》
"Since the DF line is stable, I thought we could win if we could score one goal. The opening goal was a result of changing the formation, and it became a one-on-one battle. Ota drew the Oita DF's attention by making a move inside, and I just had to finish it. In the moment that led to the penalty kick, I aimed for the back as soon as I won the ball. I started running forward, and a good ball came to me. I scored two goals, but there were more chances I could have taken. I actively aimed for the third goal, but I also think I should have calmly utilized my surroundings more. The next Tamagawa Classico is a match that will attract a lot of attention. I want to score again and win."

《Ota》
"The coach has always asked for not just 'crosses'. While the opponent was focusing on vertical defense, I was able to cut inside today and it led to the opening goal. I think we were able to break through in a good way even before the scoring scene. If we can carry the ball to a high position on the side, I have confidence in the play from there. I believe the process to get there is important. I want to approach the match against Kawasaki with the mindset to increase our attacking variations."


[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference]
"It is common in the football world, but matches against the bottom team become difficult. The atmosphere around us tends to be one of expecting a win even before the match. Therefore, I have been telling the team not to let their guard down. Today, I wasn't particularly nervous, but I struggled to create the rhythm of what we needed to do and what we wanted to do. However, after changing the balance on the pitch, we were able to find our rhythm well. It was a good game where the content matched the result, and many children came during the summer break. I think it is significant that we were able to show such content to the children who will carry the future. Moreover, the football we displayed today was likely something that would make people want to come back to the stadium again.

I don't want to talk only about the system, but simply putting the same formation in place makes things smoother. Initially, the full-backs had difficulty participating in the attack because they were focused on marking the opponents, but by switching to a three-back formation and playing higher up the pitch, we increased our attacking options and variations. That was the reason for the change. However, even with the change in system, I believe the results we see are due to the players constantly thinking about and executing what we aim for and what we've been working on. The most important thing is to not forget what we should aim for and what we've been working on, and to fight in our own style. We can also evaluate that we hardly allowed the opponent to create any clear chances, but conversely, not being able to convert many of our own clear chances is a challenge for the next match.

【Oita - Coach Tasaka's Press Conference Summary】
"We haven't been able to secure wins, and I feel sorry for the supporters. Even in the Kanto region, many supporters have been cheering for us since before the match. It truly touches my heart, and I have a strong desire to change things. We couldn't earn points today either, but our approach wasn't bad, and we managed to exploit mismatches to get to the finish. The opponent had a closed practice yesterday, so we anticipated they would use a three-back formation, but when we were forced into matchups, the difference in strength inevitably showed. We conceded a goal due to a mistake, and after that, the opponent controlled the pace of the game.

In the second half, we tried to create mismatches by using two forwards and two shadows to generate chances, but we couldn't finish in front of the goal. Even if we create mismatches, we can't win in soccer if we can't score in the end. We have no choice but to continue that training, and I believe there will be teams that will match up against us in the future, but we want to find a way to navigate through that and earn points.