Match against top teams that test the growth of the team

League Sec. 21 will be held. We will face Yokohama F. Marinos at home. In the previous match, we were twice behind, but we fought hard and managed to secure a draw. At the same time, we have not lost in the last 6 matches and have gradually gained a toughness that is not easily broken. With this "accumulation", we aim to take 3 points at home in this match.

However, in the first half of the league, we were unable to take 3 points from teams that were ranked higher than Tokyo in the end. Especially in the away game against Yokohama FM, we suffered a bitter comeback defeat. The players all said, "It's still the same game, but this match is really important," and it is a match where the team's strength and true value will be tested at this point.

Yokohama FM, currently in 2nd place, has maintained a good performance throughout the season, winning 4 out of their last 5 matches and drawing 1. With a team full of experienced players, Yokohama FM's strengths lie in their ability to control the game and their competitiveness. On the other hand, the key for Tokyo will be to avoid making mistakes and instead capitalize on their opponent's weaknesses. It is expected to be a tense battle between these two skilled teams, especially since it is a home game for Tokyo. They will need to play with confidence and determination, using the style of football they have built up until now, in order to secure 3 points.

Tokyo, with Kaga as center back, started for the first time since the July 17th game against Kofu. Higashi, who was suspended, also returned to the starting lineup. In addition, Hayashi also made the bench for the first time since the May 25th game against Kashima before the break. The sunlight during the day was intense, but there was also wind, making it feel like the end of summer at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started at 6:34 PM with Tokyo's kickoff.

Allowing the first goal, losing control...

From the start, both teams aggressively pressed and fought for the ball. In the 6th minute, Kaga tenaciously won the ball in the front and passed it to Hasegawa in the center of the area. He then dropped back and sent a through pass into the area, where Tohru tried to break through the Yokohama DF Dutra, but couldn't get a shot off. Yokohama FM also threatened the Tokyo goal from the restart, but Tokyo defended without losing focus and both teams continued to look for opportunities.

16 minutes, Yokohama FW Marquinhos shoots a middle from the right side, but it goes outside the frame. This was the first shot for both teams. In the 18th minute, Tokyo changed sides from the left and Lucas expanded to the right, and Tokunaga entered deeply into the right area. However, there were not enough people in the center. Tokunaga sent a minus pass to the center, and Takahashi ran in and shot a middle, but it went outside the frame.

While continuing to play tough defense, time passed without being able to create any chances due to mistakes in the attack. In the 31st minute, Tokyo's right side was cleared by Tokunaga and taken by Yokohama for a pass exchange on the left side. FW Marquinhos → MF Nakamura in front of the left area → MF Hattori in the corner of the left area. MF Hattori passed to MF Endo in the center of the area, who then entered the goal area. The Tokyo DF couldn't keep up with him. MF Endo was dropped by a heel pass and then passed to the right by a one-two, resulting in the first goal being conceded.

Tokyo, who had no choice but to attack, created a good opportunity in the 32nd minute when Dawhan dropped a vertical pass from the east to the center and Yonehara ran in with speed to take a shot from outside the penalty area. However, the ball went wide to the right. After that, Yokohama FM took control of the ball and dominated the game by converting their one chance into a goal. In the 40th minute, Yokohama FM's left side MF Nakamura passed to the inside MF Nakamachi, who aimed for the back of Tokyo's DF with a through pass. FW Marquinhos ran in from the far side to take a direct shot from the cross sent in by MF Endo. Although they had a clear chance, the shot missed the target and Tokyo escaped the danger to end the first half. Expectations were high for a comeback in the second half.

But the flow changed, and we were caught off guard with an additional point from the counter.

In the second half, Tokyo made a counterattack by substituting Mita for Takahashi as the right MF and placing Lucas and Hasegawa in the left and defensive midfield positions, respectively. This provided them with the momentum and rhythm to advance and control the game within Yokohama FM's territory. In the 50th minute, Mita intercepted a ball from Yokohama MF Nakamura in the midfield with tenacity. He quickly sent the ball to the front line, where he caught up to it on the sideline and got a right corner kick by getting past Yokohama FM DF Nakazawa. However, they were unable to convert the corner kick taken by Higashi into a goal.

In the 57th minute, Kaga, who had gone up the right side line, dribbled past the opponent's DF and went to the right area. However, the cross sent from here was caught by the GK. In the 61st minute, in the opponent's territory, Kaga's left throw-in → Ota crosses early. Mita, who had escaped freely in the right area, heads the shot but it floats. In the 66th minute, Watanabe traps the pass from Lucas on the left side and follows up with a shot from the center, but it is caught by the GK.

Substituted Iwashita for Higashi in the 76th minute, with Lucas playing as an attacking midfielder. He attempted to equalize, but the final play lacked precision, resulting in a counterattack by Yokohama FM. In the 84th minute, Mita received a vertical pass from Lucas in the center, and Iwashita took a step forward from behind and unleashed a powerful shot, but it narrowly missed to the left. In the 85th minute, Tokunaga slid to return a pass sent by Lucas into the space on the right side, but it was not able to be converted in the center.

Unable to decide in a good rhythm, and on the contrary, in the 89th minute, Mori Shige's pass sent forward was cut off by Yokohama FM's MF Nakamachi, and right MF Ogura → FW Marquinhos dribbled up and passed to central MF Nakamura. Tokyo DF was unable to take the dribble that MF Nakamura kept near the penalty arc, and was cut back left and right, and a beautiful shot was scored in the upper left corner... All hope was lost. In the second half, despite attacking, the lack of precision in front of goal resulted in a scoreless defeat, falling into Yokohama FM's intended development.


[Player Comments]
"Lucas"
"Regarding today's match, I feel like the opponent was superior. The Yokohama FM defense is very strong and they were able to block us and close the spaces. We tried to pass and break through, but conceding a goal first meant that we had to push forward and give the opponent more space. However, if you win, you can also lose. We can't let this defeat weigh us down, we have to start over and move forward."

"Hasegawa"
"I was thinking of receiving passes in places where the opponent would dislike, but in the first half, the ball didn't go there much and I couldn't show my fear. After entering the midfield, I was thinking of going forward and attracting the opponent to pass. The whole team went forward, but we couldn't finish in the decisive moments, and we couldn't finish what we should have done, and instead we ended up receiving counters. Still, I want to use this loss as a stepping stone for the next game."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"Painful defeat. We were able to create chances and take control in the second half, but we couldn't finish them off when it mattered. That's where the result was decided. We knew the quality of Yokohama FM from before the game. We reminded our players to play tightly and not let the opponent turn forward, and to not give them space to think by not giving them time."

However, there were also moments when our concentration wavered. Yokohama FM has many strong players, and if we give them openings and let them play freely, they will take advantage of it. In the second half, we took control and had chances to turn the game around in a good way, but we couldn't convert them. I think the result would have been different if we had been able to do that. We were able to create a numerical advantage on the opponent's side as planned and attack fluidly from behind. We were able to break through solidly and create big scoring opportunities, but there were also moments where we lacked the courage and decisiveness in the final moments.

There were also parts where the accuracy of the last pass and shot was lacking. Normally, it would be a situation where the probability of scoring a goal is high by beautifully breaking the side and becoming free, but today, many shots did not match and could not be decided. I think it's because we lacked courage and decisiveness. Yokohama FM is a team with top-class experience in the league, so when they are leading, they can use time cunningly. There were also parts that we needed to learn from. Experienced players, including the referee, I think are respected by everyone.


[Yokohama FM - Manager Higuchi's Press Conference Summary]
"Despite being away, over 5,000 supporters came and we were able to deliver a result of 3 points and 3 consecutive wins. I want to celebrate that together. In today's meeting, we strongly emphasized the importance of keeping a clean sheet in order to control the game. And to become a team that can score a second goal and decide the game. The players expressed this on the pitch. I want to praise the players who fought for 90 minutes with energy and unity."

In terms of content, how much can we cut Tokyo's combination? That was the theme of defense, but it worked very well to approach the ball holder without showing any gaps throughout the 90 minutes and to immediately close it, repeating the process of taking the ball. On the attacking side, we were able to take the first goal in a coordinated manner with the third and fourth combinations that took away Tokyo's share. We have been very conscious of doing that kind of thing in this week's training, so it was a very happy goal in that sense.

I want to celebrate being able to have a game with both content and results, but since we have consecutive games, I want to recover properly and maintain my condition even in this hot summer and overcome it.