Although we dominated the second half of the match, we ended without scoring as we couldn't capitalize on our chances.

In the second half, Tokyo navigated through the opponent's press to create chances. In the 48th minute, Higashi was fouled while trying to receive Ota's vertical pass, resulting in a free kick from the left side. Ota sent this left free kick forward, and Hyun Soo JANG headed the ball, but it went wide of the goal. In the 55th minute, Tokunaga connected with Lucas on the right front line, and Hasegawa made a vertical pass to Watanabe, who ran into the right area. Watanabe turned and prepared to shoot, but was closed down and it resulted in a corner kick.

In the 58th minute, after a series of passes on the left side, Hasegawa, who tried to move inside, was fouled, resulting in a free kick just outside the area, slightly to the left. Higashi aimed directly at the goal but hit the left post. The rebound was connected, and Watanabe in the front line dropped it, but Ishikawa, who broke through in front of the goal, was held off by the opposing defender. Against a gradually tiring Iwata, they calmly connected the ball to seize the flow of the game.

Then, in the 65th minute, Higashi took a free kick from the left side near the goal line and sent a ground ball to the center. It reached Ishikawa, who evaded one defender and took a shot, but Watanabe slightly changed the course before it went into the net, resulting in an offside. In the 71st minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC was brought in to replace Higashi, taking the position just behind the forwards. Furthermore, in the 76th minute, Takahashi came in for Ishikawa. Hasegawa and VUCICEVIC switched positions.

In the 90th minute, he reacted to a loose ball in the front line. VUCICEVIC calmly passed to the space on the left side, where Watanabe made a run and seemed to have a decisive chance, but he couldn't shoot due to the solid defense of the Iwata defender. In stoppage time, from Tokunaga's throw-in on the right side, HASEGAWA passed to VUCICEVIC, who made a timely run and took a shot, but it hit the opposing defender and resulted in a right corner kick. Furthermore, from this corner kick, Watanabe sent a header towards the goal, but it was blocked by the opposing defender. In the second half, they managed to regain their rhythm and created several chances, but the match ended in a scoreless draw, earning them just one point.


[Player Comments]
《Kazuma WATANABE》
"In the first half, I was too focused on defense. The ball wasn't coming forward, and I couldn't hold onto it either. I tried to drop back to receive it, but Coach Ranko POPOVIC instructed me to 'pull forward against the Yamagata defenders, and let Keigo use the space created there,' but I couldn't create a starting point. In the second half, we were able to create our own time, but we can't win if we don't score. (Were there any close chances?) If we can't finish those, we won't win. My finishing accuracy was also lacking. I want everyone to raise their awareness of shooting more, but rather than thinking 'someone will do it,' I want to fight with the mindset that I will definitely take it myself.

Gonda
"In the end, we managed to keep a clean sheet, but with this defensive approach, we can't push forward in attack. In the second half, Iwata dropped back, creating space that allowed us to attack. This week, we practiced 'stealing the ball in a better way to transition to attack,' and this is the result. Even though we didn't concede, it's not something we can be proud of. We couldn't apply pressure to the ball holder, and while I wanted to push the defensive line up, we couldn't do it effectively. Conversely, Iwata utilized midfielder Matsuura in the attacking midfield role against our four-man defense, which allowed them to exploit the space."


[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference]
"There was a significant difference between the first half and the second half. I am not satisfied with the first half, but I think we showed something good in the second half. However, because the first half was poor, we ended up with this result. A match lasts for 90 minutes, so it is not enough to just perform well in one of the 45 minutes. Of course, it is not easy to maintain control throughout the entire 90 minutes, but we are aiming for that, and I want to continue to show that kind of football in the future. Due to Hyun-soo's injury substitution, we couldn't follow the game plan we had in mind for the second half, but I think we were able to show what we wanted to do in the second half. It is very important to continue playing our style even when things are not going well. I want to prioritize that and continue moving forward."


[Press Conference Summary of Takashi SEKIZUKA, Coach of Jubilo Iwata]
"It was the first time we kept a clean sheet in defense, but I am very disappointed that we couldn't break through Tokyo's goal. However, the performance was very good, and all 11 players fought together with a great sense of distance. In that sense, we will continue with this as a base for the upcoming matches, and I want to fight hard. Many supporters came today and created a great atmosphere. I want to express my gratitude for believing in us and cheering until the end for that one goal. We also want to prepare diligently to secure the three points. (You took more than 10 shots in the first half, but didn't you want to score in the first half?) Yes, I think it would have been very good for the flow of the game if we could have scored first in the first half."