A match where we want to secure points away to compete for the top positions.

In Sec. 26 of the league, we will face Nagoya Grampus away. In the previous match, Hirayama scored in the dying moments, marking his second consecutive goal in official matches, and we achieved our first victory against Urawa in nine years, resulting in three consecutive wins in official matches. As a result, there is a tight competition with 6 points separating 4th place Kashima and 13th place Shimizu. As we head into the final stages, the importance of each win increases. The players stated, "To move up the rankings, consecutive wins are necessary. Therefore, we will focus solely on winning the upcoming match and build on that success," as they strive for victory with full effort in each game.

Nagoya is currently in 10th place with 36 points. Although they lost narrowly to Shimizu at the end of the last match, they have been on an upward trend with 6 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss in the last 10 matches. FW Kennedy, who was absent during the home game in April, has fully recovered. He has become the axis of the attack, creating goals through connections with FW Tamada and MF Ogawa and Fujimoto on both sides. Although MF Danielson is out due to injury, DF Tulio has returned to the bench. Particularly, their height during set pieces remains a point of concern as before.

Tokyo made changes to the lineup from the previous match. Ishikawa starts in place of the not fully fit Azuma. Gonda said, "Nagoya tries to maximize individual strengths. We will not adapt to that but will fight in our own way. Therefore, precision will be key." This match is a direct confrontation in their usual style. The team's strength built up to this point will be tested. The match started at 19:04 with Tokyo's kickoff at Mizuho Athletic Stadium in Nagoya.

Opening the scoring with a beautiful goal from Hasegawa and turning back

From the start of the match, both teams tried to take the initiative and establish their rhythm. In the 9th minute, Hasegawa passed to Watanabe, who dropped the ball, and Lucas positioned himself to shoot just outside the penalty area. This was blocked, but Hasegawa followed up with a mid-range shot that went wide to the right. In the 10th minute, Watanabe's drop allowed Ishikawa to break free, and he advanced with a speedy dribble down the center, boldly aiming for the goal, but his ground shot lacked power and went to the goalkeeper. In the 12th minute, after entering the opponent's half, Takahashi aimed for a mid-range shot from a direct play with Hasegawa, but it went off target.

Nagoya also took control of the ball in midfield at the 18th minute, with FW Kennedy advancing and passing to FW Tamada at the front line. Here, Morishige couldn't hold him back, and after being dribbled past, a decisive shot was taken from the center of the area, but Gonda made the save. From this point, although Nagoya dominated the ball with their clever connections in midfield, they applied pressure from the front line, countering after regaining possession. In the 30th minute, Yonemoto intercepted in Nagoya's half. He advanced with the ball and aimed for a loop shot, but the shot went just wide of the target.

Then, in the 38th minute, Takahashi connected a header to Lucas after a clearance from Nagoya. He advanced while evading the opposing DF and passed to Hasegawa, who was positioned towards the right just outside the area, and scored a well-aimed shot to take the lead. Tokyo began to settle down with this one goal, maintaining possession of the ball between the DF line and midfield without forcing attacks, preventing Nagoya from countering. They continued to manage the time well and ultimately went into halftime with a one-goal lead.

Victory by holding off Nagoya's counterattack without conceding a goal in a tenacious battle!

Nagoya brought in FW Nagai to replace MF Fujimoto in the second half. They focused on collecting the ball for FW Kennedy at the front line to launch a counterattack. However, Tokyo also regained possession with tight defense and aimed for an additional goal. In the 52nd minute, they cut off Nagoya's vertical pass at the defensive line. Immediately, Yonemoto launched a counterattack. He spread the play to the right side, and Ishikawa sent a slightly backward pass to the center, which Hasegawa connected with directly for a shot, but it went straight to the GK. In the 57th minute, Watanabe aimed for the goal from the corner of the area, but this also went straight to the GK.

In the 58th minute, Nagoya's MF Ogawa took a left corner kick, which was met by FW Kennedy in the right area, but the header was off target. Then in the 71st minute, right SB Hayato TANAKA broke through the right flank with speed. He entered the right area and, while facing a one-on-one with Ota, crossed the ball from close range. It hit Ota, but Gonda reacted. The rebound grazed Hyun Soo JANG and went out of play. The ball bouncing in front of the goal caused a scare, but it resulted in a corner kick.

Tokyo, wanting to change the flow, brought in Hirayama for Ishikawa in the 71st minute. However, in the 72nd minute, Nagoya's forward Tamada made a sharp left cross from the right to the left flank. FW Kennedy dove in at the near post and made a decisive diving header, but it just went slightly to the right, avoiding a crisis. After that, against a Nagoya side that pushed forward, Tokyo created chances repeatedly on the counter. In the 86th minute, Lucas was free in the left area and took a decisive shot, but it was blocked by a defender in front of the goal.

In the 88th minute, Hasegawa applied pressure on the opponent's ball on the right side, and the ball that was deflected was picked up by the substitute VUCICEVIC, who advanced into the right area with a dribble. He feinted past the opposing defender and took a shot, which found the net on the opposite side for an additional goal. This decisive goal sealed the victory. They fought tenaciously until the end and celebrated their third consecutive win without conceding a goal.


[Player Comments]
《HASEGAWA》
"Today I played as an attacking midfielder, so I focused on maintaining a close distance with Chima and aimed to find space between the opponent's center-back and defensive midfielder, being conscious of facing forward there. The goal came from a good one-two with Rucon, allowing me to play positively. I could see the shooting lane, so I was just thinking about hitting the target. That shape is something we practice often. Although we had long periods where Nagoya held the ball, everyone communicated and held strong during those defensive moments, and we fought with a shared awareness during the times we had possession... I believe we executed our game plan as intended."

《Nemanja VUCICEVIC》
"I think it was a wonderful match. We are on a winning streak and want to continue this momentum and keep winning. Even when we played well in the past, it didn't always lead to results. I believe that now the content is matching the results. I was able to create a one-on-one situation as planned and showcase my characteristics. I want to thank the coach for using me and my teammates for bringing the ball to me. Not just Aria, but the entire team worked hard on defense and connected the play forward. I believe the strong desire of everyone to win led to the goals and results. The support from the fans also gave us courage and strength. I am grateful and happy that we could share this joy together."


[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference]
"After a match like this, I often find it hard to find the right words. I believe we were able to show on the pitch what we have been striving for as our ideal for a long time. Nagoya also had their chances in the first half, but Gonda made solid saves. Then we capitalized on our opportunity and took the lead. I think the first half was a back-and-forth battle. However, even after taking the lead, we did not fall back into a defensive posture and maintained our attacking stance. While attacking, we were able to manage the game carefully. I believe we were able to show our growth.

I can only say, 'Well done' regarding being able to play a match like today against a strong opponent like Nagoya. It is very important to continue showing matches like today, to demonstrate what Tokyo football is all about. Of course, it will take time, but I believe it is crucial to keep showing it consistently. I would like to express my gratitude to all the fans and supporters who traveled all the way to distant Nagoya and continued to support us until the end.


[Press Conference Summary of Nagoya Coach STOJKOVIC]
"We hadn't lost at home for a long time, but today it ended in defeat. I'm disappointed with the result. I don't think we played well enough to deserve to win over the full 90 minutes. Tokyo played well. I think they have a good team with good players. They seem to enjoy playing football. We did not. The absence of DF Toriou and MF Danielson also had an impact. The chance that FW Tamada had in the first half was either a mistake or he just couldn't finish it."

In the second half, there was a chance for FW Kennedy. Was it about 2 meters? He couldn't finish that either. I wonder if 90 minutes was not enough. Our performance was really poor.