This season's final National venue match, to show our growth against Kashima

League Sec. 28 is being held. We will face Kashima Antlers at home in the National Stadium. We come into this match with four consecutive wins. However, Coach Popović stated as always, "Winning streaks are in the past. Even if we have been losing, our attitude towards the next match must remain the same, and our motivation to fight should not change," emphasizing the need to focus on each match for victory, regardless of the opponent or the situation. While we view this match as just one of 34, it is also true that we do not want to break the momentum and good flow we have built up to this point.

In particular, if we win against 4th place Kashima this round, our rankings will change. In the league away match in May, we lost after leading by two goals, so we will fight hard to secure a victory to show our growth.

Kashima currently has 47 points. This season, fresh members like DF Yamamura and MF Doi have emerged through continuous battles. Although DF Nishi will be suspended for this match, they have consistently maintained a top position while rotating their squad. They suffered seven consecutive away game losses until Sec. 25 (September 14), but they stopped that streak in the Sec. 26 match against Iwata, and they have not experienced any consecutive losses this season. This can be said to be the strength of Kashima. Therefore, there should be no impatience or rushing. A calm demeanor will be required in this proactive battle.

Tokyo is without Hyun Soo JANG due to injury. Kaga will be used as a center-back. Kashima starts with FW Davi and pairs him with FW Osako in a two-top formation. In place of the suspended DF Nishi, DF Ito, making his first start in the league, will play as the right SB in a 4-4-2 formation. Although it doesn't feel particularly cold, a fine drizzle continues to fall as the match started at 19:04 with Kashima's kickoff.

Conceding goals at the start, just as Kashima intended

In the 5th minute, Lucas flowed to the left, and Ota overlapped on the outside to deliver a cross. In front of the goal, Watanabe at the near post headed it but missed the target. Shortly after, the match took a turn. In the 6th minute, a left throw-in from Kashima was skillfully kept by forward Davi in the center, leading to forward JUNINHO, who connected to midfielder Endo just before the right area. Midfielder Endo took a carefully aimed looping shot from just outside the right area. Gonda couldn't react to this, and the ball arced into the far net, allowing the first goal.

Three minutes later, a pass in the midfield was cut off by Kashima, and FW Osako, who was positioned a bit deeper, advanced centrally with a dribble. He delivered a through pass to FW Davi, who was trying to break through. Kaga attempted to block, but he lost the battle against FW Davi's strength, allowing the loose ball to be picked up and scored from inside the area, resulting in the loss of a second goal in quick succession.

Kashima, leading by 2 points, took control of the pace, and after that, they got caught in Kashima's defensive net, making it difficult to aim for passes to the front line. From there, they were hit by a sharp counterattack. In the 32nd minute, Tokyo launched a quick attack, with Hasegawa sprinting up the left front. Watanabe received a pass into the middle, controlled it once, and took a shot, but it was blocked. In the 34th minute, they earned a left corner kick from Ota's cross, and Morishige jumped in from the far post but missed the target.

In the 43rd minute, they created the biggest chance of the first half. Hasegawa received a vertical pass from the back in the center of the opponent's half, quickly turned, and made a through pass. Higashi found himself one-on-one with the GK, but his shot was saved by the Kashima GK. They could not close the two-goal gap and ended the first half.

Fighting back until the end, Hirayama managed to score a point, but it was not enough...

In the second half, Tokyo replaced Kaga with Hirayama. Takahashi dropped back to center back, while Hasegawa moved to the holding midfield position, forming a two-top with Hirayama and Watanabe to launch a counterattack. This allowed them to circulate the ball, gradually find their rhythm, and successfully press Kashima by picking up second balls. In the 58th minute, Yonemoto passed to Tokunaga, who broke through on the right side and delivered a shot-like ground cross into the box, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.

In the 64th minute, a pass from Hasegawa sent Higashi into the left area. From there, Hirayama met the cross and headed the ball, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. Tokyo pushed up as a whole, trying to create chances by passing the ball, but they continued to struggle to break down the well-organized Kashima DF.

In the 65th minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC was brought on to try to launch a more aggressive attack, but in the 67th minute, during a Kashima throw-in, Tokyo's defense was exploited. Kashima midfielder Ogasawara advanced centrally with a dribble. Although Tokyo's defenders were facing him, they fell back, allowing him to aim for a shot from just outside the right area. The powerful shot pierced the top corner, resulting in the loss of the third goal.

In the 73rd minute, Mita came on. In the 74th minute, a free kick was awarded, followed by a right corner kick. From this flow, Ota sent an early cross to the front line, and Hirayama made a header shot. In the 76th minute, Hirayama intercepted the opponent's clearance ball just in front of the left area, evaded the defender, and took a shot. Then, Mita made a move from the right side into the center, passing to Hirayama on the outside. Hirayama sent a last pass in front of the goal, but Lucas was blocked at the near post, and the ball was saved by the goalkeeper.

In the 80th minute, Yonemoto sent a floating pass to VUCICEVIC, who was trying to break through, earning a right corner kick. From there, Ota delivered a cross, and Hirayama jumped in but couldn't make contact. Instead, they were hit by a counterattack from Kashima. In the 81st minute, MF Shibasaki dribbled and passed to MF JUNINHO, who made a through pass to FW Osako, who had made a run behind the defense. FW Osako skillfully evaded Gonda, who had rushed out, and easily scored...

Still demonstrating a never-give-up attitude, Tokyo pressed towards the Kashima goal. In the 83rd minute, from Ota's cross, Hirayama attempted a header and earned a right corner kick. In this corner kick, Takahashi and the opposing defender contested, and the spilled ball was persistently connected by Hasegawa, who was positioned in front of the goalkeeper, allowing Hirayama in the right area to score with his right foot. They pulled one back, but the counterattack was not strong enough. As the time ran out, Tokyo suffered a complete defeat against Kashima, who managed the match as planned. As a result, their ranking fell to 6th place (provisional). However, due to the results of other matches, Tokyo has secured their place in J1 for the next season.


[Player Comments]
《Morishige》
"We conceded two goals at the start, but we still had the desire to turn the game around. In the second half, we were able to move the ball well and took several shots. However, the goal felt distant. Still, I could hear the support from the stands until the end, which showed us the feeling to move forward. I think we have to respond to that."

《Hirayama》
"I was really focused on the result, so I'm very disappointed. (Regarding the goals) right now, my teammates are assisting me and providing me with the ball. That's why I am able to score. Even after conceding 2 goals, there were chances. If I had been able to convert those chances, we might have been able to turn the game around. That's where my reflection and regret remain."


[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference]
"If we approach the match with a negative mindset from the start, it won't be easy even against a weaker opponent, and especially against a strong team like Kashima, starting that way will be tough. This is evident from the results. In soccer, there is no 'what if,' and we cannot say, 'if we had played like this...' I am not satisfied with the results. However, there is no need to be pessimistic. Missing key opportunities is a point for reflection, but creating numerous chances is commendable. I feel that continuing to show an attacking attitude until the end to turn the game around and fighting without giving up will lead to future success.

The third goal was due to our own judgment mistake. The intentions of the referee and the assistant referee were different, and while the players were caught off guard, we allowed Kashima to enter the shooting zone and score. It wasn't that we showed a weakness, but it was an important part in deciding the match. We need to correct how we conceded that goal. Still, we must not carry the burden of today's match into the next one; we are tasked with showing our evolution and team strength in the upcoming game. From here on, we want to focus on both results and performance. We want to continue moving the ball fluidly and creating chances, and we were able to show our never-give-up attitude until the final whistle. I also want to respond to the fans and supporters who continued to cheer for us until the end.


【Kashima - Toninho CEREZO's Press Conference Summary】
"(Two consecutive wins away, which is not our strong suit, but what has changed?) I believe it is just the players' mindset. Until now, we had a tight schedule, but this time we had time to adjust. We were able to recover properly and thoroughly execute what the team needs to do. As you can see, we are a team that must fight with limited resources. Others can use up to four foreign players, but we are not in that situation. Today's defender Nakata is also overcoming challenges with just his mindset, but the window is closed, so the players are determined to fight."

From before the match, I thought the game against Tokyo would be open. Both teams were fighting to score goals, so it wouldn't have been surprising for either team to win. However, we were able to maintain attention to detail. We managed to score and had some counterattacks. We also made fewer passing mistakes in our attacks, and I believe we picked up slightly more important second balls than our opponents.

Tokyo has promising young players with speed, and we were able to respond to that. In particular, in Tokyo, the side half on the opposite side often comes inside rather than staying on the ball side, but we were able to see that clearly, and both center backs remained focused. The opponent has diagonal movements from the sides and ways to move the ball, but we were able to respond to that as well. Normally, Lucas would have had space and a wider range of activity, but today, I think we successfully reduced the time to think and the time with the ball, which allowed us to decrease the frequency of our activities.