Aiming for the first victory of the season away from home!

Match against Vissel Kobe in Sec. 3 of the league on Saturday, March 15th. In the first two games of the season, we took the lead but ended up with a draw after conceding a goal in the second half. Although it is still early in the season, we want to secure our first victory and turn our efforts into results. This week, we are playing away but we are aiming for 3 points and have prepared as usual. Tokyo will have the same starting lineup for the third consecutive game. Shioda and Kono will be on the bench.
　
Kobe, on the other hand, finished second in J2 last season and returned to J1. This season, new players such as FW Marquinhos, FW Pedro JUNIOR who was with Tokyo in 2011, MF Simplício, Cho Won-yeong, DF Masukawa, and Takahashi have joined the team. Although they have only managed 2 draws in the league so far, the new additions have fit in well and have shown a dynamic game as key players. In place of the suspended Simplício, MF Tanaka started in the match, and MF Matsumura started in place of the injured MF Ogawa.

Despite the coldness of the shade, the match started at 7:04 PM in Kobe, with a weather that gradually makes you feel the arrival of spring.

Unable to take advantage of scoring opportunities, the first half ended scoreless.

Kobe created a chance right after the start. A sharp kick from MF Chung Woo-yeon's FK from the right side was combined in front of the goal, and the net was shaken suddenly, but this was judged offside.
In addition, they were attacked from the right side for 5 minutes, and Pedro, the central FW, made a move and gave a CK. However, they defended this easily. In the following 8 minutes, Muto tried to score a goal from the opponent's goal front center after an interception from the east, but it was blocked. From here, they received a counter and Pedro, the FW on the left area, made a move from the through pass of Kobe MF Tanaka and brought it to the left CK.

At 11 minutes, Mita connected with Edu on a loose pass from Higashi and spread it to the left. Watanabe, who was positioned on the left, dribbled forward from here. He took a shot from the left area, but it lacked power and was saved by the opposing GK, resulting in a corner kick. Despite earning several corner kicks afterwards, they were unable to score a goal. 15 minutes passed and Kobe was awarded a free kick. The goal was almost scored, but it was called offside. Immediately after, Kobe launched another strong attack, but Tokyo gradually regained their composure and regained control of the game.

At 21 minutes, Mita pressed in their own zone, and Higashi dribbled from the center to the right front line. He tried to create a chance in cooperation with Edu in the center, but Edu's trap failed. In the 25th minute, Tokyo connected with Mita in the midfield and developed to Ota, who tried to attack the left front line. Ota sent a low cross from the side, but Muto, who jumped in near the goal, was slightly out of timing. In the 38th minute, Watanabe ran into the right front line with speed from Tokunaga's pass and crossed. Muto in the far post headed while competing with the defender, but it went over the bar. In the following 41 minutes, they connected with a pass with speed, and Edu on the left → Muto in the center received the pass and took a shot, but it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. After that, they continued to look for scoring opportunities from Edu, Watanabe, Muto, but they were unable to score. They gradually settled down and fought patiently, but Kobe dominated the ball and created chances by passing around in Tokyo's zone. However, they did not allow any goals.

After that, they continued to launch quick attacks from interceptions in the midfield, but they missed their chances in the end and were unable to capitalize on the numerous corner kicks they received, resulting in a scoreless draw going into the second half.

Edu's consecutive goals kept them in the game, but two conceded goals resulted in their first loss of the season.

In the second half, in the 51st minute, there was a chance for a free kick from the left area. Ota sent a kick towards the goal, but it grazed the opposing DF and went to the GK. In the 52nd minute, Kobe quickly moved up to the front line. FW Matsumura dribbled on the left side and connected with FW Pedro in a high position on the left area, despite the Tokyo DF trying to delay. However, Tokyo's coordination between Gonda and DF did not work out. It was connected to FW Marquinhos in the center of the area, and they easily scored the first goal.

In addition, in the 62nd minute, they were unable to control the pass from the left side of Kobe to the center. After a short pass exchange between FW Pedro and MF Morioka, MF Morioka was able to face forward and score a spectacular shot, resulting in the second goal being lost. In the second half, they were able to approach the Kobe goal with a rhythm in their passing, but there were some defensive weaknesses.

However, in the 67th minute, substitute Yonemoto, who came in for Muto from a vertical pass by Mita, entered the area. He skillfully passed to the right, and Edu in the right area pierced the net to score. Yonemoto, who came in as a substitute, gained momentum and with Edu's consecutive goals, the game is becoming more dynamic. However, Kobe also quickly counterattacked after taking the ball in their own half, and the game is going back and forth.

Entering additional time, Edu crosses from the right area and faces the GK one-on-one. He takes a decisive shot, but it is blocked by the opposing GK... He tries to follow up on the loose ball, but is prevented by a sliding Kobe DF just before scoring. With the introduction of Yonemoto, the team gains momentum and Edu scores for the second consecutive game, reducing the deficit to one goal. Substitutes Kono and Hirayama work well together and launch a fierce attack, but are unable to break through and score. The two conceded goals prove costly, resulting in the team's first loss of the season.

[Player Comments]
≪Yonemoto≫
"I came on as a substitute to score, so I was thinking about going forward firmly. Also, I was thinking that it would be good to win the ball in a high position. Personally, my condition is improving, but I think I need to make my passes faster and improve my game sense. Tokyo until last season was a team that could win if they scored when they needed to and could hold on when they shouldn't be scored on... I think we need to change something. But if we can grab one opportunity, Tokyo will gain momentum and become unstoppable. Our direction is not wrong. We will take it one step at a time, and next is the Nabisco Cup, so we want to prepare well."

<GK>
"<Premist>"
"I entered the game in a situation where we were one goal behind, and the coach told me to 'go ahead and make plays freely'. Personally, I really wanted to score, so I was conscious of playing as close to the goal as possible. Cutting inside from the right side is my style, and I was able to create chances that way... The 1-on-1 with the GK is a shot that I absolutely have to score. Even if I miss, I want to stay focused and be able to score the next one. I want to make plays that lead to 3 points."

[Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"In the first half, our players were able to do what they wanted to do and create many chances. I think it was also good that we didn't give the opponent any chances. As for the second half, we tried to press higher up the field compared to the first half, but after giving away one goal, we were unable to do what we wanted to do. Even after going down 0-2, our players didn't give up and continued to create many chances. I think we can say that Kobe's goalkeeper was great because we were able to create many chances."

[Kobe Ryo Adachi Coach Press Conference Summary]
"In the first half, we struggled against the opponent's high press and the ball didn't move as smoothly as in the previous two games. We created a few chances but couldn't convert them into goals. We made adjustments at halftime and came out strong in the second half, scoring one or two goals. However, we conceded a goal too early at 2-1. If we had held on a little longer, we could have scored a third goal. Even after going down 2-1, we had chances to make it 3-1. If we had taken those chances, we could have secured all three points with more ease and without any last-minute chaos."