Aiming for the first league victory of the season away!

On March 15 (Saturday), the league's Sec. 3 match will be against Vissel Kobe. In the first two matches since the opening, we took the lead in both but conceded goals in the second half, ending in draws. Although it is still the early stage of the league, we want to secure our first victory to translate our efforts this season into results. This match is an away game, but we have prepared as usual aiming for 3 points. Tokyo has the same starting lineup for three consecutive matches. On the bench, Shiota and Kono are also ready.
　
Kobe, who finished 2nd in J2 last season, has returned to J1. This season, new players include FW Marquinhos, FW Pedro JUNIOR who was with Tokyo in 2011, MF Simplício, Chung Woo-young, DF Masukawa, and Takahashi. They have not yet secured a victory in the league with 2 draws, but the new additions are fitting in and showcasing dynamic games as key players. MF Tanaka has started in place of the suspended Simplício, and MF Matsumura has started in place of the injured MF Ogawa.

Although the shade is cold, the weather gradually hints at the arrival of spring, starting with the kickoff from Kobe at 19:04.

Unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities, the first half ended scoreless

Kobe created a chance immediately after the start. A sharp kick from MF Chung Woo-young on a free kick from the right side was met in front of the goal, shaking the net right away, but this was ruled offside.
In addition, they were attacked from the right side for another 5 minutes, and a chance was created for the central FW Pedro, resulting in a corner kick. However, they defended this without difficulty. In the following 8 minutes, from a steal by Higashi, Mutou aimed for the goal in front of the opponent's goal but was blocked. From here, they were countered, and a through pass from Kobe MF Tanaka was directed to the left area where FW Pedro was, leading to a left corner kick.

In the 11th minute, after a pass from Higashi, Mita connected with Edu and spread the play to the left. Watanabe, positioned on the left, advanced with a dribble. He took a shot from the left area, but it lacked power and was saved by the opposing GK, resulting in a corner kick. After this, several corner kicks were earned, creating chances, but they could not score a goal. After 15 minutes, Kobe had a free kick. In this situation, the net was shaken, causing a scare, but it was ruled offside. Shortly after, Kobe launched a vigorous attack, but Tokyo gradually calmed down and regained control of the flow.

In the 21st minute, Mita applied pressure in his own half, and Higashi intercepted the ball, dribbling into the opponent's territory and moving it from the center to the right flank. He attempted to create a chance in coordination with Edu, but Edu's trap was not successful. In the 25th minute, Tokyo connected a loose ball from Higashi's right cross in the midfield, and Mita passed it to Ota, who advanced on the left flank. Ota cut in from the side and sent a low cross in front of the goal, but Mutou, who dove in at the near post, was just slightly off in timing. In the 38th minute, Watanabe utilized his speed to run onto a pass from Tokunaga on the right flank and delivered a cross. Mutou, competing with a defender at the far post, headed the ball but sent it over the bar. In the following 41st minute, they connected a series of fast-paced passes, with Edu on the left → Mutou in the center received the pass and took a shot, but it was saved by the opposing goalkeeper. Despite attempts from Edu, Watanabe, and Mutou to create scoring opportunities, they were unable to score. They gradually showed composure and fought patiently, but they were dominated by Kobe, who circulated the ball in Tokyo's half and created chances. Nevertheless, they did not allow any goals.

After that, they launched quick attacks from interceptions in the midfield, but missed crucial chances in the latter stages and were unable to capitalize on the corner kicks they earned, resulting in a scoreless tie at halftime.

Despite Edu's consecutive goals, the two conceded goals were impactful, resulting in the first defeat of the season.

In the 51st minute of the second half, there was a chance for a free kick from outside the left area. Ota sent a kick towards the goal, using Higashi as a decoy, but it grazed the opponent's DF and went to the GK. In the 52nd minute, Kobe quickly moved forward. FW Matsumura dribbled down the left side, and although Tokyo's DF delayed him, he connected with FW Pedro in a high position on the left side of the area. At this point, Tokyo's coordination between Gonda and the DF broke down. They connected with FW Marquinhos in the center of the area, who easily scored the opening goal.

In the 62nd minute, they were unable to intercept a through pass from the left side of Kobe to the center. After a short pass exchange between FW Pedro and MF Morioka, MF Morioka turned to face the goal and scored a powerful shot, resulting in the second goal conceded. In the second half, the passing rhythm improved and they approached the Kobe goal, but defensive cracks appeared.

However, in the 67th minute, Yonemoto, who was substituted for Muto, entered the area from a vertical pass by Mita. He maneuvered to the right, and Edu on the right side pierced the net to score a goal. The substitute Yonemoto gained momentum, and with Edu's consecutive goals, the game is becoming more dynamic, but Kobe also aims for an immediate counterattack after regaining possession in their own half, leading to a back-and-forth development.

Entering additional time, Edu made a return pass to Kono in the right area, who faced the GK one-on-one. He took a decisive shot, but it was blocked by the opposing GK... He tried to follow up on the loose ball, but was thwarted just in time by a sliding tackle from the Kobe defender, resulting in no goal. With the introduction of Yonemoto, momentum picked up, and Edu scored his second consecutive goal, bringing the score to a one-point difference. However, even with Kono and Hirayama, who came on as substitutes, combining well and launching a vigorous attack, they could not break through for another goal. The two conceded goals proved costly, leading to their first defeat of the season.

【Player Comments】
≪Yonemoto≫
"I am coming on as a substitute to score goals, so I was thinking about pushing forward. I also thought it would be good to win the ball in a high position. Personally, my condition is improving, but I believe I need to close down quicker and enhance my match awareness. Until last season, Tokyo was a team that could score when it needed to and defend well in crucial moments... I think we need to change something there. However, if we can grasp a trigger, we can gain more momentum, and a Tokyo team with momentum becomes unstoppable. The direction is not wrong. We will take it step by step, and next is the Nabisco, so I want to prepare well."

<<Kono>>
"I came on in a situation where we were one goal behind, and the coach told me to 'freely take the initiative.' Personally, I really wanted to score, so I was conscious of playing as close to the goal as possible. Cutting in from the right side is my style, and I was able to create chances that way, but... The one-on-one with the goalkeeper is a shot that I absolutely have to score. Still, I want to keep my head up and aim to score next time. I want to make plays that lead to three points."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"In the first half, the players were able to do what they wanted and created many chances. I think it was good that we didn't allow the opponent to create chances. In the second half, I made them aware of pressing higher up the pitch than in the first half, but after gifting the opponent a goal, it seemed like we couldn't do what we wanted. Even after going down 0-2, the players didn't give up, and after making it 1-2, they created many more chances. I believe that the fact that the Kobe goalkeeper was outstanding is a testament to how many chances we created."

[Press Conference Summary of Ryo ADACHI, Coach of Kobe]
"In the first half, we struggled against the opponent's pressing from the front, and the ball didn't move as smoothly as in the previous two matches. We created several chances but couldn't score. We made adjustments at halftime and started the second half well, managing to score one and then another goal, but we conceded the equalizer too quickly at 2-1. If we could have held on a bit longer, I believe we could have scored a third goal. Even after going to 2-1, we had chances to make it 3-1, so if we had converted those chances, I think we could have secured the three points with a bit more composure at the end."