Welcoming the 23rd Tama River Clasico

Sec. 4 of the league, facing Kawasaki Frontale as the 23rd Tama River Clasico, just 3 days after the Nabisco Cup.
In the Nabisco Kashima game, we used members who had few opportunities to play in the league and won comfortably. Coach Massimo also said, "The content of the league was not bad, but in Nabisco, new members were able to take advantage of their chances and produce results. As a result, the options for player selection have increased."

The combination of the two top players also worked as an attacking unit. The coach said, "It's one of several strategies, but we want to continue to judge based on the situation of both the opponent and ourselves," and adopted the two top players in this round as well. Tokunaga, Takahashi, Edu, Higashi, and Gonda, as well as Kaga and Yonemoto, who missed the Nabisco Kashima game, were also named as starters, and it was decided that they would face the game with the formation of Watanabe and Edu as the two top players and Mita as the top player.

Kawasaki, on the other hand, is currently in 16th place with 1 draw and 2 losses. This season, MF Paulinho and FW Morishima have joined the team. Under the third-year guidance of coach Kazama, they have made solid reinforcements and are aiming for the league title. However, they have yet to win a game in the league. Despite displaying a strong attacking force led by FW Okubo and Renato, they have been unable to secure victories due to conceding late goals.

On the other hand, coach Massimo said, "Regardless of the opponent, the important thing is for us to play well. It's still early in the season and building a team is just as difficult for Kawasaki. We don't want to give Kawasaki any momentum. Our future is in our own hands," as they aim to surpass Kawasaki by sticking to their own style in this match.

As the evening approached, Ajinomoto Stadium gradually became colder. The match started at 7:04 PM with Kawasaki's kickoff.

Conceded the second goal due to a mistake...

Immediately after the start, both teams pressed and fought for the ball, launching speedy attacks against each other. In the 5th minute, Takahashi sent a through pass to the back of the opponent's defense, but Edu was slightly offside. The pace was intense as both teams quickly switched between offense and defense. In the 11th minute, Watanabe and a Kawasaki DF collided while competing for the ball, causing DF Igawa to cut his head and temporarily leave the pitch. Taking advantage of Kawasaki being temporarily down to 10 players, Mita crossed from the left in the 14th minute. Watanabe picked up the loose ball in the box and took a close-range shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper's body.

At 18 minutes, Watanabe sent a through pass to Edu who had broken through the defense, but it was slightly offside. On the other hand, at 19 minutes, Kawasaki MF Nakamura's pinpoint pass led to a goal by FW Okubo, but this was also offside. Both teams pressed aggressively, but as time passed, Kawasaki gradually gained control of the ball. However, Tokyo did not drop their line and continued to compete with a compact formation, not giving any openings.

However, in the 31st minute, Tokyo's right back Yonemoto's back pass was intercepted by Kawasaki FW Okubo, who dribbled forward. He then perfectly connected with left FW Kobayashi at the right time. Kobayashi's shot from the left area rolled into the opposite side of the net with a close margin... Tokyo conceded the first goal due to a mistake. After that, Tokyo changed their formation to match Kawasaki's 4-4-2. They approached the counterattack with a double pivot of Takahashi and Yonemoto, Mita on the right MF, and Higashi on the left.

However, in the first half additional time, Ota from Tokyo connected with a short pass to Higashi from a left corner kick, but as Ota tried to turn around the opponent, he was pressed by Kawasaki FW Okubo and they were countered. Kawasaki MF Renato passed to MF Kobayashi in the center, who then passed to DF Taniguchi on the left side, and Taniguchi made a run. Taniguchi managed to get past the Tokyo DF and crossed the ball. From there, FW Okubo scored a spectacular diving header... Losing the second goal, the first half ended.

Unable to recover in the second half, suffered a complete defeat with no points

Tokyo brought in Hirayama and Kono in the second half. Hirayama played as one of the two forwards, while Kono played as an attacking midfielder, trying to score a goal with a 4-3-1-2 formation. In the 49th minute, they launched a strong attack in front of Kawasaki's goal, but couldn't make a successful pass to Watanabe on the right side. In the 58th minute, Kono made a run on the right side. He cut inside past the defender and took a shot, but it hit the defender and went to the goalkeeper. They couldn't break through and instead, in the 59th minute, Ota and Takahashi couldn't connect on the side line, and Kawasaki's midfielder Renato passed to FW Kobayashi, who quickly made a through pass to the front line. Even Morishige, who stretched his leg, couldn't reach it. And then, Okubo, the FW for Kawasaki, was left free and scored their third goal.

In the 68th minute, Takahashi crossed from the left side and Hirayama headed it, but it was saved by the GK. In the 70th minute, Morishige headed from a left corner kick, but it went over the bar. After that, Tokyo struggled with precision against Kawasaki's quick start and had their side attacks repelled. In the 75th minute, Hayashi was substituted in to try and regain balance, but in the 80th minute, they gave Kawasaki a left corner kick. The ball went to the far side and Mita tried to take it out on the left side, but collided with Kawasaki's DF Jesse. The ball was taken and a right cross was sent in, where Kawasaki's FW Kobayashi made a powerful header...

After conceding 4 goals, Kaga received a foul from the opponent and injured his neck, unable to return to the pitch. Despite East trying to counterattack by covering the DF line, they were unable to stop Kawasaki's speed and momentum on both offense and defense. They were repeatedly scored on due to mistakes and ended up with a disappointing defeat.

[Player Comments]
《Tokunaga》
"The reason for the loss was partly due to the quality of Kawasaki, but also our own mistakes. We were unable to press together and left gaps in the midfield, allowing them to control the ball. Although the goals were from our mistakes, the quality of their passing and positioning in the midfield was also high. We need to take responsibility for that. We need to be able to defend in the areas we need to. We need to improve our defense."

"Hanyu"
"Even if it becomes 0-3 or 0-4, there is something that we must show as professionals. We are able to exist because there are people who pay to come and watch us. First and foremost, I wanted to show my attitude as a professional. Once again, I want everyone to re-examine what they should be doing, work hard before tactics and movements, not lose to the opponent in front of us, and show a fighting spirit."

[Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"We started aggressively and created 3-4 chances right from the beginning. However, we gave away a goal to the opponent. Even after that, we fought as a team, but once we conceded the second goal, the game became a different story. It was a difficult situation. In the second half, we ran and fought hard, but when facing a quality opponent like Kawasaki, if we give away goals from our own mistakes, it becomes really tough. I feel sorry for our fans and supporters. However, the players can only grow from experiences like this, and it will only strengthen their attachment to the club. I believe the players will show a strong mentality from here on out."

[Kawasaki Frontale Manager Kazama's Press Conference Summary]
"Before the game, I told the players to focus on their own play, and they did a great job. We talked about how we would break down the opponent's play and how we had been caught off guard in previous games, so we wanted to make sure we bounced back from those situations. The players fought really well. They were clear on what they needed to do individually. There were some misplaced passes in our attack, but other than that, there were hardly any careless mistakes. I hope we can continue this level of play in the future."