League Match Resumes! Enhance Maturity

J1 League resumes after about two months. Finally, we will restart from here. During the break, we not only reaffirmed our way of fighting, but also started to expand our tactical variations. After the camp, we aimed for further penetration.

Manager Massimo also expressed his determination for the future, saying "From here on, we want to continue to improve our maturity and take the next step." The team also scored a record-breaking 8 goals in the 2nd round of the Emperor's Cup on July 12th, and they hope to use this as momentum for the league matches.

Kashima, on the other hand, is currently in 4th place in the league. In the 2nd round of the Emperor's Cup, they suffered an unexpected defeat against JFL Sony Sendai, but the players are on high alert, saying they will "fight with even more determination". The destructive power of FW Davi and MF Caio is outstanding, and MF Endo has fluidity and boldness. Above all, MF Ogasawara's ability to read the flow of the game and his play as the starting point for both offense and defense can be said to be one of the best in the J-League.

Tokyo, on the other hand, wants to first grasp the rhythm from a good defense. If they can take the lead with a quick build-up, they should be able to replicate their victory in the Emperor's Cup (March 19, 3-1). Tokyo will face Akita in the same starting lineup as the Emperor's Cup, with Kakuhiju on the bench.

Ajinomoto Stadium, where light rain has started to fall. The match started at 6:34 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Although they transitioned from a persistent defense to an attack, they were unable to capitalize on their chances.

Maintaining concentration from the beginning, we were able to steal the ball with organized defense and launch quick counterattacks. In the 12th minute, Kono broke through the right side and sent a cross. Yonemoto was making a run into the left area, but the ball was slightly too long and he couldn't reach it with his outstretched leg. In the 17th minute, Mita passed to Muto on the right, and finally Yonemoto took a shot from the center. It deflected off a defender, but the goalkeeper was able to make the save.

After taking the ball, there were times when we were hit by Kashima's counterattack, but gradually we were able to grasp the rhythm by showing our coordination in attack from a solid defense. However, there were moments when we couldn't finish due to Kashima's intense pressure, but in the 23rd minute, Mita sent in an early cross from the right area. Yonemoto jumped in from the far post to meet it. In the 32nd minute, Ota fed the ball to Edu, who controlled it with his chest and Muto made a run to take a shot, but it went wide of the goal.

At 34 minutes, they had a chance. Kono and Muto connected with a direct feed from Yonemoto, and then Kono passed to Edu who was free in the center. Edu took a decisive shot with his left foot, but it went too deep... They couldn't make the most of their chance and ended the first half with no points. However, they defended against Kashima's attack, led by FW Davi, with Morishige at the center, and made it to halftime with a scoreless tie.

Mita scores two consecutive goals in the official match to take the lead! However, they face a fierce comeback from Kashima in the end...

In the second half, both teams aim for the first goal and actively attack each other. In the 50th minute, Muto breaks through the left area with a powerful dribble while competing with the opponent's defender. Yamamoto runs into the area to receive a negative pass and takes a direct shot, but fails to hit the target. Kashima also launches quick counter attacks and in the midst of intense back-and-forth, substitute Higashi for Kono as an attacking midfielder in the 56th minute.

After that, in the 60th minute, Edu dribbled on the right side. His last pass sent to the area was intercepted by the opponent's DF, but Mutoh quickly closed in and cleared it to Mita near the right corner of the area. Mita took one step inside and boldly swung his left foot. The shot with no spin went over the stretched hand of the GK and barely hit the bar, GOAL!! Mita's splendid shot gave them the lead!

However, from here Kashima launched a fierce counterattack. Therefore, we changed our formation back to 4-4-2 to compete. Both teams continue to fiercely battle without losing focus. In the 78th minute, Higashi moved up the center and made a through pass to the left area. Muto ran here and broke through in front of the opponent's DF and took a decisive shot, but... it was saved by the jumping GK. On the other hand, in the 80th minute, MF Ogasawara made a long feed to the front line. In response, substitute FW Toyokawa jumped out and competed with Tokunaga, but still managed to make a shot. The ball floated and shook the net, but just before that there was a hand foul and Tokyo got the ball.

Despite that, there was a period of time where Kashima was being pushed back, and in the 86th minute, Kashima's left cross was dropped by FW Davi, and FW Toyokawa was in a shooting position in the center. This was blocked by Morishige, but the ball spilled to the right, and right back Nishi crossed it. The ball was cleared by Yonemoto with a header as he was returning to the area, but it fell to Kashima's FW Toyokawa in the left area, who scored a direct volley with his left foot... and finally conceded a goal.

In additional time, Tokyo's MF Luis Alberto was sent off in a FK situation against Kashima. Tokyo did not give up and continued to aim for a win, with both teams launching counter attacks even after 5 minutes had passed. In the end, substitute player Habu dribbled up the left side, cut back against the opposing DF, and sent a pass between Muto in the center and Ota on the far side... but the opposing GK came out and the DF defended with all their might, resulting in the end of the game. Both teams showed their fighting spirit and attacked each other, but the intense battle ended in a draw with 1 point each.

[Player Comments]
《Mita》
"There were chances to score additional points. However, we couldn't take them and ended up being caught up, resulting in a very frustrating draw. I have been wanting to score a goal since practice and have been training for shots like that. It was great to be able to do it in an official match. I want to continue producing results and ride on this momentum. I hope to contribute to a victory in the next match and do my best."

"Yoshimoto"
"After taking the lead, we had the consciousness of defending firmly. We didn't want to drop back if possible, but we ended up in a situation where we had no choice but to drop back. However, it is the job of our defenders to defend in the final moments. It's really frustrating that we couldn't do that. It's a shame that we couldn't win, but there are also parts where we can feel the sense of accomplishment and growth. We want to continue to grow and improve from here, so that we can all come together and be in the best state for the final match."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"Although it was after the break, I think the performance was good. We knew that Kashima would come at us with high motivation because they lost an important match last week. I clearly told the players that in these types of matches, we need to score a second goal instead of just ending the game with a 1-0 score. It's impossible to not give the opponent any chances from a 1-0 score until the end of the game. That's why it's important to score a second goal and seal the game. Not being able to score in the chances we had is our current challenge."

[Kashima - Toninho CEREZO Manager's Press Conference Summary]
"It was a great game. There is always a feeling that the game against Tokyo will be a good one. The opponent played in a 4-3-3 formation and showed thorough coaching. In particular, their inside half players aggressively suppressed our midfield build-up. We compacted our defense and were able to attack effectively through side changes. From there, we increased our speed and attacked near the area, but the quality of crosses was low in the first half. We were able to create more shape in the second half."
We were behind due to the opponent's skilled shot, but there was still plenty of time, so I thought about calming the team down. I think the second half was quite exhausting for both teams. In such a situation, we were able to create chances by opening up the midfield. It could have been a 2-1 game, but I want to praise the players who continued to play no matter what the situation was. This also applies to the Tokyo players, and shouldn't we be recognized for showing a spectacle to each other?"