Entering the final stages of the league, to become a team that can win

The league Sec. 25, which comes just two days after the last match, will see us face Tokushima Vortis at home. The match against Kawasaki was filled with intense back-and-forth but ended in a scoreless draw, marking four consecutive draws in the league. At the same time, it tied the club record for 12 matches unbeaten, but there are still 10 matches left in this season's league. While continuing to build on our performance, the focus now will be on how to convert this into three points.

Tokushima is currently in 18th place with 12 points. Since the start of the season, Tokushima has not been able to rise from the bottom position, but during the season, DF Muramatsu, MF Esteban, and FW Adriano have joined the team. Additionally, the top striker FW Takasaki has been scoring goals, leading to 3 victories. Moreover, in the first half of the away match, they were unable to break through Tokushima's solid defense, resulting in a draw. Therefore, Coach Massimo is also tightening his focus, stating, "Tokushima is a team that can 'fight.' To win against them, we need to fully demonstrate our own quality."

Unfortunately, Mita has been injured and forced to withdraw. Coach Massimo expressed his frustration, stating, "We are unable to rotate the attacking lineup and have no options available," but he also mentioned, "Each player's condition is not bad, and the team has been playing well." The starting lineup remains the same as in the previous match. Additionally, Sasaki (U-18) has made the bench for the second consecutive game. Although Tokushima will be missing forward Adriano, they have a nearly optimal formation. It is expected that Tokushima will strengthen their defense, but this is a match where we want to score first and turn it into a victory.

On a clear autumn day at Ajinomoto, the match started at 15:03 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Edu and Kono break the deadlock and score first!

From the start, Tokyo dominated possession of the ball. They focused on switching sides, shaking up Tokushima widely while advancing the game in the opponent's territory. However, they struggled to break through Tokushima's solid defensive block. There were opportunities for crosses, free kicks, and corner kicks, but they continued to lack a decisive touch. Nevertheless, the pressing from the front line was effective. In the 27th minute, a back pass from Tokushima's DF went astray, reaching Edu at the front line. Edu charged towards the goal. He attempted to shoot after feinting past the approaching opponent's DF, but was blocked by the returning Tokushima DF... They capitalized on the opponent's mistake to create a crucial moment, but only managed to earn a corner kick.

However, in the 33rd minute, from their own half, Yonemoto quickly advanced to the center where Muto was, and then Hanyu on the right side passed to Edu on the right side. Edu made a strong vertical move in the right area, getting in front of the opposing defender and sending a last pass in front of the goal. Kono, who was waiting free in the left goal area, easily pushed it in with a direct shot from his right foot for the GOAL!! Edu and Kono broke the deadlock from Hanyu's setup and finally scored the opening goal.

In the 35th minute, Edu received a right cross from Hanyu, controlled it with his chest, turned, and took a volley, but it went wide. In the 37th minute, Kono made a run into the area to meet a ground pass from Edu to Hanyu, but his trap went awry, and he couldn't finish. After missing the chance for a second goal, they failed to clear the ball from Tokushima and were pushed back. In the 39th minute, Tokushima MF Hamada shot from a tight angle after running to the right flank. Gonda made a safe save, but they couldn't connect the play forward, and again from a clearance of Tokushima's cross, MF Esteban took a shot from distance but it went over the bar. Although the situation became a bit frantic, Tokushima's lack of precision allowed them to maintain a one-goal lead and finish the first half.

Following the introduction of Watanabe and Kajiyama, Sasaki also made his debut, and the FW line continued to score.

In the second half, aiming for an additional goal, they launched an aggressive attack right from the start. In the 51st minute, from Ota's left throw-in, Yonemoto passed to Hanyu, who exploited the opponent's blind spot and delivered a well-aimed through pass. Kono broke free, caught up near the sideline, and made a central last pass. Edu, trying to connect, was fouled and brought down, earning a penalty kick. In the 52nd minute, Edu confidently converted this penalty kick, successfully securing the second goal.

On the other hand, Tokushima made two substitutions in the 58th minute and began to attack, but Tokyo responded calmly and took advantage of the opponent's gaps to launch counterattacks one after another. In the 68th minute, a quick attack saw Kono's pass reach Edu in the left area, but he couldn't shoot directly. In the 72nd minute, Muto, just in front of the right side of the area, passed to Edu in the center and circled to the left. Edu skillfully evaded the opponent with the sole of his foot and distributed the ball to the left, and once again, Muto sent a cross towards Kono in front of the goal, but it went wide.

Substituted Watanabe for Edu in the 73rd minute. Then in the 77th minute, Tokunaga stole the ball in a low position on the right side of his own half, and Hayu, who followed up, connected with Kono in front. Kono, while being threatened to be dispossessed by the opponent, carried the ball with a strong dribble and made a through pass to the front line. Muto utilized his speed to bring the ball into the area, flowed left to evade the opposing defender and goalkeeper, and scored! He got the third goal in the intended shape utilizing his speed.

In the 78th minute, Kajiwara was brought on as an attacking midfielder in place of Kono. By creating time in the front line, they aimed to pull away from Tokushima. In the 87th minute, Sasaki made his J-League debut, coming on for Muto. Just after entering the 4 minutes of added time, Sasaki applied intense pressure on the opposing goalkeeper. The resulting kick reached Yonemoto in the Tokushima half, and Kajiwara made a one-touch pass into the area. Here, Watanabe surged forward, evaded the defender, brought the ball to the left front, and scored with his left foot!

In defense, they kept a clean sheet while players like Kajiyama and debutant Sho SASAKI showcased their strengths, achieving victory with a sense of unity among all members. This led to acquiring 3 points for the first time in 5 league matches, contributing to a club record of 13 consecutive matches without a loss.

[Player Comments]
《Edu》
"I haven't been able to score in the flow of the game, and I feel frustrated for missing my chances. However, even though my contribution to the team may be low, I thought about helping the team by focusing on defense and running if I couldn't score. I believe that not losing my aggressiveness led to the opening goal. I will give my all with the strength I have now. I've approached it with this mindset so far, and I promise to continue fighting with all my strength, 100 percent."

《Watanabe》
"When Kajiyama received the ball, I was thinking about moving immediately. It was easier to execute my aim, and he delivered a good vertical pass just as I expected, so I focused on finishing it myself. Right now, there are many injured players, but for the healthy ones, it's actually an opportunity, and since I am on the field, I have to perform. Even if the playing time is short, there will be at least one chance, so it's important to make the most of those limited opportunities. That will increase our competitiveness and contribute to the team's strength."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"Tokushima set up with three forwards and five players remaining in the back. I expected that we would struggle to change sides effectively, and that turned out to be the case. After taking the lead, the opponent pushed forward, which created space and made things a bit easier for us. As we scored two and then three goals, it became even easier. What I particularly want to emphasize is that the players' mentality was outstanding. As a fundamental approach of the team, we have communicated that regardless of whether the opponent is at the bottom or at the top, we should always give 100 percent effort, and this was discussed among the players as well. Through the way we entered the match and played, they truly demonstrated that."

[Summary of the Press Conference by Tokushima's Shinji KOBAYASHI]
"It felt like a tough game. In the first 20 minutes, especially the first 10 minutes, we were a bit disorganized, but I think our defense in our own half was effective. The opponent struggled to attack, and we were able to create chances. However, at a moment when it was uncertain which way the game would go, we momentarily stopped and conceded the first goal from a counterattack. It was very unfortunate. In the previous match, we collapsed here, but it was good that we went into halftime at 0-1. I believed that even though we couldn't score, if we defended patiently, there would be chances. Everything was about the second goal. The third goal came from a counterattack after we attacked, and the fourth was from our own mistake. It was disappointing that we couldn't take care of those situations rather than just being outplayed. Also, when we broke through, we ended up going back instead of crossing or shooting. There were moments when we attacked and crossed, but we couldn't create such situations on the sides. The tendency to go back easily is a matter of individual skill. I think we could challenge more strongly, but it's a shame that we can't. In a situation where we are struggling to score, conceding one goal is very heavy, and the second goal was particularly significant. Today, we fell into a pattern of starting from Tokyo's defense. Once we conceded the second goal, we had to take the initiative, but we couldn't create many opportunities. We couldn't put pressure on Tokyo."