Although allowing Kashiwa to dominate, "If Muto scores, we won't lose!"

The match started with action. As both teams battled for the ball, Tokyo picked up the second ball, with Hanyu, Takahashi, and Tokunaga breaking through on the right side. They outmuscled the opponent's left midfielder Takayama to break free and delivered a low cross into the center. Just as the opposing defender attempted to clear it, Muto rushed in and pushed the bouncing ball into the net with his left foot for a GOAL!! Muto scored for the second consecutive match, giving Tokyo an early lead.

Up to this point, Muto has played in seven league matches without a loss. By scoring first, he gained a psychological advantage, and in the 8th minute, Kono made a through pass to the front line. Edu, trying to break free, was sandwiched by the opposing DF, but Takahashi rushed in for the loose ball and took a shot from the right side. In the 11th minute, Yoshimoto passed to Muto, who made a strong dribble forward. He broke into the left area with a one-two with Edu, but was held back by the Kashiwa DF.

After that, Kashiwa gradually began to evade Tokyo's press. In the 15th minute, they attacked from the right side, and Tokyo's clearance went to Kashiwa MF Otani, who took a shot from distance. In the 19th minute, a cross from Kashiwa's right was met directly by MF Takayama. This was blocked, but Tokyo found themselves pushed back, with their line dropping low, and they struggled to connect passes forward for a while. As a result, they allowed Kashiwa to dominate possession, but they remained focused in defense and did not allow any finishing opportunities.

Although there was more time spent on defense, during the first half's additional time, Kono intercepted a pass from a Kashiwa DF to the midfield and charged forward dribbling from slightly right to the center. He drew in the DF and made a last pass to Muto on the left front. Muto, receiving the ball at the penalty arc, used his right foot to trap the ball and brought it in front of his left foot, scoring with a relaxed shot to secure an additional point! Utilizing Kono's defense and quick transition, they expanded their lead and ended the first half.

Edu also scored 2 goals!! With 4 goals, he pulled away from Kashiwa, achieving consecutive wins

In the second half, they did not miss the opponent's gaps and capitalized on their chances. In the 49th minute, Tokunaga's early cross was perfectly dropped by Edu, and Muto took a shot. This went wide to the left, but in the following 50th minute, Muto applied intense pressure on the Kashiwa defender, stole the ball, and immediately connected with Kono. Kono advanced the ball slightly to the left and sent a pass to Edu, who broke free in front of the opposing defender and struck the goal with his left foot! After this, there was a period of time where they faced Kashiwa's counterattack, but Tokyo maintained their work rate and quick transitions, launching effective counters.

In the 66th minute, from Kono's play, Ota advanced on the side and delivered a low cross just before the area. Yonemoto struck a volley but... it went wide to the left. In the 73rd minute, Kajiyama came on for Kono. Immediately after, in the opponent's half, Takahashi, Muto, and Hanyu exchanged passes, and Hanyu passed to Kajiyama in the center, who momentarily held the ball before passing it back. Although it was initially intercepted by Kashiwa, Yonemoto applied pressure, and when the ball became loose, Takahashi seized it and spread it to the left. Ota, overlapping, aimed for a cross between the GK and Kashiwa's DF, and Edu jumped in, getting in front of the Kashiwa DF for a direct shot with his left foot! The powerful ball deflected off the opponent's GK and went in, marking Edu's second goal and putting distance between them and Kashiwa.

In the 80th minute, Watanabe was brought on for Edu. In the 88th minute, Matsuda was brought on for Tokunaga, who had been involved in intense battles. They tried to close out the match by creating their own time. Nevertheless, Kashiwa did not give up and launched a counterattack. In the 89th minute, FW Kudo, just outside the left area, slipped through the Tokyo defense with precise passing and took a shot from inside the area. It was a decisive moment, but Gonda made the save! Furthermore, MF Otani took a long-range shot that hit the post. In added time, Kashiwa MF Dudu entered the right area and shot towards the center where FW Leandro was, but it went wide, avoiding a crisis, and the match ended.

There were moments when they were pushed back by Kashiwa, but Tokyo skillfully seized the opportunities and reliably converted them into goals at crucial points, scoring 4 goals in total following the previous match while also keeping a clean sheet in defense, achieving consecutive victories.

[Player Comments]
Tokunaga
"In the moment of the opening goal, Muto's movement was good, and since I could see that, it was easier to match the cross. However, personally, I think it's more important that, as a defensive player, I kept a clean sheet rather than just providing the assist. There were times when we were pushed back by Kashiwa, but I believed that if we could exploit the opponent's gaps, there would be chances."

《Ota》
"We were able to play the match as we aimed. Kashiwa connects their passes, but I thought that if we could withstand that, space would open up. We scored the first goal early on, and just before the end of the first half, we scored a second goal at a very inconvenient time for the opponent. Even when we were pushed back, no one panicked, and I think we were perfect throughout both halves. In the second half, space opened up, and I believe I was able to play in a way that utilized others while also making myself effective."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference】
　"As everyone saw, today's result of 4 to 0 says it all. Scoring the first goal made it easier to manage the game afterwards. We were able to endure the tough moments well, and there was a wonderful play by Kono during the counterattack after we regained possession of the ball. Tokunaga's cross and Ota's play for the fourth goal were also fantastic. Kashiwa is a team that always wins titles every year. I don't think we are in a bad state this season either. I am truly satisfied with being able to achieve such a result against that opponent."

【Kashiwa - NELSINHO's Press Conference Summary】

"Regarding today's result, I believe I must take full responsibility. In facing Tokyo, I positioned forward Kudo further up than usual to prevent the opponent's Takahashi or one of the full-backs from functioning too offensively. However, this inadvertently created space for the opponent to circulate the ball. After the first goal conceded, the team recovered well. Especially in terms of offense, we were able to execute our game plan and create scenes where we were just one step away from a goal. However, I think the second goal conceded just before the end of the first half was quite impactful. There were goals conceded from mistakes, but rather than blaming that, I believe my judgment was incorrect today."