The league matches have resumed at Ajinomoto, which attracted the largest crowd of the season.

After a break of about three weeks, the league matches resumed, and we faced Albirex Niigata in Sec. 32. In the previous match against Nagoya, Muto scored a valuable equalizer, bringing the game to a draw. However, the points remain at 46, widening the gap with the top teams. Even if we win this match, we cannot rise to 6th place, making it a "difficult situation for the players to maintain high motivation" (Coach Massimo) as we approach the final stages of the season. At the same time, during this break, Morishige, Ota, and Muto focused on activities with the Japan national team. Therefore, the overall training for the match against Niigata was effectively only two days. It can be said that there are concerns about the team's preparation.

However, Gonda, who missed the last match due to a neck injury, returns. Kono also starts for the first time since the match against G Osaka on October 26, with the front line consisting of Edu, Muto, and Kono. Additionally, Morishige will achieve his 200th appearance in J1 in today's match.

Niigata is currently in 12th place with 41 points. Although they lost to Kashima in the last match, they had victories against higher-ranked teams like Tosu and Kawasaki just before that. While it cannot be denied that there are 'waves' in their performance, Coach Massimo has heightened his caution, stating, "Niigata is playing good football and is gaining momentum as the second half progresses. They remain a good team." In particular, the newly joined FW Ibusuki has fit in well, and the combination of his height and MF Tanaka's movements has increased their versatility. Additionally, in the away match in the first half, although they won with a goal from Muto, they struggled to contain Niigata's MF Leo SILVA, resulting in prolonged periods of pressure. With Tokyo having conceded goals in the last five matches, they want to extend the time they can minimize conceding and progress the game at their own rhythm.

Above all, a record 42,059 people attended Ajinomoto Stadium this season = a match where we must fight aggressively at home and seek victory. Under the climate that began to cool as the sun set, the match started at 17:04 with Niigata's kickoff.

Kono scored the opening goal, but allowed Niigata to take control...

From the very beginning, both teams aggressively attacked each other, and the game would change early on. In the 7th minute, Tokunaga on the right side passed to Edu at the front line. Edu advanced into the right area, dribbled past the Niigata DF, made a step ahead, and sent a ground pass in front of the goal. Kono connected with it, sliding between two opposing DFs, and pushed it in with his left foot, GOAL!! They scored the opening goal just as planned.

It seemed that they could calmly progress in the match, but from the moment they took the lead, Niigata took control. They allowed ball possession and were attacked by quick passing plays and set pieces. However, they showed no cracks in defense and responded with concentration. Conversely, in the 21st minute, a dynamic play initiated by Yonemoto led to a chance. Receiving a drop from Edu in the center, Yonemoto switched to the left. He then sprinted forward and received a pass from Ota. In the left area, he feinted to get past the opposing DF and entered a shooting position, but... he was just slightly late with his timing and was blocked. In the 28th minute, Muto broke through on the right front line. He evaded the opposing DF and sent a negative last pass to the center of the area, but it did not reach Edu.

During the first half, Kono moved to the side and attempted to contain Niigata's cross, but was unable to respond effectively and had to revert the formation. Still unable to change the flow of the game, in the 32nd minute, Niigata launched a quick counterattack from a clearance of Ota's cross. Hayu quickly returned to cut it off, resulting in a corner kick, but from this corner, Niigata MF Leo SILVA took a shot from distance. Here, Tokyo DF also put their bodies on the line to block, but in the following 33rd minute, a series of passes between Niigata MF Leo SILVA and MF Kobayashi led to MF Tanaka A slipping a through ball between Morishige and Yoshimoto, getting FW Ibusuki behind Tokyo DF, who then scored a free shot from the right area... leveling the score.

In the 45th minute, Muto, who advanced through the center with a dribble, was fouled and earned a free kick just before the penalty arc. However, Ota's kick was blocked by the defensive wall. As a result, the only shots in the first half were Kono's goal and Ota's direct free kick attempt. On the other hand, Niigata managed to take 10 shots, leading to a turnaround in the second half.

Suffered 3 goals and experienced the first comeback loss of the season

In the 46th minute of the second half, while trying to regroup, Ota's cross was met by Edu, who ran in from the far side and attempted to connect with his foot but was contested and only managed to earn a throw-in. Following that, a corner kick was gained from Hanyu's pass. From this sequence, Yonemoto took a sharp shot from distance, but it was deflected by the goalkeeper's punch. In the 54th minute, Yonemoto played a wedge pass to Edu in the center of the area, and Edu directly spread the ball to the right area. Hanyu tried to dive in here but was held back by the Niigata defense. Niigata also quickly switched between offense and defense, and in the 56th minute, a shot was taken by Koizumi from the left to the center to the right side back just before the area, but Gonda made the save.

Both teams launched speedy attacks against each other. In the 61st minute, there was a free kick from outside the right area. Ota's quick low kick was met by Morishige diving in at the near post, but it was deflected for a corner by Niigata. From this, Yoshimoto's header went just to the right. In the 67th minute, Tokunaga cut off Niigata's clearance and passed to Kono in the area. Kono seemed to fall under intense defense from the opponent, but... no whistle. Conversely, in the 69th minute, from a one-two on the left side, substitute forward Rafael SILVA tried to break through the front line. It appeared that Yoshimoto was being overwhelmed, but this play was called a foul, giving Niigata a free kick. This free kick just in front of the left area was aimed at MF Leo SILVA, who scored a powerful shot into the top right of the goal... allowing the turnaround.

Tokyo brought in Higashi in the 71st minute and Watanabe in the 75th. Watanabe on the right front, Muñoz on the left. Higashi in the attacking midfield. They attempted to counterattack with Takahashi and Yonemoto as a double pivot. However, although they managed to advance the ball, Edu and Muñoz faced tight marking and could not break through Niigata's solid defense. In the 78th minute, Niigata's left back Kawaguchi's feed allowed forward Ibusuki on the right front to maintain possession, and central midfielder Tanaka A received a through pass behind Tokyo's defense. In response, midfielder Yamamoto broke through, and Tokunaga tried to cut the ball but lost it again to midfielder Yamamoto, who pushed it in... and in no time, they conceded their third goal.

In the 86th minute, Matsuda was brought on, and the formation was changed to a three-back system, aiming to push for a comeback until the end. However, in the 88th minute, Matsuda jumped into the area and sent the ball towards the Niigata goal, but it crossed the mouse. In stoppage time, Watanabe took a volley, but it went over the bar, and the match ended. This was the first defeat by a margin of two goals or more since the Nabisco match against Gamba Osaka on May 24. Additionally, it marked the first comeback loss of the season, and the team fell back to 8th place.

【Player Comments】
《Kono》
"I thought Edu would break through vertically, so I believed and went into the goal area. The ball came just as I expected, and I was glad I could score. However, after that, Niigata started to control the ball, and we became disjointed as a team. We lost our composure. There are only two matches left, but we need to show that we can do more as a team."

《Morishige》
"We took the lead, and it felt like we were satisfied with that... It created an atmosphere that we could win. Today, we unfortunately lost, but how we approach the next two matches with motivation is extremely important. We need to take responsibility for each match and aim to win no matter what. More than the soccer itself, I have reflections on our attitude."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"It is clear from the result that it was a difficult match. I think we started the game well, but after we scored, our play stopped a bit. This caused us to be dominated by the opponent and led to them equalizing in the first half. In the second half, we were able to enter the game in relatively good shape, but after we conceded the second goal, we lost our compactness as a team. We kept trying until the end, but the opponent played well, and the match became increasingly difficult. We may have lost our rhythm with a three-week gap between matches."

【Summary of Masaaki YANAGISHITA's Press Conference】
"It was very good that we were able to play the game in our style for the full 90 minutes. Although we conceded a goal early on, the players remained calm and effectively exploited the spaces in Tokyo. We took the initiative and actively aimed for goals. Even though we couldn't break through completely, we pushed forward and repeatedly tried, which led to our scoring. We also switched quickly in defense, and although there were a few dangerous moments, we endured patiently. Running for the full 90 minutes is very important for playing Niigata's style of football. It was good that we were able to achieve that. We have two matches left, and we want to continue playing like we did today."