League match resumes. Fight tenaciously and aim for victory in this battle.

The league resumed. In the 7th round, we faced Montedio Yamagata away. In the Nabisco Tosu match, we changed the members and Mita scored 2 goals. At the same time, we kept a clean sheet and grabbed a victory to dispel the flow of the first loss in the league.

However, the current league ranking is 5th place, and in order to continue to be involved in the championship race in J1, consecutive losses are not allowed. It is an important match where we want to earn 3 points in order to rise again. We will use the lessons from the Hiroshima match and aim for victory by sticking to our own style of soccer without losing balance.

Yamagata, on the other hand, dramatically won the promotion playoffs last season and returned to J1 after 4 seasons. This will be their first match against Tokyo since 2010. In the league, they are currently in 17th place. After the 6th round, they have only scored 2 goals, struggling with a lack of scoring power. However, they have only conceded 6 goals, and Kono also says, "Yamagata has a strong defense." Additionally, since Yamagata did not have a Nabisco Cup match during the week, they should have thoroughly prepared for this round.

It was a calm and sunny day, but as evening approached, a cold wind gradually blew in Yamagata. Tokyo will face Sec. 7 at ND Stadium for the first time since 2010. Ishikawa will be absent for Tokyo. However, Morishige, Yonemoto, Kajiyama, and Muto, who missed the Nabisco Tosu match, will return to the starting lineup. Yoshimoto, as well as Higashi and Mita, will also be in the starting lineup following the Tosu match.

Yamagata will use FW Frank Romero on the front line. Along with FW Kawanishi, he will serve as a shadow, and FW Diego will be placed at the top in a 3-4-3 formation. Yamagata boasts a strong defense, but they cannot afford to lose consecutive games in the league. They are expected to dominate possession, but they will need to be persistent and take advantage of their opponent's weaknesses while maintaining balance in order to aim for victory in this match.

The match started at 18:34 with a kick-off from Yamagata.

Ota scores first goal of the season from FK! Protecting the one-point lead, the first half ends.

The match was in the early 2 minutes. Mita, who picked up the opponent's clear, boldly aimed for a middle shot using his speed, but it just missed to the left. In the following 8 minutes, Muto kept the ball on the left front line. He sped up while dropping back from a high position near the line. He connected with Kono who moved up the middle. Kono carried the ball vertically and tried to shoot in the left area, but it was blocked and resulted in a left corner kick. However, they were unable to score from the subsequent corner kick.

15 minutes have passed and the battle for the ball continues, gradually Tokyo has taken control of the ball. In the 22nd minute, a free kick from the opponent's right side. Ota sends a sharp kick to the front of the goal, and Yoshimoto jumps in near the ball. The ball slips through from the top and drops down, bouncing into the net! Ota scores with a free kick, taking the lead with the first goal of the season!!

At 28 minutes, Yamagata made a quick attack and left MF Takagi pushed forward to the front line, with a ground cross. However, Kinda took a low stance and caught the ball in front of his body. Then at 29 minutes, a pass from Tokyo's side reached Yamagata's FW Kawanishi in the area, creating a dangerous situation. However, Tokyo's defense was strong and they continuously blocked with great awareness and effort! The team continued to hold their ground and did not allow the opponent to score.

Ota took advantage of a set piece opportunity and scored the first goal. Although they couldn't score another goal during the flow of the game, they were able to maintain a 1-point lead by staying focused and preventing Yamagata's counterattacks, ending the first half.

Grabbing 3 points with persistent and focused battle until the end!

47 minutes into the second half. The opponent's one-two in the front line was calmly held back, and they tried to bring it to a counter, but Muto was dispossessed as he tried to move forward, and Yamagata launched a counterattack. Diego took a shot from the right side, but Gonda caught it. In the following 48 minutes, they couldn't control the pass exchange in the center of Yamagata, and the marking was off, allowing MF Matsuda to break through on the right side, and right MF Kim Bon-yong, who had moved up to support, took the finish. However, the shot went over the bar and they escaped danger.

At 52 minutes, Muto reacted to the ball that spilled out from the front line. He skillfully made it his own and broke through the left area with strength, choosing to cross. Mita, in the center of the area, tried to volley it but missed and couldn't bring it to a finish. At 56 minutes, Tokyo substituted Takahashi for Kono! A double pivot with Kajiyama, a 4-4-2 with Yonemoto and Mita on the sides. 60 minutes have passed, and although they didn't allow any goals, they were pushed back in the beginning by Yamagata's speedy transitions and the attacks and combinations from FW Kawanishi, who dropped back to build up play.

64 minutes, Tokyo is pressed by Yamagata on the side and threatened in front of the goal. A sharp cross from the right was cleared with a header, but MF Alceu was able to shoot from the right area. The situation was decisive, but they were able to avoid danger by cutting to the right.

In the 70th minute, Hayashi replaces Yonemoto! Azuma moves to the side. Yamagata also brings in FW Hayashi Ryohei. In the 72nd minute, newly substituted Tokyo's Hayashi brings the ball to the left area and gets into a shooting position, but is blocked by Yamagata's defense and unable to score. As the 75th minute passes, Tokyo tries to regroup, but is unable to stop Yamagata's momentum. Tokyo is also struggling to find their rhythm in defense, and the game continues at Yamagata's pace.

Kajiyama received a warning in the 78th minute, his third of the season. In the 82nd minute, Hayashi was substituted for Mita! Following that, Yamagata brought in midfielder Nakajima. Then, in the additional time at the end of the game, Mutoh quickly counterattacked from Tokunaga's sliding tackle. He dribbled freely up and down the field, then shifted to the left. From there, he connected with Hayashi in the box, but... he couldn't finish it off.

In the second half, Yamagata attacked. We tried to respond by changing players and formations, but we couldn't find our rhythm. However, we concentrated in our own half and defended against danger, and then launched a counterattack. We couldn't score any additional points, but we fought tenaciously and concentrated until the end, protecting Ota's goal and securing 3 points.

[Player Comments]
"Ota"
"I feel responsible because I am always entrusted with set plays and I always want to score. As for today's free kick, I aimed for the central space by judging the Yamagata DF. I aimed for a course that would flow into the goal even if a teammate touched it or not. I didn't really understand when it was decided. Yoshimoto said, 'It's me' and was happy. I also said, 'It's me' (laughs). But it's the one who is recorded who wins (laughs). I knew that Yamagata would press from the front. I think it would have been better if we could have connected the ball a little more. However, we fought through without taking risks and kept the score at zero. It is also our theme this season to make the most of our few chances while keeping the goals against at zero. Personally, I think it would be ideal if we could turn our set play opportunities into 3 points."

"Yoshimoto"
"Yamagata played long balls and crosses, and there was a sense of fear. Kanda jumped out to catch those crosses and there was a sense of relief. We may have had many moments where we had to hold the defense line, but I think we were able to get 3 points as a team in a tough game. Of course, I wish I could have connected more passes, but I tried to play without taking risks and win at least. As for scoring, I think winning through set plays is also a pattern of a strong team. In order to continue competing for the top, I hope we can further develop that strength."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"The start was very good. We were able to take the lead in the midst of good plays. After that, we gave the opponent a chance from our own mistakes, but we were able to finish the first half somehow. In the second half, the opponent threw the ball forward and aimed for second balls, but I think we were able to respond well. Especially towards the end of the game, after making substitutions, we compacted the midfield and did not give the opponent any decisive chances. Even though Yamagata has been playing good soccer and creating many chances despite not getting results, today's game was still uncertain until the very end. I think it was a valuable victory to get 3 points against such a strong opponent after struggling so much."

[Yamagata・Nobuhiro Ishizaki's Press Conference Summary]
"It was about what we could do against Tokyo, where there are many players from the Japan national team. First of all, we emphasized not losing in terms of our feelings and entered the game, but in the first half, we were weak in terms of ball control. The one goal we conceded was an unfortunate goal from a direct free kick. In the second half, we became stronger in terms of ball control and were able to create more actions than our opponents and push them back. However, the big challenge from there was not being able to score goals. The most important thing is still the finishing, crosses, and last passes, and our accuracy was lacking. I think that if we don't focus on that, it will be difficult for us to score goals in J1. We have been playing well in the last three games, but we have been unable to win. We don't have exceptional players like Muto, so we want to continue to demand ball control and accuracy from the entire team and head to the next game."