A match aiming for consecutive victories through tenacious fighting

The league Sec. 8 is approaching just three days after the last match. We will face Albirex Niigata away. In the last match, we were pressured by Yamagata, but we defended the goal scored by Ota as a team, achieving a third consecutive 1-0 victory in the league. As a result, we have accumulated 14 points and secured two consecutive wins in official matches. This match is another away game following the Yamagata match, but it is a battle aimed at victory based on solid defense.

Gonda said, "In a 1-0 situation, a lot of concentration is required. Ideally, we want to make it 2-0 or 3-0, but if we start thinking, 'Since we've scored 3 goals, it's okay to concede 1,' that leads to complacency. That's why it's important to first focus on keeping the goal difference at zero while always aiming for goals within that context."

Niigata is currently in 15th place. Their record so far is 1 win, 3 draws, and 3 losses, and especially in the last 3 matches, they have been unable to secure a victory. "They may be going through a tough time right now," said coach Massimo. Nevertheless, in this season's Nabisco Cup and in last season's matches, Niigata has had long periods of ball possession, which has caused Tokyo a lot of trouble. "It is quite predictable that it will be a difficult battle," Coach Massimo also heightened his caution, emphasizing the importance of maintaining focus to contain the developments from Niigata's midfielder Leo SILVA, their quick passing, and coordinated attacks. For Tokyo to capitalize on their chances, they want to keep the team compact and launch quick counterattacks by winning the ball in high positions. Taking advantage of set-piece opportunities will also be a key condition for getting closer to victory.

Tokyo's Kajiyama is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Takahashi will be used as the anchor. Also, Hanyu returns to the starting lineup. Niigata has FW Rafael SILVA and FW Suzuki in the two-top formation. On both sides, MF Koizumi and Naraoka are used as starters. This match aims for consecutive victories with a tenacious fight, not losing to Niigata's quick start and the speed of their front line.

The match started at 14:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Often losing the ball, the first half ends scoreless.

In the 6th minute of the match, Muto broke away alone to the front line and boldly aimed from the left area, but the angle was tight and the shot went across the goal. After 15 minutes had passed, Niigata gradually started to hold the ball, and Tokyo was unable to create opportunities to move forward. Nevertheless, both teams fiercely contested the ball, resulting in an even match.

In the 20th minute, Niigata's FW Rafael SILVA dribbled up the center, but Yoshimoto made a fierce and clean sliding tackle to cut it off. However, he could not regain possession. Niigata continued to press, and right back Kawaguchi delivered a cross, but Gonda caught it without any trouble. By the 30th minute, the situation of Niigata dominating possession remained unchanged. However, Tokyo maintained their concentration in defense and attempted to break through with connected passes and movement from the front line.

In the 38th minute, while trying to connect from Yonemoto to Takahashi in their own territory, the ball was taken by Niigata, and FW Rafael SILVA rushed into the area. Yoshimoto, who tried to block, was also knocked aside, and he ran into the left area, taking a free and decisive shot that went wide to the right... They avoided conceding a goal. In the first half, Tokyo gradually lost control of the ball to Niigata and was pushed back. Nevertheless, Tokyo managed to defend by coordinating their efforts, but they often lost the ball in front of Niigata's tough challenges, ending the first half scoreless.

In a difficult period, Morishige's priceless goal secured the victory!

In the early stages of the second half, in the 49th minute, Yoshimoto was injured near his forehead, and the match was temporarily stopped. He went off the pitch for a moment. During this time, Takahashi took care of the defensive line, but Yoshimoto was not seriously hurt. He returned after treatment. In the 55th minute, Hanyu passed to Muto in the left area. Muto calmly assessed the opposing player and returned the ball to Hanyu, but the return pass was off-target, allowing Niigata to launch a counterattack. However, Yoshimoto bravely stopped it. In the 56th minute, Hayashi was brought on for Azuma. In the following 61st minute, Mita came on for Kono.

65 minutes have passed, and we are starting to see moments where we are being outmatched by Niigata's intensity. We want to maintain our balance and fight without panicking. Then, in the 66th minute, we were attacked by Niigata, and left back Cortes made a clever trap control to break forward and cross. In response, forward Rafael SILVA jumped into the center of the area and took a decisive shot directly... it went over the bar, but it was a tense moment.

75 minutes have passed, and although they have not conceded a goal thanks to Niigata's mistakes, they are still in a pinch. Therefore, Takahashi and Yonemoto form a double pivot. The formation has changed to a 4-4-2 with Mita and Hanyu on the sides. In the 80th minute, they were pushed back by Niigata, and a clearance was too short, leading to consecutive decisive shots from Niigata's FW Rafael SILVA and FW Yamazaki from inside the area, but in the end, Gonda made a save and they escaped to a corner kick. In the 81st minute, Maruyama was brought in to replace Hanyu. Morishige took the center in a three-back formation, and the midfield was changed to a 3-5-2 with Takahashi in the center and Yonemoto and Mita on the sides.

In the 86th minute, a free kick was awarded in a position slightly to the right in the opponent's half. Ota took a sharp kick for the free kick, and Hayashi dove in with his body to make a header shot. The ball hit just below the right post, but... Morishige, reacting to the rebound, calmly kicked it in for a GOAL!!

Unable to stop Niigata's momentum, we continued to face a tough period, but in the 81st minute, we brought in Maruyama and switched to a three-back formation. At the same time, we did not give up on victory, and Ota, Hayashi, and Morishige capitalized on set-piece opportunities to score. We managed to hold on to a tough match once again, winning 1-0 and celebrating consecutive victories in the league!

[Player Comments]
《Morishige》
"I knew when we faced them in the Nabisco Cup that Niigata is a good team. I expected that we would have to defend a lot, and the key was how well we could concentrate in those moments. Throughout the 90 minutes, we ended up mostly defending, but I believe we achieved this result because we kept a clean sheet. Ideally, I would want to press from the front and limit their options, but due to the heat and the consecutive matches, we couldn't maintain that. During those times, we communicated well as a team and focused on solid defending as a back line."
(About the goal)
Niigata was marking man-to-man during set pieces, so I was thinking about charging into the goal area from a distance. Then Hayashi hit the post, and it bounced back, so I followed up.

《Hayashi》
"(It was a tough time to come on?)
The coach told me that I would be able to play alongside (Muto) up front, and I wanted to score a goal to help the team somehow. However, during defense, I was focused on marking the holding midfielder, MF Leo SILVA, in a vertical relationship, and I was thinking of launching a counterattack from there. I believed that Muto would definitely become the starting point, so I was planning to aim for one shot. In the end, I don't think I was able to contribute much to the team."
(It was because I hit the post that I was able to score. Am I getting closer to the goal gradually?)
Winning is the most important thing, so that was good, but... I want to work harder to contribute more to the team.

《Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference》
"As expected, it was a difficult match. Niigata, despite the loss, played very well in the previous match against G Osaka, and I knew they were a team with strength beyond their ranking. The heat also made the match challenging. In that context, the first 25 minutes of the match were very good. After that, Niigata had some momentum, but they didn't create any decisive chances towards the end of the first half. We were able to start the second half well. Both Tokyo and Niigata had periods of momentum, and in the midst of various developments in the match, we brought in Hayashi, who has speed, next to Muto, and by chasing from the front line, the team returned to a good state. After Muto's decisive chance, Niigata increased their numbers to 4 or 5 in the front line and launched an offensive, so we changed to a 5-back formation and responded by eliminating space. It was truly a close match until the end, but the players capitalized on the few chances they had and did well to maintain their concentration."

《Niigata - Coach Masaaki YANAGISHITA's Press Conference》
"The players were very focused and gave 100% effort even with just two days of recovery, but it's unfortunate that we couldn't convert our chances. However, the style of football we are playing is very good. In terms of our attack, we have been able to do what we want in almost every game this season, so I think it's just a period where we can't win, and we should continue like this. We have another match in two days, so we want to recover our condition and prepare for the next one."