Ajinomoto, which has welcomed a total of 6 million people in the league, will face the final game of the 7-game series.

Entering the 11th round of the league, Kashima Antlers will face off against the opponent at home. In the previous round, they marked their first 3 goals of the season. Despite struggling against Sendai's counterattack, they grabbed their first J1 victory at Yurtec.S and secured Massimo Tokyo's first 4 consecutive wins. This round marks the end of a 7-game stretch, but it is also a match where they aim for their club's joint-highest J1 5 consecutive wins without giving any chances to the opponent.

However, Yoshimoto received a warning and will be suspended from playing. Canini, who has recovered from an injury, will return to the starting lineup as a center back. The front line will consist of two top players, Muto and Higashi, with Kono playing behind them. New addition Lassad will also be on the bench.

Kashima, on the other hand, has played up to the 9th round of the league, with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses, ranking 11th. In addition, in the ACL, which was being played simultaneously with the league, they lost to FC Seoul on the 5th and missed out on advancing to the final round. This season, the absence of FW Davi seems to have had an impact, as they have not been able to fully demonstrate their usual "Kashima style". However, with their wealth of experience and the emergence of young players, they are a team aiming for "constant victory" while also aiming for a generational change.

The previous match record is 8 wins, 8 draws, and 18 losses for Tokyo, which is a significant losing streak. In particular, the last 10 matches have ended in defeat. While Tokyo may have an advantage in terms of current team situation and momentum, it will be a highly anticipated match to see if they can overcome the strong and determined Kashima team.

Under clear weather conditions during the day, a total of 42,070 spectators gathered at Ajinomoto, the second highest this season, surpassing 6 million home league games. With support from the stands before the start, the game kicked off at 4:04 pm in Tokyo.

Gradually pushed into Kashima, and conceded the first goal.

From the start, Kashima came in with momentum. In the 4th minute, they had their first shot of the day. In the 8th minute, MF Doi dribbled through the center from a counter attack. He connected with MF Endo who entered the area and was ready to shoot, but Ota blocked it and it went out for a corner kick. From this corner kick, DF Yamamoto had a close-range header that was saved by Gonda. There were also moments where Tokyo brought the ball up for a shot, but they remained calm and focused on their quick transitions. The game continued with a fast pace of switching between offense and defense.

However, Kashima frequently changed sides and both fullbacks pushed forward, thoroughly preparing for Tokyo's tactics. On the other hand, Tokyo lost the ball frequently in the midfield and couldn't find their rhythm. In the 26th minute, they attempted a counterattack but it was half-hearted and they were hit by Kashima's counterattack. In the 32nd minute, Kono moved to the right and changed sides. Ota timed it perfectly and pushed forward, sending a ground cross, but it was cut off by Kashima's defenders in the box.

In the 34th minute, in the midst of being pushed back by Kashima, central MF Endo passed a soft lob pass to left area where DF Yamamoto had moved up. While trying to finish, FW Akasaki was held back by Morishige, but no one was able to react to the loose ball. Kashima's MF Doi closed in and allowed a shot. The ball didn't have much momentum, but it rolled into the bottom left corner... In a moment of vulnerability, they conceded the first goal.

Still, in the 41st minute, Julian broke through the left front line and sent a sharp cross. The opponent's GK deflected it and Lori, who was free, closed in on it, but his right foot shot missed to the right. This was Tokyo's only shot in the first half, and they went into the second half trailing by one point.

Unable to break through Kashima's strong defense, we were defeated without scoring any points.

Gradually covered by clouds and with the wind picking up, Tokyo made substitutions in the second half, replacing Hayabusa with Takahashi and Kawano with Maeda. They changed their formation to 4-4-2 and tried to launch a counterattack. They took control of the pace and went on the offensive, but struggled with the precision of their final plays. In the 46th minute, Mutoh received a vertical pass from Takahashi and moved to the left. Higashi crossed the ball, but it went over Takahashi's head in the box and went out to the far side. In the 48th minute, Maeda headed the ball perfectly from a left corner kick, but it was saved by the GK. In the 54th minute, Higashi cut in from the left side and took a powerful shot from just outside the box, but it went straight to the GK. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama and Mutoh launched a quick attack with a dribble, and Higashi crossed the ball from the left side, but it was cut off by a Kashima DF.

Kashima made a substitution in the 70th minute, bringing in DF Ueda for MF Doi. They have been increasing their numbers in front of the goal and pulling back to form a block since this time. In response, Tokyo made a substitution in the 74th minute, bringing in Mita for Kajiyama. Shortly after, Mori Shige's shot from a right corner kick hit the bar... In the 78th minute, Maeda sent the ball to the far post with a header from a right corner kick won by Mita, but Higashi was unable to convert the scoring opportunity due to a handball foul.

In the 81st minute, a quick attack was launched, with Muto on the left, Mita on the right, and Tokunaga running up the outside and making a vertical run, with a final pass in front of the goal. However, the ball ended up in an empty space. From here, Kashima was hit by a counterattack, and a decisive shot was taken by MF Shibasaki in the right area, but it hit the bar. While they didn't allow an additional point, Kashima was still able to bring the ball to the finish.

Despite receiving loud cheers from the stands, they never gave up and in the 87th minute, Maeda from near the corner kick headed the ball but it narrowly missed the bar. In additional time, they continued to earn corner kicks one after another. In the end, Konda also joined the attack, but they were unable to capitalize on the 9 corner kicks they had. Unable to bounce back from being behind, the time was up. It was their second game this season without scoring a goal, and once again they were unable to defeat Kashima due to the goal they conceded in the first half. This was their second loss in the league.

[Player Comments]
《East》
"I think we were on the defensive in the first half. It was a similar situation to the Kawasaki game. If that's the case, we had to keep the goals to zero. Or maybe we should have played like we did in the second half from the start of the game... I'm disappointed that we couldn't win with so many people coming to support us. However, a record of 4 wins and 1 loss in 5 games is not bad at all. I want to rest my body and keep my spirits up so that we can have another good game."

"Yonemoto"
"Losing is frustrating and there is regret. But if we didn't concede in the first half, it would have been our game. I once again felt that "defense is our lifeline" and I think the result would have been different if the first half ended 0-0. We want to make adjustments and do our best for the next game."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"In the first half, we became a little passive. Kashima was not particularly good, but it was a tactically difficult game. We knew that the opponent would come on the offensive from the start, and until around the 20-minute mark, we were able to respond well. However, after that, we lost the ball easily in the midfield and gave away a goal. In the second half, the game changed completely from the first half. There were a couple of counterattacks, but considering the quality of Kashima's players, it was inevitable. One incident did not go in our favor, but in soccer, things can happen that don't go in the right direction. Kashima had just lost in the ACL, but they were able to play their game. Although we lost, I am satisfied with our performance in the second half. I think they showed us that it is not easy to beat us."
(Why didn't you fix it until halftime?)
Even after being behind, there was still time left and we calmly organized our thoughts and unified our intentions during halftime. We are facing technically strong teams such as Hiroshima, Kawasaki, G Osaka, Urawa, and Kashima, but we are fighting by demonstrating our own strengths. However, it is difficult to continue this for the full 90 minutes. The players received instructions during halftime and responded wonderfully.

(In the second half, we were on the offensive, but was our attack too monotonous?)
We had a variety of approaches from the first half. In the last 30 minutes, the opponent's defense became five players, so we thought that crosses from deep positions would be effective. We still lack the ability to break through individually. We tried to find a solution within that. I think we played smartly by attacking from the sides against the opponent who pulled back, in order to reduce the risk of counterattacks.

(Was there no plan to play with the lead from the first half?)
There were also players with problems, so management was necessary. There was a willingness to actively challenge, but the ball was constantly taken away in the midfield and the center of gravity dropped. The impression was that there was not enough possession in the midfield.

[Kashima - Manager Toninho CEREZO's press conference summary]
"With a large number of spectators pushing the home team, it was expected that they would be pushed back in the second half after taking the lead. In the first half, the players were doing what they needed to do and the content was fantastic. We had already communicated how to deal with runs into the opponent's space and attacks from the left side, so they responded well. However, in the second half, we neglected to pay attention to the sides and gave the opponent several chances. We were also chasing defensively due to our own ball losses, but I think we could have handled it better if we had been more composed. We knew that we had conceded a lot of goals from set pieces, so we changed our defensive approach. It's not something that can be completed in just two days, and there were a few dangerous situations created by Maeda on the near side. We need to analyze and adjust that. Still, we didn't create any chances from the flow of the game, and the players who were able to turn things around in just two days deserve praise."