Aiming for victory only, facing the last match away

In Sec. 16 of the 2nd Stage, we will face Kashiwa Reysol away.
After losing to Urawa in the previous match, the possibility of finishing first in both the 2nd stage and overall points has disappeared. The annual ranking has also dropped to 4th place. Morishige expressed his determination, stating, "We must believe in our chances until the end and have the responsibility to fight for victory." With only two league matches left this season, this match will be the last away game, but we are committed to fighting solely for victory.

Kashiwa is currently ranked 9th in terms of annual points. In the 2nd stage, they have achieved three consecutive wins twice, rising to 6th place. Coach Massimo commented on Kashiwa, saying, "They may not have been able to achieve their best results, but they have a high level of combination in the front line and a technical team style." Particularly, with FW Otsu gaining form, they have scored a total of 8 goals in the last three matches, starting from FW Kudo's link-up play. It is essential to cut off passes to FW Kudo and, of course, to compete strongly in the midfield battles against MF Cristiano, MF Takefumi, and MF Otani to prevent the opponent from gaining rhythm.

In order to secure a spot in the championship, we have been pushed into a situation where even a draw is not allowed. However, Coach Massimo emphasized, "Right now, the team has the 'right' sense of tension. We want to turn pressure and tension into positive energy," as they aim to seal off Kashiwa's smooth passing game and move towards victory with their own rhythm.

This match will feature Hashimoto as an inside half. The front line will consist of Maeda and Higashi following the match against Urawa, with Kono playing as the attacking midfielder. Kashiwa will have FW Kudo in the center, FW Otsu on the left, and MF Cristiano on the right. MF Taketomi and Otani will play as shadows. MF Akino will be positioned as the anchor, and in place of the suspended DF Rinko, DF Fujita will take on the left side back position.

On a calm weather day at Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium, many fans and supporters gathered in the away stands, cheering as the match kicked off at 14:03 in Tokyo.

With a sense of unity, we prevented Kashiwa from gaining momentum and took the lead with a penalty kick.

From the very beginning, they displayed an aggressive attitude in both offense and defense. In the 1st minute, a loose ball was picked up in the front line, and a through pass was sent from Kono on the left to Higashi, who had broken through the center behind the opponent, but it was offside before that moment. In the 8th minute, Ota made a vertical run and sent a cross, and Higashi, positioned almost free in the area, headed the ball, but was blocked by the GK just before the goal. In the 9th minute, a play was initiated on the right side, and after a return pass, Takahashi took a grounded shot from the middle. It seemed like the ball barely touched the outstretched hand of the Kashiwa GK, but it went wide, resulting in a goal kick for Kashiwa.

Even when the ball was held by Kashiwa, we stole the second ball from the coordinated press and launched a quick transition attack. In the 12th minute, Kashiwa forward Kudo broke through on the right flank, but Maruyama showed his strength. He persistently won the ball back. In the 14th minute, Maeda calmly evaded the opposing defender with skillful play in the left area and earned a corner kick. Ota's left corner kick was contested in the center, but the loose ball fell to Hashimoto just before the right area. Hashimoto adjusted his steps and entered the area. He attempted to cut back the opponent from a volley position, but at that moment, a Kashiwa defender's foot caught him, resulting in a penalty kick. In the 16th minute, Morishige struck this penalty kick into the ceiling near the center of the goal, scoring the opening goal with a calm and powerful kick!

In the 18th minute, after a quick restart in midfield, Hashimoto advanced a step to the center-right and took a bold shot from distance. In the 19th minute, they earned a free kick slightly to the right in the opponent's territory, and Ota delivered a long kick forward. The cleared ball was followed up by Yonemoto in the center, and then Hashimoto on the left, both taking shots in quick succession. Although both were blocked, they did not allow Kashiwa to gain momentum and aggressively aimed for an additional goal.

After 30 minutes, Kashiwa sent long balls forward, trying to develop from there. In the 33rd minute, Kashiwa delivered crosses from both sides and pushed towards the goal, but in the end, Takahashi cut the right cross. Following that, from Kashiwa's right corner kick, the ball was dropped to the left area defender Eduardo, who reacted in the center, and the ball flew to forward Kudo, just barely going over his head. In the 42nd minute, Higashi on the left side made a through pass to Maeda in the central forward position. It was cut off once, but Maeda persistently reclaimed the loose ball and faced forward. From there, he connected with Hashimoto, who charged into the left area with momentum and fell over due to his own speed, but there was no foul by Kashiwa here. Although they couldn't secure an additional goal, they continued to show unity and determination, finishing the first half with a one-goal lead.

Demonstrating Tokyo's uniqueness, we have risen back to 3rd place in annual points!

In the 60th minute, Nakajima was brought on for Kono. Maeda and Nakajima formed a two-top. Hashimoto and Higashi played as side midfielders. The formation shifted to a double pivot. In the 65th minute, Kashiwa's midfielder Cristiano showed strength against a loose ball in the midfield, attempting to launch a quick counterattack. Yonemoto stole the ball and initiated a counterattack. Yonemoto passed to Higashi, who entered the left area. Higashi, timing his pass, sent a last pass to the center. It didn't connect with Nakajima at the near post, Maeda at the far post, or Yonemoto who advanced centrally, but Hashimoto, who followed from the right, took a shot. However, it was blocked and did not hit the target. In the 68th minute, they launched another counterattack with depth, and Hashimoto, gaining speed, aimed from the right area but missed slightly to the left.

Kashiwa did not give up and launched a counterattack. In the 63rd minute, they displayed their characteristic passing work, connecting a direct pass in the center, but YoneMoto fouled Cristiano to stop the play. A free kick was awarded just before the penalty arc. This free kick was directly aimed at Kashiwa's midfielder Akino, but it went over the bar. Shortly after, in the 76th minute, Takahashi stole the opponent's ball from the right corner of his own half, passed it to YoneMoto in the center, who then connected to Maeda on the left, initiating a brilliant counterattack. Maeda further sent the ball to the right flank, where Takahashi carried it into the right area and delivered a last pass to Higashi in the left area. Just before that, it seemed like the ball, which was sliding from Kashiwa's defender, shook the net, but it was ruled offside………

In the 78th minute, Mita came on for Azuma. Kashiwa also made two substitutions and initiated a power play. Under that pressure, in the 81st minute, Kashiwa's powerful free kick was caught by Brada, but he collided with an opposing player. Both players were in pain but quickly returned to the game. Still, in the final stages, Kashiwa pressed hard, and during the 5 minutes of added time, Kashiwa's right throw-in led to a shot-like right cross from substitute FW Ederson. FW Kudo dove in just barely missing the left post, avoiding a crisis. In the end, Maeda and Mita tenaciously maintained a corner kick, and time was up! They defended the penalty kick raised by Morishige as a team and snatched victory.
As a result, we accumulated 62 points, rising to 3rd place in the annual points standings again.

[Player Comments]
《Morishige》
"Recently, we have been conceding a lot of goals, so I was focused on keeping a clean sheet first. I thought that by reducing the goals conceded, we would actually increase our chances for counterattacks, and that turned out to be the case. It would have been even better if we could have scored an additional goal, but I believe it was the result we aimed for. For the penalty kick, I concentrated solely on kicking the ball."

《Hashimoto》
"Today, everyone on the team was naturally motivated. We were able to start the match well and scored the first goal by earning a penalty kick. I think we scored at a good time to progress the match at our own rhythm. In the corner kick situation that led to the penalty, I was instructed that the ball would definitely come loose, and it flowed just as I was told. I tried to take a shot right away, but I got caught while trying to cut back because the opponent was in front of me. There were moments when we were pushed back by Kashiwa, but everyone fought with determination, and we were able to create chances from counterattacks. If I had better shooting accuracy, I could have scored about two more goals. I want to work on that as an area for improvement so that I can score next time."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"The way we entered the match was good, and we created dangerous scenes beyond just the goal scene. However, we couldn't score additional points and were troubled by Kashiwa. I expected there would be such periods, but we ended up having to endure for a long time. Regarding the scene that was ruled offside and did not count as a goal, I can't say anything yet as I haven't reviewed it. Today, we were only tasked with achieving victory, and we were able to accomplish that. After the defeat in the previous match, we quickly united for today's game and were able to play well. Our players are truly wonderful. I am proud of the players for leaving us with a chance to achieve our goal of winning the championship on our own. That feeling will continue until the very end. I also want to express my gratitude for the many fans and supporters who came to the away game. Finally, I want to commend Kashiwa's quality."

[Press Conference Summary of Kashiwa Coach Tatsuma YOSHIDA]
"In the first half, we gave space in midfield and created situations where we were numerically disadvantaged, but overall it was a match where both our build-up play and Tokyo's high-quality pressing and counterattacks were showcased. Around the time we conceded the goal, when we had lost momentum, we gave the opponent a corner kick at a point where we should have simply cleared the ball. It was an unnecessary goal, and they capitalized on that moment. Tokyo firmly withstood the periods when we were pressing hard. There were moments when we almost scored, but in the end, we couldn't find the net. It seemed like we had the momentum, but maybe that wasn’t the case. However, the attitude in the second half was very inspiring. Many supporters cheered for the goals and the victory, and even though this wasn’t a title-deciding match, the players showed the spirit of fighting for victory as Kashiwa players. I felt their determination more than usual through their communication on the pitch. Since we lost, neither the players nor I have anything to celebrate, but I believe playing with that attitude will enrich their careers. In the coming weeks, I want to improve the team’s quality by controlling the flow of the game and staying composed in front of goal. I want to work on maintaining the momentum like today and improving so that when we gain the advantage, we can see it through to victory."