Home game for the 27th Tama River Clasico

Sec. 7 of the league will be held. As the 27th Tama River Clasico, Kawasaki Frontale will be welcomed at home.
In the previous match against Kashiwa, we suffered a defeat due to a penalty kick. This round, we will face Kawasaki, who is currently at the top of the league without a loss. It will be a tough match against a team with overwhelming attacking power, but it is also a match where we want to avoid consecutive losses. We want to maintain our aggressive approach of seizing opportunities while maintaining a strong defense, and find a chance to win.

Tokyo, with Tanabe starting for the first time since the Kashima game on March 19th, also has Nathan BURNS in the starting lineup for the first time since the ACL away game against Jiangsu. Kome and Hadensohn in a double pivot, with Tanabe and Abe on the wings. Starting with a 4-4-2 formation with Maeda and BURNS up top. Additionally, Komano has made his first appearance in the league and is on the bench.

Kawasaki started with MF Nakamura and MF Harakawa in the midfield. Up front, FW Okubo and FW Kobayashi are joined by MF Moriya and MF Tasaka in fluid positions.

The Ajinomoto Stadium, with its calm and spring-like weather, started the game with Kawasaki's kickoff at 3:03 PM.

Press outperforms in functionality and speed of switching, Barnes takes the lead

4 minutes: Kawasaki's right cross is cut by their own player, Yonemoto. Maeda on the left side heads the ball to the center after a big clearance. The Kawasaki defender tries to control the ball, but Tanabe closes in and sends it to Nathan BURNS up front. BURNS dribbles and runs towards the goal. He takes a shot after entering the box and perfectly sinks it into the bottom left corner. With a quick switch, they surpass Kawasaki and BURNS scores the first goal of the season!

11 minutes: The score is already tied. Kawasaki connects passes in the midfield and MF Nakamura sends a long pass behind Tokyo's DF. FW Okubo runs onto it. Ogawa chases after him, but cannot stop his powerful charge. He scores a goal.

After that, Tokyo's press from the front line worked, compacting the formation and pushing the whole team up, shutting down Kawasaki's passing game. From there, Barnes and Abe's dribbling established a rhythm, and Maeda and Tanabe also linked up well in the front line, creating chances.

23 minutes: Yonemoto presses and Maeda → Barnes jumps out to the front line here as well. He dribbles up to the right area and brings it to the finish from in front of the DF, but slightly to the left.

29 minutes: Abe runs up the left side and crosses. Maeda in the area carefully brings it down. Tanabe, who was closing in on the goal, couldn't finish it, but Maeda connects again and Barnes in front of the area scores.

33 minutes: Barnes dribbles past the opponent on the right side and Ha DAESUNG follows with a direct floating ball to the center of the area. Abe heads the ball.

Kawasaki's passing and fluid attacking force were focused on and suppressed, and they were able to take the lead with their quick switching and grasp the rhythm, but they were unable to score any additional points and ended the first half in a 1-1 tie.

Succeeded in taking the lead with Maeda's goal, but lost the momentum...

Tokyo took the lead in the second half as well.
49 minutes: Tokunaga's cross is cleared and flies to Abe's feet in front. It seemed like a great chance, but the ball was too close to his feet and he couldn't control it. Barnes in the area also couldn't react to the loose ball from there.

50 minutes: A mistake is made while trying to connect from their own half and Kawasaki cuts it off. MF Nakamura expands to the right. Shaken wide, FW Okubo, who went up in the center, shoots freely. The ball hits the bar directly.
54 minutes: Kawasaki FW Kobayashi jumps out to the front line and takes advantage of the gap between Maruyama and Akimoto's combination. Kobayashi FW headed towards the empty goal, but the trap drifted away and the ball crossed the line, barely avoiding a goal.

56 minutes: As the pressure continues, we earn a free kick on the left side. Maeda jumps out near the ball after Ogawa's kick, and successfully scores with his left foot in front of the opposing DF, taking the lead! 2-1.

59 minutes: Regaining the flow again, Maeda took a direct shot from Barnes' cross on the left area, but... it went over the bar.

64 minutes: Robert moves to the right side. The cross from here flows into the center space, but Barnes in front of the goal reacts. He turns back and takes a shot, but... it goes slightly to the left.

Kawasaki also used player substitutions to launch a counterattack, and the exchange between offense and defense became intense. Both teams attacked each other, creating opportunities for both sides.
68 minutes: Replaced Tanabe with Hashimoto, and in the 74th minute, brought in Hirayama to aim for another goal.

76 minutes: From the flow of Kawasaki's FK, FW Yu OKUBO entered the area and was chased from behind by Yonemoto, resulting in a foul. A PK was given. This was then scored by FW Yu OKUBO himself, once again equalizing the score.
78 minutes: Muriqui was brought in on the side. They aimed for a further lead with a 4-3-3 formation.
81 minutes: Kawasaki MF Nakamura changed sides to DF Elsinho, who was able to use his speed to take advantage of FW Kobayashi in the left area, resulting in a comeback.

Additional time: It was the end of the game where we tried to counterattack, but we were caught off guard in front of the Kawasaki goal and conceded a counterattack. From MF Nakamura's right cross, DF Elsinho scored with a header... the fourth goal conceded.

In the second half, we lost our composure and were unable to stop Kawasaki's momentum. On the other hand, Kawasaki scored 3 goals with 4 shots in the second half. They also demonstrated their accuracy, resulting in a disappointing comeback loss. This was our second consecutive loss in the league.

[Player Comments]
"Nathan BURNS"
"I think we had a chance to win and the performance was good. That's why it's so disappointing that we couldn't get the victory."
(It was my first goal in the league this season)
I have always been waiting for opportunities and preparing for games like today. When I get a chance to play, I believe it is my job to perform well. However, the most important thing is the team's victory. If we cannot achieve that, the feeling of disappointment is still greater."

"Tabe"
"We pressed from the front and first tried to take care of where Kawasaki's ball was coming from. There were many scenes where we were chased by the defense, but it worked well. We were able to take the ball from the opponent without dragging back and forth, and we were able to take it in front of them. It would have been great if we could have scored the third goal with such a good rhythm, but... we couldn't make it and the flow changed. We were brought to a reversal and it was really frustrating."

[Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference Summary]
"The players were highly motivated for the Tama River Clasico, and the game went according to our game plan. However, we ended up scoring 2 points but conceding 4, showing the difference in finishing ability. There were several opportunities to score the third goal, but we couldn't capitalize on them. If we don't score when we need to, we can't win the game. The fans and supporters cheered us on until the end, but unfortunately we let them down. I didn't want to see the players who gave their all being booed, but it was our own doing. Together with them, we want to change this situation."

[Kawasaki - Yahiro Kazama Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"In the first half, there were many scenes where the game was stopped and there were also many positioning mistakes, which were exploited. The only good thing was that we were able to get back a goal. However, the pitch today was long grass, so we were expecting that kind of situation. I think it was tough for the players, but they gradually got used to it and responded well. Even if we concede a goal now, the players, including those who came on as substitutes, are showing more and more motivation and aiming for a goal. It was not only our play, but also the amazing support from the many fans and supporters who came to watch. I believe their presence was also one of the reasons for our victory today."