J1 League resumes! Aim for consecutive victories with the hard work of the entire team!

After a two-week interval, the J1 League resumes. Sec. 15, Júbilo Iwata will face off against Ecopa Stadium away.

In the previous round, Maeda's goal was the deciding point, leading to a victory over G Osaka. As a result, the team's league record has finally reached a 50-50 split, and the last three games have all been clean sheets. With the hard work of the entire team as a base, we are gaining more control in both offense and defense.

During this break, Morishige and Maruyama participated in the activities of the Japan national team, so there was not much time for everyone to prepare together. However, without losing the confidence and aggressive attitude they had gained up until then, they aim for victory in each match and head into the next five consecutive games.
This round, Yonemoto will be suspended from playing due to accumulated warnings. In the midfield, Tanabe and Hanyu were named as starting members.

Iwata, who returned to J1 this season, is currently in 10th place with 19 points. Currently, GK Kaminski is injured and out of the game. In this round, DF Fujita is suspended. However, even in such a situation, the attacking force centered around FW Jay, side MF Adailton, MF Ota, and top MF Kobayashi has both decisiveness and persistence until the end.

For Maeda, who is just one goal away from reaching 150 goals in J1, Ecopa Stadium is also the stadium where he marked his first J1 goal (against Shimizu on September 1, 2001), which he considers to be the most memorable. Maeda said, "I might be able to play with a feeling of being at home in a good way. I want to contribute to Tokyo's victory with all my might," and we can also expect him to score in his second consecutive game.

Despite the thin clouds blocking the sunlight, the humidity remains at Ecopa Stadium. The game started with Iwata's kickoff at 15:03.

In the midst of intense offense and defense, the first half ends scoreless without a decisive move.

2 minutes: Iwata MF Kobayashi → FW Jay connects, and finally MF Adailton brings the ball to the left of the area and takes a shot, but the ball goes wide to the right of the goal. It was a scene where they faced a sudden pinch at the start of the game.

10 minutes: Tokyo launches a wave attack. Tanabe makes a big cutback in front of the area, but his left-footed shot is blocked by the opposing DF. The ball bounces out and Hashimoto on the right side aims for his teammate with a cross, but the opposing DF also heads it away.
15 minutes: Both teams fiercely compete for the ball in a compact midfield.

20 minutes: Kicker Mizunuma's right corner kick was headed by Morishige, but GK Shimura caught it in front. No opening goal.
24 minutes: Takahashi fouls MF Ota. Iwata players approach Takahashi, but the referee stops them. Takahashi receives a yellow card for this play.

The game continued with both teams attacking each other, but neither team could find a breakthrough and the first half ended scoreless.

Unable to convert opportunities into goals, resulting in a scoreless draw.

48 minutes: Tokunaga advances into the right area. Maeda meets the ground cross, but his close-range shot is blocked by GK Shimura, missing a great chance.
55 minutes: Tōhō steals the ball in the opponent's territory. From there, a pass is made to Mizunuma running from the right to the left in the area, but the left-footed shot misses above the frame.
59 minutes: Kono replaces Mizunuma on the pitch.

67 minutes: Kajiyama replaces Tanabe on the pitch.
69 minutes: Tokunaga, who shook off the opponent DF with a sharp turn, crossed. Maeda, who won the battle in front of the goal, headed it, but it narrowly missed the goal.

74 minutes: A cross from the left side was cleared by Tokyo DF, but MF Miyazaki took a direct volley on the loose ball. The shot flew towards the goal, but GK Akimoto made a quick reaction and made a fine save.
75 minutes: Muriqui is substituted in for Higashi.
78 minutes: Kajiyama, who came on as a substitute, dribbles up and confuses the opponent with quick turns. He passes to Hashimoto on the right, but it doesn't connect.
80 minutes: Tokyo launches a counterattack. Kono dribbles up the field from their own half and sends a long pass to Muriqui, who runs up the opposite side. Muriqui receives the pass and enters the right side of the area, but is unable to score with his shot.
82 minutes: Muriqui takes the ball from the opposing DF. Kajiyama, who received a pass on the left side, sends a cross to the far side, but it is cleared by the opposing DF.

87 minutes: Muriqui, who stole the ball from the opponent's DF, faces GK Shimura in a one-on-one situation. However, his right-footed shot is blocked by the body and does not result in a goal.
Unable to convert opportunities into goals, resulting in a scoreless draw.


[Player Comments]
"Maeda"
"I approached the match against my former team as usual, but since I couldn't score, I feel like I couldn't do my job. It's difficult to put into words, but I am just grateful for the support from both teams' supporters after the game."

"Muriqui"
"I received instructions from the coach to mark the opponent firmly and play as usual. It was my first J1 match in a while, but I think I made a good start and my condition is close to 100% as I have been playing in J3 matches. Of course, I want to score a goal as soon as possible. Even when I'm on the bench, I can hear the loud voices of the fans and supporters. I believe that we can achieve good results because of their support."

[Summary of Coach Hiroshi Jofuku's Press Conference]
"Many fans and supporters came and created a good atmosphere. We went into the game with the intention of getting 3 points with them, but unfortunately we couldn't make it happen."
《Q&A》
Q=About the coordination of the attacking line from the attacking third to the goal
"That is something we have been constantly pursuing. We always aim to improve the quality of our attack based on a solid defense. We missed three 1-on-1 opportunities in the second half, but if we had scored even one, we wouldn't have been criticized. We need to improve our finishing accuracy and create more scoring chances. We want to continue pushing for a strong attack from a strong defense."

[Iwata - Manager Hiroshi NANAMI's Press Conference Summary]
"First of all, I am here now in a very pleasant mood thanks to our supporters' behavior towards Maeda. As expected, in order to constantly compete for the championship, a top club needs top supporters, top management, and a strong unity. The supporters' cheers and chants today were very good, and I think it was a respectful and wonderful attitude towards someone who has worked hard for the club for 15 years. As for the game, I think it was a fair 1 point. However, there were several 1-on-1 situations due to our own mistakes, and without Shimura's fine play, I don't know what would have happened. Other than that, the impression was that both teams struggled to attack each other."