Welcoming the final home game of the 1st stage

Following the Hiroshima match, the 1st stage Sec. 16 will be held as a home game. We will face Albirex Niigata at Ajinomoto Stadium.
The last two games ended in a draw, but in the 5 games since the May 8th Shonan game, we have not lost in the league. This is an important game where we want to take advantage of the team's strengths and continue to build on our momentum to secure 3 points.

This week, Kono will be suspended due to accumulated warnings. In addition, Hirayama will start from the Hiroshima game. As a starter, it will be the first time since the Fukuoka game on April 29th, and the first time since the Tosu game on May 13th to form a two-top with Muriqui. In the double pivot, Yonemoto and Hashimoto will play. Tanabe on the right side, Higashi on the left. Returning from injury, Tokunaga will start as the right back, and Ogawa will play on the left in a 4-4-2 formation. Also, Nakajima, who has recovered from injury, will be on the bench for the first time since the first game against Omiya.

Niigata, who will face them, is currently in 16th place with 14 points under the command of coach Arata YOSHIDA from this season. Although FW Rafael SILVA will be absent this round due to injury, their attack, centered around MF Leo SILVA, is sharp, based on the hard work of all players. They want to suppress the attacking power of FW Yamazaki and build a good attack from a good defense, starting from the fullbacks on both sides.

In this round, which will also be the final home game of the 1st stage, we want to use the support from the stands to grab a victory.
The temperature exceeded 30 degrees during the day, but as the evening approached, the heat eased slightly. The match between Niigata started at 7:03 PM.

Allowing Niigata to take the lead in an unexpected way...

From the beginning, they showed a high level of defensive awareness and did not allow Niigata to create any real chances. They then connected their attacks and showed a strong attitude towards scoring goals.

After 15 minutes: An accident occurs in Niigata. Niigata DF Maikoryu, who had hit his head in a previous play, was forced to be substituted, and in the 18th minute, DF Masuda came in. Immediately after, Tokyo's Muriqui breaks through the left front line from a pass from the east, and crosses negatively. Just before passing to Tanabe, who had closed in on the goal, the opponent clears and earns a left corner kick. Ogawa's kick is cleared by the opponent, and Hashimoto tries to volley the loose ball, but it hits East, who was in the front line, and does not result in a goal.

23 minutes: Niigata's FW Yamazaki takes a shot from the left side, but Tokyo blocks it and Akimoto catches the ball. However, Akimoto takes too long to send the ball back onto the field, resulting in an indirect free kick for Niigata in Tokyo's area. Niigata's FW Yamazaki quickly restarts the game, sending an indirect free kick from the right area to the center, where MF Naruoka scores for Tokyo... With Niigata's first shot, they concede the first goal, making it 0-1.
After that, the game was frequently stopped due to intense plays, and we were unable to grasp the momentum.

32 minutes: From a quick pass, Muriqui tries to break through the left area, but falls between Niigata DF and cannot finish.
34 minutes: East drops the ball in the left area, Muriqui swings it to the right with a direct pass. Tanabe on the far side reacts and takes a controlled shot that slips through the opponent's DF, but is blocked by the opponent's GK.

First half additional time: Ogawa, who came up from the left side of the field, dribbled forward and then passed back to the left side. From there, East passed to Muriqui in the near side and attempted a shot from a difficult angle, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. The first half ended with a one-point deficit.

Muriqui sets up Hirayama for the equalizer! However, the second goal seems far away...

In the second half, Tokyo substituted Nathan BURNS for the left MF position and made a strong push towards the Niigata goal.
54 minutes: Nathan BURNS makes a run on the left side and Ogawa crosses the ball. It goes to the far side but Tokunaga is there to cover. However, Niigata DF Cortes closes in and temporarily takes the ball away. But on the side, Niigata MF Naruoka tries to attack but Yonemoto presses and Tanabe chases after the back pass. The loose ball goes to Muriqui on the right side, who controls it with the sole of his foot and turns. He carefully assesses the situation and makes a final pass to the center. Hirayama receives it and calmly slots it into the bottom right corner, facing off against the opposing DF, to tie the game 1-1.

61 minutes: Left area, Hirayama quickly controls the pass at his feet while carrying the opposing DF on his back. He sends it back with a heel and Muriqui breaks through on the left area, but... with no angle, his shot is blocked by the Niigata GK in a 1-on-1 situation.

69 minutes: Substitution of Muriqui for Nakajima. Immediately after, Nakajima reacted to a loose ball in the Niigata area. He dribbled and took a powerful shot from just outside the box, but it went over the goal...

75 minutes: Maeda is substituted for Hirayama. Tokyo continued to move forward at a fast pace and threatened the Niigata goal, but they were unable to take advantage of set piece opportunities and gradually became a back-and-forth counterattack. However, they did not allow Niigata to finish.

81 minutes: Nakajima flew out to the center of the goal to meet Ogawa's early cross, but his outstretched foot just missed...
83 minutes: Barnes' cross hits the opposing DF and goes to Maeda in the right area. Maeda drops it to the near side to Tanabe, but Tanabe is blocked by the DF and cannot move forward. The ball passes between the opposing DF and GK, heading towards the goal... but narrowly misses to the left.

Additional time: FK earned inside the penalty area. Morishige's kick aimed for the top right corner, but was blocked by the GK's great save...

Tokyo aimed for a win until the end, but couldn't score any additional points and the game ended. Niigata had 0 shots in the second half. Tokyo had 10 shots, but only managed to score 1 goal, resulting in their third consecutive draw.

[Player Comments]
"Hirayama"
"I was conscious of playing to my strengths and jumping into crosses and connecting to goals."
(About scoring)
It was from the opponent's mistake, but Muriqui turned it well and sent me a good ball. I calmly judged the shooting course and shot. In the first half, there were many situations where the team did not take risks, but Muriqui and others were still able to connect the ball from the left side. Passes also came out from the midfield, but I think it would have been better if I could have been more of a starting point in the front line. "

"Nakajima"
"The reason for my substitution was to go for a goal. I kept that in mind and tried to play aggressively and use my own strength to score. My body was able to move and there was no pain in my legs. However, I couldn't score in the end. I wanted to bring something that the team was lacking, but I also feel like I could have done more. I have regrets about that."

[Summary of Manager Hiroshi Jofuku's Press Conference]
"It was a game that we had to win. The players prepared well in just two days. We wanted to turn that into three points, but unfortunately the players' efforts did not match the points. We are filled with regret. We allowed Niigata to score first, but despite the difficult situation, the players did not fall apart and did not allow any more goals. In the second half, we saw a strong determination to go for the win by keeping the number of shots to zero. In an open game, we were able to confirm the core of what we have built up so far, which is not allowing shots. Considering the players' emotions, we really wanted to get those three points..."

[Niigata - Tatsuma Yoshida's Press Conference Summary]
"Hirokawa, who has been fighting with us until now, has become seriously ill and announced that he will leave the front line. Today, many Niigata supporters came to support us, and Tokyo also held a heartwarming fundraising event. First of all, I would like to thank the fans and supporters of both teams. The game started in a somewhat emotional atmosphere, but we scored and the game became even more emotional, with players from both teams playing with their fighting spirit exposed. As a result, we broke the organization we had maintained until then and played with a focus on running and fighting. It may sound negative, but it is because we have the base of running and fighting that we are able to do it. It was a shame to concede a goal, but I want to praise their efforts for fighting until the end. The game was ugly, but next time we will go for an ugly win and further improve the quality and control of the game. We want to make good use of today's 1 point and make adjustments for the next game."