I want to seize the opportunity to rise up at home Ajinomoto

Facing Kashiwa Reysol at home, Ajinomoto Stadium, for the 4th match of the 2nd stage, which is the 3rd consecutive game.
The 2nd stage suffered its second defeat away, and so far has gained 3 points. We couldn't make a good start. However, this round is a home game, and we want to win here and grab the opportunity to rise up.

Regarding the starting lineup for this match, due to the condition of consecutive games, "considering the balance between team continuity and challenge, and the timing of selection based on performance in training (Manager Jofuku)", the lineup has been slightly changed from the previous match, with Hashimoto on the right side, Nakajima on the left, and Takahashi starting as one of the double midfielders. Nakajima made his first J1 start of the season.

Kashiwa will have FW Diego Oliveira in the center of the front line, FW Cristiano on the left side, and Ito on the right. MF Nakagawa will play in the center of the top, and MF Ohtani and Kurisawa will serve as a double volante in a 4-3-3 formation. They aim to "prevent Kashiwa's strengths" and contain their powerful attacking lineup, while also "showcasing their own strengths" and aiming for a victory at home.

The match started at 7:03 pm with a kickoff from Kashiwa, despite the high humidity and harsh muggy heat even at night.

Press functions, connect from good defense to attack, grasp rhythm

In the early stages, ball possession was slightly dominated by Kashiwa, but Tokyo also pressed with a compact formation and aimed for short counters from there. They maintained a quick transition from defense to attack, with Nathan BURNS as the starting point in the front line, creating chances.

3 minutes: From Takahashi's feed, Nathan BURNS breaks through on the right front line and brings it into the area. The ground cross sent to the center was cut off by the opposing DF, but the right Hashimoto who took the clear shot with his left foot.
5 minutes: Midfielder Muriqui sends a long vertical pass to forward Nathan BURNS, earning a free kick just outside the penalty area.
6 minutes: MoriShige aimed for this, but was blocked by the opponent's wall and did not score.

Even if the ball is passed around to Kashiwa, they do not bring it to a shot and gradually Tokyo takes control.
17 minutes: Nathan BURNS, Nakajima, Muriqui provide the accent, and Yonehara presses in the center of the opponent's territory, Nathan BURNS steals the loose ball and dribbles up the center. Nakajima runs alongside on the left, while Muriqui runs on the right. Nathan BURNS passes to the right, but the Kashima GK quickly comes out to block Muriqui in the right area, and the ball is pushed in without an angle. However, the play continues in Kashima's territory.

27 minutes: Nakajima passes through to the left area. Nathan BURNS runs in here. The cross to the center was blocked by the opposing DF, but Muriqui in the area reacted to the loose ball. He shoots from near the left goal area, but is stopped by the opposing GK's great save... Furthermore, Nakajima goes for the ball that floated high in the area, and Hashimoto in the center aims for a shot, but only manages to get a left corner kick after grazing the opposing DF.

34 minutes: The opponent's right bridge, Hasegawa, forcefully dribbles into the area and passes to Muriqui in the center, despite being surrounded by the opponent's defenders. The ball goes too far for Muriqui to shoot, but he makes a good decision to pass to the left area. Nakajima runs freely into the area and takes a direct shot, but... the ball goes over the bar and the big chance is wasted.
37 minutes: Nakajima on the left side advances into the left area from a one-two with Muriqui. Showing coordination, Nathan BURNS in the center takes a shot but misses the goal.

Demonstrating speedy passing and coordination, they approached the Kashiwa goal, but were stopped by the opposing GK's great save, and the first half ended scoreless.

Took the lead, but was taken advantage of by Kashiwa...

52 minutes: Kashiwa tried to regroup and attack in the second half, but Kashiwa FW Ito's attack was calmly cut off by their own player Tokunaga. Nakajima and Takahashi connected, and Hashimoto on the right overlapped with Muroya to put a strong cross into the goal area. Although the ball was caught by the opposing GK, Tokyo's rhythm remained unchanged.
55 minutes: Maruyama sends a pass to the front line, Takahashi on the left midfield connects it to Muriqui on the left front line. Muriqui charges into the area with a dribble. However, he is stopped by a sliding tackle from Kashiwa DF just before the goal, resulting in a corner kick.

58 minutes: Despite showing a strong desire for goal, they were caught off guard by Kashiwa's DF line and a long ball was sent behind Tokyo's DF. FW Cristiano was marked by Muroya, but the header was dropped to the center FW Diego Oliveira. Maruyama responded, trying to block the opponent, but Morishige tried to clear the ball by overlapping, causing it to roll to the right of the area. Kashiwa's FW Ito reacted to this and ran in front of Tokunaga, scoring a sure shot... They were caught off guard and conceded the first goal, 0-1.

62 minutes: Still, they bravely launched a counterattack, and Nakajima's powerful shot fiercely attacked the opposing GK.
65 minutes: From Nakajima's sharp left cross, Hashimoto from the right area made a decisive header over the opponent DF, but was blocked by Kashiwa GK's great save...
67 minutes: Takahashi in the center took a sharp middle shot and shot it to the right of the goal... but it was also blocked by the sideways save of the Kashiwa GK.
Substituted Tokunaga for Kono as right MF in the 67th minute. Hashimoto dropped back to right fullback and Muroya moved to the left.

72 minutes: Hirayama enters the front line in place of Nakajima. Nathan BURNS moves to left MF and tries to further attack.
80 minutes: Muriqui sends a through pass into the area, and Kono breaks through and gets into a shooting position, but it's offside.
88 minutes: Left Muriqui → Right Kanemoto sends it to the center, Hirayama traps it and tries to shoot... but is blocked by the opposing DF and GK's jump.

Moved the ball at a quick tempo and created attacking opportunities, but couldn't convert them into goals, resulting in a scoreless game. On the other hand, Kashiwa only managed 3 shots in the first half and 2 in the second half, but one goal against proved to be the difference. This loss marks the first defeat at home Ajinomoto since April 29th and the second consecutive loss in the 2nd stage.

[Player Comments]
"Nakajima"
"Today, I was completely focused on the game in front of me without thinking about the Olympics. However, losing and soccer itself are all things to reflect on. While everyone followed the team's discipline and functioned well, as an attacking player, I needed to create more chances and move forward. First and foremost, I believed that by enjoying the game, it would lead to victory... Now, I will temporarily head to the Olympics, but I must continue to grow."

"Takahashi"
"There was also a feeling of wanting to improve the team's momentum by winning the game in front of us. While we take the result of consecutive losses seriously, I also think that we should not be overly pessimistic in order to overcome this difficult situation. I believe it is important to work positively and brighten the atmosphere."

[Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference Summary]
"It's a result that is not acceptable, and I am extremely disappointed. I am truly sorry for making the supporters who came to cheer us on feel so frustrated."
(Regarding the improvement of the match)
We are evaluated by the results. The fact remains that the opponent scored a goal and we were unable to score. The match content is not completely irrelevant, and I don't think that the fact that we have been striving for 3 points should be denied, and we don't need to look down on everything. However, we must overcome the current situation where the content and the results do not match. I want to raise my head and face that wall."

[Kashiwa · Takahiro SHIMOTAIRA Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"We were able to win, but in terms of content, especially in the first half, it was the worst development of the season. At halftime, I gave a passionate speech, mentioning individual names, and some players were able to regain their energy in the second half. However, we were unable to take control and were constantly pushed back. Fortunately, we were able to score one goal in a lucky manner, so I told them to focus on defending and hold on to the 1-0 victory. The players were able to execute that."