28th Tama River Clasico to be held away

In the previous match against Kashiwa, we lost 0-1 and suffered our second consecutive defeat. We were unable to break the difficult streak at home. However, the players are determined to "take on the current challenges seriously, regain our fighting spirit, and strive for results in any way possible." However, the current situation of both teams is in stark contrast. This will be a crucial match against Kawasaki, who have been unbeaten in the last 13 games and are currently at the top of the league. Our focus will be on how we can persistently stand up against them and take advantage of any opportunities.

Muroya and Nakajima are absent for the Rio Olympics, and Ogawa is starting as the left fullback this week. Tokunaga is the right fullback. Yonemoto and Hashimoto form a double pivot, with Kono on the right MF and Higashi on the left MF.

Kawasaki is without Olympic representative MF Oshima and MF Harakawa, but MF Nakamura returns from injury. MF Eduardo Neto and holding midfielder form the front line with FW Okubo, MF Otsuka at the top, and FW Kobayashi and MF Hashimoto on the sides in a 4-2-3-1 system.

It was hot and humid during the day, but in the evening the wind started blowing, making it a comfortable climate at Todoroki. The game started at 6:33 PM with a kickoff by Kawasaki.

Without being shaken by accidents, show patience and launch a counterattack.

Kawasaki's fast-paced passing and attacking with numbers up front put us under pressure from the beginning.
4 minutes: Kawasaki is shaken from left to right, and the last pass from the right side hits Ogawa, but he connects with the loose ball and MF Otsuka shoots from the right area. This ball passes through the front line and hits the left post. However, they do not just defend, and they launch a counterattack from their persistent defense.

9 minutes: Left corner kick won. Yonemoto aims for a long shot on Ogawa's loose ball.
11 minutes: From Nathan BURNS' interception, a quick attack was launched and Muriqui was fouled, earning a free kick.
15 minutes: Kawasaki's MF Hashimoto received a pass from the right and turned in the center. A powerful shot was taken, but it hit the bar and avoided a goal.

21 minutes: In the middle, Muriqui stole the ball and started an attack with Kono, who passed it to Higashi on the left. Higashi then made a powerful early cross to the front line. Hashimoto also made a run to the front line and tried to score with a diving header, but narrowly missed... Despite Kawasaki taking control of the game, our defense remained organized and did not show any weaknesses. On the other hand, when we won the ball, Nathan Burns and Muriqui tried to switch to a counter attack, but they couldn't keep up with the speed and numbers in the front line, resulting in missed opportunities to finish.

33 minutes: Yonemoto injures his right knee and is forced to be substituted due to an accident. As a result, Takahashi comes in at 35 minutes. Despite this, they defend well against Kawasaki's strong attacks, maintain their concentration, and prevent any goals, ending the first half with a scoreless draw.

Conceded a goal from a set piece and suffered a bitter third consecutive defeat...

Kawasaki continued to control the rhythm of the attack in the second half, while Tokyo countered with persistent defense.
60 minutes: Kawasaki brings in DF Eduardo as center back. DF Taniguchi moves up to defensive midfielder, and midfielder Nakamura moves up to attacking midfielder, changing the formation and aiming for a goal.

65 minutes: Taking advantage of the forward's gap, Hashimoto → Takahashi sends a vertical pass through the front line and the opponent's DF from the flow of the throw-in. The opponent's DF fails to cut it off and Muriqui breaks through, facing the GK in a 1-on-1 situation. He takes a decisive shot, but it is saved by the opponent's GK and the ball that bounces in front of him narrowly misses the goal... Only a corner kick is awarded, and from Kono's left corner kick, Morishige's header is saved by the GK.

Although this opportunity was not utilized, as time passed, both teams began to launch counterattacks against each other. Kawasaki then made further changes to their formation. Left side DF Kurumaya and right side back Elsinho also took up high positions, trying to increase the pressure of their attacks.
74 minutes: Kawasaki FW Yu OKUBO entered the left area and took a decisive shot, but AKIMOTO made a good save. They escaped with a CK and defended well. 78 minutes: As the exchange between offense and defense intensifies, they earn a FK on the left side. They connect the ball wide from this flow, and finally HASHIMOTO jumps out in front of the goal to trap the cross. He tried to aim for the goal, but was blocked by a Kawasaki DF.

81 minutes: Tokyo gives a FK to Kawasaki in their own penalty area. Kawasaki MF Nakamura takes it and MF Hashimoto lightly floats a shot, but it is blocked by Tokyo DF's wall. However, Kawasaki MF Nakamura picks up the clearance and launches an attack, with left DF Kurumaya sending a sharp left cross. FW Kobayashi jumps between Maruyama and Morishige to head the ball and finally breaks the goal. 0-1.
　
Still, without giving up, we launched a counterattack and in the end, Morishige boldly moved up to the front line and aimed for the goal. In additional time, we tried to create a chance from a cross from the left front line, Tanabe connected with a second ball, and Morishige in the center took a shot. Furthermore, the loose ball reached Hashimoto in the area, but Kawasaki showed a desperate defense and in the end, we escaped with a corner kick. We chased after the goal until the end with determination, but ended up with no points and a defeat... It was a difficult third consecutive loss.

[Player Comments]
《Mori Shige》
"Throughout the game, it wasn't bad at all. We were able to show what we had prepared and play the soccer we aimed for as a team. There was an accident with player Yonemoto, but I think everyone fought for 90 minutes in good condition. In the situation of three consecutive losses, I feel sorry for the fans and supporters, and it may become a pessimistic atmosphere, but the team situation is not bad."
Personally, I feel that my own play led to conceding points. I wanted to contribute to the team's victory, but that feeling backfired and it was frustrating and regrettable. However, in today's game, I think we were able to grasp our direction of fighting together as one.

"Ogawa"
"Our organized defense worked well from the first half. There were many instances where Kawasaki took shots, but someone was always there to defend and make it difficult for them. We were able to prepare for the top-ranked and overwhelmingly strong attacking team of Kawasaki, and I believe we can have confidence in the parts where our preparations paid off. It's disappointing and frustrating to have three consecutive losses, but we don't have time to look down or feel down. We need to switch gears and work hard to move forward."

[Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference Summary]
"The players had a strong mindset and faced the game as a united team. Even though it was tough today, we all tried to showcase our strengths and worked together as a team until the end. We were aware of Kawasaki's movements and tried to counterattack by utilizing the speed of our two forwards. That was our strategy. Everyone fought with that mindset and showed patience when needed, and I think we were able to execute our plan to some extent. However, the chances that were created were due to Kawasaki's high skill level. We were able to give our all, but unfortunately, our efforts did not result in any points. We are truly disappointed to have let down our fans and supporters. We wanted to share the joy with them after the game."

[Kawasaki - Yahiro Kazama Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"From the start, the ball was moving well, but in the first half, there were times when it stopped and we couldn't find the right angle to break through the opponent's defense or get into the right position. In the second half, we focused on that more, but we still struggled to score. However, even in a tough game like this, we were able to score at the end. There are always one or two moments of danger in a game, but our goalkeeper Sung Ryong JUNG and the defense did a great job of keeping us safe. I think it was a meaningful and important game."