First match at home under Coach Shinoda

The 2nd Stage Sec. 7 will be held. We will face Júbilo Iwata at home.
In the first match of 'Shinoda Tokyo', Higashi marked his first goal of the season and won against Niigata. There were challenges, but the hard work of everyone, their strong desire for victory, and their aggressiveness prevailed, securing 3 points and demonstrating a stance of 'change'.

However, both the coach and the players echoed that they have only won one match so far, and it is necessary to build on the previous match to further enhance the quality of both offense and defense, aiming for consecutive victories. Coach Shinoda also stated, "Especially at home, we want to clearly show our attitude, dedication, and dynamic play to the many fans who come to Ajinomoto."

In this match, Tanabe will start in the defensive midfield position to replace the injured Hashimoto. Nozawa will also be on the bench for the first time this season, ready to come on as a substitute.

In contrast, Iwata's 2nd stage currently stands at 4 losses and 2 defeats, with no victories yet. In the previous match against Kashiwa, they took the lead but suffered a comeback loss in the second half due to a decrease in physical exertion. However, they have mostly avoided consecutive losses so far, having only experienced a two-game losing streak once in the 1st stage. This week, FW Jay will be absent, but FW Morishima and DF Fujita will start, and there should be a desire among the fresh players to rise up and change the flow. The formation features a two-top with FW Morishima and MF Adailton. MF Kobayashi plays just behind them. On the right wing is MF Ota, and on the left is MF Miyazaki. The double pivot is made up of MF Yamamoto and Kawabe in a 3-5-2 formation.

Iwata is known for its aggressive pressing from the front line, but in this match, they will aim for victory by surpassing their opponents in terms of work rate and fighting spirit. Amidst the ongoing severe heat, the match started at 19:04 with Iwata's kickoff.

Lost control to Iwata and fell behind early in the match

From the start, we were dominated by Iwata in ball possession and lost our pace.
2 minutes: From the flow of the FK, FW Morishima shoots from the right area.
3 minutes: A left cross from MF Miyazaki is headed by Adailton.
7 minutes: Iwata - The cross from MF Kobayashi on the right side was dropped to MF Adailton, and FW Morishima took a shot from the middle. The fluidity of MF Adailton and MF Kobayashi was utilized, leading to a vigorous attack.
8 minutes: A pass was intercepted by the Iwata DF on the right front line, leading to a direct connection that changed the side, with right wide MF Ota advancing with a dribble. A shot was attempted from the right corner of the area. Maruyama blocked it, but the loose ball was picked up, and DF Fujita, who overlapped on the right front line, delivered a cross. This was headed in by FW Morishima from behind Tokunaga with a high point... conceding the first goal early on, 0-1.

Still, without looking down, Tokyo gradually began to utilize Muriqui's speed to grasp the rhythm of the counterattack.
18 minutes: Tokunaga passed to Higashi, who broke through on the right flank and crossed. Muriqui, positioned in front of the goal, dove in with a header, taking the first shot of the day. Following that, on the left side, Tanabe exchanged passes with Ogawa, and Muriqui charged forward, trying to get past the opposing defender.

25 minutes: Muriqui advances into the area from a one-two with Ogawa and earns a corner kick.
27 minutes: Akimoto's kick to the front was received by Maeda, who passed it to Muriqui on the left from Higashi. Muriqui utilized his speed to make a move into the area, where he was tripped and won a penalty kick. Muriqui himself took the kick and aimed for the bottom right, but a Tokyo player entered the area early, resulting in a "re-kick" decision.
29 minutes: Once again, Muriqui kicks the ball into the goal in exactly the same direction as the first penalty, making it 1-1.

33 minutes: Gaining momentum with the equalizer, Maeda targets the back from Tokunaga's pass on the right side. Furthermore, Tokunaga sends a short pass behind the opponent, and Higashi breaks into the right area, boldly aiming for a shot, but... with no angle, it is saved by the GK, resulting in a corner kick.
35 minutes: Takahashi from his own half sends a long feed to the front. Kono breaks through and, while colliding with the opposing defender, attempts a lob... but it goes just to the left of the unguarded goal as the Iwata goalkeeper rushes out.

39 minutes: Muriqui broke through behind the opponent and made a negative last pass from the left area. It created a decisive opportunity, but Kono's direct shot went wide of the goal... From the synergy in the front line, Kono and others created a crucial chance, but they couldn't secure an additional goal, and the first half ended in a tie.

Muriqui scored 2 goals, and Insoo YU's first goal in J1 became the winning point, leading to a dramatic victory!

In the second half, both teams aimed to take the lead, resulting in a frantic back-and-forth in the early stages.
52 minutes: After suppressing the attack from Iwata and briefly gaining possession, Ogawa was pressured by Iwata forward Morishima while trying to carry the ball out, resulting in another loss of possession. Iwata's MF Ota at the right front line passed it back, and MF Kobayashi near the right corner of the area took a step inside and struck with his left foot. The knuckleball shot grazed the far post and bounced back inside... conceding a goal. A magnificent goal was scored, resulting in a loss of the second point, making it 1-2.

59 minutes: After conceding a goal due to a mistake, they regained possession of the ball from Iwata, and Muriqui launched a counterattack. Just as he was about to be tackled in the center of the front line, he played the ball back briefly, and Maeda took a one-step controlled shot, but it was blocked by Iwata's goalkeeper with a one-handed save.
67 minutes: Nozawa is brought on. Immediately after, in the 70th minute, Kono on the right dribbles in, passing to Tanabe on the right side, who connects with Tokunaga making a run. Tokunaga delivers a cross, and Higashi heads it. Muriqui runs in where it flies to the far side, skillfully adjusting with the outside of his right foot to change the course and score. This makes it 2-2.

With Nozawa's introduction, the team gained stability, and the number of passes to the front line also increased.
73 minutes: From Muriqui, who entered the center of the area, Maeda had a decisive shot while free, but it just curved slightly to the left. As they aimed for the go-ahead goal, the atmosphere in the stands intensified, and the bench also showed their determination for victory.
76 minutes: Insoo YU, making his first appearance in J1, was sent onto the pitch.

81 minutes: As the energy levels of Jubilo Iwata began to drop, Tokyo increased their speed and momentum, with Muriqui cutting in from the left flank and aiming for a powerful shot from distance, but it was blocked by Iwata.
89 minutes: From Tanabe's through pass, Muriqui broke forward and found himself one-on-one with the GK, but this was ruled offside. Nevertheless, he did not give up, and in the 90th minute, he picked up a clearance from the opponent, connected a pass to Insoo YU on the left side, and then to Muriqui up front. Muriqui charged forward, and the opposing GK came out to slide. This was ruled a foul outside the area, resulting in a free kick.

90 minutes + 1: Higashi aimed directly at the free kick just outside the left corner area, and his powerful shot was deflected by the goalkeeper. However, Maeda at the far post headed it down, and Tanabe rushed in front of the goal, reacting to the loose ball that hit the opponent. Insoo YU pushed it in with his chest for the goal.
Make it 3-2.
　
In the end, we settled into a 4-4-2 formation and properly closed out the match, with time running out. Insoo YU, making his first appearance in J1, marked a heartfelt first goal, achieving a dramatic comeback victory and securing consecutive wins.

[Player Comments]
《Insoo YU》
"I remembered what I had worked on in J3 and thought I would fight believing in myself. It was very good to continue to have the desire to succeed in J1 and to be able to show that today."
Since the team has many good players, I believed that if I trust my teammates, I could score goals. The goal might have been a bit lucky, but I also thought it could come my way. It was my first time playing in front of such a huge crowd in my soccer career. I was very happy to hear them call out 'Insoo!' from the stands. I want to cherish this happiness and work hard to continue achieving more.

Nozawa
"I was able to play calmly. The opponent had a bit of control over the pace, so I was thinking of spreading the ball easily to bring the rhythm back to us. I was watching from the bench since the first half, being aware of where the spaces were and where to move to avoid pressure from the opponent... However, I came on during a time when the opponent's pressure had decreased. In the future, if I can play like today under the tough pressure of J1, I believe it will lead to a sense of achievement and confidence."

【Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference】
I think the way we entered the game wasn't bad, but we conceded the first goal, and even after equalizing, we allowed another goal due to mistakes. In terms of the flow of the game, we are still inexperienced. However, I really want to thank the players for their effort in coming back and making the game their own. Even in difficult situations, the fans and supporters actively cheered us on. There are still many areas where we need to improve, so I want to celebrate today and prepare for the next game starting tomorrow.
(Regarding the intention behind the substitutions of Nozawa and Insoo YU)
One reason was to move the ball smoothly. Takahashi had received a warning, so we considered the next steps and made the substitution. With Nozawa coming in, the team was able to settle down and showed good performance by creating plays with good passes. As for Insoo, his introduction increased the team's output. Tanabe also ran well, and by using Nozawa as a starting point, Insoo was able to create space by drawing the opponent's line back. Both of them showed good performance in daily practice, and I felt that attitude even in J3, so I decided to use them boldly.

[Press Conference Summary of Hiroshi NANAMI, Coach of Jubilo Iwata]
"Extremely disappointing. It was definitely a winnable game, but we lost 3 points and suffered our first consecutive losses in the 2nd stage. Moreover, it was a waste to lose after coming from behind in two consecutive matches. We initiated changes and actions ourselves, and were very good until about the 15th minute of the first half. After that period, the opponent created a numerical advantage on our left side, switched the play from there, and Muriqui increasingly found himself in one-on-one situations. Our three-back slide was weak, and we failed to cover the blind spots. From the start of the second half, we switched to a four-back formation, isolated Muriqui on the side, and scored the go-ahead goal within that setup. Normally, it would have been a winning game or at least a flow to secure 1 point, but some players got overconfident after that. There were several occasions where we tried to break down the opponent with numerical superiority, but before breaking through, players took shots themselves or attempted difficult things like a floating one-two on loose balls in midfield. Those moments led to conceding goals. I think it was a very wasteful match. For us, who are always conscious of the relegation battle, the points we should have earned today were crucial. We couldn’t get them, and our minds have not yet switched."