Match against in-form Nagoya

The 4th round is a match against Nagoya Grampus Eight, who are currently in 2nd place. Nagoya, who are in good form, have not lost in 3 games, in contrast to Tokyo who are in 14th place. Led by ace Stojkovic, they utilize the scoring power of Brazilian player Weslley, the balance of Dutch-born Uryda, the addition of Sakai, and the play of midfielder Yamaguchi to showcase the strength of their multinational team. They are steadily achieving victories. In addition, CB Furuta has been selected as a candidate for the Japan national team for the upcoming Spain match, which will surely boost his morale. However, Tokyo will have their first home game since the start of the league. It is a crucial match where they want to win and gain momentum.

Concede the first goal from Stojkovic's brilliant pass

Tokyo started with the speedy Toda as the first starter. They approached the match with a midfield formation consisting of Kelly on the left and Masuda on the right. In the first minute, Nagoya's Weslley trapped a long ball from the defense and took a middle shot. Nagoya, who seemed to have focused precisely on today's match due to being seeded in the Nabisco Cup first round, showed their determination. However, Tokyo also fought back well and competed evenly. In the 9th minute, Toda, who received a pass from Masuda in the front line, immediately crossed it to the side. Naito's cross caused a scramble in front of the goal, and Kelly was unable to take a shot, but it was a play that emphasized attacking from the side.

However, in the 11th minute, Stojkovic received the ball on the left side of the midfield. Seeing that he was tightly marked in the front line, Stojkovic freely moved in the midfield and dribbled across the field towards the center. He then sent a delicate pass in front of the goal. However, this pass was absolutely pinpoint! Sakai, who had run behind the defense line, competed with Miura and managed to slide the ball into the goal, and Tokyo conceded the opening goal in the 12th minute. There was nothing to do but remain silent in the face of Stojkovic's "decisive work."

After that, Tokyo counterattacks. In the 19th minute, Wagner LOPES advances alone and takes a middle shot. In the 22nd minute, Sandro, who had moved up to the front line from the flow of a free kick, shoots Naito's cross, but both shots are off target. In the 24th and 32nd minutes, Tokyo defended well against Nagoya's free kicks near the goal, but even when counterattacking, they lose momentum in front of the goal. The rhythm is completely in Tokyo's favor, but they cannot score. In the 33rd minute, Naito shoots again from Naito to Toda's vertical pass. In the 38th minute, a through pass is made to Miura, who runs into the front of the goal from the left side of Fujiyama, but GK Narazaki quickly catches it. In the 43rd minute, when Lopes hits a pass from the left side in one touch in the center, Kelly, who had slipped behind the DF line at the perfect timing, shoots! However, the ball narrowly hits the corner of the left goalpost! ... The ball bounces back, passing by Toda who was closing in. In the 44th minute, Masuda shoots over the goal from Lopes' post-play. They enter the second half with the feeling of a goal, as chances repeatedly come.

The feeling of a goal, but rejected by the post...

Tokyo was the one who grasped the rhythm in the second half. In the 50th minute, Ryo Hifisu shot from Kelly's pass, and in the 51st minute, Ryo Hifisu shot from the ball dropped by Toda. In the 52nd minute, Fujiyama dribbled into the center and took a shot, but missed the goal. If they consciously attacked with a big side change, in the 56th minute, Masuda on the right connected directly with Miura, and Masuda, who had once again come out behind the DF line, aimed for the goal, but the jumping GK caught it.

59 minutes, Tokyo tried to break the situation by substituting FW Toru KABURAGI for Toda. Kaburagi is a player with speed, even more so than Toda, and this is his first appearance this season. It seems to be the intention to exploit the back of Nagoya's tenacious DF. After 60 minutes, the game became a chaotic exchange of counterattacks, and anticipating this, Nagoya also substituted Okuyama for MF Takizawa in the 62nd minute. They have been competing with speed.

Tokyo's right side is broken through, and in the 64th and 66th minutes, Weslley is allowed to shoot, but the goal is not broken. Tokyo, who survived the pinch, substitutes Yoshi for Asari in the 66th minute and shows a fierce attack that sticks to the Nagoya defense. In the 68th minute, Lopes kicks the ball from Naito on the right with one touch into the penalty area. Kelly, who ran into it, shoots with tremendous speed! The ball grazes the hand of GK Narazaki and hits the left corner of the post, but Kugimiya, who followed up, cannot reach it... Just two minutes later, Lopes, who momentarily became free in front of the goal, shoots Naito's cross, but the defender barely cuts it. They miss a decisive chance. Nagoya's defense, which holds back tightly, is solid, and in the 74th minute, they are counterattacked and the defense is broken through, allowing Okayama to take a free shot, but it misses above the goal and avoids danger.

Attack Tokyo, Defend Nagoya

75 minutes, Tokyo substitutes Sato for Masuda, but at this point Nagoya substitutes Stojkovic for CB Uchimoto, and deploys a strategy to protect their one-point lead. The confidence to "protect the one-point lead" seems to be supporting Nagoya at the moment, even to the extent of substituting Stojkovic. The 5-back defense becomes even stronger, and in the 84th minute, Kelly shoots freely from the right penalty area after a clear ball from the defense, but the goalkeeper catches it. In the following 85th minute, Kelly heads the ball perfectly from Sato's right corner kick, but it goes over the goal. Sandro also joins the attack afterwards, launching a fierce assault, but the time is ticking away...

The content is not bad at all, dominating and attacking but unfortunately, we conceded a goal early on and it was a very frustrating result. This makes it three consecutive losses without scoring a goal in the last three matches.

[Coach Carlos's comment]

I had anticipated that the game would be difficult from the beginning. FC Tokyo is a strong team. However, it went well by marking their key players tightly. In the second half, the game started with our rhythm, but we gave them an opportunity to counterattack and were eventually pushed back. However, our players defended well.

[Coach Okuma's comment]

There were parts in the beginning of the first half where I couldn't adjust the balance of the defense, and I think the goal was my responsibility. I had the mark, but there were areas where the balance was lacking at that time. That's the part I need to reflect on. However, the attacking mindset of "let's score" and the overall desire to move forward were seen after conceding a goal. The part that needs improvement is the ability to finish... not only accuracy, but also increasing combinations and variations. I feel like it's difficult to score without that.