Seize control in the midfield and outsmart the opponents!

　Sec. 7 will face Júbilo Iwata at home. In the previous match against Yokohama, the midfielders took measures to man-mark the opposing players, but they were constantly on the defensive and struggled to launch attacks. Therefore, the coach and players have had numerous meetings and made thorough preparations throughout this week. The key in this match is how we can connect attacks from tight marking against the skilled Iwata. We will take control in the midfield, launch attacks from the sides, and aim for victory.

　Iwata is currently in 7th place. Their performance so far is 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, with a goal difference of 0, but they have scored 1 goal more in total. They achieved victory in the irregularly held Nabisco Cup on the 5th (Wed), with the active participation of fresh players. In this round, which they will face in 2 days, it will be an away game for Iwata, but they should aim for 3 points to ride the wave. It is important to be cautious of MF Namekawa, who has prepared his condition by missing the Nabisco Cup, and their skillful passing and game management.

　Tokyo, with Sasa, who was absent in the previous match, starting to adjust his physical condition and forming a two-top with Lucas. The Iwata match, which has given us a bitter taste many times in the past, but last year's match results were 1 win and 1 draw, so the players should not have a sense of weakness. With the support of the home crowd, we definitely want to win this match, which started at 16:03 with Iwata's kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium, where the passing rain has cleared up and it has become sunny.

Both mentally and physically moving forward, Lucas scored 2 goals!

　From the start, they played an aggressive and forward-moving style of soccer. Instead of closely marking the skillful Iwata forwards and midfielders, they found momentum by maintaining a balance between offense and defense and freely moving around. In the 4th minute, Lucas broke free in the penalty area, but his shot went wide. In the 9th minute, Iwata's forward, Karen Robert, headed a shot from a feed by defender Tanaka, but Doi made the save. Tokyo's pressing from the front line worked well against Iwata's quick passing. However, there were also some passing mistakes after winning the ball, and the fast-paced back and forth continued.

　Still, gradually taking control in the midfield, Lucas and Sasa often received the ball up front and spread it to the sides. In the 22nd minute, Tokunaga from the right side dribbled up and passed a lofted ball to the front line. Lucas, who had made a perfect run into the goal area, extended his right foot to shoot a looping shot against the ball coming from behind. The ball drew a beautiful arc and went into the top left corner of the goal! Lucas scored his first goal of the season, giving the team the lead.

　However, just after the opening goal in the 25th minute, Iwata MF Nabe invaded the area and made a heel pass to MF Fabricio. MF Fabricio sent the ball to the center, and MF Murai, who had run in, took a shot. Although Doi initially saved the ball, he couldn't control the spinning ball. Tokyo was bewildered by Iwata's passing play in front of the goal and the score was tied, but Tokyo's momentum did not wane and they continued to attack.

　In the 41st minute, Lucas broke free from Kajiyama's long through pass and crossed from the right side. Sasu closed in on the ball that the opponent's defender couldn't clear and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one. However, the shot was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper Kawaguchi's offense and defense, and although he shot again from the rebound, he couldn't score. In the 42nd minute, Lucas stretched his right foot to connect with Kajiyama's kick from the right corner kick obtained from this play, and scored a goal! It was a difficult shot from a difficult position, but he decisively converted the chance and added a goal just before the end of the first half, heading into the second half.

With the addition of Miyazawa, the momentum increased and Júbilo Iwata secured a comfortable victory with an additional goal from Kurosawa, the Júbilo killer!

　In the second half, Masahiko INOHA was replaced by Miyazawa, and Makoto IMANO took up a position in the midfield. With this formation, the passes were able to connect more smoothly, and Kajiyama and IMANO also pushed forward, increasing the momentum. In the 48th minute, Sasa started the attack from the front line, and Tokunaga, who had moved up to support, crossed the ball. Although it couldn't be connected in the center, Miyazawa, who followed up on the loose ball, took a shot. In the 55th minute, they launched a thick wave-like attack, and from this continuous attack, Kajiyama picked up the clearance by the opponent's defender in the 57th minute and took a well-aimed shot, but it narrowly missed to the left by just one ball's width.

　Tokyo, who completely grasped the rhythm. In the 66th minute, Lucas was fouled on the left side and the ball spilled, but Kajiyama, who regained possession from the opponent's defender, tenaciously kept it and passed it to Miyanosawa in the center. Miyanosawa quickly judged and ran into the left area from the trap, and Inokano passed the ball to the ground in front of the goal directly. Kurizawa jumped in with a sliding tackle on this, and scored the third goal from a flowing combination play! Kurizawa scored in both matches against Iwata last season, demonstrating his strong competitiveness, which can be called the Júbilo killer.

　Iwata substituted FW Maeda for FW Karen Robert in the 56th minute. Maeda, starting from a fast pass, tried to create a chance in front of the Tokyo goal, but Shigeki and Mashima defended well and repelled all attempts. In the 69th minute, from Iwata's wide development from right to left, MF Murai sent a sharp cross, but no one could connect. In the 76th minute, MF Fabricio made a dribble and took a shot from a quick attack, but Doi caught it easily.

　Amidst the intense attack and defense, in the 83rd minute, Sasa was fouled in front of the goal and won a free kick. Sasa himself took the shot, but it was blocked by the opponent's defender. During this time, Asari was substituted for Kurizawa and placed in the defensive midfield position. However, Tokyo continued to attack without entering a defensive stance even in this situation. They consistently outperformed Iwata in one-on-one situations both in attack and defense, and did not allow Iwata to create any promising chances in the late stages of the game. They maintained the advantage throughout the match and achieved a resounding victory over Iwata with 3 goals.

　【Player Comment】《Lucas》"I couldn't score for a while, but I'm glad I finally scored in my fourth game as a forward. I think it's thanks to my teammates and supporters who believed in my goal. The system has changed this season, and it took some time to get used to it, but I'm working hard to improve. I want to build on this goal in the next game."《Kurizawa》"I was focused on defense today. We were able to steal the ball from the front line, so we were able to transition to the attack from there. After the Yokohama game, we talked about taking the ball from the front as a team. The players expressed their opinions, and the coach acknowledged them. In the scoring scene, when Miyazawa had the ball, I thought he might bring it to the front line, so I went up to the goal. As a result, Imakawa put the ball in for me. The assist for Lucas' goal was just as I imagined. I believed that if I could deliver that kind of ball, he would score."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "In today's match, the whole team was focused and we were able to maintain our pace until the end without breaking it. Also, I think it was a game where we were able to aim for goals from the beginning to the end. We knew that Iwata was a team with good technique. However, we told ourselves to play our own football and I think we were able to play good football in Tokyo. (What was Inoha's role today and the intention behind the substitution?) His role was to mark Iwata's Nabe. However, we also instructed him to actively connect passes and attack when there was space in front. One reason for the substitution was that he received a warning and there was a possibility of receiving another yellow card and being sent off. Another reason was the intention to rotate the ball more with Miyazawa's good pass."

　[Summary of Iwata Yamamoto's press conference] "I expected it to be a tough game, and I wanted to show a tough attitude even in that situation, but we lost our composure due to referee decisions and mistakes, and we couldn't have a patient and tenacious fight. It was good that the players fought until the end without giving up, but I think there was a little lack of desire to win and contribute more to the team. We were tired from a tough schedule, but I thought it was a good opportunity to grow. The result is disappointing, but we can only move on because we can see various forms in the process of growth. We fought well in a two-day schedule, but there were players who could fight and players who couldn't. We want to use that point to build the team in the future. We wanted to quickly return to a good position against FC Tokyo's individual defense and compete as a group, but we couldn't compactly and create numerical superiority. We couldn't do what we are good at, which is simple one-touch and two-touch passing and sending the ball forward, especially in the first half. There are also games like this in the season. We will prepare for the next one."