Sec. 2 of the Nabisco League, revenge for the league match and achieve victory

　From the 7th section of the league match on the 8th (Sat), we will face Yokohama F.Marinos in the 2nd day of the Nabisco Cup qualifiers with only 3 days in between. We will challenge Yokohama away, which will be a match without a break from the 6th section of the league held on the 1st (Sat), but we were dominated throughout the league match. Although we managed to bring it to a draw towards the end, it can be said that we were completely defeated in terms of content. Based on the momentum gained in the 7th section against Iwata, we want to take revenge in this match.

　Yokohama FM, who has not won in the last three matches, is facing the match. Perhaps because of that, they have chosen fresh and highly motivated players for today's game. The starting lineup for today includes six players who have been replaced from the previous match, including injured FW Marques and MF Maglone.

　To counter the composition of Yokohama FM, Tokyo aims to take advantage on the sides and has chosen the same 3-5-2 system. The back three consists of Shigeno on the left, Jean on the right, and Mashima in the center. The midfield sides are Suzuki and Tokunaga, with Kurisawa playing as the attacking midfielder, and Inoue and Kajiyama behind. This is the lineup they will face the match with.

Dominating the game against the energetic Yokohama FM

　The match started at 19:00 with the kickoff of Yokohama FM at the humid Mitsuzawa Park Stadium. Yokohama FM quickly gained momentum with a powerful play, taking a corner kick from the left MF Dutra's middle shot and FW Oshima's header from the right corner kick. In the 12th minute, right MF Tanaka boldly cut back Suzuki and took a shot, but it was saved by Doi's good defense and resulted in a corner kick. After the corner kick, MF Yoshida broke through Tokyo's left side. He was able to deliver a sharp cross from a deep position, which Doi caught firmly. In the 15th minute, FW Oshima jumped into the air to meet Tanaka's sharp cross, but Mashima held him back well and it resulted in another corner kick.

　Tokyo made a series of mistakes in front of the tough opponent's press. They lost the ball and were dominated by Yokohama FM for a long time. Yokohama FM ran well both in attack and defense, connecting passes and taking control of the wings. Starting from the attacking midfielder Yoshida, they launched side attacks one after another, especially from the right midfielder Tanaka, and made runs into the goal area for forward Sakata. In the 21st minute, Yokohama FM's forward Oshima headed the ball into the goal from a free kick from the left area, but the preceding contest was called a foul, so it was disallowed. In the 23rd minute, forward Sakata jumped to head the ball into the net from a fast cross from right midfielder Tanaka. In the 32nd minute, Tokyo's defense cut off a shot from right midfielder Tanaka who had entered the penalty area.

　In the 34th minute, Kajiyama tried to break the frustrating situation of not being able to attack by taking a shot, winning a corner kick. However, Lucas jumped into Kurihara's right corner kick but couldn't take a shot. In the end, Tokyo only had two shots in the first half, one from Kajiyama and one from Lucas in the 39th minute. Nevertheless, with Doi and Mashima leading the defense, they managed to keep a clean sheet and ended the first half scoreless. There were hopes for a comeback in the second half.

Despite attacking, they conceded 2 goals and suffered a complete defeat...

　From the end of the first half, Jean and Masuzaki changed positions. Masuzaki moved to the right and quickly shut down the opponent's FW, joining the attack. The desire to move forward paid off, and at the start of the second half, Masuzaki made a daring attack and passed the ball to the front line. However, it just missed Kurizawa who had come out. In the 52nd minute, Masuzaki and Kajiyama fought for the ball with the opponent, and it was passed from Tokunaga to Kurizawa in the center. Kurizawa took a well-aimed shot, but it was saved by the opponent's GK. Finally, the competition became more balanced and the attacking rhythm was starting to form.

　However, in the 57th minute, Yokohama FM was stolen in the midfield, and FW Sakata dribbled up the left side. A low and sharp cross was sent to the front of the goal from a deep position, and Doi saved it once. However, the floating ball fell in front of MF Karino, who had just come on as a substitute, and was kicked into the goal from a close distance. It was a goal that broke the beginning of the counterattack.

　Tokyo, in the 63rd minute, substituted Jean for Kawaguchi, and in the 66th minute, substituted Suzuki for Fujiyama. They launched a counterattack with an unconventional 3-4-3 formation, with Tokunaga as the rising target. They created a scene from Kajiyama's distribution, starting from the right side and bringing it to a shot. In the 72nd minute, Tokunaga broke through the right side, the cross didn't connect with Sasa in the center, but Kawaguchi from the far side provided good support and took a shot from outside the left area. However, it lacked power and missed the target. In the 76th minute, a through pass went to Kawaguchi who had run out to the right front line from Kajiyama. Kawaguchi crossed the ball and Kajiyama, who picked up the loose ball from the defenders, took a shot, but it narrowly missed the top of the bar...

　In the 83rd minute, Abe was substituted for Kurisawa, and they tried to score a goal with a scramble formation close to a four-top, but they were unable to score. On the contrary, in the 89th minute, Yokohama FM quickly restarted and FW Kubo easily scored a goal. They allowed an additional point by being caught off guard and the game ended. They lost the game to the aggressive Yokohama in both offense and defense.

　【Player Comments】《Mashima》"I couldn't find the rhythm in the first half. In the middle of a tight 3-on-3 confrontation, we lost the ball from mistakes and let the opponents run. Yokohama had the numerical advantage with DF Matsuda also moving forward, so I switched to right DF and tried to prevent attacks while also pushing forward. Just before the start of the game, Coach Garo also instructed me to be flexible in that area. There were scenes where I could make passes, but unfortunately, I couldn't change the bad flow of the game."《Kawaguchi》"(I came on as a substitute) when we were losing, so with the front three, either Lukon or I tried to create chances in the side spaces. The opponents' defenders were tall, so I focused on low and fast crosses. Like when Kajiyama took a shot, if it bounces back, it can lead to a chance. I thought it was necessary to repeat that many times. However, substitute players need to produce results even in a short time. It's disappointing that it didn't lead to a goal and victory. (Compared to the game against Iwata, does it feel like the team has regressed?) It's something that the opponents also have, so there's no need to be discouraged. It's important to minimize mistakes and switch gears."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "Until around the 30th minute of the first half, our marking in the midfield was weak, and the opponents were able to freely pass the ball. Towards the end of the first half, we started to mark tightly and were able to create some good opportunities. As for the second half, I think it was evenly matched, but we conceded a goal due to a mistake. After conceding the first goal, we had to equalize and turn the game around, so we pushed forward. I think we had several chances, but we couldn't convert them into goals. In the midst of our attacking play, we conceded an additional goal in the end. It was a game where Yokohama's finishing ability resulted in them scoring two goals. The intention behind playing with a back three was for our wing players to push forward and deliver crosses to Lucas and Sasa. However, especially in the first half, we made many mistakes and couldn't connect our passes."

　[Summary of Yokohama FM Manager Okada's Press Conference] "Today, I wanted the top team to show the fighting spirit and unity that they have recently forgotten. They played a fantastic game just as I had intended. Even though they started to slow down in the second half, they fought well. I am satisfied with the effort that the young players put in. Midfielder Amano can be somewhat predictable, but he is a player who does the minimum required work and he did a decent job. I was unsure how much attacking midfielder Karino could contribute since he is an attacking player, but I didn't expect him to perform this well. We don't have a good free-kick taker, but his kicks are accurate. It is reassuring to have him become a sufficient force. Regarding the decision to use forward Kubo, there was a sudden accident with Sakata's injury, so I hesitated while considering the next match and testing other players. However, I also had the strong desire to win today, so I decided to put him in. I had also considered using him towards the end of the game depending on how the match unfolded. In the past, there were situations where it was unpredictable to use him as a substitute, but he performed well for the team. I used defender Nasu on the left side of the 3-back formation because he was in good condition and he has accuracy with his left foot, so I calculated that I could use him on the left for ball distribution. Midfielder Kawai has been considered as a substitute for the defensive midfielder position, so I had no doubts about using him."