Aiming to break the losing streak with an aggressive play

　Sec. 3 of the Nabisco Cup will welcome Yokohama F.Marinos at home. The team is in a difficult situation, having suffered three consecutive defeats since the Yokohama match on April 12th, the 2nd day of the Nabisco Cup. However, in the league Sec. 9 match against G Osaka on the 22nd, they showed momentum towards the end despite being pushed back. It is a crucial match where they want to turn things around by continuing to play aggressively and break free from the losing streak.

　Yokohama FM, who will face them, is also in a four-game losing streak in the league, with one draw (April 1st Tokyo match) in between. With many injured players, MF Dudu has also left the team due to injury. However, on the other hand, MF Maguron and MF Oku have returned, and young players such as MF Karino and DF Amano have emerged. Among them, the only match this season without a goal was the previous match in the 9th section of the league against Kofu, and regardless of who plays, they launch a fast attack from a solid defense and have power in their offense.

　Yokohama has made significant changes to the lineup, with DF Nakazawa absent and FW Kubo starting on the bench, for today's match against Kofu, just two days after the previous match. MF Karino and Shiokawa are starting for the first time this season. In response, Tokyo needs to press harder and not allow the opponent to play freely. If they can do that and take their chances, they should have a chance to win. This will be the third match against Yokohama this season, but instead of focusing on the opponent's approach, they should take the initiative and challenge without fear of failure in order to aim for 3 points.

　Tokyo, Lucas played as an attacking midfielder, Inoha played as a right back, and Kawaguchi and Akamine started as forwards, as Kurisawa, who was injured in the G Osaka match, and Tokunaga, who injured his leg in last week's practice, were absent today. The match started at 19:00 at Ajinomoto Stadium, which was surprisingly cold for spring, with a kickoff by Yokohama FM.

Although they attacked boldly, Yokohama managed to score one chance.

　From the start, Tokyo creates a big chance. In the 3rd minute, Jean cuts off the opponent's invasion into the goal area. Lucas passes to Kajiyama, and Miyazawa sprints down the left side to Akamine in the front line. Inaba drops the cross from Akamine to Lucas, who is free in front of the goal with a header! However, the trap is not executed well, and the chance is missed. Nevertheless, they continue to connect the ball well and attack to find their rhythm.

　In the 10th minute, Suzuki's early cross was dropped by Akamine, and Lucas took a shot. In the 14th minute, Inoha broke through the middle with a one-two with Akamine on the right side. He sent a fast ground pass into the goal area from a deep position. The opponent's defender cut it off with a sliding tackle, but Kajiyama, Miyazawa's distribution, Inoha's effective attacking runs, and Akamine's reliable post-play created one attacking opportunity after another.

　However, in the 21st minute, Tokyo's cross was caught by the Yokohama goalkeeper and the ball went to the opponent. Yokohama FM initially passed the ball around in the defensive line, but then suddenly accelerated. Left midfielder Shiozawa sprinted up the left side with a one-two with forward Oshima. Tokyo was unable to prevent this and a cross was put in front of the goal. Yokohama forward Yoshida, who received the ball in front, attracted the attention of Tokyo defenders and passed it to midfielder Hayato TANAKA, who ran in from behind. Hayato TANAKA's shot was initially saved by Doi, but it was followed up and the goal was scored.

　It was a good opportunity to score, but we didn't lose momentum. In the 24th minute, Kajiyama intercepted the ball in the opponent's territory and quickly passed it to the front line. It crossed to Kawaguchi who was running diagonally from the left towards the goal, but the opponent's defender cleared it at the moment of the trap and couldn't take a shot. From the resulting right corner kick, Akamine volleyed in front of the goal. Kawaguchi picked up the rebound from the opponent's goalkeeper's save and took a shot from the left. However, once again, it was blocked by the goalkeeper's excellent save. In the 36th minute, Miyazawa connected the clearance from the right corner kick and expanded to the right, Kajiyama moved inside and took a shot, showing momentum, but couldn't score. We went into the second half still trailing by one goal.

One step short... 3 consecutive losses in the Nabisco Cup

　In the second half, they took control of the pace from the beginning and attacked boldly. In the 46th minute right after, Kawaguchi's cross flowed to Akamine in the left. Although he couldn't shoot due to being contested by the opponent's defender, Inoha picked up the loose ball and crossed it to the right. Kajiyama, who had run to the far goal line, met the cross and headed it in, GOAL! They equalized with a persistent wave-like attack!

　After that, the Yokohama FM team continued the game and created chances. In the 52nd minute, the opponent player committed a handball foul, and we obtained a free kick just outside the left area. However, Miyazawa's kick was cleared by the opponent's defender. In the 54th minute, Kawaguchi was fouled on the right side, and Suzuki aimed directly for the free kick, but was blocked by the opponent's defender. In the 59th minute, Akamine received a feed from Inoha and competed on the right side, resulting in a corner kick. From here, Jean took a shot but missed the target. Despite advancing advantageously, crosses and free kicks were all blocked by Yokohama's tall defenders...

　In the 64th minute, Kawaguchi, who received Inoha's pass in front of the goal, was surrounded by the opposing DF and lost the ball. From here, Yokohama DF Matsuda dribbles up. Tokyo couldn't stop this. Over the head of Doi, they scored a loop shot that caught them off guard... Tokyo fell behind again. In the 65th minute, Sasa was brought in and they switched to a 3-top formation to attack.

　However, Yokohama also gained momentum and the ball continued to move back and forth. In the end, in the 89th minute, Suzuki launched a wave attack from the center breakthrough, and Kawaguchi's shot at the end hit the top of the bar. Sasahara's header in injury time was also blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper, and the time was up. The accuracy of the finish and the ingenuity fell just short, resulting in a 1-2 defeat. With this, the Levain Cup has suffered three consecutive losses. They have yet to win any points and are in a difficult situation to advance to the knockout stage.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"The goal came from a good ball from Inoha, so I was determined to score. It was my first goal with a header, but it was enough just to hit it. We started the second half with a good momentum, pushing forward, but... In the first half, Miyazawa and Konno provided a solid defense behind me, allowing me to play freely in front. I think we played well overall, but... If we finish properly, the results will come. I want to stay positive and focus on the next game."《Akamine》"It's disappointing that we couldn't score. We followed the coach's instructions and focused on our own play, but the opponent took their chances well. We had opportunities, but lacked the finishing touch. If we don't convert our chances, this is the kind of result we get. We want to come together as a team and aim for a win in the next game."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "Unfortunately, we didn't get the result we wanted, but if we look at the first half, I think Yokohama FM only had one chance to score, which was their goal. We had several chances in the first half. In the second half, we also had decisive chances and managed to equalize at one point, but Yokohama DF Matsuda scored a fantastic and beautiful goal to make it 2-1. However, I think we were able to play our game. The players put in their all and gave their best. I am proud of the players' performance today. Although the results are not coming easily, I believe they will come eventually. We always want to play good games, but we have many young players, so it's not always easy. However, we are striving to always perform at a high level. It may take time for our style of play to fully integrate and become effective. Nevertheless, in these past three months, we haven't taken the wrong path and I believe we are progressing well. As someone who has been involved in football for many years, I know that the team is on the right track."

　[Summary of Yokohama FM Manager Okada's Press Conference] "We had many players with poor physical condition and injuries, so we used players who don't usually play much, but they fought really well. They thoroughly executed our game plan today. Also, the back three, with Matsuda at the center, didn't lose focus until the end. We dropped back a bit too much in the end, but there was also some luck, and we managed to win somehow. I'm satisfied that they kept fighting and sticking to the game until the end. (Regarding Matsuda's goal) Regardless of who scores, a goal is a goal. I don't think Matsuda now would misunderstand even if he scores, and he's leading the team, so I think it's good that he scored. Nakanishi, who made his first appearance this season, didn't have much experience in game format and it was a sudden challenge for him. Maguron wasn't feeling well and his physical condition dropped, so I thought it was more important to have players who can run than skillfulness in today's game, and I decided to use him boldly. As expected of a veteran, he did at least the minimum."