Switching the mindset, aiming for victory at home

　Sec. 32, Yokohama F.Marinos will face the match at home. In the previous match, they lost to Iwata away, but this match is an important one where they want to switch their mindset and take advantage of the home ground to win. However, the team's condition is not perfect. Ishikawa, who had an injury in his right foot, will return, but Inoha, Kajiyama, and Hirayama have left the team for the activities of the U-21 Japan national team since the 19th, and they also participated in the match against South Korea held on the 21st (Tue). Inoha also accompanied the Japan national team's Asian Cup qualifier held in Sapporo last week, so considering their respective conditions, Inoha and Kajiyama will avoid today's match.

　The members, with Jean starting for the first time since the Hiroshima match on October 15th. In addition, Inomata was used as a center back, and Miura and Miyazawa formed a double pivot. Coach Kuramata explained, "I considered the combination with Jean, and also converted Inomata considering Yokohama's early feed and how to respond to it."

　Yokohama FM, which currently has 39 points, is in 12th place. Although they tried to rebuild with new coach Takashi MIZUNUMA in the middle of the season, they have been on a three-game losing streak recently. However, they need to be cautious of the breakthroughs from the side by MF Hayato TANAKA, the runs from the top by Koji YAMASE, and the plays utilizing the speed of FW Sakata. Additionally, their power play, targeting FW Oshima from accurate passes, is also a threat.

　It should be an intense match, but Tokyo wants to take the initiative and counterattack. Although the defense line is makeshift, they want to prolong the attacking time and finish with a goal, while preventing goals from counters. In the attack, they want to exploit the space behind Yokohama FM's high defensive line and find opportunities to score. The match started at 15:04 with Tokyo's kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium, under the cloudy sky that feels like midwinter.

Grasping the rhythm, Lucas takes the lead with a penalty kick!

　In the first half, we pressed from the front and took the ball, and we grasped the rhythm with fast attacks. In the 2nd minute, Ishikawa cut inside from the flow of the left corner kick and took a powerful shot. In the place where the opponent's goalkeeper spilled it, Imano closed in and created a chance, but the shot did not hit and was blocked by the goalkeeper again. In the 5th minute, Yokohama FM also created a scoring opportunity. Right midfielder Hayato Tanaka forcefully broke through the side. Forward Oshima dropped the cross lifted from the end line and took a shot with his chest in front of the goal. The ball hit the lower left post and we avoided conceding a goal.

　Still, Tokyo took the advantage and threatened the Yokohama FM goal mainly through set pieces. In the 6th minute, Toda broke through to the front line and was brought down by the opponent's goalkeeper just outside the left area, winning a free kick. In the 15th minute, from Ishikawa's breakthrough, a free kick was awarded outside the right area. Miyazawa's kick was deflected by the goalkeeper and resulted in a left corner kick. In the 16th minute, a combination of Ishikawa and Miyazawa resulted in a free kick from outside the left area. They then won a left corner kick. However, Miyazawa and Baba's kicks were all blocked by Yokohama FM's defenders and did not lead to a goal.

　In the 17th minute, Yokohama FM launched a wave attack in front of the goal, and in the end, Miyazawa sent a lob pass to Lucas in the area. Yokohama FM defender Nasu, who was competing here, blocked Lucas' progress and won a penalty kick. In the 19th minute, Lucas confidently converted this penalty kick and scored the opening goal!

　In the 34th minute, Lucas creates a chance for an additional point. He skillfully controls a throw-in from his own half and sends a floated ball to the right front line. Ishikawa runs into it and shoots from inside the right area! However, the opponent's goalkeeper quickly reacts and blocks it. In the 38th minute, Lucas connects with Baba directly from Toda's post and shakes the net with a shot, but it is offside at Toda's position. In the 43rd minute, Lucas tenaciously keeps the ball on the right side. Ishikawa reacts to the pass into the middle and evades the opponent's DF who jumped in with a trap, then shoots from just outside the goal area. It was a decisive chance, but the ball narrowly misses to the left... The additional point is not scored, and they go into the second half with a one-point lead.

Yokohama FC pushed and suffered a frustrating comeback defeat against FM

　In the second half, Yokohama FM launched a counterattack. In the midst of intense battles for the ball, they gradually pushed Tokyo back. However, they calmly defended with Doi, Jean, and Imakuno at the center, resulting in a back-and-forth exchange. In the 60th minute, taking advantage of Yokohama FM's forward positioning, Baba sprinted up the left side and sent a cross to the far side. Ishikawa met it with a direct volley, sending it accurately towards the goal, but once again it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save.

　Yokohama FM replaced MF Hayato TANAKA with MF Oku in the 63rd minute. They connected passes smoothly and took control of the pace. On the other hand, Tokyo's energy level dropped and their defensive line dropped slightly. In the 67th minute, Tokyo replaced Ishikawa with Suzuki as left MF. They hoped for an additional goal with Toda shifting to the right. However, Yokohama FM also substituted FW Marques for MF Kano in the 75th minute. Immediately after that, Yokohama FM's MF Oku floated a pass into the penalty area. Tokyo's DF cleared it, but it fell to MF Koji YAMASE, who crossed it to DF Dutra on the left side. FW Oshima jumped ahead of Jean and headed the ball from close range. Although Doi initially saved the shot, MF Oku pushed it in and the score was equalized.

　In the 80th minute, Toda, who had moved forward on the right side, crossed the ball back to Lucas in the middle. Surrounded by defenders, Lucas passed the ball back and Miura made a run into the back, but unfortunately the pass didn't connect... In the 84th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Miyazawa. However, Yokohama FM completely dominated the power play and pushed Tokyo back. In the 88th minute, from a sharp left cross by Yokohama FM forward Marques, Oshima's header was on target, but Jean made a block right on the goal line! As the game entered the 2 minutes of stoppage time, Kawai passed to Yamase, who then passed to Kurihara, who had moved up freely on the right area. Kurihara's shot was saved by Doi's nice save and escaped as a corner kick, seemingly avoiding a dangerous situation.

　However, with this right CK, FW Marques kicked the ball and DF Nasu headed it far away. The ball floated in the air and Jean jumped, but Doi's hand couldn't reach it and it went into the goal. After that, Jean also moved up to the front line and tried to counterattack without giving up until the end, but it was in vain. They allowed a winning goal near the end and suffered a painful comeback defeat.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"I was given a break in the previous match, so my body felt too light. I was moving too much and my muscles and knees couldn't keep up with my body's sharpness, which scared me. I had a decisive chance, but when I aimed for the top on my first shot, it was saved. On my second shot, I aimed for the bottom and the course was as I intended, but it missed. Recently, Yokohama FM has been connecting with their feet a lot, so I chased from the front line at the start. If the opponent kicked a long ball and the second ball couldn't be picked up, we were planning to lower the line and go for the steal, but we ended up being pushed back. In the second half, when fatigue started to set in, it would have been better if we could have been more compact. In the next match, it's our final home game. Rather than stopping the opponent's championship, we want to have a fight that will lead us to the Emperor's Cup and next season."《Imano》"Looking back, we lost... and it's a tough result that leaves us tired. Today, we tried to defend well and launch counterattacks. Our approach didn't change between the first and second half, but in the second half, we couldn't bring it to a counterattack and were pushed back, and our defense line couldn't hold up. It was my first start as a center back, but I thought that if I didn't lose in one-on-one situations, we wouldn't concede. I was marking to a certain extent, but towards the end, Yokohama FM kept coming out from behind and we ended up conceding. It's frustrating and disappointing to lose like this today, but the next game is coming up soon. We need to switch gears and fight hard to win."

　[Summary of Manager Kuramata's Press Conference] "We were reversed, but I think we were able to play the soccer we aimed for in the first half. We read that Yokohama's defensive line was shallow, so we were able to aim for the space behind them and we were also able to respond when they made early feeds. In the second half, we made the opponent take risks and come out to attack, but we conceded the first goal due to a marking error caused by the opponent's player substitution, and we conceded the second goal due to our own mistake. If we had scored an additional goal early in the second half, there would have been a high possibility of winning, but we couldn't convert our chances. We had opportunities, so if we had scored there, the result would have been different. I think Imano did a good job in taking care of Yokohama FM forward Sakata's runs, etc. He also made runs forward after winning the ball, so there were no issues with Imano as a center back. Jean played in a game after a long time, and I think there were some parts where he lacked match fitness. I haven't confirmed it yet, but there is a need to correct the part where he lost his marking against crosses. (There is a match against Urawa in 2 days, but?) I haven't thought about it yet. I will watch the video and consider the lineup, etc. from now on."

　[Summary of Yokohama FM Manager Mizunuma's Press Conference] "I'm relieved that we got the result. Up until now, the players have been trying their best but haven't been able to produce results, and they've been feeling a lot of responsibility. Before the match today, I told them, 'FC Tokyo's soccer is aggressive and very scary. But because we're pushing forward, we also carry risks.' We faced some critical moments and conceded goals, but at halftime, I talked about the tactical aspects and instructed them, 'If we can create opportunities from the midfield space, we can make it work somehow.' The ball started to settle there, and we were able to move forward. We made substitutions and had players with different levels of motivation, but the players who played today did well. It's good that we were able to deliver results to the fans. We'll fight desperately in the remaining two matches and try to produce results. DF Nasu, who scored the winning goal, hasn't been used in the past few matches, but he's a hard worker and a player who can bring back his performance on his own. I had no doubts about using him. We kept Lucas under control, and I didn't expect him to score the winning goal, but he did. Seeing everyone run towards him after the goal made me feel the unity of the team."