Can't afford to lose anymore! Regain the momentum of Tokyo

　The 3rd match of the Nabisco Cup is against Oita Trinita away. In this qualifying league, we have not yet won with 1 draw and 1 loss, so this is an important match where we cannot afford to lose in order to advance to the final tournament. We fought against Oita at home last week and were defeated. They are also our opponents in the league match on the 15th, so even though we are away today, it is necessary to secure the winning points.

　Oita, who has won 2 matches so far, is currently leading Group C. If they win this match, it will greatly increase their chances of advancing to the finals. It is expected that they will come out attacking since it is their home game. In the previous league match against Urawa, they managed to equalize and draw in the final moments, which shows that the team's atmosphere is improving. In addition, Oita has made 5 changes to their starting lineup for this match, bringing in fresh players. As for Tokyo, regardless of the opponent's lineup, they want to quickly switch between offense and defense, maintain a compact formation in the midfield, and calmly pass the ball to create scoring opportunities.

　Tokyo, considering Fukunishi's foot condition, avoided being included in the lineup. On the other hand, Kanazawa returned to the starting lineup after adjusting their condition. Manager Hara analyzed, "There is a subtle gap in both offense and defense. The movement is also limited, and in the attack, we are just in front of the opponent's defense without making many breakthroughs." Therefore, we expect aggressive movements in both offense and defense, and we will use Suzuki Nori and Kawaguchi as side midfielders. At the same time, we will press from the front line and return to the familiar 4-5-1 system with Lucas at the forefront. Depending on the game situation, we will bring in Wanchope, Baba, Ishikawa, and others to add accents.

　The game started at 7:04pm with the kickoff in RESONAC DOME OITA, where the temperature is a chilly 9.9℃.

Lucas scores the opening goal! Leading by one point at halftime.

　Oita started attacking vigorously from the beginning of the match. In the 2nd minute, FW Matsubashi, who ran up the left side from a counterattack, crossed the ball. FW Yamazaki tried to score in the center, but the shot went wide. However, in the 5th minute, Tokyo also had a chance when Suzuki, who had entered the center from Lucas' post, got into a shooting position. He was blocked by the opponent's defender, but Lucas took the rebound and shot the ball, which went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 14th minute, Lucas received a pass from Imano on the right and took a shot inside the penalty area, but it lacked power and the goalkeeper caught it. Although Oita had the rhythm in the early stages, gradually the passes started to connect and they gained momentum.

　21 minutes, Oita MF Maranhão sends a long pass from his own half to the front line. FW Matsubashi Akira breaks through and faces Shioda one-on-one. He dodges Shioda and shoots towards the goal, but it hits the right post and bounces back, avoiding a decisive pinch. Then, in the 22nd minute, Inamoto -> Lucas -> Kawaguchi connect, and Kajiyama shoots from the center, but it is also right in front of the GK. In the 27th minute, after Fujiyama's interception, Suzuki Nori crosses from the left. Kurizawa runs in and shoots after Oita DF clears the ball, but the GK saves it. In the 36th minute, Kanazawa's feed to the front line flows to the left and reaches Kawaguchi, creating a 2-on-2 situation with Lucas. Lucas, who receives the final pass in the center, enters a shooting position, but is closed down by the opponent DF and unable to finish.

　Against Oita, who are defending, the ball is connected and the attack turns, but there is still not enough ingenuity to create a decisive chance. However, in the 40th minute, the long-awaited opening goal is scored. Suzuki Noriyuki keeps the ball on the left side. The ball is passed to Kanazawa, who has rushed up, and he crosses from the sideline. Lucas, in a difficult position, heads the ball into the goal net. In the 44th minute, Kanazawa, who has moved up from the wedge of Kajiyama and Kawaguchi, shoots inside, but they fail to score an additional goal and end the first half.

The defense held strong against Oita's fierce attack in the final stages, earning 3 points

　In the second half, Oita will bring in FW Takamatsu and MF Nishiyama to score. However, Tokyo also compacted their formation and launched counterattacks by stealing the opponent's ball from concentrated defense. In the 50th minute, Lucas made a diving header from Inonami's sharp early cross! But it was blocked by the goalkeeper's excellent save. In addition, in the 53rd minute, Suzuki Nori aimed directly for the left FK chance but missed the target. In the 60th minute, Kajiyama fed a fast ball from around the halfway line to the front line, and Suzuki Nori broke free from the left and made a direct shot, but it went wide to the left of the goal.

　Oita also targets FW Takamatsu and attacks from precise passing to the goal, but does not allow shots. In the 71st minute, Wanchope was substituted for Kawaguchi. Then in the 76th minute, starting from Kajiyama, they launched a counterattack, with Suzuki Nori passing to Wanchope on the right. Wanchope played a perfect through pass directly in front of the goal, and Kurisawa jumped out to take a shot. Unfortunately, it was blocked by the goalkeeper, but it created a decisive scene. In the 77th minute, Bamba was substituted for Kurisawa, who had a cramp in his leg.

　With 10 minutes remaining, Oita gradually gained the upper hand in terms of physical fitness, while Tokyo stopped them with fouls and gave away multiple free kicks. However, they did not allow any goals thanks to Shioda's efforts in front of the goal. Furthermore, Oita substituted DF Uemoto with FW Yuan Matsuhashi, increasing the number of players in the front line and relentlessly attacking the Tokyo goal by throwing the ball into the box. However, in the end, they were helped by a mistake and the match ended. They achieved their first victory since the Omiya match in the league and kept their hopes alive for advancing to the finals tournament.

　【Player Comments】《Kawaguchi》"(Was it your first start of the season?) I was only thinking about doing what I could and playing with all my strength within the given time. Today, Lukon scored the first goal at a good time. After that, it would have been good if we could have scored a second goal when the opponent came forward... In the end, we were under pressure, but it was good that we were able to hold them off and not concede any goals. Our task is to score a second goal and for everyone to read the flow of the game during dangerous times and change that flow. There must be some reason why we haven't been able to win so far. Personally, I think that we haven't been able to bring out the strength that everyone has in the game. I always tell my teammates, "We are the ones who have to do it!" and we talked about it when we formed a circle before kickoff today. We won today, but I don't think any of the players are satisfied with this performance. We need to continue to grow during the game."《Kanazawa》"In the first half, we were able to play at a good pace and rhythm and we were able to play the kind of soccer we were aiming for. In the second half, we were on the back foot and it was tough to be pushed back from the early stages. This is something we need to reflect on. (Was the cross that led to the first goal good?) The ball came into the front line and the timing was good, so I overlapped. Then, Norio surprisingly passed me the ball (laughs) and I immediately thought I should take the shot. Fortunately, a good cross came in. We still have a chance to advance in the Nabisco Cup, so we want to use this victory to continue in the league. We need to reflect on not being able to win so far and have a strong mentality. And above all, we want to win at home. We have a lot of support, but we haven't been able to win, so we will win next time."

　[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "In the previous home match against Oita in the Nabisco Cup, we lost without momentum, and that defeat carried over to the league matches, creating a negative flow. Today, even though it was an away game, we approached the match with the intention of confidently showcasing our strengths without fear. Due to fatigue in Ishikawa, we used Kawaguchi, and also, since Kanazawa's condition has improved, we were able to use Noriyuki SUZUKI up front. We tried to regain momentum while utilizing the movements of the two side players. As expected, the selfless movements that flew into Kawaguchi's space created a good flow. Also, Fukunishi's condition was not good, but by substituting Kajiyama in the second half of the Kashiwa match, we felt that our original rhythm had returned, so we decided to continue with a double pivot of Imano and Kajiyama. Today, the ball started moving thanks to their movements. We have tried various combinations of new players so far, but there may have been some confusion among the players. Therefore, today's aim was to start with the familiar method we used two years ago and successfully combine it with new players. In the first half, Takamatsu, the FW, did not play for Oita, but on the contrary, their forward runs were threatening. In the second half, there were many situations where the ball was kept due to Takamatsu's presence. There were some dangerous moments, but Fujiyama and the other four players in the backline, as well as Kajiyama, held their ground. For us, obtaining 3 points in this Nabisco Cup is a significant achievement."

　[Summary of Oita Chamusca's Press Conference] "Today, it may have been the worst game of the year where we couldn't bring out the strength we originally have. Because of the consecutive matches, the overall team strength may have decreased due to using different players than usual to recover the players. When we are playing well, we can pass the ball with high quality and control the game. However, today we had simple passes taken away from us and couldn't connect them to the attack. If there is one satisfying point, it is that the players fought until the end with a passionate spirit for the full 90 minutes. We need to switch our focus to the next Shimizu match and the players also need to recover from fatigue."