Desired victory at home. The battle on the sides is the key

　The 5th round of the league will be a home game against Albirex Niigata. It is an important match where we aim to continue our winning streak after the Oita game on Apr 4 (Wed) and secure a victory at home. Despite only having 2 days of rest after the Oita game, Fukunishi, who missed the game on Apr 4 due to a foot injury, will make a comeback. Coach Hara said, "We saw signs of our style of play in the Oita game. Since we have limited time, we didn't want to change our base. In particular, the midfield combination of Imano and Kajiyama was good." On the other hand, we can expect unexpected plays and strength in front of the goal from Fukunishi, so he will be used as an attacking midfielder. We will maintain the momentum we have gained and aim for victory by combining Fukunishi with the members from the Oita game and playing more aggressively.

　Niigata, who faced them, seemed unable to get into the rhythm at the beginning of the season, but in the 4th round of the league, they had a great victory over Kawasaki Frontale. In the Nabisco Cup match against Nagoya on the 4th, they showed perseverance by catching up in the late stages despite being 2 points behind. In particular, the combination of FW Edmilson and Yano has speed and height, and they also have a lot of energy. In addition, both side backs Uchida and Sakamoto aggressively attack from high positions, giving the attacking line a powerful presence.

　On the other hand, Tokyo wants to counterattack after stealing the ball from a well-coordinated defense. If they can exploit the high sides of Niigata, they should be able to create many chances in return. The battle on the sides will be one of the highlights of this match. The players are saying, "We want to play our style of soccer and win at home!" They are united in their quest for victory. The match started at 14:04 with Niigata's kickoff, in the warm Ajinomoto Stadium under cloudy skies.

Conceded a goal from a mistake. Lacking decisiveness and unable to fully attack.

　From the start, both teams pressed each other and there was intense back and forth between offense and defense. In the 2nd minute, Fukunishi -> Kajiyama -> Imakuno made a fluid movement to attack, and Kawaguchi tried to break free in front of the goal following Imakuno's pass, but couldn't take the shot. Niigata counterattacked. Niigata's FW Edmilson made a move on the left side and took a shot. As the struggle continued, in the 17th minute, Inoha took a shot after a side change from right to left to right, but the opponent's DF blocked it. In the 18th minute, they earned a free kick from a position about 26-27m from the right side. Kajiyama took a shot after Suzuki Nori's kick, but it didn't hit.

　Newcastle had not allowed Niigata to shoot so far, but in the 21st minute, they allowed Niigata to advance and sent a vertical pass to the left front space of DF Nagata. Kawaguchi, who had returned to defense, cut it off, but the trap was too big and it was taken away by Niigata's left full-back Sakamoto. DF Sakamoto rushed into the area. Tokunaga was avoided by a feint, and Fujiyama, who had come to help, was too late. They conceded a goal by allowing Niigata's first shot.

　Tokyo, who is trailing by one point, tries to connect the ball and go on the offensive, but they are somewhat disjointed and unable to break through. They were stolen and allowed Niigata to counterattack. In the 38th minute, Ishikawa was substituted for Kawaguchi. Immediately after, they obtained a free kick from the right area, and Lucas dropped Noriyuki Suzuki's kick. Kajiyama connected and Imamura in front of the goal turned and took a shot, but couldn't find the target. The first half ended with a score of 0-1.

They launched a counterattack with 10 players, but could only manage to score one point...

　However, the only goal we lost was one point. We had high hopes for a comeback from here. In the second half, Suzuki Norio was pushed further forward, and Lucas and I formed a formation with almost two top players. Fukunishi started by supporting the left side as well. In the 46th minute just after the start, Ishikawa broke through the right side. The cross was cleared by the opponent's defender, but Fukunishi, who had rushed in at high speed, entered the area. He took a shot, but it missed above the bar, and he missed a golden opportunity.

　50 minutes, when giving a FK to Niigata inside the Tokyo team, Niigata quickly restarts. From here, once again, DF Sakamoto tries to break into the area, and Inoha fouls him. With this play, a PK is given, and at the same time, Inoha receives his second warning today and is sent off. In the 52nd minute, this PK is perfectly scored by MF Marcio Richardes, and the team concedes the second goal.

　Tokyo, who became 10 men, had Konno enter the right side and Kajiyama as the lone defensive midfielder. However, in the 55th minute, the disorganized defense was exploited and Niigata forward Yano broke through on the right area. From there, a negative pass was sent to the goalmouth, and midfielder Marcio Richardes took a shot via forward Edmilson. It hit the crossbar, but the rebound was scored by forward Edmilson.

　However, Tokyo, who had no choice but to attack to chase the three-point deficit, gradually started to attack with decisive movements. In the 59th minute, Wanchope was substituted for Fukunishi. Along with Lucas, Wanchope created opportunities in the front line with his unique rhythm and aimed for a goal. In the 61st minute, Imakano intercepted the ball with fighting spirit in the opponent's territory, dribbled forward, and expanded to the left. Suzuki, who received the ball, aimed for a direct shot, but the ball missed the target by a wide margin. However, this led to an own goal by the opponent, and one point was returned! From here, there was a back-and-forth of counterattacks, and there were also scenes where Niigata, who had a numerical advantage, created decisive chances. However, they did not allow any additional goals, mainly thanks to Shioda.

　In the 81st minute, Hirayama was substituted for Kanazawa. Suzuki moved back and Kajiyama and Lucas in the center. They launched a fierce counterattack with Wanchope, Hirayama, and Ishikawa in the front line. However, in the 82nd minute, Wanchope's header shot from a right cross was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 89th minute, Kajiyama received a pass from Wanchope, dribbled past the opponent's defender and entered the right area. He made a persistent negative pass, and Lucas took a shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's excellent save... In the end, the counterattack did not succeed, and they lost 1-3. Tokyo's aim of "quick attack after stealing" was countered by Niigata, and they missed the victory at home.

　【Player Comments】《Fujiyama》"I'm really sorry that we couldn't win at home. I tried to go for it from the beginning, but it didn't work out well. I wanted to proceed at our own pace a little more... We had less physicality compared to the Oita game and we were losing in the battles. There are things that we absolutely have to do as individuals and as a team's foundation. The team's condition is bad, but we have to reflect on it and switch to the next game."《Shioda》"We prepared well, but unfortunately the result didn't follow. We haven't been doing well in the league matches, so we wanted to win today. I was motivated to do my best if I had the chance to play, as I had a good result when I played in the previous Nabisco game. Results are everything. It doesn't matter how many saves I make if it doesn't lead to a victory. All three goals were conceded from mistakes. I wanted to hold on more in bad timing. I wish I could have communicated more and given effective instructions... There is no room for excuses, but there is another game coming up soon. We won't look down, but move on to the next one."

　[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "We haven't been winning at home, so I talked to the players about approaching the game with the same mindset as the opening match and playing solidly. However, we often slowed down towards the end, and in situations where we could have taken shots or crosses, we ended up making an extra pass and taking too much time, allowing the ball to be taken away and being countered by Niigata FW Edmilson. We lost a goal due to a trap mistake, which further demoralized us, so at halftime, I told everyone to regroup and focus on the ball. We were starting to improve at the beginning of the second half, but then we conceded a penalty and had a player sent off, making it a difficult game. However, I think that after going down to 10 men, we showed more determination in our tackles and had more confident plays in our attacks. It's disappointing that we can't win at home when we have such great support from the fans. But we have the Nabisco Cup on Wednesday. Even though it's at the national stadium, we need to show our own style of football."

　[Summary of Niigata Suzuki's press conference] "I am very grateful that many fans came to support us even though it was an away game. The result was 3-1, but it was not a satisfying game in terms of performance. We were fatigued from consecutive matches, and we couldn't put pressure on the midfield, allowing the ball to be carried to the final line frequently. We wanted to press from the front line, but our defensive coordination was lacking. However, we were able to score one goal thanks to Tokyo's mistake and proceeded with the game in a favorable position. That result led to the second and third goals. The way we played after it became 3-0 was not good, and we couldn't take advantage of having one more player. There were moments where we hesitated on the counterattack. If we don't go into the game with the mindset of scoring the fourth and fifth goals, it will turn into this kind of game. I think reflecting on this will lead to future games, so we want to prepare well for the next one."