Fielding a fresh lineup for consecutive matches, challenging Yokohama FM

　Sec. 4: Yokohama F.Marinos will play in the 4th round, away. Although they couldn't secure a victory in the previous round, they managed to draw with determination with the support of their home fans. Now, they face a back-to-back match in just 2 days, but they aim for a victory away while addressing their challenges.

　Tokyo this season has always approached with the mindset of "those who produce results in practice will be able to play in the matches" to enhance competition. At the same time, Coach Jofuku also mentioned that he wants to "establish the team's base while not fixing the members and adapting to changes." Therefore, considering the opponent's countermeasures and consecutive matches, the team will face the match by replacing players. Kajiyama returns from injury and starts as a center back along with Sahara and Morimura as the right midfielder, marking their first starting appearances this season. Uchida is the left midfielder, and Hirayama and Kawaguchi form the front two in a 4-4-2 formation.

　Yokohama FM, who suffered their first loss of the season to Kashima in the previous match, has a record of 2 wins and 1 loss in the league, and 1 win and 1 draw in the Nabisco Cup, showing good form. FW Oshima, who excels in accurate post-play, as well as FW Ronnie, MF Lopez, and MF Yamase, all have the ability to hold and break through. It will be necessary to put pressure on them and not allow them to play freely. Additionally, Yokohama FM's lineup is listed as 4-4-2, with MF Komiyama and DF Tanaka Hayato serving as the wings, making the battle on the sides a highlight.

　Yokohama FM's 3-back has both height and strength, so we want to shake them up from both sides. Starting from the front line with Hirayama, Kawaguchi, Hanyu, Morimura, and others will use their movement to disrupt the defense and aim for a goal and victory. The match started at 19:05 with a kickoff in Tokyo at the NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium, which was partly cloudy.

A closely contested match ends the first half with a scoreless draw

　Immediately after the start, Morimura expanded to the right from Kajiyama. Tokunaga, who advanced to a deep position, took a corner kick. However, the right corner kick kicked by Morimura was cleared by the Yokohama FM defender. In the 6th minute, Kawaguchi → Hanyu connected on the left side, and Morimura, who was on the left side, attacked and took a shot. It was saved by the goalkeeper, but he challenged boldly from the start and created a good opportunity. In the 8th minute, Yokohama FM also quickly switched the ball after stealing it inside the Tokyo territory, and MF Yamase Koji aimed for a shot from the middle. In the following 9th minute, this time from inside the Yokohama FM territory, they launched a quick attack, and MF Lopez dribbled up and FW Ronnie, who received the ball outside the left area, took a shot. However, there was no momentum, and Shioda saved it.

　In the 14th minute, we earned a free kick on the left side, and Kajiyama quickly restarted the play. Morimura on the opposite side aimed for a header, but couldn't finish it off due to competition from the opponent's defender. Both teams attacked each other, but couldn't break through the defense. On the contrary, the game was evenly matched with concentrated defense. In the 26th minute, Kajiyama changed the side by penetrating the space from the left to the right. Tokunaga went up firmly and took a shot at the Yokohama defender in the penalty area, but it went way over. In the 30th minute, Kajiyama intercepted the ball in our own half. Nagatomo quickly sent it to the front line, via Hanyu, and Hirayama made a middle shot while advancing, but it also missed the target.

　After 30 minutes, Yokohama FM was pushed in from a set play. In the 35th minute, a free kick taken by MF Koji Yamase from a deep position on the right side was punched away by Shioda. In the 36th minute, from a left throw-in by Yokohama FM, MF Koji Yamase took advantage of the opening and took a middle shot. It flew towards the upper left corner of the goal, but Shioda made a last-minute save and escaped with a corner kick. In the 37th minute, Shigeki Moriba, who was trying to contain Yokohama FM's MF Lopez, collided and injured his shoulder, temporarily going off the pitch but quickly returning. After that, they invited danger from consecutive corner kicks, but Shioda and the defense held firm, and the first half ended with a scoreless draw.

Conceding 3 goals in the second half, we suffered a complete defeat and experienced our first loss in the league.

　In the second half, in order to make a decisive move, Otake was substituted for Morimura. They go for a goal with a tactical substitution. However, in the 46th minute just after the start, the ball was stolen in the midfield and passed to Oshima, the left forward of Yokohama FM. He passed it back in a post-play and Koji Yamase, the receiving midfielder, made a fierce dash towards the goal with a dribble. No one could stop him, and Shigeki Shigeno, the last line of defense, couldn't close in either, resulting in a powerful shot piercing the net for a goal... They conceded a goal in the early stages and in the 50th minute, Cabore was brought in. They aimed to counterattack with fast attacks exploiting the space behind the defenders.

　In the 53rd minute, Hayu's left cross was returned by Hirayama, and Otake skillfully controlled the ball in front of the goal, evading the opponent's defender and taking a shot. However, the goalkeeper made a save and the big chance was missed. This time, Yokohama FM had a chance. In the 57th minute, the second corner kick, right corner kick, was connected by MF Yamase Koji in a short pass, and received the return from DF Nakazawa, then made a right cross. This cross skimmed past Tokyo DF and reached MF Lopes who was positioned near the goal, and he scored with a header shot.

　It became a difficult situation to chase two points, but in the 59th minute, Hirayama broke through with a lob pass from Imano and pushed it into the goal as the goalkeeper came out. However, it was ruled as a handball and the goal was disallowed. After that, we launched a quick attack but lost the ball midway, leading to a speedy counterattack by Yokohama FM. In the 69th minute, Kajiyama, Otake, and Nagatomo worked together with dribbles and passes to attack the Yokohama FM goal, but couldn't take a shot in the end. On the contrary, we were countered and allowed Yokohama FM's MF Komiyama to take a shot.

　72 minutes, Tokunaga advances and delivers a sharp cross that flies parallel to the goal. Kajiyama shoots the ball that was spilled by Otake, the opponent's defender, and Hirayama in front of the goal, but it goes high. In the 75th minute, Hirayama on the front line swings to the left area, and Cabore, who broke through, goes around inside and passes to Otake in the center. They connect with short passes, and finally Imano shoots from just outside the area, but it curves to the right. Asari is substituted in the 77th minute. In addition to Kajiyama and Imano, both fullbacks also move up, putting numbers in the attack to score a goal.

　However, Tokyo approached the goal but couldn't break through. Yokohama FM launched a sharp counterattack, and the offensive and defensive battle quickly changed. In the 86th minute, Hiraoka in the center dropped a left cross, and Cabore on the left side volleyed while reversing his body to hit the loose ball from the opponent's defender. The powerful shot attacked the goal but was blocked by the goalkeeper. Then, in the 89th minute just before the end, Yokohama FM midfielder Matsuda became a wedge, and midfielder Yamase Koji received the return pass and confidently shot a ground shot. It hit the lower left corner of the post and bounced back into the goal. They lost the third goal by taking advantage of the opportunity when they attacked, and the game ended. They suffered their first defeat in the league with a score of 0-3.

　【Player Comments】《Morimura》"I was conscious of the speed of transitioning between offense and defense, and I wanted to launch attacks that exploit the gaps in the opponent's back three. I felt confident in the transition aspect, but I couldn't receive the ball much and couldn't establish a rhythm. I couldn't create space in the front line, and I felt the need to devise ways to enter from the sides to the center."《Sahara》"We were in a good shape in the first half. I think we were able to defend well with good coordination by communicating with each other. If we had scored first in that situation, the game would have been in our favor. I think our game plan for the rest of the match fell apart by a narrow margin."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We started the match with a lineup change from the previous game, but I think the starting members, including the players who made their first start, fulfilled their respective roles. Hirayama played a role in receiving the ball with his height, Kawaguchi ran both in attack and defense, or made runs behind the defense, balancing his role. They were also in good condition, and considering the three consecutive games, they were selected as starters. In the first half, there were hardly any moments where we were broken down, and I recognize it as a decent 45 minutes. In the second half, we were easily dispossessed in situations where we could have simply moved the ball, and we were caught by the opponent's quick counterattacks. We were cautious about MF Yamase's ability to take the ball forward near the penalty area and take it all the way to a shot, but the way we lost the ball was poor and we ended up in that situation. That's when we conceded the first goal and the rhythm got a little off. Also, as for the chasing situation, it remained a challenge that there was a lack of sharpness. While we continued to connect and carry the ball, we didn't maximize the potential of the two top players, Cabore and Hirayama, who came on as substitutes, and instead continued to pass the ball in the same way as the first half. (What is the difference compared to Yokohama FM?) After entering the attacking third, it is necessary to have the awareness and accuracy to move towards the goal, but there were moments when we could have gone straight towards the goal when we won the ball a few times, but we ended up taking too many touches. I think that's the difference."

　[Summary of Yokohama FM Manager Kuwahara's Press Conference] "We lost to Kashima in the previous match, so today's game was important. The players understood that and gave their all for the full 90 minutes. I think their desire to win was evident in their play. I am grateful for the victory today, which the players gave us as a gift. One difference from the previous match was that today's game was played at night. We talked about taking advantage of the different speed and distance perception that comes with playing at night. In the first half, MF Koji Yamase took a shot and the opponent's goalkeeper made a save, but his shooting awareness was high. In the past, he would hesitate to pass even inside the penalty area, but today we encouraged him to be more aggressive, and he was able to do what he intended. Koji Yamase, after scoring for the national team and returning, had not been able to score for the team. I think his true strengths were overshadowed by factors such as jet lag. However, his partnership with MF Lopez has also improved, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves today. If they can continue to play like that, we can expect around 2 goals."