Verdy's victory, suppressing individual skills of Tokyo's final round after 3 years!

　Sec. 6 will be a match against Verdy, held at Ajinomoto Stadium but played as an away game. In the previous match at Ajinomoto Stadium, we achieved a victory after about half a year, and in this match, we aim for consecutive wins and an absolute victory in the Tokyo showdown that we cannot afford to lose. The players are all saying, "The match against Verdy is a battle between clubs. We, who stand on the pitch, want to express it the most," and their determination is also strong.

　However, Shigeni will be absent due to his right shoulder condition. Therefore, Sato and Fujiyama will form the center-back, while Hanyu will play as an attacking midfielder, and Cabore and Akamine will serve as the two forwards in a 4-3-1-2 formation. Otake, who was away from the team due to the activities of the U-19 Japan national team, will also be on the bench.

　Verdy, who returned to J1 for the first time in 3 years, as you may know, FW Hukki joined the team by surprise. The attacking power has improved significantly. They achieved their first victory in the previous match and should have momentum. Although MF Kono is absent from this match due to injury, it is necessary to control the attacking lineup with FW Hukki at the center, top midfielder Diego, left MF Leandro, and their powerful individual skills. They want to press from the front, launch quick counterattacks, and break through the solid defense. If they can carry out a speedy development with coordinated movements in both offense and defense, they should be able to exploit weaknesses. Suppress Verdy's individual skills as a team and win!

　Cloudy sky at Ajinomoto Stadium, many Tokyo fans rushed to the away stand. They sent loud cheers from before the game, and the match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 17:03, right in the atmosphere of home.

Despite withstanding Verdy's attacks well, they conceded a goal from a free kick...

　In the early stages, both teams fiercely pressed each other and continued to fight for the ball. Verdy's FW Hukki sprinted down the right side in the 2nd minute. In the 4th minute, FW Hukki entered a shooting position, but Nagatomo and Fujiyama defended with their bodies. In the 6th minute, Tokyo won a corner kick on the right. Then, the opponent's DF tried to clear the ball from Hanyu's kick, but his header shook the net. However, it was ruled as a foul in front of the goal, so it was disallowed. In the 13th minute, Tokunaga's free kick went through to the front of the goal, and Hanyu rushed in and took a shot while colliding with the opponent's GK. He created a chance by exploiting the opponent's opening, but the ball went just wide of the goal.

　However, gradually allowing Verdy's dominance, they were pressed by quick attacks. At the same time, even when attempting a counterattack, they couldn't hold the ball in the front line and couldn't create an attacking shape. Nevertheless, the defense fought hard. Shioda, Fujiyama, and Sahara defended tenaciously, and there were no decisive pinches. In the 37th minute, Tokyo had a right corner kick. Hayu's kick was punched by the opponent's goalkeeper, but Kajiyama picked up the loose ball contested by the defender and Asari, skillfully turned around from the trap, and took a shot, but it went over the frame. In the 42nd minute, they were robbed while attacking and suffered a counterattack, but FW Hukki's dribble was intercepted by Fujiyama and Nagatomo, sandwiching him.

　Amidst the intense attacking and defending, filled with passion, the 43rd minute arrived. This time, FW Hukki's breakthrough was stopped by a foul, giving a free kick from the right side. MF Diego played a short pass inside, and FW Hukki took a shot. The ball beautifully found the top left corner, resulting in a goal... We had been holding on well until this point, but we conceded the first goal at an unfavorable time. In injury time, Imano -> Tokunaga dribbled up and sent a grounded ball near the sideline, which Akamine jumped into with his whole body. The ball headed towards the opponent's goal, where the goalkeeper had come out, but it was cleared by a covering defender, and we couldn't score the equalizer. We entered the second half trailing by one goal.

Hanyu scores his first goal. He secures a fierce battle with a dramatic winning goal at the end!

　Although they lost one point, Tokyo, who bet on the second half, began to grasp the rhythm from their quick attacks. In the 52nd minute, Kajiyama intercepted and advanced into the area for a shot. However, it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Verdy also created chances from their speedy moves, and in the 57th minute, MF Diego -> FW Hukki, who had drifted to the left area, took a direct shot. It hit the right post and they missed an additional point. In the 60th minute, from Verdy's left throw-in, FW Hukki sent the ball to the goal area, and MF Diego broke free. It was a decisive moment, but the shot was saved by Shibata and resulted in a corner kick.

　In the midst of intense changes in offense and defense, in the 61st minute, Ohata was replaced by Otake. They aimed to counterattack with a 4-4-2 formation. Then, in the immediate 62nd minute, Otake dribbled up from the right side and passed to Cabore on the outside. Cabore sent a cross to Akamine just outside the area, who controlled it with one touch. Hanyu, who had made a run, took a direct shot. The ball, which was controlled near the corner, was sucked into the top right corner, resulting in Hanyu's valuable first goal of the season, equalizing the score!

　As the stands heat up and the mood of taking the lead increases, in the 67th minute, Kabore cuts back the opponent's defender on the right area and crosses. Akamine in front of the goal couldn't finish it, but Otake on the far side receives it and passes it to Kajiyama in the center from the shooting motion. Kajiyama also feigns a shot and passes it back to Otake. From there, it is passed to Imano who moves outside and shoots, but is blocked by the defender... In the 69th minute, Kanazawa is substituted for Hayashi in the defensive midfield position to assess his condition, and Otake takes on the attacking midfield role, aiming for "another goal".

　The intense offense and defense continued, but gradually the line became stretched for Verdy, so they started connecting passes and launching an offensive. In the 75th minute, Cabore attempted a looping goal from a counterattack, but it hit the crossbar. In the 77th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Akamine, but they couldn't score a goal. In the 87th minute, Imakuno advanced and won a corner kick, but Sato's header from Otake's kick went slightly to the left...

　However, it was in the 89th minute, just after the display of injury time. Nagatomo on the left side received a return pass from Kanazawa, who had moved up to the center, and ran again to deliver the ball to Hirayama in the center, running all the way to the front of the goal. The ball was passed from Hirayama to Kanazawa, and Kajiyama in the back left side crossed the ball. In the far side, Imakano headed the ball down, and Nagatomo, who had escaped freely in front of the goal, trapped the ball with his chest. Just as he was about to enter shooting position, he induced an own goal from the opposing defender who stretched out his leg, resulting in a dramatic lead. They continued to challenge with determination and passion, never giving up, and succeeded in turning the game around. They won the heated Tokyo battle.

　【Player Comments】《Nagatomo》"It was a difficult game, but the supporters' voices were amazing and they supported us the whole time, which gave us strength. (On the scene of the winning goal) We were constantly playing vertically, so I thought I would pass it to Kanazawa and then go inside. Kanazawa opened up well on the outside, and I found space to do my job inside. Then Inomoto gave me a good ball. It was good that it ended up as an own goal. Verdy's attacking line, not just FW Fukki, but everyone had speed and strength. However, I also have confidence in 1-on-1 situations, so I didn't want to lose. I want to continue this kind of performance consistently, not just in this one game."《Hanyu》"The derby was more than I imagined. The support from the fans and the atmosphere were amazing, and the coach talked about understanding the history of FC Tokyo and focusing on winning. I think it was okay to be 0-1 behind in the first half. There was a bad feeling after conceding a goal just before halftime, but overall it was according to plan for the first 45 minutes. Even when we were being attacked, I felt like we could create chances, so I tried not to miss those opportunities. In the second half, we didn't rush our attacks and we believed that we could create chances by playing according to the situation. (On the goal) If it was going to go in, I thought it would only be from there. It was a looping shot and I think it was difficult for the goalkeeper to time it. However, today I didn't have many effective movements or touches on the ball besides the goal. It was a typical derby game with a lot of chaos, so I played it safe a lot. That's something I need to work on personally. I want to increase the number of fulfilling games."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We started the game in a way that didn't allow Verdy's MF Diego and FW Hukki, who are both excellent individual players, to showcase their abilities as a team. We recognize that we were able to do that in the first half. When MF Diego and FW Hukki are fresh, they can move forward and maximize their strengths, so in order to neutralize the opponent's strengths, we fought compactly. If we could endure the first half, we believed that Verdy would drag on in the second half, and we would be able to play our own soccer. We were disappointed with the ending where we conceded a goal from a free kick, but in the second half, we focused on not disrupting our own pace and continuing to play the soccer we had been playing towards the end of the first half. Instead of disrupting our balance and going for goals, we tried to continue calmly. In the second half, first Hayu scored a goal in a good position and the team came back to life. Asari, Hayu, Akamine, and the substituted players all fulfilled their roles, so I think it was easier for the players who came on later to play. (Thoughts on the derby?) In any game, the result can only be 0, 1, or 3 points, but the media and supporters have really hyped it up. I am very grateful for creating such a culture, and as someone who stands on the pitch, I will take on more responsibility and fight. The more such occasions there are, the higher the level of the players will be, and it will be a plus for Japanese soccer. I think it is important for FC Tokyo and Japanese soccer to continue playing these intense matches."

　[Verdy Pillar's Press Conference Summary] "We were fully aware of the derby and aggressively went for the win from the first half. However, we were turned around at the very end. It may have been exciting for the viewers and supporters, but it was a very frustrating game for us. Regarding the first half, there were rough plays and FC Tokyo retreated and kicked long balls, giving us the feeling that they were cautious and studying us. FC Tokyo has two top players, Kabore and Akamine, who have vertical speed, so we were cautious of counterattacks. As for the overlap of both fullbacks, we instructed to not give them time. Even if they come out, we just need to defend calmly. If we don't lose in one-on-one situations, they are not that dangerous of an opponent. Even if the marking of each player is off, we instructed to stay calm and solidify the defense in front of the goal. However, it was still difficult to keep a clean sheet, and it was painful that we couldn't score a second goal. I think that led to the goal we conceded in the last added time. We have always valued possession, but when the ball went to FW Hukki, we were too eager and ended up holding onto the ball too much. I actually wanted a mix of 1-2 touch plays, but I think our possession as a team was low today. So, we replaced MF Inoue with MF Shibasaki in the midfield to increase possession a little more, but it turned into a chaotic second half where we couldn't move the ball around. FC Tokyo started to possess the ball in return, so we relied on MF Fukunishi for control in that aspect, but even he got tired and the distance between the midfielders became far. (Did the flow change with Otake's entry?) I think it did change. We talked to MF Tomizawa about not letting him out of our sight and that although he can dribble, he's not that scary once we catch him. However, we also have that kind of weapon... that feeling is there. It was unfortunate that MF Kawano couldn't play due to a knee injury."