I want to aggressively fight at home and finish the consecutive matches with a victory

　Sec. 12 will face Kashiwa Reysol, welcoming them at home. In the previous section, as Coach Jofuku reflected, "we became too passive" and struggled against Nagoya's intense pressure. In this section, as Coach Jofuku plans, "we will be aggressive in both offense and defense", it will be a crucial match where we want to actively attack at home and end the final match of the 5-game series with a victory.

　However, Nagatomo injured his right arm. Kurisawa also felt discomfort in his left calf and both are absent. On the other hand, Kajiyama returns from suspension and will play as the left fullback in this match. Mochida and Fujiyama will be the center backs, with Asari in the central position. Imano and Kajiyama will form the midfield, with Hayu in the midfield. Additionally, Mukuhara has made his first appearance in the squad this season.

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, is currently in 7th place with 5 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses. They have won their last 2 matches against Chiba and Kobe, showing good momentum. In particular, they have struggled against intense pressing from the opponent's front line in the past. Looking back at their previous matches, they are currently on a 4-match losing streak. Their last victory was in May 2004 (on the 9th in the league and on the 29th in the Nabisco Cup), and they have only won once at Ajinomoto Stadium, which was on March 22, 2003. In this match, it will be crucial for them to overcome their weaknesses and establish their own rhythm.

　Kashiwa has scored 3 out of the 4 goals in the last 2 matches from set plays. It is important to stay focused and not lose the mark when MF Alex and FW Popo take the kick during set plays, but it is also preferable to avoid careless fouls. In addition, Kashiwa's side MF Ota and FW Suganuma have speed, so it is important to finish the attack to avoid quick counterattacks. Launch an aggressive game both in offense and defense and aim for victory at home!

　Unfortunately, it started raining at Ajinomoto Stadium, which was chilly. The match started at 16:05 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Fast-paced offense and defense continue, but the first half ends scoreless

　In the first half, Tokyo struggled against Kashiwa's speedy counterattacks. In the 6th minute, Kashiwa's right back Kurakawa sent a long pass to the front line from a throw-in, and MF Suganuma broke through the defense. However, the shot missed the target. Tokyo quickly switched to an attacking mode and in the 7th minute, they earned a corner kick from the right side. Kajiyama headed the ball from Hayashi's kick, but it went over the crossbar. In the 12th minute, Tokyo started an attack from their own half after Inamoto intercepted the ball. Kajiyama and Inamoto moved up to the right side. In the end, Tokyo won a corner kick from Hayashi's cross. However, they couldn't bring the ball into the goal area from the short corner kick.

　24 minutes, the ball that was trying to be cleared in their own half was taken away, and Kashiwa FW Popo quickly passed it to right MF Ota. MF Ota rushed into the area at high speed and received a negative pass from MF Alex in front of the goal, creating a scoring opportunity, but the shot went over the bar. Tokyo escaped the pinch of the opening goal with the help of a mistake and maintained balance without losing control of the ball gradually. Kajiyama spread the pass and tried to attack by sending Cabore in the front line. However, they did not create a decisive chance.

　In the 34th minute, Tokunaga's right cross was contested by Cabore in front of the goal, followed by Akamine, but they couldn't take the shot. In the 35th minute, Kashiwa MF Ota made a fierce run into the right area, cut back the Tokyo DF, and took a shot, but it was saved by Shioda. In the 38th minute, from a throw-in in Kashiwa's half, Cabore contested on the side and Akamine chased after the ball that spilled into the center to take a shot, but the GK caught it. In the 41st minute, Kajiyama received a return pass from Akamine's wedge, kept it near the area, and attempted a goal with a loop, but it curved to the left, and the first half ended with a score of 0-0.

16 shots but no goals... first consecutive loss of the season

　In the second half, Tokyo took control from the beginning. Shortly after the start, Kajiyama took a precise shot from the midfield. The ball was saved by the goalkeeper, but no one was able to follow up. However, until around the 60th minute, Kashiwa was not allowed to take any shots. Kajiyama created opportunities by making plays and sending crosses to the front line from intercepts by Kanazawa and attacking runs by Konno. In the 48th minute, Cabore broke through from the right side. Kashiwa's defender slid and conceded a corner kick. Hayashi's kick was deflected and Kanazawa took a shot from outside the left area, but Kashiwa's defender blocked it. In the 51st minute, Akamine picked up the loose ball from Cabore's right cross and crossed it from the left area. Kashiwa's defender cleared it and it resulted in a right corner kick.

　However, we were unable to take advantage of set-piece opportunities. In the 59th minute, Kanazawa intercepted the opponent's pass and attacked, passing to Kajiyama in the center. Kajiyama's attempted shot hit the opponent and resulted in a corner kick. Immediately after, Ohata was substituted for Hayashi. In Ohata's left corner kick, Imano headed the ball but it narrowly missed the target... In the 65th minute, Ohata received a pass from the right with his back to the goal. He went around the defenders and turned towards the goal to take a shot, but the goalkeeper caught it.

　In the 68th minute, Kondo was substituted for Asari on the right side, with Imano and Kajiyama in a double pivot. Otake played as an attacking midfielder, with Akamine on the left and Imano providing support, aiming for the opening goal. However, in the 74th minute, they gave away three consecutive corner kicks to Kashiwa, and in the end, Shioda punched away Kashiwa FW Popo's left corner kick. However, the ball that spilled into the left area was scored by Kashiwa MF Otani with his right foot, resulting in a goal... They were unable to defend against Kashiwa's set pieces that they were cautious about.

　In the 78th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Akamine. They launched a fierce attack against Kashiwa, who were defending deep. In the immediate 79th minute, Kondo and the opponent's defender competed for Inomata's left cross, and Hirayama found himself in a shooting position as the ball spilled into the right area. However, he couldn't hit it as he was closed down by Kashiwa's defenders... In the 82nd minute, Kanazawa entered the left area from Cabore's post and crossed it in front of the goal. Hirayama in the center dropped it at his feet, but there was no follow-up. In the 83rd minute, they earned a left corner kick, but Otake's kick was cleared by Kashiwa. In the 84th minute, Kashiwa's defender Koga hit his head and got injured after jumping and competing with Inomata in the midfield, causing the game to be interrupted.

　After that, the game resumed, but there were 6 minutes of stoppage time left to catch up with the tie. At this point, they got a corner kick, and Tokunaga headed Otake's left corner kick perfectly. Then, Otake shot from inside the area after the ball spilled from a right throw-in. However, both shots were blocked by the Kashiwa DF. Despite taking a total of 16 shots throughout the game, they were far from scoring "1 goal" and suffered a frustrating defeat at home, experiencing their first consecutive losses of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Shioda》"The goal we conceded was due to a combination of various factors, but it was my mistake. Until then, we hadn't been broken down, and as the captain, I cannot afford to be the cause of the goal conceded. However, there is no time to hang our heads. It is important to switch gears for the Iwata match."《Kanazawa》"I think the difference showed in the tough moments at the end. The players who played in the match need to take responsibility and fight. Everyone needs to be aware that winning is the most important thing. We cannot afford to lose three games in a row. It's an away game, but we want to break the bad streak of not scoring and secure 3 points in the Iwata match."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We were troubled by Kashiwa's sharp counterattacks several times, but I think we were able to compete equally or even better depending on the timing of the game. However, we cannot win without scoring goals. I think the opponent's defensive fighting spirit was superior in the penalty area that led to the final goal. Regarding the conceded goal, we need to verify it again because we don't know the details leading up to the corner, but there are always several reasons for conceding a goal. It became a corner, the goalkeeper punched the ball, and there was a free player... Of course, the opponent's shot was good, but we conceded because our mistakes piled up, and we have to accept that. (Regarding Hirayama's substitution) He was able to carry the ball until the goal area, and it was a slippery situation where mistakes were likely to occur, so we expected his finishing ability in the penalty area. (Despite pushing for two consecutive games, why couldn't you win?) Today, it was particularly slippery, so it was difficult to carry the ball without making technical mistakes. However, we keenly feel that we need to increase the number of times we break through inside while showing different ideas by expanding to the outside and choosing to shoot, and improve the quality."

　[Summary of Kashiwa Ishizaki's press conference] "In the midst of a tough battle with only 2-3 days of rest since Golden Week, the players did well and fought hard. We had many injured players, so it was a difficult situation, but the players who played really took responsibility and fought. I think that's what led to today's 1-0 result. However, we still have a problem with our attack, as we struggle to move the ball well and create chances. We have one week until the next match, so we want to start over again there. It was a tough game, but I'm glad we won thanks to the players' efforts (although we were playing at the opponent's pace for a long time, we persevered without making substitutions?). Tokyo brought in big players like Hirayama and Kondo, but we don't have many options for substitutions. MF Sugiyama is still recovering from an injury and has limited playing time. However, we were able to maintain our defensive rhythm. So, we didn't want to disrupt the rhythm by making unnecessary substitutions, and we endured to a certain extent. Due to Koga's injury, we moved MF Sugiyama to defensive midfield and moved MF Kamada back, but our defensive line stayed focused and did well in picking up loose balls."