Winning even away! ~ The 14th Tama River Clasico held

　Sec. 25 will feature a match between Kawasaki Frontale, and the 14th Tama River Clasico will be held. In the previous match against Omiya, they secured a victory at home and achieved consecutive wins. Despite being an away match this time, Coach Jofuku also declared that they will "focus on winning". They aim to ride the momentum and achieve their second consecutive three-game winning streak in the league this season. At the same time, this match will be crucial in determining the outcome of the Clasico, which has been evenly matched so far (4 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses). Sato will return from suspension this match, but Hanyu will be absent due to accumulated yellow cards. As a result, Inomata, who played as a center-back in the previous match, will return to the midfield position.

　Kawasaki, who is currently in 5th place, has 5 points behind Tokyo, but they boast the second highest total score of 42 so far. The focus of this match will be how to suppress the three forwards, including the newly joined FW Renatinho, and neutralize Kawasaki's strengths. As Coach Shirofuku analyzes, FW Juninho and MF Vitor Junior have technique and speed, while FW Zheng and FW Kurotsu possess strength and speed, so it is important to respond to each of them accordingly. In addition, it will be a condition for victory to prevent MF Nakamura, who is the source of Kawasaki's passes, and MF Taniguchi, who creates scoring opportunities with sharp runs, from playing freely.

　Kawasaki's DF has been using a 4-back formation recently, so it may not be easy to give them space on the sides. Therefore, the key is how well they can exploit the gaps and launch quick attacks. They want to create chances with fast passing plays like they showed in the first half of the home game. However, Kawasaki has been in great form with 5 wins and 3 draws since Sec. 17. Also, at Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, Tokyo has yet to win, which is a disadvantageous statistic. It's going to be a tough battle, but the "Clasico" is not something that can be measured by data alone. Let's unite and undermine Kawasaki's momentum for victory!

　After the typhoon that approached the Kanto region passed, Todoroki is now clear. Although the humidity still lingers, the Tokyo kickoff started at 19:03.

Leading with 3 consecutive goals by Akamine! However, there were subsequent accidents...

　Kawasaki's fast-paced attack pushed us back at the start. In the 3rd minute, Kawasaki MF Nakamura crossed the ball and FW Juninho trapped it with his chest, getting into a shooting position. Tokyo DF blocked it and it went out for a corner kick. From this left corner kick by Kawasaki, FW Juninho headed the ball but it went wide. However, in the 5th minute, we got a left corner kick from Tokyo's throw-in due to the opponent's clearance. In this corner kick, Tokunaga's kicked ball went through the center and fell to the far side, where Akamine was waiting and kicked it into the goal with his left foot! We took advantage of an early set-piece opportunity and took the lead with Akamine's goal, making it his 3rd consecutive goal.

　Despite that, Kawasaki continued to attack without feeling down, and in the 9th minute, FW Zheng's sharp shot grazed the bar. In a classic fashion, amidst intense fighting spirit, an accident occurred in the 15th minute when Akamine injured his right arm in a collision with the opponent, leading to his substitution with Hirayama in the 16th minute. As time passed the 20th minute, Kawasaki's momentum also slightly decreased, resulting in a back-and-forth battle.

　29 minutes, Kawasaki FW Zheng dribbles in from the left side, but Tokyo DF blocks. The ball that spilled to the right side is picked up, and MF Vitor JUNIOR heads it from MF Nakamura's cross. In the 34th minute, after Kajiyama's interception, Imakawa sends a through pass to Emerson on the right area, but the opponent DF escapes with a throw-in one step ahead. In the 35th minute, Imakawa heads the FK from the right side, but the GK catches it. In the 37th minute, Nagatomo → Hirayama in front of the right sends it directly to the middle, and Imakawa shoots, but it narrowly misses the goal. In the 39th minute, Kawasaki FW Kurotsu sprints in from the right side with a dribble. He bypasses Tokunaga and brings it into the area, and gives the last pass to FW Zheng in the center. He evades the approach of Tokyo DF and is passed to the left FW JUNINHO, but Tokyo DF cuts it off as well.

　However, just as Tokyo was creating chances and trying to find their rhythm, in the 41st minute, Inomata received a red card for elbowing Kawasaki MF Nakamura in the opponent's territory. Tokyo was forced to play with 10 men for the remaining time.

Everyone concentrates, withstands with desperate defense, and wins the intense battle!

　Entering the second half with a one-point lead, Kawasaki attacked with numbers from the beginning and created chances. However, everyone remained focused and stopped Kawasaki's attacks with quick closing down and solid defense. In the 48th minute, Kawasaki's defender, Igawa, also joined the attack, but it was cleared with a corner kick. From the resulting corner kick, Kawasaki's midfielder, Taniguchi, sent a minus pass to the front of the goal in the left area. The ball was cleared again and picked up by Kawasaki's defender, Yamagishi, outside the area, who took a shot, but it was blocked with a brave effort. In the 57th minute, Kawasaki's forward, Juninho, entered the left area and Nakamura jumped in front of the goal to meet the cross, creating a decisive opportunity, but Shioda made a diving save!

　59 minutes, Kawasaki MF Vitor Junior's early cross from the right was cleared by Sasaki, Kajiyama -> Hirayama launched a counterattack, Nagatomo sprinted down the right side. The cross to Cabore, who had moved up the center, from the counterattack didn't connect at the last moment. In the 60th minute, Kawasaki MF Nakamura passed behind Tokyo DF. FW Juninho broke free and attempted a looping shot, but the shot slightly curved to the left... In the 61st minute, Suzuki Tatsu was substituted for Cabore to increase defensive awareness from the front line and counter Kawasaki's attacks. In the 62nd minute, Kawasaki also substituted FW Renatinho for FW Kurotsu.

　Still, Tokyo maintains its balance and looks for opportunities to score from tough defense. In the 66th minute, Hirayama unleashes a powerful shot from the left side, causing the opponent's goalkeeper to spill the ball, but no one is there to follow up. In the 67th minute, Kajiyama is fouled and brought down near the opponent's goal line on the right side, earning a free kick. Hirayama jumps in with a header off Kajiyama's kick, but the timing is slightly off and he fails to finish it.

　In the 76th minute, Fujiyama was substituted for Emerson and entered the right side. Amidst the continuous intense development, in the 80th minute, Asari → Fujiyama moved up the center and passed to Hirayama in the front line. Hirayama boldly aimed for the goal from the right side near the area, but it went to the left. Kawasaki continued their fierce attacks, and in the 84th minute, FW Juninho broke through from their own half with a vertical pass and developed it widely to the center → left. Finally, a cross was lifted from the left. In the 86th minute, FW Zheng headed the ball from a right cross, but Shioda made a save. In the 87th minute, Kawasaki's left side MF Tasaka went around from the outside to the inside and crossed with a shooting intention from near the left area corner. FW Juninho jumped in at the far post, but Tokyo fought back with their fighting spirit, desperately repelled it, fought until the end, and time's up!

　With the final whistle, Tokyo players collapsed on the pitch, running and fighting with all their might, and persevered to win against Kawasaki. They achieved their second consecutive victory this season, and also obtained 3 points for the first time in the J-League at the formidable Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium.

　【Player Comments】《Sahara》"We fought together without losing focus and I think both myself and the team ran until the end. When we were down to 10 players, we had the mindset that it was okay to be tied. Even then, everyone, including the forwards, played with a high defensive awareness. Keeping a clean sheet with 10 players gives us a lot of confidence and I think it will be useful in future matches. There were special feelings playing against Kawasaki, but we didn't focus on that. However, we know their individual abilities and how they play. We were dominated, but I thought if we could defend the center, we wouldn't be easily beaten."《Shioda》"We were under pressure in the beginning, but then Kawasaki's chasing weakened a bit and we were able to move forward. However, we became more aware of defending when we were down to 10 players. We had a shared understanding that even if it was 1-0, it was okay, and if we could score a second goal on the counter, that would be even better. Even when we were pushed back, everyone kept making runs and getting their bodies in to prevent the opponent from being free. Thanks to that, even when they took shots, they gradually missed the target. I'm grateful to everyone. We wanted to win with beautiful soccer, but even with the accident, we can be proud that we won with strong soccer according to our plan. We learned that we can grit our teeth and hold our ground against the opponent and that gives us confidence. We had a bitter feeling at Todoroki, so I'm glad we got a result today. However, if we lose the next match, this victory will lose its meaning. We will do our best to continue winning."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We have been preparing for the game, anticipating various accidents, but unexpected things happen in football. Today, unexpected things happened, but the players continued to do what they should do until the end, individually or as a team. I think that led to the 3 points. Even though we were one player down, at halftime, we confirmed that we would not just rest by kicking the ball, but create our own time and approach the second half. We were able to do some things, but we couldn't withstand Kawasaki's pressure in dribbling, passing, and shooting, and there were moments when we just kicked the ball. There were mistakes in the midfield from the beginning, and there were moments when we became afraid and couldn't receive the ball. Ideally, we wanted to keep moving 2-3 meters and continue passing the ball, and that movement is the key to us moving the ball, but we couldn't do that. When it became my ball, whether to kick or receive, and where there was space and time to pass the ball the most, it became a bit chaotic. I was thinking of making adjustments at halftime, but then the accident of Inamoto's expulsion happened. After becoming 10 players, we tried to create a solid block with a 4-4-1 formation with one top. Originally, we were chasing with two players in the front line, so it didn't change much when one person was left. Defensively, we were very focused until the end. We let Kawasaki play outside the block, so there were moments when they cut in from there, but I think there were few scenes where they entered the most dangerous area between the two central midfielders and the two center-backs. Of course, there were moments when the opponent's crosses came in perfectly, or when the front four pulled back too much in the block of four midfielders and four defenders, and shots came from the outside, but even considering that we were 10 players against Kawasaki, I think the players defended very well. It was not only the defenders, but everyone concentrated. When the final whistle blew and the players fell on the grass, it was proof that they had given their all, and I want to continue fighting in future games with this mindset."

　[Summary of Kawasaki Takahata's press conference] "We were disappointed in the previous Tama River Clasico. Today, being at home, we wanted to give our supporters 3 points no matter what. We conceded a goal from our own mistake at the start and found ourselves in a difficult situation chasing a goal. Nevertheless, I think we were able to showcase our attacking power and create interesting attacks. In the first half, although we were able to create opportunities, we couldn't score and became a little impatient. We were challenging, but there were scenes where we invited danger from our own mistakes, so we talked about avoiding that and continuing to break until the end without rushing at halftime. Tokyo created a block with one less player, so we tried to break through from the sides without rushing. We wanted to effectively change sides and attack from the opposite side. Even if they created a block, we had the ideal of carving out space next to the penalty area with one-two passes or the movement of the third player and taking it to the finish. However, the opponent was also desperate, and we wanted to break through more. The result turned out like this, but I am truly grateful to the players who tried to win until the end and the supporters who supported us. We are a little behind the top now, but there is still a possibility in the remaining 9 matches. We want to continue facing forward and fighting in the upcoming consecutive matches."