Team united to aim for victory

　Sec. 32 of the league, we played against Vissel Kobe away. In the 5th round of the Emperor's Cup against Niigata, we achieved a come-from-behind victory despite the difficulties and extended our winning streak in official matches to 4. We continue to be in a situation where we cannot afford to lose a single game in order to keep fighting for the championship until the very end. "From practice, the team is united and there is hardly any play where we let our guard down. There are 11 players on the pitch, and including the bench, there are 18 players, but every player is preparing without any regrets individually. That's the most pleasing and where I feel the sense of accomplishment," said Coach Jofuku, as the team comes together and aims for victory against Kobe.

　Kobe, who is currently in 8th place, is the team with the most momentum right now, with 5 consecutive wins in the league, although they lost to Tosu in the Emperor's Cup. Each individual's movements are quick, and they are aiming for plays that directly lead to goals. The counter-attack is one of the most powerful in the J-League," said Coach Jofuku, who is also cautious. In particular, FW Leandro, FW Yoshida, and MF Okubo have speed and finishing ability to break through the defense, making them a formidable presence. In addition, their quick attacks from the midfield make it a battle where there is no moment to relax.

　Tokyo, Japan's representative Nagatomo and Konno are energetically joining, and Ishikawa, who was worried about his participation due to injury, is also in the starting lineup. The key point of this match is how well we can fight against Kobe's solid defense, which has conceded a total of 31 goals so far, with our own rhythm. If we can avoid Kobe's pressing from the front line and play a calm game, we should be able to create chances. Kajiyama says, "I want to increase the number of times I support the front line without panicking against Kobe's pressing. If we can connect well and create numerical advantages, we will definitely score goals," talking about the confidence gained in the past few matches.

　Moriya says, "(In order to aim for the top) we are in a chasing position. However, this kind of situation helps us grow. Kobe is a tough opponent, but we will fight with even more determination." The team is showing growth while betting on the upcoming match! The game started at exactly 1:00 PM with Kobe's kickoff at the sunny Home's Stadium Kobe.

Unable to catch the rhythm... conceded a lead of 1 point and the first half ended

　In the early stages, there was a back and forth battle, but Kobe gradually gained momentum with their sharp start. Then, in the 15th minute, they countered and Leandro, the MF, took a shot. Sasaki blocked the shot, but Tanaka scored from the rebound, allowing Kobe to take the lead. This gave Kobe the momentum and they continued to attack. In the 23rd minute, Tokyo's Cabore kept the ball in the center and passed it to Ishikawa on the right side, who then crossed it to the center. In front of the goal, Imakawa persisted and Nagatomo took a shot, but it went wide to the left.

　The flow remains with Kobe. Tokyo loses the ball due to mistakes caused by the opponent's pressing from the front line and is repeatedly hit by sharp counters. FW Leandro and MF Okubo take consecutive shots, but the defense, centered around Shioda, holds firm and does not allow any additional points. In the 28th minute, Kabore breaks free after a pass exchange with Nagatomo on the left side and crosses. In the 31st minute, Ishikawa receives the ball from Kajiyama on the right side and passes it through to Hirayama, who runs behind the defense. Although neither of them result in a shot, they start creating chances.

　36 minutes, Hanyu, who took the ball from the opponent on the left side, quickly flowed to Hirayama on the side. The ball was returned to Hanyu, who had moved up to support, and he shot a middle shot from outside the left area, but it was outside the frame. In the 44th minute, Cabore, who took the ball on the left side of his own field, passed it to Nagatomo. He brought it to the front line and sent a cross, but it was initially blocked by the opponent's defender. However, Hanyu quickly reacted to the loose ball and headed it, but Kobe GK Enomoto caught it. After passing the 40th minute, they brought Cabore, Ishikawa, and Hanyu into their attacking shape, but they did not create any decisive scenes. They ended the first half trailing by one goal.

Cabore's passionate goal brings the equalizer, but ends in a painful draw...

　In the second half, Tokyo aggressively attacked from the beginning. Shortly after the start, Cabore failed to hit the ball after intercepting Shigeno's pass and receiving Ishikawa's cross. Furthermore, Hirayama tried to follow up on the loose ball, but was blocked by the Kobe defense. In the 48th minute, Ishikawa took a shot from the loose ball after Hayu's cross, but it went over the goal. They were unable to convert any of their chances into goals. As a result, they struggled against Kobe's sharp counterattacks and couldn't find their rhythm.

　Still, without giving up, in the 59th minute, Otake was substituted for Ishikawa. In the 60th minute, from Otake's right free kick, Tokunaga headed the ball back to the far side of the goal. Although it reached Hirayama and he trapped it with his chest, he couldn't take a shot. After that, Suzuki and Akamine were also brought in as attacking players, chasing after one goal. In the 78th minute, Kabore broke through the front line and faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, following Kajiyama's through pass. It was a decisive moment, but the shot was saved by the goalkeeper and couldn't score.

　In the 79th minute, a left corner kick was obtained from Nagatomo's cross. From this corner kick, although it was cleared by the opponent's defender once, Kajiyama picked up the loose ball and swung his right foot from outside the area. However, it went over the goal. In the 83rd minute, the momentum increased as chances were created in succession, and Cabore calmly entered the area and scored a goal to equalize after Akamine dropped the ball in the center. After that, intense attacks and defenses continued, including 5 minutes of stoppage time, as both teams aimed to take the lead. They showed a passionate fight, and Kobe's fierce attack was defended by everyone's concentration, but they couldn't score a second goal. ... It ended in a painful draw.

　【Player Comments】《Cabore》"Of course it was a game we wanted to win, but looking back calmly, it was good to get 1 point away from home after losing 0-1. Today we entered the game with high motivation as we were 3 points behind the top team Kashima, but unfortunately this was the result. It's a difficult situation, but we still have a chance to break into the top, so we want to approach the next game with a high level of awareness. We conceded a goal in the first half, but we made a lot of mistakes and couldn't play well. On the contrary, I think it was good that we only conceded one goal. In the second half, Tokyo's rhythm improved and we were able to catch up, but if we break our rhythm due to mistakes in the first half, it's difficult to get a good result in the late stages of the league. (What about the goal?) Before the goal, I had a great chance to score one-on-one with the opponent's goalkeeper, but unfortunately he stopped my shot. So I was thinking that I would definitely score next time. It was good to receive a good pass from Shingo (Akamine) and score. Next is the final home game. We played against Niigata in the Emperor's Cup the other day, and they are a very strong team. We want to train for a week to get 3 points here."《Nagatomo》"Kobe's players came forward more aggressively than we expected and their counterattacks were fast, so it was a tough game. It was good that we were able to hold on to a draw from there. In today's game, we only had winning in mind. Unfortunately, we ended up with a disappointing draw, but we still have 2 games left, so we want to reflect on today's game and make corrections. Personally, I didn't do anything today. I wanted to be more involved in decisive plays and be more aggressive. In the last 2 games, I want to accept today's result and switch gears to approach the game. Next is also the final home game, so we want to play a hot game and make the people who came think "it was good to come"."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Kobe, who has won 5 consecutive games, is indeed a strong team, and it was a very tough battle both offensively and defensively. We knew it would be like this, but we were in a situation where we had to continue to earn 3 points in every remaining game, so it is very disappointing that we could only earn 1 point regardless of the content. The players, the supporters who came from Tokyo, and everyone who supported us in Tokyo all wanted to earn 3 points, so I am filled with frustration. As for the content, we were a step behind in the midfield from the beginning, and we couldn't take advantage of the opponent's retreat, which led to several shooting opportunities. The goal we conceded was a quick counterattack, but I don't think the situation was good. Towards the end of the first half, we started to settle down a bit and were able to do what we wanted to do. In the second half, we were attacking, but there were technical mistakes and judgment errors before the shot, and we couldn't create decisive shooting opportunities, so I gradually changed the lineup and system while conveying the desire to score to everyone. It was good that we scored one goal, but I think it was a bit too late. (The gap with the top team widened?) Today's game was the same, but we only focus on the upcoming game rather than looking at other teams. We want to pour everything into accumulating 3 points in each and every game."

　[Kobe Manager Matsuda's Press Conference Summary] "It is very disappointing that our winning streak has ended. At the beginning of the game, we were able to play according to our plan and effectively exploit the opponent's weaknesses. However, one goal was not enough. If we had scored a second goal... Even after being caught up, we had several chances. In order to improve our position, we need more goals. It's regrettable. However, the players gave their all until the end. I think they did a fantastic job."