Fearlessly challenge last season's champion, Kashima!

　Sec. 5 of the league will be playing against Kashima Antlers at home. In the previous match against Iwata, they defended Akamine's valuable goal and took 3 points away. This season, they have not had a single goalless match, and whenever they have kept the opponent's score at 0, they have won every time. In this match as well, the focus will be on enduring Kashima's attacks and creating opportunities to score. There is hope for a victory at home.

　This week, Shigeki Moriba will play as a center back, with Konno and Hanyu forming a double pivot in midfield. Akamine will be up front, Kajiyama will play as an attacking midfielder, and Cabore and Ishikawa will be on the wings. The team has slightly changed its lineup and system since the last match. Coach Shirofuku said, "This is also a test to see how effective our style of play can be against the league champions. It's not just about winning or losing, but also about demonstrating our determination for this season on the pitch."

　Kashima, who is currently in second place with 3 wins and 1 loss, will face the match. On the 7th (Tue), they achieved a great victory in the ACL away match against Singapore Armed Forces FC. From there, they will face the match in 4 days, with the emergence of new forces such as FW Osako and DF Park Chu-ho. The player depth was originally strong, and in the last 2 matches, they decided to win in the final moments, highlighting their competitiveness. Not only the starters but also the substitute players have strength, so it will be a tough battle until the end. However, in the match at Ajista Stadium in October last season, they fought evenly and achieved a dramatic victory. The current difference in points is 3, so if they win today, they will be tied, so they will aim for victory by demonstrating their individual strengths without hesitation.

　Under clear skies and a climate reminiscent of early summer, the match started with Kashima's kickoff at 13:04.

Despite conceding 2 goals, they rallied back with consecutive goals from Akamine, starting from the side

　Shortly after the start, Kabore → Nagatomo's attacking run wins a left corner kick. However, this corner kick is cleared and Kashima counters, Aoki → Marquinhos on the left side brings it inside and takes a shot. The shot grazes the Tokyo defender and changes direction, going into the top left corner of the goal. Unlucky circumstances overlap, and they concede the opening goal in the first minute. Nevertheless, they do not let it affect their spirits and create opportunities from the sides, with Ishikawa at the center, launching a counterattack.

　11 minutes into the game, Hayashi aimed for a shot from the middle, grazing the goalkeeper's hand and hitting the right post... The rebound was picked up by Ishikawa, but quickly cleared by the Kashima DF, resulting in a right corner kick. Following that, Inamoto headed Ishikawa's corner, but lacked power and was caught by the goalkeeper. However, in the 15th minute, Kashima's left SB, Park Chu-ho, intercepted Tokyo's clearance ball and launched a quick counterattack once again, passing to FW Osako in the left area. Hayashi was marking him, but he skillfully turned and evaded the tackle from Sato, slipping through the gap. And then, he pierced a shot near the goal, resulting in the second goal being conceded...

　Kashima, who took a 2-point lead, calmly defended, and then Tokyo took control of the ball. They frequently attacked from the sides, and in the 25th minute, Ishikawa broke free in the penalty area after receiving a long pass from Hayu and won a left corner kick. Ishikawa's corner kick was initially cleared, but they persisted and connected the loose ball in the midst of the scramble. Sato had a shot, but it didn't hit the target. In the 34th minute, Kajiyama made a powerful attacking run, trying to create a chance by exchanging passes with Akamine, but the two collided just outside the penalty area. Their coordination was slightly off.

　Although they couldn't bring it to a finish while grasping the rhythm, they reached the 40th minute and took a throw-in from Ishikawa's move. Here, Haneda, who received a throw from Tokunaga, advances deep into the area. When he sends a cross to the center, Akamine jumps in perfectly and scores a powerful header! With Akamine's goal in two consecutive games, they narrow the gap to one point. In the final stages, they frequently approached the Kashima goal from set plays, but they couldn't catch up. They continued into the second half with hopes of a comeback.

Grabbing the rhythm, they attacked the Kashima goal, but...

　Tokyo took control of the pace in the second half. Immediately after the start of the second half, Kajiyama unleashed a powerful shot from just outside the box, which the opponent's goalkeeper managed to save. Ishikawa followed up on the rebound that spilled to the right area, creating a great chance, but failed to score... resulting in a corner kick. Tokyo continued to create opportunities from wide positions and made substitutions, replacing Cabore with Suzuki in the 58th minute and Ishikawa with Otake in the 62nd minute, pushing forward with momentum. In the 63rd minute, Nagatomo delivered a cross from an impressive overlap, and Tokunaga seized the ball that the opponent's goalkeeper parried to the far side. Finally, Suzuki in the center sent a cross to the left area, but no one was able to connect with it.

　In the 74th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Akamine. Kajiyama and Hayu also changed positions fluidly and attacked the Kashima goal. In the 76th minute, the ball was passed to Hirayama on the left side, but there was no player to close in on the goal. The cross was cleared by the Kashima defender. In the 81st minute, while connecting passes, they approached the opponent's territory, and Imakano took a shot from the center, but it lacked power and went wide to the right. In the 88th minute, Nagatomo on the left passed to Tokunaga on the right, and finally Kajiyama headed the ball from Tokunaga's cross, but the timing was slightly off.

　The time passes without being able to decide on a chance. In the injury time, Suzuki, who ran through the middle, was fouled and won a free kick near the opponent's goal on the right side. Otake took a direct shot that went through the wall towards the goal, but the opponent's goalkeeper made a save at the bottom left corner... Corner kick. Konda and Shigemine also went up for this left corner kick, but it was cleared and they couldn't take a shot. Towards the end of the game, Kajiyama's lob pass to the front line, even though Hirayama fell, created an opportunity, and Otake jumped on the loose ball! However, he was stopped by the opponent's goalkeeper's quick reaction.

　Against last season's league champions Kashima, we competed in the battle of the sides and showed a determined and passionate play without giving up. We created numerous decisive opportunities, but were unable to break through Kashima's strong defense. At the same time, the two goals conceded in the first half had a significant impact and we suffered a frustrating defeat...

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"I don't think our start was bad, but the opponent's pressure was faster than us. I felt a very unpleasant pressure that we were putting a lot of effort into. Even in that situation, by opening up the opponent, we were able to create space even with fewer players in the middle. So, Hyun Soo JANG, Kajiyama, and Akamine dropped back a bit and received the ball in a wedge shape. I had the image of receiving the ball as the third player. I think we created some good opportunities. We were playing good football, so we had a good chance of winning. We need to reflect on our finishing and practice more."《Hayu》"We anticipated that the opponent's condition might not be good, but Kashima scored first in the first 15 minutes and then became a team that could defend well. We conceded in that way and made it easy for the opponent. (On the goal scene) The opponent was not focused on my movement, so I ran a long distance and became free. I saw the opening, so I crossed the ball. Today, we had a lot of time to pass the ball and possess it. We also had some big chances, but the result was only 'one goal'. We may have troubled Kashima, but the important thing is the result. We want to continue pushing ourselves with confidence in the good aspects and a strong desire to earn 3 points."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "I would like to thank everyone who came to the match. It was disappointing that we couldn't produce results against Kashima, the defending champions who have won two consecutive titles. However, I don't think we should be pessimistic about the performance. I believe it was the game where we were able to demonstrate our full potential the most throughout the league matches so far. However, it is true that the two goals were due to careless plays, which made the situation very difficult. We need to reflect on that strongly. But in terms of what we as individuals and as a team can bring, it was the best compared to the past four matches. This season, the team is taking on new challenges, but we may not have shown the greatest common denominator as a collective of individuals until now... That was my thought. That's why today, if we wanted to compete on the sides, we started by widening the opponent. We used the middle after widening the opponent, and in the end, we competed on the outside, which is our weapon. We had 9 corner kicks, while the opponent had only 1, so I think we were able to attack from the sides. I think we can be proud of that. However, it is true that there are areas where we are lacking, and I am not completely satisfied. But we were able to find hope in terms of our side attacks, which are our weapon. I don't think this was a game where we should hang our heads, including the players' fighting spirit. The 34 league matches are very honest, and that's why we finished not in 4th place like last year, but in 6th place. I believe that if we continue to demonstrate our full potential like in today's match, the results will definitely come."

　[Summary of Kashima Oliveira's press conference] "(Evaluation of Osako?) He is a player with high ability and was able to score a great goal today. I think he is a player who is growing and needs to be treated as an important player in the soccer world. I hope to continue to expect him in the future and I want him to continue to work with a humble attitude. (About the progress of the second half of the game?) I think we were able to show Kashima's excellent solid defense. In Kashima's home, the opponent often shows such defense and we win the game in the end, but today we were able to show our defensive ability. (About the game plan in the second half?) First of all, I think everyone only watched today's game, but I want you to think about what was happening in the process. We went to Singapore on Tuesday and played a game in high temperature and humidity. There are also sensory things that cannot be expressed in words, and we had to play against a team that had been preparing for a week in four days. In addition, the temperature was low all last week, but when we came back, it suddenly became hot. The temperature was high today as well, and there was some exhaustion. The opponent comes to the game after conserving their physical strength for a week, so we knew that there would be many times and situations where we would be pressed. We predicted that we would score two goals in the first half and then the pace would drop. We had to fight in the midst of exhaustion. I think the fact that we were able to hold our ground should be evaluated."