Aiming for 3 points with a strong mentality even though we are away!

　Sec. 7, Oita Trinita will play away against Almir. In the previous match against Chiba, they were disappointed by a comeback loss with 2 goals conceded at the end. Regarding the plays in each situation, there were also many opportunities to finish, and Coach Jo Fukushita calmly analyzed, "It wasn't a losing performance, but I can't say it was good." In the future, they will face a tough schedule of 5 matches in 2 weeks, and he said, "One goal is to return to a performance of more than 5 minutes after finishing the consecutive matches. For that, we need to value each match." In this match, even though it is an away game, they want to secure 3 points to continue the momentum of consecutive matches.

　Oita, on the other hand, is currently in 17th place with 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses. FW Takamatsu, DF Uemoto, and MF Roberto CESAR have all left the team due to injuries, making the situation difficult. However, at the Kyushu Oil Dome, they have only lost once, including the Nabisco Cup (Sec. 5 against Yamagata), and have conceded only "1" goal. Their home strength is still intact, with a stable 3-back line centered around DF Morishige. In addition, the forward line of FW Morishima, Weslley, and MF Kanazaki are individually strong players. We need to thoroughly prevent them from easily moving forward. At the same time, we need to be cautious of MF Edmilson's quick counterattacks and set plays centered around MF Suzuki.

　Tokyo has made changes to the lineup since the last match. Shigenobu has returned as a center back, and Imano has joined as a defensive midfielder. Shigenobu said, "If we can win against Oita, who has a strong defense, in the first match of consecutive games, it will give us confidence. However, if the game becomes tight, set plays can determine the outcome. Therefore, I want to avoid making careless fouls in dangerous areas. We want to stick to our desired style of play without being intimidated just because it's an away game." In terms of attack, it will be important to strengthen the center and create a numerical advantage on the sides against the strong Oita defenders, and then exploit the vacant spaces.

　Kondo said, "In the Chiba match, I was able to create chances to shoot. It depends on whether I can score or not. I will continue to aim for the back of the opponent's defense and break through Oita's strong defense. I vow to make the most of my chances and win." This season, there have been no games with more than 2 goals, but Coach Jofuku said, "I don't think we can easily score 2 or more goals against Oita, especially away." He emphasized minimizing goals conceded and increasing awareness of attacking to achieve victory! The match started at 19:05 with Oita's kickoff at the chilly Kyushu Oil Dome in the evening.

The opponent becomes 10 players, and although chances are created, there is no score and it turns around

　Both teams cautiously observed each other's movements and started the game with solid defense. However, it was Oita who took the initiative and bravely took shots. On the other hand, Tokyo tried to connect passes and create chances. In the 13th minute, Cabore became the key player from a left throw-in, and Imano brought the ball inside and took a shot. The ball missed to the right as the opponent closed in. In the 18th minute, Tokunaga dribbled up the field from Imano's side change and crossed, but it was blocked by the opponent's defender.

　At the 20th minute, Cabore ran in from the opposite side to meet Ishikawa's right cross, which was passed by Kajiyama. At the 25th minute, Ishikawa dribbled the ball into the Oita DF's area after stealing it from a counterattack, and then he made an exquisite through pass to Cabore, who had escaped behind the defense. They created a decisive scene together, but Cabore's shot missed the target... At the 29th minute, Ishikawa → Kajiyama was fouled in the center and earned a free kick just outside the penalty area. Kajiyama aimed directly for the goal, but it narrowly missed to the right.

　In the 32nd minute, Oita MF Edmilson received his second warning and was sent off. With Oita reduced to 10 men, they took control on the right side, with Ishikawa and Tokunaga repeatedly launching attacks. In the 38th minute, Tokunaga sent a low cross from the right. Kondo managed to get in front of the Oita goalkeeper, but his shot narrowly missed the target. In the 42nd minute, Imano passed to Tokunaga who quickly crossed to the center. The ball fell to Cabore, who was unmarked, and he immediately took a shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. They couldn't capitalize on the chance, and the score remained 0-0 going into the second half.

Kajiyama scores a penalty kick just before the end, securing a victory despite the struggle.

　Tokyo dominated the ball from the start of the second half. In the 51st minute, Kondo directly connected with Ishikawa's ground cross, but it went over the frame. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama ran to the left area and took a ground shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. Oita left FW Weslley up front and everyone else dropped back to strengthen the defense. Tokyo struggled to break through the concentrated Oita defense and couldn't enter the penalty area. Tokyo substituted Ohata and Akamine for Ishikawa and Kondo to try to overcome this situation.

　67 minutes, Otake passes short to the center from a FK, and Kajiyama's shot is fiercely attacked by the GK but saved. In the 68th minute, Sahara, who was left attacking, headed a cross from the left, but it went straight to the GK. In the 74th minute, they quickly counterattacked from their own half, Kajiyama -> Kabore cut inside the area from the left and took a shot. However, it was blocked by the GK's save, and Nagatomo shot from the rebound, but it was also blocked by a great save from the Oita GK.

　Afterwards, Suzuki was substituted for Hanyu and launched a wave attack, but was unable to break through the excellent save by the Oita GK and could not score a goal. By the 89th minute, the team had shot a record-breaking 27 shots but failed to score, and the atmosphere of a draw began to prevail in injury time. Kabore dropped Sasaki's feed to Akamine in the penalty area, and immediately after, Akamine was fouled by the opponent's DF and earned a penalty kick. Kajiyama kicked a powerful shot to the upper left corner and scored a goal! Despite a narrow victory, they snatched 3 valuable points away in a dramatic ending.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"I decided to take the penalty kick from the beginning and told everyone. I was able to kick it calmly without any nervousness because I had been practicing it all the time. The shot and the direction in which Oita GK Nishikawa went were the same, but I thought it would be okay because I aimed for the corner. I was relieved when the whistle for the end of the game blew right after I scored. (Is this your first goal of the season?) I scored the penalty kick, but I haven't scored yet in the flow of the game. I want to be able to score goals from the flow."《Sahara》"This is what it's like to play against a team with 10 players. I thought it would be difficult. In last year's game against Kawasaki, we also had 10 players but we defended well. It's hard to score when the opponent is defending deep. That's how it is. As a defender, I tried to firmly grasp the opponent I was marking. We knew that Oita would start with FW Weslley as the focal point, so we discussed in detail who would go for the through ball between Moni and me, and who would cover... But even though we created so many chances and it was an away game, I didn't think a draw would be enough. I think it was the strong determination of myself and everyone else that led to the penalty kick. I want to build on this victory for the upcoming consecutive matches. We are still in a losing position."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "In the midst of struggling with the lack of results, there were many fans who came from far away to support us, and I think it was good that we were able to share the joy with them. As for the content of the game, our intention was to endure a little at the beginning and then be able to control the ball in the midfield, and I think we were able to achieve that to some extent. The players were conscious of switching the play from the side attack to the opposite side as well. However, it is usual for the game to become difficult when the finishing accuracy is too poor and we cannot score from clear chances. Especially when the opponent is reduced to 10 men, they will clearly defend more, so it became a very frustrating game to keep missing clear chances in that situation. At halftime, I emphasized to the defense that complacency when the opponent is one man down is the biggest enemy. I think the defense did a great job of staying focused, and that was the biggest factor in today's victory. Today, it was clear that the forward line owed a debt to the defense. We didn't get attacked much, but being able to get 3 points in such a frustrating game where we missed so many clear chances will lead to the next game."

　[Summary of Oita Chamusca's Press Conference] "Today was a game where we had to win and earn points to improve our position. From the start of the game, both defensively and offensively, the team performed well. However, I felt that we needed to improve the accuracy of our passes, especially in front of the goal. Defensively, we started with a 4-back formation and when we won the ball, the side players moved up to create a 3-back formation. I think we executed this transition well. However, due to one player being sent off, we had to switch to a complete 4-back formation. In fact, we asked MF Kanazaki to play in two positions in a 4-4-1 formation. Although it was challenging in terms of attacking, I think he showed stability in both offense and defense. We were able to create chances by effectively utilizing counterattacks. In terms of transitioning from defense to offense, I think both MF Kiyotake and Suzuki showed good movement. However, since MF Takahashi was positioned on the side but attacked from the center, we couldn't utilize him effectively and the opponent took advantage of the space behind him. Nevertheless, the players showed their fighting spirit until the very end, but unfortunately, we conceded a penalty and suffered a disappointing defeat."