League match resumes! A match that tests overall strength

　J.League resumes after a two-week interval. Sec. 21 welcomes Yokohama F.Marinos at home. During the break, "players have been using their time effectively to relax both mentally and physically, while pushing themselves and engraving it in their minds (Coach Jofuku)," and have been diligently preparing. However, Nagatomo, who underwent appendicitis surgery during this period, and Ishikawa, who is experiencing pain in his left foot, are adjusting with a separate menu. Additionally, Bruno QUADROS temporarily left the team and has just returned to Japan. And in this match, Kajiyama is suspended, leaving the team with four players missing.

　However, Coach Jofuku emphasized the importance of the team fighting together, not just replacing someone with someone else, but utilizing each individual's strong points and covering for each other. Shigeki Motonaga started as a center-back for the first time since April 29th. Ryota Mukuhara played as a right-back, and Tokunaga on the left. Kanazawa started as a defensive midfielder for the first time since the Nabisco Chiba match on May 20th. Hayashi and Tanabe played on the wings. The team lined up with Cabore and Hirayama as the two forwards. Nakamura also returned from injury and made the bench for the first time since the Nabisco Yamagata match on June 3rd.

　Yokohama FC is currently in 11th place with 25 points. They have not lost in the last 3 matches, especially in the previous match where they scored 3 goals and won against Kyoto, so their form can be said to be improving. They have many players with high individual abilities, with forward Ryo WATANABE leading the front line and providing power in side attacks and counterattacks. Additionally, there are also many players like midfielder Heito ISHIKAWA who can "switch on" when coming off the bench, and it becomes difficult if they are allowed to play easily. On the other hand, during this break period, defender Daichi ISHIKAWA has returned from injury, and the defense is known for its stability, which is one of the best in the J-League. Tokyo failed to score in the Hiroshima match, and in the previous match against Kawasaki, they only managed to score one goal by Hiroto ISHIKAWA and couldn't get any additional goals, so the key point in this match will be how to break down Yokohama FC's strong and solid defense.

　Manager Hiroshi JOFUKU said, "Especially in the previous match against Yokohama FM, we showed instability towards the end when they kept throwing the ball in. In that sense, how we close the game is also one of the challenges. Even if we throw away the phrase 'Moving football,' we want to show the attitude of winning 3 points." This is the first match after the restart and an important game that will test the overall team strength. Although the heat remains, Ajinomoto Stadium, with low humidity and a pleasant breeze, the match started at 18:33 with Yokohama FM's kickoff.

Yokohama FM takes control of the pace, but we concentrate and hold them back

　In the early stages, both teams moved the ball and attacked each other. Tokyo tried to make use of Yonemoto's interception and Kanazawa's attacking power to initiate their own style of play. However, in the 1st minute, Yonemoto dropped the ball after advancing on the right side, and Cabore followed up in the center with a direct shot, but it lacked power. In the 12th minute, Yonemoto aggressively pressed near the center line and connected with Cabore in the front line, earning a corner kick. Hayu took the corner kick, and Kanazawa on the right area's corner crossed the ball just near the far post with his right foot, but there was no player to finish it, and it went out of bounds.

　20 minutes, Hanyu is fouled just outside the area on the left side, earning a free kick. Tokunaga takes a direct shot from a position of about 19-20 meters. However, this misses and gradually activates the attack of Yokohama FM from the situation of back and forth. The front line FW Watanabe, the attacking midfielder FW Hasegawa, the left FW Karino, and the right FW Yamase move fluidly and take control of the pace with a powerful breakthrough. In the 22nd minute, from a pass by FW Watanabe, the central midfielder Ogura enters the left area. In the 28th minute, a lofted pass is sent into the area from FW Karino just outside the left area, but Mokuhara and Tanabe sandwich it and escape to a corner kick.

　In the 29th minute, FW Yamase initiated the play, and FW Kano skillfully sent the ball to the left area, where FW Takumi HASEGAWA ran freely. A decisive chance was created, but Mokuhara quickly slid in and blocked it. In the 37th minute, after conceding a counterattack, FW Takumi HASEGAWA → Yamase in the front line shifted to the right area, and unleashed a powerful shot but missed the target. Tokyo was pushed back and became defensive, but the backline held their concentration and kept the score at 0-0 as they entered the second half.

Unable to convert chances into goals, resulting in a goalless draw

　In the opening of the second half, Yokohama FM's midfielder Ogura built up the play, and forward Yamase faced off against Tokyo's defender in a 1-on-1 situation on the left side. They created a shooting opportunity, but Tokyo cleared the ball by connecting passes from there. Tokyo defended tenaciously to avoid conceding a goal, regrouped, and started to generate rhythm in their attacks. In the 51st minute, Kabore dropped a cross from Tokunaga in the penalty area, and Hirayama behind him created a decisive shooting opportunity, but it was blocked by the opponent's defender. Immediately after, Tokunaga dribbled the ball into the left area and took a shot, threading it through the opponent's defenders, but the goalkeeper made a save.

　In the 53rd minute, Hirayama in the front line skillfully blocked the opponent's DF from Gonda's goal kick and connected it to Cabore in the right area. Cabore shot the ball with speed, but there was no angle and it hit the side net. In the 59th minute, Yonemoto → Kanazawa expanded to the left. Hayashi caught up and sent a cross from the sideline. Hirayama closed in on the far side. Tokunaga, Hayashi, and Cabore were involved in the attack and created chances, but they couldn't break through the tough defense of the Yokohama DF and score a goal.

　Tokyo tried to overwhelm Yokohama FM, whose physicality had started to decline, by making player substitutions. In the 59th minute, Suzuki was brought on to replace Tanabe. In the 64th minute, Suzuki quickly advanced and won consecutive corner kicks from crosses. In the end, Kanazawa picked up the clearance from the left corner kick and Suzuki delivered a cross just inches away from the far post, but no one was able to connect. Yokohama FM also made substitutions in the 65th minute, bringing on midfielder Hyodo and forward Sakata. Their movement started to improve, and in the 71st minute, Yokohama forward Watanabe received a through pass and sent a last pass to the left area. Right fullback Tanaka made a free run into the area and created a decisive chance. However, Tanaka's shot missed above the bar, completely avoiding conceding a goal thanks to the mistake...

　In the 72nd minute, Otake was replaced by Hanyu, and in the 80th minute, Kanazawa was replaced by Nakamura in the defensive midfield. However, towards the end, it became a back-and-forth counterattack, with a hectic development. In the 84th minute, Otake sent a pass to the right area, and Cabore made a run, but it was offside. In the 88th minute, a powerful quick attack was launched from Yonemoto's interception, and even in injury time, Suzuki -> Cabore broke through the side and created a chance for Hirayama to finish with a cross into the middle, but this was also offside. They showed an attacking attitude until the end, but couldn't shake the goal net. The first match after the league resumed ended in a scoreless draw.

　[Player Comments] "I tried to concentrate more than usual and fight. I valued the distance with my teammates and constantly communicated with them. I think I did well in terms of distance, contact play, and challenges & covers with the opponents. Not only the center backs, but everyone around me supported me well. I felt that what I was doing in Kodaira was not wrong, and I want to use that as further motivation." - Shigenobu "It was good that we kept the opponent from scoring, but I had a strong desire to win, so I'm disappointed with the draw. I can't be satisfied. I also feel that I could have contributed more to the team... In the first half, Yokohama FM took control of the game. We were pushed back and absorbed by their defense line. I wanted to regain the momentum, but I thought it was crucial not to concede a goal at this point. In that sense, I think we fought with concentration. In terms of attack, we tried to connect passes and keep the ball for a long time, but the opponent's defense was solid, and both halves were difficult matches." - Kanazawa

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "We hadn't won the last two games before the break, so today we really wanted to win in order to catch up with the top teams in the future. The players also took the field with that mindset. The starting lineup had been consistent recently, but we had to make changes for this match. In that situation, I think the players who came in did their best. As a team, we tried to bring out their strengths. Even with changes in the lineup, our approach of creating our own time from the defensive line, supplying the ball to the front line based on the pressure from the opponents, and then switching the play remains the same. However, I didn't think it would go the same way as before with four players being replaced. That's not a problem with the four players, but it's most important to bring out each individual's characteristics on the pitch. It's important to cover each other, including in defense, but in the first half, it's a fact that we couldn't finish. Our time was too short, there were scenes where we were chasing the opponent's ball, and we were a bit exhausted, so we didn't have the power to finish. Or perhaps our ideas were wavering, including the connection from the defensive line. We need to raise the level more, including with backup. The result of one point is disappointing, but that's because we kept the opponents from scoring. In that sense, I want to commend the players' motivation for earning that point. However, this point won't mean anything if we don't win the next match. We want to gather all our strength and turn it into a victory. We couldn't give you three points as a gift, and I'm sorry, but I hope you'll watch us in the next match. We don't intend to end the summer of counterattacks. We would appreciate your passionate support once again."

　[Yokohama FM Manager Kimura's Press Conference Summary] "There was a two-week break in the league matches, so we gave the players four days off. We approached this summer's three consecutive matches in a refreshed state. In the previous match, we won 3-0 against Kyoto, so we approached the game with that image in mind. The start of the first half was good, with good defense from the front line and quick transitions between offense and defense. However, we made too many passes in the attacking phase and missed opportunities to shoot, so we made adjustments at halftime. In the start of the second half, I told them to take long-range shots even from a distance. However, in the second half as well, we lacked aggressiveness and imagination once we entered the attacking zone. We were focused on defense, but what concerned me the most was that while we were attacking, there were moments where we lost the ball and left players like Hirayama and substitute Suzuki free, resulting in counterattacks. That needs to be corrected. In terms of offense, it's best to score goals through shots or corner kicks, but if we can't do that, we need to finish what we start and I'm emphasizing that. However, Tokyo's defense was also good, so there were parts where we couldn't finish. It will be difficult to improve those areas in the two days of training, but I want to improve our awareness."