Aiming to secure 3 points and challenge the top-ranked Kashima

　Sec. 23 of the league will be held on Sunday, facing Kashima Antlers away. In the previous section, we couldn't convert our chances and lost due to a counterattack in the final stages. It is important to not dwell on the shock of the Yamagata match and to switch mentally and physically for this section, which we will face in three days.

　Especially in the last 5 matches, there have been no wins and we are in a difficult situation as we face the top team. However, Coach Jofuku said, "It won't be easy to win at Kashima's home ground, but we will aim for 3 points. Of course, there is a possibility that we will play defensively according to the situation, but that is a strategy to avoid conceding goals. We will always approach the game with a mindset focused on winning." It will be a challenging match that we will face with strong determination. However, we will be cautious about Ishikawa's return and carry it over to the next match. In this match, Nakamura started as the right midfielder, making his first appearance in the starting lineup since the Nabisco Yamagata match on June 3rd.

　Kashima, who is defending the top spot with 47 points, will face Hiroshima in the 20th round. They suffered consecutive losses in the away matches against Kobe in the previous round, but they still maintain an undefeated record at home in the league. In this round, FW Marquinhos, who was absent in the previous round, will make a comeback. FW Okazaki has also started despite his injury. Tokyo has been unable to score in the last two matches, so whether they can break Kashima's solid defense and score goals will be the focus. Therefore, it is important for them to continue playing the coordinated football that Tokyo is known for.

　Kashima Soccer Stadium, where the summer twilight begins to envelop. The important match, where we want to show the soccer and determination we have built up so far and use it as a stepping stone for a higher position, started at 18:34 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Lose 2 points and be brought into the desired development by Kashima

　4 minutes into the game, Kashima's left back Arai advances and exchanges a one-two pass with the forward Nozawa, who had moved up to the front line, and enters the left area. Tokyo's right side is broken through, and a ground pass is played in front of the goal. The central midfielder Danilo, although slightly mistimed, is shot with his left foot while off balance. The ball hits the inside of the post and bounces into the goal, conceding an early lead...

　In the 6th minute, Kashiwa's right MF Nozawa crossed the ball and FW Koroki jumped out to shake the net, but it was offside. Immediately, Tokyo counterattacked in the 7th minute, with Hirayama receiving a pass with his back to the goal on the left side and quickly aiming for a shot. However, the shot hit the crossbar and bounced back... Tokyo continued to move the ball and looked for opportunities, but in the 20th minute, Hirayama's header from Uchida's kick from the right side FK went over the crossbar.

　Then, in the 21st minute, from the link in the Kashima DF line, GK Sogahata quickly sends a long ball to the front line. Breaking through the center of the Tokyo DF, Kashima FW Marquinhos makes a fierce dash. He calmly scores a shot that surpasses Gonda's head, leaving Bruno QUADROS behind... and we lost the second goal.

　Kashima, who took a 2-point lead, tightened their defensive block and played the game with ease. After that, Tokyo was able to pass the ball around, but they couldn't create any decisive opportunities in front of a tough defense. In the 35th minute, Hirayama intercepted the opponent's pass in his own half and launched a counterattack. Cabore, who came up from the right side, took a shot and won a corner kick. However, they couldn't convert the corner kick into a chance. In the 41st minute, they earned a free kick from slightly right of the opponent's penalty area, and Nakamura aimed directly at the goal, but couldn't hit the target. They ended the first half with a 2-point lead.

Yohei OTAKE assisted, Cabore scored a goal, but...

　In the second half, Kashima retreated to a defensive position and launched sharp counterattacks. In the 49th minute, Hayu passed a vertical ball to Cabore in the front line from the center, and he also tried to enter the area, but was cut off by Kashima's defensive line and suffered a counterattack. However, Tokunaga cleared the dangerous situation. In the 50th minute, Nakamura broke through on the right side and sent a cross, but it was caught by the opponent's goalkeeper before reaching Hirayama. In the 53rd minute, Tokyo earned a left corner kick from Cabore's cross. From the loose ball of this corner kick, Cabore again got into a shooting position, but it was again escaped by a corner kick.

　Substituting Nakamura and Hanyu for Suzuki and Otake in the 60th minute. This created a quick passing game and established an attacking rhythm from the sides. In the 63rd minute, Suzuki on the right front line followed by Tokunaga, who crossed the ball early from the right corner of the area, but Kajiyama's header went wide. In the 64th minute, we earned a free kick in the opponent's half, and Otake passed to Suzuki who sent a cross with a shooting opportunity from the right side. Cabore jumped in and slid to connect, but the shot missed wide... In the 67th minute, Suzuki carried the ball up from the right and sent a through pass to the center in front of the goal. Cabore broke free and faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation. He created a decisive opportunity, but still couldn't score...

　However, in the 77th minute, while being aggressive, Tokyo's right side was broken through by Kashima DF Arai, and a ground cross was put into the center. FW Marquinhos' shot was blocked, but the ball floated high and was headed in by substitute FW Osako, conceding the third goal... In the 85th minute, Otake cut back the opponent's DF on the right side and sent a last pass to the goal, and Kabore scored with his right foot. Otake created a chance with his passionate play and retaliated, but the counterattack was not enough... The game ended with a score of 3-1, and Tokyo suffered a defeat against Kashima, who always took the lead and showed skillful game control at home.

　【Player Comments】《Otake》"We were down by 2 goals, but I believed that we had a chance to turn it around if we scored 2-1. I tried to touch the ball a lot and create rhythm, and get involved in the attack. However, the third goal was painful. (Regarding Cabore's goal) I knew that Kashima was wary of my left foot, so I cut inside and passed with my right foot. I touched the ball today, but the team couldn't win... I want to continue to create opportunities like this and contribute to the team's goals so that we can win."《Nakamura》"I tried to move as far as I could since it was my first start in a while. Among that, I focused on defense when entering the game. However, we ended up conceding goals and I think I should have shown more of my own strengths in the attack. I also felt the difference in terms of Kashima's quickness on the counter and their strength in duels. In the future, I want to practice and prepare so that I can always play in the matches with those things in mind."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "I am very disappointed to have made our passionate supporters feel sorry and I am very frustrated. The players took to the pitch with a strong determination, but it becomes very difficult to recover when we concede 2 goals due to careless mistakes against the champion Kashima. We must engrave that in our minds. When we fall behind by 2 goals, the opponent retreats and defends. We are currently working on the challenge of breaking through that, but we scored a goal too late. We must learn from today's experience regarding the first 2 goals conceded and returning 1 goal against the retreating opponent. Kashima's two top players were a threat when they had the ball and their counterattacks were dangerous. Therefore, even when we possessed the ball, the situation became difficult for us. (Regarding the difference with Kashima) They took the lead and controlled the game well. In that aspect, there is an obvious difference. However, I don't think we should ever lower our quality in progressing the game. It is now necessary to connect the attack from both counterattacks and slow attacks to the attacking third and improve the accuracy. We have few players with finishing accuracy, but we have no choice but to continue working on it. Today's result is something we brought upon ourselves, so we want to fight in the next game with players who truly have the mentality and quality of play to immediately make use of this as an experience."

　[Summary of Kashima - Coach Oswaldo OLIVEIRA's Press Conference] "In the previous match against Kobe, the humidity was high, which affected our performance in the final stages of the game. Therefore, we aimed to quickly recover the players and organized a mini training camp starting from Friday. Sleep and rest are necessary, and it also provides more time for medical treatment and discussions among teammates. The upcoming opponent is also a tough team with highly skilled attacking players, so we anticipated a challenging and intense match. The effects of the training camp were evident in the results, and I believe the players understood the purpose behind it. Despite the high temperature and humidity today, we were able to play our game while effectively containing the opponent's abilities and qualities. (Regarding the player substitutions in the second half) At the time of the substitutions, it was clear that FC Tokyo was trying to break through our sides, especially the right side, which was leaning towards our left side. Our midfielder Danilo was injured and it was expected that he wouldn't last the full 90 minutes due to playing three consecutive matches. Another reason was that Tokyo was bringing in side attackers, which would decrease our mobility and make it difficult to keep up with their speed. Therefore, we brought midfielder Nakata into the center and placed the energetic and powerful midfielder Aoki on the side, forming a unit with defenders Arai and XXX to contain the sides. Unfortunately, that strategy didn't work 100% and led to the goal conceded. Although there were situations where we were broken through, overall, everyone adhered to the game plan we set today with discipline, which is commendable. We conceded a goal, but considering the score was 3-1 at that time, it was a satisfying game overall."