A match aiming for 3 points away by breaking through the opponent's solid defense

　In the 16th section of the league, we played against Roasso Kumamoto away. In the previous section, after taking the lead, we were unable to create a rhythm by having our opponents take away our mid-game tactics and passes, resulting in a draw. However, the players are taking the challenges positively and are unified in their consciousness to "not retreat, but push up again aggressively (Takahashi)" even after taking the lead. They are working hard to correct each and every challenge and make use of them in the next opportunity.

　Kumamoto, the opponent, is currently in 6th place with 4 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss. They have a total of 8 goals, which is less than Tokyo's 9, but they have the second fewest goals conceded with 5. They have been accumulating points steadily by winning close matches based on a solid defense. Their formation is a 4-4-2 with a diamond-shaped midfield, but in defensive situations, they drop back and rely on counterattacks starting from the tall forward, Shun NAGASAWA.

　Tokyo, with Inomata returning to the starting lineup after missing the previous match due to national team duties. Tanizawa will also be included in the lineup, replacing Otake. As before, we want to create chances by passing the ball, win second balls, and prolong our possession. We also want to show the momentum of immediately seeking additional goals if we take the lead. It will be necessary to actively attack by taking advantage of Hayashi's movement in the front line and making incisive attacks from the back and sides.

　Ishikawa said, "Although the way I switch and how I am utilized is different from last season, I want to find my own weapon and launch a powerful attack. While calmly assessing the game situation and the opponent's condition, I want to surpass Kumamoto with momentum and concentration at crucial moments and lead to victory." The match started at 19:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo at Kumamoto Prefectural Sports Park Athletic Stadium (KKWING).

Tokyo Aim To Breach Tight Kumamoto Defence

FC Tokyo made the long journey south to Kyushu to take on Roasso Kumamoto in the 16th game of the season. In their previous outing, Tokyo had taken a first-half lead but then struggled to control the midfield, misplaced passes, lost their rhythm, and were forced to settle for a draw. The players were determined not to repeat the mistakes, vowing in the words of Takahashi not to, "play too deeply after taking the lead and to push up forcefully once again."
Opponents Kumamoto lay in 6th place at kick-off with a W4 D4 L1 record. The side wasn't particularly prolific, having scored only 8 goals in nine games, but had conceded only 5, the second-best defensive record in the league. The team tended to grind out narrow wins with that solid defense as a base and was steadily accumulating points. Kumamoto lined up with a diamond midfield in a 4-4-2 formation, usually leaving lanky forward Nagasawa and partner Nakama in advanced positions, then striking on the counter-attack when they regained possession.
Konno returned to Tokyo from duty with the Japan National Team while Yazawa was preferred to Otake in the starting eleven. In addition to their customary tactics of moving the ball around to probe for openings, winning the second balls, and seeking to dominate play, Tokyo would quickly press for a second goal if they were to take the lead. Hanyu's movement in attack, getting in behind the Kumamoto defense and making positive use of the wings would all be vital.
Ishikawa commented, "The way we switch the play and my role are different from last year, but I want to find my weapons and attack with power and intensity." Tokyo would need to coolly appraise the state of the game and their opponents before choosing their moments to spring forward.
The visitors kicked off shortly after 7pm on a wet evening in the Kumamoto Athletics Stadium, the KKWING.

Roberto CESAR stabs the volley and takes the lead! Leading at halftime

　In the early stages, Kumamoto launched a strong attack. However, we calmly defended and launched our own attack by connecting passes even on the rainy pitch. At the same time, Roberto CESAR aimed for the opponent's backline, and in the 6th minute, Tanabe sent a through pass. In the 12th minute, we suffered a counterattack from a corner kick, but MoriShige, who was left in the attack after Yuu intercepted, made a final pass in front of the goal. Although the timing was slightly off for both opportunities and we couldn't finish, we gradually tried to grasp our own rhythm from our proactive attitude.

　At 16 minutes, Roberto CESAR was fouled near the right side of the area and won a free kick. Morishige's kick hit the wall and resulted in a left corner kick. Then, at the 20th minute, Roberto CESAR was fouled on the opponent's side and won another free kick on the right side. This was quickly restarted by Imakano, and Tokunaga, who had moved up on the right side, crossed the ball. Takahashi competed with the opponent's defender in the far area, and CESAR stabbed the loose ball with a right-footed volley to score the opening goal!

　After taking the lead, they did not overdo it and tried to pass the ball to aim for the second goal. In the 21st minute, Tanabe took a powerful shot from the left area, but it was saved by the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. In the 23rd minute, Roberto CESAR attempted to break through from the halfway line with a dribble, but his shot from the right area narrowly missed the target.

　Kumamoto, who was behind, continued to send long balls without changing their fighting style, and they were able to neatly collect them in the front line and create chances. In the 34th minute, a decisive shot was taken by Kumamoto FW Nagasawa from a clearance mistake, but the ball hit Tokunaga and Kanda caught it. They were also helped by the opponent's mistake and ended the first half with a one-point lead.

Roberto Cesar's Volley Gives Tokyo The Lead

Kumamoto stormed forward in the opening minutes but Tokyo held firm and attempted to pass their way out of defence on the rain-slick pitch. Roberto Cesar constantly looked to dart behind the home defence and a through ball from Tanabe nearly played him in in the 6th minute. In the 12th minute Kumamoto launched a counter attack from a Tokyo corner but Hanyu intercepted the ball in midfield and quickly attempted to find Morishige who had ventured forward for the set play. Although Tokyo were unable to finish the move with a shot on goal it showed positive intentions and signs that the visitors were beginning to find a rhythm.
Cesar drew a foul just outside the Kumamoto penalty area on the right in the 16th minute. Morishige blasted the free kick into the defensive wall and the ball spun out for a corner. Cesar won another free kick near the right touchline in the 20th minute. Konno took it quickly, moving the ball on to Tokunaga who burst forward and crossed to the far post where Takahashi attempted to out-jump a defender. The ball looped back into the danger area and Cesar was on hand to smash a right-footed volley into the net to give Tokyo the lead.
After going ahead Tokyo maintained a proactive approach, passing the ball around and looking for a second goal. Tanabe unleashed a fierce drive from the left in the 21st minute, drawing a fine save from Minami and earning a corner. Roberto Cesar embarked on a slaloming run from the halfway line in the 23rd minute that took him inside the Kumamoto penalty box but his shot flew narrowly wide of the post.
The hosts made no changes to their tactics, continuing to hoist long balls forward to Nagasawa. The striker was able to retain possession and that led to chances, the clearest one falling to Nagasawa himself in the 34th minute following a misplaced clearance by the Tokyo defence. He struck firmly but the ball clipped Tokunaga and fell comfortably for Gonda to collect. That let off allowed Tokyo to take the one goal lead into half time.

Concentrate and overcome adversity to achieve victory

　In the second half, Tokyo dominated the ball. They evaded the opponent's press and looked for opportunities. In the 51st minute, Morishige sent a long ground pass to the front line. Hayashi reacted and started running, but the ball was a little too long... Then, Takahashi moved up to the right front line and sent a perfect cross to Roberto CESAR, but the header was not successful... In the 63rd minute, Tanihara received a vertical pass from Tanabe in the right area and took a shot, but it was blocked by the defender and resulted in a corner kick.

　In the 67th minute, Kajiyama passed to Kitato who cut inside and aimed for a shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. After that, Kumamoto's solid defense prevented us from creating effective chances when trying to switch the play. On the other hand, Kumamoto gathered the ball simply in the front line and launched powerful attacks. As a result, in the 75th minute, Ishikawa was substituted as a defensive midfielder, and in the 83rd minute, Uesato was also brought on. We changed our formation, placing Takahashi at the center of our defensive strategy against the opponent's height, and attempted to make adjustments.

　In the 88th minute, Ishikawa took advantage of his speed from Tanizawa's pass and brought the ball to the right area near the goal. He tried to send a last pass to Tanabe who was in the center, but he was blocked by the opponent's defender at the last moment... The time passed without being able to score an additional point. In the stoppage time, Kumamoto showed their determination with a cross, but Gonda escaped it with a punch, and the loose ball went to Kumamoto's forward, Nagasawa... However, Gonda caught it as it missed the target, and the time was up. They concentrated and defended the one point, and took 3 points away from home.

　【Player Comment】《Roberto CESAR》"(The goal) came from a loose cross, but I stayed calm. It was a difficult shot, but I believed that if I kicked it accurately, it would go in. The goalkeeper touched it, but I made sure to hit it well and send it into the goal. I think this team has high-level players. It's not easy to ride the waves, but I want to build momentum and continue winning. I want to ride the waves from here."

　"Takahashi: 'As a defender, my speed of closing in on the ball was slow. I also tried to switch sides, but I could only do it once in the first half and once in the second half, so personally, the game left me with nothing but challenges. However, I think we were able to adjust our team's way of playing from the previous match. Even after taking the lead, we didn't lower our pressing position and tried to go forward. The number of times we were able to steal the ball there may have been few, but our awareness was unified. In the attacking phase, we were able to create situations where we could use the width and enter diagonally... For example, if Hokuto-kun became the starting point and Kazumin cut into the area... I think we were able to create such situations. I think it would be great if we could achieve results in that kind of form (scoring).'"

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "We were able to take the lead with one goal, but the opponent also played their aggressive style of soccer at home. However, including the substitute players, we also aimed for another goal while persistently defending. I think we need to increase the number of such attempts in the future. Everyone had the concentration to defend and pull off a win by protecting that one goal in a difficult situation. We must continue with this perseverance as the foundation and continue to play the remaining matches. In addition, we need variations and the quality and combination of substitute players to go for the second goal. Also, the energy of the starting players is running out, so we need to raise it even more. Finally, I truly appreciate all the fans and supporters who came all the way to Kumamoto to support us in the rain. We were able to earn 3 points and make everyone happy, which is really great."

　(What was the intention of starting Tanizawa?) There was also some rain. Now, what we are trying to do as a team is not just about skill, but also to remember the basics of working hard together. And in terms of taking the ball, we created some vulnerabilities in various ways in the previous match. It's not about being good or bad, but rather a choice and decision to minimize vulnerabilities as a team. Also, even if the position changes with a member substitution, Tanizawa has utility and can play anywhere. We decided to start him considering the advantage of being able to move when the balance is off."

　[Kumamoto Takuya Takagi's press conference summary] "Thank you very much to all the supporters who came to cheer for us despite the heavy rain since last night. Honestly, there is a feeling that this is what a competition is like, and I am very disappointed that we couldn't give the supporters a victory as a gift. However, this is a subjective matter, so please listen to it as a subjective story, which may be different from FC Tokyo's perspective. Regarding the content, I think we were able to show what we are doing today in many scenes and time zones. Actually, as preparations for today's game, there are various aspects such as defense, but when it comes to attack, it's about playing our own soccer. Try it in this FC Tokyo match. I wanted to make various modifications in the end and use them in the next game, so today I tried it in that sense."

　As for the content, I think they did well. I am very disappointed with today's result. I believe we need to accept the loss and take it seriously. As I mentioned earlier, I think if we continue to improve our performance, face future opponents, and gain more confidence, we can win games and score points. I think they played a good game. I admit that there were areas where we lacked strength in the loss, and I would like to prepare for the next game."

Sterling Defensive Work Earns Tokyo Vital Win

Tokyo dominated as the second half unfolded, negating Kumamoto's pressure and looking to create chances. In the 51st minute, Morishige stroked a low, straight ball up the field; Hanyu reacted fastest and set off in chase but the pass narrowly evaded him. Shortly after that, Takahashi pushed forwards down the right and curled a sumptuous cross towards Cesar inside the penalty area. Unfortunately, Cesar was unable to make contact with the ball. In the 63rd minute, Tanabe picked out Yazawa inside the Kumamoto box on the right with a straight through ball; Yazawa recovered his balance sufficiently to whip in a low shot that a defender blocked away for a corner.
In the 62nd minute, Kajiyama found Nakamura pushing forward down the left. Nakamura cut inside and produced a firm drive that flew straight at Minami. The hosts tightened up in defence, denying Tokyo any clear-cut attempts on goal, while increasing the pressure in attack. Tokyo responded by introducing Ishikawa in the 75th minute and using Uesato in a defensive midfield role from the 83rd, with Takahashi dropping deeper to counter the height of the Kumamoto front line.
In the 88th minute, Ishikawa collected a pass from Yazawa and raced through the Kumamoto defence, into the area and to the byline on the right at point-blank range from goal. Ishikawa attempted to pull the ball back to Tanabe but a defender made a last-ditch block that saved a certain goal. As the clock ticked down, Kumamoto continued to launch the ball into the Tokyo area. In additional time, Gonda punched a cross clear then held an effort from Nagasawa under extreme pressure. That was the final action of the game as the whistle blew. Tokyo had survived a couple of dangerous moments but maintained their concentration to defend Cesar's goal and earn a vital away win.


Players' comments
Roberto Cesar
"I kept calm as the ball was deflected from the cross. It was a difficult shot to make but I got a good contact on the ball and I didn't think it wasn't going in. The goalkeeper got a touch but the shot had enough power to take it into the goal. We have a lot of top-level players in this team. We can't seem to put a run together but I want to add all my energy to the team so that we can go on to win consecutive games".

Takahashi
"In defence I felt that I was late getting onto the ball and although I was trying to play crossfield balls I only managed one in each half. Personally it was a game that left me plenty of issues to think about. However, in terms of the team I think we corrected a lot of things from the last performance. After we scored we were challenging for the ball much higher up the field and were more active from the front. Maybe we didn't win the ball from there so much but there was a greater sense of unity in the performance. We used the width of the pitch in attack and tried to play diagonal balls. For example, when Hokuto ( Nakamura ) took the ball forward Sotan ( Tanabe ) was cutting inside into the area. I felt we managed to put together some attacks like that. It'll be good for the team if we can score from moves like the one that brought the goal today".

FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"Although we managed to take the lead our opponents played an aggressive, attacking game. We showed real tenacity in defense but at the same time were still trying to get the second goal. It was a hard game but all the players, including the substitutes, showed great concentration to defend a slim lead and earn us the points. We're going to need to show that same concentration in all the remaining games. In addition, we need greater variation in our play and from our substitutes and combinations to get us that second goal. We also have to improve the energy levels of the starting players. Finally, I'd like to express my thanks to all our supporters who made the long trip down here in the rain to support the team. I'm really pleased to be able to share the win with them.
Why did we start Yazawa today? One reason was the rain and another was the team’s need for hard work more than anything else at the moment. In the last game the positions we won the ball in sometimes left us vulnerable and we wanted to keep it as tight as possible today. That's no criticism of any player but it influenced our decision in player selection. Also, Yazawa is a versatile player and can perform in different roles if we change the shape of the team. If the team loses its balance we can deploy him in different areas".

Kumamoto manager Takuya Takagi
"I'd like to thank the large number of fans who turned out to support the team despite the heavy rain we've had since last night. In all honesty this is the way the game goes sometimes and I'm very disappointed that we couldn't reward them with a win. Speaking subjectively, I felt that we showed a lot of what we've been doing recently in our performance today. I thought it was a good performance so to lose is bitterly disappointing. We have to accept the defeat and look to increase our confidence for the games ahead. We also have to recognize that we lacked sufficient power in certain areas and prepare to the best of our ability for the next match."