The long-awaited Tama River Clasico will be held on the stage of J1.

　Sec. 5 of the league will be a match between Kawasaki Frontale as the 19th Tama River Clasico. They will be away. In the ACL Beijing Guoan match, they gave their all and brought back a valuable 1 point. However, they will face this match in just 3 days after that. Although Kawasaki also played in the Nabisco Cup on the 4th, it can be said that they will have a significant disadvantage in terms of condition.

　Nevertheless, the motivation of the players is high in this traditional match. And because they lost to Hiroshima in Sec. 4, they must avoid consecutive losses in the league. Using their heads in the game and concentration may be key.

　In place of the injured Kaga, Hyun Soo JANG, who made his league debut, was appointed as the center back for this match. Maruyama also made his first appearance in the squad. On the other hand, Coach Popovic is cautious about Kajiyama's return. Therefore, Takahashi and Hasegawa will form a double pivot, just like in the match against Beijing Guoan, with Ishikawa and Yazu on the sides and Uemura as the attacking midfielder. And the forward line will be led by Lucas.

　Kawasaki, on the other hand, has 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the league. They haven't won in the last 3 matches, but this season's team aims to add a style of precise passing to their speedy soccer, utilizing the individual abilities they have shown so far. Looking at the attacking line, new addition FW Renato has speed, and FW Yajima and Komatsu have both height and the ability to make decisive shots. Above all, we should be highly cautious of the development from MF Nakamura and Shibasaki, who make use of the power of the front line.

　An away game, but we want to seize victory by dominating the ball as long as possible and continuing to try without fear of mistakes. It was sunny, but the wind was cold and the Todoroki Stadium felt chilly. The stands of both teams were passionate and filled with anticipation, and the match started with Kawasaki's kickoff at 16:03.

Both sides displayed fighting spirit and an aggressive attitude, and intense offensive and defensive battles continued.

　Both teams were aggressive from the start. Tokyo connected one-touch passes and moved forward, while Kawasaki tried to create chances by utilizing the speed of FW Renato, starting from FW Yajima. In the 9th minute, from Lucas' drop, Takahashi sent a lob pass to the left area, where Ishikawa jumped out and faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation... but the shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's quick dive.

　In the 20th minute, a quick switch of attack was launched, and Hayashi broke through to the right sideline from Lucas' pass. He crossed the ball in front of the goal, where Yuzawa made a decisive move... but the pass was slightly weak and was blocked by Kawasaki's fast returning defender. On the other hand, Kawasaki also created opportunities to bring the ball to the finish line with bold attacks, such as Renato's dribble shot from the left area in the 22nd minute and Jesse's shot from a left corner kick in the 23rd minute.

　In the midst of a back-and-forth battle, in the 27th minute, Tokunaga dribbled past the defense and earned a corner kick on the right side. Tanizawa followed up on the loose ball in the crowded box and took a shot at just the right moment, but couldn't find the target. In the 30th minute, Chang Hyun Soo from their own half passed a long ball to Ishikawa, who was trying to break through the front line with sharp judgment. Ishikawa, seeing the position of the advancing Kawasaki goalkeeper, aimed from just outside the right area with a looping shot... but it was stopped by the returning save of goalkeeper Nishibe.

　Immediately after missing a chance, Kawasaki created a scoring opportunity from Nakamura's pass, but Gonda made a save. In the midst of rapid changes between offense and defense, in the latter part of the first half, we continued to receive counters from mistakes, but Morishige and Ota concentrated and responded. Neither team allowed a goal, and the score remained 0-0 at halftime.

Something happens in the Clasico... Even with 10 players, a dramatic victory with Morishige's header!

　It was a second half where we wanted to score a chance, but in the 48th minute, Hasegawa received his second warning and was sent off. From the early stages of the second half, we were forced into a numerical disadvantage. Therefore, in the 51st minute, we substituted Yuhara with Yonemoto as a defensive midfielder to countermeasure. However, in the 52nd minute, we tried to catch Yajima, who remained in Kawasaki's front line, offside, but Renato broke through from behind and took a decisive shot from the left area, but Kanda made a save! Then, Nakamura passed to Tasaka, the right area midfielder, and he took a shot, but it was saved thanks to a mistake.

　In the 67th minute, MF Nakamura of Kawasaki developed the play, MF Tasaka pushed forward on the right side, and made a minus last pass to the center. FW Kobayashi in the area was left free and took a decisive shot, but once again Gonda made a save! Under Kawasaki's fierce attack, the pressure continued, but Gonda and the defenders put their bodies on the line and concentrated, while also looking for opportunities to exploit Kawasaki's weaknesses without ever resorting to a defensive approach, launching a counterattack.

　In the 75th minute, Tanabe was replaced by Tanihata. Kawasaki also brought in MF Inamoto and then FW Komatsu to put pressure on the front line. In the midst of a tense and intense time where there is no moment to relax, Ishikawa sprinted down the right side in the 86th minute. Without forcing it, Tokunaga connected the pass while waiting for his teammates to advance. Tanabe, who entered the area from the far side, couldn't finish it, but Yonemoto fiercely chased after the throw-in given by Kawasaki. He intercepted and passed it to Lucas in the center. From there, Tanabe on the left and Takahashi, who moved up the center, unleashed a shot towards the goal.

　Blocked by the goalkeeper's save, they only managed to get a corner kick. However, in the 87th minute, Ishikawa took this right corner kick and Morishige forcefully headed the ball into the net with a high impact! They successfully capitalized on the set piece opportunity and scored a goal. After that, including the 6 minutes of added time, Kawasaki also created chances from free kicks, but everyone maintained their concentration and defended until the final whistle. They turned the tables on the numerical disadvantage in an exciting turn of events and achieved victory with a score of 1-0.

　【Player Comment】《Morishige》"Popovic has a clear style of soccer. Even when we were at a numerical disadvantage, everyone stayed calm and tried to play our own soccer. We weren't just constantly pushed back, we also tried to take the initiative and attack. We didn't lose our attacking mindset. I think it was a big victory that we all endured together. (At the moment the goal was scored) I wanted to share the joy with the fans in the stands. I also felt fortunate to be able to play this classic match in J1, along with the supporters who came to various away games in J2 last year."

　"At first, I couldn't get used to this atmosphere and was confused. There were moments when I felt really pressured, but we helped each other and ultimately achieved victory. I think we proved that we can fight even with 10 players. I wanted to win, so I'm genuinely happy with the victory."

　[Coach Popovich's press conference summary] "It was a wonderful game. It's not just about winning, but as I always say, it's important to understand how we won and the process behind it. Even with 10 players, we stuck to our style of play. After the Hiroshima game, where we didn't get the desired result, I was asked if we should change our style. The result of not changing our style is today's game. If Barcelona had changed their style every time they lost, they wouldn't be where they are now. And today, we showed that we believe in ourselves until the end and we fought through any situation. Each and every one of us showed a fighting spirit for the club and the team. I think it was a very good game."

　Thank you to all the fans and supporters of both teams who came to the stadium and created a wonderful atmosphere. I want to express my gratitude, especially to the Tokyo fans and supporters who cheered us on until the end with their passionate support. It gave us strength and support. Thank you very much. I think this was a significant match that proved the identity of FC Tokyo as a club and team. Even with fewer numbers, the players showed an attacking style of football by connecting passes without dropping the line. It is a victory for the team. Everyone fought for the team and as a result, we won. Lastly, the fans and supporters of both teams today were truly amazing. Please make sure to convey our gratitude."

　[Kawasaki Soma's press conference summary] "With it being a Clasico, we had a lot of fans and supporters come out. The opponent also had a player sent off, and we were in a situation where we had to win, so it's disappointing and I feel sorry that it ended up like this. However, in football, if you can't score when you should, you end up with a result like today. Today was exactly that kind of game. In the professional world, as the coach, I take full responsibility for the result, but we have been working on things recently and we have made quite a bit of progress, so I want to build on that for the next game."