横浜FMに主導権を握られて先制を許し、苦しい展開に

　Tokyo was caught up in Yokohama FM's speedy attack from the beginning. Tokyo's defense line continued to clear the ball, but they gave Yokohama FM consecutive corner kicks and free kicks, leading to goals from set pieces. In the 9th minute, Watanabe kept the ball on the right side and passed it back inside, where Taniyama brought it in and took a shot, but ultimately, this was Tokyo's only shot in the first half. Yokohama FM's midfield press was also tough, and Tokyo was unable to connect passes as time passed.

　In the 14th minute, Yokohama FM created a decisive opportunity. MF Nakamura on the right side overlapped with SB Kobayashi, and sent a through pass to FW Marcinhos in the center. FW Marcinhos passed directly behind Tokyo DF, and FW Ono was sent through from the right side, causing a dangerous situation. However, Takahashi quickly returned and escaped with a sliding tackle, resulting in a corner kick. In the 20th minute, Tokyo DF was penetrated by Yokohama FM FW Ono, and a pass was made for a shot that shook the net, but it was offside.

　Just before the end, we managed to avoid conceding a goal, but in the 31st minute, we couldn't contain the attacking play of Yokohama FM midfielder Hattori, and he found himself between Tokunaga and Morishige. Here, the other midfielder, Tomizawa, was bypassed by a ground pass. He controlled it perfectly at his feet and immediately turned around to shoot from the left area... and they scored the opening goal...

　Yokohama FM completely took control with this, and Tokyo was unable to create any real chances, leading to a difficult situation. As a result, in the 37th minute, Kaga was substituted for Mukuhara and placed as a center back, with Tokunaga moving to right back, in order to launch a counterattack.

Despite launching a counterattack in an all-out battle, they suffered defeat due to being overpowered...

　At the same time, in the second half, Nakamura, who made his first appearance this season, was substituted for Ota, who was injured, and was deployed as a left full-back in an attempt to recover. In the 48th minute, Tanizawa tried to break through on the right front line with a counterattack, but was tightly marked by Yokohama FM's left full-back Dutra and was unable to take a shot. In the 49th minute, Nakamura made a bold dribble vertically and earned a left corner kick, but it was cleared in the center.

　In the 61st minute, he passed to Kajiyama on the right side. He couldn't finish the shot as he was surrounded by defenders, but Lucas connected the loose ball and Watanabe earned a corner kick on the right side. Finally, Tokyo started to show some movement and rhythm, but they couldn't create any clear chances in the ongoing battle for the ball.

　In the 64th minute, Kono was replaced by Kawano as the right midfielder, and Lucas changed to the top position. They tried to take advantage of Kawano's movement to get behind the opponent, but they couldn't find an effective attacking shape due to a mistake in the build-up. In the 66th minute, the ball was stolen from a mistake and passed to Yokohama's forward Marcinhos, but Kaga quickly responded and avoided the danger. In the 70th minute, MoriShige was judged to have fouled against Yokohama's midfielder Saito's dribble, giving a free kick from the center of the penalty arc. Yokohama FM's midfielder Nakamura aimed directly at the goal and shot, but Konda made a save just before hitting the crossbar!

　Although they didn't allow any additional points, in the 79th minute, Kawano flew out behind the opponent, following Lucas' pass from the left side, but the ball was slightly too long... GK catch. In the 84th minute, Kawano tried to fly out again in response to Morishige's feed to the front line, but the Yokohama GK caught it a step ahead.

　In the final stage, Takahashi entered the defensive line as a back three, and Kajiyama played as a defensive midfielder. Tokunaga and Nakamura widened the field, and Lucas, Kono, and Yuzawa increased the number of players in the front line to attempt a counterattack. However, in the 86th minute, the ball sent by Kajiyama to the front line did not reach Kono, and the opponent's defender cleared it. Hasegawa, who intercepted the loose ball in the midfield, took a step forward and shot, but it lacked power and went wide of the goal. Unable to create a consistent attacking form until the end, Tokyo only managed to take three shots. As the game ended, they suffered a defeat that made them feel the difference in strength more than the scoreline...

　[Player Comment] [Tokunaga] "The opponent's pressure was tough, and they completely took control. We couldn't even pick up second balls, and the opponent was faster off the mark. Our work rate was low, and it wasn't so much about game sense as it was about the lack of determination to win. We were chaotic from the first half and couldn't settle things down in our area. The opponent targeted both the space behind and our feet...that was the situation. Whether we should have pressed from the front or built a solid block, we ended up being indecisive and allowed them to play freely. We need to discuss this and come to a unified decision. We must fight with a sense of crisis."

　"Kanda": "There are also games like this... and we must not dismiss them. F.Marinos certainly had a strong defense and each individual was strong in the ball contest. If we were completely inferior to them and it was a complete defeat, then we have to accept it... My impression is that 'it's not that we can't do it. It's that we couldn't do what we wanted to do.' That's why each individual has to think. Today, we were pushed back from the opponent's corner kicks and free kicks in the early stages and were in disarray. Personally, I think it's because we didn't prepare well for the start of the game. Taking that into consideration, I feel like we can easily change just by doing what we should do as professionals... but if what I felt was the cause, I think we need to start preparing from scratch. Since the next game is a home game, we must never have a game like this."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "It was a really sad game. If I were to mention one good point, it would be that nothing was good. I want this kind of game to be the last one today. Maybe some players didn't know that the league had restarted, or maybe some players who hadn't returned from vacation or national team duty yet. The performance on the field was also not good. Still, it might have been lucky that we only conceded a minimum number of goals."

　I am truly grateful to the fans and supporters in Tokyo who have supported us for 90 minutes, and I want to make up for not being able to respond with a solid performance and repay them. I owe it to the fans and supporters. I believe in repaying what I owe, so I want to repay the debt I made today in a good way. However, it is important to think positively, and even big teams have days like this. I want to regroup and move forward to the next game.

　(Do you think of yourself as a good loser? Or is everything just bad? What was the worst part?) One of my least favorite words is "good loser." It's a bad thing just by having the word "loser" attached to it. However, every team experiences defeat, and it's something that can happen over a long season. But in terms of how we lost, today we lacked our ideas and fighting spirit. That's the part I'm most dissatisfied with.

　I couldn't create any decisive chances today. What's the point of training if this is the case? The important thing is not to repeat this. Let today be the last day like this. I know what to do and how to approach the next game, and the players were also heavily exhausted in today's match."

　[Summary of Yokohama FM Coach Higuchi's Press Conference] "I am pleased that we were able to secure 3 points in the first game after the league resumed. In the first half, we had almost perfect defense according to our plan and didn't allow the opponent to play freely. In the second half, we also didn't let the opponent play freely and there was a sense of unity within the team. (What are you telling the players?) Among the team's agreements, we emphasize the importance of maintaining distance for the players. One keyword is not to drop back when transitioning from attack to defense. We are emphasizing the overall distance and the distance in creating a block even if the opponent manages to break through."

　Although the content was very good, I think it will be tough in the summer if we can't secure the game by scoring a second goal. I am truly satisfied that the players showed great concentration, individual skills, and team strategy today, but it was a game where we had to score a second goal. I want to focus on scoring the second goal and aim for the next game as a challenge.