Aiming for consecutive victories to join the battle for the top!

　Sec. 28 of the league, we will play against Kashima Antlers away. In the previous match against Iwata, we achieved a come-from-behind victory by turning the tide in the second half. While it is the ideal soccer to take control throughout the 90 minutes and win, we are able to make plays by judging what needs to be done in any situation and assessing the flow, without losing in individual efforts including substitute players. Today's match will test the true value of that, but we want to aim to surpass with even higher quality soccer and remain committed to winning.

　Kashima, on the other hand, is currently in 13th place with 34 points. In the previous match against G Osaka, although they were caught up to a draw in the final moments, the formation with FW Osako as the lone striker and MF Renato as the attacking midfielder worked well. They dominated G Osaka throughout the match and scored 2 goals. This match, they will have MF Ogasawara and Shibasaki as the double defensive midfielders in a 4-5-1 formation. In the last 4 matches, they have had 1 win, 2 draws, and 1 loss, and it seems that their form hasn't fully improved yet, but their strength is recognized by everyone.

　Tokyo has changed its members since the previous match. Watanabe is used as the lone striker, Jang Hyun Soo is deployed as the left full-back. Kajiyama is in charge of the defensive midfield, Lucas is in the attacking midfield, and Ishikawa and Hanyu are on the wings. In particular, the key in the attack is whether they can finish when they have a good rhythm. They want to add variation instead of just passing monotonously. Dynamic positioning and quick decision-making are important, but Tokyo wants to increase the fluidity of the front line with Hasegawa, Ishikawa, and Lucas as the starting points and take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses.

　In past match records, Tokyo has had 5 wins, 5 draws, and 13 losses, and at Away Kashima, they have only achieved 1 win in the league match in 2007. They are a formidable opponent as they excel in strategic maneuvering and know how to win. Although the past cannot be regained, Coach Popovic expresses his determination, saying, "We can change the future from here. With that as our motivation, we will strive for success." The match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 15:03 at Kashima Soccer Stadium.

Unable to stop Kashima's momentum, they allowed a 2-goal lead and ended the first half.

　Both teams are trying to take the initiative from the start, and the game is in a back and forth pattern. In the 5th minute, MoriShige advances and Tokunaga -> Kajiyama advances to the left front line and wins a corner kick. From this left corner kick by Ishikawa, MoriShige heads the ball perfectly, but it goes straight to the goalkeeper. In the 9th minute, Kashima's right midfielder Endo takes a sharp shot. It grazes Gonda's hand and hits the crossbar, resulting in a corner kick, but the defense holds strong. Due to the light rain and slippery pitch, the ball is not settling down easily and both teams are struggling to connect their passes.

　However, Kashima quickly transitioned from a focused defense to an attack and gradually began to push Tokyo back with precise counters. Then, in the 18th minute, Tokyo was caught off guard by a quick throw-in from Kashima's right side. Shoji Shibasaki made a run into the right forward position and delivered a sharp ground cross between the goalkeeper and defenders. Genta Kondo managed to make a save with his outstretched hand, but the ball fell to Douglas Grolli just in front of the left area, who scored the opening goal.

　Tokyo wanted to counterattack, but the flow remained the same. In particular, they couldn't keep up with the dribbling of Kashima's MF Renato and FW Osako, and they created scoring opportunities. In the 33rd minute, MF Dutra took a decisive shot, but it went over the bar and Tokyo escaped the danger. In the 35th minute, Yuhu, who was injured, was replaced by Yonemoto. Kajiyama moved to the attacking midfield position. Lucas played as the lone striker, and Watanabe moved to the side.

　However, in the 38th minute, MF Shibasaki, who entered the area freely from a counterattack, scored an additional point. After that, Lucas took consecutive shots towards the end of the first half but failed to score. The first half ended with a 2-point lead.

Takahashi scores his first J1 goal, but concedes multiple goals on the counterattack and suffers a defeat

　Tokyo aggressively attacks from the start of the second half. In the 46th minute, Ishikawa and Watanabe combine to penetrate the area, and Lucas in the center traps the cross from Tokunaga on the right and shoots, but it goes straight to the goalkeeper. In the 57th minute, the ball is initially cut off, but Kashima's pass from there becomes a mistake, and it falls to Ishikawa who is free in the area. It becomes a decisive opportunity, but the shot aimed at the reversal goes over the bar.

　Immediately after, Edmilson was substituted for Watanabe. Then, in the 63rd minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC replaced Hyun Soo JANG. Two attacking players were brought in consecutively, the defensive line was changed to a 3-back, with Lucas and Edmilson as the front two, VUCICEVIC and Ishikawa on the sides. In the 67th minute, Nemanja broke into the area from Kajiyama's pass, but was blocked by the defense. However, Edmilson, who had won the loose ball, tried to enter the area again with a one-two with Lucas, but the pass did not go through.

　Tokyo completely takes the initiative and starts to push the opponent. However, in the 69th minute, the experienced Kashima does not miss the opportunity. The ball is cleared and picked up by MF Endo, who then connects with MF Renato and breaks through the defense for the third goal. In the 71st minute, Kashima attempts a central breakthrough and attracts Tokyo's DF, then a short pass from FW Osako to MF Dutra results in a shot... A consecutive goal leads to a 4-point difference.

　Tokyo, which had no choice but to attack, advanced in the 83rd minute, with Hasegawa making a forward run and passing to Ishikawa on the right. They earned a corner kick from the right cross. Ishikawa played a short corner, and Yonemoto crossed the ball. Edmilson received it at his feet, turned around, and took a shot, which was deflected by Takahashi from a different angle and scored a goal. Although Tokyo managed to pull one back with Takahashi's first goal of the season and in J1, it was already too late. In addition, Kashima added more goals, resulting in a heavy 5-goal defeat. The winning streak was not achieved.

　【Player Comment】《Takahashi》"It feels like all of Kashima's shots within the frame went in... We were also unclear about who would defend, and Kashima's movements to exploit the space behind our defense and their skillful movements after the feint were clever, resulting in them being left free. They also launched sharp counterattacks after forming a block and confidently initiated dribbles. It's disappointing that we ended up being passive. My own performance was not good, but Kashima's skill and strength were beyond what we had anticipated. They are completely different from us..."

　"Hasegawa" "We were beaten... We also had the desire to score and went forward, but we conceded goals from Kashima's counterattacks. It was painful to concede 2 goals in the first half, but in the second half, when we tried to recover, we conceded more goals and the game became difficult. If we aim to be a top team, we should not concede 5 goals. Even if we lost, we should have finished with a score of 1-2 or 1-3. We conceded 4 goals in the Sendai match, but today we needed to hold on more and in the end, it felt like everyone fell apart. We need to regroup from here and rebuild for the Nabisco Cup."

　[Coach Popovich's press conference summary] "It was truly a bitter result. Looking at the 5-1 score, all we can say is congratulations to the opponent, as they played deserving football. Reflecting on the match, everything the opponent did went well. On the other hand, we couldn't execute what we wanted to do. If the ball had rolled our way in certain situations, and if we had scored first, the situation might have been different. But that didn't happen today. We couldn't do what we wanted to do. However, there were also moments in the match where we had the upper hand, and if we had scored during those moments, the outcome might have been different. I think it was a game where the opponent took advantage during those moments."

　(Evaluation of Hyun Soo JANG, who played as an unfamiliar left back?) Although it was said to be an unfamiliar position, where is your familiar position? Even if it's on the right side, in the center, or on the left, I don't think it matters. I think his strength will be needed in the next game as well. There were also concerns about playing as a center back in the next game without match experience. I thought it would be easier for him to enter the next game if he played here once, so he was used today. However, if you are a Tokyo player, your playing quality should not change regardless of whether the position is 10m to the right, in the center, or on the left. I think I have to show my strength as usual."

　[Summary of Kashima JORGINHO's press conference] "We changed our system from the previous match, but we felt positive about it and had a good response in the previous match. With MF Endo joining, we have more time and space to hold the ball in the opponent's half. What I wanted was defensive stability and a quick transition from defense to offense to increase our attacking power, and I think it worked well. By playing in a position that Renato is familiar with, he can further demonstrate his strength. I believe we can now utilize his accuracy in through passes and wide vision, especially in the attacking line."

　The most important thing is not about scoring or functioning, but rather the emotional aspect. I think each player showed a sense of responsibility towards their own play and their teammates' play, and I believe that was conveyed. As a member of this club team, there is a duty towards victory. We have always talked about the fact that in order for everyone to fulfill that duty, they must play with their hearts. In previous matches where we played with passion, the team transformed into a strong one, which is its inherent strength. The challenge now is whether we can continue to maintain that.