With the cheerful atmosphere of spring, aiming for consecutive victories in the home opening match!

Sec. 2 of the league is held. Kashiwa Reysol will face Ajinomoto as their home opening match. In the previous match against Oita, although they allowed the first goal, they demonstrated the Tokyo style throughout the game and achieved a come-from-behind victory with goals from Watanabe and Hasegawa. Coach Popovic said, "We had a good start to the season, and while a good start is important, what's more important is how we can accumulate points and perform well throughout the season." With a long season in mind, they will strive for victory in every match.

Kashiwa, on the other hand, demonstrated their strength by winning the Emperor's Cup final on New Year's Day this year. In addition, they have added new players such as FW Cleo, DF Suzuki, and MF Karino this season. Under the guidance of coach NELSINHO, the team has been building a solid squad, taking into account the AFC Champions League as well. They have already started with the Xerox Super Cup and the ACL before the league opener. Although they were unable to achieve results in the cup competitions, they showed great adaptability and had a convincing victory in the previous match against Kawasaki, with the notable performance of new signing FW Cleo. This indicates the team's good form.

The key to this match is how we can surpass Kashiwa with Tokyo's style. We expect quality movements from players like Watanabe and Lucas, as well as precise passing work from Higashi and Hasegawa.

Tokyo, Kaga, who injured his back in the Oita match, was absent. Chang Hyun Soo started instead. Nemanja VUCICEVIC also made it to the bench, and the team prepared an attacking lineup for the substitutes. Kashiwa is without MF JORGINHO WAGNER. In the second row, MF Karino, FW Kudo, and MF Leandro Domingues are positioned in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The temperature has risen compared to the Oita match, and the atmosphere at Ajinomoto Stadium feels like spring. The match started with Kashiwa's kickoff at 14:04.

Watanabe scores 2 goals! A game plan executed as intended

From the start, both teams attacked and competed for the ball in a closely contested match. In the 6th minute, Tokyo pushed into the opponent's half and Yonemoto, who stole the ball from the Kashiwa DF, sent a pass behind the defense. Watanabe, who timed his run perfectly, caught up and took a well-aimed shot from just left of the penalty arc. The ball passed through the goalkeeper's legs and into the goal. Watanabe, who had been saying before the match that the first goal would be crucial, scored an early goal, continuing his streak of scoring in two consecutive matches.

In the 14th minute, Kashiwa FW Kudo skillfully dribbled through two Tokyo defenders and took a shot from the right area, but Gonda made a save. Although Kashiwa had some possession of the ball afterwards, Tokyo's aggressive defense, led by Yonemoto, quickly regained possession and launched a swift counterattack.

22 minutes, East breaks through the right area from quick passing play and passes to Takahashi, who is free in the front of the central area. They showed good coordination, but Takahashi's shot missed the target. However, in the 28th minute, Takahashi → Hasegawa connected, and Ota, who went up the left side, crossed. It was cleared by Kashiwa, but Ota persistently connected it to East in the left area. From here, the ball East shot in front of the goal seemed to be missed, but it was sent to the front of the goal, and Watanabe reacted sharply with his left foot and scored with a direct shot! They decisively converted the chance and extended the lead.

In the latter part of the first half, Kashiwa's defense was tough and it was not easy to move forward, but Tokyo quickly responded to second balls and pressed Kashiwa, launching second and third attacks, and ended the first half by pushing Kashiwa.

Takumi HASEGAWA also marked 2 consecutive goals. He was active both in offense and defense, leading to a resounding victory!

Kashiwa made two substitutions in the second half and tried to regroup. In the 49th minute, Kashiwa's right corner kick resulted in a shot by midfielder Karino in the right area, but it was blocked and called offside. In terms of ball possession, it was almost equal, but Tokyo took control in defense and created chances from speedy attacks.

In the 58th minute, Takahashi deployed on the right side. Hasegawa brought the ball inside and sent a last pass to East near the goal. However, East's shot from close range was saved by the GK... East chased after the loose ball and took another shot, but it was blocked by the GK's brave defense. In the 69th minute, Li came in for Watanabe. In the 74th minute, Li brought the ball into the area from the left side and took a daring shot, grazing the hands of the Kashiwa GK and hitting the crossbar...

In the 75th minute, Kashiwa launched a counterattack and FW Cleo took a shot with speed, but Gonda made the catch. Tokyo calmly transitioned from defense to attack, and in the 78th minute, Li connected with Tokunaga's vertical pass. Hasegawa on the left side brought the ball into the center of the area, controlled it with his right foot, and took a shot! It went into the top left corner, securing the third goal and leaving Kashiwa behind.

In the 82nd minute, Ota sent a left cross and Li in front of the goal tried to hit it, but the shot didn't connect... After that, using player substitutions, Ishikawa was brought in at the 83rd minute and Kono at the 87th minute. Tokyo launched sharp counters from a composed defense. They couldn't score a fourth goal, but they were dynamic in both attack and defense. They closed the game as planned and secured 3 points in the home opener, achieving a consecutive victory.

[Player Comments]
《Yone Moto》"Being able to hold a team with a high attacking power like Kashiwa without conceding any goals gives me confidence. Whether it's Takahashi or myself going forward, I feel a sense of security because he covers me well when I go forward. I think I was able to demonstrate that movement today. The coach always tells us to 'extend the play after winning the ball', so maybe I was able to show that accumulation from our daily practice today."

"Takahashi: "This season, I have been using a combination of pressing from the front line and retreating to defend, depending on the situation. I think it worked well today. The whole team is trying to switch quickly from defense to attack and from attack to defense. I feel that our counterattacks after winning the ball have become faster compared to last season, and I think we have been able to show that we are trying."

[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"No matter what kind of game it is, a 3-0 result is pleasing, and it's not easy, but especially because today's opponent was Kashiwa. Today, we were tough and each player fought with a sense of responsibility and a strong attitude. Throughout the game, we didn't give the opponent space and time, and we didn't let highly skilled midfielders Leandro Domingues and forward Cleo play freely. We were able to play a game like today against a team with talented players, and we want to continue that and we should be able to. We can't let our guard down in any game."

I think it's important to approach every game as usual, but many fans and supporters came to the stadium because it was the home opening game. Among them, we were able to show a solid performance and achieve good results. I believe that by sticking to our own style of soccer and striving for victory, we can fill Ajinomoto Stadium to capacity. I think it was good to be able to show such an attitude today."

[Summary of Kashiwa NELSINHO's press conference]
"Today, the opponent was more prepared and had a higher quality in terms of mentality, skills, and organization than us. I think they were a team deserving of victory. We were not our usual selves, like we always are in the J-League. We were defeated by the opponent's organization and determination."