Already a top match. Challenging the in-form Yokohama FM

After two matches in the Nabisco Cup, the league match resumes. Sec. 4 will be against Yokohama F.Marinos. We will go away. In the Nabisco Cup, we won one and drew one without the presence of Japan national team's Takahashi, Gonda, and South Korea national team's Hyun Soo JANG. Especially in the previous match against Kashima, Lee and Higashi scored their first goals and achieved a come-from-behind victory. We aim to continue that momentum and build up the quality and precision in this match.

Yokohama FM, who are currently on a 5-match winning streak in official matches including the Nabisco Cup, are leading the league and in excellent form. Although FW Marquinhos is suspended for this match, FW Fujita will lead the attack with MF Nakamura playing in the attacking midfield position, and MF Hyodo and rookie Sato on the wings. They have also set up their defense with DF Amano at right back.

Yokohama FC utilizes the high accuracy kicks of MF Jun Nakamura and the strong runs of MF Ryo NAKAMURA as significant weapons. However, the key is how to persistently contain their attacks and endure the period of patience. It is important to maintain a quick transition between offense and defense, keep up the intensity, and strive to gain control in the midfield to convert it into goals.

Tokyo's representative Takahashi and Gonda are also in the starting lineup. Watanabe is at the top, and Lee starts for the first time in the league in a formation close to a two-top. Hasegawa and Takahashi form a double pivot lineup. The season has just begun, but this round is already a top battle. The match started at 19:04 with the kickoff of Yokohama FM at the Nissan Stadium, which is getting colder and seems to start raining soon.

Take the lead with Lee's first league goal, without losing focus on offense and defense!　

Both teams tried to take the initiative, and in the early stages, there was a battle for the ball. In the 9th and 11th minutes, Takahashi tried to break the situation and grasp the rhythm of the attack by shooting consecutively. In the 13th minute, Li launched a counterattack, and Watanabe, who had stolen the loose ball from the opponent's defense in the left area, tried to aim with his left foot, but the ball curved to the right and did not reach Li, who had closed in on the goal.

In the 16th minute, Yokohama MF Nakamura made a through pass to left MF Hattori, but Tokunaga responded well. In the 22nd minute, Yokohama FM MF Nakamura again made a long pass to MF Hattori in the left area, but Kaga slid in and took the ball. With focused defense, they didn't allow Yokohama FM to create chances in front of the goal. From there, they quickly connected to the attack.

In the 27th minute, after a left throw-in, the ball was passed and connected to Lucas in the center, who dropped the ball with his heel to Hasegawa on the left front line. Ota, who ran there, immediately crossed the ball directly. The powerful ball was attempted to be cleared by the opponent's DF with a header in front of the goal, but the ball spilled into the right area and Li reacted immediately. He kicked it directly and scored a goal! Li marked his first goal in the league match and took the lead with consecutive goals in the official match for the second game!!

In the 33rd minute, Yokohama FM had their first shot as MF Nakamura took a middle shot, but it was saved by Konda. In the 41st minute, a through pass was made to the front line of Yokohama FM, and FW Fujita broke through to the left area, but the shot was blocked. They maintained their focus on both offense and defense and went into the second half leading by one point.

Despite Watanabe scoring the equalizer, they suffered a comeback defeat by conceding three goals in the second half...

In the 48th minute of the second half, Lee in the center passed to the right and ran into the middle, and Higashi made a through pass behind the opponent's defense. Lucas from the left side entered the area and tried to score, but was cut off by the defender just before the final play. In the 58th minute, Lee in the center hit the ball to the front to Li. Li expanded to the right and Takahashi, who had moved up to the front line, crossed the ball on the ground. From the flowing teamwork, they approached the Yokohama FM goal, but Takahashi's final pass to Higashi narrowly missed and was caught by the goalkeeper.

Tokyo seemed to have a good grip on Yokohama FM's attacking attempts and found their rhythm, but in the 60th minute, Yokohama FM's forward Fujita's dribble was stopped by a foul, giving Tokyo a free kick in the center of Yokohama's territory. Yokohama FM's midfielder Nakamura took a direct shot at the goal, but it hit the wall and changed direction, catching goalkeeper Gonda off guard and going to the right... Tokyo conceded an equalizer from the FK opportunity.

The match returned to square one and then both teams quickly attacked each other, taking advantage of their respective characteristics. However, in the 68th minute, they were caught off guard. From Yokohama FM's right throw-in, DF Amano broke through Tokyo's defense and crossed from the left front line. FW Fujita headed the ball into the goal, resulting in a goal against us... We allowed the opposing team to take the lead.

Tokyo made a counterattack with 70 minutes, replacing Li with Yonehara in the defensive midfield. Hasegawa moved to right midfielder and Azuma moved to attacking midfielder. This strategy paid off, and in the 72nd minute, Lucas on the left side took a decisive shot after a series of precise passes... but it hit the right post. However, in the 82nd minute, amidst a back-and-forth counterattack, Hasegawa demonstrated his strength in winning the ball. He quickly advanced after stealing Yokohama FM's misplaced pass, and Hasegawa passed through to Watanabe who had moved up from the right to the center, and Watanabe shot with his right foot from behind. The ball hit the opponent's defender and went into the net! They equalized in the final minutes.

With this, the stands heated up and the mood for a comeback increased. However, we were unable to stop the momentum of Yokohama FM's fierce attack at home. In the 90th minute, Yokohama FM's shot from a right cross was blocked and bounced back once, but they seized the loose ball, connected it, and Yokohama MF Heito ran from the right to the center, passing it to Yokohama FW Fujita who was left free in front of the goal. And they scored... Despite taking the lead, we conceded 3 goals in the second half and suffered a comeback defeat, resulting in consecutive losses in the league.

[Player Comments]
《Masato MORISHIGE》"Even though the performance was not bad, we must firmly accept the fact that we have suffered two defeats at this stage. That is our current strength. We should have our own reasons for not being able to win in games like the one against C Osaka. While continuing to do what we should, I want to approach training with a mindset of pursuing more than that as individual players. I think it is important to continue building on that throughout the season."

"Ota": "There were chances to win, so it's a shame... that's my impression. (About the assist to player Lee) Hasegawa provided a good ball, and at that moment I could see Lee preparing on the far side. I was able to send a direct cross just as I had imagined. However, despite the attacking team scoring 2 goals, we lost with 3 goals conceded, which is disappointing as a defensive player."


[Coach's Press Conference Summary]
《Coach Popovic》"I believe it was a game where we both gave our best and the spectators were able to enjoy it. Although we were defeated in the end, I don't think we are losers. We were able to do what we needed to do and what we have been doing. Yokohama FM is also a fantastic team, and we were able to have a competitive match against such opponents. In soccer, luck also plays a role in the result, but by continuing to play this kind of soccer, there will be days when luck is on our side. The important thing is to continue doing what we have been doing, to keep playing the soccer we showed today, and to further improve its quality."

"Yokohama FM coach Higuchi" "I think we had a good game in terms of how we won and the result, including the content. Tokyo had the impression that the combination in the front line with the addition of Higashi as the third and fourth players this season was top level. The key was how to break that, so we had a meeting about the offensive and defensive in the midfield before the game. In the first half, the first defender approached and it became a scrum, and we couldn't pick up the second ball and couldn't gain an advantage. As a result, we allowed Tokyo to have a combination."

Although we conceded a goal, at halftime I told the players, "It's not a bad performance because we are starting to move the ball." If we organize a few points, we can definitely turn the game around. In the second half, the opponent was leading, so we dropped back a bit and focused on counterattacks. On the other hand, we were able to move the ball well, create opportunities between the opponent's players, and score goals. This is a part that was missing last season, where we were able to win a competitive game. I want to give high praise to the players and hope that this will give us momentum for future matches. There is also joy in that sense."