A crucial match where good performance and victory are expected at home, to start August on a positive note

Sec. 19 of the league will be held. Oita Trinita will face off against the home team at Ajinomoto Stadium. In the previous match, it ended in a scoreless draw, the first of the season. Although they have remained undefeated in the last four matches, the lack of attacking power and the low number of shots have become remaining challenges.

Coach Popovic also said, "We must focus on scoring goals. In the biggest chance of the Shimizu match, Shimizu DF cleared the ball after Chon Jin broke through the area. Of course, we need to shoot to score, but it's not just about increasing the number of shots. The process of creating chances, breaking through, and finishing with accuracy is important. We want to focus on that and actively aim for goals."

Oita, on the other hand, has not won since the 5/18 Niigata match and is currently in 18th place with 4 consecutive losses. However, they have only had 5 goalless matches in the league. As shown by their 2 goals scored in the previous match from the restart, Oita's set plays utilizing the kicks of MF Miyazawa and their attacks utilizing height, as well as sharp counters, are also their weapons. It will be necessary to pay close attention to these and have a solid defense that does not leave any openings.

In the Shimizu match, we felt the benefits of a calm defense centered around Morishige and Gonda, but this time, the key will be how quickly we can reduce the time we are pushed back and take control of the game ourselves. We want to connect good defense to good offense and secure 3 points. Ajinomoto Stadium, which tends to be cloudy and has high humidity. The match started at 19:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Although caution prevails at the beginning, gradually grasp the rhythm

In the early stages, we were pushed back by Oita, who came forward aggressively. Despite pressing from the front against Oita, who put long balls into the front line with determination, we were unable to steal the ball. We also couldn't pick up the second balls, and although they weren't decisive, there were noticeable moments where Oita posed a threat.

The defense line did not leave any gaps, but the battle seemed passive, and calls to encourage the team were heard from the home stands early on. In response to these voices, gradually regaining an aggressive attitude, they started creating opportunities to move forward from around the 20th minute, starting from the sides. At the same time, around the 30th minute, they changed their formation to a 3-back. Takahashi dropped back to defense, and Yonemoto and Hasegawa formed a double pivot in midfield.

In the 32nd minute, Oita was pushed into the area, and at first, they couldn't finish, but they rebuilt the play and Yamamoto in the center sent a strong vertical pass. Lucas in the area received it, turned around from the trap, and unleashed a powerful volley. The ball hit the right post, but this was an opportunity to grasp the rhythm of the attack. In the 34th minute, Ota, who had moved up on the left from the development of Higashi, skillfully evaded the opponent's DF and crossed. This was headed by Watanabe.

In the 35th minute, Yonemoto made a speedy move and passed to Lucas on the right side. Lucas cut inside the opponent's defense in the right area and took a decisive shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 37th minute, Morishige's pass from his own half was initially intercepted by the opponent, but Higashi picked up the loose ball and dribbled inside, attracting the opponent's defense in the left area and making a final pass to the right area. Watanabe controlled the ball with one touch and scored with his left foot. Thanks to Higashi's bold move, Watanabe scored the opening goal and the team headed into the second half.

Expand the lead with a penalty kick, and Watanabe is at the top of the scoring rankings

In the 47th minute of the second half, Watanabe received a feed from the east and dribbled forward between the opponent's defenders. He was fouled as he entered the area and won a penalty kick. Watanabe calmly converted the penalty kick to score an additional point. Tokyo took an early lead and then completely dominated the game.

In the 56th minute, Tokunaga received a side change from Hasegawa on the right front line, brought it in around the middle, and took a shot himself. In the 59th minute, Lucas on the right side of their own field cleared Oita's cross and connected with Watanabe on the left front line. Watanabe advanced with a dribble and aimed for a shot from just outside the area, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 64th minute, Watanabe headed a corner kick from the left by Higashi. In the 68th minute, a quick pass led to a pass to Watanabe in the back of the right area, and the shot he aimed for from an angleless position went through the opponent's defender's legs and hit the post, resulting in a corner kick.

Although there were moments when Oita allowed attacks from restarts and crosses, they defended without any danger and tried to score additional goals. In the 81st minute, after a speedy pass in the midfield, Yonemoto broke through on the left side and made a decisive pass to the right area. Free player Watanabe slid in and made a direct shot, but it curved to the right and missed the chance. In the 89th minute, they launched a counterattack, and Hasegawa, who had moved up the center, passed to Ishikawa, who came on as a substitute and broke through behind the opponent's defense. Ishikawa's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's one-handed save, and Watanabe ran in for the rebound, but the opponent's defender cleared it a step ahead.

He switched on the attack until the end and took 9 shots in the second half. There was also a chance for Hat-trick for Watanabe himself, but he couldn't take the third goal. However, Oita's counterattack was shut out. They maintained the rhythm throughout and achieved a victory without conceding a goal.


[Player Comments]
《Watanabe》
"The defense line was stable, so I thought if we could score one goal, we could win. The opening goal was a result of changing the formation, and it became a one-on-one battle. Ota made a move inside and distracted the Oita defense, so all I had to do was finish it. In the scene that led to the penalty kick, I immediately looked for space behind the defense after winning the ball. I started running forward and a good ball came there. I scored two goals, but there were more chances that I could have converted. I actively aimed for the third goal, but I also think that I should have calmly used my teammates more. The next Tamagawa Clasico is also a highly anticipated match. I want to score and win again."

"Ota"
"I have always been asked by the coach to not just cross, but also to create other opportunities. Today, I was able to cut inside and score the opening goal while the opponent was trying to defend vertically. Even before the goal, I think we were able to make good breakthroughs. If we can bring the ball up to a high position on the side, I have confidence in our play from there. I think the process of getting there is important. I want to approach the Kawasaki game with the awareness of increasing the variety of our attacks."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"It is common in the soccer world that matches against the last-place team become difficult. The atmosphere around us also becomes one of expecting to win from before the game. So I told the players not to let their guard down. Today, I wasn't nervous, but I struggled to find the rhythm of what I needed to do and wanted to do. However, once we adjusted the balance on the pitch, we were able to find a good rhythm. It was a good game with both quality and results, and many children came to watch during the summer vacation. I think it's a big deal to be able to show children who will shape the future such content. Also, the soccer we showed today was something that makes you want to come to the stadium again, wasn't it?"

I don't want to talk only about the system, but simply sticking to the same formation makes things go smoothly. Initially, the fullbacks were unable to participate in the attack because they didn't take care of the opponents, but by switching to a back three and playing in a higher position, the options and variations in the attack increase. We made the change considering that. However, even if we change the system, I think it is the result of the players always thinking about and showing what they aim for and what they have been doing. The most important thing is to not forget what we should aim for and what we have been working on, and to fight in our own style. It can also be evaluated that we hardly allowed the opponents to create scoring opportunities, and on the contrary, it is a challenge for the next match that we couldn't convert many scoring opportunities."

[Summary of Oita Takasaka's Press Conference]
"I feel sorry for the supporters because we couldn't win easily. Even in the Kanto region, many supporters have been cheering for us since before the match. It really touches my heart and I want to do something about it. We couldn't earn any points today, but our start wasn't bad and we took advantage of the mismatch until the finish. We expected the opponent to play with a 3-back formation as they had a closed practice yesterday, but when we were matched up, the difference in strength inevitably showed. We conceded a goal from a mistake and then the game was carried out at the opponent's pace."

In the second half, we tried to create mismatches by using a 2-top and 2-shadow formation, but we couldn't break through in the finishing area in front of the goal. Even if we create mismatches, we can't win in soccer if we can't finish in the end. We have no choice but to continue training for that and I think there will be teams that will match up against us in the future, but I want to find a way to get points by somehow getting through that.