Match against top teams that test the growth of the team

Sec. 21 of the league will be held. We will welcome Yokohama F.Marinos at home. In the previous match, although we were twice behind, we fought tenaciously and managed to draw. At the same time, we have not lost in the past 6 matches, and it can be said that we have gradually gained a toughness that is not easily broken. With that "accumulation," we aim to secure 3 points at home in this match.

However, in the first half of the league, we were unable to take 3 points from teams that were ranked higher than Tokyo in the standings. Especially in the away game against Yokohama FM, we suffered a bitter comeback defeat. The players all say, "It's still the same game, but this match is really important," and it is a match that will test the team's strength and true value at this point.

Yokohama FM, currently in 2nd place, has maintained a good form throughout the season, winning 4 out of the last 5 matches and drawing 1. With experienced players and a skillful game strategy, Yokohama FM's strengths lie in their ability to control the game and their competitiveness. On the other hand, the key for us is to avoid showing any weaknesses and instead exploit the opponent's vulnerabilities. It is expected to be a tense battle against the skilled Yokohama FM, but above all, it is a home game. We want to confidently challenge Yokohama FM with the football style Tokyo has built up so far and secure 3 points.

Tokyo, Kaga started as a center back for the first time since the July 17th game against Kofu. Higashi, who had finished serving his suspension, also returned to the starting lineup. Additionally, Hayashi made the bench for the first time since the May 25th game against Kashima before the break. The sunlight during the day was intense, but there was also a breeze, creating a climate at Ajinomoto Stadium that hinted at the lingering summer heat. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 18:34.

Allowing the first goal, and losing control...

From the start, both teams fiercely pressed and fought for the ball. In the midst of it, in the 6th minute, Kaga tenaciously won the ball in the front and passed it to Hasegawa in the center of the area. Hasegawa dropped back to send a through pass into the area, and Higashi tried to break free while competing with Yokohama DF Dutra, but couldn't get a shot off. Yokohama FM also threatened the Tokyo goal from the restart, but Tokyo defended without losing focus, creating a back-and-forth exchange of chances.

16 minutes, Yokohama FW Marcinhos shoots from the right side, but it goes wide. This is the first shot for both teams. In the 18th minute, Tokyo changes sides from the left and Lucas expands to the right, and Tokunaga enters deep into the right area freely. However, there are not enough players in the center. Tokunaga sends a negative pass to the center, and Takahashi, who ran in, shoots but it goes wide.

While continuing to maintain a strong defense, time passed without being able to create any real chances in the attack due to mistakes. In the 31st minute, Tokyo's right side was cleared by Tokunaga, but the ball was stolen, and Yokohama exchanged passes on the left side. FW Marquinhos passed to MF Nakamura in the left area, who then passed to MF Hattori in the corner of the left area. MF Hattori passed to MF Hanato in the center of the area, who then entered the goal area. The Tokyo DF couldn't keep up with MF Hanato. He was dropped by a heel pass from MF Hanato and then MF Hattori scored to the right after a one-two... and the first goal was lost.

Tokyo, which had no choice but to attack, dropped a vertical pass from Higashi to Nakagawa with a heel in the 32nd minute, and Yonezawa ran in from outside the penalty arc with speed to take a shot. They created a good opportunity, but the ball curved to the right. After that, Yokohama FM took control of the ball and took the initiative by ensuring their one chance. In the 40th minute, Yokohama FM's left side midfielder Nakamura passed to the inside midfielder Nakamachi, who aimed for the back of Tokyo's defense with a through pass. Marquinhos, the forward, ran in from the far side to take a direct shot from the cross sent in by Endo, the midfielder. They created a decisive opportunity, but missed the target and escaped the danger to end the first half. Expectations were high for a comeback in the second half.

Although we changed the flow, we were caught on the counter and conceded an additional point.

In the second half, Tokyo replaced Takahashi with Mita as the right midfielder. Lucas and Hasegawa shifted to the left as defensive midfielders, preparing for a counterattack. This formation provided forward momentum and rhythm, allowing them to progress the game within the Yokohama FM territory. In the 50th minute, Mito tenaciously intercepted a ball from Yokohama MF Nakamura in the midfield. Mita quickly caught up with the ball sent forward and evaded Yokohama FM DF Nakazawa near the sideline, earning a right corner kick. However, they were unable to convert the corner kick taken by Higashi into a finish.

In the 57th minute, Kaga, who went up the right side of the line, dribbled past the opponent's DF and went to the right area. However, the cross sent from here was caught by the GK. In the 61st minute, in the opponent's territory, Kaga's left throw-in, Ota crosses it early. Mita, who broke free in the right area, heads the ball but it floats. In the 66th minute, Watanabe traps the pass from Lucas on the left side, and Higashi follows up with a shot from the center, but it is caught by the GK.

In the 76th minute, Iwakawa was replaced by Higashi as the left midfielder. Lucas played as the attacking midfielder and first aimed for an equalizer, but the precision of the final play was not enough, resulting in a counterattack by Yokohama FM. In the 84th minute, Mita dropped Lucas' vertical pass in the center, and Ishikawa took a step forward from behind and unleashed a powerful shot that was well controlled but slightly curved to the left. In the 85th minute, Tokunaga slid to return the pass sent by Lucas to the space on the right front line, but it was not able to be converted in the middle.

Unable to decide in a good rhythm period, on the contrary, in the 89th minute, Mori Shige's pass sent forward was cut by Yokohama FM MF Nakamachi in the opponent's territory, and right MF Ogura → FW Marquinhos dribbled up and passed to central MF Nakamura. Tokyo DF couldn't take away the dribble like MF Nakamura's keep near the penalty arc, and was turned around left and right and was hit in reverse, and a splendid shot was scored in the upper left corner... All hope was lost. In the second half, despite attacking, the lack of accuracy in front of the goal resulted in no goals, and they suffered a defeat in the form of Yokohama FM's intended development.


[Player Comments]
《Lucas》
"Regarding today's match, I feel that the opponent was superior. The defensive ability of Yokohama FM's defense is very high, and they created a block, leaving no space. We tried to break through by passing the ball around. However, conceding a goal first meant that we had to push forward, which gave the opponent space. However, if there are wins, there will also be losses. We must not dwell on this defeat and must start over."

"Hasegawa"
"I was thinking of receiving passes in places that the opponent dislikes, but in the first half, the ball didn't go there much, so I couldn't show my fearlessness. After entering the midfield, I was thinking of going forward more and attracting the opponent to pass. The whole team moved forward, but still couldn't finish in the decisive moments, couldn't complete what should have been done, and ended up receiving counterattacks instead. Still, I want to use this loss as a stepping stone for the next game."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"Painful defeat. Yokohama FM made the decisive plays when they needed to, while we had control in the second half and created chances, but couldn't convert them when we needed to. That's where the result was determined. We understood Yokohama FM's high level of ability even before the match. We emphasized to our players to play tightly, not allowing the opponent to face forward and not giving them space to think."

However, there were also moments when our concentration wavered. Yokohama FM has many strong players, and if we give them openings and let them play freely, they will take advantage of it. In the second half, we took control and had chances to turn the game around in a good way, but we couldn't convert them. I think the result would have been different if we had been able to do that. We were able to create numerical advantages on the opponent's side as planned and exploit the space behind them dynamically. We were able to break through solidly and create big scoring opportunities, but there were also moments where we lacked the courage and decisiveness in the final moments.

There are also parts where the accuracy of the last pass and shot was lacking. Normally, it would be a situation where the goal probability is high by beautifully breaking the side and creating a free state, but today there were many times when it didn't match or couldn't be decided. I think that's because we lacked courage and decisiveness. Yokohama FM is a team with top-class experience in the league, so when they are leading, they can cleverly use time. There were also parts that we need to learn from. I think experienced players are respected by everyone, including the referee."


[Yokohama FM - Manager Higuchi's Press Conference Summary]
"Despite being away, over 5,000 supporters came and we were able to deliver a result of 3 points and 3 consecutive victories. I want to celebrate that together. In today's meeting, we strongly emphasized the importance of keeping a clean sheet in order to control the game. We also talked about scoring a second goal and sealing the game. The players expressed that on the pitch exactly as we discussed. I want to commend the players who fought for 90 minutes with energy and unity."

In terms of content, how much we can break Tokyo's combination. That was the theme of defense, but it worked very well to approach the ball holder without showing any gaps throughout the 90 minutes, and to immediately close it by repeating the process of taking the ball. In terms of attack, we were able to take the first goal in a coordinated manner with the combination of the third and fourth players that took away Tokyo's advantage. We have been very conscious of trying to play in that way during this week's training, so it was a very pleasing goal in that sense.

I want to celebrate that we were able to have a game with both content and results, but since we have consecutive matches, I want to recover properly and maintain our condition even in this hot summer."