Enter the Golden Week series of battles and start the first match in a good shape!

Sec. 9 of the league is held. We will play against Yokohama FM away. In the previous match against C Osaka, we seized victory with a play full of fighting spirit and dynamism in both offense and defense. While preparing for the opponent's countermeasures, the team's foundation is being built, and we want to further build momentum and achieve victory based on that. Especially from this match to Sec. 13 on May 10th, five matches will be played in a short period of time. It won't be easy to recover once we lose the flow in consecutive matches. Therefore, we want to continue the good flow and lead it to victory.

Yokohama FM, who is currently in 11th place with 11 points, is facing Tokyo. Yokohama FM, who had a fierce title race until the end last season. This season, FW Marcinho left the team, but MF Saito and MF Nakamura, who are also candidates for the Japan national team, have shown their strength and accumulated height, and have won 3 consecutive games since the opening. However, they have struggled with the schedule parallel to the ACL, and have had 2 draws and 3 losses in the following 5 matches.

Still, Coach Massimo cannot underestimate their "experience". For example, MF Nakamura is an indispensable presence for the team, not only in terms of playing ability but also in terms of his high awareness on and off the pitch. It can be said that there are true professionals like him among the players. He is becoming more cautious. In order to prevent Yokohama FM from demonstrating their experience and skill in the game, they do not want to give away the first goal. At the same time, it is also one of the highlights whether they can launch a fast-paced attack and convert it into a goal.

Tokyo, Kono, who has discomfort in his knee, is out of the squad. The defense line and midfield have the same lineup as the C Osaka match, but Yonemoto and Mita are in the inside half. Watanabe and Hirayama as the two forwards. They will face the game with Higashi in the attacking midfield position.

The match started with Yokohama FM's kickoff at 14:04 under the warm early summer weather.

Tokyo takes the lead with the first goal of the season from a combination between Watanabe and Hirayama!

The game started early. In the 7th minute, Watanabe in the opponent's central area pressed hard against the Yokohama FM player and stole the ball. Hirayama on the right dribbled and took a sharp shot with a controlled trajectory. The goalkeeper blocked it with one hand, but Higashi, who had been running up front, followed up on the loose ball and pushed it into the goal with one touch! Higashi scored his first goal of the season and took the lead.

After that, he maintained the intensity of the ball and the quickness of the start, pressed from the front line, and did not let Yokohama FM play freely. In the 12th minute, Ota's early cross was met by Hirayama, who jumped out and shook the net, but this was judged offside. In the 18th minute, Mita skillfully controlled the ball and surpassed it, reaching the left area line, and made a decisive last pass in front of the goal. It created a form similar to the goal in the C Osaka match, but Watanabe, who ran in, was contested by the opponent's DF and the shot went wide.

Even if Yokohama FC holds the ball against Yokohama FM, they aggressively steal the ball with players like Yonehara and Mita in the front line and midfield, and quickly transition to an attacking play. In the 31st minute, a pass was connected from Fujita, the Yokohama FM forward, after a drop, and Nakamura moved to the left front line. He cut back against the Tokyo DF facing him and made a last pass to the center. It was met by Fujita, the near forward, but he couldn't hit it cleanly and Kanda caught the ball. From here, they quickly brought it up and Watanabe tried to take a shot, but it was blocked by the DF.

In the 42nd minute, Takahashi intercepted a ball from Yokohama FM/MF Nakamura and launched a counterattack. Watanabe dribbled up the center and sent a final pass to Takahashi, who had moved freely to the right... but the ball went too close to his feet and he couldn't control it. Although they couldn't score an additional goal, Yokohama FM didn't allow any clear chances and maintained a lead throughout the match, ending the first half with a one-goal advantage.

In the second half, we were pushed back by Yokohama FM, but we defended as a team and secured a 1-0 victory!!

The second half was expected to bring additional points, but Yokohama FM made two substitutions, with FW Ito and DF Narawa coming in. MF Nakamura dropped back to defensive midfield, and the forward line took a shape closer to a two-striker formation. As a result, the rhythm was suddenly disrupted. In the 48th minute, Yokohama FM's MF Fujimoto dribbled towards the center and passed the ball. FW Fujita took a shot from the post, but MF Nakamura, just in front of the right area, aimed and took a shot that was saved by Gonda, narrowly avoiding a corner kick.

The pressure on the goal continued as set plays were the main focus, and in the 52nd minute, Yokohama FM left back Shimodaira's early cross passed through the goal area and flowed into the right area. At this moment, Yokohama FM midfielder Nakamura, who had made a free run, was able to take a decisive shot, but... it went over the bar and the danger was averted.

While changing the formation to 4-4-2, Muto was substituted in the 59th minute in an attempt to break Yokohama FM's momentum. In the 65th minute, Ota passed to Mita on the inside, who timely entered the left area. Mita sent a minus last pass from the sideline, but it didn't reach Muto and was cut off by the defender. They couldn't bring it to a shot, and in the 66th minute, Yokohama FM midfielder Fujimoto went around from the right to the middle, exchanging one-two passes with a player in the area and moving to the left area. They created a decisive opportunity, but the Tokyo DF defended well and the shot went wide.

In the 67th minute, Edu came in. Around this time, the formation changed to a 5-back with Takahashi in the center of the defense line. Immediately after, Takahashi intercepted a pass in his own half and launched a counterattack by sending the ball to Edu in the front line. Edu tried to pass to Muto, who was advancing on the right front line, but it was intercepted by the Yokohama midfielder and the time without being able to finish continued. In the 78th minute, Hayashi was substituted. They defended as a team and repelled Yokohama FM's attacks. In the 89th minute, from a cross by Yokohama FM's left full-back Shimodaira, Sato in the area had a perfect header, but it went wide of the goal.

Including additional time, the second half was dominated by Yokohama FM, and Tokyo had zero shots in the second half.
Still, everyone displayed a high defensive awareness and showed outstanding stability until the end. They truly defended the goal in the east and secured victory, achieving a consecutive win with no goals conceded in the third official match.

[Player Comments]
《East》
"The goal came right to me, so I was thinking of kicking it firmly into the net. Playing as an attacking midfielder today was the most comfortable position for me. I'm glad I was able to score. It's great to score my first goal, but it wasn't an easy game, and it was also a good thing that we didn't concede any goals. It was tough, but I had confidence that I could push through even in the heat. Your support, coming all the way to the away game, is a source of strength for me. I'm grateful, and I hope many fans and supporters will come to the next home game."

"Takahashi"
"We were able to take the lead early in the game thanks to our pressing. In the second half, we were pushed back, but I thought that if we conceded a goal there, we wouldn't have the ability to bounce back. It was good and I'm happy that we were able to prevent conceding a goal. However, Yokohama FM created numerical advantages on the sides and played in a way that focused on finding the best opportunities through midfielder Nakamura. So not only the defenders, but also the midfielders played a big role. However, in the future, we want to push up our defensive line and increase our own time on the ball."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"We were able to play well as a team in the first half. After scoring the opening goal, we created two or three decisive chances and were able to close the game in the first half. Overall, it was a good performance. We were able to apply pressure at a relatively high rhythm in the first half, but the rhythm dropped in the second half. The Yokohama FM players have high quality and experience, so the importance of defense increased for us. Especially, Yokohama FM introduced another forward and their side players took high positions, while midfielder Nakamura appeared in various areas, maintaining a high density. Therefore, I instructed the defense line to be five and defend firmly."
Yokohama FM, despite being aggressive, the two center-backs covered the space behind well and defended solidly during difficult periods. If there is a lacking aspect, it would be the quality of the counterattacks. Throughout the match, they struggled to score additional goals after taking the lead, but the players fought well in such heat and should be commended for not allowing the opponents any decisive chances. It is pleasing to have kept a clean sheet and secured the victory."

[Yokohama FM - Yasuhiro HIGUCHI Coach Press Conference Summary]
"It is frustrating and regrettable that we were unable to achieve results on the first day of the Golden Week, despite the many children and fans/supporters who came. It is truly a difficult time, but this is where the team needs to stand firm. We must share a sense of crisis and what needs to be done as a team. In terms of the game, when Tokyo takes the lead, they stick to their game plan by changing their system and strengthening their defense to aim for counterattacks. They have become a realistic team. However, we conceded a goal during that period and the game became one that fell into the opponent's plan. We must accept the reality that we were unable to score. In the second half, we had more opportunities to put the ball in front of the goal, but we couldn't finish with a shot and there was no space. Nevertheless, we should consider sending crosses with more power and being more aggressive in taking shots from outside the box. There are various strategies to consider, but the only way to overcome this difficult time is to organize and share them properly and move on to the next game. The key is to organize what we can do and give our best."