Want to decorate with victory, the last game at the current Japan National Stadium

Sec. 10 of the league is being held. We will welcome Nagoya Grampus by moving the home to National. In the previous section, we successfully defended all the goals raised by the opponent and achieved victory with 3 consecutive games without conceding a goal in official matches. In this section as well, we will demonstrate a strong determination for victory and a high defensive awareness of all members, aiming for growth and consecutive victories step by step.

Nagoya, on the other hand, is currently in 15th place with 9 points. Although Nagoya, under the new coach Akira NISHINO, achieved three consecutive victories in the 2nd to 4th sections of the league, they have suffered five consecutive defeats since then. They have been struggling with injuries and have been experimenting with using Danilson, who is originally a midfielder, as a center back and Yano, who is a forward, as a side back. However, this section will see the return of forward Tamada and defender Otake, who will be in the starting lineup.

Manager Massimo says, "Nagoya has many experienced players, so we cannot underestimate them, and the fact that the opponent is on a losing streak is completely irrelevant to us." In order to prevent Nagoya's attack led by FW Tamada and to not let FW Nagai's speed be effective, Tokyo wants to press from the front line as they did in the previous match and connect good defense to good offense.
Above all, it is a battle at home. We want to seize victory without losing our aggressive attitude. However, Kawano and Hanyu are not in their best condition and are out of the lineup. Despite having only two days of rest, we will face the match with the same starting lineup as the previous round.

The game started with Nagoya's kickoff at 13:04, despite the cloudy sky and no sign of rain, with a cool temperature.

Unable to connect the attack, allowed Nagoya to attack but the score remained 0-0

The start of the game saw both teams pressing from the front line, trying to create chances. In the 3rd minute, Watanabe aggressively closed down the Nagoya GK and Yamamoto intercepted the pass from there. Yamamoto then passed it to Higashino in front, and Hiraoka made an attacking run towards the far side. However, Higashino couldn't deliver a successful cross and Nagoya escaped with a throw-in. In the 5th minute, Nagoya also pressed MoriShige, who was trying to maintain possession in the defensive line. Although they almost lost the ball, Kanda quickly came out to cover.

In the 10th minute, Ota sent an early cross and quickly earned 4 corner kicks, but couldn't capitalize on the chances. In the 25th minute, Yoshimoto also hit a high header from the right corner kick by Higashi, but it went over the frame. As time passed, Tokyo started to face more situations where Nagoya bypassed their press and passed the ball to the front of the goal. In response, Tokyo changed their formation to a 4-4-2, similar to Nagoya. Additionally, they effectively defended Nagoya's attacks by concentrating on the defensive line.

37 minutes into the game, Nagoya's clearance found Mita in the opponent's half. From there, a counterattack was launched, with Hirayama advancing in the center and providing a final pass to the left area where East was positioned. East tried to bypass the opponent's defender and move forward, but the angle was not favorable, and the shot was not taken. In the 43rd minute, Mita attempted a shot from the middle, but it went wide to the right. Despite Nagoya gaining momentum, they were unable to score, and the first half ended with a scoreless draw.

Goal conceded from a corner kick at the start of the second half, fierce comeback but no fruition...

Tokyo tried to make a move by substituting Muto for Mita in the second half. However, in the 46th minute, Nagoya FW Nagai was able to exploit the space behind the right MF Edamura from the MF Ogawa in the area. This led to consecutive corner kicks, and in the 48th minute, Nagoya FW Yano headed in the right corner kick from MF Ogawa near the goal... and they took the lead. This gave Nagoya momentum. They allowed Nagai to use his speed and allowed him to enter the area multiple times, but Yoshimoto stopped them with passionate plays and didn't allow any additional goals.

In the 55th minute, Tokyo substituted Matsuda for Tokunaga. Ota and Matsuda moved up in a 3-4-3 formation. With Hiraoka in the front line, Watanabe and Mutoh on both sides, they launched a counterattack. In the 56th minute, Nagoya had a corner kick, which led to a counterattack. Mutoh received the ball in the front line, then Matsuda played a lofted pass into the penalty area after a quick connection. Hiraoka, with his back to the goal, dropped the ball, and Watanabe, who had circled around to the left area, took a shot that hit the crossbar...

In the 69th minute, Ota's early cross was headed by Hirayama in front of the goal, but it was saved by the goalkeeper... In the midst of intense counterattacks, Edu was substituted in the 76th minute. However, Nagoya also brought in MF Danilson to try to contain Tokyo's side attacks.

In the 80th minute, Mutoh regained possession in the midfield and rushed towards the left area. However, Hiroki Hiraoka in the center was unable to shoot after receiving the final pass, but Edu was there to follow up with a shot! However, the goalkeeper blocked it at the last moment... The final minutes turned into a back-and-forth battle, but both teams lacked finishing ability. In the 82nd minute, Mutoh broke through on the left side and tried to shoot from a tight angle, but the goalkeeper caught it in the bottom corner. In the 88th minute, Takahashi intercepted the ball while advancing and earned a corner kick on the right side. Ota's kick was headed down by Yoshimoto, leading to a scramble in front of the goal, but they couldn't break through Nagoya's solid defense... Despite launching a fierce counterattack, they fell behind by one goal. They couldn't decorate the "last National Stadium" with a victory.

[Player Comments]
"I saw it as an opportunity to come out aggressively because we were losing 0-1. Of course, I also considered the defensive balance and took up a high position on the side to go for a goal. I tried to break through vertically and moved forward with a first touch, and I was able to make several crosses and pass the ball in front of the goal. I think I was able to demonstrate my strengths, but it's disappointing and frustrating that it didn't lead to a goal."

"Takahashi"
"It was a really frustrating defeat. In the first half, Nagoya not only played vertical passes but also shook us horizontally. We wanted to have a horizontal awareness as well when the ball was played to the side, but I think we lacked the courage to take care of the ball. However, instead of just reflecting on the loss, we are trying to grow by organizing what we could and couldn't do when we win. We want to switch mentally and move on to the next match while identifying the points for reflection as usual."
"In the first half, both teams played tactically and effectively, canceling each other's spaces. Even after conceding a goal, we were able to create many chances from set plays. There was a period of struggle for about 5 minutes after conceding, but we made solid judgments and responded accordingly. After that, we had our own time and created many decisive chances, such as Mori Shige's header, Watanabe's and Edu's shots. It was a physically demanding game, but I want to commend the players for fighting with all their might. Regarding Nagoya, we knew they had high-quality players like MF Danilson and FW Tamada. One of the characteristics of the J-League in Japan is that the level is evenly matched. We knew it would be a difficult game. We informed the players that Nagoya's front line is filled with high-quality players, so allowing dangerous balls could lead to chances for them."
(Regarding the intention of Matsuda's substitution)
There was an intention to attack from the side. Matsuda demonstrated his speed and accuracy in crossing. Ota from the opposite side also kept pushing forward and created chances by delivering accurate crosses. I think both of them fought well."

[Nagoya - Coach Akira NISHINO's Press Conference Summary]
"The game results were not coming out. This round was also a close battle, but we managed to overcome it and produce results, which I think will bring changes to future matches and allow us to fight. There were still many areas where the content was lacking, but we could feel the determination even in this situation. It was a very tough game, but I believe that results are everything."