Can they overcome the difficulty of playing against a lower-ranked team in the away match against Omiya?

Sec. 28 of the league will be held after a two-week interval. Omiya Ardija will face off against the away team. In the previous match, they allowed Sendai to take the lead and with Edu's expulsion, they were unable to seize the momentum and were defeated. Their unbeaten record also ended at 14 matches, leaving them with challenges in how to fight back when the opponent takes the lead. In this match, they will face Omiya, who is currently in 15th place. It is expected that they will fight relentlessly to break free from the relegation battle, but the key will be how they can break through the defensive wall that the opponent sets up.

Edu is suspended, so Nakagawa will be the forward. Also, Mita will start due to the reason that "there are no players like Edu or Hirayama who can bring depth to the front line, so I want to place an attacking player in the midfield (Coach Massimo)". Considering the upcoming consecutive matches, Canini will make his first league start as a center back.

Omiya, on the other hand, currently has 28 points, but since September they have been rebuilding under new coach Hiroki SHIBUYA and have won 4 out of 5 league matches. Although they were defeated in the quarterfinals of the Emperor's Cup held on the 15th (Wed) after making changes to the lineup, they should have a strong determination to bet on the league matches. In particular, they have been scoring goals by collecting the ball from the midfielders CARLINHOS JUNIOR and IECHI from the defensive midfield, and by making aggressive moves from the side midfielders IZUMIZAWA. In this match, FW MURAJA, who missed 2 games due to injury, will also return and form a two-top with FW ZLATAN.

The away game against Omiya has been undefeated in 8 matches since 2008. In terms of data, the J1 League at NACK5 Stadium has been a good match, winning all 5 matches. However, Coach Massimo said, "It won't be an easy game. However, Omiya's two top players are also a threat, so it is really important for us to play our own game." He also mentioned that they need to surpass Omiya's determination mentally and go for the victory.

The game started at 17:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo, under clear skies and a noticeable heat during the day.

We fought with determination and attacked, but we were caught off guard during the restart...

From the start, they quickly took the ball with their fast start and tough defense in the ball contest, and swiftly transitioned to the attack. In the 1st minute, Mutoh took the ball inside after exchanging passes with Mita on the right side and aimed for the goal. In the 4th minute, Tokunaga overlapped and crossed after shaking off the defender. Watanabe in the center headed the ball. Then, Mita took the second ball after a battle in the front line and took a middle shot. In the 6th minute, Omiya's right side midfielder Ienaga passed to the center from the matchup with Yonemoto. There was space in front of MF Carlinhos, who was targeted for a shot, but Morishige cut it off. Omiya's attack was calm and controlled, and they started to attack.

15 minutes into the game, there was an accident where Omiya's midfielder Kanazawa got injured and was replaced by midfielder Masuda. However, the momentum was still with Tokyo, and in the 22nd minute, Kono connected with a clear ball from the opponent's defender and took a shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. Around the 30th minute, Tokyo had consecutive chances with free kicks and corner kicks, but they couldn't capitalize on these opportunities. After that, Omiya also pushed up their defensive line, leading to a fast-paced exchange of attacks and defenses. Omiya didn't allow any clear chances for Tokyo, but Tokyo struggled to bring the ball to the front line and couldn't finish during this period.

In the 43rd minute, Yonezawa intercepted Tokyo's cleared ball from a cross and attempted a shot, but it was blocked and the ball fell behind. Omiya FW Zlatan and Morishige collided as they tried to connect with the ball, resulting in a foul by Morishige. Omiya FW Zlatan fell down, and while both players were competing, Omiya quickly restarted the free kick. Tokyo was unable to recover in time. The ball was carried to the left side, where MF Izumizawa -> MF Ienaga delivered a precise left cross. DF Takahashi, who had advanced to the front line, was caught offside and was headed in at the last moment... Tokyo conceded the opening goal just before the end of the first half, and the game entered the second half.

Despite continuing to fiercely attack until the end, the goal was far away... 2 consecutive defeats

Taking the lead from the beginning of the second half as if shaking off the shock of conceding a goal, they went on the offensive. In the 48th minute, they consecutively gained throw-ins from the left side. However, they lacked the finishing touch against Omiya's tough defense and couldn't convert it into a goal. In the 55th minute, Kono made a run towards the front line with a long feed, but his timing was slightly off. In the 66th minute, Mita from the right area turned around and made a move. Yonemoto, who followed up on this loose ball, took a shot from just outside the left area, but it went wide. In the 70th minute, Muto from the left area received a pass and turned around, but his close-range shot was saved by the goalkeeper... Mita seized the loose ball, and Muto attempted another shot, but it crossed the goal without an angle and only resulted in a right corner kick.

In the 71st minute, the front line increased its thickness, and Takahashi tried to shoot from the loose ball of Omiya DF, but it was blocked and counterattacked. However, Canini cut off the ball to Omiya MF Ienaga, who was trying to break through on the left front line with a sliding tackle. Omiya was not allowed to create a chance, and in the 72nd minute, Nakajima was substituted for Mita. They further grasped the rhythm of the attack and launched a fierce attack.

77 minutes, Ota makes a low, fast, powerful shot from the left side. It is blocked by the goalkeeper's save, but Kono takes the loose ball and connects it, returning to just in front of the area. However, he is blocked by the desperate defense of Omiya while entering the shooting position. Immediately after, Nakajima on the right corner of the area dribbles past the opponent's defender and makes a pass with shooting intent. Takahashi runs into the near post to meet it, but he is unable to connect. 85 minutes, Nakajima makes a through pass to the right area. Muto breaks free and it was the best chance of the day, but... the shot misses wide to the left.

Still, without giving up, in the final stages MoriShige and Canini also moved up to the front line and attacked with numbers, but they couldn't break through the wall of the Omiya DF no matter what. In additional time, Watnabe headed the cross that Canini put into the area from the center. It looked like it hit the opponent's DF's hand, but no whistle. They showed determination and fought back fiercely until the end, but the "one point" was far away... In the first defeat at NACK5 Stadium, they suffered their second consecutive loss.

【Player Comment】
《Canini》
"It was my first start in the league, but personally, I think I was able to play well. It's just unfortunate that we couldn't win. Omiya's front two had a lot of power and their headers were strong. Despite that, we were able to defend as a team against such opponents. We didn't give them any clear chances, and we were able to create many opportunities in our attack. In that sense, I also felt a sense of accomplishment and gain. However, we need to reflect on and correct the situation where we conceded a goal in one particular moment. We need to review that and make it a starting point for the next game."

"Nakajima"
"I stood on the pitch after being instructed by the coach to 'do both offense and defense properly'. And I was thinking about increasing the number of chances first. I was playing with the intention of turning the game around, so I'm really frustrated that I couldn't do that. However, the fact that we couldn't win is because we still lack the ability. I want to cherish each day and work hard to achieve results."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"As you all saw, we played inside the opponent's half for the entire 90 minutes. However, the opponent effectively utilized the situation in their midfield and scored a goal from one chance. I think there were also unlucky moments where we created many chances, such as Muto's scoring opportunity, Morishige's header, and Ota's shot. However, the players never gave up until the very end, attacking relentlessly and giving their all, not allowing the opponent to catch their breath. There is nothing more to say. One thing I want to make clear is that we have always played fairly. There was no delay in our play whatsoever. I believe that such a sincere attitude towards football will not result in penalties, but will come back to us in a positive way."

[Summary of Omiya-Shibuya Coach's Press Conference]
"Today, many FC Tokyo fans and supporters came and the tickets were sold out. Of course, Omiya supporters also cheered us on. We could hear their support for the players from the warm-up, which was encouraging. As for the game, at first, we didn't put pressure on the opponent as they had possession of the ball. However, I had thought that we needed to be prepared for this game. In the away game, we won with a goal from FW Takumi HASEGAWA, and Tokyo will come to play with a revenge mindset. I wanted the players to be aware of that, and I am grateful that they fought hard. We knew it would be a tough game, but I am glad that the players persevered and fought patiently until the end. Regarding the goal, it came from a quick restart, but I always tell the players to "keep playing, don't stop." We don't practice quick restarts, but the consciousness of not missing a momentary chance led to the goal. I am also pleased that we kept Tokyo, who has high-quality players, from scoring. The overall defense was maintained by playing tough and patiently. However, there were many close calls, so we need to make corrections, or else the next match will be dangerous."