The league match resumes at Ajinomoto, which gathered the highest number of spectators this season.

After a break of about three weeks, the league match resumed and we faced Albirex Niigata in Sec. 32. In the previous match against Nagoya Grampus, Muto scored a valuable equalizer, resulting in a draw. However, we only gained 46 points and the gap with the top teams widened. Even if we win this match, we cannot aim for a rise to 6th place, and we will approach the final stage in a difficult situation to maintain high motivation for the players (Manager Massimo). At the same time, during this break period, Morishige, Ota, and Muto focused on activities with the Japan national team. Therefore, the overall training for the Niigata match was only two days in practice. It can be said that there are concerns about the team's preparation.

However, Gonda, who missed the previous match due to a neck injury, will also make a comeback. Kawano will also start for the first time since the G Osaka match on October 26, and the front line will be composed of Edu, Muto, and Kawano. In addition, Morishige will achieve his 200th J1 appearance in today's match.

Niigata, on the other hand, is currently in 12th place with 41 points. Although they lost to Kashima in the previous match, they had previously defeated top teams Tosu and Kawasaki. While it is undeniable that they have had their ups and downs, coach Massimo emphasizes caution, saying, "Niigata plays good football and improves as the second half progresses. They are still a good team." In particular, the addition of forward Shibukusa has added variety to their play, with his height and the movement of midfielder Tanaka complementing each other. In the away match of the first half, Tokyo won with a goal from Muto, but they struggled to contain Niigata's midfielder Leo Silva and were under pressure for a long time. Tokyo has been conceding goals in the last five matches, so they want to extend the time they can keep the opposition from scoring as much as possible and play the game at their own rhythm.

A total of 42,059 people, the highest number this season, came to Ajinomoto Stadium, the home ground, to aggressively fight in a match where victory is expected. The match started at 17:04 with a kickoff by Niigata as the weather began to cool down after the sun had set.

Satoru KAWANO scores the opening goal, but allows Niigata's domination...

From the start, both teams aggressively attacked each other, and the game quickly became lively. In the 7th minute, Tokunaga on the right side passed the ball to Edu in the front line. Edu advanced by circling around the right area, dribbled past the Niigata defender, and sent a ground pass in front of the goal. Kono met the pass and slid between two opposing defenders, pushing the ball into the net with his left foot. GOAL!! They successfully scored the opening goal as planned.

It seemed that the game could settle down, but from the moment of the opening goal, Niigata took control. They allowed them to dominate the ball and were attacked through quick passing and set plays. However, they showed no weaknesses in defense and responded with concentration. On the contrary, in the 21st minute, Yonemoto connected with a chance through a dynamic play starting from Yonemoto as the starting point. Yonemoto received a drop pass from Edu in the center and switched to the left side. He himself ran up to the front line and received a pass from Ota. He entered a shooting position by feinting the opponent's DF and cutting back, but... the timing was slightly delayed and it was blocked. In the 28th minute, Muto broke through to the right front line. He evaded the opponent's DF and sent a minus last pass to the center of the area, but it did not reach Edu.

In the middle of the first half, Kono moved to the side and tried to control Niigata's cross, but couldn't respond well and had to return to formation. Still unable to change the flow, in the 32nd minute, Niigata quickly countered from Ota's clear from the cross. Hanyu cut it off with a quick return and escaped to a corner kick, but from this corner kick, Niigata MF Leo Silva took a shot. Here, Tokyo DF blocked it with their bodies, but in the following 33rd minute, from the pass exchange between Niigata MF Leo Silva and MF Kobayashi, MF Tanaka Aya passed through the gap between Morishige and Yoshimoto and sent a through pass behind Tokyo DF. In response to this, FW Shibuki broke free and scored a shot from the right area... equalizing the score.

In the 45th minute, Muto, who dribbled up the center, was fouled and earned a free kick from just outside the penalty arc. However, Ota's kick was blocked by the defense. As a result, the only shots in the first half were Kono's goal and Ota's attempted direct free kick. On the other hand, Niigata had 10 shots and the game turned around in the second half.

Conceding 3 goals, experiencing the first come-from-behind loss of the season

In the 46th minute of the second half, in an attempt to rebuild, Ota crossed and Edu ran in from the far side, trying to connect with his foot but only managed to win a throw-in due to competition. Then, from Hayu's pass, a corner kick was obtained. From this flow, Yonemoto unleashed a sharp shot, but it was punched away by the goalkeeper. In the 54th minute, Yonemoto wedged the ball to Edu in the center of the area, and Edu immediately expanded to the right area. Hayu tried to jump in here, but was held back by the Niigata DF. Niigata also quickly switched between offense and defense, and in the 56th minute, Koizumi, the left → center → right full-back, was shot from just outside the area, but Gonda made the save.

Both teams launched speedy attacks against each other. In the 61st minute, a free kick from outside the right area. Ota quickly and lowly kicked the ball, and Morishige jumped in near the goal, but it was cleared by Niigata with a corner kick. Yoshimoto's header from here went slightly to the right. In the 67th minute, Tokunaga intercepted Niigata's clearance and passed it to Kono in the area. Kono seemed to have fallen due to the opponent's intense defense, but... no whistle. On the contrary, in the 69th minute, from Niigata's left side, Rafael Silva, a substitute forward, tried to break through the front line with a one-two pass. Yoshimoto seemed to have been pushed, but this play was called a foul, giving Niigata a free kick. MF Leo Silva aimed for this free kick from just in front of the left area and scored a powerful shot in the upper right corner of the goal... allowing a comeback.

Tokyo made substitutions in the 71st minute, bringing in Higashi and in the 75th minute, Watanabe. Watanabe moved to the right side of the front line, Muto to the left, and Higashi played as an attacking midfielder. Tokyo attempted to counterattack with a double pivot of Takahashi and Yonemoto. However, despite managing to move the ball forward, Edu and Muto were heavily marked and unable to break through Niigata's solid defense. In the 78th minute, Niigata's left full-back Kawaguchi fed the ball to the right forward, Shibushiro, who held it up. Central midfielder Tanaka made a through pass behind Tokyo's defense, and Yamamoto made a run, with Tokunaga attempting to intercept the ball but losing it to Yamamoto again, resulting in a quick third goal conceded.

86 minutes, Matsuda was brought on and the formation was changed to a 3-back, trying to catch up until the end. However, in the 88th minute, Matsuda, who jumped into the area, sent the ball towards the Niigata goal but it went across the mouse. In additional time, Watanabe volleyed the ball but it went over the bar, and the time was up. It was the first defeat by a difference of more than 2 goals since the Nabisco G Osaka match on May 24th. They also suffered their first come-from-behind loss of the season and dropped to 8th place in the standings.

[Player Comment]
《Kawano》
"(I thought) Edu would break through vertically, so I believed and went into the goal. It was good that the ball came exactly as I expected and I was able to score. However, after that, the ball was passed to Niigata and we became disorganized as a team. We lost our composure. There are only two more matches left, but we need to show that we can do more as a team."

《Mori Shige》
"After taking the lead, I felt satisfied... It seemed like we would be able to win. Today, we suffered a disappointing defeat, but how we approach the next two matches is crucial. Taking responsibility for each game and striving to win every match, regardless of the circumstances. I have more reflections on my attitude than on the game itself."

[Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"It is clear from the result that it was a difficult match. I think we started the game well, but our play stopped a bit after scoring a goal. That became the cause of being dominated by the opponent and led to being equalized in the first half. In the second half, we were able to start relatively well, but we lost our compactness as a team after conceding the second goal. We continued to try until the end, but the opponent also played well, making the game even more difficult. There was a three-week gap between matches, and we may have lost our rhythm."