Welcoming the home opening match, a battle focused on securing 3 points

Facing Yokohama F.Marinos as the home opener of this season. In the previous match, despite being behind by 2 points, Muto scored 2 goals. The substitute players also brought momentum and a comeback mood, resulting in a dramatic draw. Considering that it was an away game against the reigning champions last season, it was a valuable 1 point earned. However, Hanyu said, "In order for that 1 point to have meaning, a victory in this match is necessary," and this match will be a crucial battle at home at Ajinomoto Stadium, focusing on the "result".

Yokohama FM, on the other hand, has started a new season with French coach Erick MOMBAERTS as their new commander. Although midfielder Nakamura left the team before the season, coach Massimo is cautious, saying, "We still have experienced players and we are a formidable team." They suffered 3 goals in the opening match against Kawasaki Frontale, but the defense, especially led by defenders Nakazawa and Kurihara, boasts height and strength. Whether they can break through that solid defense and score goals will be the highlight of this match. In addition, Yokohama FM has newly acquired U-22 Brazil national team forward Edmilson. He has just joined the team this week, so there are many unknown factors including his condition, but Kanda has vowed, "We must not be distracted by him alone and we want to prevent conceding goals as a team."

Tokyo will face the match with the same lineup as the previous round, both in the starting eleven and on the bench. However, the center-back pairing will be Canini on the right and Morishige on the left. Yokohama FM will have the notable forward Edmilson in the starting lineup. Saito will partner with him up front, and Hattori will play on the wings in a 4-4-2 formation.

Cloudy Ajinomoto Stadium, with a crowd of 30,492 gathered in the stands, kicked off at 14:05 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Controlled the ball and advanced the game in the opponent's territory...

Tokyo dominated the ball from the start and pushed Yokohama FM. In the 6th minute, Yamamoto picked up Ota's clear cross in the left area and tried to aim for the goal, but was blocked by the defender and only got a corner kick. They connected this short corner kick and Ota's right cross went over Canini's head, and Maeda, who was positioned in the far area, tried to finish it. In the 13th minute, Ota and Yamamoto created opportunities on the left side, and Kono crossed from the inside. Maeda from the right area closed in on the ball that floated after hitting the opponent's defender, but neither of them could take a shot.

In the 15th minute, Yokohama FM FW Edmilson dribbled past FW Saito, but Kono quickly returned to defense and cut it off. In the 16th minute, from the right side of Yokohama FM, there was a FK situation, and MF Fabio headed the ball sharply from MF Fujimoto's kick. In the 20th minute, Yokohama FM FW Edmilson received a vertical pass in the right area corner, brought it forward, and turned around to take a shot. However, all of them were safely saved by Konda.

29 minutes, Tokyo creates the biggest chance of the first half. Yonemoto, who advanced after stealing the opponent's ball on the left front line, brings it into the area.
Narrow space attracts DF, and Muto shoots immediately behind. Although it was blocked by the opponent's DF, it rolled to the fingertips of the stretched out GK. However, it only resulted in a CK as it slightly crossed the frame. In the 38th minute, Yonemoto on the right side → Tokunaga initiated a combination and tried to pass to Hayashi, who ran into the area directly, but the timing was slightly off. In the end, Yonemoto sent an early cross to the far side, but Muto couldn't control it and crossed the line.

Blocked by the opponent's defense, only one shot was recorded, but we advanced the game advantageously. However, we were unable to capitalize on the chances and went into halftime with a scoreless draw.

Unable to secure the first victory of the season with two consecutive draws

Tokyo attacked from the start of the second half, with Ota's cross as the starting point. In the 51st minute, they developed from the left area to the center and then to the right, and finally, Tokunaga made a move and won a corner kick on the right side. From Ota's kick, Muto made a perfect header, but it was blocked by the crossbar... and it didn't become a goal.

In the 54th minute immediately after that, Canini's pass was loose while pushing up into the opponent's territory by cutting off the opponent's CK. Yokohama FM quickly moved to the right front line after taking it away. Although Tokunaga was taking care of Saito, it was brought inside and a last pass was sent to MF Hattori who jumped out in the center of the area at the perfect timing. It was a complete scoring opportunity with a one-on-one against Kanda, but MF Hattori's shot was saved by Kanda and escaped to CK! Then, the clear of this left CK fell to the center of Yokohama FM, MF Hattori... This was also decisive, but Kanda saved the pinch with consecutive big saves.

The flow shifted to Yokohama FM with this opportunity, but in the 57th minute, Higashi replaced Kono. In the 66th minute, Takahashi was substituted for Hanyu, forming a double pivot with Kajiyama. Yonemoto moved to the right side, Higashi moved to the left, and the formation changed to a 4-4-2. However, they lost the ball frequently due to Yokohama FM's pressure and struggled to move forward. Before the 80th minute, the formation was changed again to a 4-3-3, with Kajiyama as the anchor, Yonemoto and Takahashi as the inside halves, and Higashi joining the front line.

In the final stage, both teams showed an attacking attitude towards each other, and Tokyo also had 7 corner kick opportunities in the second half, pushing Yokohama FM towards their goal. However, they were unable to break through the opponent's solid defense until the end. The match ended in a scoreless draw, and they couldn't achieve their first victory.

[Player Comments]
"Gonda"
"We wanted to win the home opener because we had drawn the previous match. This time, we drew 0-0 at home, which was different from the previous match, but we want to keep working hard step by step to get closer to victory. The second half today became an open game. We also pushed forward and there was space behind us. We expected Yokohama FM's front line to create several chances because they have speed. It was good that we were able to stop them by preparing for that, but other than that situation, we didn't give the opponent many chances. That's because every member of the team put their bodies on the line and concentrated to hold them back. I also want to express my gratitude to my teammates."

"Muto"
"Many of you came to the home opening game, but we couldn't score our chances and I feel frustrated. Yokohama FM had their fullbacks positioned quite high in the previous match, so I was conscious of using that space. However, today when the game started, that space was closed off and we were effectively contained. We had few shots on goal, but our defense worked hard to prevent conceding and I think we were able to play the way we wanted. The only thing left is finishing. That's what I want to overcome."

[Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"Regarding the first half, Yokohama FM started the game defensively, and we pressed them from relatively high positions. The performance was good, and we were able to possess the ball well. However, there were some areas where the final quality and combination were lacking. Apart from that, in the first half, we dominated the ball throughout the entire period, and it seemed like the opponent was only aiming for counterattacks. We had a good start in the second half as well, but we conceded a counterattack from a pass mistake in the flow of a corner kick and faced a pinch. There was a fantastic save by Kanda, but the flow of the game changed from there. It's a shame to give the opponent a gift like that. We need to make sure to correct that. However, we must not forget that Yokohama FM is a team with very high quality. The newly joined FW Edmilson also showed interesting plays in this match. We need to consider the opponent's quality as well."
(In the first half, chances were created from the left side with crosses, etc. There were fewer chances from the right side?)
On the left side, Ota was able to show his high-quality crosses, which is his specialty. On the right side, Tokunaga went up multiple times, but due to the continuation of short passes and other intricate plays, they fell into the opponent's trap. I thought Yokohama FM would come out in a more open formation, but the four defenders stuck to the back, and sometimes even the midfielders became defenders. In a situation where the space was completely eliminated, if they couldn't quickly connect with crosses on the left side, it would inevitably create a difficult situation."

[Yokohama FM Erick Mombaerts Press Conference Summary]
"Tokyo is a good team, but I am satisfied with the fact that we created many scoring opportunities against them. It was good to earn our first points in the league, but looking back at the game, we had many chances to score and could have won. In that sense, it can be considered that we lost 2 points, but I want to praise the opponent's goalkeeper for that. I am not satisfied with the result, but I am satisfied that the players showed the attitude to win until the end. FW Edmilson has only had one week of preparation and has not had ideal conditions such as long travel, but he played well. I think that in a few more weeks, he will be able to show his true strength, and I am confident that his technique, speed, and creative play will enhance the team's power."