Aiming for 3 consecutive victories, heading away

Facing Shonan Bellmare away in the 5th section held on Sunday. In the previous section against Kofu, we protected the goal scored by Ishikawa and grabbed the first home victory of the season. It is a challenge that we couldn't score additional points, but we have kept a clean sheet for three consecutive league matches without reducing our physical activity until the end. In this section as well, it is a match where we aim for a third consecutive victory by expressing "what we should do" for 90 minutes.

Tokyo, following the previous round, Ishikawa started as a forward. Hayu and Muto, who were forced to be substituted in the Kofu match, also made it to the starting lineup without any major issues. Nakajima also made his first appearance on the bench this season. On the other hand, Shonan achieved promotion to J1 this season after winning J2 with overwhelming team strength last season. They are currently in 7th place with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. Shonan's aggressive style includes the ability to run for 90 minutes, quick transitions, and pressing from the front line.

Especially attacking with a large number of players in the front line and making sharp breakthroughs from the second and third rows, Shonan, who will take the lead, will gain even more momentum. Therefore, it will be necessary to compete with endurance and not lose in running ability. If we can take the lead in the midst of that, we should be able to take advantage of Shonan's momentum coming forward and launch a counterattack. We want to do whatever it takes to score the first goal and control the game to aim for the acquisition of 3 points.

The match started at 16:04 in Tokyo with a cold and cloudy weather.

Overcoming the early momentum of Shonan, gradually taking control

Shonan comes attacking strongly from the start. In the 1st minute, they break through the left side. They dribble but Tokunaga calmly escapes with a throw-in. In the 3rd minute, after a left cross, they aim from the center but Kajiyama blocks it, and from here Tokyo launches a counterattack. Ishikawa, who went up on the right, dribbles inside and aims for a shot. In the 6th minute, Yonemoto tries to volley Ishikawa's loose ball from the left corner kick, but both shots go wide. After 10 minutes, Shonan's quick passing play pushes Tokyo back to their own goal, and in the 13th minute, MF Takayama, who broke through to the right area, takes a shot, but Kanda saves it. In the 15th minute, the opponent changes sides from right to left and shoots at MF Kikuchi, who dropped back to receive, but Kanda saves it safely.

As Tokyo calmly navigated this time period, there were more instances of quickly transitioning and moving the ball forward. In the 17th minute, they earned a free kick from the opponent's side near the left sideline. Mutoh jumped to meet Ota's low kick and changed the direction with a header, but it went straight to the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 18th minute, they showed tenacity in the battle for the ball. Although there was a mistake in their own half, they quickly regained possession and launched a counterattack, with Ishikawa advancing into the opponent's area. However, they were blocked by Shonan at the final moment. In the 26th minute, Tokunaga blocked Shonan's left cross, and Yonemoto quickly initiated a counterattack from their own half. Hayashi in the area tried to shoot after receiving Ota's cross, but it was prevented by Shonan's quick recovery.

As time passed, there were scenes of connecting the ball, but it did not break through the quick returning Shonan DF. In the 35th minute, Ota crossed the ball and Kono headed it in the center of the area. He tried to shoot directly in response to the loose ball, but was blocked by the DF again. In the following 36th minute, Muto broke through the space on the left front line, and Kono was in the center. The pass to there was cut off, but Muto took the ball and shot from the left area, but it was saved by the opponent's GK. In the 39th minute, they pressed the front line, and the opponent's DF cleared the ball to Ishikawa. From here, Kajiyama developed to the opposite side. Ota aimed for a shot, but it missed the target.

In the 41st minute, Shonan launched a strong dribble and entered the area one after another, but Tokyo responded firmly. In the end, the ball was sent to the right area and Kanda jumped out, and the ball went out. Throughout the first half, they maintained their focus and the intense offensive and defensive battle ended scoreless as they entered the second half.

Yuki MUTO scores in 3 consecutive away matches! Equals the top spot with 3 consecutive wins

The second half started as the wind picked up and it got colder. In the 48th minute, there was a mistake in their own half and it was taken away by Shonan MF Nagaki. From here, a pass was sent to the right front line and a decisive shot was taken by FW Allison in the center of the area with a minus cross, but Mori Shige blocked it slightly and escaped with a corner kick. After surviving this pinch, in the 53rd minute, Kono on the right changed sides and Ota overlapped and jumped out to the front line with a one-two with Yonemoto, earning a left corner kick. Ota's left corner kick flowed to the far side, but Kono sent a sharp right cross. Mori Shige sent it to the center with a header, and Mutoh made a header, but... it hit the bar. He persistently picked up the rebound and in the end, Mutoh pushed it in with a header again from Ishikawa's left cross, but it was judged offside...

The chance of a set play was not taken advantage of, but in the 64th minute, Ota attacked from Kono's development and crossed the ball. Ishikawa pulled the opponent's DF near him, and Muto, who ran in from the opposite side, jumped into the air with a low posture and scored a goal with his head on the ball that went beyond there! Muto himself scored the opening goal with his third consecutive away goal.

Afterwards, the opponent who was preparing to counterattack once again aggressively attacked, but in the 71st minute, Takahashi was substituted for Kono. The formation changed to a double pivot with Kajiyama, Yonemoto as the left midfielder, and Hayashi as the right midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation to adapt. Tokyo quickly took advantage of Shonan's vulnerability and in the 75th minute, Hayashi on the right side delivered a soft cross, but Yonemoto's entry into the left area was a step too late, unable to finish, and only earned a left corner kick. In the 78th minute, Muto broke through to the left front line and made a through pass into the area. However, it slipped past Ishikawa and did not reach Hayashi on the right side.

In the final stage, Shonan, who kept pushing forward without giving up, was pressed back. In the 86th minute, Yonemoto snatched the loose ball in his own half and quickly passed it to Muto on the left front line. Muto entered the left area while carrying the opponent's defender on his back. He tried to get past the defender who had returned here, but couldn't completely get past him to take a shot. However, by keeping the ball without forcing it, they prevented Shonan's counterattack and shut them out. They achieved their third consecutive league victory with a 1-0 win, following the previous round. With this result, they obtained 11 points and are now tied for first place.

[Player Comments]
"I think it was a goal where I was able to bring out my own strengths and the team's power well. Although it ended with only one goal, it was good that I was able to contribute to the team by working hard on both offense and defense, and was able to score a goal that helped the team in the process. However, I also want to continue improving myself."

《Ota》
"Today, the ball was circulating on the side from the first half, and I was able to move up to a high position many times. I had a good feeling for kicking, so I had the consciousness of connecting it to a goal. The scoring scene was a goal where everyone's characteristics, including the collaboration with player Kono, were demonstrated as we had been working on in practice. Regarding defense, I think everyone's strong determination to "hold on with zero goals conceded" is evident."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"The development went as expected. We knew that Shonan would apply pressure from the front using their running ability, so it was important to win the second ball. The players approached this match with a solid understanding of what was necessary. We were able to apply pressure from the front and create many chances. In the second half, we were able to score the opening goal in a situation where space was created and create opportunities for additional goals. And the defense played a fantastic game, showing a performance deserving of victory. Our strength lies in always maintaining balance in both offense and defense. Even when we focus on the front line, we do not give space behind us and are able to be tough in duels. There were some difficult moments in the first 15-20 minutes, but we were able to keep the ball and create our own time, and I think we were able to control the game as planned. Finally, I would like to praise Shonan's coach. He is the type of coach I like, with a passionate heart. I don't think it is easy to snatch victory from them."
"Despite losing, I want to express my gratitude to the supporters who cheered us on until the end. We couldn't secure 3 points and I feel sorry about that. I have nothing but gratitude for the players who participated, just like in the previous Hiroshima match. They expressed almost everything we wanted to do. What's unfortunate is that we couldn't score a goal. And we were caught in the areas we were cautious about, which shows the toughness of J1. However, we didn't run away and feel that, but rather we initiated and felt it towards the opponent. The players after the match had a frustrated expression, but on the other hand, they also had a fulfilled face. They bravely confronted experienced players and the Japanese national team. Today, we talked about the Bundesliga in the pre-match meeting. Even in stadiums with 20,000 or 25,000 spectators, we play a fast-paced game that pleases the audience. I talked about wanting them to play with the determination to catch up with players like that and to win against the opponent. We actually fought with the intention to win, and there were many sprints. However, there were pass and shot misses that didn't result in goals. But that doesn't mean we should stop running, as it won't bring out our strengths. I think it became a very good game because they continued. It's easy for others to say "this is lacking," but as a coach, it is my responsibility to bring out their good points. Today, they showed their good points to the fullest, and although we lost, it was a game without regrets. However, there is still a feeling of disappointment."