A match aiming for consecutive victories with a tenacious battle

Sec. 8 of the league, which will be played three days after the previous match. Albirex Niigata will be the away team. In the previous match, we were under pressure from Yamagata, but we managed to defend the goal scored by Ota and secured a 1-0 victory for the third consecutive league match. As a result, we have accumulated 14 points and achieved two consecutive wins in official matches. This match is another away game following the Yamagata match, but it will be a battle aiming for victory based on a solid defense.

Gonda said, "In a 1-0 situation, a lot of concentration is required. It would be ideal to score 2-0 or 3-0, but if you start thinking 'it's okay to concede one goal because we scored three goals', complacency will set in. That's why it's important to first focus on keeping the goal difference at zero, while always aiming for the goal."

Niigata, who will face us, is currently in 15th place. Their record so far is 1 win, 3 draws, and 3 losses, and especially in the last 3 matches, they haven't been able to secure a victory. "They might be going through a tough time right now," says Coach Massimo, expressing his impression. However, even in this season's Nabisco Cup and last season's matches, Niigata has dominated the ball for a long time, causing Tokyo a lot of trouble. "We can fully expect it to be a difficult battle," says Coach Massimo, emphasizing caution. The key will be how well we can maintain our concentration and contain Niigata's attacks, which are initiated by Leo Silva's playmaking, quick passing, and coordinated teamwork. And in order for Tokyo to convert chances into goals, we need to compact the team as a whole, win the ball in high positions, and quickly launch counterattacks. Making the most of set-piece opportunities will also be a condition for getting closer to victory.

Tokyo, Kajiyama is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Takahashi is appointed as the anchor. In addition, Hayu returns to the starting lineup. Niigata, with FW Rafael SILVA and FW Suzuki as the top two. MF Koizumi and Naruoka are appointed as starters on both sides. A match aiming for consecutive victories with tenacious play that does not lose to the speed of Niigata's quick start and front line.

The match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 14:04.

Losing the ball frequently, and going into halftime with a scoreless draw

In the 6th minute of the match, Muto broke through the front line alone and boldly aimed from the left area, but the angle was not good and the shot crossed the goal. After 15 minutes, Niigata gradually took possession of the ball and Tokyo was unable to create opportunities to move forward. Nevertheless, they fiercely competed for the ball and the match was evenly balanced.

In the 20th minute, Niigata FW Rafael Silva dribbled and brought the ball up the center, but Yoshimoto made a strong and clean sliding tackle to cut it off. However, they couldn't regain possession. Furthermore, Niigata connected passes and crossed the ball to right SB Kawaguchi, but Gonda caught it safely. As the 30th minute passed, Niigata continued to dominate the ball. However, Tokyo also maintained their concentration in defense and tried to break through the coordinated movement of the front line by connecting passes.

The 38th minute arrived. In their own half, Yonemoto → Takahashi tried to connect but was intercepted by Niigata, and FW Rafael SILVA rushed into the area. Yoshimoto, who tried to block, was also knocked away, and the left area was penetrated, but the decisive shot missed to the right... They avoided conceding a goal. In the first half, Tokyo gradually lost control of the ball to Niigata and was pushed back. Nevertheless, Tokyo managed to defend by coordinating and tried to counterattack, but they lost the ball many times in the face of Niigata's tough challenges, and the first half ended with a scoreless draw.

Victory with Morishige's invaluable goal during a difficult period!

In the 49th minute of the second half, Yoshimoto was injured near the forehead and the game was temporarily stopped. He temporarily went off the pitch. During this time, Takahashi took care of the defense line, but Yoshimoto was not seriously injured. He returned after treatment. In the 55th minute, Muto received a pass from Hanyu in the left area. Muto calmly assessed the opponent he was facing and returned the ball backwards, but the return to Hanyu was off target, allowing Niigata to launch a counterattack. However, Yoshimoto bravely stopped them. In the 56th minute, Hayashi was substituted for Higashi. In the following 61st minute, Mita replaced Kohno.

65 minutes have passed, and scenes of being overwhelmed by Niigata's intensity are starting to appear. I want to maintain balance and fight without panicking. In the 66th minute, Niigata attacked and broke through with a skillful trap control by left SB Cortes. In response to this, FW Rafael SILVA jumped into the central area and was directly shot with a decisive shot... It went over the bar, but it was a close call.

After 75 minutes, despite being helped by Niigata's mistake and not allowing any goals, the team is still under pressure. Therefore, Takahashi and Yonemoto are playing as a double pivot in midfield. Mita and Hayashi have been positioned on the wings in a 4-4-2 formation. In the 80th minute, Niigata pushed forward and our clearances became shorter. Niigata's forward Rafael SILVA and forward Yamazaki took consecutive decisive shots from inside the box, but Gonda made the save and it resulted in a corner kick. In the 81st minute, Maruyama was substituted for Hayashi. Morishige took charge of the central defense in a 3-back formation, and Takahashi moved to the center of midfield with Yonemoto and Mita on the sides, forming a 3-5-2 formation.

86 minutes, FK obtained in the opponent's right side position inside the field. Lin jumps in with his whole body to match Ota's sharp kick and heads the ball. The ball hits the lower right post but... Mori reacts to the rebound and calmly kicks it in, GOAL!!

Unable to break Niigata's momentum, we continued to struggle, but in the 81st minute, Maruyama was brought in and we switched to a 3-back formation. At the same time, we did not give up on winning and took advantage of Ota, Hayashi, and Morishige's set piece opportunities to score. We managed to escape another tough match with a 1-0 victory and achieved consecutive wins in the league!

[Player Comments]
"Mori Shige"
"I knew it when I played against Niigata in the Nabisco Cup, but they are a good team. I expected to have more defensive situations, so it was a test of how much we could concentrate in those moments. We ended up defending for almost the entire 90 minutes, but because we kept the goals against at zero, we were able to achieve this result. Ideally, we would like to press from the front and limit their options, but it was hot and we had consecutive matches, so we couldn't keep it up. During those times, we communicated with each other and made sure to defend solidly as a defense."
(About the goal)
Niigata had been marking man-to-man during set plays, so I was thinking of entering the goal area with momentum from a distance. Then, Hayashi hit the post for me, and I followed up on the rebound.

"Lin"
"(It was a difficult time to play?)
The coach told me to play up front (alongside Muto) and I wanted to score a goal to help the team. However, during defense, I wanted to take care of the vertical relationship with the defensive midfielder Leo Silva and launch a counterattack from there. I thought Muto would always be the starting point, so I wanted to aim for one goal. In the end, I don't think I was able to contribute much to the team."
I was able to score because I aimed for the post. Am I gradually getting closer to the goal?
Winning is the most important thing, so that's good... But I want to work harder to contribute more to the team."

"Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference"
"As expected, it was a difficult match. Although Niigata lost the previous match against G Osaka, they played very well and showed that they have the ability beyond their ranking. The heat also made the game challenging. In the first 25 minutes of the match, we played very well. After that, Niigata had some momentum, but they didn't create any decisive chances towards the end of the first half. We were able to start the second half in a good shape. Both Tokyo and Niigata had their moments of momentum, and in a game with various factors, we brought in Lins, who has speed, next to Muto and chased from the front line, which helped the team get back into a good state. After Muto's decisive chance, Niigata put 4-5 players in the front line and launched an offensive, so we switched to a 5-back formation and dealt with it by closing the spaces. It was really a close match until the end, but the players seized the few chances they had and performed well without losing concentration."

"Press Conference by Manager Masaaki Yanagishita of Niigata"
"The players were very focused and gave 100% of their strength even with a two-day break, but it's disappointing that we couldn't convert our chances. However, the football we are playing is very good. Regarding our attack, we have been able to do what we want in most games this season, so I think it's just a period where we can't win. I believe that if we continue like this, it will be good. We have another game in two days, so we want to recover our condition and prepare for the next one."