Sec. 14 at home, to stop the losing streak

Sec. 14, which is the 5th consecutive match counting from Sec. 12, will be played against Kashiwa Reysol at home. In the Nabisco Hiroshima match, Hayashi scored a valuable equalizer goal near the end of the game, bringing us closer to advancing to the group stage. We want to use the 1 point we gained here as a positive factor and continue it in the league match, aiming to stop the losing streak.

From the Hiroshima match, which is played two days later, Tokunaga is suspended. In addition, Canini temporarily returned to his home country and Hayu was injured in the Hiroshima match. Kajiyama is also absent considering the condition of his knee. Therefore, Matsuda is starting as the right fullback for the first time this season. Yoshimoto is in one corner of the center back, Takahashi is the anchor in the midfield, and Yonemoto and Mita are the inside halves. Lin and Higashi are used in the front line. Lin is in the center, and Muto and Higashi are on both sides, adopting the same 4-3-3 formation as Kashiwa. Nozawa has also made his first appearance on the bench in the league this season.

Kashiwa, on the other hand, has had manager Yoshida taking charge from this season, and although they have played two fewer league matches due to the ACL, they are currently in 14th place with 13 points. It can be said that they have not been able to ride the wave, but in the ACL, they have shown persistent fighting spirit and have advanced to the quarter-finals. Manager Massimo is cautious, saying, "Although the way they played last season has changed, they have talented players." In particular, FW Leandro and FW Kudo do not miss a single chance and have high accuracy in front of the goal. In this match, DF Fujita will be deployed as the right full-back, and MF Nakagawa, who will make his first league start, will be used in the midfield. Against their ball possession and quick passing, we want to demonstrate Tokyo's characteristic solid defense and competitiveness and win the competition.

Even as the sun sets, the muggy heat remains, and the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 19:04.

Overcoming Yonemoto's injury accident, Mita takes the lead!

We aggressively fought from the beginning. We displayed intensity in the ball contests, won the ball in high positions, and engaged in counterattacks against each other. In the 12th minute, Hayashi expanded to the right from a post-play. Higashi, who received the ball, passed it to the right area. Hayashi ran in and took a direct shot, but it narrowly missed to the right. In the 15th minute, Kashiwa counterattacked from a near right corner kick that Takahashi dropped with a header. The cross from central forward Leandro to right midfielder Cristiano was sent to the left area, where defender Fujita tried to connect. The match became a back-and-forth battle, but in the 17th minute, Yonemoto landed and fell after jumping in a midfield contest, resulting in him being under a Kashiwa player and getting injured. Due to this incident, he had to be substituted, and in the 21st minute, Nozawa, who made his first appearance this season, was brought in.

Immediately after that, Nozawa entered as an anchor, Takahashi as left inside half, and Mita turned to the right, and in the 25th minute, Nozawa made a good feed to the left front line. Muto chased after it and tried to make a move in the left area. Kashiwa also showed a "typical" pass play after 30 minutes. It was expanded from the vertical play on the right side to the center and then to the left, and a cross was made to the left side back Rinko. In response to this, Tokyo changed to a double defensive midfield with Takahashi and Nozawa. Mita on the right side, Higashi on the left. Muto and Hayashi formed a two-top in a 4-4-2 formation. They did not allow Kashiwa to create any decisive chances without losing concentration.

In the 32nd minute, Lin received a pass from Morishige in his own half and expanded to the left side to Higashi. Higashi sent a through pass to Muto, who was trying to break through behind the opponent's defense. Muto was closed down by the Kashiwa goalkeeper and couldn't finish, but he dribbled around to the center. Lin, who had run in at the right timing, connected with the ball. Lin's shot couldn't be finished as it hit the Kashiwa defender, but Mita quickly reacted to the ball that spilled into the right area. He kicked it in with his right foot, GOAL!!

Grabbing the lead with a goal in a coordinated manner, and then in the 35th minute, Mita's right cross was met with a direct shot by Higashi in the left area. In the 42nd minute, Mita, with the goal at his back in the right area, sent a fast cross from a sharp turn, but Muto in front of the goal was unable to make a slight adjustment. Although they couldn't score an additional goal, they maintained a one-point lead going into the second half.

Muto scores a penalty kick! Defending together, overcoming the struggle

The second half started with Kashiwa's counterattack. In the 48th minute, Tokyo made a pass mistake while advancing. Kashiwa quickly countered and Yoshimoto blocked Leandro, who had entered the area. The attack was delayed, and in the end, Tokyo escaped with a throw-in. In the 54th minute, Kashiwa's central forward Leandro passed to Cristiano, the midfielder in front, with one touch, and Leandro again passed through to the left area. The shot by overlapping defender Rinno crossed the goal narrowly, avoiding a crisis. However, in the 60th minute, in a scene of Kashiwa's corner kick, Morishige in the area was judged to have committed a foul and a penalty kick was given. In the 62nd minute, Leandro, the forward of Kashiwa, calmly scored this penalty kick, equalizing the score.

However, in the 65th minute, Muto was tripped in the area and Tokyo was awarded a penalty kick. Immediately after this, the game was interrupted for 2 minutes due to an earthquake, but resumed from this penalty kick. In the 68th minute, Muto's powerful kick deflected off Kashiwa GK Sugano's left hand and went to the right, resulting in another successful lead.

Kashiwa brought in FW Otsu in the 69th minute and launched a fierce counterattack. In the 80th minute, they connected several passes inside the Tokyo defense, and FW Leandro on the right side played a one-two with right SB Fujita and moved towards the center. The Tokyo defenders tried to prevent it, but the ball fell to DF Fujita, who shot from the right area. However, it went wide of the goal. Tokyo was under pressure, but in the 81st minute, Maeda was brought in. They withstood Kashiwa's attacks as a team and tried to counterattack.

86 minutes, Kashiwa FW Otsu runs alone in the front line from a pass miss. It leads to a big pinch, but Yoshimoto clears it with a sliding tackle. In the 90th minute, Muto is fouled and earns a free kick from a position about 25-26m in front of the right area. Ota directly aims for it, but the shot flies just wide to the right. Both teams continue to advance towards the goal, and in the 5 minutes of additional time, Mita's shot, aimed at the front line press, is blocked and Kashiwa counterattacks. Dangerous situations continue, but they manage to hold on and the time is up. They stop the losing streak and grab 3 points, the first since the 10th round.

[Player Comments]
"Mita"
"Thanks to Muto and Hayashi for the goal. I didn't give up and kept pushing for loose balls, but I really want to thank the two of them. In the early stages of today's game, I was on the left side, but I think I was able to bring out my strengths more when I moved to the right. In the future, I want to continue to show my strengths and attacking play after doing what the team should do. After the game, I was happy to stand in the interview with Muto."

"Muto"
"The penalty kick situation was intensified by the impact of the earthquake, but I still wanted to lead the team to victory today."
（The transfer has been announced, but）
The title of the 1st stage has become difficult, and I don't think I have brought anything to the team. I apologize to the fans and supporters for transferring here. However, continuing to challenge and grow should be a way to repay. FC Tokyo is the club that raised me. I definitely want to come back here before retiring. Above all, for the next month, I am a member of FC Tokyo. I want to work together with my teammates and aim for victory until the end."
"There was an accident with Yonemoto, but the players played a fantastic game from every aspect. In the first half, we created many chances aside from the goal scenes, and it wouldn't have been strange if we had scored more. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, we were pushed back a bit due to Kashiwa taking risks and attacking. After taking the lead again, we were able to restart in a good shape. I am proud of the performance the players showed tonight. Even when the results didn't come, they always fought with all their might and played with their heads held high. A truly strong team possesses this kind of mentality, and we were able to demonstrate that."
(After Yonemoto's injury, the system was changed and the team seemed to have improved, right?)
Today, after studying the opponent, we used a 4-3-3 formation and switched to a 4-4-2 formation depending on the timing during defense. After Yonemoto's substitution, we had to change the system and placed two balancers in the midfield. One of them, Nozawa, showed good movement. He hasn't had many opportunities to play due to injuries, but I'm glad he showed good plays. We rotated Mita to the right and Higashi to the left, utilizing the team's flexibility, and I think it went well overall.
（Regarding Muto's transfer）
I am happy. It is a great opportunity to test my skills in a high-level environment like the Bundesliga in Europe. The whole team is delighted and satisfied with the results of our work so far. By announcing it today, I believe he will play with even more focus in the future.
(Regarding Matsuda, who started the game)
He also didn't have many opportunities to play. There were some unstable moments towards the end of the game due to fatigue, but overall it was good. Especially in the first half, he made good plays in terms of attack. Nozawa also showed his presence in the midfield, and today all the players played well."

[Kashiwa・Tatsuma YOSHIDA Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"It was a game where we were taken the lead, caught up, taken the lead again, and lacked the power and sharpness to break through in the end. We knew that if we were to concede the first goal to a team like Tokyo, the probability of losing control of the game would increase. Even in this situation, if we don't improve to be able to control the game ourselves, we will end up dropping points. Tokyo changed their system after Yonehara's injury. They communicated on the pitch and made adjustments, but unfortunately conceded a goal in the process. However, the players ran and fought desperately. I think it is my responsibility to improve the team's clumsiness."