Challenging the tough opponent Kashima in an away game

Entering the 4th round of the 2nd stage, we faced Kashima Antlers away. Although the Yamagata match ended in a draw, we managed to keep a clean sheet in the league for the first time since the Niigata match on April 29th. We want to have confidence in the fact that we did not collapse as a team despite the accidents of injuries, including Kajiyama, Ota, and Takahashi. The challenge is to consistently convert chances into goals in our attacks. While continuing to fight tenaciously, we will assess the flow and situation, work together as a team, and continue to grow.

However, Kajiyama injured his left ankle and fibula in the Yamagata match and was forced to take a long-term absence. Ota and Higashi are also not in perfect condition, so they will be absent from this match. Therefore, Maruyama will be used as the left full-back. Sandaza and Kono, who have recovered from their injuries, will start for the first time since the NABISCO Hiroshima match on May 27th. Maeda and Sandaza will be the two forwards, with Kono playing as the attacking midfielder. In midfield, Takahashi will be the anchor, with Yonemoto and Hanyu serving as the inside halves in a 4-3-3 formation.

Kashima, who is ranked 8th in the 1st stage, has not been able to demonstrate their true "Kashima style" in the 2nd stage, which they tried to turn around, with a current record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss. Therefore, after a change in coach, this match will be the first game under the command of new coach Masatada ISHII. However, if the Tokyo players unite their voices and say, "As a tradition of Kashima, our way of fighting for victory should not change," and if coach Massimo also continues, "We should not be influenced by the opponent's team situation," they vow to focus on what they should do.

Kashima starts with FW Davi and MF Caio on the bench. On the other hand, MF Shibasaki returns to the starting lineup. Ito is deployed as the right full-back, maintaining the same 4-4-1-1 formation as before. Taking advantage of Kashima's weaknesses, they aim for goals and victory by harnessing the power of all players. The match started at 18:34 with Kashima's kickoff, as the weather was scorching hot and a slight breeze finally started to blow in the evening.

Losing rhythm from a mistake, conceding the first goal

From the beginning, they pushed their fighting spirit to the forefront and the match continued evenly. In the 3rd minute, Yonemoto pressed hard on Kashima's right MF Endo and successfully stole the ball, passing it to the front line. However, it didn't pass through to Sandaza, who was trying to break through behind the defense. In the 4th minute, they faced Kashima's counterattack from a throw-in situation, but Kashima's FW Akasaki, who had broken through behind Tokyo's defense, was offside. In the 5th minute, they attacked from the left side, and Maruyama put in an early cross, but it was saved by the opponent's GK. In the 11th minute, Sandaza on the right front received the ball and turned forward, trying to aim for the goal, but he was a beat late and blocked by Kashima's DF. In the 13th minute, Takahashi intercepted the ball in the midfield after a battle for possession, and immediately passed it to Sandaza in the front line. Sandaza entered the right area! He came out in front of the opponent's DF and took a shot, but... it hit the face of Kashima's GK.

Tokyo had a long period of ball possession, but Kashima also launched sharp counterattacks, resulting in a back-and-forth exchange. In the 16th minute, Kono passed to Hanyu on the right side, who broke through the front line. Sandaza and Maeda crowded in front of the goal, and Hanyu aimed to cross the ball there, but was blocked by the opponent's defender. They couldn't capitalize on the good rhythm and gradually started making mistakes.

19 minutes, Tokyo DF was shaken by Kashima's passing on the right side, and Ito, the right side back, shot from the right area. The ball hit the left post, but this gave Kashima momentum, and in the 26th minute, they were pressed by Kashima's quick switching and wide attack, and Akasaki, the forward, shot from the minus pass of Yamamoto, the left side back who became free in the left area. This hit the bar and escaped the danger... In the 30th minute, from Kashima DF Yamamoto's attacking run, Shibasaki, the slightly left-leaning MF, was left free and targeted with a shot from the middle. The ground shot slightly changed its course, grazing Yoshimoto, and was stabbed into the net in a way that deceived Gonda... We ended up conceding the first goal.

After that, Kashima took the initiative. In the 43rd minute, Kono from the right front line brought the ball inside from Morishige's long pass and tried to aim for a goal from a one-two with Sandaza, but was blocked by Kashima. Unable to break through, they ended the first half with a one-point deficit.

The team is revitalized by a player substitution, Nathan BURNS scores his first goal in J league, but...

In the second half, Tokyo replaced Yoshimoto with Matsuda as the right full-back. Tokunaga moved to the left, Maruyama and Morishige as center-backs. Yonemoto and Takahashi formed a double pivot in midfield. They launched a counterattack with Hayashi and Kono on both sides. This substitution strategy brought momentum to the team. In the 53rd minute, Hayashi broke through on the left side and crossed the ball along the ground. The ball went past Sandaza in the center and flowed to the far side, but Maeda rushed in from the outside and took a sliding shot! However, it was blocked by the post... After that, Matsuda took the kick and Tokyo pushed Kashima back with set plays.

In the 61st minute, Sandaza was replaced by Nathan BURNS, and in the 66th minute, Mita was substituted for Kono. They aimed to increase the speed and target the goal. In the 69th minute, Maruyama was fouled in a contest with the opponent, earning a free kick in their own half. In the 70th minute, Gonda sent this free kick to the front line. Maeda on the right headed it further forward. In response, Nathan BURNS dashed out to the right area, exchanged positions with the opponent's defender, took advantage of the goalkeeper's gap, and rolled the ball into the net, GOAL!! Nathan BURNS scored his first goal in the J League, equalizing the score!

The chasing mood increased, and Tokyo tried to attack with more momentum, but Kashima also aimed to take 3 points at home, and the exchange between offense and defense became intense. In the 80th minute, Kashima brought in FW Davi. Immediately after that, Kashima MF Doi broke out on the right side. Here, Tokyo firmly sandwiched him and escaped to a corner kick... In the 81st minute, from Kashima MF Shibasaki's sharp right corner kick, DF Shoji scored a spectacular header... and lost the second goal...

Still not giving up the counterattack, in the 4th minute of additional time, Maeda reacted to Matsuda's right cross with a header, sending it back. Then Tokunaga in the left area reacted to it. He took a direct shot, but it went wide to the right. Next, Matsuda's cross earned a right corner kick. Mita sent a sharp kick to the far side, and Maeda headed it, but... it was blocked by Kashima, and Hanyu aimed a precise middle shot from the loose ball, but it was caught by the goalkeeper and the time was up. They displayed a never-give-up attitude in a united effort and kept pushing towards the goal until the end, but it didn't bear fruit. Once again, they couldn't grasp victory in the Kashima match.

[Player Comments]
"Nathan Burns"
"I am happy to score goals, but it is disappointing not to be able to achieve victory. Each moment in J-League matches is very fast, but I play with a positive image. It is not easy to score in a short playing time as a substitute, but as a striker, I aim to score in every game. Not every pass is good, but I am instructed to run behind the defense, so I play accordingly and I think it has worked well."

"Matsumoto"
"I was instructed to start with a solid defense and go on the attack if there were opportunities. It was good that we were able to create chances, but... We have not won in the last two matches, so we will take that result and turn it into the support and encouragement from the fans in the next match. We definitely want to win."

[Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"The first 15-20 minutes were very good. We played well and created the best scoring opportunity. However, after that, Kashima gained momentum from shots hitting the crossbar and post, and we conceded a goal shortly after. In the first half, Kashima gradually played well. So, we brought Matsuda on as a right full-back at the start of the second half. Also, since we were forcing the build-up from the back, we brought Maruyama in as a center-back, and as a result, he responded well. Overall, we applied pressure from the front and were able to equalize. The second half was completely different from the first half. There were a few incidents, but the second goal from the opponent was a fantastic shot. Nevertheless, the positive thing is that the second half performance was fantastic. Both mentally and in terms of quality, it was very good. I don't think we are on the wrong path. The second stage has just begun. We have many players who are injured or recovering from injuries, and we have many problems. Despite that, we want to take a positive view of being able to deliver such a performance."
（What was the intention behind the substitution from Yoshimoto to Matsuda?)
We needed a player who could go forward from the side. Matsuda's presence was necessary to add speed and quality, as spaces were opening up. Maruyama is more defensive, but afterwards, we were able to build up from the center as well, and the substitution had a positive impact on the team. We created many chances from the right side, and I think the tactical change went well. I am satisfied with the performance in the second half."

[Summary of Kashima Antlers Coach Masatada Ishii's Press Conference]
"First of all, I feel relieved. The game was intense, and we showed a fighting spirit. I think we were able to dominate Tokyo from the first half. We lost some momentum in the second half and were caught up to a tie, so we toned down a bit. However, we were able to score an additional point and win in the end. But we have only won one game so far, so we want to continue."