We cannot afford to lose. Welcoming Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. to Ajinomoto Stadium

The 12th match of the 2nd stage will be played at home against Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. In the previous match, we conceded a goal in the final moments and were unable to secure a close match, resulting in our first loss in 7 league games. The players are determined not to experience consecutive losses and this will be the first Matsumoto match at Ajinomoto Stadium in the league. It is also a battle where we want to utilize the "power of home" to achieve victory.
However, Takahashi will be suspended for this match. Therefore, Yonemoto will be used as the anchor for the midfield for the first time. Uchida and Hashimoto will play as inside halves, with Kono in the attacking midfield position, and Maeda and Sandaza as the front two. Sandaza will make his first start since the Sendai match on July 29th.

Matsumoto, on the other hand, is currently in 15th place in the 2nd stage. They are 16th overall for the year. Although they have had three consecutive games without a loss, they have not been able to escape the relegation zone. However, the teams that are fighting to stay in the league should come with a strong determination to win. In this match, FW Obina will be suspended, but everyone will work hard and stick to the style of long feeds to the front line and winning second balls. In addition to their strength in set plays, MF Kudo, MF Ando, and MF Kim Bogyon, who joined the team in the middle of the season, are "raising the quality of the team," according to coach Massimo. At the same time, he is cautious, saying, "Matsumoto also played well against G Osaka. They were unfortunate to be caught up, but they are an aggressive team and we need to be careful from the start."

However, in the last three matches, Matsumoto has drawn despite taking the lead, conceding goals in additional time or near the end of the match. In this match, Matsumoto replaced suspended forward Obina with forward Shiozawa in the starting lineup. They deployed midfielder Iwagami and midfielder Maeda as shadows, with midfielder Iwama and midfielder Kim Bogyon as defensive midfielders, and defenders Tanaka and Ando as the wide players in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Tokyo, on the other hand, should be expected to fight calmly throughout the 90 minutes. They should utilize the gains and lessons learned from the previous match, assess the flow of the game, maintain concentration until the end, and aim for victory.

Cloudy sky, the game started at 18:34 with Matsumoto's kickoff, while a little heat remained during the day.

Fighting tenaciously, taking the lead with Maeda's goal!

In the early stages, Matsumoto aggressively pressed forward and as a result, they were often pushed back into their own half. However, they patiently resisted. In the 3rd minute, a speedy pass from Matsumoto led to MF Kim Bogyon -> MF Maeda entering the left area, but Yonehara escaped with a sliding tackle and won a corner kick. In the 5th minute, Maruyama blocked a long kick from Matsumoto's goalkeeper, resulting in a throw-in. From Matsumoto MF Iwagami's long throw, FW Shiozawa headed the ball, but it lacked power and Brada easily caught it. In the 6th minute, Matsumoto MF Maeda attacked from the side and crossed from the left. MF Iwagami headed the ball, but Tokyo DF contested it and the shot went wide.

Safely defending, it resulted in repeatedly giving CK and throw-ins to Matsumoto, but they did not allow any decisive chances by demonstrating concentration and patience. On the other hand, they threatened on the counter, and in the 11th minute, Ota from their own team played a long pass to the left front line. The opponent's DF couldn't handle it, and Sandaza broke through to the front line as if replacing it. Kono was also running to the far side, but Sandaza, who had entered the left area, took a shot from a close distance. However, there was only a slight angle, and the goalkeeper saved it, and the ball that spilled out was aimed again, but this time it was blocked by the sliding Matsumoto DF. Furthermore, Hashimoto ran into the ball that spilled in the center, but it was also slid by the Matsumoto DF, and the shot floated...

Although we couldn't take the lead in this chance, Tokyo gradually started to have more ball possession. In the 20th minute, Yonemoto advanced and won a corner kick on the right. From there, Ota took the corner kick, which was cleared, but the ball returned to Ota. He then sent a low trajectory right cross, which landed perfectly in front of Maeda near the goal, and Maeda headed the ball changing its direction. The shot deflected off the hands of the Matsumoto goalkeeper and went into the right side of the goal, GOAL!! Maeda successfully capitalized on the chance from the set play and scored the opening goal.

Matsumoto continued to aggressively attack the goal without feeling discouraged, but Tokyo, who had the advantage, remained calm and countered at the right moment. In the 39th minute, Tokunaga crossed from the right side. Sandaza ran in from the opposite side and tried to connect with his foot, but was stopped by the quick cover from Matsumoto's defender. In additional time of the first half, Morishige jumped into the far post after Ota's free kick from the left corner, but his header missed to the right. Although they couldn't score an additional goal, they maintained the lead and ended the first half.

Won without conceding a goal, reaching a record high of 56 points

In the second half, Matsumoto created a chance from the start. In the 46th minute, they counterattacked from Tokyo's kickoff and Ando jumped in on the right cross, but just before that, it escaped as a corner kick. This left corner kick was almost combined with a heel kick near the near post, but it grazed the post and crossed the goal, avoiding a crisis. In the 50th minute, Hashimoto pushed forward on the right front line and reached the goal line, crossing to the right area with a low pass. Sandaza jumped in there, but was a step late and was held back by Matsumoto.

After that, in the 56th minute, Higashi was substituted for Kono and was brought in as a side player. The formation changed to a 4-4-2 with Yonemoto and Hashimoto as double defensive midfielders. Immediately after, from a free kick on the right side, Ota sent a ball into the area, Sandaza jumped and headed the ball, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 60th minute, Nathan Burns was brought in. In the 62nd minute, Higashi passed to Maeda on the left front line, who crossed the ball. Hashimoto ran in from behind Nathan Burns in the center of the goal, jumped, and tried to score with his right foot, but it was offside before that.

70 minutes, Matsumoto DF from their own territory made a control mistake on the feed. Nathan Burns on the right front line stole it and brought it into the area to take a shot... but it was blocked by Matsumoto GK's great save. In the 79th minute, they earned a free kick just outside the left area corner, and Ota sent a soft kick to the front of the goal. Hasegawa jumped in perfectly, but... the shot narrowly missed to the right...

Tokyo grasped the rhythm, but couldn't score any additional points, including the chance for a free kick. In the final stages, it became a back-and-forth of counterattacks, but in the second half additional time, Yoshimoto was substituted for Hashimoto in the central defense. With a 5-back formation, Tokyo successfully defended against Matsumoto's counterattacks and kept a clean sheet to secure the victory. As a result, they accumulated 56 points, surpassing their previous highest record of 55 points in 2008, with 5 matches remaining.

[Player Comments]
"Maeda"
"I am most happy that we were able to earn 3 points. (Regarding the goal) Ota's passes are always excellent, so I always think about how to match them. Today's goal came from a corner kick, and I believed that if I could get near the goal in that way, it would be a chance. I was conscious of my movement and was able to match it well. I want to make sure to score when opportunities come. I will do my best to continue doing that."

《Masato Ota》
"In the scoring situation, I found myself free, which made me a bit nervous. However, there were a lot of players far away, and I could see the movements of Taira Maeda, who was near. I was able to stay calm and deliver a cross. I felt sorry for the fans and supporters in the previous match. I think we were able to make up for it today at home, and as long as there is a possibility, we won't give up on winning. We have tough matches ahead, but I want to make good preparations to keep winning."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was the start we expected. We knew the opponent would come out strong from the kickoff, and in the first 15 minutes, they threw a lot of balls into our goal area. But gradually, we created our own territory and had a chance to score a second goal after taking the lead. The players have done well from every aspect. I think it's a positive result as it is the highest number of points in FC Tokyo's history. Matsumoto was strong in one-on-one situations and used his physicality, but we were able to deal with it carefully and systematically. There are some issues with suspensions, but the players who came in as replacements have produced results. Today, Yonemoto did well as an anchor, and Hayu, Hashimoto, and Higashi, who came on as substitutes, were also good. Everyone is fighting with a strong mentality. It wasn't an easy game, but it's a sign of maturity that we were able to get results in a pressure-filled game that we had to win against a lower-ranked team. There will be different challenges in every game from now on. The other teams that are competing for the championship have experienced winning in the past. It's important for us to keep up with them and give our all in every game."

[Summary of Coach Yasuharu Sorimachi's Press Conference in Matsumoto]
"Although the result was disappointing, I want to express my gratitude to the players who fought until the end in these three consecutive matches without giving up. On the other hand, we are a team that gets punished immediately if we give the opponent an opportunity. The scenes of conceding goals were exactly like that. We are training to not give any opportunities, but it's not going well and as the person in charge of the team, I feel angry at myself. However, we have no choice but to move forward and keep pushing. We want to fight until the very end and do our best to return to Ajinomoto Stadium for the final round of the Emperor's Cup and be able to greet the fans."