I want to seize the opportunity to rise at home Ajinomoto

Facing Kashiwa Reysol at home, Ajinomoto Stadium, as the 4th match of the 2nd stage, which is the third consecutive match.
The 2nd stage suffered a second defeat away, and the points gained so far are 3. We couldn't make a strong start. However, this match is a home game, and we want to seize the opportunity to win and rise up.

Regarding the starting lineup for this match, considering the team's continuity and the balance of challenges along with the condition of consecutive matches, some changes have been made to the lineup from the previous match. Hashimoto will be on the right side, Nakajima on the left, and Takahashi will be starting as one of the double midfielders. Nakajima will be making his first J1 start of the season.

Kashiwa has FW Diego Oliveira in the center of the front line, FW Cristiano on the left side, and FW Ito on the right. MF Nakagawa plays in the center of the attacking midfield, while MF Ohtani and Kurisawa serve as the double pivot in a 4-3-3 formation. They aim to restrain their powerful attacking lineup and "showcase their own strengths" to achieve victory at home without allowing Kashiwa's strengths to come into play.

Even at night, the humidity remains high, and the match started at 19:03 with Kashiwa's kickoff in the midst of intense muggy heat.

Press functions, connect from good defense to attack, and grasp the rhythm

In the early stages, ball possession was slightly dominated by Kashiwa, but Tokyo also pressed with a compact formation and aimed for short counters from there. They maintained a quick transition from defense to attack, with Nathan BURNS leading the front line and creating chances.

3 minutes: From Takahashi's feed, Nathan Burns breaks through the right front line and brings it into the area. The ground cross sent to the center was cut by the opponent's DF, but Hashimoto on the right, who took the clearance, shoots with his left foot.
5 minutes: Midfielder Muriqui sends a long vertical pass to forward Nathan BURNS, earning a free kick just outside the penalty area arc.
6 minutes: MoriShige aimed for this, but it was blocked by the opponent's wall and did not result in a goal.

Even if the ball is passed to Kashiwa, they do not bring it to a shot and gradually Tokyo takes control.
17 minutes: Nathan BURNS, Nakajima, and Muriqui become the focal point, with Yonezaki pressing in the opponent's central area and Nathan BURNS stealing the loose ball and dribbling up the center. Nakajima runs on the left, while Muriqui runs on the right. Nathan BURNS passed to the right, but the Kashima GK quickly came out and pushed it into a narrow angle against Muriqui in the right area. Nevertheless, the play continues in the Kashima area.

27 minutes: Nakajima passes to the left area. Nathan BURNS runs into this area. The cross to the center was blocked by the opponent's defender, but Muriqui in the area reacts to the loose ball. He shoots from near the left goal area, but it is blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's great save... Furthermore, Nakajima, who was in the air with the ball in the area, closes in, and Hashimoto in the center tries to shoot, but only manages to earn a left corner kick after grazing the opponent's defender.

34 minutes: The opponent's defense was slightly to the right of Hashimoto in the opponent's area, and he forcefully dribbled into the area. Despite being surrounded by the opponent's defenders, he passed to Muriqui in the center. The ball went too far ahead of Muriqui's feet, and he couldn't take a shot, but he made a good decision to pass to the left area. Nakajima ran freely into this area and made a direct shot, but... the shot went over the bar, and the big chance was missed.
37 minutes: Nakajima on the left enters the left area from a one-two with Muriqui. Showing coordination, Nathan Burns in the center takes a shot but misses the target.

Displayed speedy passing and coordination, approaching the Kashiwa goal, but were hindered by the opponent's goalkeeper's excellent save, and ended the first half with a scoreless draw.

Took the initiative, but was taken advantage of by Kashiwa...

52 minutes: Kashiwa, who tried to attack and recover in the second half, calmly cut off Kashiwa FW Ito's attack by Tokunaga in their own half. Nakajima and Takahashi connect, and Hashimoto on the right overlaps with Muroya to put a strong cross into the goal area. Although this ball was caught by the opponent's GK, Tokyo's rhythm remains unchanged.
55 minutes: Maruyama sent a pass to the front line, and Takahashi on the left midfield connected it to Muriqui on the left front line. Muriqui dribbled into the penalty area. However, he was stopped by a sliding tackle from a Kashiwa Reysol defender just before reaching the goal, resulting in a corner kick.

58 minutes: Despite showing a strong desire for goal, they were caught off guard by Kashiwa's aggressive defense and the ball was passed around their defensive line. A long ball was sent behind Tokyo's defense to FW Cristiano, who was marked by Muroya, but the header was dropped to the center FW Diego Oliveira. Maruyama was there to respond, trying to block the opponent, but Morishige came in to cover and tried to clear the ball, which ended up on the right side of the area. Kashiwa's FW Ito reacted to this and ran in front of Tokunaga, scoring a sure shot... They were caught off guard and conceded the first goal, 0-1.

62 minutes: Nevertheless, they bravely launched a counterattack, and Nakajima's powerful shot fiercely attacked the opponent's GK.
65 minutes: From Nakajima's sharp left cross, Hashimoto in the right area unleashed a decisive header from above the opponent's defender, but it was blocked by a great save from the Kashiwa goalkeeper...
67 minutes: Takahashi in the center controlled a sharp middle shot and shot it to the right of the goal... but it was also blocked by the diving save of the Kashiwa GK.
Substituted Tokunaga for Kawano as right MF at 67 minutes. Hashimoto dropped to right fullback and Muroya moved to the left.

72 minutes: Hirayama replaces Nakajima on the front line. Nathan BURNS enters as left midfielder and tries to contribute to the attack.
80 minutes: Muriqui sends a through pass into the area, Kawano breaks free and gets into a shooting position, but it's offside.
88 minutes: Muriqui on the left passes to Yonemoto on the right, who sends it to the center. Hirayama traps the ball in the penalty area and tries to take a shot, but is blocked by the opposing defender and goalkeeper.

Moved the ball quickly and created attacking opportunities, but couldn't convert chances into goals, resulting in no points. On the other hand, Kashiwa limited their shots to 3 in the first half and 2 in the second half, but one goal against proved costly. At home at Ajinomoto Stadium, they suffered their first defeat since April 29th and recorded their second consecutive loss in the 2nd stage.

[Player Comments]
"Nakajima"
"I didn't think about the Olympics at all today, I was focused on the game in front of me. However, losing and soccer itself are all things to reflect on. Everyone followed the team's discipline and functioned well, but as an attacking player, I needed to create more chances and move forward. I believed that by enjoying the game, it would lead to victory... Now I will temporarily head towards the Olympics, but I have to continue to grow."

"Takahashi"
"I also wanted to improve the team's momentum by winning the game in front of me. I take the result of consecutive losses seriously, but I also think that we shouldn't be overly pessimistic in order to overcome this difficult situation. I think it's important to work positively and brighten the atmosphere."

[Summary of Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference]
"It is a result that is unacceptable and very disappointing. It is truly regrettable that we have made the supporters who came to cheer for us feel so frustrated."
(Regarding the improvement of the match content)
We are evaluated by the results. The fact remains that the opponent scored a goal and we were unable to score a goal ourselves. The match content is not completely irrelevant, and I don't think that the fact that we have been striving for 3 points should be denied, nor do we need to look down on everything. However, we must overcome the current situation where the content and the results do not match. I want to raise my head and face that wall."

[Kashiwa · Takahiro SHIMOTAIRA Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"We were able to win, but in terms of content, especially in the first half, it was the worst development of the season. At halftime, there were also instances where individual names were mentioned and rallied. Some players became a little more energetic in the second half, but we couldn't take control and were constantly pushed back. However, we were able to score one goal in a lucky manner, so I told them to focus on defending and securing the victory with a score of 1-0. The players carried out that task for us."