A victory to erase the defeat in the previous match at home

In the previous match against Kobe, we suffered a comeback defeat, and the number of goals conceded in the last two matches has reached 6. First and foremost, a defensive improvement is required.
It may not be easy to resolve all the issues immediately, but we are prepared to make adjustments by being conscious and working on them during practice, and by making them a habit. In terms of attack, in the previous match, Maeda scored his 150th goal in J1, and the scenes of scoring and chances are increasing. In this match as well, we want to connect to 3 points by maintaining the speed of transitioning between offense and defense and prolonging the time to fight in our own rhythm.

This round, with Takahashi's suspension lifted, he will form a double pivot with Tanabe. In addition, Muroya, who has just joined the team from the Olympics, will also start, with Muroya playing as right fullback and Tokunaga as left fullback. Nakajima will be on the bench.

Yokohama FM's 2nd stage is currently undefeated and in 5th place.
MF Nakamura is absent again this round. In place of suspended MF Kida, 188cm DF Park Jongsu is deployed as a defensive midfielder. FW Kaique leads the front line, with MF Amano playing as an attacking midfielder and MF Martinez and MF Saito on the wings.

It was a day of unstable and rough weather, but the last league match of August at home started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 19:04.

Yokohama FM grabs the rhythm and East gets the opening goal!

Tokyo entered the game in good form and immediately took control of the ball and went on the attack.
5 minutes past: The game was progressing in the opponent's territory, but Yokohama FM gradually started to possess the ball. They tried to create chances from long side changes, with Martinez on the right and Nakamachi in the center as the starting points. Tokyo was pushed back into their own half, and there were increasing instances of losing second balls, but they did not lose their quickness in transitioning to defense.
Over 20 minutes: Muriqui and Higashi changed positions, with Muriqui moving to the top and Higashi moving to the left side.

33 minutes: The balance is adjusted by a position change after 20 minutes, and Takahashi moves forward to the left front line from the midfield. He pushes into the opponent's territory, connects passes, and Takahashi → Tokunaga → Higashi breaks through behind the opponent in the left area, earning a corner kick. However, Kono's left corner kick does not reach anyone and goes out of play.
35 minutes: Higashi took the first shot of the day from the side, but it was caught by the opponent's goalkeeper.
38 minutes: East on the left side passes to Muriqui in the center. Muriqui, while being chased by the opponent's defender, turns forward and forcefully dribbles to the left area, bringing it to a shot, but the goalkeeper saves it.

41 minutes: Tanabe aimed for the goal with a powerful middle shot, but it missed to the upper right.
43 minutes: Although they were unable to take advantage of their chances, Mori Shige connected with the opponent's clearance and Muroya on the right side of the opponent's field dribbled into the center and sent a pass to the left to Lins. Lins then passed it to Muriqui in front of him and made a run into the area. He received a one-two return and broke through the opponent's DF, bringing the ball to the left area and taking a well-aimed shot with his right foot. The ball went to the right and scored a goal, making it 1-0. Taking advantage of their coordination and changing the pace, they broke through the Yokohama DF and took the lead!

44 minutes: Yokohama FM's MF Saito, who drifted to the right, dribbles to the center. Tokyo DF is unable to stop him. He connects with DF Kobayashi, who has run free in the right area. The negative pass from here reaches MF Martinos in front of the goal, but Kono blocks the shot just before it, and it escapes to a corner kick. Then, Yokohama MF Amano's right corner kick is met by MF Nakamachi, who jumps in near the post, but narrowly misses the target, avoiding a crisis and maintaining a one-goal lead at the end of the first half.

Struggling against the opponent's counterattack, but persisting in the fight and overcoming it together!

Maintaining the speed of switching in the second half, aiming for additional points from counterattacks.
56 minutes: Yokohama FM substitutes left back Kanai with MF Endo. This MF Endo becomes the starting point and tries to attack from the side. The exchange between offense and defense is fast-paced, and both teams create chances in the counterattack.

58 minutes: Quickly attacking from their own half, Maeda receives a short pass from Takahashi and sends a long through pass to Muriqui on the left front line. Muriqui dribbles into the left area, attracting the defenders and making space for Maeda in the center. Muriqui then makes the final pass to Maeda, who is free in the center. They create a great opportunity, but... Maeda's right-footed direct shot goes over the bar.

60 minutes: On the left side, Kono threaded a vertical pass to the east. Muriqui at the corner of the area received it and turned around, but was fouled. They earned a free kick from just in front of the left area. East aimed directly for the goal, but it went wide.

65 minutes: Hayashi → Muriqui in the right area tried to send a decisive cross to the center, cutting back the opposing DF... but was held up by the opposing DF and calmly won a corner kick, but couldn't convert it into a finish.

76 minutes: Mizunuma replaces Tanabe and enters as the right MF. Hayu returns to the defensive midfield position to regain composure. Despite being pressed by Yokohama FM's counterattack, they did not lose their quick transition.

89 minutes: A counterattack was launched from their own territory, and a pass was sent to Muriqui, who was moving up the center from Maeda on the left. Muriqui, who had broken through the front line, had a decisive shot despite being contested by Yokohama DF Endo! However, it was saved by the Yokohama GK with one hand... They couldn't pull away from Yokohama FM, and in the 5 minutes of additional time, they were under fierce attack, but in the 90+3 minutes, Yoshimoto was brought in. The suspenseful development continued until the end, but they defended as a team without losing focus and the time was up. They endured the difficult period and seized victory with a score of 1-0.

[Player Comments]
《East》
"I think the goal from the one-two was in sync with Muriqui's image. I swung my leg with determination and was able to hit the target well. Throughout the game, I think we need to increase our own time. We were able to defend today because the 'Tokyo's goodness' that had been ingrained in us for the past two years came out. However, I still want to show the attitude of going for the second and third goals. I think it is necessary to increase our time in possession, and raise the quality and level of our attacks in order to compete on par or better with the top teams."

"Muroya"
"(About the play that led to the goal)
I don't usually bring the ball to the center, but there was space so I went for it. The flow before the ball came to me was that the front line pressed and Mori Shige headed the ball that the opponent cleared in desperation. The team's overall aim and awareness of switching were clearly shown and it worked well. Ideally, we should have scored a second goal from a counter and decided the game, but in a tough situation, we all defended together and it was good that the team came together and won. I want to play more and more games from here and accumulate 3 points. By continuing to win, I want to become a trusted player as an individual."

[Summary of Manager Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference]
"The way we started the game was good, just like in the previous match. However, after the 15th minute of the first half, we started losing the ball more frequently and allowed the opponent to attack us with a good rhythm. It was a regrettable point that we fell behind in the defensive side. By changing the positions of Muriqui and Higashi, we were able to settle down a bit and it was good that we scored a goal at the end of the first half. We scored a goal in almost the same time period as the previous match and returned to halftime, but they were very focused. We were able to make a good start in the second half as well. When playing against Yokohama FM, it becomes a game of endurance, but this time we were able to endure it firmly in the second half. We wanted to score a goal on the counter-attack and take a lead, but that is a new challenge. Thanks to the support of the fans, we were able to earn 3 points at home. I am grateful for the efforts of the players, staff, and fans, and I want to prepare for the next match."
(What were the factors that allowed us to defend in situations where the opponent kept the ball?)
The first defenders against the opponent's ball holder, Kono, Hanyu, and Mizunuma, fulfilled their roles well. Even when crosses were sent in, we were able to mark players in the area. There were some dangerous moments, but overall, we were able to defend well as a team, including the pressing back by the midfielders.
(Regarding defensive options)
There are various choices on how to defend when leading and when losing, as well as selecting players for substitutions. Today, towards the end of the match, I was considering that Yokohama FM's DF Fabio would come up, so I hesitated until the last moment whether to put Insoo YU in and chase from the front, or put Yoshimoto in and increase the number of players at the back, but I decided to put Yoshimoto in and finish the game.

[Yokohama FM - Erick MOMBAERTS Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"We were unable to connect decisive chances even while holding the ball. We lacked plays that create play speed and rhythm when we had the ball. There were too many individual plays that stopped, so we brought in MF Endo to improve that. I think the reason for the loss was that we couldn't fully demonstrate the abilities of each individual player, including the players on the side."