Fight with all your heart and aim to take 3 points away!

2nd Stage Sec. 10 will be an away match against Nagoya Grampus.
In the previous match, we defended the goal in a tenacious battle and emerged victorious against Yokohama FM. Since then, we have continued to engage in high-intensity training in preparation for this match.

Coach Shinoda said, "I have been continuing practice in my own way for about a month. The players may be reaching their peak fatigue, but now there is something beyond that showing in the results." He continued, "If there were no results, the players would simply feel 'tough'. However, by winning three out of four games, there is a change in the players' awareness. It's not just about increasing the amount of running. I think that by training in a way that simulates the game and is closer to the actual match, the intensity of play and the speed of decision-making have also increased."

On the other hand, Nagoya is currently winless in 17 league matches, ranking 18th in the 2nd stage. They are 16th overall for the year.
Due to the continued difficult situation, the coach was replaced after the previous match. DJUROVSKI, the coach, was appointed as the new commander.
Furthermore, the return of DF Terry has been confirmed, but as of now, he is not registered in the league, so he will not be able to play in this round.

In response, Manager Shinoda and the Tokyo players analyzed their feelings, saying "We can understand their desire for victory as if we can touch it." However, "We don't want to lose to that feeling. Also, Nagoya's way of fighting may change, but regardless of the opponent, we want to do what we should do with determination."

Nagoya has been using a 5-4-1 system in the past few matches, and due to the injury of FW Shimobich, FW Nagai has been playing as the lone striker. However, they have changed to a 4-back system. FW Nagai and FW Kawamata are on the sides, and Noda is named in the starting lineup as the center forward.
　
Tokyo, who will face Nagoya with the same members as the previous match, aims to surpass Nagoya in terms of team unity and strive to secure 3 points even in an away game.

Toyota Stadium, which has high humidity even as kick-off time approaches. The match started at 18:04 with a kick-off in Tokyo.

Conceded a goal just before the end of the first half and trailed 0-1 at halftime

7 minutes: Takahashi steals the ball in the opponent's territory. Takahashi passes to Higashi and takes a shot, but it hits the back of the opponent's defender.
11 minutes: East, who broke through the right side, sent a low cross in front of the goal. It was a chance, but the opposing defender, who entered in front of Maeda's run, cleared it.
18 minutes: Tohoku takes a middle shot from a position about 25 meters from the goal. However, they fail to hit the target.

32 minutes: Tokyo picks up the loose ball firmly, advances to the left inside the area with a pass from Higashi to Muriqui. Muriqui crosses the ball on the ground to Kono who jumps into the goal area, but narrowly misses.
36 minutes: Muriqui and Maeda bring the ball into the left side of the area, creating two chances with crosses, but fail to score with a shot.
37 minutes: Muraya, who dodged the opponent on the right side, supplied a ground cross to Kono in front of the goal. However, the ball hit the foot of the Nagoya DF in front of Kono and was blocked.
39 minutes: Muroya dribbles again and enters the inside while feinting. He shoots near the area, but it doesn't go in.

45 minutes + 1: Nagoya MF Taguchi's middle shot is blocked by Akimoto, but Noda follows up and scores a goal. We concede the first goal.
Nagoya conceded a goal just before the end of the first half and finished the first half one point behind.

Nakashima's equalizer goal secures 1 point away

48 minutes: Muraya's cross does not reach his teammate and flows to the left side, from where Tanabe takes a ground middle shot. It didn't hit the frame, but they continue to attack aggressively from the beginning.
53 minutes: Nakajima replaces Kawano as a substitute.

55 minutes: Tokyo changes its formation with Nakajima on the left side, Higashi on the right side, and Muriqui in the center.
57 minutes: Counterattack with Nakajima and Muriqui. Pass from Muriqui on the left side to Nakajima near the area, but the shot misses the target.
58 minutes: Muriqui runs into the central area from the east and receives a through pass. Muriqui takes the pass and attempts a shot, but goalkeeper Narazaki saves it in front.

62 minutes: Maeda receives a lobbed ball from Nakajima in the area to the east, but narrowly misses.
64 minutes: Insoo YU is substituted for Atsushi MAEDA.
70 minutes: Nakajima crosses from the left side, but it goes over the goal line. After that, Muroya on the right side creates a chance. However, he is unable to take a shot.

73 minutes: Nakajima and Insoo YU play a one-two, Nakajima enters the area. He crosses from the goal line, but it doesn't connect with his teammate.
74 minutes: Kajiyama replaces Takahashi and takes over the defensive midfield position.

78 minutes: Nakajima takes a middle shot with his right foot from outside the area. It bounces in front of the opponent's goalkeeper but is blocked with his body.
81 minutes: Nakajima shoots from the left corner of the area to the right of the goal. Insoo YU's shot is blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper.

85 minutes: Muriqui breaks through alone from Kajiyama's through pass and passes to Insoo YU who is free. Insoo YU tries to score with a chip kick, but the shot goes over the goal. Unable to convert the scoring opportunity.
90 minutes + 1: Muriqui passes to Erik in front of the East area, who then receives a pass from the East and takes a right-footed shot from the left side of the area after a one-touch. It's a goal! They equalize 1-1 and continue to push for a winning goal, but the game ends in a 1-1 draw. In the second half additional time, Nakajima scores to equalize and they earn 1 point away from home.

[Player Comments]
《Nakajima》
"In the scoring scene, it hit the opponent and went in, so I want to practice to be able to kick it into the intended spot and score as planned. I want to continue playing towards the goal in the future."
Q=I wanted to do the job of scoring when I played in the match, and it was truly a play of words and actions.
"Because we were losing, of course we had to aim for a goal, and the first half was quite a difficult situation, so I wanted to change that atmosphere somehow and went out onto the pitch."
Q=It was a shot from the left, which is my specialty, into the center, but were your teammates also aware of that and giving you passes in that form?"
"Yes, that's right. Since they trust me with the ball, I find it easier to make plays by facing forward and taking the initiative."
Q=Was the opponent's position visible when you took the shot while turning around?
"I was thinking about shooting with all my strength anyway. Even if the opponent was in front of me, I knew I had to shoot to score, so I was considering whether to shoot before going to the Olympics. Neymar and top players from overseas have an amazing attitude towards the goal, so I want to imitate their good points."

"Kajiyama"
"It was a difficult game, but we were able to continue playing our own game without giving up until the end, so it was good that we were able to catch up in the end. The coach told us to create the game and participate in the attack. The opponent was leading, so they tried to defend by pulling back. There was no pressure in the midfield, so I was trying to bring out the power of Muriqui, Higashi, and Nakajima. Apart from the accuracy, I think we were able to shake the opponent well."

[Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference]
"I had anticipated that today's game would be a very challenging one right from the start. We aimed to overcome Nagoya's motivation and the atmosphere of the stadium. However, in the first half, we seemed to be more on the defensive side. We couldn't unsettle Nagoya's defense line and there were many instances where our build-up was disrupted. Nonetheless, I had hoped to finish the first half without conceding a goal, but due to conceding a goal, we had to use our energy to go for a goal right from the beginning of the second half. At halftime, I emphasized the importance of not giving up and urged everyone to show the determination to score. The players ran really well. If we could have caught up a little earlier, I believe we could have sealed the deal against the opponent, but that remains today's challenge. I think we were able to work diligently together with the fans and supporters to secure points. I want to continue having discussions with the players while aiming to carry over today's points to the next league match."
《Q&A》
Q=Kajiyama was placed as a defensive midfielder, was that with an offensive intention?
"I wanted to increase the tempo of ball circulation and asked him to distribute through passes and spread the ball left and right. The ball from Muriqui to the counterattack came from Kajiyama. I think that scene was created by including him, who can see another depth. I asked him to create rhythm in the midfield and do work that directly leads to goals."

[Nagoya - Coach Djurovski's press conference summary]
"I think we played a very good game. Both teams played good football against Tokyo. The first half was a balanced game, with both teams attacking. I am satisfied with the first half. Especially in terms of attacking, we were able to implement what we have been working on this week. However, fatigue affected our performance in the first 15 minutes of the second half. We need to analyze this and make changes. The final score was 1-1, and the opponent also played well enough to deserve that result. However, if we had scored another goal and made it 2-0, we might have been able to secure the win. It is not enough to win with just a 1-0 lead at home. Overall, I think we were able to demonstrate what we have been working on this week."