"FC Tokyo's sense of unity surpassed ours"

After the match, Blaublitz Akita coach Yutaka AKITA spoke at the press conference.
The victory of this round was truly achieved by the unity of many people, including fans, supporters, players, and staff.

The game will be held at the home of the first ever 2016 Meiji Yasuda J3 League, Ajinomoto Stadium.
Tokyo's starting eleven has GK surrounded.
The DF line consists of teenage players YANAGI, SUZUKI, OGAWA, and KOYAMA from right to left.
In the midfield, Riku NOZAWA and Minoru KOBAYASHI, who made his first start, entered the central midfield position, with Mizunuma, Hayashi, and Uchida in the second row from the right.
In the front line, Insoo YU will enter, a young lineup with an average starting age of 21.
And on the bench, Naohiro Ishikawa made a comeback from injury and became the first member to join the J3 League.
Akita, who is facing them, is a team with three consecutive wins and momentum. They lost in the previous match with a score of 0-1 and do not want to have consecutive losses in direct matches.
Ajinomoto Stadium, which is now only used for the main stand, has also opened the upper seats.
Despite the rainy weather, 3,236 fans and supporters gathered and united to support Yutaka AKITA in Akita.

【First half】
Intense battles are unfolding from the beginning as both teams vie for control of the ball.
Tokyo moves the ball and tries to find gaps in the opponent's defense, but they are having difficulty making effective passes in the forward line.
Akita also tries to steal the ball from the midfield and the defense line with intense pressing, and tries to break through from both sides, but the Tokyo defense prevents it near the penalty area, and neither team can create a good opportunity.
Akita created the first chance, being threatened with a goal in the 13th minute, and also receiving a lofted pass from the central area of their own half to the left side in the 18th minute.
He made a great save even though he was hit with a volley.
Tokyo also in the 21st minute, Nozawa from the right side of their own field passes a long pass to Insoo YU who has run behind the opponent's defensive line.
However, it is cleared by the opponent's goalkeeper with a header after leaving the penalty area.
Unable to score despite coming close to a goal from a free kick in the 22nd minute.
Tokyo, which gradually grasped the rhythm, continued to expand on the right side as YANAGI passed a vertical pass to Insoo YU to the right side, at the 25th minute.
Although it may be blocked by the opponent, the time to penetrate into the opponent's territory increases through coordinated passing work.
However, in the 34th minute, the ball was stolen from our own central DF line by the opponent's press. Ogawa, who desperately returned, bought time and escaped the pinch.
In the 36th minute, Insoo YU received the ball in the opponent's central area in Tokyo and turned towards Lin, who then attempted a shot on goal, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.
After that, both teams continued to battle in the midfield but were unable to create any chances, and the first half ended with a score of 0-0.

【Halftime】
Coach Nakamura's comment
"Let's use free running effectively. Be proactive in attacking when it becomes one-on-one."

【Second half】
The second half begins without any player substitutions from either team.
Despite Akita holding the ball for a long time since the start, Tokyo's defensive line, centered around Ogawa, formed a defensive block and prevented the opponent's advance.
57 minutes, Akita quickly carries the ball to the front line with a swift attack and shoots a middle shot from outside the penalty area, hitting the right post. They avoid conceding a goal.
Tokyo, which has been struggling to create opportunities, substituted Kobayashi for Ikeda and injected new energy into the team in the 59th minute.
And in the 66th minute, Ishikawa took the pitch for the first time in a J-League official match since the Vegalta Sendai game (J1) on July 29, 2015.
Enter directly on the left side.
Tokyo wanted to grasp the flow, but Akita continues to hold the ball.
Raise the DF line against this and start creating a compact shape for the entire team from counterattacks to finishing.
74 minutes, Mizunuma crosses from the left and the ball hits the opponent and falls loose, then Ishikawa, who was positioned on the right, picks it up.
Ishikawa tries to cut in from the right to the center, but is blocked by Akita DF.
In the 85th minute, Insoo YU launched a counterattack from his own half, dribbled up the center, attracted the opponent near the penalty area, and passed to Hayashi running on the right.
Hayashi shoots with speed but misses to the right of the goal.
Tokyo, who continue to attack, created an opportunity on the left side in the 87th minute, with Ishikawa running vertically and connecting with Koyama, who ran towards the goal.
Koyama receives the ball in the left PA and connects it to Insoo in the center, but his negative pass is intercepted by Ishikawa.
When Yanagi picks up this ball, he puts in an early cross to the forest in the center of the goal. The forest drops it to Koyama while carrying the opponent and shoots.
Mizunuma kicks the ball into the opponent's DF, and it bounces to the right of the PA, scoring the first goal.
In additional time, Yanagi dribbles up from his own half and passes to Mizunuma in the center. Mizunuma runs into the left side and takes a decisive shot, but fails to hit the target.
The match ended as it is, decorating Ishikawa's comeback match with a victory for the first time since Sec. 17, and at the same time, it became the first victory for Manager Nakamura in the J-League official match.

Thank you very much for your passionate support for FC Tokyo U-23.
Thank you for your continued passionate support.

[Summary and Comments from Coach Nakamura]
"We were able to win the game at our home, Ajinomoto Stadium. I truly conveyed to the players that they fought for the full 90 minutes."
The game itself is our home from the start, so let's be proactive, score goals actively, exploit the opponent's weaknesses, and actively try to steal the opponent's ball.
Basically, we train and compete in the same style as J1 teams.
In such a situation, there were still mistakes in terms of technical skills and decision-making, which led to dangerous situations. It was a match where either team could have won.
However, I think the goal was scored by not stopping the legs until the end and heading towards the goal for the full 90 minutes.
And, I think it was a plus for the players on the pitch as well, as there were more fans and supporters than expected, and it also helped that Ishikawa player performed well after a long time.

【Player Comment】
《Ishikawa》
"I think today's result was achieved because not only did I make a comeback, but also because the entire team was able to execute the style that Coach Nakamura has been aiming for this week."
Also, I wanted to be a part of that force.
(How did I perform?)
I felt that I was able to enter the game more calmly than I had expected. I also felt that by entering the game, I was becoming a switch for the team. There were still challenges, such as making decisions in the areas where I should make them, but overall, I feel that I was able to show my play and attitude by thinking about how I can contribute in any way.
I feel that it was good that it led to the result.
(What are your thoughts for the next match?)
This is not the end, and both individually and as a team, there are new challenges and strengths that we have come across. Of course, not only the J3 members but also the players who came today from J1 were here, so I want the team to come together and aim high in the same direction and fight.
"In order to continue in such a group, I would like to stimulate each other by getting involved rather than taking the lead."

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