League match resumes, challenging tough opponent Kashima!

The league match will resume on October 1st, and we will face Kashima Antlers at home in the 2nd Stage Sec. 15.
After the Levain Cup semifinals, intense and rigorous training was conducted during the interval period. Emphasizing continuity and accumulation, we aim for growth, focusing on each battle and continuing to fight.

During the Levain Cup, Morishige and Maruyama, who were participating in the Japan national team's World Cup qualifiers, have returned to the team and will both start. As the team has conceded 11 goals in their last 5 official matches, the focus will be on rebuilding their defense with them at the core. In terms of attack, under the guidance of manager Shinoda, the team has never had a scoreless game and the key will be how they can take the lead in this match. Maeda will start up front and Hashimoto will start as the right back. Muroya will start on the left side.

Kashima is 9th in the 2nd stage. In the previous match, they lost 1-3 to Omiya, and it seems that they haven't fully demonstrated their true Kashima style. However, it is also a fact that they are in a "must-win" situation for the championship due to winning the 1st stage and for improving their overall ranking.
This week, DF Gen Shoji, MF Hiroshi Endo, who have recovered from injuries, will start. In addition to MF Endo, MF Fabricio will be used on the side. MF Shibasaki and Nagaki will be deployed as a double pivot in midfield, and the front line will be led by FW Doi and Kanazaki as a striking duo.

Kashima, who also uses their tenacity as a weapon, wants to seize victory by advancing the game advantageously at home without being intimidated.
Under the cloudy and chilly weather without sunshine, the match started with Kashima's kickoff at 14:04.

Dynamic play in offense and defense, Kawano scores with Nakajima's pass to take the lead!

Displayed an aggressive attitude right from the start. Kashima also quickly switched gears and showed a forward-driving force and momentum together, and the game progressed at a high pace.
4 minutes: Hayate Hashimoto creates a combination play on the right side from his attack participation and enters the area near the right corner. Although there is an overlap between Nakajima and Riku Hashimoto, the forward Hashimoto takes the shot in response to the return pass from Kono on the outside.
6 minutes: Kashima quickly launches an attack, with midfielder Shibasaki sending a long pass to the right side. Forward Doi manages to break free, but Maruyama cuts him off with a sliding tackle, and the counterattack begins from here.
7 minutes: East takes advantage of the opponent's defensive gap and sends a through pass to Kawano, who breaks through on the left side. He creates a scoring opportunity, but Kawano's shot is saved by the opponent's goalkeeper...

14 minutes: Carrying the ball forward from the midfield, Capixaba was initially dispossessed by Kashima, but Mori Shige pushed up the line aggressively to press against the opposition's defensive line and connect with Nakajima in the front. Nakajima dribbled up from the center to the right side and sent a perfect through pass to Kawano, who had made a run into the right area. Kawano lightly redirected the shot with his left foot, and it went past the goalkeeper into the net! With a speedy counterattack, Kawano skillfully scored the opening goal.

Tokyo continued to maintain a compact formation and pressed together to win the ball. They surpassed the opponent in terms of quickness and strength in duels, taking control of the game.
19 minutes: East breaks through the left space inside the Kashima defense. However, Kashima GK Sogahata comes out and stops him with a foul, resulting in a free kick. Kono sends this free kick to the front line, and the opponent's DF's header flies towards the Kashima goal, but it is blocked by the GK and goes to the left corner kick. However, they couldn't finish it.

Afterwards, we had numerous chances from set plays and came close to scoring against Kashima's intense defense.
35 minutes: An accident occurred during a corner kick situation, and Satoru KAWANO injured his leg. He was substituted by Mizunuma in the 37th minute.
43 minutes: Still maintaining the rhythm, Maeda on the left side of the midfield receives a foul and earns a free kick. Hashimoto sends it to the left area, Maeda heads it down, but it narrowly misses Nakajima in front of the goal.

Although they couldn't score any additional points, Kashima defended against the counterattacks and didn't allow any real chances. They ended the first half with a one-point lead.

With a fighting attitude, Maeda scored an additional goal and got 3 points!

In the second half, Kashima substituted MF Endo with speedy MF Suzuki and launched a counterattack, but Tokyo stole the ball with aggressive defense and initiated counterattacks.
47 minutes: Matsumiya steals the ball on the left side and dribbles up. Mizunuma was running up freely on the right side, but Matsumiya doesn't change sides and tries to break through with a combination with Maeda in front. However, the pass to the left front line was slightly too long and Matsumiya couldn't catch up.

51 minutes: Kashima FW Kanazaki brings the ball into the area and creates an opportunity, but we persistently defend and manage to steal the ball. Nakajima dribbles into the opponent's half. In the end, he tried to send a final pass to Mizunuma, who went up on the right, but it was intercepted by the Kashima DF.
52 minutes: East in the center receives a right cross and makes a final pass to the right area. Mizunuma runs in and scores with a direct shot.
54 minutes: Mizunuma's right cross flowed to the far side, but Tanabe followed up and passed it to Nakajima in the center. Nakajima turned around and attempted a shot, but both of them missed the target.

Unable to score additional points, on the other hand, Kashima also threatened the Tokyo goal through crosses and set plays, gradually gaining momentum for a counterattack.
66 minutes: From a free kick on the right side of the field, MF Shibasaki's kick is met by a header from DF Seok Ho HWANG.
74 minutes: The left CK of Kashima was cleared, and FW Doi was pressed, and a ground shot was taken, but it was blocked in front of the goal. Furthermore, the loose ball was connected, and a heading shot was taken by DF Shoji in front of the far post from the right cross, but it narrowly missed the frame and escaped the pinch.

84 minutes: Amidst the intense attack and defense, Toho receives a foul and earns a free kick from the left corner area. Mizunuma aims directly and takes a sharp shot. Maeda, who ran near the goal, stretches his leg to connect the shot, but it is blocked by the Kashima goalkeeper and defender. However, Morishige takes the loose ball and shoots. The opponent goalkeeper saves it, but Maeda reacts quickly. He pierces the goal with a direct shot from the left area! Toho secures a valuable additional point and extends the lead to 2-0.

Immediately after entering additional time, Kashima, who did not give up the counterattack, sent a throw-in to the right area, and the receiving midfielder Suzuki turned around. He hit a header to the far defender Yamamoto, who was in position for the cross. The ball bounced and Akimoto made a save, but... it was judged as a goal. They conceded a goal, but they calmly created their own time without panicking and the game ended.

With fighting spirit at the forefront, we ran until the end and achieved a victory for the first time in 8 years in the league match, since 2008, by coming together as one.

[Player Comments]
"The goal was scored just as I imagined. There was space ahead and when Shoya NAKAJIMA looked up, our eyes met. I'm grateful that he sent me a good pass. Although my playing time was short, I think everyone moved well today and we ran more than the opponent. I was able to connect passes and had momentum. It was great to be able to win. My left ankle, which was injured, still hurts now, but I want to recover in time for the next match."

"Maeda"
"Morishige's shot came to a good place. I've always wanted to contribute to the team by scoring goals, so I'm glad I was able to score. There were difficult times today, but I was able to run more than the opponent. I think it's the result of practice. It's important to continue fighting like today. I want to do my best to continue."
"It was a good game from the start. We played against the strong team Kashima without giving them space, and everyone worked hard to press from the front line. As a result, we were able to earn 3 points. The flow of short counters after stealing the ball also worked well as we intended. We had a strong motivation to defeat Kashima, and we were able to train solidly until the league resumed, which led to the result. Of course, it would have been better to finish with a score of 2-0 or 3-0, but there were still mistakes. There are areas that need improvement, such as how to finish the game, so we will prepare and work towards the next game."

[Kashima・Masatada ISHII Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"Today, more than 37,000 soccer fans gathered at Ajinomoto Stadium. We also held a public viewing at Kashima Soccer Stadium, where many Kashima fans watched the game. We had planned to have a good match with the players. However, Tokyo was very aggressive both in attack and defense. Tokyo surpassed us in terms of pressing from the beginning and moving the ball quickly in the opponent's half. As a result, we ended up with this defeat."