Show your enthusiasm for victory!

　Sec. 14, held at Nagano Prefecture Matsumoto Hirano Comprehensive Park Stadium as a home game. Kashima Antlers will be the opponent. In the previous match against Fukuoka, we couldn't play the soccer we wanted under harsh pitch conditions. Baba and Ishikawa are also determined to bet on this match, saying, "Next time for sure...!" After the game in Fukuoka, the team moved directly to Matsumoto for training. They confirmed the adjustment of defense in the midfield, which was a remaining issue from the previous match, and the coordination in the attacking phase, and prepared for consecutive matches.

　Kashima, under the new coach Paulo AUTUORI from this season, aims to play a more goal-scoring football based on the cooperation built up until last year. They have attacking players such as the Japanese national team's FW Yanagisawa, MF Ogasawara, U-20 Brazil national team's new addition Fabio Santos, and FW Alex Mineiro, but currently they are in 6th place with 7 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses. In the previous match against Kawasaki, midfielder Fernando was sent off, and they suffered their third consecutive loss in the league unable to play their desired style of football. Therefore, they should have a strong determination to bet on this match just like Tokyo.

　Tokyo's formation is 4-4-2 on the team sheet, but the defense consists of Shigeno, Jean, and Tokunaga as a back three. Imakawa and Inoha form a double pivot in midfield, with Ishikawa on the right side and Suzuki on the left. Bamba is positioned up front, with Lucas and Kajiyama below him, making changes to the lineup from the previous match. Regarding the intention behind this, Coach Garo said, "We want to utilize the speed of Suzuki and Ishikawa on the wings. In addition to correcting the defensive issues in midfield from the previous match, we have opted for two central midfielders to utilize the wings." With this plan in mind, they approached the kickoff.

Take the lead with Lucas' goal, but concede a goal just before the end of the first half...

　The heavy rain that had been hitting Nagano for the past few days has stopped, and the weather is clear. The pitch is also in good condition, and a great game is expected. Before the kickoff, a moment of silence was held for the victims of the flood. Then, at 6:06 pm, the game started with Kashima's kickoff. However, just 6 minutes into the game, Suzuki collided with the opposing defender Iwamasa and fell down. He dislocated his right shoulder and had to be substituted. As a result, Miura was brought in as a defensive midfielder, and Inoha was moved to the left side.

　Stay calm and respond to this incident. In the 7th minute, Ishikawa broke through the right side from Baba and passed it inside to take a shot. In the 14th minute, Ishikawa crossed the ball from Tokunaga's interception. Baba jumped into the center and Kajiyama followed up on the loose ball, creating a chance. After that, Ishikawa and Inonami gained momentum from their play. In the 33rd minute, Tokunaga intercepted Kashima's long pass inside Tokyo's territory. Lucas dribbled forward slowly. Seeing that the opponent didn't come to challenge, he took a shot from outside the area, slightly to the right! It was a beautiful goal, neatly placed in the bottom left corner, taking the lead.

　In the 36th minute, Inoha's left cross resulted in a loose ball that Ishikawa picked up and shot. In the 40th minute, Inokoshi headed to the left with a pass from Kajiyama from right to left, and Inoha showed a good development with a left cross. However, Kashima did not panic either. In the 42nd minute, a strong and fast right cross from FW Alex Mineiro entered between Tokyo DF and GK. Yuzawa jumped in, but the shot cleared the bar and avoided danger.

　We wanted to maintain the lead until halftime, but in the added time, Kashima quickly initiated a restart. However, our response was delayed. We allowed a right cross from Kashima's right full-back Uchida, which resulted in Ogasawara, the midfielder on the far side, being left unmarked and scoring a goal with a header. We were caught up in the closing minutes, and the score became 1-1 as we entered the second half.

Defeated by Kashima's finishing power without taking advantage of chances

　It was the second half with a renewed feeling, but once again we allowed a goal in a crucial time when we needed to concentrate from the start. In the 47th minute, Kashima took Jean's clearance and passed it vertically to the forward MF Motoyama. From here, the ball was passed to DF Uchida who came up from the right side. At this moment, the pressure on Uchida was slightly delayed, and he was able to take a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area, resulting in a comeback goal being conceded.

　Tokyo substituted Rychely for Kajiyama in the 55th minute. Baba moved to MF and launched a counterattack. In the 59th minute, Lucas received a pass from Baba just outside the area and, once again sensing little pressure from the opponent, calmly took a shot. The ball was beautifully guided into the right net, equalizing the score once again. From here, both teams aimed for "another goal" and the fast-paced exchange of attacks and defenses continued. In the 67th minute, Tokyo substituted Kawaguchi for Miura, who entered the left side, and Inoha dropped back to the bottom of the midfield.

　With this formation, chances were created from Baba's passes and Inamoto's aggressive attacking. In the 68th minute, Inamoto took a decisive shot in front of the goal from Baba's skillful keep, but the opponent's goalkeeper made a save. In the 69th minute, Mogi's clearance reached the opponent's forward, Fukai, in front of the goal, causing a dangerous situation, but the defense held firm and prevented a shot. Nozawa connected the play and took a shot from the left side, but Doi caught it, avoiding any danger. However, it was Kashima, the experienced team in the game, who took advantage of the opportunity while both teams were pressing forward.

　In the 74th minute, Kashima's right corner kick was taken by MF Nozawa, and DF Ooiwa made a header shot. Unable to keep up with the marking of DF Ooiwa, they conceded the third goal... On the other hand, in the 76th minute, Tokyo was unable to score with a header from Imakano from the left corner kick. In the 82nd minute, Lucas broke through with a through pass from Baba and was brought down, but there was no foul. In the final stages, Jean also pushed forward and fought with determination until the end, but in the 89th minute, Tokyo's Sloan was cut off and they conceded the fourth goal from a quick counterattack. As a result, Tokyo had 19 shots but only scored 2 goals. They couldn't capitalize on their 7 corner kicks and made crucial mistakes. Kashima took advantage of those mistakes and scored 4 goals from 12 shots, highlighting the difference in finishing ability in the game.

　[Player Comments]《Lucas》"I scored 2 goals; the angles were different, but I was able to catch the ball well outside the area in both cases. Whether as a midfielder or forward, I think I am starting to execute as per the coach's instructions. However, I am disappointed with the team's result over individual scoring. A strong team capitalizes on the opponent's mistakes and finishes decisively. I believe Tokyo was superior in terms of match content, but Kashima did not miss their chances and connected well to score. We can play well because our supporters always cheer for us. I appreciate everyone who came from far away today, but I am sorry we couldn't meet your expectations."《Miura》"We should have ended the first half at 1-0. There is a big difference between leading at that point and being equalized. I came on as a substitute due to an accident, but it is tough if we can't deliver results in situations like this. I can't change the flow of the team, and my presence diminishes. It is very disappointing."

　[Summary of Coach Garo's Press Conference] "Until Matsumoto, it was encouraging to have many supporters come and cheer for us. First of all, I want to express my gratitude for this. In the first half, we were able to play the game in the way we aimed for, with good positioning, marking, and quick counter-attacks. Unfortunately, from around the end of the second half, our rhythm broke down, and in the end, we lost after conceding a goal. Overall, I think both Kashima and we played well, but Kashima is indeed a wonderful team, especially in terms of their ability to capitalize on our mistakes and score. Of course, we also played well, but as you can see, all four goals we conceded were due to mistakes. There is also the greatness of Kashima in being able to convert all four mistakes into goals, but we also had chances to win. Nevertheless, we lost due to our mistakes. However, I believe we were able to play the kind of football we aimed for. (Do you think Baba is better utilized as a top player rather than a forward?) I wanted to have a player who could hold the ball up front, so I used him as a top player in the first half. I think it worked well in this formation. In the second half, we brought in Rychely to break through the opponent's defense and move forward, and we took Baba off to allow for passing. I think we were able to make Rychely, left-side Kawaguchi, and right-side Ishikawa function well together."

　[Summary of the press conference by Kashima's Paulo AUTUORI] "We conceded goals due to a lack of concentration and attention. However, the players showed their desire to win and fought until the end, believing in victory. One of the reasons for our win was equalizing in the first half. Then, in the second half, we changed from a horizontal passing game to a fast vertical style, which allowed us to maintain possession. That was likely the reason for our victory. FC Tokyo's wonderful football enhanced the value of our win. (MF Nozawa came in during the second half and improved the game. Why did you substitute Yanagisawa?) The formation we had been working on in practice was the double pivot we used in the second half. The ball was moving well, so we went with that formation. Yanagisawa was substituted because he received a yellow card at the end of the first half. He has high ability and quality of movement. He struggled against FC Tokyo's tight marking, but he is regaining his form. He is a player who can fight and also convey experience and feelings to those around him."