Challenge and win 3 points as a challenger!

　Sec. 20 of the league, we will play against Nagoya Grampus away. We couldn't score a second goal in the Nabisco Oita match and missed out on advancing to the semifinals. Although we ended up with 1-1 draws in four consecutive official matches, we feel confident in our defense, so this match is an important one where we want to turn our goals into victories and boost the team's momentum. It will be back-to-back away matches, but we want to somehow secure 3 points in this first match after the league restart and regain momentum for the team.

　Nagoya, who is currently in 3rd place with 33 points, secured a solid victory in the Nabisco Cup held on the 6th (Wednesday) and advanced to the semifinals. Coach Jofuku also said, "Being in 3rd place is not a fluke. There is no weakness in offense and defense, and I can't find any areas to improve if we can control this...". In this match, although MF Ogawa will be suspended, there are players with scoring ability such as FW Yon-sen, FW Tamada, and MF Maginun, with MF Nakamura also contributing with his high work rate in both offense and defense. Additionally, DF Takeuchi and Abe are players who can also serve as the starting point for side attacks, truly leaving no "holes".

　Tokyo made significant changes to the starting lineup from the Oita game. Mone and Sasaki are in central defense, Imamura is at right back, Ishikawa is used in midfield, and in the forward line, Hirayama replaces Akamine. The key point is whether they can score a second goal, especially in attack. It is important to connect passes and increase speed, and to switch the play. As Nagoya is also skilled in side attacks, the battle on the wings is one of the highlights. Utilizing Ishikawa to launch vertical breakthroughs should also be one of the options. They want to threaten the Nagoya goal by boldly attacking.

　Hanyu said, "We will approach the match against the top teams as challengers. We want to break through Nagoya's strong defense with a strong determination." Coach Jofuku also stated, "The Oita match was a must-win game. We will take out our frustration on the league. Our mindset has changed." To overcome this difficult situation, we need to connect good defense to good offense, score goals, and win! The match started at 19:03 with Tokyo's kickoff at Mizuho Athletics Stadium.

Hirayama opens the scoring with his first goal of the season, leading the team as they head into halftime

　Nagoya, who tried to attack from the side, picked up the second ball well and attacked with coordinated movements. In the 9th minute, they stole a misplaced pass in the opponent's territory, Cabore -> Hirayama dribbled forward. He tried to shoot for goal from just outside the area, but it was blocked by the defender. In the 17th minute, Ishikawa competed for a long ball from the back, won a right corner kick, and Emerson took a shot from the loose ball from Ishikawa's kick. It resulted in another corner kick due to the opponent goalkeeper's great save. In this corner kick, Imakano headed the ball, but it went outside the frame.

　After that, Ishikawa and Hanyu, who was used as a defensive midfielder in this match, aggressively attacked from the starting point. In the 19th minute, Ishikawa received Emerson's through pass in front of the goal and quickly turned around to take a left-footed shot. In the 24th minute, Hanyu initiated a central breakthrough, attracting the attention of the defenders, and sent a final pass to Kabore who had run behind them. Both created clear chances, but the shots were blocked by Nagoya GK Narazaki's excellent saves. On the contrary, in the 28th minute, a defensive mistake allowed FW Tamada to pick up the ball and charge towards the goal, with Sasaki desperately chasing after him, but the shot was taken. It was a decisive moment, but it missed above the bar and the team escaped the danger.

　In the midst of a back-and-forth battle, the 35th minute arrived. Tokunaga on the left side smoothly sent a cross to Hayabusa, who had moved up in front of the goal. Hayabusa controlled it with his chest and passed it to Hirayama, who was waiting near the left corner of the area. Hirayama took a touch and swung his right foot with all his might, sending a low trajectory shot beautifully into the near post, GOAL! With this goal, Hirayama took the lead with his first goal of the season in the league.

　Tokyo continues to aim for additional points and does not let up on their attacks. In the 38th minute, Cabore takes a perfect header shot from Ishikawa's right corner kick, but it is blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's brave save. In the 42nd minute, Shioda's kick passes through the defense, and Hirayama breaks free to take a shot, but it goes wide. In defense, they do not allow the opponents to freely move in the midfield, and the final line, led by Mobata and Sahara, effectively suppresses Nagoya's attacks, leading them to end the first half in the lead.

Calmly respond to Nagoya's power play and achieve a clean sheet victory

　During the first half, there was an accident where Shigetaka Mogi injured his shoulder, so he was substituted by Hayato Mukuhara as a precaution in the second half. The team approached the game with a formation where Junya Inamoto moved to center back. However, Nagoya gradually gained control of the rhythm and started to push us back. Nevertheless, we managed to regain possession with focused defense and attempted to score from counterattacks. In the 52nd minute, we launched a counterattack from clearing the opponent's free kick, and Kaua sprinted down the left side of Nagoya's defense. He carried the ball into the penalty area, evaded the defenders, and took a shot, but the goalkeeper who came out blocked it.

　Nagoya gradually attacks from the side. In the 61st minute, Nagoya's left SB Abe sent a cross to the goal, and FW Tamada jumped in, creating a chance for MF Yoneyama who followed up, but it was desperately cleared. In the 69th minute, FW Sugimoto, who came on as a substitute, headed the ball perfectly from the left cross. It was a decisive opportunity, but the ball went straight to Shibata. After that, Nagoya continued to bring in FW May, FW Tsuda, and other attacking players one after another, but Tokyo's defense also held on stubbornly, resulting in a back-and-forth battle.

　Tokyo tired-looking Cabore, replaced by Emerson, introduced Akamine and Kanazawa. They maintained the defensive balance and calmly responded to the opponent's counterattacks. Amidst chances from both sides on the counter, in the 89th minute, they launched a counterattack, with Imakawa dribbling and charging towards the goal, facing the goalkeeper one-on-one. In the end, he passed to Akamine who was running alongside... but it didn't reach well... They couldn't score the second goal, but they defended with their bodies and kept Nagoya's fierce attacks from scoring, achieving their first victory in the league since the May 17th game against Iwata!

　[Player Comments]《Hirayama》"(Regarding participation) I was conscious of both creating chances and scoring goals myself. I reflected on not being able to receive the ball well in the early stages, which affected our rhythm. I need to ensure I can operate at full capacity from the start... I am reflecting on that. The goal was as I aimed. I targeted the near post. I also had a chance to score a second goal myself, and if I had converted that, I think it would have made things easier for the team. Additionally, if I could have delivered a better ball behind for Cabore, there were moments that could have turned into chances. However, today, more than my own goal, I was happy that the defenders worked hard to keep the score at zero despite the difficulties, and I think that was a gain for the team. I want to make it a goal to score more than two goals and work hard together."《Ishikawa》"I think the match against Oita wasn't bad in terms of content, and I'm glad we could connect that to today's victory. Nagoya's full-backs run long distances to get forward. In front of them is MF Maginun, so I was careful about my positioning. From a good position, I tried to move forward when we won the ball. There was space to move into once we won it. I wanted to score a second goal there, but... In the second half, we may have had fewer chances, but it’s important to finish in those situations, like the cross from Shingo. Normally, Shingo would be the one to finish, but since he drifted to the side, I thought, 'I’m the only one who can finish!' and ran with all my might. But I was just a bit late. Also, in the second half, the opponent kicked the ball, and we got pushed back as our midfield opened up. We needed to apply pressure in midfield a bit earlier. As a team, when we try to do one thing, we end up not being able to do what we were initially doing. We can only correct that through repetition. However, we were able to win today, and we can approach the next match against Urawa in a good shape. Personally, I want to work on the challenge of breaking forward while connecting the play."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Since the break, we have had draws but have not been able to win, which has led to a lot of frustration. I feel sorry for the fans. Our approach to football remains unchanged, but the lack of victories has caused stress, and I want to get closer to certainty as soon as possible. As always, we were focused on securing three points today. During the game, we made an effort as a team to minimize the chances for forwards Tamada and Yonsen to create time, and I think we managed to do that to some extent. Not just in today's match, but in the last few games, I believe the team has been compact in defense, and it was good that we were able to keep the opponent scoreless today. In terms of attack, the team has a hunger for victory right now, so I think we showed a positive attitude towards scoring goals. In the second half, there was a moment where we connected with a one-touch pass in the center, and Ishikawa's pass was cut off, but we need to create more situations like that, breaking through with our passing work. Additionally, when the opponent attacks, we need to hold onto the ball and waste more time. There are challenges to address. But overall, it was good that we were able to defend the one goal we scored in the first half. We still have the challenge of not being able to score a second goal, and I think the players may have been too tense due to the awareness of that challenge, especially in the final scene (when Konno passed to Akamine in a one-on-one situation with the opposing GK, but we missed the chance to score). Next time, I hope we can work hard as a team to secure that second goal."

　[Summary of the press conference by Nagoya's coach STOJKOVIC] "Of course, I was disappointed that we didn't get the result, but we were able to show our style. The players worked hard and made efforts to score. Although we didn't score, this is the result we got, and I think this kind of football exists. I want to congratulate FC Tokyo, and I would like to express my respect for our players who showed wonderful performances. (Despite having fewer chances to be attacked, we had many crises?) I believe we controlled the game for 90 minutes, but we couldn't capitalize on our chances. I think we lacked decisiveness. I don't think we fought well enough in the first half, especially in front of Tokyo's goal, where we struggled to get good finishes. In the first half, I think we were a bit lacking in aggression. With MF Ogawa and MF Yoshimura unable to play, the starting lineup was not the usual one, but that is basically not a problem, and I don't want to use it as an excuse. Also, we had a hard game against JEF in the Nabisco Cup. I think there was some fatigue, but in today's match, they showed fighting spirit without showing any tiredness. They ran and conveyed their desire to score. However, I think the pitch conditions were poor. If there is something I could change, I would want to change the pitch conditions. But that is not possible (laughs)"