We cannot afford to lose, let's secure the points at home!

　League 27th round is held. Albirex Niigata is welcomed at home stadium. In the previous round against Sendai, we suffered a painful comeback defeat with consecutive goals conceded at the end of the match. It is a point of reflection that we couldn't stop Sendai's momentum, but we took the lead twice and always led the game. The number of chances is increasing, so we need to calmly assess the situation and secure points from now on without looking down. This round, we will approach the match with a different lineup from the previous league matches. Kajiyama and Hanyu have been taking care of their injuries and preparing their condition, and they will start. Morishige and Konno will form the center-back, Tokunaga and Kajiyama will be in the defensive midfield, and Ishikawa and Hanyu will be on both sides. In addition, Yonemoto, who has been away from the front line for a long time, made his first appearance on the bench this season. On the other hand, Niigata is currently in 10th place with 38 points. In late August, FW Yano transferred to Germany, and since then, they have had a series of games without a victory. However, in the previous round against Nagoya, MF Marcio Richardes returned from injury. He immediately produced results and scored 4 goals to win against the top team. MF Marcio Richardes is not only able to break through the situation, but also has a sharp through pass and free kick. He has the ability to "decide the game" individually, so we need to be very cautious. However, Coach Oikuma emphasized the need to "think about plays that the opponent dislikes on our own" rather than just focusing on Niigata's countermeasures. We need to challenge boldly and score goals by making plays that the opponent dislikes, and we must secure points at home by any means necessary. It was a sunny day at Ajista. The match started at 15:05 with Niigata's kickoff.

Despite dominating possession and advancing advantageously, they are now trailing behind after a free kick...

　They launched a powerful attack from the beginning and created decisive opportunities from the sides. In the 2nd minute, Tokunaga sent a pass to the right flank, and Ishikawa caught up with great speed and delivered an early cross. Okubo jumped in near the goal and created a clear chance, but his header went wide... In the 9th minute, Nakamura advanced from a pass by Hayashi and took it to the finish. In the 10th minute, they earned a corner kick from Murohara's cross, and Morishige perfectly headed the ball from Ishikawa's kick, but it was saved by the Niigata goalkeeper. In the 15th minute, Marcinho Rishardes of Niigata kept the ball in the center and easily passed it to the left flank. Left full-back Sakai overlapped and sent a cross, but it went wide. There were also moments when they lost the ball while attacking and were hit by Niigata's sharp counterattacks, but they defended with concentration and did not allow any dangerous situations. Tokyo also launched quick counterattacks, and in the 37th minute, Tokunaga dropped Nakamura's pass to the forward line, and Ishikawa received it on the left side and took a shot inside, but it went wide. They were dominating the game, but just before the end of the first half, in the 44th minute, Niigata connected a play from a left throw-in and Tokyo failed to clear it, allowing Marcinho Rishardes, who was trying to enter the goal area with speed from the right, to be stopped by Tokunaga's foul. This resulted in a free kick from the right side of the penalty arc. Marcinho Rishardes aimed directly for the goal from this free kick, and his sharp kick found the net... They were cautious of the free kick, but Niigata efficiently converted one of their few chances and went into the second half with a one-goal deficit.

Kajiyama's penalty kick equalizes, and Gonda's fine play earns 1 point

　In the second half, we created chances from the advancing midfielders. In the 47th minute, Tokunaga advanced to the left front line and passed to the center. Hirayama dropped it, and from the pass by Kajiyama, Ishikawa, who was free in the right area, struck with his right foot but missed the target... After that, Niigata connected passes and seemed to gain rhythm, but the midfield and DF line worked together to regain possession and did not allow them to finish. In the 60th minute, Hirayama received a pass from Tokunaga in the area and was fouled, earning a penalty kick. Kajiyama calmly kicked it into the lower left corner of the goal, leveling the score. Amidst the rising mood of counterattack at home, we quickly advanced towards the Niigata goal, but in the 71st minute, Kajiyama sent a lob ball behind the opposing DF, and Daigoku in the right area shot directly as it bounced, but it went across the goal. In the 76th minute, from Nakamura's left throw-in, Ricardinho passed to Kajiyama in the center, who took a step forward to shoot but was blocked. However, Hirayama rushed in on the loose ball in the right area and took a decisive shot, but the GK saved it. In the 76th minute, Daigoku made a diving header from Mukuahara's cross, but... this too could not find the target. As we exchanged counterattacks, time passed without being able to convert our chances. Even during the 3 minutes of stoppage time, we attacked aiming for 3 points, but in the 90th minute +3, we lost possession of Gonda's goal kick in the opponent's half, and Niigata MF Marcinho Richardes threw it into the Tokyo area. Unable to clear it completely, Niigata's right back Nishi charged into the area with momentum. The substitute Ricardinho fouled him from behind, giving away a penalty kick. With this play, Ricardinho received a second warning and was sent off. Just before the end, we faced an absolute crisis, but the penalty kick taken by Niigata MF Marcinho Richardes was saved by Gonda in the lower right corner!!! Thanks to Gonda's fine play, we avoided defeat, but despite taking more than double the shots of Niigata, we ended with just one goal from the penalty kick, earning only 1 point. 【Player Comments】《Gonda》"Regarding the Niigata penalty, if I move early, it becomes a gamble, so I calmly watched MF Marcinho Richardes' kick and made my judgment. That is something I always keep in mind. However, I also have regrets about the previous goal kick, and while I'm glad I could stop the penalty, I can't say it with certainty. To make the 1 point we gained meaningful, what comes next is important." 《Kajiyama》"We took the ball well from tough defense and aimed for an additional goal until the end. I wasn't thinking about a draw. I was conscious of going forward and playing in the front, and the feeling wasn't bad... For the penalty, I had kicked to the right in the Liga de Quito match, so I aimed for the left. The GK jumped after I kicked, so I didn't feel he could stop it. I want to continue winning while having these kinds of matches." 【Coach Okuma's Press Conference Summary】"There are some self-destructive passing mistakes that tighten our own necks, but overall, the amount of movement has been continuing for 90 minutes in both offense and defense. The situation of conceding a goal was not broken down in the essence of soccer, around the area, and near the attacking third, but can be said to be self-destructive. That is something we want to confirm as a team. The players are doing their best. As I mentioned last time, I want to approach every match as if it were a tournament. (Regarding issues and future efforts) I think that as the amount of movement increases, the individuality and the work that the opponent dislikes are also increasing. The issue of decisive chances should be regarded as a team matter, and I want to continue working hard in both offense and defense. We will fight the remaining matches with the feeling of creating goals together. (What was the intention behind Matsushita's introduction?) It wasn't that Ishikawa had problems with his movement or shooting chances, but it also meant raising the overall strength of the 18 registered players. I wanted to put in a fresh player and apply more pressure from Matsushita's crossing accuracy. There was a point made that the flow had stopped, but we can't fight the remaining matches with just 11 players, so I want to verify the substitutes and strengthen even in the limited time. (There were scenes where Hirayama came back down, but?) There is a dilemma here. The number of times the ball comes to him should have increased compared to before. Also, with Kajiyama coming in, the number of connections has increased. However, by passing, the opponent pulls back, so there are parts that need verification, including high balls and vertical passes. Additionally, not only in heading situations but also in moments of isolation, I want to avoid taking too much time. I want to thoroughly do the unpleasant work for the opponent in the final moments before the goal." 【Niigata Coach Kurozaki's Press Conference Summary】"We knew it would be a difficult match for us at FC Tokyo's home. As for how to enter the match, I thought Tokyo would come forward, but in the first half, they played defensively and aimed for counterattacks. However, we also had places to connect, but in slow attacks, our passes got caught, and there were several dangerous moments in the first half. Conversely, when we could take the ball well and launch counterattacks, we did not speed up. If MF Cho Yong-cheol and others could make movements to target behind at top speed, I think the chances would have increased. Even so, we took the lead with MF Marcinho Richardes' FK, but in the second half, we gave away a penalty due to a careless foul. Regarding the last penalty, we trust MF Marcinho Richardes, so it was unavoidable that he missed. Throughout the match, the players fought aggressively, and many supporters came to cheer, so I think we were able to play a match true to Niigata."