In pursuit of victory...

Tokyo, who wants to forget the nightmare of the previous match as soon as possible, faced Hiroshima, who is in last place (16th) on this day. However, even though they are in last place, the point difference between Tokyo, currently in 14th place, is only "2". If Marinos, who are in 15th place on this day, win against Verdy and Tokyo loses to Hiroshima, Tokyo will fall to last place for the first time in club history.

Before the match, Coach Okuma reconfirmed the defensive line's coordination mistakes and balance that led to the goals conceded in the previous match, instructing the team to pay close attention to the sharp and long-distance movements of Hiroshima's three forwards. He repeatedly emphasized not to make the same mistakes again. The lineup featured Amaral starting for the first time in five matches, Captain Shitohira returning to the starting lineup after four matches, and Tetsuya ITO starting on the right side for the first time this season after three matches. The team approached the match with a bold lineup. The focus was on the combination of Kelly and Amaral, who were starting together for the first time. Whether they could become the "catalyst" to break the bad flow so far was uncertain... If this combination functions well, the team has the potential to ride a wave of momentum, but if it does not, a harsh reality awaits. Expectations rose for this combination, which holds the key to the team's future success or failure.

Early conceded goal that dampens the spirits

"Once again..." It is. Coach Okuma had been saying it over and over again before the game, but due to a defensive combination mistake, just like in the previous match, we conceded the opening goal.

On this day, Tokyo had been creating a "good shape" from the start of the match. In the 2nd minute, Asari, who had sharp footwork near the center circle, stole the opponent's ball and dribbled forward, passing to Lopes who had drifted to the right of the penalty area. Lopes took a bold shot. Although the powerful shot was caught by the goalkeeper, expectations were raised for Lopes' forward play, which was not seen in the previous match. In the following 3 minutes, Amaral dribbled into the penalty area and then passed to Lopes, who had run into the center after attracting the opponent on the right side. However, the pass was slightly too strong and passed in front of Lopes. Missing this decisive big chance would have a significant impact later on.

Tokyo, unable to score the opening goal while creating chances with aggressive and sharp defense in quick succession, would gradually face a counterattack from Hiroshima. Hiroshima placed their ace, Kubo, in a one-top position, with technician Fujimoto on the right and speedy Takahashi on the left, launching quick counterattacks. In midfield, they quickly passed the ball to Kubo, who would then drop it for Moriaki and Fujimoto to pick up and attack sharply. In the 7th minute, when Ryo was dispossessed in midfield, a sharp counterattack connected Kubo and Fujimoto, easily breaking down the right side. Fortunately, the cross was inaccurate, preventing a goal, but Tokyo continued to lose the ball easily under the opponent's intense pressure in midfield, starting a bad pattern of giving rhythm to Hiroshima due to their own mistakes. In the 11th minute, when Fujiyama lost the ball to Fujimoto due to careless dribbling, Fujimoto advanced with the ball and sent a through pass to Takahashi, who had broken behind Tokyo's defensive line. Takahashi's shot hit goalkeeper Doi and lost momentum, but rolled into the goal anyway.

Conceding a goal at a similar time as the previous match, it's a familiar "here we go again" moment. Tokyo once again suffered an early goal, which disrupted their game plan.

The aggressive attack was also deprived of additional points and fell into despair.

Tokyo, wanting to switch their mindset, received a pass from Amaral, who was in the center just outside the penalty area, to Rohi, who was flowing to the right. Rohi took a decisive shot just like he did at the start of the match. The powerful shot was deflected by the goalkeeper, and Miura dove in for a sliding shot, but it also hit the goalkeeper. Amaral aimed for the goal with a volley from outside the penalty area after the ball bounced back, but it went over the bar. Tokyo missed another big chance and was caught up in Hiroshima's pace for a while. However, in the 25th minute, right back Tetsuya ITO showed a bold attacking participation by dribbling past two opposing defenders. In the 29th minute, Rohi picked up a loose ball in midfield and unleashed a powerful middle shot of about 25 meters, showcasing a noticeable boldness in their play as they counterattacked. In the 41st minute, Miura, Kelly, and Rohi created a chance by breaking through the opponent's defense line with their passing work from the center. In the 43rd minute, a counterattack led to a pass from Asari to Amaral after a dribble, resulting in a decisive shot, but they were still one step away from scoring as the goal remained elusive. Conversely, just before the end of the first half, in the 44th minute, Fujimoto and Hattori connected near the left side corner, and Takahashi, who jumped in at the near side from Hattori's cross, headed the ball into the goal, conceding an additional point. Once again, in a time zone that felt like a nightmare similar to the previous match, they conceded an additional point at a moment when they thought, 'Now, let's counterattack,' falling into a difficult situation with a two-goal deficit at halftime.

The harsh reality of falling to last place... Switching our mindset and moving on to the next match

At halftime, Coach Okuma instructed the fullbacks, midfielders, or Amaral to make aggressive movements and surpass the forward Luvisu when attacking at the opportune moment. In the previous match, the team had a negative mindset after conceding a goal, and as a result, they lost the attacking momentum. This instruction emphasizes the importance of maintaining a strong mindset in this aspect.

However, how many people on the pitch in the second half understood and implemented the halftime coach's instructions? At least, it was only Shimodaira who clearly showed the "fighting spirit" and persevered until the end. In this season's seven matches so far, this was the second time he was on the bench (both times as a starter), and I felt that his game sense was somewhat dull, but he led the team with sufficient leadership and fighting spirit to cover for it. He risked his body to steal the opponent's ball and quietly but surely distributed it to the front line. With Shimodaira's presence, the accuracy of distribution in the midfield definitely improved and led to chances in the front line. It could be said that this was the only bright spot and achievement that was close to "fighting alone". I couldn't help but think that his captaincy in the future could save the current team.

The second half was a one-sided development for Hiroshima. In the 8th minute, a free kick given away in front of the goal was saved by the post, but in the 17th minute, Takahashi scored his third goal of the day with a header from a right corner kick, sealing the deal. Tokyo, whose motivation dropped due to conceding 3 goals in consecutive matches, was on the defensive for the rest of the game. Shimodaira's brave play and Kelly's improved movement after changing positions from the right side to the left side or center maintained a high level of quality until the end. Yukihiko and Kina, who came on in the second half, also created good opportunities near the end, but Amara and Lopes, the two top players, lacked concentration and were frequently dispossessed due to careless play, failing to create an organized attacking shape that would lead to goals.

It seemed that we were completely overwhelmed by Hiroshima in the first half, which led to us being on the defensive the whole time. However, the main reason for this was the lack of initiative from Tokyo players to move forward. It is true that the opponent's front three always stayed up front, especially with the incredible speed and post-play of their ace, Okubo. It was dangerous for Tokyo's defense to join the attack recklessly, as pointed out by Coach Okuma. However, as he mentioned, without the defenders and midfielders making decisive moves to surpass the forwards at crucial moments, the attack lacked depth and chances were not created. In the latter part of the second half, Fujiyama participated in the attack several times, but there was a lack of long-distance runs and significant movements to break through the opponent's defense, which prevented us from finding a fundamental breakthrough strategy.

In the dying moments of the match, in the 40th minute, Fujiyama dribbled down the left side and delivered a cross, but it went well past the goal. This time, Yukihiko returned it from the right side, and Amaral headed it down, but Kaburaki's overhead attempt just missed the goal. In the 43rd minute, a wonderful ball from Kelly reached Yukihiko on the right side, who then passed it to Kinama. Kinama unleashed a powerful mid-range shot with his left foot from about 25 meters, but unfortunately, it was caught right in front of the goalkeeper. Immediately after that, Kaburaki's cross from the left side saw Amaral and others dive in, but it did not result in a goal. In the end, the match ended with the time up. Before the match, they referred to the previous game as a nightmare, but little did they know that an even harsher reality awaited them that day... This marked the first time in the club's history that they fell to the bottom of the league. The next match against Sapporo is just three days away. How will they regroup in such a short period? This can be considered a serious trial, the first true test since their promotion to J1, even more severe than last year's consecutive losses. The club believes in the coach, players, coaches, and staff. The true test of Coach Okuma's skills is about to begin.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

The overall balance was not bad. Just like the previous match, we conceded a goal early on due to our own mistake, and unfortunately, this had a significant impact on our passive play afterwards. It was a momentary lapse that led to the goal, but we need to reconsider the balance of our defense. In the future, without compromising the current overall balance, we need to think about how we can have our full-backs and midfielders make big runs forward at the right moments, in order to launch attacks from the sides and with speed. We hope to approach the next match with these considerations in mind.