Nabisco Day 2, revenge the league match and achieve victory

　From the 7th section of the league match on the 8th (Sat), we will face Yokohama F.Marinos in the 2nd day of the Nabisco Cup qualifiers with only 3 days in between. We will challenge Yokohama away, which will be a match without a break from the 6th section of the league held on the 1st (Sat), but we were dominated throughout the league match. Although we managed to bring it to a draw towards the end, it can be said that we were completely defeated in terms of content. Based on the momentum gained in the 7th section against Iwata, we want to take revenge in this match.

　Yokohama FM, who has not won in the last three matches, is facing the match. Perhaps because of that, they have chosen fresh and highly motivated players for today's game. The starting lineup for today includes six players who have been replaced from the previous match, including injured FW Marques and MF Maglone.

　To counter the composition of Yokohama FM, Tokyo aims to take advantage on the sides and has chosen the same 3-5-2 system. The back three consists of Shigeno on the left, Jean on the right, and Mashima in the center. The midfield sides are Suzuki and Tokunaga, with Kurisawa playing as the attacking midfielder, and Inoue and Kajiyama behind. This is the lineup they will face the match with.

Dominate the game against the energetic Yokohama FM

　The match started at 19:00 with the kickoff of Yokohama FM at the humid Mitsuzawa Park Stadium. Yokohama FM quickly gained momentum with a powerful play, taking a corner kick from the left MF Dutra's middle shot and FW Oshima's header from the right corner kick. In the 12th minute, right MF Tanaka boldly cut back Suzuki and took a shot, but it was saved by Doi's good defense and resulted in a corner kick. After the corner kick, MF Yoshida broke through Tokyo's left side. He was able to deliver a sharp cross from a deep position, which Doi caught firmly. In the 15th minute, FW Oshima jumped into the air to meet Tanaka's sharp cross, but Mashima held him back well and it resulted in another corner kick.

　Tokyo made a series of mistakes in front of the tough opponent's press. They lost the ball and were dominated by Yokohama FM for a long time. Yokohama FM ran well both in attack and defense, connecting passes and taking control of the wings. Starting from the attacking midfielder Yoshida, they launched side attacks one after another, especially from the right midfielder Tanaka, and made runs into the goal area for forward Sakata. In the 21st minute, Yokohama FM's forward Oshima headed the ball into the goal from a free kick from the left area, but the preceding contest was called a foul, so it was disallowed. In the 23rd minute, forward Sakata jumped to head the ball into the net from a fast cross from right midfielder Tanaka. In the 32nd minute, Tokyo's defense cut off a shot from right midfielder Tanaka who had entered the penalty area.

　In the 34th minute, Kajiyama tried to break the frustrating situation of not being able to attack by taking a shot, winning a corner kick. However, Lucas jumped into Kurihara's right corner kick but couldn't take a shot. In the end, Tokyo only had two shots in the first half, one from Kajiyama and one from Lucas in the 39th minute. Nevertheless, with Doi and Mashima leading the defense, they managed to keep a clean sheet and ended the first half scoreless. There were hopes for a comeback in the second half.

Despite attacking, they suffered two goals and were completely defeated...

　From the end of the first half, Jean and Masuzaki changed positions. Masuzaki moved to the right and quickly shut down the opponent's FW, joining the attack. The desire to move forward paid off, and at the start of the second half, Masuzaki made a daring attack and passed the ball to the front line. However, it just missed Kurizawa who had come out. In the 52nd minute, Masuzaki and Kajiyama fought for the ball with the opponent, and it was passed from Tokunaga to Kurizawa in the center. Kurizawa took a well-aimed shot, but it was saved by the opponent's GK. Finally, the competition became more balanced and the attacking rhythm was starting to form.

　However, in the 57th minute, Yokohama FM was stolen in the midfield, and FW Sakata dribbled up the left side. A low and sharp cross was sent to the front of the goal from a deep position, and Doi saved it once. However, the floating ball fell in front of MF Karino, who had just come on as a substitute, and was kicked into the goal from a close distance. It was a goal that broke the beginning of the counterattack.

　Tokyo, in the 63rd minute, substituted Jean for Kawaguchi, and in the 66th minute, substituted Suzuki for Fujiyama. They launched a counterattack with an unconventional 3-4-3 formation, with Tokunaga as the rising target. They created a scene from Kajiyama's distribution, starting from the right side and bringing it to a shot. In the 72nd minute, Tokunaga broke through the right side, the cross didn't connect with Sasa in the center, but Kawaguchi from the far side provided good support and took a shot from outside the left area. However, it lacked power and missed the target. In the 76th minute, a through pass went to Kawaguchi who had run out to the right front line from Kajiyama. Kawaguchi crossed the ball and Kajiyama, who picked up the loose ball from the defenders, took a shot, but it narrowly missed the top of the bar...

　In the 83rd minute, Abe was substituted for Kurisawa, and they tried to score a goal with a scramble formation close to a four-top, but they were unable to score. On the contrary, in the 89th minute, Yokohama FM quickly restarted and FW Kubo easily scored a goal. They allowed an additional point by being caught off guard and the game ended. They lost the game to the aggressive Yokohama in both offense and defense.

　[Player Comments] {Masushima} "In the first half, I couldn't find the rhythm. In the midfield, we faced a 3-on-3 situation, and I lost the ball due to a mistake, allowing the opponent to counter. Yokohama's DF Matsuda was also pushing up, creating a numerical advantage, so I switched to right DF midway through, focusing on defending while also trying to push forward. Just before the match started, Coach Garo instructed me to be flexible in that regard. There were moments when I could have made a pass, but it's unfortunate that I couldn't change the bad flow." {Kawaguchi} "(As for my participation) we were in a losing situation, so with three forwards, either Rucon or I tried to create chances by moving into the space on the sides. The opposing DF has height, so I focused on low and fast crosses. As Kajiyama shot, if it rebounds, it could lead to a chance. I thought it was necessary to repeat that several times. However, players coming on as substitutes must deliver results even in a short time. It's unfortunate that it didn't lead to goals and victories. (Do you feel the team's condition has regressed compared to the match against Iwata?) Since there is an opponent, there's no need to be discouraged. It's important to reduce mistakes and switch gears."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "Until around the 30th minute of the first half, our marking in the midfield was weak, and the opponents were able to freely pass the ball. Towards the end of the first half, we started to mark tightly and were able to create some good opportunities. As for the second half, I think it was evenly matched, but we conceded a goal due to a mistake. After conceding the first goal, we had to equalize and turn the game around, so we pushed forward. I think we had several chances, but we couldn't convert them into goals. In the midst of our attacking play, we conceded an additional goal in the end. It was a game where Yokohama's finishing ability resulted in them scoring two goals. The intention behind playing with a back three was for our wing players to push forward and deliver crosses to Lucas and Sasa. However, especially in the first half, we made many mistakes and couldn't connect our passes."

　【Yokohama FM Coach Okada's Press Conference Summary】"Today, I wanted the top team to show the fighting spirit and the attitude of fighting together that they had recently forgotten. They played a wonderful match as intended. Even when their legs started to tire in the second half, they fought well. I am satisfied with how hard the young players worked. MF Amano is a player I can count on to some extent, and he did the minimum required work. MF Kano is an attacking player, so I was worried about how much he could do, but I didn't expect him to perform this well. We don't have a good free-kick taker, but his kicks have accuracy. It is reassuring that he can become a significant asset. Regarding the use of FW Kubo, there was a sudden accident with Sakata's injury, so I hesitated considering the next match and testing other players. However, I also had a strong desire to ensure we win today, so I decided to bring him in. Depending on the flow of the match, I was also considering using him in the latter stages. Until now, I couldn't calculate his impact when used as a substitute, but he did well for the team. I used DF Nasu on the left of the three-back because he was in good form, and he has accuracy with his left foot, so I could count on him to distribute the ball from the left. I had no hesitation in using MF Kawai as a substitute for the holding midfielder position, as I had considered him for that role for some time."