Switching feelings and aiming for victory at home

　Sec. 32, Yokohama F.Marinos will face the match at home. In the previous match, they lost to Iwata away, but this match is an important one where they want to switch their mindset and take advantage of the home ground to win. However, the team's condition is not perfect. Ishikawa, who had an injury in his right foot, will return, but Inoha, Kajiyama, and Hirayama have left the team for the activities of the U-21 Japan national team since the 19th, and they also participated in the match against South Korea held on the 21st (Tue). Inoha also accompanied the Japan national team's Asian Cup qualifier held in Sapporo last week, so considering their respective conditions, Inoha and Kajiyama will avoid today's match.

　The members, with Jean starting for the first time since the Hiroshima match on October 15th. In addition, Inomata was used as a center back, and Miura and Miyazawa formed a double pivot. Coach Kuramata explained, "I considered the combination with Jean, and also converted Inomata considering Yokohama's early feed and how to respond to it."

　Yokohama FM, which currently has 39 points, is in 12th place. Although they tried to rebuild with new coach Takashi MIZUNUMA in the middle of the season, they have been on a three-game losing streak recently. However, they need to be cautious of the breakthroughs from the side by MF Hayato TANAKA, the runs from the top by Koji YAMASE, and the plays utilizing the speed of FW Sakata. Additionally, their power play, targeting FW Oshima from accurate passes, is also a threat.

　It should be an intense match, but Tokyo wants to take the initiative and counterattack. Although the defense line is makeshift, they want to prolong the attacking time and finish with a goal, while preventing goals from counters. In the attack, they want to exploit the space behind Yokohama FM's high defensive line and find opportunities to score. The match started at 15:04 with Tokyo's kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium, under the cloudy sky that feels like midwinter.

Seize the rhythm and take the lead with Lucas's penalty kick!

　In the first half, we pressed from the front and took the ball, and we grasped the rhythm with fast attacks. In the 2nd minute, Ishikawa cut inside from the flow of the left corner kick and took a powerful shot. In the place where the opponent's goalkeeper spilled it, Imano closed in and created a chance, but the shot did not hit and was blocked by the goalkeeper again. In the 5th minute, Yokohama FM also created a scoring opportunity. Right midfielder Hayato Tanaka forcefully broke through the side. Forward Oshima dropped the cross lifted from the end line and took a shot with his chest in front of the goal. The ball hit the lower left post and we avoided conceding a goal.

　Still, Tokyo took the advantage and threatened the Yokohama FM goal mainly through set pieces. In the 6th minute, Toda broke through to the front line and was brought down by the opponent's goalkeeper just outside the left area, winning a free kick. In the 15th minute, from Ishikawa's breakthrough, a free kick was awarded outside the right area. Miyazawa's kick was deflected by the goalkeeper and resulted in a left corner kick. In the 16th minute, a combination of Ishikawa and Miyazawa resulted in a free kick from outside the left area. They then won a left corner kick. However, Miyazawa and Baba's kicks were all blocked by Yokohama FM's defenders and did not lead to a goal.

　In the 17th minute, Yokohama FM launched a wave attack in front of the goal, and in the end, Miyazawa sent a lob pass to Lucas in the area. Yokohama FM defender Nasu, who was competing here, blocked Lucas' progress and won a penalty kick. In the 19th minute, Lucas confidently converted this penalty kick and scored the opening goal!

　In the 34th minute, Lucas creates a chance for an additional point. He skillfully controls a throw-in from his own half and sends a floated ball to the right front line. Ishikawa runs into it and shoots from inside the right area! However, the opponent's goalkeeper quickly reacts and blocks it. In the 38th minute, Lucas connects with Baba directly from Toda's post and shakes the net with a shot, but it is offside at Toda's position. In the 43rd minute, Lucas tenaciously keeps the ball on the right side. Ishikawa reacts to the pass into the middle and evades the opponent's DF who jumped in with a trap, then shoots from just outside the goal area. It was a decisive chance, but the ball narrowly misses to the left... The additional point is not scored, and they go into the second half with a one-point lead.

Yokohama FM pushed in and suffered a frustrating comeback defeat

　In the second half, Yokohama FM launched a counterattack. In the midst of intense battles for the ball, they gradually pushed Tokyo back. However, they calmly defended with Doi, Jean, and Imakuno at the center, resulting in a back-and-forth exchange. In the 60th minute, taking advantage of Yokohama FM's forward positioning, Baba sprinted up the left side and sent a cross to the far side. Ishikawa met it with a direct volley, sending it accurately towards the goal, but once again it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save.

　Yokohama FM replaced MF Hayato TANAKA with MF Oku in the 63rd minute. They connected passes smoothly and took control of the pace. On the other hand, Tokyo's energy level dropped and their defensive line dropped slightly. In the 67th minute, Tokyo replaced Ishikawa with Suzuki as left MF. They hoped for an additional goal with Toda shifting to the right. However, Yokohama FM also substituted FW Marques for MF Kano in the 75th minute. Immediately after that, Yokohama FM's MF Oku floated a pass into the penalty area. Tokyo's DF cleared it, but it fell to MF Koji YAMASE, who crossed it to DF Dutra on the left side. FW Oshima jumped ahead of Jean and headed the ball from close range. Although Doi initially saved the shot, MF Oku pushed it in and the score was equalized.

　In the 80th minute, Toda, who had moved forward on the right side, crossed the ball back to Lucas in the middle. Surrounded by defenders, Lucas passed the ball back and Miura made a run into the back, but unfortunately the pass didn't connect... In the 84th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Miyazawa. However, Yokohama FM completely dominated the power play and pushed Tokyo back. In the 88th minute, from a sharp left cross by Yokohama FM forward Marques, Oshima's header was on target, but Jean made a block right on the goal line! As the game entered the 2 minutes of stoppage time, Kawai passed to Yamase, who then passed to Kurihara, who had moved up freely on the right area. Kurihara's shot was saved by Doi's nice save and escaped as a corner kick, seemingly avoiding a dangerous situation.

　However, with this right CK, FW Marques kicked the ball and DF Nasu headed it far away. The ball floated in the air and Jean jumped, but Doi's hand couldn't reach it and it went into the goal. After that, Jean also moved up to the front line and tried to counterattack without giving up until the end, but it was in vain. They allowed a winning goal near the end and suffered a painful comeback defeat.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"Since I rested last match, my body felt somewhat too light. I moved too much, and my muscles and knees couldn't keep up with my sharpness, which even scared me. There was a decisive chance, but my first shot aimed high was saved. The second shot aimed low and went exactly where I intended, but it missed. Recently, Yokohama FM often connected the ball at their feet, so at the start, I pressed from the front line. We had discussed lowering the line to try to regain the ball if the opponent kicked long balls and we couldn't pick up the second ball, but we ended up being pushed back. In the second half, when fatigue set in, it would have been better to stay a bit more compact. The next match is the final home game. Rather than just stopping the opponent's championship, I want to play a match that connects to our future Emperor's Cup and next season." 《Konno》"In the end, we lost... a harsh result that leaves us tired. Today, we tried to defend firmly and launch counters. What we tried to do didn't change between the first and second halves, but in the second half, we couldn't bring it to a counterattack, got pushed back, and the defensive line couldn't hold. It was my first start as a center back, but I thought if I didn't lose 1-on-1s, we wouldn't concede. I was marking to some extent, but toward the end, Yokohama FM kept surging forward from the back, and as a result, we conceded. Losing like this today is frustrating and depressing, but the next match comes soon. We want to switch gears, fight hard, and win."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "Although we were overturned, I think we were able to play the soccer we aimed for in the first half. We read that Yokohama's defensive line was shallow and targeted the space behind it, and I think we also handled early feeds well. In the second half, we made them cautious about taking risks to attack, but due to marking errors caused by the opponent's substitutions, we conceded the first goal, and the second goal was due to our own mistake. If we had scored an additional goal early in the second half, the chances of winning would have been much higher, but we failed to do so. We had chances, so if we had finished them, the result would have been different. Konno was tasked with covering Yokohama FM's FW Sakata's runs, and he did well. He also pushed forward after winning the ball, so there was no problem with Konno as a center back. Jean played in a match for the first time in a while, so I think there were parts where his match sense was lacking. I haven't checked yet, but the part where he lost his mark on crosses needs correction. (There is a match against Urawa in two days, right?) I haven't thought about anything yet. I will watch the video and consider the members from now on."

　[Yokohama FM - Coach Mizunuma's Press Conference Summary] "I am relieved that we got the result. Until now, the players were trying to do what they intended, but despite that, they couldn't get results, and I felt a great responsibility. Before the match today, I said, 'FC Tokyo's football is aggressive and very intimidating. However, because they push forward, they also take risks.' We faced some critical chances and conceded goals, but at halftime, I talked about tactics and instructed, 'If we can create a base in the midfield space, we can manage somehow.' The ball started settling there, and we were able to move forward. We made substitutions, and while some players were motivated and others were not, the players who played today did well. It was good that we could deliver results to the fans. We want to fight desperately in the remaining two matches and get results. Defender Nasu, who scored the winning goal, hadn't been used in the last few matches, but he is a hard worker who can restore his performance on his own. I had no concerns about using him. He did well to contain Lucas, and although I didn't expect him to score the winning goal, he did. Above all, seeing everyone rush to him after the goal made me feel the team's unity."