Wanchope makes his first start in the league, aiming for a home victory!

　Sec. 7 will be a match between Yokohama FC at Ajinomoto Stadium. In the previous match against Oita, it ended in a draw, but a victory at home is expected in the next match. Both teams have won one match each in the league. It will be a game where victory is absolutely necessary in the ranking battle. There was a 5-day interval since the previous match, but the Olympic representative team went on a Syria expedition during this time and returned home last night, so they will be absent. Imano participated in the Japan national team training camp until the 18th (Wed), but today he started as a center back, just like in the previous match. On the other hand, Shigeki has fully recovered in the red and white match and practice matches, and made it to the bench.

　This week, we have been training with a lineup that includes Lucas and Wanchope as the top two, as well as Baba entering the top from the midfield. Manager Hara is eager to win by playing our own soccer, saying, "We are building a stable foundation and want to win by playing our own soccer more than the opponent." He also mentioned his intention to expect movements not only in keeping the ball in the front line but also in jumping into the center by increasing the number of players in the front line, saying, "Recently, even when crosses came in, there were not enough players in the middle. We also expect Wanchope's utilization." As a countermeasure against Yokohama FC, who defend by pulling back, we will challenge them with a 4-4-2 formation.

　Yokohama FC, which was promoted to J1 this season, is currently in last place with 4 consecutive losses. They have many injured players and are in a difficult situation. They have also conceded the most goals in the league so far, with a total of 15, but GK Kanō has outstanding reflexes and is a formidable presence if he is hit. In addition, MF Oku seems to have good decision-making skills, although his condition may not be perfect. MF Takizawa, in particular, has high accuracy in crosses, so we need to be very careful of his "one-shot" opportunities. However, if we can take the ball away when Yokohama FC is attacking based on a stable defense, counterattacks can also be effective as there will be two players remaining in the front line. Let's quickly turn the tables and get 3 points!

Allowing Yokohama to attack, but counterattacking

　The match started at Ajinomoto Stadium at 14:04 under cloudy skies with occasional sunshine. However, Yokohama FC launched an attack from the beginning. In the early stages, left midfielder Takizawa took a middle shot. In the 2nd minute, Wanchope was dispossessed of a big side change and gave a corner kick to Yokohama FC on the counter. In the following 4 minutes, they failed to clear the corner kick and Yokohama FC connected the ball, allowing midfielder Miura to break free from defender Ota's through pass. It was a decisive shot, but it narrowly curved to the right and avoided danger.

　When we survived this period, we regained our composure and launched an offensive against Yokohama FC. Yokohama FC's defense maintained a higher line than expected, so Lucas and Wanchope, along with Ishikawa and Kurisawa, moved well and looked to exploit the space behind. However, in the 14th minute, after Asari's interception, Fukunishi passed to Wanchope in the front line with a long pass. Wanchope kept the ball in the right area, attracting the opponent's defenders and sending a lofted pass inside. Ishikawa made a run here and got into a shooting position, but the ball missed wide due to the pressure from the defender.

　19 minutes, Kurihara received a big change from Kanazawa in the right area and took a shot, but missed the frame. In the 28th minute, Fukunishi initiated a counterattack. Lucas, Kurihara, and Asari connected, and finally Kanazawa crossed from the left, but it didn't reach Lucas and Wanchope in the middle. In the 31st minute, Lucas reacted to the loose ball from Kurihara's post. He dashed fiercely towards the goal, but couldn't score. In the end, despite shooting 8 times compared to Yokohama FC's 5, there were few clever and intentional plays in the final moments, and the first half ended scoreless.

Konno scores a goal! Ajinomoto Stadium secures its first victory with two consecutive clean sheets

　In the second half, Tokyo seizes the opportunity in the early stages. In the 46th minute, they earn a free kick on the right side of the Yokohama FC's territory. Kurisawa receives the ball from the free kick and passes it back to Asari behind him. Asari confidently sends a cross from the right side of the halfway line to the left area. Wanchope heads the ball down, and Imano, who was running into the area, strikes it with his left foot after controlling it with his chest. The shot goes through the opponent's goalkeeper's legs and into the goal, scoring the opening goal!

　From there, the team dominates the ball and pushes forward, launching wide attacks. In the 50th minute, Wanchope's acrobatic connection leads to Lucas dribbling up and persistently picking up the loose ball, passing it to Fukunishi. From there, a through pass is sent to Ishikawa in the right area, but it is blocked by the defender and results in a right corner kick. From this corner kick by Ishikawa, Lucas heads the ball freely but it goes wide... In the 56th minute, a free kick is awarded to Yokohama FC outside the left corner of their own area. It was the only chance given to Yokohama FC, but midfielder Miura's shot goes wide.

　After that, Tokunaga and Kanazawa also overlapped, snatching crosses and corner kicks to create chances. In addition, they created many scenes where multiple players jumped in to attack these crosses. In the 60th minute, Wanchope took a header shot from Kurizawa's left cross, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 66th minute, Baba was substituted for Wanchope, and in the 71st minute, Suzuki Nori was substituted for Ishikawa. These two players led the fast attacks. Immediately after in the 72nd minute, Baba sent a delicate lob pass to the goal area, and Suzuki Nori jumped out to try a left-footed shot, but it narrowly missed.

　77 minutes, approaching the goal from a free kick, Inamoto runs in from Doi's cross. It was a scene similar to the opening goal, but unfortunately he couldn't take a shot. In the 84th minute, Suzuki Nori sprinted down the left side from Lucas' pass. Although he slowed down once, he aimed carefully and took a shot, which was saved by the goalkeeper and resulted in a right corner kick. In the 88th minute, Baba cut inside deeply from the right area. Suzuki Nori and Fukunishi were also closing in, but they couldn't make a connection and couldn't score an additional goal until the end. However, they didn't give Yokohama FC any chances with their coordinated defensive movements. They achieved their first victory at Ajinomoto Stadium with a score of 1-0!

　【Player Comments】《Konno》"It was a tough match. We could only score one goal in attack, and our defense was also struggling, but we managed to hold on thanks to the good movement from the front line. In the scoring scene, the ball went over my head to Wanchope, and I believed he would definitely give it to me, so I ran. He delivered the ball to the ideal spot. I thought it would be easier if we could score a second goal, so I pushed forward in attack. Until the match against Niigata, the team was pressing in a disjointed manner, which was frustrating. Recently, we have been able to focus on a compact shape in practice. My defense with Asari has been stable, but it's not just a two-person issue. The awareness of the entire team is changing. I am currently playing as a center-back, but I believe a good player can perform consistently at a high level in what the coach asks for. So, depending on the team's situation, I don't know where I will play in the future. I want to continue to execute the necessary plays." 《Wanchope》"(Regarding my first start in the league) It has taken time up to this point, but I believe the quality of my play has improved. Not just in the assist scene, I must always be aware of the movements of other players. Today, when the cross came, I was thinking about creating a chance by looking at the players in front of the goal. When Konno ran into that space, I dropped the ball immediately. After finishing Sec. 7, I feel that there has been almost no difference between us and any team so far. We will face higher-ranked teams in the future, and I want to give 100 percent effort and score goals."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "In the league matches, especially at this Ajinomoto Stadium, we struggled to win. In the opening match against Hiroshima, we were attacked on the counter while we were pushing forward, and in the match against Iwata, despite creating decisive chances, we were caught by the one chance of the opponent who had gone down to ten men. Since then, we lost our rhythm, and in the match against Niigata, we also attacked with numbers but our rhythm was poor. After Inoha was suspended, we stabilized the back by putting Konno as a stopper and returning Tokunaga to his original right position, while bringing in Asari. While valuing that stability, I wanted to create a more dynamic attack, so I started Wanchope. His connection with the surrounding players is not perfect, but he has been able to contribute to scoring, as seen in today's goal, and I felt that his movement has been improving. At the start, we couldn't create a good shape, and there was a scene where we thought 'did we get caught?' with Yokohama FC's MF Miura, but I believe we endured that period and the goal in the second half came. We are still not in our best form, but it is important to defend well right now. The fact that we did not use the three Olympic representatives today is because we cannot know their condition without trying. Winning with the remaining players is something that will lead to the future. Despite the ongoing situation of not being able to win, everyone supported us passionately today. I am truly happy that we could present a victory there. From now on, I want to play better soccer and aim higher."

　[Yokohama FC Coach Takagi's Press Conference Summary] "I think the players worked hard and played a good game. As a game plan, we did very well in the first half. We tried to carry that momentum into the second half, but the timing of the conceded goal was very unfortunate. There were moments when we could have equalized, but given the current situation of the team, once we fall behind, we cannot catch up. However, compared to the last match, the team's aim and performance have improved. I can't say if we were able to create a game that leads to the next one, but the players did well with a good flow. Still, the fact that it resulted in a loss is the harsh reality. I brought in MF Oku during the match and changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation with one top and one shadow. After that, when I brought in DF Nakajima as a side back, I moved FW Yabuta up to return to two tops and tried to increase the number of players in the attack by forming a diamond in the midfield. DF Nakajima has the ability to cross and shoot with his left foot. It was a difficult situation to break through with build-up play from short passes, so I wanted to create a point at his position. I also wanted to increase the number of players entering the goal area by adding more players. (Although Konno scored, doesn't Yokohama FC need that kind of accent as well?) Since it was a breakdown from a set play, I don't think of it as a special attack. If FW Wanchope has a high probability of winning aerial duels, the players will come up. However, not being able to properly mark that led to the conceded goal."