A crucial match that cannot be lost in order to stay in the top group.

　Sec. 13 of the league, Júbilo Iwata played away. In the last two matches (against Nagoya, against Kashiwa), they ended up with no goals and suffered their first consecutive loss of the season. Coach Shofuku also reflected, "Looking at the result of zero goals in 180 minutes, it is difficult to say that the team is progressing. Even if there were missed shots and unlucky aspects, there were fewer scoring opportunities overall." However, he vowed to concentrate and give his all to achieve results in this section. He acknowledged that there are various situations throughout the season, but he absolutely cannot afford to have three consecutive losses.

　Tokyo, on the other hand, is currently in 12th place with 4 wins, 2 draws, and 6 losses. They have also suffered consecutive defeats in the last two matches, making this round a "must-win" battle for them as well. Particularly noteworthy is Iwata's side attack. Both sides, with midfielders Komano and Murai, possess great technique and are skilled at exploiting the opponent's weaknesses with their attacks. Tokyo's key will be whether they can increase the number of forward runs by Nagatomo and Tokunaga without being forced into a defensive position. Furthermore, Iwata's forward Maeda made a comeback in the previous round. Although he seems to be not in top form, he serves as the starting point for Iwata's attacks and, with his exceptional finishing ability, extra caution is required in front of the goal.

　Tokyo, right-arm injury, Nagatomo returns to the starting lineup. Fujiyama and Sasaki are in the CB position, and Kanazawa is in the midfield. With the defense stabilizing recently, it is important to emphasize the attacking attitude and create scoring opportunities by "switching on". Emerson, who has recovered from injury, will be on the bench from this match, and options for the attack have also increased, including Otake and Kondo. We want to counter Iwata's passing game, move the ball, break the defense, and aim for victory.

　Coach Shirofuku tightens his grip, saying, "Iwata is evolving without breaking its base, while making minor changes. This is the third match of the season, but I don't want to approach it by saying 'I know what Iwata will do'." The league will be suspended after this round until the end of June, but in order to gain momentum for the following Nabisco Cup, they really want to secure 3 points. The match started at 14:00 with Iwata's kickoff at the sunny Yamaha Stadium.

Conceding the first goal from a set piece, and going into halftime trailing

　From the beginning, Iwata attacked with FW Maeda as the starting point. In the 3rd minute, a pass was made to Ueda, the midfielder who came up from the left after Maeda's keep inside the Tokyo defense. He took a shot, but it went straight to Shibata. However, Tokyo's defense also held it well and launched a counterattack utilizing Cabore's speed. In the 6th minute, they connected passes in the opponent's half, and Imakano -> Hayu aimed for a shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it. In the 10th minute, Akamine, who had drifted to the right front line, dropped the ball, and Tokunaga crossed it directly. Kajiyama, who ran into the goal area, took a header shot, but it went over the bar.

　Iwata did not give Tokyo any chances, but in the 21st minute they were continuously attacked from both sides and gave a corner kick. And in the 22nd minute, from Iwata's right corner kick, DF Oi scored a high header, allowing the first goal from a set piece for the second consecutive match. Nevertheless, they did not look down and went on the attack. In the 25th minute, Habu -> Cabore advanced into the left area. From there, he sent a minus pass to the empty space in the center. Habu chased after it and took a shot, but the GK caught it. In the 33rd minute, Akamine -> Cabore tried to break through in front of the goal, but Iwata's DF cleared it a step ahead. Kajiyama, who took the loose ball, entered a shooting position but was blocked by the DF.

　After that, Kajiyama and Kanazawa were actively involved in both offense and defense, completely taking control. In the 44th minute, from Kajiyama's side change, Nagatomo dribbled into the left area. He cut inside and took a powerful shot, but the goalkeeper saved it in front. Then, they connected the loose ball and passed it on the left side, and finally Kajiyama in the center → Uyu in the right area aimed and took a shot, but it curved to the left. In stoppage time, Kabore also took a shot but it went outside the frame. They couldn't convert the late scoring opportunities and ended the first half trailing by one goal.

Akamine scores 2 goals! First victory at Yamaha Stadium in the league

　In the second half, from the beginning, they aimed for the goal with a passionate play centered around Kajiyama. Then, in the 48th minute, Imakawa steals a corner kick from a left cross. Tokunaga kicks this right corner kick, and Sato, who ran into the center, heads it in. It was initially blocked by the GK, but Akamine kicks it in, and it's a goal! Tokyo equalizes with a set piece. Regaining their original momentum, in the 54th minute, they quickly switch and counterattack in the midfield. From Kajiyama's through pass, Cabore faces the GK one-on-one in the right area, but the shot is blocked by the Iwata GK's body save.

　When we missed a big chance to score, Iwata continued to attack us. However, our defense line blocked Iwata's shots one after another. In the 60th minute, Emerson, who hadn't played since the Nabisco Iwata match on March 23rd, was substituted in. And then, in the 62nd minute, just after the substitution, Emerson passed the ball through to Cabore in the area from the right side. Cabore brought the ball to the goal line and crossed it quickly with a shot-like cross in front of the goal. Akamine then jumped into it with his whole body and successfully turned the game around.

　However, in the 68th minute, Iwata also had a chance when FW Maeda took a free header from MF Funaya's left cross, but he missed the target. Nevertheless, Iwata did not give up and continued to counterattack, leading to intense back-and-forth play. Tokyo, following Ashizato, substituted Ishikawa for Kabore in the 82nd minute and pushed him up front. They moved Imano to defense and positioned Fujiyama as a defensive midfielder to counter Iwata's power play. They remained focused until the end, defended with determination, and the final whistle blew. They stopped their losing streak with a come-from-behind victory and secured their first league win at Yamaha Stadium.

　[Player Comments]《Akamine》"Today, I was conscious of finishing the plays. When I drifted to the side, I was always thinking about either cutting it back or finishing with a shot. For the first goal, the shot from HIDE spilled to me. For the second goal, Cabore and Emerson broke through, and I just had to touch it. (Is this the fourth consecutive match against Iwata since last season?) I think that was just a coincidence. In the first half, we were pushed back on the side because Iwata's midfielder Komano was advancing, but in the second half, I was instructed to use that space and hold the ball in deeper positions. I think that allowed others to move up. Also, when Cabore is nearby, we can bring out each other's strengths. I have become able to respond to shots and crosses from Cabore. If we continue to improve our coordination with Emerson and the others, I believe the team will get better as a whole." 《Emerson》"I believe the coach trusted me and used the first substitution card on me. I wanted to meet that expectation. When I came on, I was conscious of becoming a starting point on the side while being careful of marking Iwata's number 14 player (Murayama). (What about the through pass to Cabore?) In those situations, I think it's important to look around. The pass to Cabore was a flash of inspiration (laughs). I got injured here at Yamaha Stadium in March, and after returning once, I hurt the same spot again, which was tough mentally. Still, I persevered, and I'm happy to contribute to the team and win today. The Nabisco Cup has a different atmosphere from the league, but I want to seek results in the same way and carry this momentum forward."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "We had lost two consecutive matches, so today was a game where we absolutely needed a result. Up until the moment we conceded from the restart, the first 10 to 15 minutes were really a bad flow, but other than that, in the first half, it felt like the game was developing pretty much as we had simulated. We were able to carry the ball into the attacking third and got close to shooting. Up until that goal, I thought we were a bit unstable. In the second half, we focused on maintaining our base while not losing our balance and aimed for scoring opportunities, prioritizing not losing our balance and not changing our approach. Fortunately, during that scoring moment, there were several scenes where we had a strong awareness of heading towards the goal and showed intensity. In the end, regarding the scene where we allowed a free header, it was a situation where we couldn't help but concede, but for all other shots, we were able to close down on them, and I think it was a game that reflected the very greedy attitude of the players towards the result. (What was the intention and evaluation of bringing in Emerson?) He had a strong desire to play, feeling a sense of urgency, and since it was his first appearance here at Yamaha Stadium since the last time, I think he was quite motivated in that sense. However, I thought his physical condition was still not up to par, so bringing him in after 15 minutes into the second half was part of the original plan. Given that there was quite a bit of space opening up, I think he was able to play his natural game, and I believe he did his job in terms of leading to the final goal. I also think he was very conscious of his defensive responsibilities. (What is your overall assessment of the league so far?) We are still at the 13th match, not even halfway through. We have been on a steady upward trajectory, and while we still have immature aspects in terms of aiming to level up, I think we are gradually being able to be patient. However, I believe we still need to pursue quality further."

　[Iwata Coach Uchiyama's Press Conference Summary] "Up until the 40th minute of the first half, things were going more or less as we wanted. The way we scored was that the full-backs went up several times from the sides, and we managed to earn a corner kick from there. However, the parts we were worried about, in the last 5 minutes of the first half and after the start of the second half, were the strength in the midfield and the continuous mistakes in the buildup, which led to us being pressured and conceding a goal. That has been a persistent issue, but in any case, including the toughness of the defense and midfield, if we just move a little, we can move the ball, but we create situations where we stop or kick the ball straight and lose possession. That is something I keep mentioning, but we can't seem to resolve it. Especially in the second half, when we get tired, we tend to stop, and our decision-making becomes delayed. That is a significant problem. (The first half had a good flow, but what improvements were made compared to the Niigata match?) If we don't keep it compact, we can't win the ball from a high position in the front line, and if we don't keep that in mind, we can't establish a rhythm in defense, so we tried to improve that over the past four days. The opponent came with a somewhat unconventional formation, and we aimed to not let Murai drop back as much as possible. If the burden on the holding midfielder becomes too much in one match, various problems arise. From about 5 minutes remaining in the first half, we started to lose loose balls, and the slide was delayed, which was the most concerning part that also appeared in the second half."