Surpassing Verdy's unity, goals, and victory in the Tokyo showdown

　Sec. 22 will face off against Verdy at home, Japan National Stadium. In the previous match against Urawa, despite dominating the ball, they were unable to score and suffered a defeat. The biggest challenge this match is to convert their soccer style into goals. This will be the 4th match of the season against Tokyo, and it is a crucial match where they must win at home and gain momentum.

　Tokyo's Nagatomo and Imano temporarily left the team due to their activities with the Japan national team, but they are back in the starting lineup this match in good spirits. Kanazawa and Akamine are also starting for the first time since the Nabisco Oita match on 8/6. Additionally, the positions of the attacking line have changed, with Akamine playing up front, Cabore on the left, and Emerson on the right, forming a front three. In midfield, Imano, Kajiyama, and Hanyu will be deployed.

　Verdy, who is currently in 13th place, is only 3 points behind Tokyo. The team has changed since the last Tokyo battle, showing growth and cohesion. In attack, they rely on forwards Hiramoto, Iio, and new signing Ooguro to maintain balance and make coordinated movements. We need to be cautious of their strong attacking force, but it is also important to take care of midfield players such as Diego and Fukunishi, who are key in distributing the ball.

　At the same time, Verdy aggressively presses from the front line, so one point is how to bypass it and carry the ball forward. Coach Jofuku said, "The way Verdy presses is different from before, but our ball movement doesn't change much. We want to connect in order to score goals," and we want to create rhythm with fast passing and side changes. In addition, we want to show momentum and power in scoring opportunities.

　In the three Tokyo battles so far this season, Tokyo has achieved victory in all of them. Verdy will also come to this round with a strong feeling of "absolutely cannot lose". It is a big point whether we can surpass and bounce back from that. We aim for goals and victory in a spirited battle. Although the rain is not so strong, it is pouring rain at the National Stadium. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 18:34.

Initiating Tokyo-style soccer, Cabore scores a superb goal to take the lead!

　On a slippery pitch due to rain, there was a fast-paced exchange of offense and defense. Amidst that, Tokyo-style soccer was initiated and the rhythm was grasped. In the 6th minute, Hanyu stole the opponent's ball and dribbled up the left side to enter the area, but his shot went wide. In the 7th minute, Kajiyama developed the play and Imakawa crossed from the right side. It was a good move, but the opponent's defender blocked it and resulted in a throw-in. In the 8th minute, Nagatomo's cross earned a right corner kick. Hanyu couldn't reach the ground kick, but Kajiyama picked up the loose ball and took a shot from the middle. In the 13th minute, Kabore -> Kajiyama attacked from the left and dribbled inside. He took a shot from the left area, but couldn't find the target.

　18 minutes, Verdy MF Diego's pass, FW Okubo faces off against Sahara in the left area. He gets into shooting position, but Sahara blocks it. In the 21st minute, Imakawa, who suffered a facial injury early in the game, bleeds again and leaves the pitch for treatment. Verdy left SB Hattori advances and sends an early cross. The ball is sent perfectly in front of the goal, and FW Okubo takes a diving header, but the shot from close range is saved by Shioda, avoiding a dangerous situation. In the following 23rd minute, Verdy connects passes from the left side and MF Diego takes a shot from the center of the area, but Shioda saves it. Verdy continues to dominate, with Hayashi, Emerson's versatile movements, and Imakawa and Kajiyama taking turns to move forward, creating chances from crosses by Cabore and Nagatomo on the left side.

　At 25 minutes, Imakano, who came up from the right, passed the ball to Nagatomo outside and entered the area. Nagatomo's cross reached Hayu in the far post. Hayu couldn't make a clean contact, but the ball was returned to Cabore in the center, however, his shot missed. Then Imakano on the right side picked it up, but his shot went high... He created consecutive scoring opportunities but couldn't convert them. However, at the 28th minute, Cabore boldly chased the ball from his own half, stole it, and connected with Hayu in front, advancing the attack. After receiving the return pass, he took a shot from the midfield as soon as he saw the opportunity. A stunning shot pierced the net, and it's a goal! Cabore scored the opening goal with a superb goal.

　At 34 minutes, after blocking the opponent's free kick, we launched a counterattack. From Inamoto's dribble, Hayu followed on the left side and made a last pass to the left area. Cabore ran into this area and tried to shoot with his left foot, but he couldn't hit the target. At 40 minutes, we earned a free kick near the corner of the left area, and Kajiyama directly aimed for the goal, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it. We ended the first half with a one-point lead.

Suffering a painful defeat while being on the defensive and allowing the opponent to take the lead...

　They aim for additional points and continue to attack boldly in the second half, creating chances. Early in the game, Emerson intercepted a pass from Verdy's defensive line and passed it to Nagatomo, who was on the outside. Nagatomo crossed the ball from a high position, but Cabore and Akamine collided in the center and couldn't finish it. However, Akamine persistently chased after the loose ball and tried to push it in with an overhead kick, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 49th minute, they stole the loose ball in the midfield and passed it to Akamine on the left. Akamine skillfully evaded two opposing defenders who were closing in and passed it to Emerson, who came up from the right. Kajiyama made a run to meet the lobbed pass, but it was offside. In the 53rd minute, Nagatomo picked up the rebound from Inamoto's shot just outside the penalty area and made a minus pass from the right area. Akamine in front of the goal took a direct shot and created a big chance, but it slightly curved to the right...

　In the midst of not being able to score additional points, in the 54th minute, the ball was stolen in the midfield, and Verdy's SB Hattori → MF Diego took advantage of the speed and took a middle shot. It hit the post and bounced back, but the accuracy and powerful shot made us hold our breath. And in the 61st minute, when Emerson's pass in his own half was stolen again by Verdy, MF Diego → substitute MF Leandro made a through pass to the front line. At the same time, FW Ooguro quickly jumped out behind Tokyo's DF and faced Shioda in a one-on-one situation. Despite the chasing Tokyo DF, they managed to score a goal and equalize the score from a mistake...

　Unfortunately, it was a disappointing goal considering the good rhythm we had up until now. However, we didn't let Verdy take control and in the 63rd minute, Asari was substituted for Emerson in the defensive midfield position, with Kajiyama taking a more attacking position to aim for the second goal. In the 65th minute, Shigenobu intercepted the opponent's ball in a high position and passed it to Cabore. Cabore dribbled past defender Tsuchiya and made a shot from the left area, but it missed wide. In the 71st minute, Kajiyama and Hayu attacked and Kajiyama took a precise shot from just outside the left area. The ball was perfectly aimed at the top right corner of the goal, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 73rd minute, we earned a free kick from the left side. Although it was initially cleared by the defender, Nagatomo picked up the loose ball and scored a powerful shot, shaking the net, but Imano in the forward line was judged offside...

　In the 78th minute, Iwakawa was replaced by Ishikawa, but both players showed signs of fatigue and their movement decreased, resulting in a back-and-forth counterattack. In the 84th minute, Verdy passed the ball around their own defense, but couldn't clear it, and in the end, Kanazawa's pass reached Verdy's defender Hattori, who took a shot from the left area. In the 86th minute, Ishikawa brought the ball inside from the right side, and although it was initially blocked by the opponent's defender, he attempted a looping shot with the loose ball.

　It was in the 3 minutes of stoppage time when neither team could make a decisive move, and it seemed like the match would end in a draw. However, while trying to attack with more players, the ball was stolen and Verdy MF Diego unleashed a sharp shot. The ball was saved by Saltada, but it resulted in a corner kick... From this corner kick, Verdy DF Nasu was left unmarked and scored with a header, and the game ended. Unable to prevent conceding a goal in the final play, we suffered a painful defeat in the crucial Tokyo match that we couldn't afford to lose.

　【Player Comments】《Cabore》"I think we played very well in the first half, but I'm really disappointed that we couldn't win. The opening goal came from me stealing the ball on the left side, receiving a return pass from Hanyu, and then taking a long shot... I think it was a good shot. This week, I was focusing on attacking from my left side and aiming for chances to score, so I'm happy that I was able to finish there. Playing closer to the left side allows me to receive the ball and take on one-on-one situations, which is a position where I can utilize my speed, so I feel it's easier to play there." 《Konno》"In the end, we were countered, and due to my mistake, we conceded a middle shot that resulted in a corner kick, which is very frustrating and disappointing. Today, with Kajiama, we made sure that one of us would always take care of Verdy's midfielder Diego, and when we attacked, I would go forward, and if there was a chance, Kajiama would also push up. There were moments when I went forward, but I really wanted to score there. If we don't finish in those situations, it will become difficult in the end. That's also disappointing. As a team, to score the second goal, we have issues with the finishing itself, but we also lack precision in the process leading up to the shot. I want to improve on that more."

　【Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference】 "As in the previous match, I am very sorry for making the fans feel frustrated at home. The inability to score the second goal was the main reason for our defeat. Even if we create chances, not scoring is my responsibility, and there may be some technical issues on the pitch. There were moments when we shook the net but did not connect to a goal, which is very frustrating, but still, we should have scored the second goal much earlier. Regarding the goals conceded, of course, any mistake can lead to that, but both goals were preventable. This includes personal mistakes, and we lack experience in that area. I believe we need to deeply engrave this experience. (Was Cabore often receiving the ball on the left side?) In practice, we have been considering positioning that allows Cabore to face forward easily. When he faces forward, he can dribble deep into the opponent's territory, so we aimed to utilize his characteristics there. I thought it was an important weapon for the team to play soccer in the opponent's territory. (Regarding the response to Verdy's substitute MF Leandro) I expected that if Verdy started attacking, offensive players, including FW Hiramoto, would come into play. Among them, we aimed to create a defensive block and reduce the number of times we allowed soccer to be played around MF Diego. I don't think we failed to do that. Of course, we understood the characteristics of the Verdy players who came on as substitutes, but first and foremost, we focused on maintaining our block and ensuring we carried the ball well when it became ours. (It has been two months with only one goal scored; won't we need to take bold measures to break through?) Whether today's measures were bold or not is up to the judgment of the viewers, but I believe they were not ordinary measures."

　[Summary of Verdy Coach Hashitani's Press Conference] "We were able to have a heated game typical of a derby. I am very happy that we won after a long time. Although we conceded the first goal, the players did well to endure and did not allow a second goal. In the second half, we took the risk and managed to score the second goal. In the first match, we lost in the last moments, so I am very satisfied that we were able to come from behind to win this time. In the first half, we were well outnumbered on the sides, either 2 against 2 or 3 against 2, and we were forced to switch sides... it felt like we wanted to move forward but were well maneuvered. However, we anticipated that, and we had a plan to counterattack within that. It was unavoidable that we were pushed back to some extent. I instructed the team to defend firmly. In the second half, we brought in MF Leandro to take the initiative, so until then, we needed to maintain our balance. After that, we aimed to utilize the sides more. I was a bit surprised by Cabore's super goal, but we switched our mindset and I instructed the team to approach it as if it were 0-0. (Is this the first comeback of the season?) I believe we have become more resilient, and I thought that the weakness in one-on-one situations in the previous match against Kashima was a matter of awareness. The fact that we can now hold our ground in one-on-one situations has allowed us to bring the match to a close contest. (Why did you place MF Diego on the left side in the second half?) Since Nagatomo was pushing forward, we had discussed as a team to create a point there afterward before the match. The instruction was to flow into the opponent's space with direct play in an instant and to create a point and bring it to the opposite side, but Nagatomo is indeed skilled and fast. It was difficult to get there, but as expected, Tokyo became more aggressive, and both sides opened up, so MF Diego used his head there. I think there was also a discussion with MF Leandro."