Win even away! ~ Sec. 14 Tama River Clasico held

　Sec. 25 will feature a match between Kawasaki Frontale, and the 14th Tama River Clasico will be held. In the previous match against Omiya, they secured a victory at home and achieved consecutive wins. Despite being an away match this time, Coach Jofuku also declared that they will "focus on winning". They aim to ride the momentum and achieve their second consecutive three-game winning streak in the league this season. At the same time, this match will be crucial in determining the outcome of the Clasico, which has been evenly matched so far (4 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses). Sato will return from suspension this match, but Hanyu will be absent due to accumulated yellow cards. As a result, Inomata, who played as a center-back in the previous match, will return to the midfield position.

　Kawasaki, who is currently in 5th place, has 5 points behind Tokyo, but they boast the second highest total score of 42 so far. The focus of this match will be how to suppress the three forwards, including the newly joined FW Renatinho, and neutralize Kawasaki's strengths. As Coach Shirofuku analyzes, FW Juninho and MF Vitor Junior have technique and speed, while FW Zheng and FW Kurotsu possess strength and speed, so it is important to respond to each of them accordingly. In addition, it will be a condition for victory to prevent MF Nakamura, who is the source of Kawasaki's passes, and MF Taniguchi, who creates scoring opportunities with sharp runs, from playing freely.

　Kawasaki's DF has been using a 4-back formation recently, so it may not be easy to give them space on the sides. Therefore, the key is how well they can exploit the gaps and launch quick attacks. They want to create chances with fast passing plays like they showed in the first half of the home game. However, Kawasaki has been in great form with 5 wins and 3 draws since Sec. 17. Also, at Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, Tokyo has yet to win, which is a disadvantageous statistic. It's going to be a tough battle, but the "Clasico" is not something that can be measured by data alone. Let's unite and undermine Kawasaki's momentum for victory!

　After the typhoon that approached the Kanto region passed, Todoroki is now clear. Although the humidity still lingers, the Tokyo kickoff started at 19:03.

Red Mine takes the lead with 3 consecutive goals! However, there were multiple accidents afterwards...

　Kawasaki's fast-paced attack pushed us back at the start. In the 3rd minute, Kawasaki MF Nakamura crossed the ball and FW Juninho trapped it with his chest, getting into a shooting position. Tokyo DF blocked it and it went out for a corner kick. From this left corner kick by Kawasaki, FW Juninho headed the ball but it went wide. However, in the 5th minute, we got a left corner kick from Tokyo's throw-in due to the opponent's clearance. In this corner kick, Tokunaga's kicked ball went through the center and fell to the far side, where Akamine was waiting and kicked it into the goal with his left foot! We took advantage of an early set-piece opportunity and took the lead with Akamine's goal, making it his 3rd consecutive goal.

　Despite that, Kawasaki continued to attack without feeling down, and in the 9th minute, FW Zheng's sharp shot grazed the bar. In a classic fashion, amidst intense fighting spirit, an accident occurred in the 15th minute when Akamine injured his right arm in a collision with the opponent, leading to his substitution with Hirayama in the 16th minute. As time passed the 20th minute, Kawasaki's momentum also slightly decreased, resulting in a back-and-forth battle.

　29 minutes, Kawasaki FW Zheng dribbles in from the left side, but Tokyo DF blocks. The ball that spilled to the right side is picked up, and MF Vitor JUNIOR heads it from MF Nakamura's cross. In the 34th minute, after Kajiyama's interception, Imakawa sends a through pass to Emerson on the right area, but the opponent DF escapes with a throw-in one step ahead. In the 35th minute, Imakawa heads the FK from the right side, but the GK catches it. In the 37th minute, Nagatomo → Hirayama in front of the right sends it directly to the middle, and Imakawa shoots, but it narrowly misses the goal. In the 39th minute, Kawasaki FW Kurotsu sprints in from the right side with a dribble. He bypasses Tokunaga and brings it into the area, and gives the last pass to FW Zheng in the center. He evades the approach of Tokyo DF and is passed to the left FW JUNINHO, but Tokyo DF cuts it off as well.

　However, just as Tokyo was creating chances and trying to find their rhythm, in the 41st minute, Inomata received a red card for elbowing Kawasaki MF Nakamura in the opponent's territory. Tokyo was forced to play with 10 men for the remaining time.

Everyone focuses, withstands with desperate defense, and wins the intense battle!

　Entering the second half with a one-point lead, Kawasaki attacked with numbers from the beginning and created chances. However, everyone remained focused and stopped Kawasaki's attacks with quick closing down and solid defense. In the 48th minute, Kawasaki's defender, Igawa, also joined the attack, but it was cleared with a corner kick. From the resulting corner kick, Kawasaki's midfielder, Taniguchi, sent a minus pass to the front of the goal in the left area. The ball was cleared again and picked up by Kawasaki's defender, Yamagishi, outside the area, who took a shot, but it was blocked with a brave effort. In the 57th minute, Kawasaki's forward, Juninho, entered the left area and Nakamura jumped in front of the goal to meet the cross, creating a decisive opportunity, but Shioda made a diving save!

　59 minutes, Kawasaki MF Vitor Junior's early cross from the right was cleared by Sasaki, Kajiyama -> Hirayama launched a counterattack, Nagatomo sprinted down the right side. The cross to Cabore, who had moved up the center, from the counterattack didn't connect at the last moment. In the 60th minute, Kawasaki MF Nakamura passed behind Tokyo DF. FW Juninho broke free and attempted a looping shot, but the shot slightly curved to the left... In the 61st minute, Suzuki Tatsu was substituted for Cabore to increase defensive awareness from the front line and counter Kawasaki's attacks. In the 62nd minute, Kawasaki also substituted FW Renatinho for FW Kurotsu.

　Still, Tokyo maintains its balance and looks for opportunities to score from tough defense. In the 66th minute, Hirayama unleashes a powerful shot from the left side, causing the opponent's goalkeeper to spill the ball, but no one is there to follow up. In the 67th minute, Kajiyama is fouled and brought down near the opponent's goal line on the right side, earning a free kick. Hirayama jumps in with a header off Kajiyama's kick, but the timing is slightly off and he fails to finish it.

　In the 76th minute, Fujiyama was substituted for Emerson and entered the right side. Amidst the continuous intense development, in the 80th minute, Asari → Fujiyama moved up the center and passed to Hirayama in the front line. Hirayama boldly aimed for the goal from the right side near the area, but it went to the left. Kawasaki continued their fierce attacks, and in the 84th minute, FW Juninho broke through from their own half with a vertical pass and developed it widely to the center → left. Finally, a cross was lifted from the left. In the 86th minute, FW Zheng headed the ball from a right cross, but Shioda made a save. In the 87th minute, Kawasaki's left side MF Tasaka went around from the outside to the inside and crossed with a shooting intention from near the left area corner. FW Juninho jumped in at the far post, but Tokyo fought back with their fighting spirit, desperately repelled it, fought until the end, and time's up!

　With the final whistle, Tokyo players collapsed on the pitch, running and fighting with all their might, and persevered to win against Kawasaki. They achieved their second consecutive victory this season, and also obtained 3 points for the first time in the J-League at the formidable Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium.

　[Player Comments]《Sahara》"We fought together without losing focus, and I believe everyone ran their hardest. When we were down to ten players, I had the mindset that it was acceptable to be equalized. Even so, including the forwards, everyone maintained a high defensive awareness. Keeping a clean sheet with ten players gives us great confidence and I think it will help us in future battles. I had special feelings about facing Kawasaki, but I tried not to focus on that too much. However, I know their individual abilities and how they play. We were dominated, but I thought that if we solidified the center, we wouldn't be easily beaten."《Shioda》"In the beginning, we were under pressure, but then Kawasaki's chasing weakened a bit, and when we became ten, we were able to move forward. I think that made our defensive awareness clearer. Whether it was 1-0 or if we could counter and make it 2-0, that common awareness was thoroughly established. Even when we were pushed back, everyone cut off passing lanes and closed in, not allowing the opponent to be free. Thanks to that, even when we were shot at, the shots gradually went off target. I am grateful to everyone. Ideally, I wanted to win with more beautiful soccer, but I can be proud that we won strongly according to our plan even with the accident. I realized that we can endure more than the opponent, and that gives us confidence. I had lingering regrets from Todoroki, so I'm glad we were able to get a result today. However, if we lose next time, the victory will mean nothing. I want to work hard to continue our winning streak."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "We are preparing for various accidents in the match, but unexpected things happen in football. Today, amidst the unexpected, the players did what they needed to do, both individually and as a team, without interruption until the end. I believe that led to the three points. Although we were down to ten men, at halftime, we confirmed that instead of just kicking and resting, we would create our own time to rest and approached the second half with that mindset. There were moments where we managed to do a bit, but we couldn't withstand the pressure of Kawasaki's dribbling, passing, and shooting, which led to some hasty kicks. Initially, there were mistakes in the midfield at the start, and we became hesitant to receive the ball. Ideally, we wanted to keep moving another 2-3 meters to circulate the ball, and that movement is key to how we move the ball, but we couldn't do that. When we had the ball, whether to kick or receive, and where the space and time were to circulate the ball the best became a bit overwhelming. I was thinking of making adjustments at halftime, but then the incident of Konno's ejection occurred. After going down to ten men, we tried to create a solid block with a 4-4-1 formation. Originally, we were pressing with two forwards, and losing one there doesn't change things drastically. Defensively, we remained very focused until the end. We allowed Kawasaki to play outside the block, and while there were moments when they cut in, I think there were few scenes where they entered the most dangerous areas between the two holding midfielders and the two center-backs. Of course, there were instances when the opponent's crosses came in pinpoint, and when the four forwards dropped too deep in the block of four midfielders plus four defenders, there were shots from outside, but considering we were down to ten men against Kawasaki, I think the players defended very well. That was not just the work of the defenders, but a result of everyone being focused. When the final whistle blew, the players collapsed onto the grass, which is proof that they gave their all, and I want to carry this feeling into future matches."

　【Kawasaki - Takabatake's Press Conference Summary】 "We felt regret from the last Tamagawa Classico. Today, being at home, I wanted to present 3 points to our supporters at all costs. We conceded a goal due to our own mistakes at the start, putting us in a difficult situation chasing one goal. Nevertheless, I believe we were able to utilize our attacking power and develop some flavorful attacks. In the first half, even though we developed good plays, we struggled to score, which made us a bit anxious. We were challenging, but there were moments where we created danger from our own mistakes, so we talked about avoiding that and not rushing during halftime, aiming to break through until the end. Tokyo set up a block with one less player, but we aimed to break through from the sides without getting anxious. We tried to effectively switch sides and attack from the opposite side. Even when a block was formed, we had the ideal of using one-twos and the movement of a third player to carve out space next to the penalty area and bring it to a finish. However, the opponent was also desperate, and we wanted to break through more there. The result turned out this way, but I am truly grateful to the players who kept pushing for a win until the end and to the supporters who backed us. We are now a bit distanced from the top, but with 9 matches remaining, there is still a possibility. I want to keep looking forward and fight through the upcoming consecutive matches."