Unite as a team and aim for victory

　Sec. 32 of the league, we played against Vissel Kobe away. In the 5th round of the Emperor's Cup against Niigata, we achieved a come-from-behind victory despite the difficulties and extended our winning streak in official matches to 4. We continue to be in a situation where we cannot afford to lose a single game in order to keep fighting for the championship until the very end. "From practice, the team is united and there is hardly any play where we let our guard down. There are 11 players on the pitch, and including the bench, there are 18 players, but every player is preparing without any regrets individually. That's the most pleasing and where I feel the sense of accomplishment," said Coach Jofuku, as the team comes together and aims for victory against Kobe.

　Kobe, who is currently in 8th place, is the team with the most momentum right now, with 5 consecutive wins in the league, although they lost to Tosu in the Emperor's Cup. Each individual's movements are quick, and they are aiming for plays that directly lead to goals. The counter-attack is one of the most powerful in the J-League," said Coach Jofuku, who is also cautious. In particular, FW Leandro, FW Yoshida, and MF Okubo have speed and finishing ability to break through the defense, making them a formidable presence. In addition, their quick attacks from the midfield make it a battle where there is no moment to relax.

　Tokyo, Japan's representative Nagatomo and Konno are energetically joining, and Ishikawa, who was worried about his participation due to injury, is also in the starting lineup. The key point of this match is how well we can fight against Kobe's solid defense, which has conceded a total of 31 goals so far, with our own rhythm. If we can avoid Kobe's pressing from the front line and play a calm game, we should be able to create chances. Kajiyama says, "I want to increase the number of times I support the front line without panicking against Kobe's pressing. If we can connect well and create numerical advantages, we will definitely score goals," talking about the confidence gained in the past few matches.

　Moriya says, "(In order to aim for the top) we are in a chasing position. However, this kind of situation helps us grow. Kobe is a tough opponent, but we will fight with even more determination." The team is showing growth while betting on the upcoming match! The game started at exactly 1:00 PM with Kobe's kickoff at the sunny Home's Stadium Kobe.

Unable to catch the rhythm... conceded a lead of one point and the first half ended

　In the early stages, there was a back and forth battle, but Kobe gradually gained momentum with their sharp start. Then, in the 15th minute, they countered and Leandro, the MF, took a shot. Sasaki blocked the shot, but Tanaka scored from the rebound, allowing Kobe to take the lead. This gave Kobe the momentum and they continued to attack. In the 23rd minute, Tokyo's Cabore kept the ball in the center and passed it to Ishikawa on the right side, who then crossed it to the center. In front of the goal, Imakawa persisted and Nagatomo took a shot, but it went wide to the left.

　The flow remains with Kobe. Tokyo loses the ball due to mistakes caused by the opponent's pressing from the front line and is repeatedly hit by sharp counters. FW Leandro and MF Okubo take consecutive shots, but the defense, centered around Shioda, holds firm and does not allow any additional points. In the 28th minute, Kabore breaks free after a pass exchange with Nagatomo on the left side and crosses. In the 31st minute, Ishikawa receives the ball from Kajiyama on the right side and passes it through to Hirayama, who runs behind the defense. Although neither of them result in a shot, they start creating chances.

　36 minutes, Hanyu, who took the ball from the opponent on the left side, quickly flowed to Hirayama on the side. The ball was returned to Hanyu, who had moved up to support, and he shot a middle shot from outside the left area, but it was outside the frame. In the 44th minute, Cabore, who took the ball on the left side of his own field, passed it to Nagatomo. He brought it to the front line and sent a cross, but it was initially blocked by the opponent's defender. However, Hanyu quickly reacted to the loose ball and headed it, but Kobe GK Enomoto caught it. After passing the 40th minute, they brought Cabore, Ishikawa, and Hanyu into their attacking shape, but they did not create any decisive scenes. They ended the first half trailing by one goal.

Despite catching up with a passionate goal by Cabore, it ends in a painful draw...

　In the second half, Tokyo aggressively attacked from the beginning. Shortly after the start, Cabore failed to hit the ball after intercepting Shigeno's pass and receiving Ishikawa's cross. Furthermore, Hirayama tried to follow up on the loose ball, but was blocked by the Kobe defense. In the 48th minute, Ishikawa took a shot from the loose ball after Hayu's cross, but it went over the goal. They were unable to convert any of their chances into goals. As a result, they struggled against Kobe's sharp counterattacks and couldn't find their rhythm.

　Still, without giving up, in the 59th minute, Otake was substituted for Ishikawa. In the 60th minute, from Otake's right free kick, Tokunaga headed the ball back to the far side of the goal. Although it reached Hirayama and he trapped it with his chest, he couldn't take a shot. After that, Suzuki and Akamine were also brought in as attacking players, chasing after one goal. In the 78th minute, Kabore broke through the front line and faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, following Kajiyama's through pass. It was a decisive moment, but the shot was saved by the goalkeeper and couldn't score.

　In the 79th minute, a left corner kick was obtained from Nagatomo's cross. From this corner kick, although it was cleared by the opponent's defender once, Kajiyama picked up the loose ball and swung his right foot from outside the area. However, it went over the goal. In the 83rd minute, the momentum increased as chances were created in succession, and Cabore calmly entered the area and scored a goal to equalize after Akamine dropped the ball in the center. After that, intense attacks and defenses continued, including 5 minutes of stoppage time, as both teams aimed to take the lead. They showed a passionate fight, and Kobe's fierce attack was defended by everyone's concentration, but they couldn't score a second goal. ... It ended in a painful draw.

　[Player Comments]《Cabore》"Of course, it was a match we wanted to win, but thinking calmly, it was good to draw away after being down 0-1 and earn one point. Today, we entered the match highly motivated, being three points behind the leaders, Kashima, but unfortunately, it ended up this way. It's a difficult situation, but it's still possible to break into the top ranks, so I want to approach the next match with a high level of awareness. We conceded a goal in the first half, but we made many mistakes and weren't able to play well. On the contrary, I think it was good that we only conceded one goal. In the second half, Tokyo's rhythm improved, and we were able to equalize, but if we disrupt our rhythm with mistakes in the first half, it becomes difficult to achieve good results in the latter stages of the league. (What about the scoring scene?) Before the goal, I had a big chance one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper, but I was stopped. So I was thinking that next time, I must score. It was good to receive a nice pass from Shingo (Akamine) and score. Next is the final home match. Niigata is a very strong team that we faced in the recent Emperor's Cup. I want to train hard for a week to earn three points here."《Nagato》"The players from Kobe came at us more aggressively than I expected, and their counters were quick, so we struggled. It was good that we managed to bring it to a draw from there. In today's match, I focused solely on winning. It's unfortunate that we ended up with a disappointing draw, but there are still two matches left, so I want to reflect on today and make corrections moving forward. Personally, I didn't do anything today. I wanted to be more involved in decisive plays and should have been more aggressive. In the last two matches, I want to properly accept today's result and switch gears. Since the next match is also the final home game, I want to have a heated match that makes those who come feel, 'I'm glad I came.'"

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Kobe, who has won five consecutive matches, is indeed a good team, and it was a very tough battle in both offense and defense. I knew it would be like that, but given the situation where we had to continue to earn three points in all remaining matches, I am very disappointed that we could only secure one point, regardless of the content. All the players, the supporters who came from Tokyo, and everyone cheering for us in Tokyo all wanted three points, so we are filled with regret. Regarding the content, at the start, our midfield marking was a step behind, and we couldn't fully grasp the situation when the opponent's forward dropped back, which led to several shots originating from that. The scene of conceding a goal was a quick counterattack, but I think the situation was not good. Towards the end of the first half, we started to calm down a bit and began to do what we were trying to do. In the second half, we were attacking, but there were technical mistakes and judgment errors just before the shot, and we couldn't create decisive scenes leading to a shot, so I communicated the desire to score to everyone while gradually changing the members and the system. It was good that we scored one goal, but I think it was a bit too late. (Regarding the widening gap in points with the top team?) Just like today's match, we will focus on the match in front of us rather than looking at other teams. I want to pour everything into accumulating three points in each match."

　[Kobe Manager Matsuda's Press Conference Summary] "It is very disappointing that our winning streak has ended. At the beginning of the game, we were able to play according to our plan and effectively exploit the opponent's weaknesses. However, one goal was not enough. If we had scored a second goal... Even after being caught up, we had several chances. In order to improve our position, we need more goals. It's regrettable. However, the players gave their all until the end. I think they did a fantastic job."