Unite as a team and aim for consecutive victories

　Sec. 4 of the league, we will play against Júbilo Iwata away. In the Nabisco match against Kobe, we faced it with a fresh lineup and strongly focused on defense. In the midst of the battle, we held the opponent's attacks without conceding a goal and won with a difficult 1-0 score. Coach Shirofuku said, "Based on this battle, we will continue to build on it and get closer to winning 3 points. First, we will return the league record to a 50-50 ratio and then take on new challenges." He continued, pledging to fight for 3 points even away today.

　Tokyo is currently in 18th place against Iwata. They conceded 6 goals in the league opener against Yamagata and 4 goals in the 2nd match against G Osaka, but they have thoroughly reorganized their defense and managed to keep a clean sheet in both matches of the Nabisco Cup. For Tokyo, the key will be whether they can persistently attack from the sides without rushing against the opponent's defense, which tends to consolidate the center. Also, although they have scored few goals, caution is necessary against the front line's FW Elsinho and Maeda. It will be important to concentrate on marking them and not allowing them to move freely.

　Tokyo, with Nagatomo returning to the starting lineup after conditioning with the Japan national team. The rest of the team will face the match with the same members as the Kobe match. Ohtake said, "If it becomes a tight match, set plays will be key on both offense and defense. I want to kick a good ball and score soon. Of course, I will aim to play towards the goal even in the flow of the game, and I think I need to meet expectations in defense in order to continue starting. It makes a big difference whether we end this round with 1 win and 3 losses or 2 wins and 2 losses. In that sense, it is a very important match. I want to do my best to show the determination to bet on each match in my play," he said. In addition, Bruno QUADROS made the lineup for the first time since the opening match.

　Asari said, "It is important to add a plus alpha to the Kobe match and see how much we can move the ball and the players to score. Personally, I want to focus on defense while also trying to increase possession as a team and come up with ideas for movement. If we lose to Kobe, there is no tomorrow for me, and if we lose today, there is no next time. I want to express such a strong feeling on the pitch and compete, and I want to produce results and move on to the next. It is expected to be a tough battle as both teams want to use it as a trigger for a comeback. The match started at 19:04 at the Yamaha Stadium, where it was pouring rain, with Iwata's kickoff."

There was also a great save by Gonda, and the first half ended in a 0-0 tie.

　Immediately after the start, there is a pinch. Iwata FW Jiushinho sneaks behind Tokyo DF and takes a shot from inside the area, but Gonda saves it by throwing his body! It was a decisive moment, but they didn't allow a goal. Tokyo regains their composure and creates a chance. In the 3rd minute, Otake takes a left corner kick and Akamine heads it from the far side. From here, Otake connects with Hayashi who puts a left cross inside, but it is punched by the goalkeeper. In the 9th minute, Tokunaga, who advanced from Hayashi to Otake, started the attack from Kajiyama in the center and made a right cross. Cabore jumped in near, but the ball floated.

　Both teams have a high defensive awareness and engage in intense battles for the ball. In particular, Tokyo often dominates possession and passes well in the midfield, but they struggle to create scoring opportunities against Iwata's compact defense. On the other hand, Iwata counterattacks and puts pressure on Tokyo's defense. In the 19th minute, Imakano headed a left corner kick from Otake, but it went wide to the left. Tokyo manages to threaten the opponent's goal from set pieces, but they fail to convert any clear-cut chances.

　In the 34th minute, Iwata's right MF Ota floated a pass to the front line. Sasaki cleared it, but the ball reached MF Yamamoto Kosuke, who had advanced into the area... He was left free to shoot directly in front of the goal, but Gonda threw himself in front and prevented the goal. Just before the end of the first half, Maeda was also given a perfect diving header, but it went wide of the goal. Helped by Gonda's great save and the opponent's mistake, the score remained 0-0, and the match was carried over to the second half.

Earn 3 points with Akamine's goal that demonstrated strength in competition.

　The battle for the ball continues in the second half. Tokyo calmly passes the ball, waiting for a chance, but they are unable to take a shot. In this deadlock situation, Tokyo makes the first move. In the 65th minute, Ishikawa replaces Otake, and in the 71st minute, Suzuki replaces Kabore. They go for a wide position to score. In the 70th minute, Iwata substitutes Manda for FW Jiu Shinho, who has been the starting point for chances so far. Tokyo seizes the rhythm with speedy attacks, but they cannot break through. They are unable to overcome Iwata's counterattack.

　However, in the 82nd minute, Tokunaga on the right side sends an early cross. Akamine competes with the opponent's DF in the center of the opponent's field. Suzuki connects the loose ball short and Akamine, who cleverly turns the opponent's DF, advances with a dribble. Seeing the movement of the GK, he aims and shoots, piercing the goal net! He seizes the one chance and scores in the Iwata match for the third consecutive season. Regaining momentum, in the following 83rd minute, Ishikawa leaves two opponents behind on the right side from a counterattack and dribbles up the center. He unleashes a powerful left-footed shot from outside the box, but the opponent's GK makes a great save and it results in a corner kick.

　The opponent's attack that counterattacked, put pressure from a high position, and bounced back the ball thrown into the goal area safely to prevent chances. In the end, this valuable goal becomes the winning point and keeps Iwata's attack from scoring, and the game is over. Even though it was an away game, we gained a very valuable 3 points.

　[Player Comments]《Akamine》"I think the content of the match was not good. It was good that we were able to get a result. If we had a few more crosses from the sides or challenging through passes, I think we could create more chances... However, I didn't feel rushed or frustrated even when the ball didn't come to the front line. Right now, patience is necessary. I believe we are trying that kind of approach. The goal was set up by Tatsuya (Suzuki) who passed at the right timing. I was able to evade the DF skillfully and had the composure to see the GK. I aimed for the opposite side where Nokkatsu-san put his weight. There is nothing special about the match against Iwata or at Yamaha Stadium. I am not consciously aware of it... ("If Akamine scores, we won't lose") I want to do my best to meet expectations. Since the next match is at home, we cannot afford to lose. I will work hard to score again." 《Gonda》"(There was a pinch at the start, but did you stop it with your face?) I didn't expect it to come suddenly. I couldn't get my face in time, so I stopped it with my throat (laughs). (Did that play help you get into the game?) I don't know if it helped, but I was focused. I definitely didn't want MF (Yamamoto) Kōhiro to score. Later, Kōhiro said to me, 'Why did you stop it! If it had gone in, it would have been your first goal' (laughs). There were several dangerous moments today, but I think the DF stopped them more often. We had the ball, but we couldn't finish our attacks, which led to counters and left us short on the sides. The balance when attacking was poor, and there were risks, but everyone was concentrated at the crucial moments. (The coach said, 'Thanks to Gon-chan') It's not good for the GK to stand out all the time, but if it's occasionally... if my save helped the team tighten up and create a winning atmosphere, I would be happy to have contributed to the victory. (How's your injured left shoulder?) It hurts, but I think the pain will subside in two days. It was unnecessary to get injured from a foul, but I believe that was a situation where I absolutely had to come out."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "We had been on a losing streak since the opening match, so we approached today with a strong desire to win and return to Ajinomoto with a balanced record. The players also had a strong mindset to meet the expectations of the fans who came a long way in the rain. However, in the first half, we knew the opponent would set up a solid block, but we kept trying to push the ball inside. There were moments when we managed to use the outside while patiently circulating the ball in the midfield, but we ended up going inside too much and losing possession, which allowed the opponent to exploit the wide areas. Thanks to Gonda, who saved us several times in critical situations, we were able to end the first half at 0-0, which I think was a bit of luck for us. In the second half, we strongly focused on breaking down the opponent wide again, but Cabore struggled to find his space to move, so we made some changes, including substitutions and positioning. The players who came on later fulfilled their tasks very well, which I think helped us regain our pace. Above all, I am relieved that we were able to meet the expectations of our fans."

　[Iwata Coach Yanagishita's Press Conference Summary] "In this bad weather, many supporters came to cheer us on, and I feel that it was a game where we absolutely had to secure 3 points, but I am frustrated that we couldn't achieve that, and I am filled with a sense of apology towards the supporters. Regarding the game, our defense has been stabilizing in the last two or three matches, and we have been able to create chances in our attack, which has been giving the players some confidence, so I thought we could approach this game in a similar manner. In fact, we created several decisive chances in the first half, and we didn't create too many dangerous situations, so I don't think the team is in such a bad state. However, I am worried that the players' confidence is slightly diminishing because we have had three consecutive games without scoring and without securing 3 points. From our perspective, we have been able to establish a solid form, so if we continue like this, we will definitely be able to score, and we want to continue training. I want to recover our condition, including mentally, as soon as possible and prepare for the next game."