Aiming for 3 points with a strong mentality even though we are away!

　Sec. 7, Oita Trinita will play away against Almir. In the previous match against Chiba, they were disappointed by a comeback loss with 2 goals conceded at the end. Regarding the plays in each situation, there were also many opportunities to finish, and Coach Jo Fukushita calmly analyzed, "It wasn't a losing performance, but I can't say it was good." In the future, they will face a tough schedule of 5 matches in 2 weeks, and he said, "One goal is to return to a performance of more than 5 minutes after finishing the consecutive matches. For that, we need to value each match." In this match, even though it is an away game, they want to secure 3 points to continue the momentum of consecutive matches.

　Oita, on the other hand, is currently in 17th place with 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses. FW Takamatsu, DF Uemoto, and MF Roberto CESAR have all left the team due to injuries, making the situation difficult. However, at the Kyushu Oil Dome, they have only lost once, including the Nabisco Cup (Sec. 5 against Yamagata), and have conceded only "1" goal. Their home strength is still intact, with a stable 3-back line centered around DF Morishige. In addition, the forward line of FW Morishima, Weslley, and MF Kanazaki are individually strong players. We need to thoroughly prevent them from easily moving forward. At the same time, we need to be cautious of MF Edmilson's quick counterattacks and set plays centered around MF Suzuki.

　Tokyo has made changes to the lineup since the last match. Shigenobu has returned as a center back, and Imano has joined as a defensive midfielder. Shigenobu said, "If we can win against Oita, who has a strong defense, in the first match of consecutive games, it will give us confidence. However, if the game becomes tight, set plays can determine the outcome. Therefore, I want to avoid making careless fouls in dangerous areas. We want to stick to our desired style of play without being intimidated just because it's an away game." In terms of attack, it will be important to strengthen the center and create a numerical advantage on the sides against the strong Oita defenders, and then exploit the vacant spaces.

　Kondo said, "In the Chiba match, I was able to create chances to shoot. It depends on whether I can score or not. I will continue to aim for the back of the opponent's defense and break through Oita's strong defense. I vow to make the most of my chances and win." This season, there have been no games with more than 2 goals, but Coach Jofuku said, "I don't think we can easily score 2 or more goals against Oita, especially away." He emphasized minimizing goals conceded and increasing awareness of attacking to achieve victory! The match started at 19:05 with Oita's kickoff at the chilly Kyushu Oil Dome in the evening.

The opponent becomes 10 players, and although chances are created, there is no score and it turns around

　Both teams cautiously observed each other's movements and started the game with solid defense. However, it was Oita who took the initiative and bravely took shots. On the other hand, Tokyo tried to connect passes and create chances. In the 13th minute, Cabore became the key player from a left throw-in, and Imano brought the ball inside and took a shot. The ball missed to the right as the opponent closed in. In the 18th minute, Tokunaga dribbled up the field from Imano's side change and crossed, but it was blocked by the opponent's defender.

　At the 20th minute, Cabore ran in from the opposite side to meet Ishikawa's right cross, which was passed by Kajiyama. At the 25th minute, Ishikawa dribbled the ball into the Oita DF's area after stealing it from a counterattack, and then he made an exquisite through pass to Cabore, who had escaped behind the defense. They created a decisive scene together, but Cabore's shot missed the target... At the 29th minute, Ishikawa → Kajiyama was fouled in the center and earned a free kick just outside the penalty area. Kajiyama aimed directly for the goal, but it narrowly missed to the right.

　In the 32nd minute, Oita MF Edmilson received his second warning and was sent off. With Oita reduced to 10 men, they took control on the right side, with Ishikawa and Tokunaga repeatedly launching attacks. In the 38th minute, Tokunaga sent a low cross from the right. Kondo managed to get in front of the Oita goalkeeper, but his shot narrowly missed the target. In the 42nd minute, Imano passed to Tokunaga who quickly crossed to the center. The ball fell to Cabore, who was unmarked, and he immediately took a shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. They couldn't capitalize on the chance, and the score remained 0-0 going into the second half.

Kajiyama scores a penalty kick just before the end, securing a victory despite the struggle.

　Tokyo dominated the ball from the start of the second half. In the 51st minute, Kondo directly connected with Ishikawa's ground cross, but it went over the frame. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama ran to the left area and took a ground shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. Oita left FW Weslley up front and everyone else dropped back to strengthen the defense. Tokyo struggled to break through the concentrated Oita defense and couldn't enter the penalty area. Tokyo substituted Ohata and Akamine for Ishikawa and Kondo to try to overcome this situation.

　67 minutes, Otake passes short to the center from a FK, and Kajiyama's shot is fiercely attacked by the GK but saved. In the 68th minute, Sahara, who was left attacking, headed a cross from the left, but it went straight to the GK. In the 74th minute, they quickly counterattacked from their own half, Kajiyama -> Kabore cut inside the area from the left and took a shot. However, it was blocked by the GK's save, and Nagatomo shot from the rebound, but it was also blocked by a great save from the Oita GK.

　Afterwards, Suzuki was substituted for Hanyu and launched a wave attack, but was unable to break through the excellent save by the Oita GK and could not score a goal. By the 89th minute, the team had shot a record-breaking 27 shots but failed to score, and the atmosphere of a draw began to prevail in injury time. Kabore dropped Sasaki's feed to Akamine in the penalty area, and immediately after, Akamine was fouled by the opponent's DF and earned a penalty kick. Kajiyama kicked a powerful shot to the upper left corner and scored a goal! Despite a narrow victory, they snatched 3 valuable points away in a dramatic ending.

　[Player Comments]《Kajiyama》"I decided from the beginning that I would take the penalty kick and told everyone. I was able to take it calmly without feeling nervous because I always practice. The shot and the direction the Oita GK Nishikawa jumped were the same, but I thought it would be fine because I aimed for the right course. I felt relieved when the whistle for time-up blew right after it went in. (Is this your first goal of the season?) I was able to score the penalty, but I haven't scored from the flow of play yet. I want to be able to score from the flow."《Sahara》"This is what it’s like to fight against an opponent with 10 players. I thought it would be difficult. In last year's match against Kawasaki, we also had 10 players but managed to defend. When you are forced to defend, it’s hard to score. I believe that’s how it is. As a defense, I tried to firmly mark my opponent. I knew that Oita would use Weslley as a starting point, so we discussed in detail who would go for the ball and how to cover it. But even though we created so many chances and it was an away game, I didn’t think a draw would be good enough. I believe my strong feelings and everyone’s strong will led to the penalty. I want to carry this victory into the upcoming consecutive matches. We are still in a losing state."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "In the midst of struggling without results, there were many fans who came to support us from far away, and I think it was good that we were able to share joy with them. Regarding the content of the match, we had the aim that if we could endure a little at the beginning, we would be able to circulate the ball in the midfield, and I think we were able to achieve that to some extent. I believe the players were conscious of the side attacks and the switch to the opposite side. However, the accuracy of our finishing was too poor, and not being able to convert so many clear chances leads to a difficult match, which is usually the case. Especially when the opponent has one player sent off, they tend to pull back even more, and it became a very unpleasant match where we continued to miss clear chances. At halftime, I confirmed with the defense that the complacency of having one less opponent is our greatest enemy. I believe the defense maintaining their concentration was the biggest reason for today's victory. Today, it was clear that the forwards created a debt to the defense. Although we were not pressured, being able to take three points in such an unpleasant match where we missed so many clear chances will lead to the next step."

　[Summary of Oita Coach CHAMUSCA's Press Conference] "Today was indeed a match where we had to win, earn points, and move up in the rankings. From the start of the match, the team was able to perform well in both defense and attack. Once the match began, I felt we needed to improve the accuracy of our passes, especially in front of the goal. In defense, we started with a four-back formation, and when we regained possession, we switched to a three-back shape with the sides pushing up; I think we executed that transition well. However, after one player was sent off, we had to switch to a complete four-back formation. In fact, I asked MF Kanazaki to take on two positional roles in a 4-4-1 formation. Given this positioning, there were difficulties in our attack, but I believe we demonstrated stable performance in both defense and offense. We were able to create chances effectively using quick counterattacks. In terms of transitioning from defense to attack, I think MF Kiyotake and Suzuki showed good movement. However, although MF Takahashi was positioned on the side, we attacked from the center and couldn't utilize him well, which allowed the space behind Takahashi to be exploited. Nevertheless, the players showed their willingness to fight until the very end, but unfortunately, we conceded a penalty and ended up with a disappointing result."