Grabbing Victory at Home during Golden Week Battle!

During the Golden Week holiday, the 9th section of the league will be held. Omiya Ardija will face Ajinomoto at Ajinomoto Stadium. In the previous section against G Osaka, we demonstrated our strengths towards the end of the game and scored our first two goals of the season, but we suffered a defeat by conceding four goals late in the game. Despite the short two-day break, we are determined to switch our mindset and physical condition and aim for a victory at home in this section.

　This round, the team composition has been changed. Coach Shiroyuki said, "I am not completely without worries, but considering the performance of the past few matches and the opponent, I made this choice. Including two CBs, it is the best combination at this point. I want to focus on bringing out the individual and team strengths to the fullest. I will always believe in the players and send them out." With determination, Bruno QUADROS and Imano are assigned as center-backs, Kajiyama and Yonemoto as double defensive midfielders. Ishikawa and Hanyu on the sides, and Cabore and Akamine as the two forwards, this is the formation they will face the match with.

　Omiya, on the other hand, is in 12th place with 9 points, but is currently on a 3-game losing streak. In the midst of consecutive matches, Coach Zhang made changes to 7 players from the previous match. Kataoka was moved to center back, Tokita and Murayama are the fullbacks on both sides. Arai and Kanazawa form a double pivot in midfield, and the attacking lineup also features fresh players. They have aimed to "win by running" with these fresh players.

　First of all, the condition for earning 3 points is not to lose in the race. After that, if we calmly judge the game situation and connect passes calmly, we should be able to create our own time zone. We want to connect chances from Kajiyama's development and Hanyu's fluid movements. Coach Shirofuku declares once again that he wants to play their own soccer, saying, "I don't want to fight, no matter who plays in which position. We will stick to the soccer we aim for." Ajinomoto Stadium on a sunny day in May. The battle to take advantage of the home field advantage started with a kick-off in Tokyo at 19:04.

After Nao's goal, they overwhelm Omiya, but...

　Seizing the pace from the start, they created chances from the passing work and the fluid movements of Ishikawa and Hanyu. In the 4th minute, Tokunaga from their own half changed sides and made a long pass to Cabore on the left front line. Cabore headed the ball down and Akamine from the far side connected it, passing it to Ishikawa who ran through the gap. Ishikawa dribbled out and boldly shot the ball, which went in the bottom right corner! Ishikawa's consecutive goal in the second game gave them the lead!

　6 minutes, a cross was sent from Cabore who drifted to the right front line to Akamine in the center, but the timing was slightly off. In the 10th minute, Akamine attempted a breakthrough in the center from a one-two and Hayabusa shot the ball that was passed back. Omiya did not create any clear chances and went on the offensive. In the 18th minute, a quick counterattack was launched from their own half, and Akamine passed to Ishikawa on the right, who then passed to the center. It seemed like Omiya's defense was going to intercept, but it went through to Cabore on the far side. It was a great chance for an additional goal, but the shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's save.

　In the 23rd minute, Bruno QUADROS pushed up the line and passed to Cabore on the left front. Cabore skillfully trapped the ball and rushed into the area in front of the opponent's defenders. He created another decisive opportunity, but... the shot went wide to the right. Despite not being able to convert the chances, in the 25th minute, Tokunaga passed a vertical ball to Hayashi just outside the right area. Hayashi calmly passed to Ishikawa who had moved up the center. Ishikawa broke through the opponent's defense with a series of passes and took a well-aimed shot that found the net!! With a combination play, Omiya broke through the defense and scored the second goal, overwhelming Omiya.

　But in the 35th minute, they were caught off guard by a pass from Kajiyama in their own half, and Omiya FW Ishihara's dribble was stopped by Yonemoto with a foul, giving away a free kick. MF Uchida aimed directly for the left area from just outside the box, and the shot found the top left corner of the goal... They were taken advantage of by a set piece opportunity. In the 42nd minute, the whole team panicked due to a pass miss, and Omiya managed to connect their passes. The right SB Tokita dropped a feed to FW Fujita in the center of the area, and it reached FW Ishihara who was waiting in front. They created a decisive scene, but the shot missed to the left and they were saved by the mistake. The first half ended with a score of 2-1.

Ishikawa scores first hat-trick! Despite the struggle, we secure 3 points

　In the second half, Omiya replaced MF Watanabe with DF Park Won-jae as left MF, and MF Uchida approached with the right formation. However, Tokyo was the one who grasped the rhythm at the beginning. In the 48th minute, they stole the ball in their own half and Cabore dribbled fiercely after receiving passes from Yonemoto and Akamine. He brought it into the area, but was blocked by the opponent's DF and couldn't take a shot. However, in the 57th minute, Nagatomo pressed the Omiya DF and won a left throw-in. From here, Ishikawa skillfully broke into the area, following Nagatomo's throw, and achieved a hat-trick with a half-volley!

　It seemed like we had pushed Omiya away by taking the third goal. However, even though we didn't create any chances in the flow, we were definitely able to take advantage of the restart opportunity. In the 67th minute, we were repeatedly attacked through restarts, and in the end, we escaped with a corner kick. But from the sharp right corner kick taken by DF Park, DF Matsumoto jumped in perfectly and we conceded a goal. Once again, we were caught up to within one point.

　After that, we couldn't convert our chances and panicked after a misplaced pass, leading to a quick counterattack from Omiya. In the 77th minute, we lost the ball on the right side and conceded a counterattack. From there, they switched sides and DF Park broke through on the left front line and took a shot. Gonda made the save, but the rebound went to Omiya MF Uchida in the far area... They had a decisive shot from the right area, but Nagatomo blocked it with his body!

　Substitute Suzuki for Ishikawa in the 80th minute, and substitute Hirayama for Cabore in the 81st minute. In the 86th minute, they launched a counterattack and Suzuki broke through the opponent's defense. Kajiyama sent a perfect pass to Suzuki, who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He created a big chance, but the shot was saved by the goalkeeper... In the final stages, Omiya raised their defensive line and launched a power play, exposing themselves to intense attacks. In the 87th minute, Asari was substituted for Hayu. Finally, Hirayama also dropped back to the defensive line, and they all worked together to withstand Omiya's fierce attacks until the final whistle. Despite the struggle, they secured 3 points at home.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"It has been a tough series of matches, and I wanted to score first since we weren't getting results. I was able to score in the last match against G Osaka, but we didn't win, so I played with the awareness that 'scoring leads to results.' Even after scoring two goals, I thought that the more goals we scored, the better our situation would be, and more than anything, a two-goal lead is scary. I wanted to score another goal quickly. Today, in the shooting situations, I was able to create all the images in my mind. I think that led to the goals. In the end, it became a tough development, but everyone worked hard. We scored three goals as a result, but there have been matches where we missed, and I want to score even more because of that. I will never be satisfied here." 《Bruno QUADROS》"Today, getting three points was the most important thing. It was very good to have the chance and to play a good match. Konno is a player who plays well, is strong, and has speed, so it was easier for me. What was disappointing was that we couldn't finish the first half at 2-0. In soccer, it's inevitable to concede from a free kick like that..."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Today was a match where we absolutely had to win. In the previous match against G Osaka, we conceded four goals. Everyone is working hard, but ultimately, we played a game where it was understandable to say we woke up after conceding those four goals. If we don't hold our ground here, aiming for the top will end up being a mere fantasy. It was good that we were able to hold our ground in that situation. Thanks to all the players and the support from the fans. However, we must have a sense of crisis about the fact that it ended 3-2. Mistakes in technique are unavoidable, but we lost goals due to poor judgment in what was otherwise a perfect game, and we became unsettled from there. If we continue to play immaturely like this, the goal of balancing our points and overcoming our past frustrations will become a distant story. I personally felt that sense of crisis. It is very dangerous to celebrate today's result without reservation. I believe the entire team must approach the next match with a sense of crisis. If we keep missing chances, we will have games like this, and the team will struggle. Additionally, there are too many mistakes in judgment, not just in how we line up defensively, but also in the plays leading up to fouls or not. I think we need to sharpen our judgment in both offense and defense and mature further."

　[Omiya Coach Zhang's Press Conference Summary] "The early goal we conceded was too quick, and we didn't have the time to make adjustments, so we couldn't play the game as we wanted at all. However, I think scoring two goals this time, compared to the 0-3 match last time, will lead to better things in the future. (Did you make significant changes to the lineup from the last match?) Given that it was a series of matches, we aimed to play the style of football we aspire to, and that was part of our strategy. It wasn't so much a significant change... The players I used today have experience in matches, and I don't feel like I made such a drastic change. There was also the aim of resting the veteran players. The young players are also developing, and I think today's performance was better than last time. In the next match, I want to use players who fit our style and bring back the veteran players. We have to fight with the strength of all 28 players."