Tamagawa Clasico, a match that tests true value

　Sec. 13 of the league is held. As the 15th Tama River Clasico, Kawasaki Frontale will face off against at home Ajinomoto Stadium. In the previous match against Navi Sogo Chiba, fresh members joined and took a victory that will be a momentum for the future. At the same time, they achieved three consecutive games without conceding a goal and demonstrated defensive stability. In this match, it will be a test of whether what they have built up so far in both offense and defense will work against their rival Kawasaki in the Tama River Clasico. It will be a match where their true value is questioned. It will be a consecutive match in 3 days from the Chiba match, but during this time, Cabore, Kajiyama, Ishikawa, and Tokunaga have fully recovered from their injuries and will be included in the starting lineup.

Kawasaki, on the other hand, has 18 points at the end of the 12th section. They have a total of 20 goals (second only to Hiroshima) and boast a top-class attacking power. However, in the ACL Ulsan match on the 19th (Tue), Kawasaki lost 0-2 despite their attacking efforts being met with Ulsan's strong defense. Tokyo has also been functioning well defensively with thorough competition and coverage in the defensive line, and they have been able to prevent their opponents from freely playing in the midfield. Without hesitation, they want to continue this.

　In the attack, the key points are expected to be the development from the defensive midfielder and the side attacks. It is important to create our own opportunities while suppressing the attacks of Kawasaki MF Nakamura and Taniguchi, and to break down their defense. Coach Jofuku said, "It's a big match to see if we can return to a 50-50 record by May. However, it's important not to exert too much effort just because it's a 'Clasico', but to play with our usual strength," emphasizing the importance of approaching the match with a calm mind. After this round of league matches, there will be a break of about one month, but it is a crucial match that we want to win before the break and continue our momentum in the Nabisco Cup. Just before the match, the rain started to intensify at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started with Kawasaki's kickoff at 2:05 PM.

Take the lead with Konno's first goal of the season! Seize control of the game

　Kawasaki dominated the ball in the early stages and gave a free kick to Tokyo in the 14th minute. Kawasaki midfielder Nakamura sent a floating kick to the front line, and midfielder Taniguchi, who had jumped out, scored a header, but was saved by offside. After that, they gradually connected passes and took control of the game. Starting with Cabore, Hirayama, and Ishikawa, they made moves, and in the 17th minute, Ishikawa brought the ball to the right area and passed it to Cabore near the goal. Cabore quickly passed it back to Hirayama behind him, but he was closed down by the defenders and couldn't take a shot. From the loose ball, Tokunaga, who had advanced, sent a cross with shooting intent to the front of the goal, but couldn't connect and it became a Kawasaki ball.

　In the 21st minute, Ishikawa dribbled up from the side and took a shot from just outside the area, after receiving the ball from Hirayama who was slightly retreating in the opponent's half. The shot was well controlled, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 23rd minute, Yonemoto persisted and passed to Ishikawa on the right side. This time, Ishikawa chose to cross the ball. Cabore perfectly timed his header towards the far post, but he couldn't find the target...

　In the 27th minute, Kajiyama, who advanced from the midfield, passed to Cabore on the left front line. Cabore couldn't take a shot, but it was cleared by the defender and resulted in a left corner kick. From this short corner, Ishikawa sent a cross to the center, but it was cut off, and this time they got a right corner kick. In the 28th minute, from this corner kick by Ishikawa, Makoto Imano made a header that hit the bar, but Imano reacted to the rebound. He stabbed the ball into the net with his left foot and scored a goal! They got the opening goal with Imano's first goal of the season from a set piece.

　By the time 30 minutes had passed, the weather had cleared up and become hot and humid. However, after that, Kawasaki did not create any real chances. In the 36th minute, the ball was passed to Hirayama on the left side, with Cabore and Ishikawa closing in the center. Hirayama started the play from the side, but the final pass was blocked by the Kawasaki defenders. In the 37th minute, Bruno headed the ball from Ishikawa's right corner kick, but it went over the line. In the 39th minute, Yonemoto and Cabore took a dribble shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. Still, they had hopes of scoring additional goals in the second half and ended the first half.

Despite expanding the lead to 2 points, we lost in a frustrating comeback after being reduced to 10 players...

　From the start of the second half, Tokyo substituted Suzuki for Hanyu. Kawasaki changed the position of SB Ito to center back and CB Igawa to side back. In the early stages, Kawasaki connected passes, but Tokyo quickly gained rhythm from the counterattack. In the 51st minute, Tokyo intercepted Kawasaki's ball and launched a quick attack. Midfielder Hirayama dropped the ball with a heel pass while forward Cabore reversed his body, and the ball crossed from left to right to Suzuki, who had jumped out to the right area just in time. He then shot from near the right area with momentum, but it went straight to the goalkeeper... In the 54th minute, Kawasaki substituted MF Tasaka for MF Vitor JUNIOR.

　Immediately after that, Tokunaga sent Kawasaki's goal kick to the front line, and Cabore broke through to the front line as if exchanging places with the opponent's defender and crossed the ball. Although Nakayama did not touch this ball in the center, Ishikawa, who had run in from the far side, kicked the shot that he had controlled with great force and scored a goal! They stole an additional point with a speedy attack and took a 2-point lead.

　However, in the 57th minute, Kawasaki FW JUNINHO sent a perfect through pass and FW Zheng was able to face forward. Bruno QUADROS pulled him from behind just before the area, and FW Zheng fell inside the area. This was judged as a prevention of a scoring opportunity, and Bruno QUADROS was sent off. At the same time, Kawasaki was given a penalty kick and had to play with 10 players for the remaining time. In the 58th minute, FW JUNINHO scored this penalty kick, allowing them to catch up by one point, and we were unable to stop Kawasaki's momentum.

　In the 59th minute, Shigeki was replaced by Shigeki and entered the CB. The 4-back did not break, and Hirayama approached with a side formation, but in the 65th minute, Kajiyama, who received Tokyo's right throw-in, was judged to have committed a foul just outside the area and gave a FK, Kawasaki MF Vitor Junior quickly restarted. FW Zheng connected and MF Taniguchi, who became free in the far side, was decided, and a goal was scored by taking advantage of the restart gap. In the 68th minute, Moriyama, DF on the Kawasaki left side, made a vertical pass to FW Zheng → MF Vitor Junior → FW Juninho's cross, and FW Renatinho in the far side competed with Nagatomo, but jumped and volleyed to score a goal. We allowed a reverse in 10 minutes by deciding a cross from the side...

　Still, without looking down, in the 75th minute, Nakamura was substituted for Hirayama. He connected passes from a tough defense and launched a counterattack. In the 88th minute, Nagatomo entered the area from a through pass by Konno and won a left corner kick. Suzuki's kick went through the congested central area and reached the far side. Nakamura caught up and took a shot, but it missed the target... In injury time, Tokunaga on the right side passed skillfully to Nakamura in the area, who then sent a pass to the goalmouth. Yonemoto ran in freely, creating a great chance, but slipped on the turf and missed the ball. Although they had a chance to equalize, they suffered a heartbreaking comeback defeat. As a result, the overall record of the Tama River Clasico is 5 wins, 5 draws, and 5 losses. Furthermore, they finished 14th in the league and will enter a break period of about one month.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"In matches where I wasn't playing, the defensive balance was good, so as an attacking player, I wanted to create good opportunities in attack. I think we were able to create good attacking shapes from solid defense in the first half. It was from a set piece, but we scored, which was good. (The goal) was set up by Cabore from the left side, and Hirayama was in front to create space, and I felt the ball was coming. There was some distance, but I was able to slot it in well. (With 6 goals, I am the top scorer on the team, but) there are still chances, and I am required to score to contribute to the team's victory. I couldn't turn my goal into a win today, so I want to keep scoring and producing results. Even though I felt good about my performance, there were still results that didn't come, and there are still frustrating matches. The league will be on hold, but there are cup matches, so I want to reflect properly and connect that to a good state when the league resumes." 《Konno》"It's frustrating that we couldn't win, and it was a waste. We still have a lot to learn. This loss made me strongly feel that we need to aim higher. (For the opening goal) I thought I would always aim for it if there was a chance. However, today, rather than scoring, we created many chances, so I hope people will notice that too. Even after going down to ten men, I thought we could still create chances if we connected well, and I didn't think it was a problem, but the atmosphere in the venue turned to Kawasaki after the red card. But we have to play football that doesn't lose to that. So, it's a learning experience."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "I wanted many fans to come and share in the joy, but I am very disappointed that it did not lead to a result. However, I told the players to hold their heads up. I believe the match was content to be proud of. No matter what kind of judgment is made, we must continue to play soccer. Continuing to play good soccer is our job. In terms of results, there may be various opinions, but the content should not be something to be pessimistic about, and I believe we should continue this style of soccer. (Regarding the evaluation of the two goals and the plan after the red card?) After going down to ten men, we tried to create a block with a 4-4-1 formation. It wasn't that we couldn't do that, but the opponent stopped attacking after taking the lead, and conversely, we had to chase. Therefore, we changed the system to a 4-3-2 to go after the ball. Regarding the goals, we could say 'we scored two,' but I think we should have scored three or four, and it is important to continue creating such chances. (About what to try in the future) Of course, we must reflect on conceding three goals today, and there is probably some cause in how we managed the game. We will reflect on that thoroughly, but even with ten men, the players bravely connected the ball and played soccer that was not just about throwing it in. That is something to be proud of and reassuring. I want to continue playing this style of soccer with the players and achieve results."

　【Kawasaki Frontale Coach Sekizuka's Press Conference Summary】 "We turned around a very difficult game. Thanks to the passionate support of our fans and the hard work of the players. I want to express my gratitude. FC Tokyo has been attacking with impressive power from a solid and strong defense lately, so I expected a tough match. I wanted to score first, but our restart did not lead to a goal. Just when the game was settling down, we conceded a goal from a restart. In particular, FC Tokyo's two center-backs had a high possession rate, and even when we applied pressure, the midfield opened up. We conceded the first goal and allowed them to function even better. That was a key point, but we couldn't change the flow in the first half. In the second half, we changed our system, and if FW Tae-seong Jeong had been a bit quicker at the start, FW JUNINHO would have had a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper. From that point, we started to regain some momentum, but just then, there was a similar mistake by DF Ito in the first half, and DF Kikuchi bounced the ball back, leading to a goal against us. Such basic errors in defense are making it difficult for us to find our rhythm and play our football. After that, we managed to turn the game around with a well-executed penalty and a red card, but we need to correct those issues and solidify our team as we move forward."