Show your daily growth and aim for victory at home

　Sec. 27 will be a home game following the previous round, facing Júbilo Iwata at Ajinomoto Stadium. In the G Osaka match, we took control in the first half but couldn't convert our chances, and in the second half, the opponent gained momentum, resulting in a scoreless draw. However, Coach Tsuka stated, "We improved on the issues from the Kyoto match. We want to resolve the challenges from the G Osaka match and aim for victory, steadily growing along the way."

　Iwata, who is currently in 11th place with 35 points, will face Tokyo. They suffered three consecutive losses from the 23rd round, but they had a convincing victory over Kyoto in the previous round. In this round, if they can defeat Tokyo, their points will surpass them and their rankings will be reversed. They would definitely want to win and build momentum. Their attacking power is particularly threatening, with a total of 40 goals scored so far. Among them, FW Maeda and FW Iguinho, who are leading the goal-scoring rankings, have scored 23 goals. FW Maeda is skilled at both pulling out the ball and post-play, and he is also good at scoring goals from headers after crosses. FW Iguinho has speed and strength, and they can also score goals through their combination.

　Therefore, the first condition for victory is to not let them play freely. We want to thoroughly challenge and cover the ball holder with coordinated defense. On the other hand, Iwata's total of 46 goals conceded is the worst in the league (tied with Kashiwa and Thailand). Even if there are continued situations where we can't finish, we want to continue our own soccer patiently and not lose in the battle of patience against Iwata and score goals.

　Tokyo, Ishikawa had been practicing with a separate menu due to a right foot injury, but he made a determined adjustment and started the game. In addition, Hirayama, who had finished serving his suspension, and Suzuki formed a two-top formation. For Iwata, goalkeeper Kawaguchi left the team due to injury. Goalkeeper Hatta started for the first time this season. It was a sunny day with lingering humidity at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 16:04.

In a cautious development, both sides failed to capitalize on their chances...

　The start of the game saw both teams pressing each other to prevent the opponent from gaining rhythm, resulting in a cautious development. In the 14th minute, Iwata's midfielder Okada delivered an early cross from the left. Gonda punched the ball while competing with forward Iguho, but the ball floated into the goal area, allowing forward Maeda to head it. The shot lacked power and went wide to the right, but this was the first shot for both teams combined.

　However, in the 16th minute, Tokyo created a chance from their combination play. Yonemoto passed to Suzuki on the left side, Suzuki advanced to a high position, and then found Yonemoto again in the center. Yonemoto sent a through pass to the central area, and Nagatomo ran in from the left to take a shot! However, the shot from just outside the goal area was blocked by the goalkeeper's save. In the 17th minute, Hanyu crossed from the right side, and Ishikawa made a through pass in the center. Immediately behind, Hirayama took a shot but it was blocked by the defender.

　Tokyo dominated the ball as time passed, but Iwata also quickly returned and couldn't break through the defense easily. Iwata also tried to break the deadlock with strong plays from FW Igor, but Tokyo concentrated and defended well. In the 44th minute, Hirayama cut off Iwata's ball in the opponent's territory, and Ishikawa on the right and Suzuki on the left launched a quick attack, but Ishikawa's breakthrough was stopped by Iwata's DF. Then Suzuki ran up the left side and aimed for the goal after entering the area, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper, and the score remained 0-0 as the second half began.

Despite allowing the opponent to take the lead, a dramatic victory was achieved with goals from Nagatomo and Akamine!

　In the second half, it was Iwata who first had a big chance. In the 54th minute, left midfielder Murai created an opportunity on the left side, and the ball fell to forward Maeda who was free in the area. Maeda took a decisive shot at the goal, taking advantage of Tokyo's defense being caught off guard, but it hit the crossbar and bounced down... avoiding a crisis. Immediately in the 55th minute, Tokyo created a decisive opportunity. Hirayama pressed in the opponent's half, stole the ball from Iwata, and entered the area, attracting the attention of the defenders and passing to the free Ishikawa in the center. Ishikawa swung his right foot, but... missed the target by a wide margin.

　In the 62nd minute, Kajiyama -> Ishikawa developed to the right side of Hayabusa, who missed the chance together. Kajiyama runs into the pass sent by Hayabusa to the area, and passes it to Ishikawa from Hirayama in the center. Ishikawa dribbles the ball into the goal, scoring the long-awaited opening goal from the well-coordinated passing work! However, in the immediate 64th minute, giving a left corner kick to Iwata, DF Komano's kick slips from Gonda's hands and goes to FW Maeda. Yonemoto tried to block it with a sliding tackle, but the ball was kicked in again and a goal was conceded... And in the 70th minute, Tokyo DF blocks Iwata's left MF Murai's shot, giving another corner kick. From this left corner kick, Ignno in the center is left free and scores a powerful header. Defensive mistakes are made in set-piece situations and 2 goals are conceded. They allowed the opponent to take the lead.

　However, never giving up, in the 72nd minute, Akamine replaced Hanyu, followed by Suzuki and Ishikawa being replaced by Mukuhara and Nakamura in the 75th minute. Mukuhara moved to the right full-back position, Tokunaga moved to the left, and Nagatomo moved up one row, aiming for a goal from crosses starting from the sides. This strategy paid off, as they launched a speedy and powerful attack to counter. In the 82nd minute, Yonemoto passed to Nakamura, who was speeding down the right side and delivered a fast cross. The ball bounced in front of the goal and Nagatomo reacted to the opponent goalkeeper's fumble. He calmly finished with his right foot and equalized the score.

　In the final stages, Tokyo made a power play with Inamoto as the attacking midfielder, and Murohara, Bruno, and Tokunaga as the back three. As Iwata also aimed to take the lead, it became a back-and-forth counterattack. In the 84th minute, Iwata's left midfielder Murai made a strong attack and delivered a decisive shot to forward Maeda in the center, but it was saved by Gonda!! It escaped to a corner kick and was defended. And in the 4 minutes of stoppage time, Tokyo launched a strong attack, with Kajiyama dribbling up the center and expanding to the left. Nagatomo, who had moved up to the midfield, sent a cross, and Akamine, who was free in the far post, headed the ball! The ball was sucked into the net for a dramatic lead! With the goal that showcased Akamine's strength as a "Júbilo killer," they secured a victory and earned 3 points in the league for the first time in 3 matches since the 24th round against Oita.

　【Player Comments】《Nagato》"When I was a side back, I focused on maintaining balance, and when I moved up to the side half, I intended to go for the goal myself. I think I was able to show a greedy attitude. Regarding the scoring scene, I had been aiming for the loose ball before that, so I think that's how the goal came about. There was a possibility of scoring before that. It was just a matter of matching the final precision. We conceded 2 goals, but mentally, each of us is getting stronger, and I personally felt determined to keep moving forward without wavering. That feeling led to the third goal. Today was a match where everyone could feel the direction we are aiming for. I want to carry this victory into the next one." 《Akamine》"The decisive goal came because Sota collapsed near the goal, allowing me to be free. I could see the position of the goalkeeper and the goal well. I aimed for that spot because I thought it was the only course available. I had been away from the goal for a long time, and the team hadn't been able to secure 3 points recently. I think this goal will give me momentum, and I hope the team can ride the wave as well. I am called a Jubilo killer, but I don't have a special awareness of Iwata; rather, I haven't scored much against other opponents. I want to do my best to score in other matches as well."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Our current ranking is mid-table, but I wanted to show our attitude towards this season's league matches and our goals for the season, and I wanted to leave that as a result. The players' feelings were reflected in that. I think it was a match where everyone, including the bench, was able to show that we still have goals in the league. In the first half, we were quite cautious about the opponent's two forwards, but we focused too much on that and it became a bit stretched. It would have been better if we could have compacted a bit more and pushed up the defensive line. We corrected that for the second half. I think we did well until we scored the first goal at the start of the second half. We need to reflect on the goal we conceded from the corner kick, and it was a situation where we shouldn't have given away a corner. Mistakes happen, but we need to reflect on the fact that there are still gaps. Even so, in the end, we were able to turn the game around because everyone gave their all for the team. I want to cherish this kind of victory, and to connect it to the future, I think it is meaningless unless we absolutely take three points in the next match. (Regarding the practice leading up to this match, you were trying various positional changes?) This season, including the push from backup players, we had the theme of raising the overall level of the team, but there were difficult times when that didn't function well. So, I thought about things other than just bringing in attacking players when we go on the offensive. The idea that the new players we bring in do not necessarily have to be offensive. By pushing the players from the back forward, we become offensive as a common understanding of the team. I thought that would also increase our options. However, of course, being able to show that kind of strength as an option when we are winning is the best. I do not wish to have a situation like today’s in every match when we are losing."

　[Iwata Coach Yanagishita's Press Conference Summary] "First of all, in the first half, there was a moment when Nagatomo got behind our defense, which was a bit of a crisis, but other than that, we were able to maintain a fairly stable defense. In terms of our attack, we held onto the ball too long and lacked movement after passing, which prevented us from creating chances. In the second half, the players started to move more, and we were able to create some opportunities. Our condition has improved compared to when we suffered three consecutive losses. In the second half, it turned into a bit of a counterattack battle, and at times when the game stretched out, we lost the second ball or lost the first pass after regaining possession, which led to conceding a goal. We need to take better positions and develop our play more balanced. At the same time, we must ensure proper marking in front of the goal. I want to correct those areas. If we could have held on to a 2-1 lead, I believe the players would have gained confidence for the upcoming games, but unfortunately, we suffered a comeback loss. However, the content of the game was not bad, so I want to fight confidently in the remaining seven matches."