In a tough schedule, aiming for victory away with fresh players

In Sec. 16 of the league, we face Albirex Niigata away. In the previous match against Iwata, we were outpaced and outworked, forcing a tough battle. Like the last match, this one comes after just two days of rest. Despite the tough schedule, as Coach Shofuku aims, "We want to carry the ball in a way that breaks down the opponent's defense while keeping the goals conceded to a minimum," we will not use fatigue as an excuse. We will maintain an aggressive stance both offensively and defensively, control the game for longer periods, and aim for victory.Albirex Niigata currently sits 9th with 22 points. In their last match against Kashima, despite the suspension of defensive midfielder Honma, they played an attacking formation with three forwards away from home and pressed Kashima. Although the result was a draw, they have remained unbeaten in the league since Sec. 7 on April 17, with 5 wins and 4 draws in 9 matches, showing strong competitiveness. Especially with forward Yano leading the attack, left-side player Cho aggressively challenges, and fluid movements from MF Marcio Richardes and FW Michel create chances. Also, great attention is needed for set plays by the in-form MF Marcio Richardes.Tokyo will field fresh players due to "three points: three consecutive matches, injury impact, and Niigata countermeasures (Coach Shofuku)." Mukuahara will play right back, Morishige and Takahashi will form a double defensive midfield, Suzuki and Hanyu will be on the left and right midfield, and the two forwards will be Oguro and Akamine. Although we won 1-0 in the Nabisco Cup qualifier on May 22, Coach Shofuku warns, "Niigata’s style hasn’t changed since the Nabisco match, and that game was a close call. But they have gained solid confidence from their unbeaten league run."Takahashi expressed his determination: "We must carefully cover FW Cho, Michel, and MF Marcio Richardes when they move inside. Also, when long balls are kicked from the defensive line to FW Yano up front, we defensive midfielders need to drop back to defend. I want to run more than others and win the ball more often." Offensively, the sides will be a key factor. Since Niigata’s side midfielders and fullbacks take high positions, we want to exploit the space behind them to create chances. The match kicked off at 19:03 at the Tohoku Electric Big Swan Stadium with Niigata starting.

Conceding a goal from a mistake, the situation becomes difficult. Trailing at the end of the first half.

　From the start of the first half, they pressed Niigata and tried to attack by connecting passes. At 4 minutes, Akamine made a run to the right front line in response to a long pass from the back and crossed to the center. Suzuki ran into the goal area but was defended by the opposing DF. Conversely, Niigata launched speedy attacks, and the game continued with back-and-forth exchanges. However, at 15 minutes, Takahashi's pass was intercepted by Niigata MF Michel in their own half, who then played a through pass behind the DF. FW Yano calmly finished after breaking through here, conceding an early goal. But without panic, they launched their own style of soccer to counterattack. At 26 minutes, from Hanyu to Morishige in front, Morishige moved from right to left just outside the area, was fouled, and earned a free kick. Matsushita aimed for this, but the shot hit the upper left bar of the goal. At 34 minutes, Kim Young-gun dribbled forward → Matsushita → Suzuki, who moved to the left and carried the ball forward, crossing it. Akamine jumped in front of the goal but missed the connection. At 38 minutes, from Konno's large side change to Suzuki on the right side. Suzuki dribbled in and delivered a low cross in front of the goal, but it was cleared. At 40 minutes, from Mukuhara's cross, a right corner kick. Hanyu picked up the rebound from Matsushita's kick, dodged the opposing DF just outside the area, and took a powerful shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. They continued to press Niigata, sending crosses from the sides, but the ball did not reach Daikoku or Akamine in good positions. Niigata's counterattacks were sharp, making it a tense game, but no decisive chances were created, and the first half ended.

Despite narrowing the gap to one goal with Konno's goal, they were unable to score any additional points and suffered a defeat.