A match against Verdy that we cannot afford to lose

1st final match is against Verdy Kawasaki, which will move its home to Tokyo from next season.

For this prestigious club, while having respect, as the first J.League club in Tokyo, we cannot afford to lose. It will be our first official match against them, but it will be a battle where we want to show our determination.

Supporters gathered behind the second floor goal at Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, overwhelming Verdy even before the start of the match. The players should definitely feel that passion as well.

Unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities, they are scored on the first chance

In strong winds, both teams proceed cautiously, carefully exploring each other. Verdy's strategy is to not raise the defensive line unnecessarily, with Nakazawa and Yoneyama as the center of the CB, and the double pivot of Hayashi and Yamada taking care of the space, while utilizing Kim's technique and strength, and Iio's speed.

However, in the 9th minute, Imai, who received a through pass from Kane, was tackled with a sliding tackle by Komine, who was momentarily slow to react, in the penalty area. This play resulted in a foul being called and a penalty kick being awarded. Hayashi calmly converted it, giving Verdy the lead. Tokyo was put in a disadvantageous position from the start.

However, Tokyo counterattacks. In the 11th minute, Fujiyama, who advanced forward, dribbled into the middle and took a shot. In the 12th minute, TUTO and Kobayashi combined with Naito, causing trouble for Verdy's defense. In the 17th minute, Yukihiko received a pass from Amaral, broke through the right side, and crossed the ball into the middle where TUTO took a shot. It went straight to the goalkeeper, but in the immediate 18th minute, Tokyo continued to attack with a shot from Kobayashi after a cross from Fujiyama on the left side. In the 26th minute, Yukihiko, who was filling the area in front of the goal, headed the ball from a cross by Naito on the right side! It was a decisive opportunity, but it was saved by GK Motoami and did not result in a goal.

With a super play, Honami howls!

Verdy, who defended by pulling back against Tokyo's fierce attack and did not allow them to break the goal by sacrificing their bodies in the final stage. In the midfield, they were allowed some freedom, but they couldn't use the space in front of the goal and couldn't launch their favorite fast break. In the 29th minute, Kina was substituted for Koike. Tokyo, trying to dominate the midfield with early substitutions. In the 33rd minute, TUTO, who received a pass from Kobayashi after a quick transition from defense, won a duel against Nakazawa and took a shot, but it went just above the crossbar. In the 37th minute, Kobayashi took a middle shot from a direct pass combination of Yukihiko, Amaral, and TUTO. Immediately after in the 38th minute, Amaral broke through on a counterattack and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, but Hongo saved it with his right foot! They have found their rhythm, but they couldn't convert any decisive chances and ended the first half.

In the second half, Verdy substituted Miyagami for Hirochou, and moved Ishizuka from the left side to a more central position, and moved Yamada from defensive midfield to the right side, forming a midfield formation that is close to a diamond shape.

However, the attack continued in the second half while dominating the ball in Tokyo. In the 56th minute, Kobayashi dribbled through the left side after a pass exchange with Fujiyama and centered the ball. TUTO, who was free in front of the goal, took a decisive shot, but the goalkeeper saved it. In the 62nd minute, Amaral was fouled near the penalty area and earned a free kick, which Yukihiko aimed directly at the goal, but Honami made a save with one hand! Immediately after, TUTO's header shot from a corner kick was once again saved by Honami's left hand...

In the 63rd minute, which was finally able to create space compared to the first half, Amaral jumped into the cross from Yukihiko Sato who had dug the left side, but narrowly missed. In the 69th minute, Tokyo tried to break the situation by replacing Yukihiko Sato, who had played the full game so far, with Toda, but...

Kim's blow dampens the counterattack mood

Although they attacked, they couldn't score a goal, and their performance reminded us of the late defeats in J2 last year. However, what sets J1 apart is that they didn't end up conceding just one goal here.

73 minutes, Verdy DF Nishida, who took the loose ball, passed it to the midfield, and Yamada headed the ball back. Gold confidently shot the ball from outside the penalty area. The Tokyo DF couldn't close in on him, and Gold's shot, released freely, drew a beautiful trajectory and was sucked into the goal net.

Tokyo, who was caught off guard, was immediately discouraged. In the 78th minute, they couldn't catch Yamada, who had advanced to the front line, and allowed another header shot by Kim from the cross, resulting in their third goal conceded. In the 80th minute, Kaburagi was substituted for Kobayashi, but throughout the offense and defense, they consistently displayed disjointed play, ultimately suffering their first shutout loss of the season and finishing the 1st stage in 6th place.

If you think of today's game as just one of the 15 games, you can also say that it is a match that shows the challenges and leads to the next one. However, considering how well we have fought so far, it cannot be denied that there is a feeling of dissatisfaction following the Kobe match in the previous round, and it ended in a disappointing way. I want to switch my mindset and approach the 2nd stage.

"Coach Zhang's comment"

"We were able to finish the home game with a victory. I think it was a good game that led to the second stage. (There were effective side changes in the second half, but were they instructed during the game? In response to the question) Once we enter the actual game, it is the players' own judgment. We are fostering personal judgment skills. This is the way of this team that we have been saying all along."

"Coach Okuma's comment"

"It was a game that exposed the lack of finishing ability, the failure of the two forwards to function, and the lack of midfield organization when the opponent pulled back. This has been a challenge since before this stage started and there are still unresolved parts. Before fighting in J1, there was also the aspect of not knowing until we tried it, but through 15 games, both the individual players and the team have been able to grasp the good and bad aspects. The goal for the second stage is to continue playing good games with concentration and not have a game like today. We want to make adjustments to regain confidence once again."