Only aim for victory at home

　In the previous match, Tokyo achieved their first victory in 10 games away at Oita. However, they have been facing tough battles in the Nabisco Cup qualifying league. Currently, Chiba, who is in first place in Group C, has 9 points, while Kashiwa, in second place, has 6 points. Therefore, Tokyo, in third place with 4 points, will have a difficult time advancing to the knockout stage if they don't win this match. They are determined to earn 3 points and aim for advancement, as well as seek revenge against Kashiwa, who has only suffered 2 defeats so far this season.

　In the Oita match, the 4-4-2 formation with Toda and Yusuke Kondo as the top two worked well. In this match, Lucas is injured and Kurisawa is not feeling well, so Miyazawa will be placed as the left midfielder. Miura will also start for the first time this season and form a double pivot with Konno. Coach Hara expects Miura to create rhythm with his voice and experience by placing him in front of the defensive line for balance.

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, suffered a heavy defeat of 1-5 against Chiba in the previous match, but they are currently in a favorable position in 2nd place. MF Myojin and Tanihara have returned from injury, and they have made significant changes to the midfield lineup since the previous match. In addition, FW Yamashita made his first start in the Nabisco Cup. The match, which neither team could afford to lose, started at 15:03 under cloudy skies at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo.

Suppressing Kashiwa's counterattack, but still advancing advantageously...

　At the start of the 2nd minute, Ishikawa took the first shot of the day. He picked up a loose ball on the right side and confidently took a shot towards the center. In the 3rd minute, Toda received a throw-in from Fujita and took a shot, but it didn't hit. In the 5th minute, Toda jumped out to catch a lob pass, but it was offside. In the 12th minute, they lost the ball in their own midfield, and Kashiwa MF Kleber dribbled and sprinted. He brought the ball to the right area and took a shot, but Shioda caught it. In the early stages, both teams continued to fight for possession, and there was a fast-paced attack and defense, but gradually Tokyo gained rhythm focusing on set plays.

　In the 14th minute, a free kick from the left area behind. Yusuke Kondo and Jahn jump into the goal area from Miyazawa's kick, but just miss. In the 17th minute, Miura jumps out to the right area to intercept a free kick from the opponent's right side near the enemy's territory and steals a corner kick. In the 26th minute, Kashiwa steals a loose ball and MF Kleber attacks, attracting the defender and making a last pass to MF Ono on the left. He takes a shot, but Fujita quickly returns and cuts it off. In the 28th minute, starting from Kleber's attack, DF Hato crosses from the right. Unozawa crosses again as it flows to the left. No one in the center connects, but they try to create a chance from a wide attack. However, immediately after, Tokyo gets a big chance. In the 29th minute, Kanazawa puts a wedge pass to the front line, picks up the loose ball from the opponent's defender, and attacks up to the front of the goal, making a last pass to Yusuke Kondo on the left. Yusuke Kondo shoots from the left of the goal area, but it is blocked by the goalkeeper.

　Tokyo missed the chance to take the lead, but Yusuke Kondo tried to dispel the unpleasant atmosphere. In the 31st minute, he skillfully trapped Ishikawa's right cross and tried to enter a shooting position while turning around, but the Kashima defender cut it off just in time. In the following 32nd minute, he broke free with a lofted pass from Fujita to the front line, but his trap was slightly too big and the opponent's goalkeeper made the save. Tokyo continued to dominate and in the 36th minute, Ishikawa attempted a central breakthrough, and Fujita caught up with the loose ball and crossed it from the right. Toda headed the ball from behind Yusuke Kondo, but it went to the left of the goal. In the 44th minute, there was a free kick from the right side of the opponent's field. Miyazawa connected with a short pass and Kanazawa took a shot, but it hit the top of the crossbar. The fullbacks on both sides were involved in the attack and Tokyo had the advantage in the game, but they couldn't score. However, they effectively contained Kashima's counterattacks and entered the second half without conceding a goal.

The fierce attack ends in a scoreless draw

　Tokyo took control of the pace in the second half. However, Kashiwa also countered with a spirited defense. In the 53rd minute, there was a continued battle in front of Kashiwa's goal, and Yusuke KONDO picked up the loose ball and took a clean shot. He attacked Kashiwa's goalkeeper, but was stopped by a nice save. In the 58th and 59th minutes, there were consecutive chances from corner kicks. Imano struck Iwashita's right corner kick with a header, but the bounce was too high and went over the bar. In the 61st minute, Kashiwa connected passes in front of Tokyo's goal, and Ryo Kobayashi's shot hit a defender, causing Shioda to be caught off guard. However, Uenozawa, who ran to pick up the loose ball, was offside.

　In a situation where the decisive blow was not coming, in the 65th minute, Kobayashi Sei was substituted for Miura and placed in the left midfield, and Miyazawa was placed in the defensive midfield. In the 67th minute, Kashiwa's defender cleared Miyazawa's left free kick. Kanazawa bravely took a shot from the loose ball, but it narrowly went to the right. Around the 75th minute, the game turned into a counterattack battle, with rapid developments continuing. In response to this, Tokyo replaced Miyazawa with Baba as the attacking midfielder and moved Imakawa to a defensive midfielder position to take a gamble. Immediately after, Kobayashi sent a floating pass to Toda, who was running on the right front line, from a counterattack. Toda caught up with it and took a shot, but missed. In the 80th minute, Kondo Yu was fouled and earned a free kick just outside the penalty area on the left side. This free kick was played short from Ishikawa to Jean through a set play, and Kondo Yu took a shot, but it went wide to the right.

　Tokyo DF defended well and Kashiwa's attack stalled. Around the 80th minute, Tokyo launched a relentless attack. However, in the 87th minute, Ishikawa connected a left corner kick and crossed it. Kondo Yusuke picked up the loose ball after the goalkeeper punched it and unleashed a powerful volley shot, but the opposing goalkeeper Minami managed to recover from a compromised position and made the save again. He thwarted Kondo's incredible play. In the 85th minute, Kobayashi crossed from a left throw-in. Kondo Yusuke attempted to head the ball into the net after the goalkeeper's save, but it went over the goal net. In injury time, Ishikawa made a strong run on the right side. Toda jumped in to meet the sharp cross, but his shot went to the left. Tokyo played a "Tokyo-like soccer" more than in the previous match against Oita and tried to score a goal, but it ended in a scoreless draw. However, their hope of advancing to the knockout stage is not completely dashed. They will face the Chiba match in the final match of the qualifying league with a slight hope.

　【Player Comments】《Miura》"The balance was good and I didn't feel like we were being dominated by the opponent. We are creating chances, but we need to convert them into victories. To do that, it's important to create more opportunities and increase our conversion rate. We have to keep challenging without giving up and continue working hard from training."《Kondo Yusuke》"With the two forwards, there is a certain role division where Toda-san goes behind the defense and I stay closer to the ball, so it's easier to play. (Were there any decisive moments?) I wasn't panicking, but maybe I was too calm and it didn't work out. In any case, we lack finishing ability. We want to keep practicing and make sure to score in the next game."《Ishikawa》"We are creating more chances and haven't conceded any goals, so it's up to us attackers to score. With the two forwards, I can stay higher up the field and it's easier for me to join the attack. Although we didn't score, I think we had good combinations with Yasunari. The team's form is improving and the performance is getting better, so we just need to finish our chances. We will work hard from training and give our all in every game."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We never gave up until the end and showed the attitude to go for goals. We wanted to earn 3 points, but the goal was far away. However, we managed to keep a clean sheet in both the Oita match and today's match. Kashiwa played with a strategy of aiming for a draw, but there were times in the past when we easily conceded goals in such situations. I think we have made improvements in that aspect. We put too much power, made the shot too big, or hit it too hard in the final shot. I wish we could have scored there... Lucas and Kurisawa were absent, but Miura returned to the starting lineup after a long time today. He, along with Baba who has returned from injury, showed their presence. We aim to score based on our current style of play. With the support of our fans, we must win at home. We will give our all in the upcoming matches against Juventus and in the final match of the Nabisco Cup against Chiba."

　[Summary of Kashiwa and Hayano's press conference] "We still have a chance to advance to the knockout stage, so we don't want to dwell on last week's defeat. In this week's practice, we focused on defensive confirmation, especially covering the back four, and today we saw the results of that. As for offense, we tried to quickly pass the ball and actively target the top. However, there were tough marks, and the number of times we successfully targeted the top and made follow-up runs was a challenge. However, MF Tanizawa returned from an ankle injury and made plays that gave us hope. Although we didn't score, we want to build on those opportunities and continue. Above all, the players have mentally recovered from the shock of last week and are ready for the game. I think that will lead to the next step."