Unite as a team and win in the league!

　Sec. 6 is the third match of the season against Oita Trinita away. So far, in the Nabisco Cup, we have a record of 1 win and 1 loss, so we know each other's tactics. However, Tokyo is currently on a three-game losing streak in the league. Although three Olympic representatives are absent in this match, we want to continue the momentum and stability we regained in the Nabisco Cup against Iwata and take the victory. This is an important match for our future resurgence.

　Oita, on the other hand, currently sits in 12th place with 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 losses after the 5th round. Although they have already won 3 matches in the Nabisco Cup, they have yet to produce results in the league, so they should be aiming for a victory. They have been using a 3-5-2 formation as a base, and have been experimenting with various player combinations in the Nabisco Cup. In the league matches, they have been using players like MF Nemoto and Augusto, but they are not available for this game due to injury. It is a difficult situation where they cannot field their best team, but the striking duo of FW Takamatsu and Matsubashi has been in good form, and right MF Takahashi has been scoring goals as a hidden shadow, so we must be fully cautious.　

　Tokyo will face the Iwata match on the 11th (Wed) with the same formation as the Nabisco Cup match, with Konno as center back and Asari as defensive midfielder. The aim is to keep the team compact and launch attacks by stealing the ball through coordinated defense. "In the Iwata match, the distance between players was close and the balance was good. We were able to launch fast attacks from the defense as intended," said Manager Hara. In terms of attack, once the ball is stolen, they will quickly transition and aim to break open the Oita goal with Baba leading the front line, Lucas and Ishikawa making runs, and incorporating attacks from Kanazawa and Tokunaga, the side fullbacks.

　Satoru ASARI also said, "We were able to defend as planned in the Iwata match, but it doesn't mean anything if it ends with just that game. We want to continue the good parts and aim for consecutive victories." The match started with Oita's kickoff at RESONAC DOME OITA, with occasional sunny intervals. It started at 4:04pm.

Both teams were unable to create attacking opportunities and the first half ended.

　Tokyo has been defending in their own half since the start of the match, and they are launching quick attacks after stealing the opponent's ball. In the 6th minute, Lucas breaks free from a pass exchange with Baba after Fujiyama's pass is intercepted, but it is offside. On the contrary, in the 10th minute, FW Takamatsu steals Kurizawa's ball and passes it to FW Matsubashi. Matsubashi takes a free shot but it is saved by Shioda, resulting in a corner kick. From this right corner kick, MF Fujita's powerful header is deflected over the bar.

　18 minutes, Ishikawa picks up Oita's clearance and dribbles inside. He passes to Kurizawa on the left side, but the shot goes over. In the 25th minute, Baba and Lucas connect after Asari's pass interception, and finally Ishikawa on the right takes a bold shot. However, it misses high and wide. In the 32nd minute, Baba steals the opponent's ball and dribbles forward. He passes to Ishikawa who runs in from behind, and shoots from inside the right area, but it slightly curves to the left.

　Oita also takes care of Tokyo's solid defense in the midfield, throwing long balls from the defensive line behind Tokyo's defense and seizing opportunities by winning corner kicks. In the 36th and 38th minutes, it becomes consecutive right corner kicks, and MF Nishiyama puts a sharp ball in front of the goal, but the defense centered around Shioda does not allow a goal. In the 41st minute, Fukunishi dribbles up from the counter and passes to Baba on the left side. He aggressively attacks and enters the area, but his shot is saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the end, both teams end the first half with a 0-0 score by focusing on defense without taking risks.

Wanchope, Norio Suzuki's entry creates scoring opportunities but ends with no goals

　Oita starts attacking from the beginning of the second half. In the 47th minute, FW Robert Matsubashi and Hyun Soo JANG become one-on-one from a counterattack, but the shot goes straight to Shioda. In the 48th minute, MF Yamazaki breaks through to the front line and has a decisive chance. However, the shot misses the target by a wide margin. In the 57th minute, MF Fujita takes a shot from the loose ball after a right corner kick, but it goes over the bar. Despite being unable to take the ball away from Oita's momentum and being on the defensive, they hold on with persistent defense.

　Then gradually to the Tokyo pace. In particular, Wanchope, who came on as a substitute for Baba and Ishikawa, and Noriyuki Suzuki, create the rhythm of the attack. In the 59th minute, Wanchope → Fukunishi → Ishikawa with a negative cross. Lucas takes a one-touch and sends it to the left, Kanazawa enters a shooting position but is closed down by the defender. In the 68th minute, from a quick restart, Fukunishi → Noriyuki Suzuki with a left cross. Lucas, Wanchope, and Fukunishi attack the goal but fail to finish. In the 70th minute, Lucas steals the ball from the opponent and passes it to Wanchope who drifts to the right. It seemed like a great opportunity, but it was offside.

　As the game entered the final stage, the opponent's pace also slowed down, and chances came repeatedly. In the 80th minute, Fukunishi -> Noriyuki Suzuki sprinted up the left side and stole the left corner kick from a cross. Wanchope's floating shot was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 81st minute, Wanchope broke through behind the defense with a well-timed feed from Lucas and faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, but was blocked by the Oita DF just before shooting. In the 84th minute, Fukunishi jumped out to an early cross from Noriyuki Suzuki on the left side and headed the ball, but couldn't finish it.

　86 minutes, Nori Suzuki shakes his head to the fast cross from Kurihara, who cut deeply from the right side, but is blocked by the defender and results in a right corner kick. Wanchope hits the header from this corner kick by Kurihara, but it goes wide. In the 88th minute, Wanchope receives Kurihara's cross from the left side and shoots from the far side after trapping the ball. However, the goalkeeper saves it. In the 89th minute, Nori Suzuki boldly aims for the goal from the left side and hits the target, but it is blocked by the goalkeeper's excellent save. Despite continuous attacks until the end, the game ends in a scoreless draw.

　【Player Comments】《Wanchope》"The longer the playing time, the more things you can do. Today, I had a good connection with Lucas and had quite a few chances. I think I was able to do various things with my teammates... (even though I came on as a substitute) I believed that I could have a positive impact on the team if I played with passion. I tried to give everything I could. There is still a language barrier, but I want to communicate as much as possible on the pitch in the future. Since the next match is at home, I want to show everything and win."《Fujiyama》"It's disappointing that we couldn't win even though we ended the match without conceding a goal. (Regarding the response to FW Takamatsu) Con-chan also has high physical abilities, so the backline was able to defend in a balanced manner. However, we dropped back too much. We want to discuss and make adjustments according to the situation. We couldn't score, but I think taking 1 point will lead to the next match. We were able to withstand defensively, so we definitely want to win when we return home."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "This was our third match against Oita in this short period. Although there have been changes in the lineup, it was a battle where both teams knew each other's strategies well, as evidenced by Oita's careful attention to Lucas. We wanted to play more compactly, but we felt the fatigue from the five consecutive matches. In the first half, we struggled with the rhythm due to conceding a corner kick from a long ball. We knew that Oita's midfielder Takahashi had a strong heading ability, so we instructed the team to be cautious during the restart at halftime. We had planned to bring Wanchope into the game at a crucial moment in the second half. His condition has been improving, and he is getting used to his teammates and the rhythm of the J-League. We could have brought him on from the beginning of the second half, but we made some adjustments at halftime, so we wanted to see how things played out. By bringing Noriyuki Suzuki on the left, we created many chances, but it would have been better if we had scored in that situation. Imano played as a stopper, and although our defense was makeshift, he did well in combination with Fujiyama and Asari to effectively contain Takamatsu and Matsubashi, who were tired from the consecutive matches. Previously, we were easily conceding goals from counterattacks, but recently, we have been able to hold on until the end as a team. Naturally, we wanted to secure 3 points, but we will prepare well in the next week and build on today's 1 point for the future."

　[Summary of Oita Chamusca's Press Conference] "Today was a great game with back and forth. In the first half, we took the initiative and created many numerical advantages in attack. In the second half, on the contrary, the opponent's attacking side improved and the defense time increased. Playing consecutive matches against FC Tokyo allows us to know and analyze the opponent, so it's more advantageous than difficult. If the team is united and the members are somewhat fixed, there is no problem even with consecutive matches. However, with many injured players and a situation where the members are changing, we need to train more firmly, including coordination plays. Recently, we have been taking time only for recovery due to consecutive matches, but we have one week until the next game, so we want to prepare thoroughly. In order to achieve the target ranking, we really wanted to earn 3 points today, but we also need to find value in earning 1 point with a draw."