Despite poor conditions, aiming to end the away losing streak

　Sec. 23 will face Kashiwa Reysol away. In the previous match, we suffered a frustrating comeback defeat with the "second goal" far away. However, there are also aspects where we gained confidence in the process leading to the finish. Coach Jofuku also talks about the feeling of "difficulty in deciding, frustration in not winning", but the number of chances created as a team has increased. There is also a found brightness. We will definitely connect that battle to a goal and make it a match where we want to stop the losing streak and get 3 points away.

　Based on that response, we will approach the game without changing the system from the previous match. We will also be cautious of Kashiwa's side attacks and will start Fujiyama as the left full-back. Otake, who has recovered from injury, also made the bench for the first time since the Yokohama FM match on July 26th.

　Kashiwa, who is currently in 7th place with 32 points, has dropped points in the past 5 matches with 3 draws and 2 losses, failing to convert close matches into victories. However, their speedy attacking style, pressing from the front and initiating attacks from the sides, remains strong. In this match, MF Alex will be suspended, and FW Li will also be absent due to injury, which puts them in a difficult situation. However, they are sharp in seizing opportunities and launching counterattacks, not overlooking any weaknesses in the opponent. How they will break through the tough press will be a key point.

　In attack, it seems that both sides will hold the key, but since Kashiwa's central DF is strong, it would be ideal to utilize Cabore's speed and pull out the center back. At the same time, it is important to not let Kashiwa FW França and FW Popo easily turn towards the goal with their tough defense.

　However, the Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Field was hit by heavy rain, and the pitch was in a puddle-like state. Although the intensity of the rain weakened just before the match, under the poor conditions, Coach Shirofuku once again stated his aim to play soccer that matches the pitch condition, and the match started with Kashiwa's kickoff at 19:04.

Struggling for control, a safe battle

　In the early stages, both teams struggled to control the ball as it rolled and splashed heavily. They fought for safety and engaged in a fierce battle. In the 3rd minute, Hayashi brought the ball into the area from the side and won a left corner kick, but it was cleared. In the 5th minute, Kashiwa MF Ota made a run behind the Tokyo DF to meet a long ball from their own half, but the ball dropped and stopped in the area. From there, a shot was taken after a reversal, but it lacked power and Shioda easily caught it. However, there is still a possibility that "something will happen" if a shot is taken, and in the 6th minute, Kajiyama made an attacking run and took a shot from the middle. However, it was blocked by the GK's save.

　12 minutes, when we got a free kick on the right side of the opponent's field, Sasaki quickly restarted. He sent it to Cabore in front of the left area, and Cabore feinted the opposing defender and took a shot. However, it was blocked and resulted in a corner kick. In the 20th minute, starting from Emerson, Akamine carried the ball forward and sent a lob pass behind the Kashiwa defenders, where Kajiyama jumped out, but the Kashiwa goalkeeper came out and caught it. In the 25th minute, Nakano in the center, Cabore on the left, Nakano again, and Kajiyama expanded to the right, and finally Hayashi put in a fast ground cross, but it was cleared.

　At 30 minutes, Emerson's sharp right cross went to Kabore in the far post. However, it was not finished and bounced off the defender, but Akamine couldn't follow up. At 37 minutes, they got a free kick from the opponent's central area, and Kajiyama sent it to the goal, but it was cleared and Kashiwa countered. Forward França dribbled fiercely and sent a through pass to midfielder Kanno, who ran into the area from the left, but Nagatomo caught up first and cleared it. At 44 minutes, both teams kicked long balls and cleared them repeatedly, but in the end, Kashiwa started from the side and right midfielder Ota made an early cross. Left midfielder Kanno jumped in and headed the ball, but it went over the bar.

　Kashiwa initiated their attack with FW Fransa and made a move to break through behind FW Popo. Tokyo also looked for opportunities by moving the ball through Emerson, but both teams remained focused on defense. The score remained 0-0 as they entered the second half.

Akamine flashes his right foot! Protecting a valuable point, the team secures their first victory in three games.

　In the second half, the water recedes and the ball starts rolling. In the 46th minute just after the start of the second half, Akamine sent a through pass into the area, which was initially cleared, but Hanyu picked up the loose ball and passed it to Imano, who cut inside the opponent on the left front line and sent a cross. Cabore jumped in here, but narrowly missed. In the 47th minute, Emerson bravely pressed the opponent's defender and stole the ball, creating a big chance, but couldn't finish the shot in front of the goalkeeper's quick dive...

　Still, by connecting passes and grasping the rhythm, in the 53rd minute, a quick pass was made to move forward from the back, and Imakano -> Emerson turned the opponent inside the right area and became free! They created a great scoring opportunity, but the shot from close range went wide... In the 58th minute, Kashiwa's right back Togawa jumped out to the right area, but the Tokyo defenders covered him well and closed the gap, and the shot went across the goal. In the 63rd minute, Nagatomo -> Kabore sent a low cross from the right, and Hayu slid in, but couldn't finish due to competition from the defenders.

　In the 65th minute, Kashiwa's right back Kurokawa floated a right cross that Nagatomo tried to control, but it was picked up by Kashiwa FW Fransa and he took a shot. It momentarily made us nervous, but the ball went over the bar. In the 72nd minute, we passed the ball around and put numbers in the attack, Cabore -> Emerson connected with Akamine near the area. Akamine confidently swung his right foot from the left area and the ball skimmed past the opponent and curled into the net, goal! With Akamine's 7th goal of the season, we took the lead!!

　After that, Kashiwa launched a sharp counterattack, and the fast transition between offense and defense continued. In the 73rd minute, Ishikawa was substituted for Hayashi, and in the 77th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Cabore. In the following 84th minute, Asari replaced Emerson. By using player substitutions, Kashiwa did not let the pace slip away. They defended the goal scored by Akamine and stopped the losing streak. They achieved a victory against Kashiwa in the league for the first time since May 9, 2004, and at Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium for the first time since November 29, 2003.

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"It was a game under unfavorable conditions for both teams, but I'm glad we were able to win with a good performance. In the first half, the ball was stopping, so we had to kick it forward instead of passing. It wasn't our usual style of play, but we focused on moving forward without taking risks and tried to exploit the spaces behind the defense rather than receiving through balls. In the second half, Kashiwa's midfield started to open up a bit, and that allowed us to find our rhythm through passing. I was able to receive a free pass and immediately took a shot. I always had a high awareness of shooting. We have been playing well recently but couldn't win, so I'm happy that my goal today led to 3 points. We have a home game next, and we definitely want to win."《Kajiyama》"We were able to attack with a good balance in the second half. We picked up second balls, and either Imakano or I would move forward while the other maintained balance. From there, we created opportunities from the wings and spread the opponent wide... It went according to plan. Then the center opened up, and today everyone moved well and connected passes. The remaining challenge is the "second goal". However, in the Verdy game, we rushed and made mistakes, but today we were able to create chances by calmly circulating the ball. I think we played a game with a focus on winning."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We have been experiencing difficult results lately, our ranking has dropped, and we are being left behind by the top group. Today, we absolutely needed to secure 3 points. The players approached the match with a strong determination, but first and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the fans who supported us even in such difficult circumstances and in the rain. Today, the team has always aimed to maintain compactness while aggressively winning the ball and putting pressure on the opponent's feet. Our intention to value our own possession of the ball has not changed. However, because the pitch was slippery due to the rain, it was acceptable to be a bit rough in the beginning. We recognized that once the rain stopped and the pitch conditions improved, we would be able to connect our passes, so we tried to start our attacks from the sides while neutralizing the opponent's strengths. There were also scoring opportunities in the early stages of the second half, and we reflect on not being able to convert them. I think it is important to create many chances like that. Kashiwa Reysol's counterattacks were sharp as expected, and they created dangerous situations several times today as well. It was important for us to respond firmly to those counterattacks and, even before that, to launch precise attacks ourselves without being countered. The players fought without losing focus, but there are aspects of their counterattacks that we should learn from. (What were the factors behind keeping a clean sheet?) One of the reasons was that we maintained a compact defensive line and did not allow Kashiwa FW Franser to create good opportunities and move forward. It was not just the center-backs, but also the relationship with the defensive midfielders that allowed us to maintain compactness and execute strong defense. Additionally, although there were instances where we lost the ball when trying to expand to the sides, we did not lose it often in the center. However, these factors have been present in the past few matches as well, so today was not particularly special."

　[Summary of Kashiwa Ishizaki's press conference] "It was raining quite heavily, so we tried to play soccer according to the condition of the field. In the first half, there were puddles on the pitch, and neither team had any real chances. In the second half, the water subsided, but we couldn't create any chances or take shots. We should have played more calmly, but we panicked and made mistakes. I think that's the current situation of the team. Among them, MF Yamane has returned from a long injury. By having him in the midfield, we can bring more composure. We will have a break for about two weeks, so we want to review the team's approach and way of playing and prepare for the next match."