Sec. 17, the turning point of the season at the halfway mark of the league!

　On the 8th, we will host the league Sec. 17 match against Nagoya Grampus on Sunday. In the Suruga Bank Championship held on the 4th (Wednesday), we showcased a passionate match utilizing the individual strengths of our players and clinched the title in a penalty shootout. With only three days since then, we approach this match. The tough schedule continues, but the players' expressions and the team's atmosphere are bright, and we want to carry the momentum from our hard-earned victory into the league. In this match, we will start Hirayama, Ishikawa, and Mukuara, who contributed to the team in the match against Liga de Quito. Coach Jofuku explained, "In a situation where no one has a designated seat, players who have reflected on their contributions to themselves, soccer, and the team, rather than being 'someone's replacement,' should be given opportunities." Additionally, Tokunaga has returned from injury and will be on the bench. On the other hand, Gonda will miss the match due to acute gastroenteritis dehydration. Shioda will take on the role of goalkeeper. Currently, Nagoya is in 3rd place with 32 points. Depending on the results of other matches, if Nagoya wins today, they will rise to 2nd place, so they are expected to launch an aggressive attack even as the away team. Particularly, their 4-3-3 formation, centered around tall forward Kennedy, is powerful, and Kennedy himself is currently leading the goal ranking with 10 goals and is in excellent form. In response, Coach Jofuku stated, "If Kennedy receives a good ball and jumps, it will be difficult for us to stop him. We need to come up with strategies to prevent such situations and put in that extra effort." To counter this, we want to start the match with strong defense. If Tokyo can take the initiative in the midfield and control the game, we should be able to launch diverse attacks. We want to initiate a speedy attack and take the lead. As we reach the halfway point of the league, Sec. 17 marks the first round of matches against opponents. To aim for a comeback in the second half of the season, we want to make this a turning point and strive for victory at home in Ajinomoto. Despite the cloudy sky, the humidity is high at Ajinomoto. The match started at 19:04 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Nagoya dominates in the midfield, creating chance after chance...

　From the start, they showcased quick movement and high energy, launching aggressive attacks. Daigoku and Hirayama held the ball up front, while Ishikawa exploited the flanks to create chances. In the 2nd minute, Morishige passed to Daigoku at the front, who quickly spread the play to the left. Hanyu, who advanced into space, aimed for the first shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 4th minute, from a vertical pass by Kajiyama, Hirayama made a one-touch pass to the left. Hanyu, who advanced along the sideline, sent in a cross, and Daigoku's header grazed the DF to earn a right corner kick. From this corner taken by Ishikawa, Morishige headed the ball. In the 10th minute, from Daigoku's drop, Ishikawa dribbled into the center to create space, and finally passed to Hanyu in the left area. Hanyu aimed for the goal, but it hit the DF and resulted in a corner kick. In the 18th minute, Hanyu passed to Daigoku, who advanced through the center, changed his body orientation, and passed to Hirayama in the left area, crossing his path. Hirayama's powerful shot hit the bar... Nagoya also had many moments where they defended well at the last minute, escaping to corner kicks. In the 32nd minute, from a spilled right corner kick by Ishikawa, Konno took a shot, but it went wide. Ultimately, they earned 9 corner kicks in the first half, but could not capitalize on the chances. Still, while pushing Nagoya back, they remained focused on defense. There were moments where they faced counters from Nagoya due to mistakes, but in the 26th minute, they couldn't connect on the right front line, and Nagoya's MF Maginun and Burzanovic countered to FW Kanazaki, but they quickly returned to check tightly, forcing a slow attack. In the end, Kim Young-gun cleared a left cross with a header, and Konno moved forward. They snuffed out the seeds of danger with tight checks, preventing Nagoya's attacking line from entering dangerous areas. They only allowed long-range shots, concluding the first half.

Unable to break through the goal, we conceded a goal just before the end and suffered our first defeat at home.

　It was a second half filled with expectations for a goal, but in the 47th minute, Ooguro stole the ball on the right side and immediately sent a long cross to the far post. Hayu made a run and attempted a direct volley, but it went wide. In the 51st minute, Nagoya's FW Tamada's pass was intercepted by Konno. He passed to Hirayama and advanced, spreading the play to the right. A cross from Ishikawa led to a left corner kick. The second left corner was connected with a short pass, and Hayu sent it to Ishikawa, but they couldn't capitalize on the set-piece opportunity. In the 58th minute, with no goals scored, Nagoya's FW Tamada took a free kick, and FW Kennedy broke through, creating a decisive moment, but the shot went wide left, avoiding a crisis. Tokyo's line began to stretch, and the back-and-forth battle continued. In the 59th minute, Tokunaga was brought in for Hayu as a defensive midfielder, with Kajiyama taking the left MF position. Shortly after, Hirayama dropped a pass with his chest and advanced through the center, evading Nagoya's DF Tulio to take a shot from distance, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. However, in the 61st minute, Nagoya's MF Maginun sent a cross to the advancing right SB Tanaka, which was perfectly met by the central FW Kanazaki, but it went wide again, escaping another crisis. In the 68th minute, Tokunaga passed to Kajiyama, who passed to Ishikawa, who then passed to Hirayama, who shot from free space in the left area, but again failed to hit the target. In the 75th minute, Ooguro connected with Kajiyama's pass and sent a pass into the space on the right front line. Tokunaga caught up and sent a direct cross to the right. Hokuto aimed for a volley from the cleared ball by the DF, but it also went wide. In the 78th minute, Shigematsu came on for Hirayama, followed by Ricardinho replacing Ishikawa. Ooguro and Ricardinho formed a two-top, with Tokunaga and Shigematsu on the flanks, and Kajiyama and Morishige in the center, chasing one goal. In the 79th minute, Ooguro broke through from Morishige's pass, and in the 81st minute, Kim Yong-gun capitalized on a corner kick rebound, and in the 87th minute, Ricardinho took a decisive shot. Just after entering three minutes of stoppage time, a long pass from Muku to Shigematsu on the left front line was made. Shigematsu drew the opposing DF in the left area and made a last pass to Ooguro in the center. However, Ooguro's shot did not connect, and the goalkeeper made a save. Immediately after, Shigematsu again attempted to break through just before the left area, and after a DF's clearance, he broke into the area to shoot, but was also blocked by the goalkeeper. Despite numerous attempts, they could not find the back of the net, and it seemed they would end in a draw. However, in the 90th minute +4, a free kick was awarded to Nagoya on the left side of Tokyo's half, and the substitute MF Mito sent a ground pass forward. FW Kanazaki, who received it in the left area, passed outside, evading Kajiyama's mark. MF Mito was then able to send a cross unmarked. DF Tulio was marked by Konno, but a highly accurate cross flew just inside the goal line and was headed in. Despite taking 20 shots, double that of Nagoya, they ended with no goals and suffered their first home defeat of the season due to a last-minute goal. 【Player Comments】《Shiota》 "It is most regrettable that we could not achieve results with this soccer. Just like in the Kobe match, we couldn't defend at the very end, and I am truly frustrated. I think the entire team lacked a sense of crisis in the last free kick situation. Set pieces are Nagoya's greatest weapon. Everyone must have had the preconception that they would send it in front of the goal. We couldn't switch gears from there. Alternatively, we should have avoided giving away set pieces. If we hadn't conceded, we could have at least taken one point. I can only express my frustration that we couldn't do that." 《Ishikawa》 "No one thought a draw would be acceptable, and of course, losing was not an option. We must reflect greatly on the gaps that appeared. There are things we should learn from Nagoya, who did not give up until the very end, but that is what has created the gap in our current standings. However, we are playing good soccer. Whether we can produce results or not is a significant difference. Still, I want to keep my head up. Losing confidence is the scariest thing. I want to gather everyone's sense of crisis in a positive direction so that the team can run in the same direction. I also want to fight with my head held high." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 "It is regrettable that we could not share joy with our wonderful fans. It is my responsibility that we could not bring about results that reward both the players who continue to work hard and the wonderful fans. I am not a results-oriented person, but I recognize that I am someone who is evaluated by results. (What kind of image did you have going into the match, including substitutions?) I wanted to take control throughout the 90 minutes, but I anticipated some fatigue in the second half due to the schedule. I was thinking about how to regain that using substitutions while observing the pitch conditions. Even so, the players were able to switch back on and create their own time to connect to chances, but we couldn't finish. I think we are in a negative spiral not just in terms of shots, but also in terms of crosses and shot options. This is also soccer, but there is always a reason for it. There is no result without a reason, so I want to work calmly with players who have strong feelings." 【Nagoya Coach Stojkovic's Press Conference Summary】 "It was a hard-fought match for both sides, but we were able to win, and it was a good game. Overall, it was a competitive match, and both teams were going for the win. In the first half, we were luckier. In the second half, we created many chances, but FW Kennedy could not convert his header. However, the most important thing is to score a goal at the end, earn three points, and return to Nagoya. I believe FC Tokyo's performance was worth more than zero points. They are playing really good soccer, so the next opportunity should come. I also think we played well enough to deserve the victory. The content was not better than FC Tokyo, but we were able to show mental strength and resilience at the end. I want to thank the players for showing their mental strength."