Ajinomoto, which has welcomed a total of 6 million league spectators, will face the final match of the 7-game series

Sec. 11, Kashima Antlers will face off at home. In the previous match, they scored their first three goals of the season. Despite struggling against Sendai's counterattacks, they secured their first J1 victory at Yurtec.S and grabbed Massimo Tokyo's first four consecutive wins. This match marks the end of a seven-game stretch, and it is also a battle to aim for a club-record tying J1 five consecutive wins without giving any opportunities to the opponents.

However, Yoshimoto is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Canini, who has recovered from injury, returns to the starting lineup as a center-back. The front line consists of two top players, Muto and Higashi, with Kono playing behind them. Additionally, the newly joined Lassad will be on the bench.

Kashima, who will face them, is ranked 11th with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses in the league until the 9th round. In addition, in the ACL, which they have been participating in parallel with the league, they lost to FC Seoul on the 5th and missed the chance to advance to the final tournament. This season, the absence of FW Davi has had an impact, and it seems that they have not been able to demonstrate their usual "Kashima-like" style. However, with abundant experience and the emergence of young players, they are a team aiming for "constant victory" while aiming for a generational change.

The previous match record is 8 wins, 8 draws, and 18 losses in Tokyo, which is a significant disadvantage. Especially in the last 10 matches, Tokyo has failed to win. Although Tokyo should have an advantage in terms of the current team situation and momentum, it is also a match that attracts attention on how they can win against Kashima, who boasts strength in competition.

Under clear weather conditions during the day, a total of 42,070 spectators gathered at Ajinomoto Stadium, the second highest attendance this season, surpassing a total of 6 million home league spectators. With support from the stands even before the start, the match kicked off at 16:04 with Tokyo taking the kickoff.

Gradually pushed into Kashima, and conceded the first goal.

From the start, Kashima attacked with momentum. In the 4th minute, they took their first shot of the day. In the 8th minute, midfielder Doi dribbled through the center from a counterattack. He passed it to midfielder Endo who entered the penalty area and prepared to shoot, but Ota blocked it and it resulted in a corner kick. From this corner kick, defender Yamamoto had a decisive header from a very close range, but Gonda made a save. There were also moments where Tokyo brought the ball to the shooting position, but they defended calmly and were conscious of quick transitions. The game continued with a fast exchange of offense and defense.

However, Kashima frequently changes sides and both fullbacks also push forward, taking thorough measures against Tokyo. On the other hand, Tokyo often loses the ball in the midfield and couldn't find their rhythm. In the 26th minute, they tried to launch a counterattack but it was half-hearted, leading to Kashima's counterattack. In the 32nd minute, Kono drifted to the right and changed sides. Ota timed it perfectly and pushed forward, sending a ground cross, but it was cut off by Kashima's defenders in the area.

In the 34th minute, in the midst of being pushed back by Kashima, central midfielder Endo passed a soft floating ball into the left area where defender Yamamoto had moved up. Forest held back forward Akasaki who was trying to connect, preventing him from finishing, but no one was able to react to the loose ball. Kashima midfielder Doi closed in and allowed a shot. The ball didn't have much momentum, but it rolled into the bottom left corner... We were caught off guard for a moment and conceded the first goal.

However, in the 41st minute, Higashi broke through on the left side and sent a sharp cross. The opponent's goalkeeper deflected it and Julian, who was free, closed in on the loose ball. He swung his right foot from just outside the box after a one-touch trap, but it went wide to the right. Tokyo's only shot in the first half ended with this one, and they went into the second half trailing by one goal.

Unable to break through Kashima's solid defense, and defeated with no goals

Gradually covered by clouds and with the wind picking up, Tokyo made substitutions in the second half, replacing Hayabusa with Takahashi and Kono with Maeda. They changed their formation to 4-4-2 and tried to launch a counterattack. They seized the opportunity to control the pace and went on the offensive, but there were scenes where the precision of the final play was lacking. In the 46th minute, Mutoh spread out to the left with a vertical pass from Takahashi. Higashi crossed the ball, but it went over Takahashi's head as he entered the area and flowed to the far side. In the 48th minute, Maeda made a perfect header from the left corner kick, but it hit the goalkeeper straight on. In the 54th minute, Higashi cut in from the left side and unleashed a powerful shot just before entering the area, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama initiated a quick attack with a dribble from Mutoh, and Higashi crossed from the left area to the center, but it was cut off by the Kashima defender.

Kashima substituted DF Ueda for MF Doi in the 70th minute. From this time, they increased the number of players in front of the goal and defended by pulling back. In response, Tokyo substituted Mita for Kajiyama in the 74th minute. Immediately after, MoriShige's shot from the right corner kick hit the crossbar... In the 78th minute, Maeda sent the ball to the far post with a header from Mita's right corner kick, and Higashi pushed it into the goal, but they couldn't convert the scoring opportunity due to a handball foul.

In the 81st minute, a quick counterattack was launched, with Muto on the left, Mita on the right, and Tokunaga running up on the outside, breaking through vertically and delivering a final pass in front of the goal. However, the ball flowed into an empty space. From here, Kashima suffered a counterattack and Shibasaki, a midfielder in the right area, took a decisive shot, hitting the crossbar. They didn't allow an additional goal, but Kashima was brought to the finish line.

Despite receiving strong support from the stands and not giving up until the end, in the 87th minute, Maeda from near the corner kick headed the ball but it narrowly missed the crossbar. In additional time, they continuously earned corner kicks. In the end, Kanda also joined the attack, but they were unable to capitalize on a total of 9 corner kicks today. Unable to bounce back from behind, the time was up. It ended as the second scoreless match of the season, and once again, they were unable to defeat Kashima due to the goal conceded in the first half. They suffered their second loss in the league.

[Player Comments]
《East》
"I think we were on the defensive in the first half. It ended up being a similar situation to the Kawasaki game. If that's the case, we should have kept the goals conceded to zero. Alternatively, we should have played like we did in the second half from the beginning of the home game... I feel regretful that we couldn't win despite so many people coming to support us. However, a record of 4 wins and 1 loss in 5 matches is not bad at all. I want to rest my body once and keep my spirits up so that we can have another good game."

"I'm frustrated and have regrets about losing. But if we hadn't conceded in the first half, it would have been our game. I felt once again that 'defense is our lifeline,' and I think the result would have been different if the first half had ended 0-0. We want to make adjustments and work hard for the next game."

[Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"I became a little passive in the first half. Kashima wasn't particularly good, but it became a tactically difficult game. We knew that the opponent would come on the offensive from the start, and we were able to respond well until around the 20th minute, but after that, we easily lost the ball in the midfield and created an opportunity for the opponent to score. The second half became a different game from the first half. There were a couple of situations where we were countered, but considering the quality of Kashima's players, it couldn't be helped. One event didn't go in our favor, but in soccer, things can happen that don't go in a positive direction. Kashima had just lost in the ACL, but they were able to play their own game. Although we lost, I am satisfied with the content of the second half. I think it showed that it is not easy for us to win."
Why didn't you fix it until halftime?
Even after being behind, there was still time left, so we calmly organized our thoughts and unified our intentions during halftime. We have been playing against strong teams like Hiroshima, Kawasaki, G Osaka, Urawa, and Kashima, but we are fighting by showcasing our own strengths. However, it is difficult to continue doing that for the full 90 minutes. The players received instructions during halftime and responded wonderfully.

(The second half was aggressive, but was the attack too monotonous?)
We had been trying various approaches since the first half. In the last 30 minutes, the opponent's defense became five players and they retreated to their own half, so we thought that crosses from deep positions would be effective. We still lack the ability to break through individually. We tried to find a solution within that. I think attacking from the sides against a retreating opponent was a smart play to reduce the risk of counterattacks.

（Was there no plan to play with the initiative from the first half?）
There were also players with problems, so management was necessary. There was a willingness to actively challenge, but it became a situation where the ball was continuously taken away in the midfield and the balance dropped. The impression was that there was a lack of possession in the midfield."

[Summary of Kashima's coach Toninho CEREZO's press conference]
"With a large number of spectators supporting the home team, it was expected that we would be pushed back in the second half after taking the lead in the first half. The first half was fantastic, and the players were doing what they needed to do. We had already communicated how to deal with the opponent's runs into space and attacks from the left side, and they responded well. However, in the second half, we neglected to pay attention to the sides and allowed the opponent to create several chances. We also had some ball losses and were forced to defend, but I think we could have handled it more calmly. We knew that we had conceded many goals from set pieces in the past, so we changed our defensive approach. It's not something that can be completed in just two days, and Maeda created some dangerous situations near the near side a few times. We need to analyze and adjust that. Still, we didn't create any chances from the flow of the game, and the players who were able to regroup in just two days deserve praise."