7 academy graduates starting. Aim for victory with a calm and composed game without giving any chances!

3 matches remaining in the 1st stage. Facing Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. away in the 15th section held on Sunday. In the Nabisco Cup held on June 3rd, they secured 1 point with a solid fight and advanced to the final tournament. This section will be the last of the 5 consecutive matches starting from the 12th section on May 16th, but Coach Massimo says, "It is important to always give out the power you have. I want to close the consecutive matches in a good way, but there are no easy matches. I want to do what I should do in each match and have a good game, and an approach is necessary to fight with all my might."

Tokyo, currently in 4th place, aims to continue their winning streak in the league following the match against Kashiwa in order to improve their position. However, with the absence of Yonehara and Hanyu, as well as Morishige's suspension for this match, the team is facing difficulties. Coach Massimo states, "Everyone should understand that Morishige is an important player for the team. However, in this situation, I hope that the players who have had fewer opportunities to play so far can seize their chance," expressing his expectations for the emergence of new players.

Matsumoto, who is currently in 13th place with 15 points, will face the opponent. They already played in the 2nd round of the Nabisco Cup on March 28th, where they faced many attacks initiated by MF Iwagami's kicks and long throws, as well as scenes where they were pushed in by set plays. Starting from the previous round of the Nabisco Cup, all 11 starters have been replaced with "league match specifications" members. Above all, they are expected to aggressively press and gather the ball in the front line in order to aim for victory at home. Although this will be their first match in the J1 League, they want to secure 3 points with a calm and composed game without giving any openings.

Tokyo, due to Morishige's suspension, captaincy will be taken over by Tokunaga. Maruyama and Yoshimoto will be in the CB position. Kajiyama will make a comeback in the midfield. Additionally, Hashimoto will have his first J1 start. Although registered as a FW, he will play as a side midfielder alongside Mita, with Takahashi and Kajiyama forming a double pivot. The forward line will start with Muto and Lassad in a 4-4-2 formation. As a result, there will be 7 academy graduates in the starting lineup.

The sun was strong during the day, but a cool breeze also started blowing. The match started with Matsumoto's kickoff at 16:04.

Pressed from the beginning, but with Hashimoto's first J1 goal and Muto's goal, into the second half!

The match started in the first minute. Matsumoto was quickly brought forward from the kickoff and a left throw-in. Mita tried to bring it to a counterattack after bouncing back Iwagami's long throw, but Matsumoto's transition was also quick, and it was unable to connect to the front line in the intense competition. 15 minutes had passed, and they were being pushed back by the opponent's momentum, but they were trying to connect from good defense to attack without losing concentration in front of the goal. However, the marking on Muto was also strict, and there were few scenes where they could bring it forward due to the opponent's intense contact.

However, in the 27th minute, Maruyama pushed up the line and Ota broke through on the left front without killing Hashimoto's speed, feeding him like pulling a thread. Ota took the ball forward with a trap and crossed it. Hashimoto ran into the goal and kicked it into the net perfectly, GOAL!! Thanks to Maruyama and Ota's precise and high-quality play, Hashimoto scored a magnificent first J1 goal to take the lead.

In the 40th minute, Matsumoto made a sharp feed from the midfield to the back left area of Tokyo's defense. The opposing MF Maeda touched it with one touch, and it spilled in front of MF Iwagami, who had moved up on the outside, but Tokunaga cleared it with a sliding tackle. They escaped with a corner kick and defended well. In additional time of the first half, Matsumoto's Maeda passed to the left front line. The ball reached the opposing MF who had made a run, but once again Tokunaga blocked his path with a sliding tackle, avoiding any danger. After that, Tokunaga on the right passed to Takahashi in the center, who then passed to Muto on the right area. Muto, despite being surrounded by defenders, used his strength to compete and as he tried to move forward, the opposing DF committed a handball. They were awarded a penalty kick. Muto confidently buried the penalty kick in the bottom left corner, GOAL!! GOAL!!

Tokyo was pushed back by Matsumoto's aggressive attack from the beginning. However, Tokyo remained calm and focused, showing patience. There were few scenes where they could move forward, but in the 27th minute, Hashimoto, who made his first start, scored his first J1 goal from Maruyama and Ota's accurate play! With the lead, Tokyo's dominance began to increase, and just before the end of the first half, they were awarded a penalty kick. Muto scored, extending his own league tally to 10 goals and widening the lead for the second half.

Even in the midst of rapidly changing offense and defense, we fought tenaciously and emerged victorious!!

In the second half, both teams made mistakes and the offensive and defensive positions changed rapidly. In the 63rd minute, they couldn't deflect Matsumoto's long throw from the right in front of the goal. In the midst of the chaos, Matsumoto's defender Okubo forcefully shot the ball overhead and allowed a goal. In the 64th minute, Lin was substituted for Lassad immediately after the goal. Furthermore, in the 72nd minute, Matsuda was substituted for Hashimoto, playing as the right midfielder. And Mita moved to the left.

Around the 80th minute, Matsumoto was pushed back and the game became chaotic. The left cross was cleared by MF Iwagami in the right area, but he was dispossessed and a powerful shot was taken, which was saved by Gonda in front of the goal. In the 83rd minute, Muto broke through the front line and brought the ball inside from the left area, connecting with a heel pass, and Mita, who ran into the left area from the outside, took a shot. However, he was unable to find the target as he was contested by the defender...

Substitute Mita with Higashi in the 86th minute. In the 90th minute, a right early cross from the opponent's defender Tanaka was headed by forward Obina in the left area, but it was blocked at the last moment. The loose ball was connected, and Gonda tried to come out to defend, but he lost the ball in a collision with Yoshimoto and it was crossed into the goal area from the left. However, Gonda regained his balance and managed to catch the ball, somehow surviving.

Second half additional time. Matsumoto rushed towards Gonda, who was trying to catch the ball in the area. The ball was dropped in a collision, and consecutive shots were taken, but Gonda made a save by putting his body on the line. Finally, while Gonda was down, the shot was released outside the frame. In the second half, they were caught up by one point starting from a long throw-in, and then faced Matsumoto's fierce attacks. In the final stages, they tried to respond by switching to a 5-back formation, but they couldn't break the momentum. However, they didn't allow any additional goals with Gonda at the center, secured a victory away from home, and achieved a consecutive win in the league.

[Player Comments]
"Hashimoto"
"(First start, first goal in J1?)
I thought Ota would cross the ball, so I jumped into the goal area. I'm honestly happy, but I don't remember much (laughs). My mind went blank the moment I scored, and I didn't even know if it was real or not. It was an out with my left foot, but I don't even remember the feeling (bitter smile).
However, jumping out from the second row is a play that I'm good at and my strength. I was able to show that in the game and it led to a result. I think it was good to score in the first half and it helped the team to settle down. I had a chance to play in the Nabisco Cup, so I had already experienced the atmosphere of an official match. Today, I had the feeling of "I'm going to do it". We were pushed back for a long time against the opponent's long balls, but we were able to endure it together. However, in the scene where we conceded a goal, I was marked poorly and got headed. Especially in that position, I think I need to be more involved in chances and be the starting point for counterattacks. There are many points to reflect on, and I want to work on improving them and practicing. I want to contribute to the team's strength and strive to win the next two matches after the 1st stage."

"Maruyama"
"We were able to score 2 goals in the first half, but at halftime, we all discussed and said, 'The real battle starts from here. Let's switch gears and fight again.' We knew that Matsumoto would come at us with a power play. We were pushed back, but we were able to withstand it and I think it was good that we were able to earn 3 points."
（Regarding the feed that led to the opening goal）
Since the feeling of the kicks has been good since the Shonan match, I was aiming to put it in that position. Ota made a good escape with a one-touch and gave a cross. Hashimoto also scored well, but I think I was able to demonstrate my strengths."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was a good overall game. I am satisfied with the players' performance. In the first half, the team played calmly and had a good performance, taking a 2-goal lead. However, we conceded a goal from a scramble in front of the goal that we were cautious about. Although we couldn't score a decisive third goal by targeting the opponent's backline that came forward, I think it was a significant victory in terms of winning a close match."

[Summary of Coach Yasuharu Sorimachi's Press Conference in Matsumoto]
"First of all, before summarizing, I hope that my junior from university, Muto, will do well in Mainz. We have had five consecutive losses, including the Levain Cup, and I feel very frustrated and responsible. The players did well until the final whistle, but they lacked the ability to take advantage of a momentary gap. We fought for victory, but it was a game with a very unsatisfying aftertaste. It is difficult to break through Tokyo's solid defensive organization and score goals. We did what we could, but I felt that we need to work harder from practice. I want to think that all the players fought energetically and that we are better losers than in the previous match. However, it is regrettable that we couldn't take any points, and I apologize to the fans and supporters who cheered us on until the end."