Will they make it to the top division?

In this round (Sec. 34), due to the match held on Friday (11/5) where the league leaders, Kawasaki Frontale, secured promotion early, there is only one remaining seat (in J1). Currently, the fierce battle for this seat is between the 2nd place team, Tokyo, and the 3rd place team, Oita. While Niigata and Sapporo still have a slight chance, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it has narrowed down to these two teams. At such a time, an unmissable opportunity for promotion has come for Tokyo. Since Oita lost in the match held on Saturday (11/6), if Tokyo, currently with 61 points, wins against Omiya on this day, they will reach 64 points, widening the point gap with Oita (currently 59) to '5'. With only two matches remaining, if Tokyo wins the next match (Sec. 35) at home against Sendai (+3→67), even if Oita wins (+3→62), the point difference will remain '5' with one match left, securing Tokyo's promotion. To ensure promotion at home, it was essential to definitely secure 3 points in the match against Omiya on this day and put themselves in a strong position for promotion.

Struggling with Omiya's compact soccer

This season, the record against Omiya is three wins with zero goals conceded, but Omiya, who has been improving in recent matches, showed that momentum in this game as well. Right after the start, Tokyo actively attacked from the right side with Yukihiko and from the left side with Okuhara, dominating the ball in Omiya's territory, but that was short-lived. Omiya quickly adapted to the speed, kept their defensive line shallow, and began to apply intense pressure forward. Tokyo also tried to break through by moving the ball at a fast pace, but due to the rain that had fallen just before the match, the ground was slippery, causing a drop in passing accuracy, resulting in three passes not connecting. In response, they tried to use long balls to send the speedy Okuhara and Kaburaki behind the defense, but Omiya's defensive line was strong in aerial battles, and simple balls without creativity were easily repelled. The only real chance came in the 33rd minute when Yukihiko passed to Almir, who then passed back to Yukihiko, who took a forceful shot from a tight angle. Other than that, the game was dominated by Omiya's strengths. When it came to defense, Omiya concentrated players near the central circle without overly pursuing forwards, applying strong pressure on the balls and players that entered that area. To strengthen the press in this area, they kept their defensive line shallow, maintaining a distance of about 20 to 30 meters between the forwards and the final defensive line. Tokyo, continuously facing intense pressure in this narrow area, found it difficult for Kagawa and Kaburaki to become focal points up front, and Almir and Yukihiko were unable to deliver effective passes to break through, failing to create attacking shapes. Frustrated, DF Fujiyama attempted to initiate a dribble, but even when he got past two defenders, he was stopped by a third. Conversely, when Omiya regained possession, their midfielders Ueki and Iwase became the starting point for attacks, quickly feeding the ball forward. Up front, left midfielder Harasaki held the ball at the right moment, allowing the speedy and highly offensive left-back Okamoto to make a lively overlapping run and deliver an accurate cross, or midfielder Mark, moving freely in the midfield, distributed the ball left and right with minimal touches to build the attack. Omiya's transition from defense to attack was quick, and they played a fast-paced game with fewer touches overall, overwhelming Tokyo.

Tokyo fights back with KING Amaral's entry!

Tokyo, unable to create a base for attacks in the first half and suffering from counterattacks after losing the ball, gradually began to fight back in the second half. With superior stamina, Tokyo launched fierce attacks right after the start of the second half. There were moments of danger from Oka's attacking participation as a left-back for Omiya, but with high concentration centered around Komine and Sandro, they managed to repel the threats. Conversely, as Oka moved up, spaces opened up for Yukihiko and Umeyama, increasing their chances. At this point, Tokyo made a move. The introduction of

Nightmare moment...

As the match went into extra time, the situation changed again. When Amaral, who had come on in the second half and had been active for about 30 minutes, significantly reduced his activity level, Tokyo's attack lost momentum. Conversely, Omiya, having regained their momentum, had midfielder Mark at the top, spreading the ball to both sides from the post play, and continuously sending in crosses from the flanks. Tokyo's overall line dropped, leading to a difficult situation where they faced consecutive corner kicks from Omiya. In the first minute of the second half of extra time, midfielder Kosaka sharply returned a ball that had gone to the left side from Mark, which deflected off a Tokyo defender who had gone to cover, changing its course and landing right in front of the free Iwase. He powerfully headed it in, sealing the deal. The fierce battle in the 106th minute, which put them on the brink of promotion to J1, ended in a surprisingly abrupt conclusion. Winning the direct confrontation against Oita on September 25.

When Tokyo tasted the bitterness of defeat after four consecutive losses, they were able to stop the losing streak in the previous match against Kofu, giving them a chance to make a big step forward towards "promotion" once again. Is the "Road to J1" really that long and challenging? It is not just "pressure," but a journey that is "difficult and painful" for the first time. However, if they cannot overcome this adversity, they are not the real deal! In order to not waste the confidence and experience gained from winning the "Nabisco Cup" this season, let's bet everything on the remaining two matches! All they need is to win the remaining two! First, on November 14th, let's defeat "Sendai" at Komazawa!