The start of the 2nd stage! Will it become a passionate feast of midsummer nights with samba and fireworks!?

　The opening match of the 2nd stage is a home game against Kashiwa Reysol. This is a crucial opener that will set the tone for the future, and in the 1st stage, they were the opponent we defeated convincingly with skillful play. After the interval, we are eager to see what kind of performance Tokyo will show. On the other hand, under new manager PERRYMAN, Kashiwa is expected to be highly motivated for this match. Coinciding with the "Fireworks Samba Night (also known as Brazil Day)" on this evening, anticipation for a thrilling match was high. Tokyo lined up in their usual 4-5-1 formation. Kashiwa used a 3-5-2 formation, with Yanagi and Huang as the two forwards, and Hong and Myojin forming a double defensive midfield pair. Before kickoff, there was a victory celebration for FC Tokyo U-18, who had just won the Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) on the 5th of this month. Additionally, about 30 dancers (60 people in total including the band!) who perform at the Asakusa Samba Carnival held a spectacular samba parade, raising the stadium's excitement to its peak! The match kicked off at 6:30 PM in the rain that had started falling.

Despite being dominated, Yukihiko Sato unleashes a long-awaited opening goal!

　From the start, Sato crosses from the right side and in the first minute, Kashiwa FW Yanagi breaks through the left side and takes a shot. However, after that, Kashiwa tries to dominate the game by defending compactly and pressing quickly when attacking. Tokyo, even when they steal the ball in a low position, struggles to move forward. Several times, Sato crosses from the right and tries to make a move and get behind the DF line, but Kashiwa's central DFs defend tightly and prevent shots. From the center, Miura actively moves forward and even makes a run behind Kashiwa's DF line in the 23rd minute, but the pass is intercepted. On the other hand, Kashiwa also tries to build up play by involving Hong and Myojin, and MF Ono tries to handle the passes, but the wingbacks do not forcefully join the attack and occasionally send long balls from deep in the midfield to the front line. However, FW Huang struggles to create chances as Tokyo's DFs mark him tightly.

　In the 27th minute, Kelly ran into the penalty area from Amaral's post and passed to Miura on the right. Miura dribbled past the defender and cut inside to take a shot, but it went over the goal. However, even though Kashiwa dominated the game, they were vulnerable to counterattacks targeting their shallow defensive line. In the 34th minute, Kelly intercepted a pass in their own half and entrusted the ball to Amaral, who moved forward. Kelly, who overtook Amaral, received the ball again and passed it to the right side. Sato, who timed his run perfectly, controlled the ball with one touch and kicked it into the goal! Tokyo takes the lead with a fantastic combination of Amaral, Kelly, and Sato.

　After that, Tokyo often gives FKs to Kashiwa, who counterattacks, in front of the goal, but their defense is solid at key moments and they do not allow goals. On the contrary, in the 42nd minute, Sandro's header shot from Kelly's FK without a left angle is blocked by the post. They are dominated but create chances reliably on the side, and in terms of game control, they have the advantage as they head into the second half.

Sae Yukihiro, Kelly pulls away... but

　With the confidence of taking the lead, many Tokyo supporters must have been intoxicated by the fireworks launched outside the stands at halftime. However, in the second half, Kashiwa made a substitution, replacing DF Nebiki with FW Kitajima. Hong was moved down to defense, Myojin took the defensive midfield role, and Yanagi and Ohno were positioned as a double playmaker in a more attacking formation. Tokyo also replaced Masamitsu KOBAYASHI, who was unable to get involved in chances on the left side, with Masuda. In the 52nd minute, in a crowded area in front of the goal, Kelly held the ball, Miura burst out on the left side and crossed back to Kelly, but the shot that evaded the DF was weakly caught by GK Minami. Both teams showed fighting spirit as offense and defense quickly switched. Then, in the 55th minute, Kashiwa’s left wing-back Hirayama, who had not shown much attacking presence in the first half, delivered a sharp cross. GK Doi punched it away once, but the rebound was picked up by MF Mitsuki Watanabe, and Ohno, running in, unleashed a powerful long-range shot. This goal, a quick equalizer, was the result of Ohno’s decision and bold play.

　After that, the offense and defense were fast-paced. In the 62nd minute, Kashiwa's Yellow broke free from the counterattack and took a looping shot, but it went wide. In the 64th minute, on the contrary, Tokyo's Miura broke through the defense and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, but it was saved by Minami. Gradually, both teams committed more fouls and allowed chances as the space opened up. In the 71st minute, Tokyo substituted Asari for Kina. Tokyo, which created rhythm by involving Kina in keeping the ball and attacking, scored in the 75th minute when Kina intercepted a pass in the midfield. Kelly, who received the ball, quickly passed it to the right side, and Sato dribbled up the open space, feinted past the approaching defender, and crossed it back into the middle. Kelly, who followed suit, easily scored a goal! Tokyo pulled away from Kashiwa with a flowing attack.

　However, Kashiwa, who never gave up, immediately launched a counterattack, with Hong advancing from the midfield and North Shima heading a sharp cross from MF Watanabe. It was close, but it missed to the left of the goal. In the 79th minute, it seemed that Kelly, who had slipped behind the defense, had scored with a shot, but it was offside. Both teams continued to fight without giving in, and entered into injury time. Tokyo's victory was within reach...

　In the 3 minutes of stoppage time, Komine's clearance resulted in a corner kick. Although Dohi saved it comfortably, most of the Kashiwa players had already moved up to the goal area. Then, Dohi kicked a long ball that reached the opponent's goalkeeper, and Akegami passed it to Ono, who played a long ball to the front line. Watanabe Takeshi, a center back who ran into the penalty area with precision, stretched out his leg with all his might and touched the ball, and Yanagi scored. As the Tokyo players watched the ball go by, the game returned to square one with Kashiwa's last play.

Ended in a frustrating draw...

　The rain that had temporarily stopped started again during the extra time, making it a battle of attrition on a pitch with humidity exceeding 85 percent. However, we cannot give up here. In the 94th minute, Kelly heads a cross from Sato, but unfortunately hits the post... In the 97th minute, Kashiwa substitutes Ono with defender Irie, positioning him on the left side in a formation close to a four-back, marking Sato and thoroughly defending against Tokyo's attacks from the right side. Just before the end of the first half of extra time, Doi makes a nice save on Kitajima's header! Both teams miss big chances, and the second half of extra time becomes a frantic flow of "who will be lucky?" In the 115th minute, Kii heads a cross from the left by Kitajima, almost resulting in a V goal? But it narrowly misses to the left of the goal, and time is up. Tokyo received strong support from the rhythm of Samba for 120 minutes, but the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

　After the match, coach PERRYMAN said, "We had a good start to the 2nd stage." However, for Tokyo, it was a frustrating game as they were on the verge of earning 3 points but had the victory snatched away. On the other hand, they were able to withstand Kashiwa's counterattack and maintain their momentum without feeling discouraged even in extra time. This will lead to the next game. Without dragging this battle as a damage, they want to approach the next match with confidence and erase the negative image.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

"From the middle of the second half, with the inclusion of Insoo YU, the game progressed as we had imagined, thanks to his efforts. However, it was unfortunate that our defensive line dropped too deep and we lacked concentration to put our bodies on the line. In the extra time, it was expected that both teams would engage in a fast-paced counterattack battle, but we managed to create chances without losing balance. Although the match ended in a draw, we want to switch our mindset and focus on the next match."