We can't afford to lose, it's our first J1 match against Oita!

　1st Stage also welcomes Sec. 9 and enters the second half. This round, we will face Oita Trinita, who achieved promotion to J1 this season. Oita, who will have their first match in J1, is currently in 14th place. However, in the previous round, they showed tenacity and drew against Kashima. Coach Kobayashi also speaks of today's match as an "exciting battle" and is confident. They have a powerful defense and counter-attacks, and they are not to be underestimated.

　However, as a "senior in J1", I can't afford to lose. I want to decorate the last home game before the 1st stage interruption with a victory. Asari will be suspended for this round due to accumulated warnings. Miyazawa and Miura will face the game with a double defensive midfield. In addition, Ishikawa will start for the first time in four games as the right MF. Amaral and Abe will be positioned as the two top players, and the kickoff will be welcomed.

Abe scores with Ishikawa's through pass, taking the lead!

　From the start, the battle for possession continued in midfield, and the first chance came to Oita. In the 4th minute, after building up the attack with a series of passes, a through pass was played to MF Yoshida, who broke behind Tokyo's DF. However, Tokyo's DF quickly responded and blocked the shot. Tokyo also had a chance in the 6th minute when Abe headed a cross from Ishikawa to Kanazawa, but the shot went over the goal. In the 11th minute, Ishikawa dribbled swiftly through midfield and passed to Abe on the right side. Miyazawa, running in from behind, shot at the cleared cross ball, but the ball curved to the right. In the 16th minute, Ishikawa's cross from the left side reached Abe, who made a free run into the penalty area, but his trap was too large and the shot was stopped by the goalkeeper. Then, immediately after that, when they regained the ball in their own half, Kaji passed to Ishikawa, who then played a perfectly timed through pass from near the center circle to Abe, who broke through between Oita's DF. Receiving the ball near the penalty arc, Abe carried it into the area and calmly scored with his right foot! With the outstanding combination play between Ishikawa and Abe, they took the lead early.

Additional point with Kelly's skillful goal!

　In the 24th minute, Kelly headed a cross from Kaji on the right side, but it narrowly missed the left goal. In the 28th minute, Abe jumped out on Kelly's long pass but was caught offside. Tokyo, who took the lead and aimed for additional points by using the pitch widely, did not completely take control. However, in the 36th minute, the ball connected to Umeda, who was free in front of the area, from the post of Oita FW Takamatsu, but Kanazawa quickly blocked the shot. After that, Jang bounced back Oita's crosses, and Mobata and Kanazawa showed a concentrated defense against runs behind. In the first half injury time, Mobata cut off Terakawa's entry into the penalty area with a sliding tackle. Oita did not create any decisive chances and ended the first half with a one-goal lead.

　"Tokyo wants another goal." They aggressively press from the front to steal the ball and push Oita back. Then, in the 47th minute, Kelly, who received a throw-in from Kaji on the right side, forcefully charges into the penalty area and evades two opposing defenders who came to mark him. He shoots with his right foot from just outside the goal area on the right side. The ball pierces into the left corner of the goal!! With Kelly's splendid shot, reminiscent of the skillful goal Ronaldo showcased against Turkey in last year's Club World Cup semi-final, Tokyo scores an additional goal at the perfect time!

　Tokyo, who gained momentum with this goal. From here, the game developed rapidly and intensely. In the 59th minute, Ishikawa, who received a pass from Kaji, broke through to the front line. He crossed with speed, but it was cut by the defender and did not reach Abe. Then, Ishikawa, who received a pass from Kanazawa's attack, took a ground middle shot. In the 63rd minute, Ishikawa, who received a long ball from Miyazawa, continued to create chances with crosses from the right side.

Oita fought back with one point, but still lost at home.

　But Oita was not silent. In the 67th minute, MF Uchimura was substituted for DF Yamazaki. They changed to a 3-back formation, with Uchimura playing as left MF and facing Ishikawa, and Terakawa as a defensive midfielder to thicken the midfield. In the 71st minute, Terakawa took a middle shot, which signaled a counterattack. In the 73rd minute, MF Komorita picked up a clear ball in front of the goal and took a powerful middle shot, but Doi made a save and Kanazawa cut off Umeda's shot on the rebound. On the contrary, in the 75th minute, Tokyo's Abe moved to the right side and became a wedge, and Ishikawa shot from the right. However, unfortunately, it hit the bar and missed the goal.

　Oita made a substitution in the 76th minute, replacing FW Rodrigo with FW Andradinha, while Tokyo made a substitution in the 78th minute, replacing Abe with Baba. Immediately after that, Tokyo, who had won the loose ball in the midfield, quickly turned to attack. Ishikawa sprinted up the right side at full speed and supplied a perfect cross in front of the goal. Baba, unmarked on the far side, headed the floating ball, but his first-touch shot veered slightly to the right, missing a golden opportunity.

　Then, it happened just one minute later. Tokyo cut off Oita's attack in their own half and launched a counterattack, but Oita intercepted Baba's pass on the right side. They connected to Andrajina in the center and passed forward. FW Takamatsu received the ball in front of the goal, evaded Jean with one trap, and scored. It was a truly regrettable goal conceded. In the 84th minute, Ishikawa received the ball from Miyazawa on the left side and unleashed a powerful dribble shot, but it went just wide to the left. However, Oita quickly advanced from GK Okanaka, pushing forward all at once. Andrajina held on in the penalty area, and Uchimura, running in from behind, took consecutive shots, but both were blocked by Jean and Moiniwa in front of the goal. In the 86th minute, Andrajina shot from Takamatsu's post but was blocked. With only a few minutes remaining, the situation was tense without a moment to relax, but in the 89th minute, Fujiyama was brought on for Miura to strengthen the midfield defense and hold on until time was up. Unable to convert chances, it was a game where Tokyo struggled against Oita's counterattack, but the two early goals made the difference and secured 3 points.

【Player Comments】《Takumi ABE》"I have to be able to play anywhere on the field, but playing as a forward in a two-top formation made it easier because I was closer to the goal. I got caught offside, but I think it's important to keep making those (runs behind the defense) movements."《Kaito ABE》"(The pass that led to Takumi's opening goal) Takumi ABE had the same image as me and led me, so I just had to pass it to him. It was a tough game at 2-1, but I think the shape leading up to the goal was good. If I had scored there, it would have been even easier."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Oita is a team that defends well as a unit and launches counters. Since we expected them to sit back, we started with Amaral and Abe as the two forwards, and Kelly as the attacking midfielder. Until the previous match, we had the ball to some extent with Amaral as the lone striker, but while holding the ball too much, the opponent would recover and we faced difficulties, so we tried to keep it as simple as possible. Ideally, we wanted to move the ball more and break down their defense from the sides. Abe scored the opening goal in his strongest style early on, but we wanted to get an additional goal, preferably in the first half. Recently, we had many shots and corners, but today we only had 12 shots and 1 corner. It wasn't an outstanding performance, but it was good to secure the 3 points we desperately needed. From now on, Baba and Ishikawa need to finish their chances and get the third goal. When Amaral scores, the team’s momentum will also rise. We will prepare well for a week and face Ichihara, who is currently said to be the strongest, in the next round."

[Summary of Oita Coach Kobayashi's Press Conference] "Tokyo has many attacking players, and since it was a home game, we expected them to apply pressure from quite early on and play attacking football. Because of that, I thought there might be space in midfield, but they started very solidly. The pitch was deep, and maybe both teams had heavy legs, so it was a cautious start. In that situation, Oita made many mistakes, but I think we managed to get off to a good start. However, we conceded the first goal due to a momentary lapse. Good moments appeared from the middle of the first half, and even after conceding, I thought the opponent’s legs would tire in the second half, and if we brought in attacking players, there would be a chance. Just then, conceding the second goal by Kelly’s individual skill was a big blow. However, down 0-2, we changed the system to go for goals, and dribbling in midfield spread to the sides, allowing for simpler play. The urgency to score at least one goal and Tokyo’s mindset to defend tilted things in our favor. We wanted to play like that from the start. It was a rather heavy game, but I want to praise the players for not giving up and scoring one goal."