The big match aiming for victory

　The 14th match of the 2nd stage will be against Verdy 1969. Tokyo is currently in 5th place with 20 points, and this will be their final home game of the season. Verdy is also in 6th place with the same number of points, making it a crucial match for both teams with hopes of winning the championship.

　Tokyo, on the 19th (Wednesday), called up Doi, Shigeta, and Kaji for the Japan national team's match against Cameroon. However, Shigeta returned to Tokyo at the last minute due to a sprained right foot during the training camp. Today, he will play despite the injury. On the other hand, Amaral, who will start in today's match, achieves his 100th appearance in J1. This is a crucial match that we cannot afford to lose for Amaral, who has been leading the team so far. As for Verdy, their ace Emboma will play in the match as a member of the Cameroon national team. On the other hand, they are missing key players such as MF Ramon and Yoshiyuki KOBAYASHI due to injuries, and the condition of both teams will be a key factor in this game.

　The highly anticipated match, which will determine the survival for the championship, gathered 32,781 spectators under a clear sky with a low temperature. The excitement was building up even before the start of the game. The match began with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Both teams are making the most of their strengths, and the intense competition continues.

　At the start, Tokyo picked up loose balls well and approached the Verdy goal. Verdy, on the other hand, maintained a high defensive line and, after finding their rhythm with direct passes, in the 6th minute, picked up a loose ball from a left cross, and FW Hiramoto took a shot. In the 8th minute, Tokyo launched a quick attack, and Ishikawa's cross was met by Toda with a header. In the 10th minute, Ishikawa won a corner kick on the right side, and then shot the cleared ball from that corner. In the 12th minute, Miyazawa's free kick was headed down by Amaral, and Ishikawa made a run, but the opposing goalkeeper caught it just a moment earlier. In the 16th minute, Kelly passed to a free Amaral in the left penalty area, and he surged towards the goal again, but the last pass was blocked by a defender. In the 19th minute, Verdy had a chance. Hiramoto, who had drifted to the left side, initiated a dribble and made a last pass to Mboma in the center. Mboma's shot went just slightly to the right. In the 21st minute, after cutting off a pass in midfield, the ball was passed to Jean, who was pushing forward, and he crossed from the right side. Kelly, free on the far side, took a header, but it went wide of the goal.

　Verdy takes the lead by connecting passes, but Tokyo counterattacks by stealing the ball and launching speedy attacks to create chances. It was expected that today's match would become difficult due to the tense atmosphere. In the 29th minute, Kelly received a pass near the penalty area and turned around to take a shot. However, it narrowly missed the goal. In the 32nd minute, Tokyo's left side was broken by the combination of defender Yanagisawa and midfielder Tanaka, and a pass was made to the free Emboma in the center, putting Verdy in a pinch. However, Emboma, who was off balance, couldn't take a shot and passed to defender Atsuhiro MIURA, who had moved up for support. The Tokyo defenders quickly closed in and prevented Miura from taking a shot.

　Afterwards, Tanaka frequently allowed Tokyo to attack the goal, but did not create any decisive scenes. In the 38th minute, MF Yamada picked up a loose ball from a corner kick and shot it over the goal. In the 43rd minute, Kaji moved inside and passed to the right side. Toda headed Ishikawa's cross on the far side, but it went wide. They were unable to convert a great chance and entered the second half.

Unable to convert opportunities into goals

　In the second half, Tokyo was completely pressed by Verdy's fast passing. However, Tokyo fought back from their resilient defense and in the 48th minute, Kelly dribbled and sent a last pass to Amaral on a counterattack, but was blocked by the defender. In the 49th minute, Kanazawa shot from a side change by Miyazawa, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 50th minute, Yamada headed a left cross after a post-play by Verdy's Tanaka. In the 52nd minute, Tokyo created a chance from Miyazawa's free kick. Ishikawa picked up the cleared ball from the defense, persisted, cut back the opponent's defender on the right side, and crossed. Toda perfectly timed his header, but unfortunately it went over the goal. In the 56th minute, Kaji also bypassed the opponent's defender on the right side and passed to Amaral, but Toda's decisive shot was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's fine save.

　The development of not being able to decide while creating chances makes the stands sigh, but Verdy also tries to break through the center by connecting a flowing direct pass in the 58th minute and launches a wave attack. However, Tokyo DF cut off the shot of the last defensive midfielder Hayashi with a concentrated defense. Immediately after, Tokyo approaches Verdy's goal from a set play with FK and CK, but they also couldn't score. In the 63rd minute, Verdy had a clear chance. When Lin swung to the left from Emboma's post, Sakura, who came on as a substitute, took the shot. In the 65th minute, Tokyo's Kelly, who received Jarn's long pass on the right side, passed to the left space as a decoy to Toda in front of the goal. Ishikawa, who was free, took a shot at the perfect timing, but missed the goal by a wide margin.

　A back and forth battle utilizing each other's strengths continued, but in the 65th minute, Tokyo substituted Abe for Miura, taking a gamble with Miyazawa as the lone defensive midfielder. Tokyo gained momentum with Abe's fresh movements up front. In the 69th minute, Ishikawa dribbled up the right side and passed to Abe in the center. Abe played it back and Kanazawa made a free shot, but it missed the goal. Immediately after, Amaral dropped a free kick and Abe took a shot, but the goalkeeper saved it. Unable to score a goal, they couldn't help but think of the unpleasant turn of events in the previous match against Gamba Osaka.

Although Abbe's goal greatly pulled the victory towards us...

　But in the 75th minute, Kelly, who received a pass from Kanazawa, dribbled up. Kelly, who carried the expectations of the stands, deeply cuts through the left side and sends a cross with exquisite timing. Abe, who was waiting on the far side, strikes a header shot and GOAL! With Kelly's breakthrough power and Abe's decisiveness, they snatch a valuable opening goal and pull the victory closer in a tense and intense development that seems to be a "one-point match"!!

　However, Verdy's fighting spirit did not waver. With a fierce counterattack, Tokyo was forced into a defensive position after the 80th minute. Despite that, they did not allow any decisive shots with their focused defense and tried to find a way out through counterattacks. In the 88th minute, Kelly sprinted from a pass by Muscat. However, he failed to make the shot. And in the 89th minute, just as they were trying to hold on with little time left, Asari was substituted for Ishikawa, who showed signs of fatigue...

　Verdy, who is attacking, has their goalkeeper come forward and directly connects with Tokyo's clear ball. Atsuhiro MIURA, who received the ball on the left side, sends a lob to the front line. The high ball floats in front of Tokyo's defenders. However, Jean, who took advantage of a momentary gap, miscalculated his aim and couldn't touch the ball. Then, instead of Ewerton, who is not in good form, Verdy's substitute forward Iio perfectly traps the ball on the bounce. He turns around and shoots, and the ball is sucked into the goal...

　Tokyo fought back with all their might in the remaining 3 minutes of injury time, but they couldn't score even in the last chance. They were brought to a draw with a last-minute equalizer, and 3 points slipped away. As a result, their hopes of winning the championship were also dashed. However, after the game, Manager Hara and all the players greeted the stands with gratitude for coming to the last home game. They pledged to give their all in the remaining 1 match and vowed to fight for the Emperor's Cup that lies ahead.

[Player Comments]《Abe》"The goal scene was made possible because Kelly delivered a great ball. Before that, there was also a good drop pass from Amaral... Although we ended in a draw, everyone did their best, and it was the result of our hard work. The hope for victory is gone, but it would be meaningless if we can't push forward from here. I want to win the final match and connect it to the Emperor's Cup." 《Amaral》"There was a possibility of winning, and since it was the last home game, I was highly motivated. My motivation was as high as always, and I entered the match in good form, but unfortunately, we conceded a goal due to a mistake. In football, results are everything. However, even though the chance for victory is gone, I want to keep my head up and stay positive. The support today was amazing. Not just today, but I am always encouraged by the fans. I wanted to score a goal and win, and while the result is disappointing, the cheers from the fans are always in my heart. When I went around the field at the end, my emotions surged, and I felt something intense, leading to a different kind of greeting. Over the past 12 years, I felt once again that I have been loved by the fans and have fought alongside them. I want to continue to work hard together from now on."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "In the final home match, since the opponent was Verdy, we wanted to win. I thought we could win, but it was very disappointing to be equalized from a very small play at the end. However, today, with Amaral announcing that he will retire at the end of this season, the players were emotionally invested, but I think they were a bit stiff in their movements. Honestly, especially in the first half, they were too tense compared to usual. Verdy would attack by connecting short passes, and I thought Tokyo would utilize their speed to break through on both sides, making it a match that highlighted each other's characteristics. It became a stalemate, and I thought we wouldn't be able to score without taking risks, so I put Abe at the front line and reduced the number of defensive midfielders to take a gamble. I hoped that changing the system would allow Abe to become an accent. Abe scored as intended, so I wanted to win just like that... However, not being able to finish the game is our issue. Regarding the conceded goal, it was right after Asari was brought in, but Asari is not to blame, nor can Jean be blamed. He became overly cautious trying to control the bouncing ball to make it his own. If we can manage to hold on in such situations, we should be able to aim for even higher. However, the players are showing their full potential as it is. Amaral has been supporting this team all along, and the desire to win for him is also felt by the players.

It was also in the half. However, it is true that the power was put in there. Thanks to Amaral, other players, including Brazilian players, are fighting seriously and earnestly. I think that the team color is thanks to Amaral, who has become a role model and led us. The possibility of winning the league has disappeared, but I want to connect it to the Emperor's Cup in a good way for Amaral's sake. We will strengthen our scoring ability and fight with all our might in the next game."

[Summary of Tokyo V Ardiles' press conference] "I think it was a fantastic game. Especially in the final minutes, there was intense attacking and defending, and in the end, we were able to return to our true Verdy form. I am satisfied with the players. There were various issues, such as injuries, before the game, but the players who took the field today gave their all, and their play is something to be proud of. Both teams had a chance to win. We both fought hard and ended up with a draw, which I think is a fair result. And I would like to take this opportunity to praise Amaral. He has made a significant contribution to the J-League. I respect him as a player and as a person. He is a player who has shown the model of how soccer should be played. I really want to say thank you for your hard work."