Facing Oita at home amidst a tough schedule

　Sec. 12 of the 2nd stage will be played at home against Oita Trinita. After facing an away match against Hiroshima on October 31st, we have a tight schedule with only 2 days of rest before the Nabisco Cup and this match. Despite winning the cup 3 days ago, considering the players' condition, today's lineup does not include M. Shigeno, S. Miura, K. Kelly, and I. Ishikawa. The starting lineup consists of DF M. Mashima, MF M. Miyazawa, S. Suzuki, and FW Y. Kondo. The center-backs are Y. Fujiyama and M. Mashima, left MF T. Toda, right MF S. Suzuki, with H. Baba as the attacking midfielder and Y. Kondo leading the front line.

　Currently, Oita is in 13th place with 10 points, but they are only 3 points behind Tokyo. In the previous match, they achieved a victory against Kobe and their form is improving. It is necessary to be cautious of their attacking style, especially their speed in the forward line led by FW Magnouba. Above all, Tokyo has not won in the last 5 league matches, with 3 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses. They want to accumulate points by using fresh players and first of all, they want to return to a draw. The weather at Ajinomoto Stadium is refreshing and sunny, with a temperature of 20.1 degrees, making it a perfect day for soccer. The match started with Oita's kickoff.

They start with a bold play, but

　Shortly after the start, they took the ball in their own half and Yuto Kondo broke through in front of the goal with a long pass from Miyazawa. Although he didn't manage to shoot due to a handball, his aggressive play hinted at a promising game. In the 3rd minute, Kanazawa took a powerful shot with his right foot from Miyazawa's left side free kick. Unfortunately, it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 8th minute, Baba connected a direct pass to Suzuki Nori and attempted to break through in the right area. Then, in the 9th minute, Miyazawa, who had drifted to the right side, courageously dribbled and shot. In the 12th minute, Baba crossed from Miyazawa's intercept. However, they couldn't bring it to a finish.

　Tokyo gradually lacked combination and precision in their play as they were unable to find a breakthrough in their domination of the ball. In the 14th minute, Oita MF Umeda broke free into the area after a midfield battle and took a shot. However, in the 23rd minute, Nori Suzuki won a corner kick from a cross, but the following two corner kicks did not result in a shot. In the 27th minute, Miyazaki picked up a loose ball from Mazushima's long feed and took a mid-range shot. In the 28th minute, Nori Suzuki dribbled into the central space and took a ground shot, but the goal remained intact.

　After that, the starting point could not be created on the front line, and the attack was monotonous. In the 30th minute, Oita connected the loose ball from a long ball, and Magna Alves took a middle shot, but it missed the frame. In the 36th minute, Magna Alves intercepted in the midfield and dribbled up from the left area to take a shot. This was saved by Toi and escaped to a corner kick. In the final stage, Oita couldn't create chances while grasping the pace, and the match was carried over to the second half with a score of 0-0.

Regain the pace and increase the expectation of goals!

　In the attack, there was a lack of satisfaction in the development, and at halftime, Coach Hara's instructions were "The defense from the front line is weak. Fight more, run more. You can't win by taking it easy." In the 48th minute, Suzuki Nori aimed directly from a FK slightly to the right of the midfield, but it went over the goal. In the 49th minute, they attacked Oita's goal from a quick restart, and Suzuki Nori persevered with a shot inside the area, but it hit Baba. Tokyo made the first move in this development. In the 50th minute, Lucas was substituted for Kondo Yu.

　Then, with this substitution and increased movement, the rhythm began to emerge. Immediately after attacking from a set play, in the 53rd minute, Suzuki Nori, who had been playing as a left midfielder since the end of the first half, initiated a challenge inside the area. In the 54th minute, Lucas, who received a fast pass from Baba, sprinted up the center and evaded the defenders to take a shot. However, it went over the goal. In the 56th minute, Oita received a counterattack, and the ball was passed to Umeda, who was free inside the area, from Magnou Alves' individual skill, but it was saved by a mistake. In the 57th minute, Tokyo launched a wave of attacks. Lucas competed on the right side and persistently crossed the ball low in front of the goal. Baba, who received it, was surrounded by defenders and couldn't make a clean contact, but Miyazawa picked up the loose ball and took a shot. The goalkeeper parried it, and Toda followed up, but unfortunately, it was offside.

　In this flow, Oita made a substitution in the 61st minute, replacing FW Nishiyama with FW Takamatsu, while Tokyo brought in Kajiyama as a substitute for Miyazawa. Tokyo, known for their ball retention skills, had a chance in the 67th minute when Toda dropped Suzuki Nori's left cross and Kajiyama received the ball in front of the goal, passing it sideways. Baba took a shot, but it went over the goal. Shortly after, Suzuki Nori delivered another sharp left cross. In an attempt to clear the ball, the defender's clearance fell to Imakawa who took a shot, winning a corner kick. In the 68th minute, from a free kick, Imakawa met Kaji's early cross with a diving header on the far side. Unfortunately, it narrowly missed the left side of the goal, but Tokyo showed a continuous attacking style.

Lucas' opening goal ends in a draw after being caught off guard

　In the 70th minute, Abe replaced Baba. In the 72nd minute, Lucas, who was free in front of the goal, shot with his left foot after receiving a cross from Suzuki Nori. Although he didn't make good contact, expectations for a goal increased. In the 75th minute, a short corner kick was connected, and Kajiyama cut inside from the end line after a feint in the penalty area, followed by a cross. Abe closed in near the goal, but couldn't take a shot. Oita's counterattack was prevented from reaching the finish line with concentrated defense.

　Kajiyama, Nori Suzuki, and Abe provide a good accent and attack. In the 82nd minute, Abe catches up with the pass that Imano sent to the open space on the right side, and crosses with a low trajectory! Lucas, who ran near the ball, kicks it directly and scores a goal. They took the long-awaited opening goal in an ideal development! Immediately after, Nori Suzuki quickly and strongly passes the ball to the front line after stealing the ball in their own territory. Lucas shoots while being surrounded by defenders, but the shot lacks power and the goalkeeper catches it. Expectations for an additional goal have greatly increased, but in the 84th minute, Matsubashi replaces midfielder Komorita.

　Immediately after that, Tokyo was intercepted by a half-hearted pass in the Oita territory and counterattacked. MF Yoshida passed to Magnouves, who ran up the right side and crossed. FW Takamatsu kicked the ball with a right-footed volley from a one-bounce, and it went into the lower right corner of the goal. While Tokyo was pressing forward, Fujiyama was distracted by Magnouves, and Mashima was late in responding to Takamatsu, resulting in an equalizer. In the remaining time, including 4 minutes of stoppage time, Tokyo tried to take the lead, but in the 89th minute, Lucas from the area through Kiyonori Suzuki was blocked by the defense. In stoppage time, Abe's left throw-in connected with Kajiyama and Lucas, and Toda dropped the ball off the post, which was then shot by Imakawa. However, it missed to the right and time was up. In the second half, despite attacking throughout, they conceded a goal and ended in a draw. They missed out on what seemed like a victory they had once grasped and only gained 1 point.

　[Player Comments]《Konno》"Today, the balance in the midfield was not good. We especially struggled to pick up loose balls. In terms of our attack, we couldn't create the right tempo and didn't manage to press forward effectively, but once Lucas came in, we were finally able to create some space, and the midfield was able to face forward and spread the ball to both sides, allowing us to execute our original attack. After Takamatsu was brought in, the opponent troubled us with simple long balls."《Doi》"I thought we couldn't afford to play poorly just because we won the Nabisco Cup two days ago. Although the lineup changed a bit, it was a match we had to win. In the first half, we struggled to impose our pace, but I believed we could score in the second half. However, after we scored, our defensive line dropped back too much, leading to a conceded goal, which is disappointing. In the next match, I want to improve our finishing accuracy and aim to win with everyone attacking and defending together. The award ceremony was very joyful, and I want to thank everyone. (Regarding the national team) I want to promote myself as usual and work hard. If I get the chance to play in a match, I want to do my best to ensure we don't lose, as we have won all our matches in the first qualifying round so far."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "On Wednesday, there is the Nabisco Cup Final, and today Jean is suspended, while Moino and Ishikawa have not returned to condition, so I boldly included young players like Masushima and Kiro. I wanted Lucas, who was brought in during the match, to change the flow, but he was tired, and Miura and Kelly were also quite motivated for the Nabisco Final, so I wanted to see how much the young players could do. I expected them to play in a way that would take positions from others. The start was good, but starting with Yusuke Kondo, they may have been a bit stiff. In the second half, when Lucas came on, I think the ball started to settle, and our rhythm began to emerge. Oita creates chances when they throw the ball early and when it goes to Magno Alves, so if we lose the ball poorly, the players remaining up front will be utilized. We struggled to score, but we took the lead in the 82nd minute, and after that, we had to manage the time well to win. With many young players, I think that aspect is still a bit lacking. However, in the previous league match, we went to Hiroshima, fought in the Nabisco, and I believe we played with our characteristic style of 'the team stands as a whole no matter who plays' even in tough conditions. In that, individual challenges also emerged, and as a team, I want us to ensure we can win matches like today."

　[Summary of Oita's Coach Hamberger's Press Conference] "I think we were able to have an interesting game. In the end, it was 1 to 1, but I believe that is the best result we could achieve. When I saw today's FC Tokyo starting lineup, I thought it wouldn't be easy. The members have changed from the Nabisco Cup Final, and the energetic players come with the mindset to seize their chances. (Some may think that the change in members is good for Oita, but) it would have been better if they had fielded the same members as in the Nabisco Final, as there would have been tired players, and they wouldn't have been able to maintain their concentration. However, today fresh players took the field, which ultimately made it difficult. We had a practice match with FC Tokyo before the season started, and they really have a lot of young and good players. We are strong at home, Big Eye, but we may lack confidence away. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with today's result. With 3 out of the remaining 4 matches being home games, I believe we can earn 3 points. I want to ensure we achieve good results by the end of the season."