Home Final Match, Aiming for 3 Points

　Only 2 sections left in the 2nd stage. Sec. 14 will be against Ichihara. Looking back, Tokyo has not won since the match against Urawa in Sec. 6. The match against Ichihara has also been a draw game since last season. In the 1st stage, despite leading by 2 points, they let the victory slip away and now they desperately want to secure 3 points. Also, in the final match of this season, which will be held at home, they want to end it with a victory as a response to the support of many fans.

　However, while Jean returns, Shigeki is absent due to injury this round. Kerry, whose condition has not improved, also failed to make the lineup. Ishikawa and Miura were on the bench. Ichihara, currently in 4th place, achieved a big victory of 5-1 in the previous match against Kobe. While they have momentum, they are also struggling with injuries to key players. The average age of today's starting lineup is 24.45 years old for Ichihara, compared to Tokyo's 24.82 years old. Both teams are approaching the match with fresh members. The game started with Ichihara's kickoff at the Ajinomoto Stadium, with perfect weather.

Conceding goals in quick succession from mistakes, leading to a difficult situation

　In the previous match against Niigata, Tokyo conceded 4 goals and first and foremost wanted to rebuild their defense. However, it happened just 2 minutes into the game. Toda, who was trying to connect a clearance ball from the defense line, had the ball stolen in their own half and Chiba midfielder Murai crossed the ball from the left. Makoto picked up the loose ball from Fujiyama's clearance and controlled it with one touch, then kicked it into the goal, resulting in an early goal against Tokyo. And just 4 minutes later, Makoto broke free in front of the goal, following a long pass from defender Milinovic who had pushed up to the halfway line. He cut inside from the left side of the penalty area, evading Kaji, and scored a clean shot. Chiba got 2 goals from Makoto's 2 shots. Tokyo couldn't find their rhythm at the start and made mistakes under pressure from Chiba's determination, leading to consecutive goals and a significant deficit.

　Before the tough press from Ichihara, the movement started late, and it was finally after 10 minutes that they launched a counterattack. Toda headed the cross from Kanazawa who overlapped and won a corner kick. In the 12th minute, Kaji advanced up to the end line and won a corner kick on the right. Suzuki connected the loose ball from the corner kick he took himself and took another corner kick. Finally, they regained their composure and created a chance. After that, both teams continued to engage in a pressing battle with back and forth developments, but in the 23rd minute, from a pass exchange inside the Ichihara's territory, Baba broke through into the space on the left front and crossed. Lucas, who was waiting in front of the goal, was brought down by this ball, and they got a penalty kick. Lucas himself scored it perfectly and equalized the score by one point.

　Tokyo, who regained confidence, uses the pitch wide from Baba and Kajiyama's quick ball handling to grasp the rhythm. In the 29th minute, Baba received a loose ball from Kaji's right cross and shot it while turning around, resulting in a corner kick. In the 31st and 32nd minutes, there were also chances from corner kicks. In the 35th minute, Baba headed Kaji's early cross, but the shot lacked power. In the 36th minute, Toda dropped Baba's right cross, but Lucas couldn't control the ball. Despite dominating the attack, they couldn't show their threat in the final play. On the contrary, towards the end, there were scenes where Ichihara's players running long distances troubled them. In injury time, Maki competed for an early cross from the left and Yoda's shot from behind the defense went in, but it was disallowed due to Maki's foul. The first half ended with a score of 1-2.

Despite repeatedly launching wave attacks, they were unable to gain control of the game...

　Tokyo showed aggressive movement from the beginning of the second half. They frequently regained possession from Ichihara and went on the attack. In the 47th minute, Suzuki received a side change from Baba and stole a corner kick with a dribble shot. In the 51st minute, Kanazawa attacked from the middle after Lucas kept the ball. However, in the immediate 52nd minute, a long ball was thrown into Ichihara's goal area and connected. Murai's cross from the right area was intended to be connected by MF Abe in the center, but the loose ball was momentarily controlled by Kaji in the area. However, the pass intended to be connected was passed directly to Ichihara's free MF Sato in front of the goal, who kicked it in directly. Ishikawa was substituted for Toda and an attempt to counterattack was made, but once again a goal was conceded from a mistake, exposing the fragility of the defense. The situation became difficult.

　However, in the 53rd minute as planned, Ishikawa came in. Then, starting with Ishikawa's breakthrough, there were many scenes of winning free kicks, and the mood in the stadium also increased. In the 56th minute, from a free kick obtained after Kajiyama was fouled in front of the goal, Suzuki aimed for the goal with a powerful shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 57th minute, Kaji went up deep into the end line, and Lucas connected with a fast cross, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's fine play. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama dribbled up after exchanging passes with Kanazawa, entered the left area. Once again, Kanazawa → Baba → Konno connected directly. Konno's shot, which he bravely took, hit Lucas' foot in the center of the front line, but Suzuki cleverly closed in on the loose ball and kicked it with his left foot, scoring a goal. They bewildered the Ichihara DF with their quick passing play inside the area and closed the gap to one goal again!

　Tokyo, riding on this momentum. In the 63rd minute, Abe was substituted for Suzuki. Gradually, they advance the game in a dominant position against Ichihara, whose physical strength is gradually declining. Ichihara's combination play is divided, and they dominate the ball, but their attacks from the left and right are not well coordinated, and crosses in the center do not come together. They fail to create decisive scenes. In the 73rd minute, there is also a scene where Ichihara's attacking line breaks through the defense due to a lack of concentration. In the 77th minute, Miura is substituted for Baba. They launch a total attack with a formation that moves Kajiyama one row forward.

Unable to catch up with Ichihara DF, one step short

　This formation fits. And each player's persistent and aggressive attitude to aim for the goal resulted in an equalizer. In the 81st minute, Kaji ran up the right side and passed it back to Ishikawa. Ishikawa cut inside while competing with the defender and sent a sharp ground cross from outside the right area, aiming between the goalkeeper and defender. The opponent's goalkeeper Kushino deflected it, and the ball fell in front of Kajiyama. Although he initially missed with his right foot, he immediately shot with his left foot. The ball pierced the net, equalizing the score.

　In the 82nd minute, Ichihara DF Yuuki received his second warning and was sent off. With 10 players, Ichihara became defensive and faced fierce attacks, with a comeback seeming imminent. However, in the 87th minute, Abe broke through and won a left corner kick, but couldn't finish. In the 88th minute, Miura's shot from a loose ball after a cross was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 89th minute, Kaji's cross narrowly missed Abe in the center. In injury time, Abe passed to Kajiyama with one touch, and Kajiyama's through pass to Miura, who had jumped out in front of the goal, was slightly too long. They just couldn't score the winning goal. Despite constantly being behind Ichihara, they persistently counterattacked and managed to equalize with 3 goals, but fell just short. The early goal against them weighed heavily, and the match ended in a 3-3 draw.

　【Player Comments】《Suzuki》"I was able to score the goal because I happened to be there. But more than that, I wanted to win. I don't think my movements were good. I think if I pressed a little more, I could have created more chances. To become a regular, I need to make small adjustments and contribute more to the team by showing my strengths. I want to play in a way that leads to victory."《Kajiyama》"It was painful to concede a goal from our own mistakes at the beginning. Today, I tried to play with balance near Baba, but it was difficult to keep up with Ichihara's players' runs. It became easier gradually when I started defending with Konno. (Regarding the goal scene), I sensed the opponent's presence and initially missed the ball. But it fell nicely in front of me, so I just focused on hitting it into the goal. I definitely wanted to win, but I wish we could have played our game from the beginning."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Ichihara is a team that has momentum, having scored 5 goals in their last match. Today is also the final home game, so we talked about starting strong... However, we conceded 2 goals due to mistakes and were in a bit of a scramble. Around the middle of the first half, we finally started to effectively use Kajiwara and Baba, which was our target for today, and once the ball got to them, we were able to create opportunities to use the sides. Ichihara plays man-to-man, and their full-backs and stoppers press quickly. In the first stage, it was actually Tokyo that applied the pressure and took the lead early. Ichihara probably had that image in mind and pressed us faster than we expected. Instead of kicking the ball into the space in front, we were scared and played it back or sideways, which allowed them to capitalize and disrupt our rhythm. So at halftime, I told the players not to be afraid and to get the ball to Lucas, Baba, and the forwards, and from there, we could pick it up. Or if the opponent starts to pull back, we should connect through the gaps. However, we conceded the third goal from a ball that was unclear whether it was a clearance or a pass from Kaji, which was tough. The fact is, we managed to come back and score well from there. Ishikawa has been overthinking lately and moving in a way that seems unproductive, so I had expectations when I used him from the second half today. Since Kajiwara and Baba were starting to get the ball, I believed that if Ishikawa faced forward, he would definitely create chances. There are still mistakes, but I think he finally showed his characteristic speed and played forward. I thought that if we brought in Abe, we could also attack from the left. Baba was getting tired, so I brought in Miura and pushed Kajiwara forward to maintain balance. We caught up well, but honestly, I wanted to score one more goal. Despite not being able to get results in the league, many supporters came to the home game, and we wanted to win at all costs. Recently, conceding goals has been a wake-up call in our matches. I want us to be able to play from the start like we did in the second half today. What Kajiwara and Baba possess is more than enough to be effective in the J-League, so while using them well and monitoring their condition, I want to head into the next match against G Osaka and the Emperor's Cup with all our strength."

　[Summary of Coach Osim's Press Conference] "Today's match was symbolic of Ichihara's season. We are running well and scoring goals consistently. However, we lack the strength to maintain the lead and continue playing attacking football until the end. Even if we have the strength, we lack experience. In that sense, it reflects the quality of the team. If we remain in 3rd place, it will certainly be good for the young players moving forward, but until now, Ichihara's way of fighting has been like pouring a liter of milk and spilling it just before finishing. That is how we are losing. Experience cannot be gained immediately; it takes years. Ichihara has many players who have been involved in relegation battles and mid-table struggles for a long time, and that habit remains. It is really difficult for them to switch to having ambitions and wanting to move up. If we cannot change that, we cannot reach the top. FC Tokyo won the Nabisco Cup and may have been a bit relaxed, but I believe they are a good team with a future. In previous encounters, Tokyo was closer to winning, but today Ichihara was closer. Both teams know each other's members well, which leads to a competitive match. Today, both sides attacked each other, resulting in a good game. Unfortunately, Ichihara was far from their best lineup. They have been missing regular forwards for half the season, and today key players like Hanyu, Hayashi, and Yamagishi were also injured. They are incredibly important players for Ichihara, but conversely, players who have not had opportunities to play have stepped in, which has both unfortunate and fortunate aspects. However, it is uncertain how far those players can go from now on. We will calculate these factors and think about the future from here."