Fateful Rival, Frontale

The last match was on April 4 at Todoroki. In this game, Tokyo's ace Amaral exploded with two early goals, but Kawasaki Frontale showed their home pride and equalized just before the end of the match. In extra time, Frontale took control with renewed energy, but Tokyo held firm, and the 120-minute battle ended in a draw without a decisive result. The rivalry between Tokyo and Frontale runs deep. Two years ago in the JFL, Frontale, then a J.League associate member, aimed for promotion by strengthening their squad heavily, needing to finish in the top two. However, they lost out to Tokyo (then Tokyo Gas FC), shattering their dream of J.League promotion (Tokyo Gas FC finished 2nd, Frontale 3rd). Last year in the JFL, Tokyo and Frontale engaged in a fierce title race with Tokyo chasing Frontale, but Tokyo pulled off a dramatic comeback victory in the final round, leaving Frontale to suffer defeat once again (Tokyo Gas FC 1st, Frontale 2nd). In this way, Tokyo and Frontale have been fierce rivals for several years, producing many great matches. In this year's J2, Frontale sits 4th, just 2 points behind Tokyo in 3rd place, and despite the early stage, a fierce dead heat is already underway. Naturally, this match was also expected to be an aggressive and exciting game to watch.

"Defensive Midfielder" Asari, Fully Recovered!

On this day, a reliable man returned to the pitch. It was Asari, who supports the team with his steady yet intense midfield defense. Since his injury and exit in the match against Yamagata on April 11, Asari made his comeback after seven games, showing his energetic self and skillfully disrupting the opponent's attacks with his consistently stable play. With Asari joining, Almir, who had been playing as a defensive midfielder, was moved up front to focus on offense, boosting Tokyo's attacking power.As expected, the match unfolded aggressively with both teams launching fierce attacks. Tokyo's right-back Umeyama and left-back Fujiyama boldly joined the offense to create chances, especially on the right side where Umeyama served as the starting point, involving midfielders Yukihiko and Almir in a variety of combinations that confused Kawasaki Frontale's defense. On the other hand, Frontale focused their attacks from both flanks, quickly feeding the ball to their Brazilian two forwards, creating chances by breaking through with precise passes and dribbling. In the first half, both teams maintained good rhythm in ball possession, but their final touches were lacking, and no goals were scored.

Amaral has also returned, but...

In the second half, Frontale took a bold approach. Despite the score being 0-0, they made three consecutive substitutions and quickly changed the momentum. In the post-match press conference, Coach Matsumoto said, "Making three substitutions at that time was risky, but I acted thinking it was a 'challenge'," and with these daring changes, they seized the flow of the game. Tokyo also made a change, substituting forward Kaburagi and bringing in Amaral, who had recovered from injury for the first time in six matches. The stadium erupted at the appearance of the long-awaited "KING OF TOKYO." However, Amaral was far from his best form, struggled against tight marking from the opponents, and was unable to make a significant impact. The match proceeded at Frontale's pace, and in the 29th minute of the second half, a momentary lapse allowed a breakthrough on the right side, leading to a free Tinga. Tinga delivered a perfect cross aimed between the goalkeeper and defenders, and substitute Urata made a powerful diving header to score. For Tokyo, this was a tough goal to concede during a difficult period. After this, Tokyo, just like in the previous match against Niigata, pushed defender Sandro forward to take the initiative. As the back-and-forth battle continued, near the end, Almir broke through on the right side and delivered a final pass to Amaral. However, Amaral's shot hit a defender and did not result in a goal. In the end, Tokyo attacked fiercely but failed to score, and the match ended. They suffered their first consecutive losses of the season. The damage of two consecutive shutout defeats is significant, but the full recovery of Asari and Amaral's return are bright spots, and they want to reset their mindset and face the revenge match against Yamagata next.