Fateful Rivals, Frontale

The last match was on April 4th at Todoroki. In this game, FC Tokyo's ace Amaral exploded and scored two goals, but Kawasaki Frontale showed their home pride and equalized in the last minutes of the game. In extra time, Frontale dominated the game, but Tokyo held their ground and the 120-minute battle ended in a draw. The rivalry between Tokyo and Frontale runs deep. Two years ago in the JFL, Frontale, who were then a J-League associate member, heavily reinforced their team in hopes of securing promotion to the J-League if they finished in the top two. However, they were outbid by Tokyo Gas FC (now FC Tokyo) and their dream of promotion was crushed (Tokyo Gas FC = 2nd place, Frontale = 3rd place). In last year's JFL, Tokyo and Frontale engaged in a fierce battle for the championship, with Tokyo ultimately making a dramatic comeback in the final match to claim the title, leaving Frontale to once again taste defeat (Tokyo Gas FC = 1st place, Frontale = 2nd place). As such, Tokyo and Frontale have been fierce rivals in recent years, playing numerous exciting games against each other. In this year's J2, Tokyo currently sits in 3rd place, with Frontale following closely behind in 4th place, only 2 points behind. It is expected that this match will also be an aggressive and exciting game.

"Volante" Asari, fully recovered!

On this day, a reliable man returned to the pitch. It is Asari who supports the team with a modest but intense defense in the midfield. Asari, who returned for the first time in seven games since being injured in the Yamagata game on April 11, showed a lively figure on this day and skillfully intercepted the opponent's attack with his usual stable play. With Asari's addition, Tokyo's attacking power has increased by moving Almir, who had been playing as a defensive midfielder, to the front line and focusing on the attack. As expected, the game was an aggressive one with both teams fiercely attacking. Tokyo created chances with the daring attacking participation of right back Umayama and left back Fujiyama, especially on the right side where Umayama was the starting point and Yukihiro and Almir in the midfield were involved, causing confusion in the Frontale defense with a variety of combinations. On the other hand, Frontale collected the ball early to the Brazilian two-top from attacks on both sides, and created chances by breaking through the situation with small passes and dribbles. In the first half, both teams connected the ball with a good rhythm, but the final touch was not good enough to result in a goal.

Amaral has also returned, but...

In the second half, Frontale went on the offensive. Despite the score being 0-0, they quickly changed the flow of the game by making three substitutions. In the post-match press conference, coach Matsumoto said, "The risk was high to make three substitutions at that time, but we took the chance and went for the win." With bold player changes, they were able to take control of the game. Tokyo also made a change, bringing in Amaral who had recovered from his injury after missing six games. The crowd was excited to see the return of the "KING OF TOKYO." However, Amaral was far from his best form and struggled against the opponent's tight marking, unable to make a significant impact. The game continued at Frontale's pace and in the 29th minute of the second half, they broke through the right side and found TINGA who was left unmarked. TINGA delivered a perfect cross between the goalkeeper and defender, and substitute Ueda jumped in to score a spectacular goal. It was a difficult time for Tokyo to concede a goal. After this, Tokyo followed the same strategy as the previous game against Niigata, pushing defender Sandro up to the front line. As the game went back and forth, they had a chance to equalize in the dying minutes when Almir broke through the right side and passed to Amaral. However, Amaral's shot hit the defense and did not go in. In the end, Tokyo couldn't find the back of the net despite their intense attacks and suffered their first consecutive loss of the season. The damage of two consecutive shutout losses is significant, but the full recovery of Asari and the return of Amaral are positive news. They will need to switch their mindset and seek revenge in the next game against Yamagata.