Edogawa Shook!?

Many were surprised by the unexpected shutout victory with a large margin of 3-0 in the first match of the quarterfinals against Marinos (Yokohama International). While there is a difference in the situation between Tokyo, who is in the middle of the league, and Marinos, who has not regained their "game sense" during the league break, the news of a J2 team winning by a large margin against a J1 team with star players like a shining star was certainly "shocking". As a result, in order for Tokyo to advance to the semifinals, they need to keep Marinos within a 2-point difference (in case of a 3-point difference: the game will go into overtime and the winner will be decided by a golden goal, in case of a 4-point difference or more: Marinos will advance to the semifinals) in the second match of the quarterfinals held at Edogawa (Ku Track and Field Stadium). The audience gathered to watch this big match reached a total of 5,208 people, and even before the game, the "goal end" of both teams were engaged in a fierce cheering battle in the stands. There has never been a game with this many spectators at Edogawa, and the venue was filled with an excited atmosphere of tension and intense cheering before the game even started.

Marinos with all their might!

Marinos, who are burning with revenge, held an unprecedented 90-minute emergency meeting the day after their crushing defeat in the first match (on the 20th), and boldly declared that they will adopt a super aggressive "unconventional 4-top" formation. While there is a sense of losing composure, the determination of De La Cruz, the coach, to "come back from a 3-point deficit no matter what" is evident. It is certainly a huge advantage to have a 3-point lead, but when weighing the defensive strength of Tokyo without Sandro and the attacking power of Marinos, it cannot be said that they are completely safe, and even a slight sense of unease crept in when thinking calmly.

The match went as expected, with Marinos launching a desperate attack from the start. Marinos placed "Japan national team's young ace striker" Castle as the lone top, with Bauber on the right, "Olympic team's commander" Nakamura Shunsuke in the center, and Korean national team's Ryu Soo-tae on the left, specializing in attacking. In addition, both side backs, Nagayama on the right and Hato on the left, actively participated in the attack, making it a "super attacking formation" in order to return the three points behind in 90 minutes. However, learning from the first game, they countered Tokyo's counterattacks by dropping Japan national team's Atsuhiro MIURA to the defensive midfielder position. MIURA played a crucial role as the starting point of the attack and successfully prevented Wada and Kagimaki, who had caused trouble in the first game, from doing their job.

Enduring the fierce pursuit of Marinos!

Marinos, with a fierce press that repeatedly commits fouls in the midfield, steals the ball and creates chances with aggressive dribbles from Baubel on the right and Yanagi on the left. In addition, Nakamura adds a change of pace and sets up attacks from the center with one-two passes to the top striker and runs from the fullbacks on both sides. On the other hand, Tokyo responds with a combination of center-backs, with Furukawa returning from injury and Yamao who performed well in the first match, replacing Sandro who was suspended due to accumulated warnings. The combination with their teammates is also not bad, and they calmly handle Marinos' fierce attacks, but in the 21st minute, they finally break the balance when they concede a goal with a skilled shot from the previously perfectly contained striker. This brings the score to a tie with only two more goals needed. Marinos continue to step up their game. Tokyo also occasionally breaks through the center with good rhythm from Almir and Amaral, but they are cut off by Marinos' intense play. Tokyo, intimidated by Marinos' determination, drops their defensive line and is forced to play entirely on the defense, but even Amaral is cutting off the opponent's attacks on the defensive line, showing the team's high defensive awareness and concentration as they manage to keep the first half to only one goal conceded.

Battle Against Time

45 minutes left in the second half, if we don't concede two goals here, Tokyo will secure a spot in the semifinal round. However, the Marinos' determination has increased even more. They no longer have any pride. They are just relentlessly committing fouls in order to score two more goals. The number of direct free kicks for Tokyo, 33, tells the story. In the 8th minute of the second half, Tokyo is once again scored on from the center after being broken through on the left side, bringing the score to within one point. 37 minutes left. Tokyo has been moving since the second half started, with Koike balancing the midfield and improving the defense and attacking shape after winning back the ball. In the 14th minute of the second half, Yukihiko returns from injury. This is a move made in anticipation of Marinos attacking even more in the remaining time, allowing for counterattacks. And it works perfectly. In the 21st minute of the second half, Tokyo's Yukihiko is about to break away on a counterattack when Marinos defender Ihara tackles him head on. This results in a red card and Marinos, now with 10 players, tone down their play. On the other hand, Tokyo, with a numerical and psychological advantage, has more opportunities to attack.

After this, Marinos showed their strength as a star-studded team and launched a fierce attack until the end, but they were able to withstand it without losing their focus thanks to GK Suzuki, and the game ended with a 2-0 score. As a result, in the first and second games, Marinos won with a total score of 3-2, becoming the only J2 team to beat J1 three times in a row and advance to the semifinals. Next, they will face Kashima Antlers on 9/29 (away) and 10/6 (home).

<Director Okuma's comment> Regardless of the content, we fought well without Sandro. It was a big advantage that the balance improved with Koike's entry. It is a great plus for the players to be able to have a serious match with a J1 team, but today's game also showed us some areas for improvement. We want to continue to do our best in the next game.