Rematch

0 wins, 2 losses, 0 goals scored, 3 goals conceded... This is the record against Niigata this year. In two games, both ended in a shutout loss... This season, including the cup match against J1 (Nabisco Cup), the only team that has lost twice to the same team is the opponent of the day, "Niigata" (in terms of not even winning once, 1 draw and 1 loss against Kawasaki F). Tokyo, who will face them, recently defeated Yokohama F. Marinos in the quarterfinals of the Nabisco Cup, and is the only team from J2 to advance to the semifinals. In the league, they are currently on a 6-game winning streak (5 consecutive shutout victories) and are leading the first half of the season. However, unlike other (J2) teams, they have to play two intense cup matches against J1 in between league matches, which can lead to accumulated fatigue. In the scorching heat of over 30 degrees, physical and mental fatigue is a concern. In any case, in the first match of the second half, they will need to win cleanly and repay the debt, no matter what the reason may be.

Kataomoi Niigata!?

Manager Okuma started Almir, who had been absent from the front line for a long time due to a hip muscle tear, and Yukihiko, an attacking MF who had returned from a back injury, in this match. Against Niigata's defense, which tightly packed the center, Okuma made the decision to start these two players based on the calculation that they were not fully recovered but still had attacking speed and could penetrate behind the opponent's defense. In the first half, both teams started with a slow tempo, considering the physical exhaustion caused by the intense heat. Tokyo attempted to involve their fullbacks in the attack from the sides, with Kaga, who was making his first appearance in two weeks, playing in the post, and also trying to break through the center using sharp passes from defensive midfielder Almir to forward Amaral and utilizing wall passes. However, Niigata, who had studied Tokyo's attacking patterns well, closed the spaces on the sides and tightly packed the center with the tough and large defender Sergio at the core, even pulling back their two defensive midfielders, leaving no gaps. Tokyo's left fullback Fujiyama managed to create some chances with his dribbling, but the right side, which was expected to be the key to unlocking Niigata's defense, was not functioning well due to the extreme heat, with Umayama and Yukihiro, who had returned from injury, struggling. The only real chance for Tokyo came in the 23rd minute, when Almir, Amaral, and Almir again played a clever one-two in a tight space in the center, and Umayama overlapped and crossed the ball from the goal line. Amaral was inches away from scoring. On the other hand, Niigata showed effective counterattacks that seemed to steal Tokyo's thunder, with midfielder Ricardo at the center, right fullback Kizawa's sharp involvement in the attack, and simple wall passes with the two forwards creating decisive shooting opportunities. Tokyo, showing signs of fatigue, was inferior to Niigata in terms of movement, and especially struggled to mark the intense position changes of the two forwards, often being pushed back by creating a stronghold in a high position (= being ball-kept).

Crying over the same pattern...

In the second half, Tokyo brought in the speedy Sandro. Sandro went to the right, while Yukihiko went to the center to try to turn things around. However, the flow remained the same and in the 50th minute, Niigata's FW Suzuki ran deep from a counter attack on the right side. Sandro was marking him, but Suzuki was able to find a momentary opening and entered the center, taking a long shot with his left foot from the corner of the penalty area! The powerful shot, which was like a wake-up call, was too much for Tokyo's GK Suzuki, who had not conceded a goal in the league, and it pierced into the top right corner of the goal. After that, Tokyo brought in MF Kobayashi. With his unique dribbling skills, the two were able to keep the ball for a longer period of time. Tokyo then brought in Koike as well. With the ability to spread the ball to the sides, Kobayashi and Yukihiko were able to make more runs from the right side and increase the number of crosses. In the 73rd minute, Sergio, who had been a wall for Niigata, was forced to leave the field due to injury. Tokyo then moved DF Sandro up to FW and went for a twin tower attack with Amaral. However, in the 80th minute, they conceded another goal from a left corner kick. With only 10 minutes left, Tokyo finally woke up and launched a fierce attack. Although their attacks were simple and repetitive, Tokyo's height advantage allowed them to create multiple scoring opportunities. However, Niigata's defense, which had focused all their efforts on defending, remained strong until the end and Tokyo was unable to score. In the end, just like in the 2nd round, they suffered a complete defeat by conceding two goals in the second half, resulting in a humiliating 3 consecutive shutout losses against Niigata.

<Coach Nagai's Comment>

Tokyo was tired today. Niigata won with their energy and sharpness, executing their strategy of "defend well and counter". I thought that if we could shut down the attacking spaces of Tokyo's fullbacks and stop their speed, we could win.

<Coach Okuma's Comment>

Due to this heat, (Yukihiko, who has not recovered his conditioning), the attacking prowess of Osamu was not shown. Being pushed back, the challenge is how to defend against opponents who are defending in a narrow space. We want to make corrections as soon as possible in the future.