Revenge Match

0 wins, 2 losses, 0 goals scored, 3 goals conceded... this is the record against Niigata this year. In two matches, both ended in shutout losses... This season, including the cup match against J1 (Nabisco Cup), the only team to have two losses against the same opponent is the rival on this day, "Niigata" (meaning that they have not won even once, while they have one draw and one loss against Kawasaki F). Tokyo, facing them, recently defeated Yokohama F.Marinos in the quarterfinals of the Nabisco Cup, becoming the only team from J2 to advance to the semifinals, and in the league, they are currently on a six-game winning streak (five consecutive shutout victories), finishing the first half of the season in first place, showcasing a remarkable performance. However, unlike other J2 teams, they are undeniably accumulating fatigue from the hard schedule of intense cup matches (two matches) against J1 in between league games, and there were concerns about physical and mental impacts in the scorching heat exceeding 30 degrees. In any case, this match, being the first game of the second half of the season, required a clear victory to repay the debt, regardless of the reasons.

Solid Defense Niigata!?

Coach Okuma started this match with right back Umeyama, who had been sidelined for a long time due to an injury (hamstring strain), and attacking midfielder Yukihiko, who returned from an injury (waist sprain). Although not fully recovered, they were chosen for their attacking speed and ability to exploit gaps in the opponent's defense, especially against Niigata's solid central defense. The first half began with both teams playing at a slow tempo, possibly considering the physical exhaustion caused by the scorching heat. Tokyo, with attacking midfielder Kagami returning after two weeks of poor form, attempted to attack from both sides with the side backs, while Almir provided sharp passes to forward Amaral, trying to break through the center using wall passes. However, Niigata, having studied Tokyo's attacking patterns well, closed down the spaces on both sides and solidified the center with tough, large defender Sergio, even pulling back the two defensive midfielders to create a strong wall, leaving no gaps. Tokyo's left side player Fujiyama managed to create a few chances through his dribbling, but the right side, which was expected to be the key to breaking down Niigata, struggled as Umeyama and Yukihiko, returning from injury, were ineffective due to the extreme heat. The only big chance came in the 23rd minute when Almir, Amaral, and Almir executed a clever one-two in the tight central area, leading to Umeyama overlapping and centering the ball just before the goal line. Amaral was close to scoring in that moment. Conversely, Niigata showcased effective counters that seemed to take a page from Tokyo's playbook, creating decisive shooting opportunities through sharp attacking participation from right back Kizawa and simple wall passes with the two forwards, centered around midfielder Ricardo. Tokyo, showing signs of fatigue, struggled with their movement compared to Niigata, particularly failing to mark the intense positional changes of the two forwards, leading to many situations where they were pushed back as Niigata established a high position (i.e., maintained ball possession).

Crying over the same pattern...

Entering the second half, Tokyo brought in the speedy Kaburaki. Kaburaki moved to the right, while Yukihiko positioned himself in the center to regroup. However, the flow of the game did not change, and in the 50th minute, Niigata's forward Suzuki, who had made a deep run down the right side from a counterattack, maintained possession. Sandro was marking him, but he took advantage of a momentary lapse and moved into the center, unleashing a long shot with his left foot from the edge of the penalty area! The stunningly powerful shot pierced the right corner of the goal, beyond the desperate save attempt by Tokyo's goalkeeper Suzuki, who had not conceded a goal in the league. After this, Tokyo brought in midfielder Kobayashi. With his unique dribbling, Kobayashi managed to get past two defenders, allowing Tokyo to maintain possession for a bit longer. Tokyo then brought in Koike as well. Once they began to spread the ball to the sides, Kobayashi and Yukihiko broke through on the right side, increasing the number of crosses into the box. In the 73rd minute, Sergio, who had been a wall for Niigata, was injured and had to leave the field, prompting Tokyo to move defender Sandro up to forward, creating a twin tower with Amaral. However, just moments later, in the 80th minute, they allowed Niigata to score an additional goal from a left corner kick. With no time left, Tokyo finally seemed to wake up, launching a furious attack in the last 10 minutes. Despite their monotonous attacks with easy crosses from the sides, Tokyo, with their height advantage, created several scoring opportunities in succession, but Niigata's defense, which had switched to a full defensive mode with high concentration, remained solid until the end, preventing Tokyo from scoring. Ultimately, just like in the second round, they suffered a complete defeat, conceding two goals in the second half, resulting in a humiliating third consecutive shutout loss against Niigata.

Director Nagai's Comment

Tokyo was tired today. Niigata won in terms of movement and sharpness, executing their strategy of 'defend solidly and counter' as planned. I believed that if we could eliminate the attacking space of both full-backs and stop their speed, we could win against Tokyo.

Director Okuma's Comments

In this heat, the attacking strengths of Yukihiko and Osamu UMEYAMA were not displayed due to their conditioning not being back to normal. The challenge is how to respond to opponents who defend in tight spaces when they pull back. We want to make urgent corrections moving forward.