Break out of the melee!?

The fiercely contested J2 top race, which had so far seen no team break away from the pack, continued in a "clustered state," but Niigata and Oita, who had greatly energized the first half by always being in the top group, have somewhat slowed down recently. As a result, Tokyo and Kawasaki F, who have consistently been near the top, have started to pull ahead slightly. Niigata faced a crucial stretch in the second half with three direct matches against Tokyo, Sapporo, and Kawasaki F, achieving the best possible result of two wins and one draw, hoping to ride the momentum. However, they failed to extend their points with a painful draw against lower-ranked Kofu, dropping to 3rd place (37 points). Meanwhile, Oita could not escape a slump with five consecutive losses, sliding down to 4th place (35 points). Thus, Tokyo (42 points) and Kawasaki F (44 points) emerged from the tight race. Tokyo could extend their points to 45 and maintain the top spot by winning in 90 minutes in this match, but if they win in extra time, their points would be 44, losing out to Kawasaki F on goal difference and dropping to 2nd place. This match became one they absolutely had to win to widen the gap from the teams below.

Unable to find a breakthrough in the attack...

The match unfolded slowly, with both teams cautiously observing each other's moves. Tokyo wanted to launch attacks from their strong flanks (side backs), but with right side back Umeyama absent due to accumulated warnings, their offense lacked depth, and there were hardly any opportunities to attack from the right side. Almir, expected to be a key player up front alongside forward Amaral, struggled under Tosu's tight marking, often losing the ball in advanced positions and disrupting the team's rhythm. As Almir gradually dropped back to the defensive midfield position to get involved with the ball, the burden on Amaral up front increased, but he was tightly man-marked, further limiting attacking options. Only the left side back Fujiyama's aggressive participation in attack created a few chances and some decisive moments, but even when drifting toward the right side to build attacks, the difficult situation remained unchanged.

In contrast, Tosu showcased a simple style of football by winning the ball with intense pressing, then passing it to forward Takemoto (ranked first in the J2 scoring chart) to spread the play to the sides. They aimed for goals with early crosses from the flanks, but Tosu's attacks were often hindered by passing mistakes just before the final touch. Additionally, Takemoto was tightly marked by Kobayashi, and every cross was decisively cleared by Sandro, who boasts exceptional aerial strength, preventing any clear-cut chances. Meanwhile, Tokyo maintained a numerical advantage in defense due to the limited attacking participation from the right back, remaining stable without losing balance, but there were concerns about easy (horizontal) passing mistakes in midfield and defense that led to counterattacks.

Leading by two goals proved decisive, shaking off the fierce pursuit from Tosu!

In the second half, Tosu tried to break through Tokyo's ironclad defense by taking aggressive long-range shots from the center. At the 50th minute, a powerful shot came from the center, but goalkeeper Suzuki made a fine save to deflect it. Meanwhile, Tokyo, following the coach's instructions at halftime to actively target behind the opponent's defenders, saw substitute Go KABURAKI make dynamic runs up front with speed, gradually causing the opponent's marking to falter. Amaral, who had not been effective in the first half after hitting the post, began to function well. At 59 minutes, when both teams finally seemed to start playing their usual game, Yukihiko, who had hardly delivered effective crosses in the first half, persisted on the right side and sent a pinpoint cross to the center. Waiting there, Almir powerfully dived to push the ball into the goal, finally breaking the deadlock with the opening goal. Riding the momentum, Tokyo scored again at 67 minutes; from a scramble in front of the opponent's goal, Amaral skillfully shook off defenders with light steps and powerfully struck with his left foot for the second goal. However, just as Tokyo was pushing to secure a third goal in the 70th minute, Go KABURAKI was sent off after receiving a careless second yellow card. The situation changed drastically. Tokyo, aiming to hold onto their two-goal lead, naturally became defensive and began to face fierce attacks from Tosu, who pressed forward with everyone attacking. Amaral, who had been active defensively up front, started to lose stamina and his work rate dropped. Already at a numerical disadvantage, Tokyo was dominated in midfield by the energetic Tosu. Although they were not completely broken down, several powerful shots came from the center, but goalkeeper Suzuki's reactions were perfect, making fine saves to deny Tosu any goals despite shots that could easily have resulted in two goals. At 80 minutes, Tokyo seized a decisive counterattack opportunity after a Tosu mistake but failed to score, and the remaining time was spent mostly defending. At 85 minutes, a careless sideways pass by Asari, which had been a sign since the first half, was intercepted, and finally, a goal was conceded. There were 9 minutes left including 4 minutes of stoppage time, but Tokyo lost the ball due to half-hearted time-wasting and faced attacks. However, centered on goalkeeper Suzuki, they maintained concentration until the end and managed to hold on, overcoming Tosu's fierce pursuit despite a tough match with a shot count of 9 to 14.

Director Okuma's Comments

While we were in a position to aim for a third goal, we found ourselves in a difficult situation due to our own mistake (red card), which we will reflect on and correct in the future. In our attack, Almir dropped too deep, and we failed to take the initiative to exploit the opponent's weaknesses, leading to a challenging situation where we couldn't establish our rhythm. However, our defense, centered around Suzuki, held up well, which was significant. Regarding our current position at the top of the league, I believe there is still a long way to go, and it is not something to celebrate too much. For now, we need to refocus and prepare for the upcoming matches against Sapporo and Kawasaki Frontale.