Last Game at Nishigaoka

On March 14, 1999, the memorable debut match of FC Tokyo (J2) was held here at the "Nishigaoka Soccer Stadium." The opponent was Sagan Tosu, the same as on this day. Under a clear blue sky, FC Tokyo overwhelmed Tosu in front of 3,685 enthusiastic fans, fully showcasing their new power. Key players Okamoto and Amaral scored multiple goals, and the match ended in a commanding 2-0 victory. They splendidly celebrated their opening game with a win... About seven months have passed since then, and the long J2 League season is already approaching its final stages, with only seven matches remaining including this game. This will also be the last match at "Nishigaoka." This season, matches have been held mainly at "Nishigaoka," as well as at "Edogawa Ward Athletic Stadium" and "Komazawa Athletic Stadium," among three venues in total. Nishigaoka hosted 10 of the 18 home games, making it the "ground most soaked with sweat and tears." The compact dedicated stadium, where the stands are extremely close to the pitch and the voices of the coach and players can be heard, is one of Japan's most atmospheric stadiums where fans and players can unite. The bench seats, standing areas behind the goals, and dim night lighting... all contribute to a local J2-like image that many fans and media supporters favor for "Tokyo soccer at Nishigaoka." The players feel the same. For the last game at Nishigaoka, they could not help but hope for a brilliant victory.

Impact of Amaral's Absence

In the first half, Tokyo was the first to seize a chance. Tokyo launched a solid attack using Almir in midfield as the starting point, with both fullbacks and defensive midfielder Shinjou joining the offense. Shinjou, with passionate play, stole the ball and actively pushed forward to create opportunities. At the 14th minute, Shinjou timed a run perfectly to break through on a through pass from Almir, held on the left side of the penalty area, and delivered a perfect pass to Kaburagi charging fiercely toward the center. Kaburagi faced the opposing goalkeeper one-on-one and took a well-aimed shot, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goalpost. However, from around this point, the momentum gradually shifted to Tosu. Although Tokyo built up well from the sides with Umezawa Yukihiko on the right and Fujiyama Okamoto on the left, Kaburagi, positioned upfront, was tightly marked by Tosu and could not keep possession, limiting passing options and disrupting the rhythm. On the contrary, Tosu’s quick counterattacks after regaining possession were sharp, with forwards running long distances into deep side spaces and maintaining solid ball control to establish bases. Tokyo, increasingly exposed on the sides, faced a critical moment at the 25th minute. During a counterattack, Tosu’s forward flowing into space on the left side broke through the attempt by Yamashio and Sandro to double-team, then even bypassed the rushing goalkeeper Suzuki, leaving the goal unguarded. However, Fujiyama made a last-moment sliding tackle to prevent a goal, averting disaster. Tokyo, unable to establish a base upfront, saw Almir take on a forward position to play as a target man, temporarily improving the attacking rhythm. With a base upfront, fullbacks joined the attack more, and Kaburagi was able to face forward and challenge from balls dropped by Almir. On the other hand, with Almir positioned upfront focusing on target play, there was no player organizing the game in midfield, making the attack monotonous. When Amaral was present, his stable target play allowed Almir to move freely, and through combination plays and versatile passes with Amaral, decisive actions were possible. But when Almir himself became the target man, the starting point of the attack disappeared. This made the importance of Amaral’s presence painfully clear once again. The first half continued with back-and-forth battles and ended 0-0.

With Enomoto's introduction, Tokyo's fierce attack began...

Unable to establish a foothold upfront and having lost the starting point of their attack, Tokyo brought in forward Enomoto, who excels at post play. This quickly changed the flow of the game. By switching to a two-forward system with Kaburagi and Enomoto and dropping Almir back to his natural defensive midfield position, Tokyo's attacking power increased significantly. Enomoto demonstrated the expected stable post play and actively moved into deep spaces on both the left and right alternately with Kaburagi, greatly increasing Tokyo's passing options. Almir became the starting point of the attack, distributing passes to the left and right wings, where Fujiyama on the left and Umeyama on the right launched forward! From there, crosses from the sides and shots cutting into the center restored Tokyo's original attacking rhythm. This marked the beginning of Tokyo's "fierce attack show." At the 13th minute, Enomoto unleashed a powerful left-footed shot following excellent ball control, and immediately after, attacking midfielder Shinjo fired a strong left-footed long-range shot. Then, Almir delivered a perfect through pass to Yukihiko waiting on the left side, who struck a powerful shot with his left foot! Although all were stopped by Tosu's goalkeeper's fine saves or the goalpost, Tokyo's fierce attack during the first 15 minutes of the second half was spectacular.

Tokyo, growing frustrated after failing to capitalize on several decisive opportunities, even saw their key defender Sandro join the attack as they continued their fierce offensive. However, at the 25th minute of the second half, Tokyo was caught off guard for a moment. Tosu launched a counterattack, with their ace forward Takemoto charging towards Tokyo’s goal. Takemoto received a perfect cross from the left, just on the edge of the offside line, shook off the marking defender Yamao, and powerfully struck the net with his left foot. With 20 minutes remaining and trailing by one goal, Tokyo brought on forward Wada and launched an even more aggressive attack with their "Japanese-made three forwards." At the 34th minute of the second half, Enomoto lunged at a low cross from defender Yamao who had surged up the right side, but the ball was narrowly cleared by a defender. Then, at the 37th minute, Yukihiko picked up a loose ball about 25 meters in front of the goal center and unleashed a perfectly curved shot, only to be denied by a brilliant save from Tosu’s goalkeeper. The Tosu goalkeeper, who had made a series of fine saves early in the second half, seemed completely in the zone. Tokyo continued their relentless attack until the end, but Tosu’s defense, led by their goalkeeper, held firm, and the match ended 0-1. Despite nearly doubling Tosu’s shot count 17-9, Tokyo lamented conceding just one goal and suffered their second consecutive league defeat following the previous match against Yamagata. It was disappointing not to finish their last game at Nishigaoka with a victory, but next Sunday the 17th, they face Sapporo, who are riding high after a dominant win over Yamagata this week, followed by a crucial top-of-the-table clash against Kawasaki Frontale on the 24th. The players should focus on resting their bodies and resetting their mindset. From here on, the real battle begins.

Director's Comment

(Tosu - Coach Sorin's Comment)

It was a tough match with many close calls, but the backline held up well. As for tactics, we focused on containing Fujiyama's dribbling and attacks on the left side. The players understood and responded well, but not having Amaral was significant. If he had been there to hold the ball, it would have increased the attacking participation of the full-backs and disrupted the defensive line. We had never won against Tokyo before, so I am really happy.

(Comment from Director Okuma, Tokyo)

I believed that the opponent would definitely have one chance. It was painful that we couldn't take advantage of the opportunities we had first. I think the result could have changed if we could have held the ball a bit more in the front line. The way we lost the ball was also poor, and the full-backs couldn't push up. The good point was that Enomoto showed potential as a striker. From now on, we have no choice but to fight with this team, and I want to consider various combinations for the two strikers and the second line.