Will they secure promotion...?

If Oita, in third place, had lost the match held the previous day, there would have been a possibility of "promotion" for Tokyo on this day. However, the reality was the opposite; Oita won, so the "promotion" has been postponed to the final matchday. Although it is a provisional ranking, Oita has risen to second place, and Tokyo has fallen to third. It would be a lie to say that I am not concerned about Oita, but anyway, we just needed to win. If we secure a "90-minute win (3 points)" or a "V-goal win (2 points)" in the match against Sendai on this day, we can maintain second place and be on the verge of "promotion." Then, if we conclude with a decisive victory against Niigata in the final battle next week, we will secure "promotion" by clearing our past grievances. We must not forget that we can achieve "promotion" through our own efforts, not relying on others. If we play our own football, the results will follow. We will fight with belief!

Amaral's forceful appearance!

With only two matches remaining, Tokyo, having been caught up by Oita at the last moment, had no choice but to start their ace, Amaral, in a gamble for victory. Amaral, whose left ankle was still not fully healed from an injury sustained in the Nabisco Cup match against Kashima, made a forced appearance after receiving a painkiller injection. In the previous match against Omiya, he played a pivotal role as a forward despite coming on as a substitute, strongly asserting his presence as the ace. As a mental pillar, Amaral's presence was also indispensable. In the final home game, they could not afford to lose for the 7,325 fans (the highest in league history!) who gathered at Komazawa Athletic Stadium.

Overwhelming Sendai with a furious attack, but...

Desperate to score the opening goal, Tokyo launched a fierce dash right after kickoff. At 1 minute, Okuhara on the left side made a clean breakthrough with a one-two pass with Almir, and Kagami also charged forward with abundant stamina. At 10 minutes, Okuhara, who had broken through the left side with a brilliant feint, sent a perfect ground pass to Kagami waiting in the center. Kagami took one touch and fired a sharp shot, but the ball went well over the bar. Then at 14 minutes, left side back Fujiyama intercepted sharply and passed to Almir up front. Almir turned and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot, but the opposing goalkeeper made a fine save. Meanwhile, Sendai lacked midfield depth as their playmaker Pauro EMIRIO was suspended due to accumulated warnings. Defensive midfielders Nixon and veteran Echigo held the ball in midfield and quickly distributed it to the forwards. Up front, technician Abe, with plenty of J1 experience, played as a wedge on the left side, while Taira showed solid hold-up play in the center. This two-top had speed and required caution, but Tokyo’s defenders needed no warning that day. Sandro and Komine showed tight marking, hardly allowing Sendai’s two forwards to face forward, and quickly got their bodies in front of balls played behind to regain possession. However, Tokyo faced a major crisis only once. At 19 minutes, a momentary lapse allowed Echigo to receive a free ball on the left side and shoot immediately. When goalkeeper Suzuki dropped the ball forward, Taira picked it up and passed to Nixon running free in front of the goal. Nixon tried to place the ball carefully into the “easy goal” with no keeper, but missed. Saved, Tokyo launched another fierce attack. Sendai’s 190cm Dubajic tightly marked Amaral in the center of defense, so simple crosses were repelled; effective crosses came after deep runs down the sides. Tokyo’s Yukihiko aggressively tried breakthroughs on the right side and sent crosses from deep positions, with Amaral winning every aerial duel. Tokyo fired close shots at Sendai’s goal at 20, 25, 26, and 35 minutes. At 43 minutes, on a counterattack, Yukihiko broke deep down the right side and sent a sharp cross to Kagami waiting free in front of the goal. Everyone imagined a goal scene next, but Kagami’s header, aimed to score surely, bounced high and went far over the bar. Normally, Tokyo would have scored easily in this perfect chance. Despite the overwhelming dominance that could have led to a large score, they just couldn’t get the “one goal.” The first half ended 0-0, and the match was carried over to the second half.

Battle against an unseen enemy...

In the second half, Tokyo, who replaced the visibly tired Okuhara with Kaburagi, fiercely attacked Sendai's territory just like in the first half. However, the nightmare came immediately after. At 3 minutes, from a counterattack on the left side, Taira dribbled and sent a ground pass to the center, where Nakajima ran in and took a middle-distance shot from about 30 meters! The difficult shot, struck directly with his right foot from the left side, pierced the goal net despite goalkeeper Suzuki's desperate save. After the match, Sendai's coach Shimizu admitted it was a "fluke" goal, and the defensively overwhelmed Sendai took the lead. Tokyo, eager to equalize as soon as possible, regained composure and launched a fierce attack again. At 9 minutes, Amaral powerfully connected with a corner kick from the left but was unfortunately caught by the goalkeeper. Then at 11 minutes, Yukihiko delivered a wonderful cross from the right side, and Amaral aimed a perfect header, but the goalkeeper's fine save stopped it. At 23 minutes, Kagami broke free from the back to face the goalkeeper one-on-one with a floated ball. It was a decisive chance, but his lob shot over the goalkeeper's nose went over the bar—no goal. "Why won't it go in!!" As time passed, Tokyo attacked even more fiercely, naturally pushing their center of gravity forward, occasionally facing Sendai's counterattacks, but Komine on the defensive line blocked them with spirited play. At 35 minutes, Yukihiko made a brilliant dribble breakthrough on the right side, earning a corner kick chance, and Amaral unleashed a powerful header!? Unfortunately, the ball cruelly hit the bar. With less than 10 minutes remaining, defender Sandro joined the attack as Tokyo attempted an all-out offensive. At 44 minutes near the end, Amaral aimed a header from a corner kick on the left, but again it went straight to the goalkeeper. In stoppage time, Tokyo repeatedly earned corner kick chances but ultimately failed to score, and the cruel final whistle blew. The shot count of 23 to 10 tells the story of a completely one-sided game, yet Tokyo was forsaken by "luck." Tokyo created many clear chances from their intended plays but failed to convert, while Sendai easily scored from their one chance... Is this what soccer is...? Did they lose again to the invisible enemy called "pressure"...? As a result, Tokyo finally relinquished the second place they had defended until the last moment to Oita from 10/3 (Sec. 29). Who would have predicted that after winning the direct confrontation against Oita on 9/25 (Sec. 28) and holding a 12-point lead at that time, they would be overtaken? However, the possibility is not "zero." Certainly, "automatic promotion" is gone, but the world of sports is unpredictable. Next week, on 11/21, the final match is an away showdown against their rival Niigata. Tokyo's condition for "promotion" is that Oita draws in their final match (vs Yamagata) (→ in this case, Tokyo must win in 90 minutes to be promoted) or loses (→ in this case, Tokyo must win by golden goal or in 90 minutes to be promoted). Tokyo will surely repay Niigata, who shut them out in all three matches this season, and will definitely secure "promotion." On November 21, they will gather all their strength and face the battle with full force!

[Manager's Comment]

<Sendai & Shimizu Manager>

I am happy that we were able to win against Tokyo, a team we couldn't beat until now. I am fully aware that there is a difference in team strength, and we were aiming for a counterattack. It turned out to be effective, but the players maintained their focus and endured well until the end.

<Tokyo - Coach Okuma>

I didn't think we would miss so many clear chances, whether it was due to nerves or luck. In any case, scoring 'one goal' felt far away. We were able to execute what we wanted as a team, like the shots from Amaral and Kagami. The possibility of 'promotion' is not completely gone. We will fight until the very end and we definitely want to win against Niigata.