It was tough. FC Tokyo's memorable J1 debut match was a really tough battle. However, it can also be said that today's fight showed the never-give-up Tokyo-style soccer until the very end. The start of the 2000 season was a memorable day that marked the first step in Tokyo's new history.

Glamorous J1 opening match.

Excitement and a slight unease mix in the opening ceremony of the Yokohama International Stadium, which makes use of fireworks and lasers. Before the opening, supporters welcomed the players by singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" from behind the goal, and even though they may seem like a small number in this huge stadium, their powerful voices and resounding voices overwhelmed the surroundings. On the pitch, there are strict expressions and relaxed expressions, but the faces of the Tokyo players are always there.

Yokohama F.Marinos, who will face them, is a strong enemy who can be considered as one of the candidates for the championship, with Japan national team's GK Kawaguchi, MF Nakamura, and DF Matsuda. With the arrival of coach Ardiles this season, it will be an exciting match to see what kind of soccer they will show, and how much Tokyo, the "first-year student" of J1, can compete against them.

Tokyo's formation is a 4-4-2 with a trapezoidal midfield.

Yokohama will deploy Ueno as a defensive midfielder, with Nakamura and Nagai as attacking midfielders, and utilize the attacking abilities of Miura and Endo as both wing backs in a 3-5-2 formation.

Earned 3 hard-fought points. Victory through concentration!

　The match started with a good long ball from Yokohama's DF Komura to forward Yanagi, who dropped the ball to new signing Maldonado. Although he didn't manage to shoot, Yokohama created an early chance. In the 3rd minute, Yanagi had a header shot and immediately after, Miura had a shot from a dribble, but neither resulted in a goal. However, Yokohama's fast attack gradually...

Tokyo, who is being pushed in, is noticeable for their counterattack as Yokohama DF's Matsuda cuts off the feed from the backline to the top. However, Tokyo also takes advantage of Yokohama's weakness in attacking by raising their DF line. In the 7th minute, Asari steals the ball in the midfield and connects it to Yukihiro on the right from TUTO, who then dribbles and shoots! Although Tokyo's first shot was caught firmly by GK Kawaguchi, their quick transition between offense and defense is impressive.

There is a TUTO. After that, they continue to launch quick attacks from the cuts of Fujiyama and Naito, but they are unable to bring it to a shot. On the other hand, against Yokohama, who quickly pass and connect, Koike, the defensive midfielder marking Nakamura, and Asari are often pushed back and chased to the final line. In the 23rd minute, Nakamura was able to dribble freely in the midfield and take a looping shot with skill, which narrowly missed the goal but was a close call. After that, Yokohama showed a variety of attacks, such as aggressive attacks from DF Matsuda, powerful heading shots from Yana and middle shots from Ueno, but none of them were able to score against Tokyo's physical defense.

On the other hand, Tokyo, who was not noticeable in the early stages, has become more actively involved in the ball, and although they counterattack, there are many offside situations, and the first half ends without any decisive moments.

Beautiful Counter Attack!!

Half-time instructions from manager Thales Aldires: "Tokyo is quite tired, so let's take advantage with an early press. Be careful of the counter."

As for Coach Okuma, his words were "It's not enough to just say 'it was a good game'. We must stay focused and win for sure!!" These words from both sides ultimately became the deciding factor in the outcome.

The back and forth continued even in the second half. While Yokohama quickly sent the ball to the front line, Tokyo tried to counterattack by stealing the ball at the last line, but their final pass was inaccurate and they couldn't get a shot off. In the 55th minute, Yokohama had a big chance. The ball was dropped in front of the goal from a post-play from the defense line. Nagai boldly attempted a shot, but it missed the target and the danger was averted. However, around the 60-minute mark, Tokyo's players started to slow down and were on the defensive. The voice of "COME ON Tokyo!" could be heard from the stands.

However, in the 61st minute, Yokohama's Yanagi was replaced by Yoshida, and Tokyo also began to launch sharp counterattacks. In the 65th minute, a perfect pass from Kobayashi was sent to Yukihiro on the right, creating a decisive chance, but he couldn't take the shot and instead crossed it back to the defense. In the following 66th minute, Amorao received a feed from Koike and headed it back, creating a chance for TUTO to break through the defense, but goalkeeper Kawaguchi was quick to come out. Tokyo allowed Yokohama's midfield to have more freedom and take control, but they managed to defend with concentration on their backline. In the midst of such an intense battle, Asano was substituted for Koike in the 79th minute, trying to regain control on both offense and defense. Then, in the 85th minute, just after Yokohama's corner kick, TUTO took the loose ball and moved it up the field. Amorao made a big stride and brought it into the penalty area, where Yokohama's Ueno couldn't help but commit a foul, giving Tokyo a penalty kick.

TUTO scores a spectacular GOAL! Even though it was a penalty kick, Tokyo's counterattack was perfectly executed and unstoppable.

After that, the remaining 10 minutes including 4 minutes of stoppage time were a fierce attack by Yokohama. In a situation where they could have scored at any moment, Sandro, who showed his height, and Komiya, who fiercely threw his body, along with everyone else, concentrated without a moment's distraction and defended this one point until the end! It was a great way to show Tokyo's presence.

With the toughness and sense of accomplishment of J1 in my heart

However, after the game, each player mentioned their own challenges. "We were unable to create opportunities from the midfield," "We didn't have enough attacking options, so we had to figure something out," "We struggled against their pressing."

There were many mistakes. The traps and kick accuracy were also poor. "We can't forget today's victory and start over from scratch".... There were many things to reflect on, and in the locker room after the game, everyone was thinking about what they could have done better.

No one was overjoyed. Three points is a big gain, but there is no time to celebrate. As everyone says, "It's only one game," the players themselves who have felt the harshness and the sense of accomplishment know best what to do next. Let's look forward to tomorrow for J1 Tokyo.

[Ardiles Manager's Comment]

"We have changed our approach significantly compared to last year, but our pressing and ball movement were not good enough and we couldn't move the ball at a sufficient speed. We expected Tokyo to play defensively. In these situations, we should have used the wings more, but we were too focused on the center. We want to play fast and modern football, but today it was slow and boring. The opponent saw through us."

Our team has talented players, but it will take a little more time for them to be able to meet our demands. The opposing team was united as one. How long will that take? I can only say "until it's done". There are no shortcuts in soccer.

[Manager Okuma's Comment]

The players fought until the end with great concentration. Although only one game has ended, I want to continue this level of focus. In the first half, we were chasing fast passes and our pressing on the ball side was slow. We had no choice but to defend because when our defenders on the front line loosen up, it always ends up like that (not according to the strategy). An unexpected event was the midfielders being out of position in the second half.

I thought about whether to put in experienced players and move them around, or to keep them as they are. In the end, I put in rookie Toda, who has little experience and is not in his original position, but I think it was a big thing for him to gain experience in this atmosphere. From now on, I want to overcome the tough J1 battle not just with the 11 players, but with all 33 players, including Toda and the substitutes.