Intense battle between teams known for their solid defense and quick attacks

'Kashiwa Reysol has achieved 99 wins since the '95 season in the J-League. If they win today, they will reach a total of 100 wins. On the other hand, Tokyo has only 3 wins in J1, despite being in first place. This shows the difference in history between the top league. In order to narrow this gap even a little, they must fight each game with all their might.

In today's game, Tokyo's attacking force, led by the in-form Amaral and TUTO, will face off against one of the top defenses in the J-League, Kashiwa DF. On the other hand, how will the defense handle FW Kitajima, who has been in the spotlight as an Olympic representative? Both teams are known for their strong defense and quick counterattacks, making for an exciting match.

Even though they were chased, Amaral scored in three consecutive games!

In the first half, Tokyo, who had the wind at their backs, attacked boldly from the start. In the 9th minute, Fuyuyama, who had been attacking repeatedly today, ran into the back of the DF to TUTO. He crossed it in, and Yukihiko jumped in, but was narrowly missed by the DF. In the 10th minute, Sandro took a header shot from a CK, but it was offside. They couldn't break through the well-read final line of Kashiwa. Kashiwa started to create a shape of expanding to the sides from interceptions by the final line and the defensive midfielder, and took control around the 20th minute. Then, in the 24th minute, Kitakami headed in a cross from left MF Ohno and scored. They conceded the first goal in a vulnerable position. After that, Kashiwa had a higher defensive awareness than Tokyo and switched between offense and defense quickly. Tokyo wanted to quickly bring the ball to the front of the goal on a counter, but Kashiwa's midfield quickly closed in and disrupted their attack. However, in the 40th minute, Koike ran into the left space and crossed it in, and Fuyuyama headed it in. The ball, which was headed by Amaral, hit the opposing DF but went into the right corner of the goal! Despite being at a disadvantage, ace Amaral took advantage of one chance and equalized the score.

Showed Persistence! Yukihiro's Equalizing Goal!!

In the first half, Tokyo was unsettled due to half-hearted pass mistakes and defensive clearances. The intensity of the attack and defense remained unchanged in the second half, and both teams became heated due to each other's tough fouls, leading to a tense period. Both teams wanted to change the flow of the game, but it was Kashiwa who made the first move. In the 63rd minute, FW Kato and MF Sakai were replaced by FW Park and MF Hirayama. Shortly after, in the 68th minute, Kashiwa earned a free kick on the left side of Tokyo's penalty area. The kicker was Hirayama, who was also selected for the Olympic team. The sharp kick caused a clearance mistake by Asari and resulted in a goal. Tokyo was once again behind by one point. However, gradually, Amaral became the starting point in a tough mark and began to actively move towards the back of the DF from both sides. In the 75th minute, Tokyo also brought in Kina to replace Koike, and TUTO headed the ball from Kobayashi, which was then shot by Amaral, who had slipped past the DF's mark! Yukihiro, who was closing in on the ball that went through GK Minami's legs, got it!! It was a passionate equalizer that chased after Kashiwa, who had taken the lead. After that, there was a back-and-forth of counterattacks, but neither team was able to capitalize on their chances, and Tokyo entered their second consecutive overtime game.

Hong Mingfu's wall stood in the way

Both teams continue to fiercely attack and defend. Tokyo is aggressively attacking with their physicality, but TUTO's finish doesn't make it into the goal. On the other hand, Kashiwa has put Hong Myung-Bo in the midfield to take the lead. "I talked to Hong Myung-Bo and told him to play as a top midfielder with one less midfielder. I checked if he had the physical strength for it, and he said, 'I'm fine!'" As coach Nishino says, Kashiwa is energetically chasing the ball and their defenders are also pushing up. As time goes by, Tokyo's midfield becomes free, but in the second half of extra time, they substitute Toda for Kobayashi. They try to make aggressive moves, but they can't get a shot off. In the 118th minute, it looks like it will end in a draw, but on the left side of Kashiwa's field, a cross from Hirayama finds an unmarked Hong Myung-Bo who jumps and traps the ball! In the next moment, everyone thinks, "Was that a handball!?" but the ball is perfectly volleyed with his left foot and slips through Doi's hand, rolling into the goal...

Shock extension V goal. J1's first defeat was a bitter one. But this is soccer. It was subtle, but coach Okuma calmly analyzed, "The problem was that we created opportunities for them to shoot." It was probably Hong Myung-bo's determination that surpassed everyone else's goal. And although we missed out on "four consecutive wins," there is no reason to look down after this defeat. In the current Tokyo team, there is a toughness that never gives up, even when facing a 2-goal deficit. We should use each reflection to aim for "fourth victory" in the next game.

Coach's Comment

"Comments from Manager Nishino"

"I predicted it would be a tough game, but Tokyo didn't press as much as I expected and instead focused on counterattacks from a withdrawn position. Even when we were behind, our style didn't change to one of trying to score (as a team). If we had pushed our DF line up and tried to score, it would have been easier for us to aim for counterattacks, but that simple attack actually made it difficult for us to fight back and we couldn't score any additional points despite having control of the game. We have to reflect on not being able to finish our attacks, but in terms of the midfield and DF defense, we did well and were able to play the way we wanted to."

"Coach Ooguma's comment"

"In the extra time, Hong Myung-bo went up to the midfield, but couldn't take care of it. The opponent came to win, so we wanted to first defend and then attack the back of the DF... (We were often attacked from the right side back Naito in the first half) The wedge pass was intercepted and we made passing mistakes, which disrupted our rhythm. Also, due to the low accuracy of our feeds, we couldn't create a base in the front line and attack the back of the DF. We lost, but we still have four games left. We want to continue to fight each game with importance."