A fierce battle between teams boasting solid defense and quick counterattacks

Since the 1995 season, Kashiwa Reysol has competed in the J-League and achieved 99 victories. If they win today, they will reach a total of 100 wins. On the other hand, Tokyo, despite being at the top, has only 3 wins in J1. This difference reflects the historical gap in the top league. To narrow this gap even slightly, they can only fight earnestly in each match.

In today's game, Tokyo's attacking lineup centered around the in-form Amaral and TUTO will face off against one of the top DF teams in the J-League, Kashiwa. Conversely, how will the defense contain the spotlighted FW Kitajima from the Olympic team? Both teams are known for their solid defense and quick counterattacks, making for many highlights.

Chasing and being chased, Amaral scores in three consecutive matches!

In the first half, Tokyo, standing upwind, attacked boldly from the start. At the 9th minute, from Fujiyama, who repeatedly advanced today, the ball was passed to TUTO running behind the DF. He crossed it inside, and Yukihiko rushed in, but was challenged by the DF and narrowly missed the goal. At the 10th minute, from a corner kick flow, Sandro took a header shot, but it was offside. They could not break through the well-read final line of Kashiwa. Kashiwa began to take control around the 20th minute by intercepting in the final line and defensive midfield and expanding to the sides. Then at the 24th minute, Kitajima headed in a cross from left MF Ohno to score. They conceded the first goal due to a gap in defense. After that, Kashiwa maintained higher defensive awareness than Tokyo and quickly switched between offense and defense. Tokyo wanted to quickly carry the ball to the front on counterattacks, but Kashiwa’s quick pressure in midfield cut off their attacks. However, at the 40th minute, Koike passed the ball to the left space, Fujiyama ran in and crossed inside. Amaral headed the ball, which deflected off the opposing DF but went into the right corner of the goal! Despite being at a disadvantage, the ace Amaral decisively scored on a single chance, leveling the score.

Showed resilience! Yukihiko's equalizing goal!!

In the first half, Tokyo showed noticeable sloppy pass mistakes and weak defensive clearances, resulting in a lack of composure. The intensity of offense and defense did not change in the second half, with both teams heating up over tough fouls, leading to tense moments throughout. Both teams wanted to seize the momentum, but Kashiwa made the first move. At the 63rd minute, FW Kato and MF Sakai were replaced by FW Park and MF Hirayama. Shortly after, at 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 sharply kicked ball caused a clearance error by Asari and went into the goal. Tokyo fell behind by one goal again. However, gradually, Amaral became a focal point despite tight marking, showing a proactive intent to attack behind the DF from both flanks. At the 75th minute, with Koike replaced by Kina, TUTO headed down a ball from Kobayashi, and Amaral, evading the DF's mark, took a shot! Yukihiko, who was following up, got the ball after it passed between GK Minami's legs!! It was a spirited equalizer that kept Tokyo close to Kashiwa, who was trying to pull away. After that, counterattacks continued back and forth, but neither side could capitalize on their chances, and Tokyo entered overtime for the second consecutive match.

The wall of Hong Myung-bo that stood in the way

Both teams continue to fiercely battle back and forth. Tokyo aggressively attacks with their stamina, but TUTO's finishes do not hit the target. On the other hand, Kashiwa took a gamble by moving Hong Myung-bo up to midfield. "We decided to have only one defensive midfielder, Myojin, and asked Hong Myung-bo to play as an attacking midfielder. We checked if he could handle it physically, and he said, 'I'm fine!'" said Coach Nishino. Kashiwa energetically chased the ball, and even their defenders pushed forward. As time passed, Tokyo left the midfield open, but in the second half of extra time, they substituted Kobayashi for Toda. They tried to make aggressive moves but couldn't get a shot on goal. Just when it seemed the match would end in a draw at 118 minutes, from the left side of Kashiwa, a cross from Hirayama found an unmarked Hong Myung-bo who jumped and trapped the ball! Everyone thought, "Was that a handball!?" But in the next moment, the ball was perfectly volleyed with his left foot, slipping past Doi's left hand and rolling into the goal...

The shock of the extended V goal. The first defeat in J1 became a bitter experience. But this is football. Although it was subtle, Coach Okuma calmly analyzed, "The problem was creating situations that allowed the opponent to shoot." It seems that Hong Myung-bo's determination for the goal surpassed everyone else's. And although they missed out on a "fourth consecutive win," there is no reason to hang their heads after this defeat. The current Tokyo team has the resilience to come back from two deficits without ever giving up. They should reflect on their individual performances and aim for their "fourth victory."

Manager's Comment

Director Nishino's Comments

I expected it to be a tough game, but Tokyo didn't press as much as I anticipated and aimed for counterattacks from a defensive position. Even when we were behind, it didn't feel like they changed their style to go for goals (as a whole). If they had pushed up the defensive line to go for goals, it would have made it easier for us to aim for counterattacks, but that simple attack made it harder to fight, and despite having the initiative, we couldn't score additional goals. While there are reflections on not being able to fully attack, I think we defended well in the midfield and defense, and we were able to fight as planned.

Director Okuma's Comments

"In extra time, Hong Myung-bo moved up to the midfield, and we tried to take care of that, but we couldn't manage it. The opponent was coming to win, so we wanted to first hold them back defensively and then attack behind the DF. However... (In the first half, we were often attacked from the right side where Naito was) we lost our rhythm due to intercepted passes and repeated passing mistakes. Additionally, due to the low accuracy of our feeds, we couldn't create a focal point in the front line and couldn't execute attacks behind the DF. Although we lost, we have only just finished four matches. We want to continue to fight hard in each match going forward."