Achieve revenge for the 1st stage and aim for four consecutive opening wins!

After taking the lead with Kamino's goal, we were equalized five minutes before the end, and shortly after that, we suffered a narrow defeat with the final goal conceded in the match against Shimizu S-Pulse in the 1st stage. It was a match that reminded us of the strength of a strong team and the fear of soccer. Then came the 2nd stage, Round 4, against Shimizu S-Pulse. We approached this match with great determination to achieve revenge for the 1st stage and to set a new record of "four consecutive wins at the start" in our first year of promotion.

The venue for the match on this day was the Kagawa Prefectural Marugame Stadium, which was being used for the first time in Tokyo. Although it had previously served as a venue for the Emperor's Cup, it was the first time for a J-League match. The stadium, with a capacity of 30,000, seemed somewhat disproportionate for the city of Marugame, which has a population of 80,000, but it was a very modern and wonderful stadium. However, the only thing that was unacceptable was the extreme heat of the day. The temperature, which was in the late 20s Celsius in the morning, had risen to a staggering 33.3°C by around 2 PM, just before kickoff. It goes without saying that it was even hotter on the pitch where the players were playing. Just by looking at the players' faces during the pre-match practice on the pitch, one could easily grasp how hot it was. It was easy to imagine that it would be a brutal death match, but for the fans who had come all the way from Tokyo for this home game, and to achieve revenge against S-Pulse and extend the winning streak, we could not afford to lose.

Side tactics...

The biggest feature of S-Pulse, and the most important aspect to take care of, is undoubtedly the speedy attacks from the sides. From the left side, last year's J-League MVP, Alex, creates numerous chances with aggressive attacks, while on the right side, despite being a defender, Ichikawa showcases powerful overlaps utilizing his speed and stamina, and forward Kuboyama flows in to create opportunities. In the first stage match against S-Pulse, even though they were aware, they ultimately conceded two goals to Alex from the left side. Fortunately, on this day, Ichikawa was absent due to injury, which undeniably reduced their destructive power, and it was expected that the focus would shift more towards attacks from Alex on the left.

Who will confront Alex? Naturally, it is Naito, the right side back, but the one designated by Coach Kiyoshi OKUMA was Yukihiko, who has recently had fewer opportunities to start. According to the coach, it was partly because it was the Shimizu match... What was expected of Yukihiko that day was to contain Alex in combination with Naito and to utilize his speed to exploit the space behind the opponent when they pushed forward for counterattacks.

As the match began, it unfolded as Coach Okuma had intended. Shimizu S-Pulse, as expected, had Sawatari and Ito circulate the ball with few touches in the midfield, quickly passing it to Alex on the left side. Alex then challenged Naito and delivered a cross. However, thanks to Naito's solid defense and Yukihiko's efforts, they did not allow a critical breakthrough and prevented Shimizu S-Pulse from having a clear chance. Conversely, in the 10th minute, after regaining possession, Yukihiko made a sharp run, dribbling 40 meters down the right side and creating a chance with a cross. Coach Okuma's reading proved to be spot on.

Koiike scores first with a stunning shot that wakes everyone up!

In the scorching heat exceeding 33°C, both teams exhibited easy passing mistakes that are uncharacteristic of their usual matches, clearly showing signs of fatigue among the players. Even when they managed to break through on the sides, the accuracy of crucial crosses slightly declined, and there was a somewhat sluggish period where neither team pressed to win the ball from the front. (At least in the first half) TUTO was no exception, lacking the usual intensity even when in possession of the ball, leading to noticeable opportunities for losing the ball.

It was Koike who changed that mood. In the 21st minute, Fujiyama broke through the left side with a sharp dribble, drawing in the S-Pulse players before passing to Koike, who was near the center circle. With Koike free, he dribbled towards the goal and unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot. Koike's long shot from about 30 meters grazed the S-Pulse goalkeeper's hand and pierced into the left corner of the goal. With Koike's beautiful goal that thwarted S-Pulse's momentum, Tokyo took the lead.

In the 29th minute, a ball was played deep down the right side, and Yukihiko skillfully lifted it to Amaral, who was running ahead. Amaral charged towards the goal and aimed for a shot over the head of the advancing goalkeeper, but unfortunately missed. Tokyo actively targeted the space on the side of Shimizu S-Pulse, who were playing with a three-back formation, creating chances.

On the other hand, Shimizu S-Pulse had to rely on attacks from the left due to the absence of Ichikawa, their right-side defender. Additionally, the overall movement was poor due to the intense heat on that day, and their usual quick passing game was subdued. In the first half, although Shimizu S-Pulse dominated possession for a long time, the dangerous moments came in the 38th minute when Alex cut inside and passed to the free Santos for a shot, in the 41st minute when the forward Yasunaga received a ball from behind and made a sharp left-footed shot after one touch, and in the 44th minute when DF Morioka advanced and took a middle-range shot from about 25 meters, which GK Doi barely managed to deflect. Alex on the left side also lacked threat as he attempted reckless solo breakthroughs, and even when he occasionally delivered sharp crosses, GK Doi, along with Sandro and Komine, the two stoppers, maintained high concentration and successfully cleared every attempt, not giving Shimizu S-Pulse any openings.

TUTO, Amaral's charge... Masuda and Kina's addition adds depth to the midfield.

In the second half, S-Pulse made their move. In the first half, they substituted their struggling ace, Alex, with forward Hiramatsu, and pushed Santos, the defensive midfielder, forward, aiming for a comeback victory with an ultra-offensive formation of four forwards. On the other hand, to avoid conceding a critical additional goal, they changed from a three-back to a four-back system, adopting a rare 4-2-4 formation. Santos, who moved up front, received long balls from the defense as a target man, trying to create chances with headers, but Sandro, who marked him, perfectly countered with overwhelming height, preventing him from making an impact.

On the other hand, Tokyo began to focus on side attacks, using Masuda, who was brought in as a left-side half in the second half, as a key point. In the first half, when Seigo KOBAYASHI could not become a key point on the left side, Masuda was introduced into that position, creating a focal point. With Masuda's ability to hold the ball and create time, left-back Fujiyama was able to accelerate his trademark overlaps. Additionally, TUTO, who had been dormant until then, improved significantly by gaining another focal point in Masuda, as he had only been able to pass to Amaral in the first half. When TUTO has the ball, he first charges forward with dribbling. TUTO always manages to evade at least one defender and then gears up to break through. This charge becomes the greatest fear for the opposing defenders, and because of this, the passes become effective. If he tries twice, he will succeed once. Morioka, who was marking him from the Japan national team, was also desperate.

In the 7th minute of the second half, Naito on the right side passed to Koike in the center. Koike delivered a superb through ball to Amaral, who was running into space on the left side. Amaral charged towards the goal and took a shot with his left foot, but unfortunately missed to the right of the goal.

In the 8th minute of the second half, Tokyo substituted Koiike for Kinama. With the addition of Kinama, who is said to possess the number one technique in the team, Tokyo's attacking patterns have further increased.

In the 12th minute of the second half, Naito built up play on the right side, and finally, Naito, who had moved up for Yuki's cross, dove in for a header but missed over the bar. In the following 15th minute of the second half, TUTO rushed to a ball that was played from the defense to the left side, cut in deeply, and passed to Masuda, who was free in the center. Masuda aimed carefully with a direct shot, but was thwarted by the goalkeeper's defense. Furthermore, in the 20th minute of the second half, TUTO rushed to a ball played to the right side, sent a last pass in front of the goal, which was initially stopped, but regained possession and delivered another exquisite cross. Masuda, free, took a volley with his right foot that hit the bar, and Amaral attempted an overhead kick on the rebound, but the ball went well over the bar. In contrast to the slowing down of S-Pulse, Tokyo's energy levels stood out.

A decisive goal by King Amaral secures a comfortable victory, marking the first four consecutive wins!

While leading the match 1-0 and unable to secure an additional goal, the situation reminded me of the "nightmare" of the 1st stage, but that anxiety vanished in an instant.

In the 25th minute of the second half, as the ball went to the right side, Kina, who had moved up, evaded the opponent and charged forward with a dribble for 40 meters. While checking Amaral's position, he drew the opponent in before delivering a superb last pass back in front of the goal. Amaral, who sprinted in at top speed, powerfully kicked the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal with his right foot, securing an additional goal to seal the victory.

After that, Tokyo dominated the game centered around TUTO and Amaral. Even the last-ditch attacks from Shimizu S-Pulse were thwarted by Sandro, and Hakui, who replaced Komine, Fujiyama, and Naito as the right side back, maintained focus and defended firmly, completely shutting out the strong Shimizu S-Pulse. They not only avenged their defeat in the 1st stage but also achieved their first opening four consecutive wins as a team in their first year of promotion. It is undoubtedly true that the presence of Amaral and TUTO is a major factor in their remarkable progress, but several factors such as Masuda's addition, Seigo KOBAYASHI's growth, and the adaptation of Kina and Fujiyama to J1 level have combined to form the current team strength. However, they must not be satisfied with this. With the lessons learned from the 1st stage in mind, winning as many matches as possible will further enhance the team's strength. The awareness of always being challengers remains unchanged. Tokyo's challenge continues...

[PERRYMAN Coach's Comment]

Tokyo is a team with a very difficult system to compete against. In the first half, S-Pulse performed better, but Alex's poor performance dragged the team down, leading to the result of the day. If he had been substituted earlier, the situation might have changed, but anyway, Tokyo is a counter-attacking team and a very tough team to face.

[Coach Okuma's Comments]

I thought that if we could keep the first half at zero, we could do well in the second half. Therefore, Koike's goal in the first half was very significant, and keeping the first half at zero was the key to our victory. Everyone really worked hard in this heat. We will have a week off from now, so I want to get our condition ready for the next match.

After finishing the 1st stage, even though we are being studied by our opponents, the team is improving. Moving forward, we want to hold the initiative for as long as possible throughout the 90 minutes.