No shortage for the opponent! "Samba Night" showdown with top-ranked Kashima!!

　After a 5-game winning streak, Tokyo has lost 4 games in a row and is not in the best shape. In the 10th round, they will face Kashima Antlers, who are currently leading the league. Kashima may not be in top form with 2 draws and 1 loss in their last 3 games, but with Olympic candidates such as Yanagisawa, Hirase, Motomura, Nakata, and Sogahata, along with their veteran players, they have taken the lead in the 2nd stage.

　As the Olympics approach, the J1 League will enter a two-month hiatus starting today, but there is no denying that all eyes are on the performance of these Olympic hopefuls. Moreover, this powerhouse team has only managed 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses in their past 6 matches. They have not won since the 1994 Emperor's Cup and even in their first meeting in the 1st stage of the J1 League, they suffered a bitter defeat of 1-2 despite taking the lead. ---- This is not an easy opponent to beat. However, today is Samba Night. ZICO, as well as coach Toninho CEREZO and the strong Kashima team in Brazil colors, have no shortage of talent. They want to show off their tenacious Tokyo-style soccer and get revenge.

　Yamao started as a center back for the first time. Coach Okuma says, "In the past few games, we have lost the balance of attacking while defending. I expect not only defense, but also passing accuracy and reading the situation of the game, and I thought it was necessary to use him now." And Amaral, who has returned from injury, showed his energetic appearance, and the kickoff was in the hot rhythm of Brazil carved by the top Japanese samba team (affiliated with Asakusa Escola de Samba Association).

Kashima takes the lead. However, Naito's passionate goal brings the score to a tie!

　Kashima dominated the game. In the midfield, Bismarck and Ogasawara connected passes, while Hiraishi and Yanagisawa were actively involved in the attack with their abundant movement. Soma and Narahashi also aggressively pushed forward on both sides, resulting in Tokyo conceding three consecutive corner kicks at the start of the game. Tokyo wants to quickly pick up loose balls and launch a counterattack, but their passing accuracy is poor and they are unable to bring the ball to Kashima's goal. In the 6th minute, Amaral started a quick attack from a throw-in and passed it to Yukihiro on the right side. Yukihiro made a vertical breakthrough and crossed the ball, but it was cleared by Kashima's defense. However, in the 10th minute, Kashima's Soma made a powerful shot after a one-two with Yanagisawa, but it was saved by goalkeeper Takakuwa. On the other hand, Kashima had another chance in the 12th minute when they connected a corner kick and took advantage of Tokyo's weak clearance, allowing Soma to score a clean shot from 23-24 meters out, giving them the lead.

　However, Tokyo gradually got used to Kashima's pace and showed composure, turning to attack. In the 21st minute, Yukihiro Fujiyama, TUTO, Amaral, and Masamitsu Kobayashi connected quickly and Yukihiro finished. In the 24th minute, Naito and Yamao attacked and Sandro scored a header from a corner kick. In the 26th minute, Yukihiro took a shot from Amaral's aggressive central breakthrough, which hit Kashima's defense and resulted in a corner kick. In the 27th minute, Sandro competed for this corner kick with a header and Naito threw himself out in a sliding motion to take a shot! With Naito's determined goal, Tokyo equalized.

　Until then, Kashima had shown a relaxed game, but from here on the game intensifies. At times, they build attacks from the defensive line, dominate the midfield, and show a thick attacking formation with Yanagisawa and Hirase as the starting points. However, Tokyo also prevents shots with their physical defense. In the 43rd minute, Amaral was fouled and TUTO took a ground shot from the resulting free kick. The momentum was strong and it bounced off goalkeeper Takakuwa's hand, but it did not go into the goal. The first half ended.

Both teams refuse to give in, heading into overtime.

　In the second half, Kashima showed an aggressive attack from the start. In the 49th minute, Tokyo DF cleared the pass from midfielder Nakata to the front line. There, Hirase ran freely and took a shot. It was a close call, but it missed the goal and nothing came of it. Kashima attacked from the outside with a daring overlap from right side player Narahashi, who sent a fast cross. However, their final pass couldn't get through Tokyo's concentrated defense, so in the 59th minute, dribbler Motomura was substituted in for Ogasawara.

　As time passed in Tokyo, Amaral showed his ball control skills. In the 60th minute, Amaral fought hard and the ball was thrown in by Kashima. TUTO dragged three defenders and took a shot, but unfortunately it went wide of the goal.

　However, Kashima's Motomura showed off his versatile dribbling skills using space, while Tokyo was being pushed back. In the 70th minute, Yagisawa was able to get a corner kick from Motomura's last pass. Nakata's header shot narrowly missed the goal. Tokyo's position of winning the ball is low, and they have to build up long distances. The period of being pushed continues. In the 73rd minute, Kanno was substituted for Kobayashi, trying to break through this situation.

　In the 78th minute, the combination of Kamiya, Yukihiro, and TUTO broke through the defense, and TUTO took a free shot. In the 85th minute, Motoyama sent a decisive pass to Yanagisawa again, but Tsuchi reacted quickly and caught it. In the 86th minute, Tokyo's TUTO and 88th minute Kashima's Motoyama both rushed into the opponent's penalty area at high speed, and were thought to have been fouled by the diving defenders, but both missed their chances. In the 89th minute, a pinpoint cross was sent into the goal area from a set piece, and Kamiya took a header shot. In stoppage time, Kashima's Kumagai took a free shot from an FK, but neither team was able to score a goal. The game went into extra time.

Valuable Draw Against Champion Kashima

　The extra time was a fierce exchange of offense and defense. Tokyo, who was being freely manipulated by Honma in the midfield, substituted Koike for Komine in the 99th minute. The aim was to firmly take care of Honma in the right space of their own half.

　In the 100th minute, TUTO's free kick from the left of the goal hit the corner of the post, and Yukihiko took the rebound shot. However, it was blocked by the Kashima DF and they were unable to score. Naito moved up to the midfield, and Tokyo attacked with Fujiyama, Sandro, and Yamao in a 3-back formation. In the 108th minute, Asari made a brilliant cross from the left side of the penalty area, but Kamiya's shot was saved by the goalkeeper.

　At 111 minutes, Kashima's Hirase made a pinpoint header from a cross from the right, but Tsuchi caught it. Immediately after, Toda, who had replaced the injured TUTO, broke through the defense line and had a big chance, but he couldn't shoot in front of goalkeeper Takakuwa. Amaral connected with the loose ball and finally Yukihiko swung his foot, but unfortunately the ball went outside the goal...

　In the end, neither side had the decisive edge, and the 120-minute battle finally came to an end.

　After the 1-1 draw, neither team was able to create a goal-scoring opportunity, but it was a game filled with a strong desire to win and a sustained sense of tension.

　Tokyo, who had their first draw in J1, escaped from their losing streak. In front of a large crowd of 33,892 people (the highest this season) who visited the stadium on this day, it can be said that they took a valuable one point from the strong team Kashima.

"Comment from Toninho CEREZO, Manager"

"There were some basic mistakes despite thinking it was a game we could win. I can't accept the goals we conceded from set pieces. We are trying to fix these mistakes through practice for a week, but they still happen during the actual game. In terms of content, I think we had more possession and were able to keep the ball and create chances. However, it didn't result in goals. We lacked the strength when we got closer to the opponent's goal, 5-10 meters away. It would have been good to have the determination to score, even if it meant throwing the ball and the opponent's defender into the goal. I think that was the reason why we couldn't win."

"Coach Ooguma's comment"

"Despite not being able to produce results in a grueling schedule, it was physically and mentally tough. However, before the break, even though we couldn't secure a victory, I think we gave a great performance by giving our all. The season is still ongoing, but compared to our previous decline in the 1st stage, I think it's a big boost for the team both mentally and emotionally. We stopped our losing streak, but in football, both performance and results are important. We will prepare for the next match against Jubilo and do our best to have a good game after the break."