Final home match, let's escape the mire with support!

This season's J1 League, the last home game of Sec. 14. Tokyo has not won a match since July 22, but to repay the strong support received over the past year, we cannot afford to lose here no matter what. The opponent is JEF United Chiba, who can secure their J1 survival by earning points today. In the previous match, they achieved a V-goal victory against Avispa Fukuoka and are in high spirits. However, regardless of the opponent's situation, aim for victory with our own football!

Unmoving Game

Naito, who has recovered from injury after three matches, returns to the lineup. As in the previous match, Asano is included in the starting members, raising expectations for a dynamic style of football.

However, it was Ichihara, who deployed an attacking 3-4-3 formation, that took the first shot. In the 1st minute, MF Muto and Sakai executed a one-two pass, allowing FW Benson to make a run and shoot. They displayed an attacking rhythm. In the 9th minute, TUTO's free kick went over the goal. In the 16th minute, Masuda broke free from a ball aimed behind the defensive line from Asari, but he couldn't take a shot. They created opportunities, but none led to decisive chances.

Ishihara, who is pushing the game forward, saw midfielder Nakanishi dribble solo from the backline in the 39th minute. Benson ran in for the last pass sent in front of the goal and took a shot. This was a nice save by goalkeeper Doi, narrowly escaping a crisis.

Tokyo struggled as the ball could not settle in front of Ichihara's strong midfield, while side midfielders Sakai and Nakanishi covered back to the defensive line, sometimes forming a five-man defense that stifled side attacks. There was no coordinated play or quick overall advancement, leaving an impression of sluggish football, and both teams ended the first half without scoring.

No shot, no goal...

Tokyo, wanting to change the situation, substituted Kina for Asano in the second half. "We want to quickly pass the ball to Kina and Naito to start our attacks," said Coach Okuma. However, once again at the start of the second half, FW Oshima broke through on Tokyo's right side. Inside the penalty area, Ogura held on and connected with Benson → Sakai for a shot. Although they didn't score, it was a close call.

Tokyo wants to create an attacking shape somehow. In the 55th minute, TUTO, from Masuda's direct pass, tried to shoot again but was unable to due to pressure from the Ichihara defense. In the 57th minute, Asari overlapped on the right side and delivered a cross, but no one could connect in front of the goal. Immediately after that, Masuda broke past the defense in front of the penalty area and shot, but it just missed the goal. Then in the 60th minute, from a loose ball after Ichihara's corner kick, TUTO, Fujiyama, and Amaral launched a counterattack with their trademark quick play, but they couldn't gain enough speed to take a shot. Conversely, in the 63rd minute, Ichihara forward Ogura's middle shot hit the crossbar. Just as Tokyo's rhythm was starting to emerge, it was a moment that caused a scare.

Ichihara replaced Benson with the speedy forward Hayashi, and in the 76th minute, Okura was replaced by forward Baron. Tokyo also made a substitution in the 63rd minute, bringing in Kaburaki for TUTO, who was not at his best that day, and in the 84th minute, Masuda was replaced by Yukihiko SATO. They tried to break the deadlock with these substitutions.

After that, it became a counterattack exchange, but both teams' defenses held strong, and the match ended 0-0 after 90 minutes. Up to this point, Ichihara had 14 shots compared to Tokyo's 4.

Tokyo finally managed to find their pace just before the end, but they were helped by Ichihara's lack of sharpness, leading to extra time.

Yukihiko's goal that decided the battle after 112 minutes!

As the match entered extra time, the game saw a fierce exchange of offense and defense. By the 95th minute, both teams had earned two corner kicks each, but neither was able to score. With both sides struggling to find the net, the second half of extra time began. Tokyo pushed Naito and Sandro forward to attack, but they were unable to create effective plays. Neither team could maintain composure or control the pace, leading to a frantic back-and-forth battle.

However, finally in the 112th minute, Amaral sent a ball into the space in front of the penalty area, and Naito ran in to deliver a powerful cross in front of the goal. The ball was not fully caught by the Ichihara goalkeeper, who was competing with Kaburaki, and Sato, who was lurking nearby, shot without hesitation!

Shaking the goal net, they brought an end to a tough battle!! And this left-foot goal not only crowned the final home match with a victory but also became a precious point that put an end to a long tunnel of consecutive losses.

After the match, Coach Okuma addressed the home supporters, saying, "The J1 rookie team has shared joy and sometimes sadness together with you, and you have always encouraged us. This does not mean that FC Tokyo's battle is over, so we aim to be a team that continues to fight together with you from now on." He expressed gratitude for the support over the past year and vowed to give his all in the final match.

Director VERDENIK's Comments

Just as there are very tough things in life beyond sports, looking at the results of a match like today, I believe that situations that are hard to endure can occur. That is why we, as athletes, live in such a world, and even after matches like this, we must maintain our mental strength and persevere as we move forward. I think the players fought very well. They practiced what they have been working on in training on the field, and I believe the team is making progress step by step.

I think today was one of the best games we've played so far. However, despite our hard work, a harsh result of zero points awaited us. You might wonder what all of this effort was for, but I want to take what we've done so far as a foundation and move forward with the confidence that we've made some progress. I believe the last play (where Kaburaki competed with the goalkeeper) was a foul, but if it wasn't a foul, the goalkeeper should have done everything possible to make the catch. I think this applies to our attack as well. We need to improve the quality of our final scoring opportunities even more than we have so far.

Director Okuma's Comments

"It's difficult for Tokyo to control the flow for 90 minutes in J1. We haven't been able to create our rhythm by enduring and enduring, which is our strength, in recent matches. There are still various issues, but I think we focused well on defense today. Kaburaki showed decent movement and effort, which I believe is a result of our training schedule, including the trip to Korea. (The training) doesn't yield immediate results, but when players like Kaburaki perform as he did today, I feel that the overall strength of the team will improve. I want to bring out more players like that to enhance our overall strength, and in the next match, I want to continue playing the resilient football that Tokyo showed today until the very end."