Exciting opening, new stadium, first Tokyo Derby

　I always get excited when I encounter something new. The opening of the 2001 J-League, a new home stadium, and a packed crowd... The first Tokyo Derby, the opening match against Tokyo Verdy 1969, will also determine the course of this season. While the players feel the joy of playing on this stage today, they cannot afford to lose in the game. It was easy to imagine that it would be a match where the players' determination would clash.

　Starting members are GK=Doi, both side backs=Naito, Fujiyama, CB=Sandro, Tetsuya Ito, holding midfielder=Asari, Miura, attacking MF=Sato, Seigo Kobayashi, FW=Amaral, Robisu. Robisu is in the post, while Amaral follows from midfield to the top in a vertical and horizontal manner. On the other hand, Verdy is in a 4-5-1 formation. They aim to attack from a thick midfield with a double holding midfielder, similar to FC Tokyo.

Despite dominating the game, Verdy Miura's individual skill leads to conceding the first goal.

　The match started with both teams pressing each other, but neither could dominate the ball and the game quickly became chaotic. FC Tokyo, with a strong focus on attacking vertically, had Amaral, Miura, and Fujiyama actively pushing forward, but they were unable to break through Verdy's solid defense. In the 7th minute, they managed to steal the ball in midfield and pass it from Asari to Robisu. Amaral received a direct pass and dribbled forward to take a shot, but it hit the crossbar. Sato tried to shoot the rebound, but it was blocked by a defender, missing their first big chance of the day. However, this seemed to spark FC Tokyo's passing game, and in the 16th minute, Sato broke through on the right side but couldn't find a cross. In the 19th minute, Naito sent a pass into the box from a free kick, and Amaral won the header against the opposing defender. However, it lacked power and was easily caught by Verdy's goalkeeper Kikuchi, but FC Tokyo continued to push forward.

　However, in the 22nd minute, they gave a direct FK to Verdy near the center circle. The kicker was MF Atsuhiro MIURA. The shot went over the goal, but in the 25th minute, there was another FK opportunity for Verdy about 30 meters in front of the goal. MIURA took the shot, luring Ogura, and it was a powerful shot that went straight into the goal, giving Verdy the first goal of the day with their second shot. After that, FC Tokyo continued to attack but couldn't score, and they ended the first half behind.

FC Tokyo, Amaral, and Robisu show their strength in the game

　Early in the second half, Lins picked up a clearance ball from DF and took a shot from the right side of the penalty area. Although it missed the goal, the bold play created a rhythm. In the 46th minute, Seigo KOBAYASHI broke through the DF with a one-touch and set up a shooting scene with Lins and Amaral. In the 50th minute, Seigo KOBAYASHI made a killer pass to Miura who ran into the penalty area. Although Verdy's DF quickly returned and cut off the chance, they continued to create opportunities.

　However, gradually slowing down. FC Tokyo is caught up in Verdy's cunning and slow rhythm, unable to use their speed. And FC Tokyo moves. In the 58th minute, Seigo KOBAYASHI is replaced by Kina. In the 71st minute, Sato is replaced by new FW Kelly, who joined the team just last week. This unseen player immediately reacts to the ball that spilled out from the chaos in front of the goal. The ball shook the net, but unfortunately it was offside. Although the first touch shot ended up as a phantom goal, it showed a glimpse of play that couldn't help but expect something.

　Verdy replaced Ogura and MF Ishizuka entered the top, but in the 74th minute, FW Iio was substituted for MF Nagai and tried to compete with speed. FC Tokyo, who desperately wanted one goal, substituted Masuda for Asari in the 82nd minute. They used all three substitution slots and launched a counterattack with a more attacking-focused lineup. Each member has their own strengths, but they maintain balance and Kina shows his passing skills while Masuda shows his dribbling skills, attacking Verdy's goal. Then in the 87th minute, Miura, who had dribbled up the center, passed to Amaral who had broken through in front of the goal. Amaral tried to beat the GK one-on-one in the penalty area, but GK Kikuchi couldn't take it and committed a foul. He was then sent off. In the 89th minute, FC Tokyo equalized with a penalty kick scored by Robisu, bringing the game to extra time.

Dramatic ending...never giving up on soccer until the end of this season.

　In the 4th minute of extra time in the first half, Verdy substituted Maezono for the injured Nishida. Maezono, Ishizuka, and Kitazawa showed determination, and in the 13th minute, Ishizuka took a header shot, but GK Doi easily caught it. Immediately after, FC Tokyo's Robisu dribbled into the penalty area and took a shot. In the following 14th minute, Amaral missed the goal again from a pass sent by Naito on the right, but the difference in momentum between Verdy and FC Tokyo, who were tied with 10 players, became clear.

　In the 4th minute of extra time, using the new rule of being able to substitute up to 4 players in extra time, Umayama was replaced by Naito. Shortly after, Amaral headed Kelly's free kick but missed the goal. However, in the 6th minute of extra time, Kelly and Masuda exchanged passes well in the midfield, and Kelly sent a ball from the right side to the front of the goal, where Robisu took a shot! It was a beautiful goal, and they won the opening game with an emotional V goal.

　Amaral, the strength of Robisu's competitiveness was also highlighted in the game, but the team also functioned well with substitute players. All players worked together and made a good start to this season.

[Tokyo Verdy 1969, Manager Matsuki's Comment]

"For us, who are fighting with only Japanese players, we have considered not giving up until the end as the base for this season. In today's match, there were many incidents that could not be judged or said in detail, but the players did not give up until the end, and even with one less player, I think that everyone fought positively will lead to the next. Unfortunately, we couldn't get any points in this highly anticipated match, but we want to approach the next and remaining games with a solid adjustment once again."

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

"I don't think we played bad football from the first half, but we were prepared for conceding a goal, including that FK. After that, it was a matter of how much we could endure the second goal as a team and make a gear change. In that sense, I think the players did a good job of enduring in the defensive part and gradually showing their good parts to equalize. I also think it's thanks to the fans who supported us with all their might with such a large audience. However, the season has just begun, so I want to fight each game without getting too excited or disappointed."