The joy of defeating the championship candidate!

J1 League, Sec. 3 will be an away game against Júbilo Iwata, two weeks after the previous game. During these two weeks, Júbilo has been competing in the Asian Club Championship in Indonesia, and key players such as Nabata, Hattori, and Takahara have also been playing for the Japan national team in the game against France. Looking at the starting lineup, all field players are experienced representatives in their respective categories, but fatigue and poor condition due to consecutive games are expected, so there is no better time to strike. In addition, in the first stage of last year, we were able to surprise this powerhouse with a thrilling counterattack, but in the second stage, we were defeated by the difference in strength. Today, we hope for victory and are also interested in how Tokyo will face this top contender #1.

Tokyo, with Shimodaira making his first appearance this season, formed a double pivot with Asari, with Miura on the left and Masuda on the right in the midfield. In place of the injured Amaral, Kelly joined the lineup as a forward. The match kicked off at Júbilo Iwata Stadium, where the sun had come out in the afternoon.

Responding with a tough press that captures the opponent's strengths

Both teams quickly showed the importance of today's match with intense plays from the start. Both teams are trying to take control with tough pressing. Júbilo has high individual abilities and set plays to watch out for, so they avoid fouls in dangerous zones and continue to battle in the midfield. In the midst of this, in the 6th minute, Júbilo's Fujita passes to Namba on the left from the center, Namba dribbles up the left side and sends a perfect cross between the Tokyo GK and DF line. The ball just misses Nakayama's head, but they show a fast combination play. On the other hand, Tokyo also responds in the 8th minute, as Kelly dribbles up the left side and connects with Fujiyama, Shimohira, and Robisu in the penalty area, and finally, Masuda shoots from the right. Unfortunately, it narrowly misses the left goal, but they fought back solidly.

However, Júbilo gradually began to attack by sneaking through Tokyo's press. In the 15th minute, Nakayama received a direct free kick from Nabe. In the 16th minute, after a series of corner kicks, Fujita's header shot was unable to break the goal, but they continued to dominate the game. On the other hand, Tokyo was unable to enter the opponent's half despite being overwhelmed by fast passing. In the 22nd minute, Nabe attempted a middle shot with individual skill. In the 27th minute, Oku hit a long ball to the top of the left position, and Fujita connected to Oku again for a middle shot. With a mix of long and short passes, Júbilo's attack was like a body blow... Immediately after, Tokyo also reacted to Shimodaira's pass and ran into the space left by Júbilo's three-back, but the defense cut it off. Kelly moved to the side for a wide attack, and Shimodaira tried to make a move from the center, but their efforts in front of the goal were not good enough to create a decisive chance.

A moment's gap? An accident? Easily allowing the first goal

Despite Jubilo's lack of form, they have been fighting well against Tokyo so far, including their passing and shooting accuracy. However, in the 28th minute, Sandro made a back pass from a deep position near the goal line to GK Doi, who was being chased by Jubilo Nakayama. Doi desperately kicked the ball, but it ended up at the feet of Jubilo Takahara. Takahara tried to dribble the ball into the penalty area from the right, but Doi had no choice but to stop him with a foul... In the 29th minute, Jubilo's Hattori calmly converted the penalty they earned from this play, and Tokyo conceded the first goal from Nakayama's clever play.

As soon as this happened, in the following 30 minutes, Júbilo Nakayama dropped the ball in the post-play and Takahara shot freely. The ball narrowly escaped to the right of the goal, but it was a dangerous chance. However, Tokyo regained their composure and counterattacked. In the 37th minute, Masuda and in the 43rd minute, Miura → Masuda connected and Kelly shot from behind the DF line in the left penalty area, but could not break the goal. In stoppage time, Shimohira made a diving header from Masuda's cross, but Lori could not shoot. On the contrary, Júbilo quickly counterattacked and Takahara flew out behind the Tokyo DF line and shot freely. However, Tsuchihi made a super save with one hand and Takahara shot again, but Tsuchihi saved it with his body! Tokyo showed their determination and did not allow any additional points, ending the first half.

Bitten by the seed of counterattack

Although they conceded the first goal, the halftime instructions from coach Ohkuma were "There's nothing wrong. Keep going and the chance will come." However, at the start of the second half, the ball from Júbilo's kickoff was passed to Nakayama on the left side, who then made a quick side change to Nishi who ran in at full speed and took a shot, causing a close call. Iwata saw their chance and even defender Hattori dribbled all the way to the penalty area, showing an all-out attack and defense. In the 53rd minute, Nakayama once again stole Naito's back pass and took a shot, but it was caught by Tsuchi. Tokyo countered with a quick attack, with LORI dropping the ball at the post and Kelly connecting to Fujiyama for a shot, but they were unable to threaten the goal with their wave-like attacks.

Substituting Sato for Asari in the 63rd minute. Miura is placed in the center, with Sato on the right and Masuda on the left, facing the formation. Immediately in the 65th minute, Rohisu receives a through pass from Sato with his back to the goal and turns his body to shoot, but the ball hits the GK's face. However, around the 70th minute, Tokyo's balance was disrupted as they rushed to attack, and there were many shooting scenes from Jubilo. In the 72nd minute, Nakayama shoots after Takahara connects with Nami's cross. In the following 73rd minute, Nakayama shoots again after Sandro's clearance mistake, making it a one-on-one with the GK. Time passes with Jubilo's missed shots helping them. In the 74th minute, Kina is substituted for Shimohira, and in the 83rd minute, Matsuda, who is making his first appearance this season, is substituted for Naito. At times, Miura also moves up to the front line, but they are unable to break the situation. They also prevent Jubilo's attacks with determination until the end in defense, and although the game content is not bad, they end the 90 minutes without a decisive moment.

In the end, Jubilo had 15 shots while Tokyo had 5. Although the numbers clearly showed a difference, Jubilo's ace, Myanami, spoke about the impression of Tokyo, saying "Tokyo is a well-trained, good team, and it was a tough game." Kelly's outstanding technique, Lori's post-play, and the increased strength of the midfield. If energetic KING Amaral had been added to this... Although it's pointless to discuss "what if" scenarios, it was clear that the difference had been narrowed since last year's match. The speed of restarts and transitions, approach to loose balls, speed of passes, and awareness of scoring... In all of these aspects, Jubilo was slightly superior, but what is needed to close that gap? Despite suffering another loss after the Kobe match, it was a big deal to feel a "definite sense of accomplishment" even in a tough game. Against the champions of Asia, the confidence to hold on this far... Our minds are already focused on the next match. It will be our first home game in 3 matches. The excitement of 3.10 is still fresh in the memories of the players, staff, and fans. Our home, Tokyo Stadium, is also eagerly awaiting the return of its "master". Tokyo is strong at home... We will definitely win the next match!

[Comment from Coach Suzuki]

The team is satisfied with the 1-0 victory despite the tough conditions and combination. We must win in any situation. Otherwise, we cannot achieve our goal for this season. In that sense, today's victory is considered a crucial point in this stage.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

I think we were doing well before we conceded. As a direction, I think we were doing well at the time of the starting members. I wanted the substitute players to function a little more. I don't want to be discouraged by this and want to face the next challenge.