Looking for a third consecutive win, facing Fukuoka at home

　After two consecutive wins, Avispa Fukuoka will face Tokyo Stadium at home. Both teams currently have 4 wins and 5 losses, with the black stars leading the way. In order to improve their rankings and prepare for the one-month break after today's match, both teams are determined to win and secure a 5-point lead. Tokyo will start with Toda as the right MF, aiming to break through the sides with a formation close to a "3-top" and surpass Kelly. As the evening shower intensifies, the kickoff begins.

Aim is right on target! Toda scores first goal.

　Coach Ooguma's aim, and Toda's use, were spot on. In the 2nd minute, Masamitsu Kobayashi quickly passed the ball to Kelly, who had moved to the left side, and Kelly's cross reached Toda, who had made a run into the box from the right side. Toda's direct shot with his left foot went straight into the center of the goal! With a flowing attack and Toda's finishing ability, they took an early lead.

Tokyo is getting excited. In the 11th minute, just like in the scoring scene, Kobayashi broke through on the left side from Fujiyama and crossed, but it narrowly missed Toda who was closing in on the goal. Today, Tokyo's left back Fujiyama is aggressively attacking the center, drawing the opponent's mark, and Kelly is moving back and forth, left and right, by moving away from the mark, frequently creating chances by swapping with Amaral and Toda. In the 14th minute, Toda, who had dribbled up vertically, passed to Kelly with a minus. The shot hit the side net, but it was a fast and beautiful attack. In the 18th minute, Fukuoka's left corner kick came to the front of FW Yamashita, who was free, and there were some dangerous moments, but they were also helped by mistakes and did not reach a pinch.

While Tokyo was firmly defending in their own territory, Fukuoka struggled to find passing opportunities even when holding onto the ball in their backline. They also did not show any movements to disrupt their opponents with their usual abundance of physicality. Their counterattacks lacked sharpness and instead allowed Tokyo to launch a counterattack of their own.

Tokyo continued to dominate the game, and in the 25th minute, TERRY's FK was met by Toda, but it fell just short. In the 26th minute, TERRY picked up a loose ball and persistently brought it into the penalty area, where Amaral received it and turned for a shot. In the 39th minute, Kobayashi challenged the DF in the left penalty area and crossed it, but TERRY and Toda were waiting in the center, only to be blocked by the GK. In the 44th minute, TERRY once again received a pass from the left side from Kobayashi, and while carrying the DF on his back, he managed to heel it towards the goal, but it went over. Despite taking 8 shots in total, they were unable to score any additional points. In the end, not being able to score an additional point here would come back to haunt them later on...

Dominating in a relaxed mood...?

　In the first half, it seemed like only a matter of time before another goal was added. It's not that the players were being careless, but there was a sense of "easy victory" in the stadium.

　However, in the second half, Fukuoka made precise adjustments and actively aimed for goals from the start. As Tokyo's energy levels dropped, their defense fell behind and they gave away frequent free kicks. In the 51st minute, Fukuoka showed a tricky FK that disrupted Tokyo's concentration, and in the 52nd minute, MF Julian made a run from the left and passed to FW Matsubara who shot and scored. Then in the 53rd minute, Tokyo's DF couldn't handle MF Hisanaga's breakthrough and committed a foul. From the resulting FK by Badea from the right side of the penalty area, MF Hisanaga headed in the equalizer. This was the set piece that coach Okuma had warned about, and it resulted in the equalizing goal.

Disappointing come-from-behind loss...

　Fukuoka, who heads to the Tokyo goal with their fighting spirit exposed. Tokyo's movement has dropped significantly and their defense has become stretched. In contrast, Tokyo tries to overcome the situation by making substitutions. In the 60th minute, Shimodaira is substituted for Toda, who has been fighting with all his might. "I wanted to keep him in a high position, betting on his potential to create decisive moments," says Miura, who brings in Miura on the right side. However, Fukuoka's pressing has become tougher in the second half, making it difficult for Tokyo to build up their attacks.

　Still not giving up, in the 67th minute Amaral pressed the opponent's GK and stole the loose ball, but Kelly and Kobayashi were slow to follow and couldn't get a shot off. They tried to break through the DF line, but Fukuoka's high press was too fast and they were caught offside multiple times, creating a sense of frustration. In the 72nd minute, they counterattacked from the opponent's shot, with Kelly → Amaral → Miura showing a quick attack, but the DF cut it off. In the 76th minute, Shimodaira's solo run resulted in their first shot of the second half. In the 78th minute, Masuda came on for Miura. However, just as they were trying to regroup, in the 80th minute, Sandro's back pass was carelessly cleared by Doi and fell to Fukuoka's Badear. FW Yamashita didn't miss this chance and quickly reacted, scoring a goal. In the blink of an eye, they were down by two goals.

　Still, Tokyo held on until the 82nd minute, when Fujiyama took a sharp and fast free kick from Murata and scored with perfect timing. In the 83rd minute, Kagaki was substituted for Asari. He was used as a one-man midfield to increase the number of players in the front line, and in the 83rd minute, Kagaki dropped the ball for Kobayashi to shoot. Against Fukuoka, who had used up all their substitution slots to strengthen their defense, in the 88th minute, Kagaki dropped the ball from the back and Amaral took a shot. However, neither of them resulted in a goal, and the time was up with a futile counterattack. Despite taking the lead, they ended up losing in a comeback.

Keep your spirits up!

　Not only Doi, but also the combination with Sandro who caused it... The defensive weakness that led to the first goal. The attack that couldn't score an additional goal... If the previous game against Kashiwa was a victory that was taken by everyone, it can be said that today's defeat was due to the "weakness" of everyone. It is a frustrating defeat, but instead of just being happy or sad about the result, we have to recognize what was lacking and start over. Let's lift our heads and switch our minds to the "front" as we prepare for the Nabisco Cup and the resumption of the league in a month.

[PICCOLI Coach's Comment] "Before the game, I instructed not to give a big space behind the final line, but in the first half, the whole team misunderstood and pulled back from the midfield. Also, there was hardly any movement from the two top players and the two side backs. I judged that we couldn't break through like this, so I asked them to move more during halftime. Specifically, we weren't able to make various patterns of movements, such as moving from the side to the center. In the second half, we were able to do that, and the FWs were able to run diagonally into the DF line, which allowed us to move towards the opponent's goal. In the first half, we had no choice but to receive the ball with our backs turned."

"But I think this difference is the biggest."

[Manager Okuma's Comment] "In the first half, we were able to do what we wanted as a team. It wasn't that we didn't have chances, but I think the most important thing was to score another goal in the first half if possible. However, due to the decrease in movement and accuracy in the front line, our attacks from the sides also decreased. In the high humidity and exhausting conditions, making self-destructive mistakes at a time when both teams are "about to" can be fatal in J1. During the break period, we want to use it to reset and prepare for the next match."