Now, the J League is back!

After about a month, the J1 League resumes. Sec. 11 will be an away game against Yokohama F.Marinos. During this break, the coach was replaced, and new coach Shin Shimjo takes over from Osvaldo ARDILES. However, today, the lineup is missing injured players Nakamura and Komura, suspended player Jo, and Tahara who is absent due to the World Youth. Tokyo, having ended in a draw with 3 goals scored and 3 conceded against Hiroshima in the Nabisco Cup three days ago, wants to show the results of the break here, as the score alone does not reflect their usual performance. Although it has unfortunately turned into a lower-tier matchup between 12th place Tokyo and 13th place F.Marinos, both teams want to use this match as a turning point to rise. A fierce contest is expected.

It continues to be a difficult period for F. Marinos' attack...

Tokyo created an opportunity right from the start. Immediately after the kickoff, Kelly intercepted the ball in midfield and passed it to Seigo KOBAYASHI on the left. KOBAYASHI then overtook Kelly, broke through the defensive line, received the ball again, cut back past the defender, and shot. Although it was caught by F. Marinos goalkeeper Kawaguchi, a bold attack was seen.

However, it was F. Marinos who took control of the pace from there. After winning the ball under intense pressure, they connected quick passes forward, with MF Hirama frequently breaking through Tokyo's right side. In the 13th minute, from a direct pass between Wato and Nagayama on the right side, Wato again charged into the penalty area attempting to take a shot. Tokyo's defense stubbornly closed in, but MF Ueno, who had come up from behind, provided support and delivered a cross, showcasing a strong attack.

Tokyo launched a counterattack in the 14th minute, with Kelly as the starting point. Sato surged up the left side and crossed into the middle. Kelly, who ran into the goal area, took a shot. It was a decisive moment, but was thwarted by a nice save from goalkeeper Kawaguchi, hinting at the difficulty of scoring in today's game.

After that, Tokyo struggled repeatedly with the speed of forward Kijima, committing fouls. In the 20th minute, Kobayashi accurately judged the offside line, reacted to a pass from Asari behind him, and delivered a cross that resulted in a corner kick, but Naito's header went wide of the goal. Tokyo attempted to counterattack with Amaral dropping back to create a play, but they couldn't quite reach a scoring opportunity. They continued to be pressed by F. Marinos, who attacked quickly after regaining possession.

Don't miss the chance! Two goals with Amaral's skill!!

However, the goal came in a surprisingly simple manner. In the 29th minute, a long back pass from the shallow DF line of F. Marinos reached goalkeeper Kawaguchi, and Amaral quickly pursued it, snatching the ball from Kawaguchi's feet. Although Amaral was initially pushed to the goal line and Kawaguchi returned to his position, there was no one to stop Amaral, and he shook the goal net with a shot from a tight angle!

Tokyo gains momentum. In the 32nd minute, Kelly deflected a long pass from Naito with a back header in front of the goal, and Amaral trapped it with his chest. As the opposing defender closed in, he lifted the ball to evade and took a volley shot! It was an artistic super shot from Amaral, but it went straight to Kawaguchi. However, due to the power of the shot, Kawaguchi deflected it forward, and Amaral shot again from the rebound. But Kawaguchi's sharp reaction thwarted the chance for an additional goal. In the 40th minute, Sato broke free into space on the left side, and Kelly, who was free in the center, attempted a forceful shot, but the ball just grazed the left side of the goal.

It was a tense period, but as the remaining time decreased, both teams slowed down their pace. Just when it seemed like the match would end at the 43rd minute, a long ball from Naito was headed back by the opposing defender to their goalkeeper. Amaral, as if he had predicted the drop point of the ball, rushed in and easily connected with his right foot. Although Kawaguchi initially touched the ball, it curved dramatically and went into the goal! Following the first goal, this additional goal showcased Amaral's sharp reading of the game and excellent positioning, proving that he doesn't miss a single chance.

Securing a shutout victory without conceding a goal!

In the second half, F. Marinos launched a counterattack, with Kijima taking a drive shot in the 48th minute. However, Tokyo also displayed an attacking shape as Kobayashi dribbled in from the left after a big switch from Sato, with Asari following up into the space created. F. Marinos, who had shown intense movement since the first half, tried to change the game with substitutions, but Nagayama's shift to the left made things easier for Tokyo's left side, which had been troubled by Hato in the first half (Kobayashi).

Even so, F. Marinos saw Kijima making an impact, and in the 62nd minute, he cut back and shot twice or three times in the penalty area. Although Dohii deflected one behind, it was calmly cleared by Asari, who came in to cover. After that, Kijima repeatedly attempted to break into the penalty area, but Tokyo's defensive line remained solid, not allowing any decisive chances. However, even after regaining possession, Tokyo's overall push was slow, making it difficult to advance the ball. In the 66th minute, Kagawa was substituted for the injured Sato, and in the 75th minute, Tetsuya ITO was brought on for Naito.

In the 78th minute, F. Marinos substituted FW Leandro for Kijima, who had been losing stamina, in an attempt to gather the ball at the top.

In response, Tokyo brought in Kinna for Shimohira in the 83rd minute. This improved the rhythm, and just after that, in the 85th minute, Kinna caught up with a ball played wide to the left and delivered a cross. Using Kagami as a decoy in front of the goal, Kelly followed up with a shot, but the ball unfortunately hit the post.

In the end, neither team could break the deadlock, and the match ended without any goals. However, although the content was not entirely satisfactory, they thwarted the resurgence of the new F. Marinos and secured three points with their first victory since May 12. While they couldn't score during the flow of the game, keeping a clean sheet was a significant achievement. This also moved them up to 7th place. There is no shortcut for future improvement, but this game made it clear that they must seize opportunities and steadily accumulate points.

[Coach Shimojyo's Comment] "The result was disappointing, but I think we were able to show what we had been working on during this short training period at the start. If we could have scored during this time... We conceded a goal due to a mistake, and after that, we lost our rhythm, which probably indicates that we are still quite young."

[Coach Okuma's Comment] "At the start, I was worried about the team's lack of focus, but we gained momentum with the first goal, and our energy increased both in attack and defense. We were starting to play a style of football that involved running long distances beyond the front line, so I want to aim for a team that can maintain this for 90 minutes, including the substitutes from the beginning."