Win and bring the record to 50/50

The opponent for this day is Cerezo Osaka. Last year, they were a team that fought for the championship until the final round in the 1st stage, but this season they are struggling in 15th place after finishing the 11th round. The team is still unable to fill the hole left by Japan national team FW Nishizawa (currently playing in the Spanish 1st division). It's a serious situation that continues. It's not that the members are not in good shape. In the FW position, there is Morishima, who has become an indispensable player for the Japan national team, and Daishi, who came from Urawa to fill the hole left by Nishizawa. In the midfield, there is a Korean trio led by the Korean national team's game maker, Yoon, so there is no shortage of talent. If we were to point out a weakness, it would be the lack of stability in defense. They have conceded 20 goals, second only to the last place Vegalta (21 goals), and in the previous round, they conceded a comeback loss after taking the lead against Vegalta with only 15 minutes left in the second half. For Tokyo, they are not an easy opponent, but there should always be a chance to win. If they win this match, Tokyo will finally return to a 5-5 record (currently 5 wins and 6 losses) after constantly being behind in losses since the 2nd round of this season. They want to win and continue their winning streak in the league, and aim for their first three consecutive wins this season as they face Kashima in the "Tanabata Night".

Is it the effect of fatigue!? The relentless Tokyo mercilessly attacks the heavy body...

Under the unstable weather with light rain remaining, the game started at 7:04 PM. The first team to attack was Cerezo. On the right side, Lú and Yoon, the Korean combo, were the key players, and Morishima was involved with his abundant physicality to create chances. On the left side, former Korean representative Kim and young rising star Nishitani launched a speedy attack. In the 15th minute, a corner kick from the left was punched away by GK Doi, but then a powerful volley from outside the penalty area by Direkto seemed to go over Doi's head and into the goal, but Yukihiro, who was guarding the goal, barely cleared it with a header. Immediately after, it seemed that a header from a powerful corner kick from the right would score, but Asari bravely cleared it with his body. They managed to survive the consecutive punches.

On the other hand, Tokyo, perhaps still feeling the effects of the grueling 110-minute battle against Hiroshima three days ago, seemed to have heavy bodies overall and were slow to start moving, making it difficult to connect passes to the front line. Even Amaral, who should have been the focal point of the front line, lacked his usual sharpness and strength, and his signature post-play against the opposing DF, who was always on the verge of fouling, lacked its usual brilliance.

Signs of growth in how to fight in bad times... A back-and-forth development continues.

Tokyo's chance was not completely absent. In the 18th minute, Kelly received a pass from the counter and broke through the center with a wall pass, and passed it to Amaral in front of the penalty area with a perfect heel pass. Amaral took one touch to get past the DF and took a shot, which was saved by the GK. Kelly then took a shot on the rebound, but it hit the DF and was further deflected. Seigo KOBAYASHI then took a shot from the left, but unfortunately it missed to the right of the goal. When things were going bad, the team patiently defended and created chances with a well-balanced attack. This was a sign of the team's growth. "Solid defense and quick counterattack" has always been Tokyo's trademark, but they have improved its accuracy by competing in the high level of J1.

The pace of the game continued to be dominated by Cerezo. In the 20th minute, Yoon cut in from the right and unleashed a powerful shot with his left foot. Then, in the 22nd minute, Nishitani also cut in from the left and took a shot. The ball flew over the goal, but Cerezo's aggressive attitude of taking shots from outside the penalty area was impressive.

After that, the attack and defense continued to go back and forth, but towards the end of the first half, Tokyo kept creating big chances. In the 35th minute, Amaral jumped into a right FK and headed it towards goal, but unfortunately it went just wide to the right. In the following 39th minute, Amaral moved from the left to the right of the penalty area and passed it to Yukihiro on the right side. Yukihiro then made a precise cross with a direct pass between the opponent's GK and DF, but Kelly's sliding attempt just fell short. In the 42nd minute, Kelly headed a cross from Komine in the center of the goal, but it went just wide to the left. In stoppage time, Komine took a powerful shot with his right foot from an overhead pass, but it was caught by the opponent's GK and the first half ended.

Key player Kagaami does a great job at the last minute of this game!

The situation continued to be a back-and-forth battle even in the second half. In the second half, Nakamura, who replaced Yin, showed sharp movements in front of the goal and actively aimed for a goal in combination with Morishima. On the other hand, Tokyo's captain Shimodaira showed dedicated movements on both offense and defense, using his strategic play to shut down the opponent's attacks in front of the defense line, and ensuring accurate passes from defender to the front (or side) during their own attacks.

Tokyo was the first to take action to break this back-and-forth situation. First, Kaga was put in. In the past few games since joining, Kaga has shown a great scale of play, utilizing his long reach in the top position. He has become an important option in the attack. On this day as well, it is without a doubt that the rhythm has improved since Kaga joined. Kaga actively runs into space on both sides and aggressively touches the ball, even taking forceful mid-range shots.

On the other hand, Serrasso also brought in tall FW Okayama immediately after Kaga's substitution. Against Tokyo, which has increased its midfield composition, they have been competing with power play using height as their weapon. This Okayama is very strong in headers, and even Sandro couldn't easily beat him.

At the 37th minute, Tokyo faced a harsh reality. After Kaga's substitution, Kina was also brought in to push forward, but in an instant, they were caught off guard and a hole was opened in the previously flawless defense that had been showing high concentration. The center was easily broken through with a wall pass, and Nishitani's shot from just outside the penalty area with his left foot crawled along the ground, leaving Tsuchi's desperate save in vain as it was sucked into the bottom left corner of the goal.

There was nothing left in Tokyo. Immediately after conceding a goal, Miura, who had just come on as a substitute, was brought in. There were 7 minutes left. Tokyo fought until the end with an ultra-attacking formation, with Sandro also pushing up to the front line. However, only difficult times passed. There was a possibility that Cerezo could fall to last place if they lost, and they couldn't afford to lose at home in this situation. They didn't push too hard, and when things got tough, they would send long balls to Okuyama, the target man, to waste time. And finally, the time disappeared from the scoreboard, and it was stoppage time. Just when it seemed hopeless, a drama unfolded. Kaga, who had been fighting hard until the end, received a ball in the penalty area and was contacted by the opposing DF with too much force. Kaga fell, and the referee awarded a penalty kick! In the last minute, thanks to Kaga's efforts, they were given a miraculous big chance.

As expected, King! The equalizer and a dramatic finale for a comeback!

Without changing his expression in this situation, Amaral calmly set the ball to the penalty mark. On this day, Amaral, who had accumulated fatigue and was unable to do decisive work against the opponent's persistent charge, was the only one who could kick in this situation. The atmosphere in the venue reached its peak. The heartbeat of the stadium and the breath of the spectators could be heard. In the midst of the extreme tension of either opening up a possibility for victory or ending the game with a miss, Amaral's shot shook the goal net. Amaral's gutsy pose after scoring showed the magnitude of the situation. In the last minute, Tokyo revived with a game-tying goal from Amaral.

As the game went into extra time, it completely belonged to Tokyo. In the 4th minute, Yukihiro's free kick, and in the 7th, 10th, and 11th minutes, Amaral won the cross from the side and took a shot. On the other hand, Okayama added another striker, Sugiura, who had speed and height. Tokyo's defense, led by Sandro and Tetsuya Ito, fought back with their bodies. The stadium was filled with both screams and cheers.

And in the 2nd minute of extra time, Kelly passed the ball to Amaral on the front line. Amaral received the ball in the penalty area, turned sharply and made a forceful dribble, but was brought down by the opposing DF trying to stop the breakthrough. Another PK was awarded! And of course, Amaral took the kick. Unlike the first goal, Amaral seemed to have a sense of composure. Perhaps it was his dignified presence, or perhaps it was from his experience of overcoming numerous challenges... At this moment, even his aura could be felt.

In the next moment, Amaral's kicked ball once again shook the goal net. As expected of King! Both the equalizing PK in regular time and the PK that became the winning goal in extra time were scored in the midst of the highest tension.

With this, Tokyo has returned to a 6-6 tie in wins and losses, and is now ready to face the final stretch of the 1st stage with a comeback in mind. The incredibly dramatic finale held a significant meaning.

[Manager Okuma's Comment] We were able to achieve our defensive goals, but we couldn't break through the opponent's four-man defense decisively in our attack. We were able to create some opportunities, but unfortunately we couldn't finish them. However, I think the team did a great job of catching up today. We relied on Amaral again, but in the future, we need other players to step up and become a threat to our opponents. We will do our best for the next Antlers match.