Last Game of the 1st Stage

　As of the end of Sec. 14 of the 1st Stage, FC Tokyo's record stands at 7 wins and 7 losses, an even score. On this day, referred to in sumo as "Senshuraku", it became a very important match for Tokyo, where a win would mean "winning record" and a loss would mean "losing record".

　The opponent in this crucial match is the strong team Shimizu S-Pulse, currently riding high in second place. This season, S-Pulse has a home game winning rate of "100%" and is currently on a remarkable nine-game winning streak. Although the championship of the first stage has already been decided in favor of Júbilo Iwata, winning this match would elevate them to second place, allowing them to earn a prize of 50 million yen, which adds to their motivation, making the match expected to be a tough contest.

　Tokyo had a winning record in last season's 1st stage (8 wins, 7 losses), and if they win this match, they will also have a winning record this season (8 wins, 7 losses), so they were determined to secure victory at all costs. At the venue in Nihondaira, about 400 supporters, including 100 participants from a bus tour that came from Tokyo, gathered to support the players with passionate cheers that surpassed the approximately 15,000 Shimizu S-Pulse supporters. With such strong backing away from home, they could not afford to lose. They wanted to win the last match of the 1st stage and carry that momentum into the 2nd stage in a good way.

Tokyo's 'Concentration' Overwhelmed S-Pulse

　As the match began, Tokyo immediately showed its "momentum." As head coach Okuma said before the match, "Let's put our all into the last game of the 1st stage and fight until the end," the team displayed a united front with a single goal—victory—showing even more determination than usual. In the 5th minute, Amaral made a powerful header from a right corner kick, and in the 7th minute, Sandro's lob was chest-controlled by Amaral, leading to a middle shot by Seigo KOBAYASHI. Although this shot missed the target, in the 8th minute, Amaral kept the ball in the front line and sent a perfect through pass to Kelly, who made a decisive shot from a dribble, but it was deflected by the goalkeeper. Furthermore, in the 10th minute, Yukihiko broke through on the right side and delivered an accurate cross to the center, where Amaral was waiting to unleash a perfect header, but this too was met with a fine save from the goalkeeper, preventing the ball from shaking the net.

　Tokyo established a solid base with Amaral and Kelly maintaining stable ball control at the forefront, creating the rhythm of the attack as Miura and Yukihiko joined in. Miura displayed veteran-like calmness in his situational judgment, easily distributing the ball directly, sometimes advancing smoothly with effective dribbling, and at times disrupting the opponent with bold runs into the frontline. Yukihiko also showed aggressive dribbling breakthroughs on the right side, delivering numerous crosses. Defensively, Sandro thoroughly marked the opponent's target man, Baron. Although the number of crosses was limited due to the solid response from Tokyo's full-backs, Fujiyama and Komine, as well as midfielders Seigo Kobayashi and Yukihiko, Sandro cleared the occasional balls that came in, and Tetsuya Ito covered the loose balls. Everyone maintained high concentration, overwhelming S-Pulse from the early stages.

Amaral scores the opening goal with a penalty! Leading 1-0 at halftime

　In the 20th minute, with Tokyo in the lead, Miura seized an opponent's passing error and, recognizing the numerical advantage, made a sharp dribble into the space on the left side. Amaral and Kelly timed their runs to break through vertically, causing the opposing defender to be drawn in, leaving Yukihiko free on the right side. Miura quickly delivered a superb cross with his left foot, and as Yukihiko controlled it and charged towards the goal, the opposing defender, who marked him late, fouled Yukihiko from behind, resulting in a penalty kick. Amaral calmly converted it with his right foot, giving Tokyo the long-awaited opening goal.

　Shimizu S-Pulse supplied sharp and precise balls from the back through Morioka and Toda, with game maker Sawatari and technician Hiramatsu developing the play into a two-top or on the sides to build their attack. However, at every stage, Tokyo maintained a numerical advantage, with forward Amaral even returning to the defensive line to clear the ball, exemplifying the "all-out defense, all-out attack" strategy that denied S-Pulse any scoring opportunities, ending the first half with a 1-0 lead.

Missing several clear chances, they were instead caught up in the final moments and went into extra time.

　As the second half began, S-Pulse launched a counterattack against a tired Tokyo, who had been pushing hard from the first half. In the 2nd minute, a free kick just outside the penalty area was taken by the master, Sawamoto, with a shot that seemed destined for goal, but goalkeeper Doi barely managed to punch it away. In the following 3rd minute, a superb cross from the right was delivered, and Baron headed the ball, but Doi caught it as well. After this, S-Pulse's Alex played aggressively, creating chances as if he were a different person from the first half, while Tokyo endured a tough period. However, with Doi at the center, everyone remained focused and played with determination, preventing S-Pulse from scoring.

　On the other hand, Tokyo is not staying silent. In the 10th minute, from a counterattack, the ball was passed from the left by Seigo KOBAYASHI to Miura, who followed up, and then to Kelly, who ran into the center. Kelly took a looping shot after seeing the opposing goalkeeper come out, but unfortunately it went just over the bar. Tokyo had more time being pressed, but they defended with concentration, and from a counterattack, Kelly and Amaral created chances with solid attacking plays.

　In the 29th minute, from Fujiyama's interception, Amaral connected with Fujiyama and Kelly, and finally, Kelly took a shot while free, but it went just to the right. Furthermore, in the 32nd minute, Kelly received a pass from Yukihiko on the right side, swiftly evading two opposing defenders who marked him, and charged towards the goal. It was a decisive moment with only one opposing defender left, but the communication with Amaral, who came to support, was poor, and once again, they could not score.

　Conversely, just after that, in the 34th minute, Alex received a pass inside the penalty area and easily scored a goal, bringing the game to a tie. In the unusually lively stadium, the Tokyo Eleven stood frozen in shock. Having maintained their concentration until then and with the number of decisive chances overwhelmingly in favor of Tokyo, the shock was significant.

　This completely shifted the pace in favor of S-Pulse. In the remaining time of the second half, Tokyo continued to be pressured, but with Doi at the center, they managed to hold on and avoid conceding an additional goal, leading the match into extra time.

A miraculous save by Dohi and a dramatic goal by Kelly

　In the closing moments of the second half, Tetsuya ITO, who had been putting his body on the line to prevent multiple crises, was substituted for Umeyama due to a cramp. As extra time began, KOBAYASHI was replaced by Kina. The substitutions of Umeyama and Kina helped Tokyo regain their rhythm after enduring the relentless attacks from Shimizu S-Pulse in the latter part of the second half, leading to an intense back-and-forth battle in the match.

　In Tokyo, there were consecutive chances with Miura's powerful left-footed shot in the 3rd minute, a breakthrough from Fujiyama's wall pass in the 4th minute, Kelly's volley from close range in the 10th minute, and once again Kelly's spectacular shot in the 13th minute, but they just couldn't score a V-goal. Conversely, just before the end of the first half of extra time in the 14th minute, Komine, tangled with an opposing forward in front of the goal from a cross delivered from the right, was awarded a penalty kick, facing the worst situation at a critical moment.

　The kicker is the free kick specialist, Sawatari. Of course, if he scores this, the match will end with a V goal for Shimizu S-Pulse. Behind Dohi, who is positioned with his arms wide open for the goal, a large number of Tokyo supporters were screaming in faith in Dohi. In the next moment, the ball kicked by Sawatari flew in a low trajectory to the bottom right corner of the goal, and Dohi reacted sharply, deflecting it out of the goal. Although they believed in Dohi, the Tokyo supporters went wild at this unbelievable situation. The chant for Dohi did not stop. Everyone involved with Tokyo was screaming. Immediately after that, the whistle signaling the end of the first half of extra time blew.

　And the climax came shortly after that. One minute into the second half of extra time, the ball was spread from the center to the right, and when Yukihiko sent in a cross, Kelly headed the ball into the net, just grazing the hands of the opposing goalkeeper who was desperately trying to react. The stadium echoed with a thunderous roar of cheers and screams, shaking with excitement. The Tokyo Eleven chased after Kelly, who exploded with joy and the biggest smile. Winning in the last game of the first stage, while being able to play the soccer the team wanted, must have been especially meaningful for the players. Facing the strong S-Pulse head-on resulted in a tough match, but the victory in a game that was the best with everyone united and with substance must have felt like something that would surely lead to the next step for both players and staff. With this historic victory, Tokyo has once again finished the first stage with a winning record, just like last year. This season, with Kelly's addition just before the opening, the team struggled to find its shape, but finally, towards the end of the first stage, a form began to emerge. Ending the first stage on a good note is significant and has given momentum heading into the second stage. On Saturday, August 11, in the opening match against Kashiwa, where a special event 'Fireworks Samba Night' will also be held, Tokyo will restart its journey aiming for the championship!

[Coach Okuma's Comment] The time we conceded a goal was when I was hesitating whether to make a substitution considering Tetsuya ITO's condition. However, after that, the players who came in did a great job both offensively and defensively. Overall, the first stage has the same win-loss record as last season, but I believe the fact that we haven't had consecutive losses this season shows our growth. There are many areas where we are performing well, but we still need to improve on making quicker decisions regarding individual roles and responsibilities. We need to correct this and enter the second stage, and I want to work hard again.