2nd Stage Kickoff! Will it be a feverish summer night celebration with samba and fireworks!?

　The opening match of the 2nd stage will be against Kashiwa Reysol at home. It is a match that will determine the future, and also the opponent that we had a great victory against in the 1st stage. We are excited to see what kind of game Tokyo will show us after the interval. Kashiwa, under new coach PERRYMAN, will also have high expectations for this match. On this night of "Fireworks Samba Night (also known as Brazil Day)", the anticipation for a great match is high. Tokyo will stick to their usual 4-5-1 formation. Kashiwa will play with a 3-5-2 formation, with Yanagi and Kii as the two top players, and Hong and Myojin as the double pivot. Before kick-off, there was a celebration for the FC Tokyo U-18 team, who won the Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) on the 5th of this month. In addition, the stadium was filled with excitement as about 30 dancers (including the band, for a total of 60 people!) who performed at the Asakusa Samba Carnival paraded through the stadium. The match kicked off at 6:30 PM in the rain.

Despite being dominated, Yukihiko who breathes out scores the long-awaited opening goal!

　Early in the game, Sato crosses from the right side and Kashiwa FW Yanagi breaks through the left side and takes a shot in the first minute. However, after that, Kashiwa tries to dominate the game by defending compactly and attacking with a fast overall press. Tokyo struggles to move forward even when they steal the ball in a low position. Sato crosses from the right multiple times and tries to break through the DF line, but Kashiwa's central DFs defend tightly and prevent any shots. From the center, Miura actively moves forward and makes a run behind Kashiwa's DF line in the 23rd minute, but the pass is intercepted. On the other hand, Kashiwa also tries to build up their attack by passing to Hong and Myojin, but MF Ono's passes are often cut off. The wingbacks do not force themselves to join the attack, and occasionally long balls are sent from deep in the midfield, but FW Huang struggles to create chances as Tokyo's DFs mark him tightly.

　At 27 minutes, Kelly ran into the penalty area from Amaral's post and passed to Miura on the right. Miura dribbled past the defender and took a shot in the center, but it went over the goal. Despite Kashiwa's dominance, they were vulnerable to counterattacks due to their shallow defensive line. In the 34th minute, Kelly intercepted a pass in their own half and passed it to Amaral, who then passed it to the front line. Kelly, who had overtaken Amaral, received the ball again and passed it to the right side. Sato, who had timed his run perfectly, took a first touch and scored a goal! With an amazing combination of Amaral, Kelly, and Sato, Tokyo takes the lead.

　Afterwards, Tokyo often gives FKs to Kashiwa who counterattacks, but their defense is solid and they do not allow any goals. On the other hand, in the 42nd minute, Sandro's header from Kelly's FK without a left angle is blocked by the post. Despite being dominated, they create chances on the side and head into the second half with an advantage in terms of game flow.

Sae Yukihiro, Kelly pulls away... but

　Tokyo supporters who were able to enjoy the fireworks outside the stadium during halftime with a comfortable lead must have been intoxicated. However, in the second half, Kashiwa made a substitution, bringing in FW Kitajima for DF Negi. They also moved Hong to DF, and placed Myojin as a single defensive midfielder, with Yanagi and Ono as double playmakers, creating a more attacking formation. Tokyo also made a substitution, bringing in Masuda for Kobayashi, who was unable to make an impact on the left side. In the 52nd minute, Kelly kept the ball in a crowded area in front of the goal, and Miura made a run on the left side, receiving a pass from Kelly, but his shot was easily caught by GK Minami. Both teams showed determination and quickly switched between offense and defense. In the 55th minute, Kashiwa's left wingback Hirayama made a sharp cross, which GK Doi initially punched away, but MF Watanabe picked up the loose ball and passed it to Ono, who made a powerful shot from a distance. This equalized the score in an instant, thanks to Ono's quick decision and strong play.

　After that, the offense and defense were hectic, and in the 62nd minute, Kashiwa's counterattack saw Yellow break free and shoot a looping shot, but it went wide. In the 64th minute, on the contrary, Tokyo's Miura broke through the DF and faced the GK one-on-one, but was saved by Minami. Gradually, both teams committed more fouls and allowed chances to open up. In the 71st minute, Tokyo substituted Ashari for Kina. With Kina keeping possession and getting involved in the attack, Tokyo found their rhythm. In the 75th minute, Kina intercepted a pass in the midfield. Kelly, who received the ball, quickly passed it to the right side, and this time Sato dribbled up the open space, feinted past the approaching DF, and crossed it back in. Kelly was there to easily score! With a flowing attack, Tokyo pulled away from Kashiwa.

　However, Kashiwa did not give up and immediately after that, Hong attacked from the counter and MF Watanabe's sharp cross was headed by Kitajima. It was almost a goal, but it missed to the left of the goal. In the 79th minute, Kelly's shot, who had escaped behind the DF, seemed to be a goal, but it was offside. Both teams continued to fight and entered into extra time. Tokyo's victory was within reach...

　In the 3 minutes of stoppage time, Komine's clearance leads to a CK. Although Tsuchi has saved it with ease, most of the Kashiwa players were already up in front of the goal. Then, Tsuchi's big kick reaches the opponent's GK, and Myojin → Ohno connects to send a long ball to the front line. CB Watanabe Takeshi, who ran into the penalty area with this accurate ball, stretches out his leg with all his might and touches it, and Yanagi scores. As the Tokyo players let the ball go, the game returns to a tie with Kashiwa's last play.

Unfortunately, it ended in a draw...

　The rain that had temporarily stopped started pouring again during the extra time, turning the match into a battle of attrition on the pitch with humidity over 85 percent. But we can't give up here. In the 94th minute, Kelly heads a cross from Sato, but it hits the post... In the 97th minute, Kashiwa substitutes Ohno for defender Irie, positioning him on the left side in a 4-back formation to mark Sato and thoroughly defend against Tokyo's attacks from the right side. Just before the end of the first half of extra time, Doi makes a nice save on Kitajima's header! Both teams miss big chances and the second half of extra time becomes a frantic back-and-forth of "who will be lucky?" In the 115th minute, Kii heads a cross from the left by Kitajima, almost scoring a V-goal? But it narrowly misses to the left of the goal and time is up. Tokyo received a strong boost from the rhythm of samba for 120 minutes, but the game ends in a 2-2 draw.

　After the end of the match, coach PERRYMAN said, "We got off to a good start in the 2nd stage." However, for Tokyo, it was a frustrating game where they were denied victory with 3 points in sight. But on the other hand, they were able to withstand Kashiwa's counterattack without losing momentum even in extra time, which will lead to the next game. Without dragging this battle as a damage, we want to approach the next match with confidence and erase the bad image.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

"With Kina's entry in the second half, the game progressed as I had imagined, thanks to his efforts. However, in the end, our line dropped too low and we lacked concentration, which unfortunately led to our defeat. However, in the extra time, we were able to create chances without losing our balance, even though we expected a counterattack battle. Although we ended up with a draw, we want to switch our mindset and focus on the next match."