To remain in the championship race...

　For Tokyo, aiming for their first title, the match against Nagoya on this day became an important battle that would determine their future. Currently in 3rd place, Tokyo has 14 points, while 1st place Antlers has 19 and 2nd place Jubilo has 16. In this round, the top two teams will directly compete against each other, so if Tokyo can secure points (by winning against Nagoya), the gap with the top two teams will significantly decrease. On the other hand, if Tokyo (currently in 5th place with 12 points) loses to Nagoya, they will not only drop in rank, but also fall back from the championship race. The next round will be a crucial match for Tokyo, who will face Jubilo, but Nagoya will also be in a tough situation as they cannot afford to lose.

　Tokyo faced Miura, while Nagoya had to play without Weslley and Yamaguchi (due to accumulated warnings), both teams missing key players. The game, played under the clear autumn sky, was held at the beautiful and brand new "Toyota Stadium", reminiscent of Italy's San Siro Stadium. Kickoff was at 2:30 PM.

Tokyo Defense Struggles! In the early stages, Tokyo takes control.

　The match quickly turned into a fierce battle of plays and a speedy game of switching between offense and defense. Both teams pressed hard in every situation, with Tokyo trying to wedge through to top player Amaral, but facing tough man-to-man marking from Nagoya's defender Koga, they were unable to establish a base and send Fukuda running behind the Nagoya defense line with a long ball. However, this was also met with strong defense and they were unable to create any clear chances. On the other hand, Nagoya's Sakai acted as the starting point in the midfield, with Urida, Okayama, and Nakamura making quick passes to break through, but their final passes near the goal lacked accuracy and they were also unable to create any decisive chances. The concentration of Tokyo's defense was high, with Sandro perfectly shutting down Nagoya's forward Marcelo, and Komiya, Ito, and Fujiyama shutting out the opponent's attacks with sharp movements. In particular, Ito, who was playing with a brace on his injured left hand, showed a perfect performance on both offense and defense, stealing the ball from the opponent on the right side and smoothly joining in on the attack. Captain Shimohira, who made his first appearance in a while, initially seemed a bit lost, but gradually regained his game sense and led the team with a spirited performance, sacrificing his body in front of the defense line.

　Tokyo, who wants to set the rhythm, gathers the ball to Kelly and tries to challenge by moving the ball quickly and finding a way out through Yukihiro and Fukuda's vertical rushes on the side. The first chance came in the 11th minute, when Yukihiro passed the ball to the center from a right throw-in, and Kelly, who ran into it, took a strong shot, but unfortunately it went to the right of the goal. However, from this shot, Tokyo's attacking rhythm improved, and Kelly, Amaral, Fukuda, and Yukihiro started to create chances with precise passing exchanges in front of the goal. In the 24th minute, Kelly broke through vertically on the left side from Fujiyama's pass, and Yukihiro ran into it and took a sliding shot, but unfortunately it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Immediately after that, Amaral aimed for an overhead kick from Kelly's cross from the left, but it missed to the right of the goal.

Despite conceding the first goal, Amaral's fourth consecutive goal equalized the score!

　In the 29th minute, while the game was progressing at a Tokyo pace, Nagoya MF Nakamura broke through the right side after taking advantage of a momentary gap that had been pressing forward overall. Nakamura then advanced into the penalty area. Nakamura brought the ball all the way to the goal line and crossed it quickly to the center, where Nagoya FW Marcelo ran in and headed it in front of GK Doi. Tokyo, while pushing forward, once again (for the fourth consecutive game) allowed the first goal after being caught off guard for a moment.

　Tokyo, trailing by one point, made a cross from the right side through Shimodaira and Yukihiko at the 33rd minute. Amaral was free in the center and took a shot, but it missed just slightly. On the other hand, at the 35th minute, they were counterattacked and Nagoya MF Okuyama took a free shot from the left, grazing the ball off of Doi's hand and hitting the bar. Tokyo, who had escaped danger, immediately took a shot from Shimodaira at the center of the goal after a pass from Kelly, who had broken through the right side, but the ball hit the top of the bar. Tokyo, who desperately wanted to equalize in the first half, continued to attack with force, but time ran out in stoppage time. Just when everyone thought the first half would end like this, a long pass from Fujiyama to Fukuda on the front line was made, and Fukuda, who had received a persistent charge from the opposing DF, passed it to Amaral, who had drifted to the left side. Amaral, who received the pass from Fukuda, challenged the opposing DF in a 1:1 match and swung his right foot sharply from a one-fake in the penalty area, and the shot shook the Nagoya GK Narazaki's desperate save and hit the back of the net.

　The first half ended just after this, and Tokyo equalized in the last minute with Amaral's fourth consecutive goal, bringing the game back to a tie.

The intense battle that neither side could give up ended in a draw after 90 minutes...

　The match entered the second half, showing more intense attacks and defenses than the first half. Tokyo, which had fallen behind, returned to the starting point with Amaral's dramatic goal. In the 4th minute, Shimodaira passed to Fukuda, who then passed to Shimodaira who ran into the penalty area, where Fukuda returned with a perfect heel pass. Shimodaira then brought the ball near the goal and took a shot, but it narrowly missed to the right. However, Shimodaira's aggressive play gave courage to the team.

　On the other hand, Nagoya also had a chance in the 7th minute when a cross from the right side was cleared by a Tokyo defender, but the ball was too small and the shot from outside the penalty area went over the bar. In the 9th minute, Urida took a powerful shot from about 30 meters in front of the goal, but it went wide to the right.

　Tokyo was not silent either. In the 11th minute, Kelly's cross from the right side flowed to the opposite side, and Fukuda kept it on the left side and sent a perfect through pass to Asari who had come up. Asari made a beautiful cross, but unfortunately it was cleared. In the second half, Tokyo added depth by having Shimodaira and Asari always participate in the attack, and started to launch a flowing attack. In the following 12 minutes, Kelly became free in front of the goal and the ball fell from a scramble, but Kelly's attempt to dribble was stopped just short.

　Tokyo showed a high level of concentration in their defense. In the 23rd minute, Urida, who was in the center after a quick attack from Nagoya, passed to Marcelo on the left. Marcelo made a one-touch and broke through to the goal, but Komine barely caught up and cleared the ball. It was a decisive moment, but Komine's excellent defense saved Tokyo from danger. In the 38th minute, Nagoya connected the ball from a right corner kick, but Tokyo's defense cleared it. In the end, a powerful diving header was shot from a close distance in front of the goal, but GK Doi escaped with a "super save" and avoided danger. Although Tokyo had more chances, they were determined to score the winning goal and their attacking mindset caused them to invite danger from counterattacks. However, thanks to GK Doi and the defense's hard work, they did not allow Nagoya to score any additional points.

　Tokyo changed the rhythm by inserting Kina in the 27th minute and further increased their attacking power by inserting the in-form Kagami in the 39th minute. In the previous four matches, they had achieved good results with this pattern, and although there was little time left, they gave us plenty of hope. In the 41st minute, the ball fell to Amaral in front of the goal in a chaotic situation, but he was blocked by the Nagoya defenders when he tried to cut inside. After that, both teams attempted 2-3 counterattacks, but the final pass was not accurate enough to create a clear chance. In stoppage time, Kelly broke free from a counterattack and took a shot in a one-on-one situation with the Nagoya defenders, but it hit the defenders and did not result in a goal. As a result, the match ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes and went into extra time.

Fierce attacks and numerous decisive strikes were not enough, resulting in a disappointing draw...

As the game went into extra time, Tokyo completely took control. With Kaga's addition, Tokyo now has a focal point in the front line other than Amaral. Kaga provides stability on the left side, creating opportunities for Kelly, Kina, and Amaral to move the ball forward with confidence. This has also allowed for good passes to Yukihiro on the right side.

　30 seconds into the start of the first half of extra time, a perfect cross from Yukihiro on the right was met by a waiting Amaral in the center, who headed the ball freely but unfortunately hit the top bar. In the 3rd minute, Yukihiro once again sent a cross from the right, this time met by Kelly's header, but it went over the bar. In the 4th minute, Yukihiro cut in from the right and took a left-footed shot, but it was caught by Nagoya's goalkeeper. In the following 5 minutes, Yukihiro sent another perfect cross from the right, this time met by Kelly's header at the perfect timing, but the shot was saved by Nagoya's goalkeeper, denying a goal. In the 9th minute, Kagaami broke through on the right and sent a cross, once again finding a completely free Kelly in the center, who executed a jumping volley with perfect timing, but the ball went wide to the left of the goal. And then, the climax at the 14th minute, Yukihiro broke through deep on the right and sent a pass to Kagaami, who was waiting freely in the center, but his left-footed shot from close range went over the bar. The first half of extra time was coming to an end. How many perfect opportunities have they created? In a moment of thought, Nagoya launched a counterattack and quickly broke through the defense, with defender Nakatani taking a powerful left-footed shot from inside the penalty area, but goalkeeper Doi made a "miraculous" save, pushing the ball out. With Doi's best save of the season, the game entered the second half of extra time.

　Tokyo's fierce attack continued even in the extended second half. In the 7th minute, Kina broke through the left side and passed to Kagami in the center. From Kagami to Toda, back to Kagami, and finally Kagami took a powerful volley shot, but it missed to the right of the goal. In the 13th minute,

Amaral dribbled in from the right and took a shot from close range, but it went over the bar. "Is the goal at Toyota Stadium smaller than the standard size?" The shots in extra time all missed, making it seem that way. The game ended in a 120-minute draw, which was a painful result for Tokyo, who were hoping for a win.

　Now, it's finally time for the "Tennozan" showdown against Jubilo. The balance of the game against Nagoya on this day was not bad, but we want to quickly switch our mindset to the result of a "draw". We will make the best preparations in a short time and welcome Jubilo to the only national stadium this season!

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

It is true that the final push and accuracy were lacking, but there were chances. It was a disappointing result, thinking "if only we had scored one goal." There were also moments where we shot instead of passing, showing a lack of judgement. We need to improve this judgement. One positive thing is that in the past few games, the performance of substitute players has been noticeable. I believe the team's overall strength is definitely improving. This does not mean that our chances of winning are gone. Next is a direct confrontation. We want to switch our mindset and fight.