The ultimate showdown!? Take on the champion

　Sec. 9 will face Júbilo Iwata, who are currently leading the 2nd stage and were the champions of the 1st stage, at home. Tokyo has 4 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss so far. In the 5 games since September, they have drawn against Ichihara and Nagoya in the previous round, but have won all 3 games by a one-point margin, showing their strength in close matches. This match against the top-ranked Iwata holds great significance for Tokyo, who are currently in 3rd place with a 4-point difference. It can be said that this is a crucial match in the battle for the top spot. It was expected to be a tough match against the champions, but Tokyo wants to face it with their trademark teamwork and determination. In the rain, they will gather the expectations of over 22,000 fans and kick off a heated battle at the Japan National Stadium, the only venue for this season.

Despite being dominated, the chances are more than equal

　It was not easy to break through the strong defense of only 4 goals conceded in 8 games on the current stage, as well as the midfield with strong ball retention of Iwata. Although Tetsuya ITO actively ran up the right side and made a sharp cross at the beginning, the defense cleared it. Iwata gradually created their own rhythm by carefully passing the ball while taking care of Tokyo's attacks from the right side. They also sent vertical passes to the forwards Nakayama and Maeda, threatening the goal. Iwata tried to take advantage of set pieces against Tokyo's fouls. In the 7th minute, MF Hattori aimed for the goal from a direct free kick, but GK Doi caught it.

　Iwata, who quickly approaches the loose ball, dominates the midfield. In the 9th minute, MF Nishi, followed by MF Kanazawa and Fukunishi in the 10th minute, take consecutive shots from the middle range, but they are not able to score easily due to Doi's save. In the 12th minute, MF Fujita's corner kick is blocked by the post. In the following 14th minute, Hattori steals the ball in the midfield and quickly switches to an attack, but without forcing it, they slowly connect and Hattori takes a middle shot. The game continues in Tokyo's territory. However, Iwata, who uses many back passes and never forces anything, does not try to exploit the space by focusing on Tokyo's side attacks, but instead sends wedge balls to the center. In response, Tokyo's back line concentrates on defense, with a strong awareness of covering, and does not allow any decisive scenes to be created.

　On the other hand, Tokyo struggled to move forward even when they managed to take the ball at a low position. However, in the 20th minute, Amaral connected the ball from a withdrawn position to the right side. Sato attempted to break through and sent a sharp cross, but it was blocked by a collision with Fukuda, the defender. In the 23rd minute, Amaral picked up a clearance from the opponent's defender and connected again. He made a good decision to pass to the open space on the right side, and Sato dribbled in and took a powerful shot. Although it was saved by GK Van Zwam, they tried to find a way out with a counterattack and regain their rhythm. Then, in the 32nd minute, Sato stuck to the right side and sent a vertical pass behind the defender, where Kelly appeared and sent a ground ball to the center. Amaral jumped in, colliding with the goalkeeper, and the ball went into the goal! However, in the next moment, the referee made an unbelievable decision and called a foul on the keeper. The stadium was in an uproar, but the decision could not be overturned, and unfortunately, it became a "phantom opening goal".

　However, this play gave Tokyo Eleven the feeling that they could "take advantage of one chance". As Tokyo's spirits rose, Iwata's press stopped working, and in the 42nd minute, Kelly kept the ball in the midfield and Sato sent a sharp cross to the center of the goal where Fukuda headed it. However, Iwata's GK Oogami made a fine play and stopped the shot. From the resulting corner kick, Amaral headed the ball but the GK made another fine save. In the 44th minute, Kelly picked up a sloppy clearance from the opponent's DF and took a powerful shot, but the ball just grazed the DF and went left of the goal. In the end, there were no goals and the first half ended 0-0. However, despite being dominated, there were more than equal chances and they showed a fighting spirit that gave hope for the second half.

Miura scores first goal! Intense battle between Iwata and awakened team

　In the second half, Iwata, who wants to attack from both sides, substitutes Maeda for FW Shimizu. In the 48th minute, they quickly switched from defense to offense and showed a flowing pass work from Nakayama → Shimizu → Nishi → Fujita, but Shimizu's shot went over the goal. On the other hand, Tokyo also did not push too hard like in the first half, and in the 49th minute, they stopped the chance by putting an offside trap on the through pass to Nakayama, who had run behind the DF from Nishi. They try to play in their own rhythm. And in the 54th minute, when Miura, who had the ball in the midfield, entrusted it to Ito Tetsu on the right side, Ito sent a floating ball to the front of the goal. Amaral then sent it to Kelly, who was positioned in front of the post, and Miura, who had run in fiercely, took a shot! With Amaral's reliable post play and Miura's good judgment to run out, they broke through the center of Iwata's strong DF line and took a valuable lead!

　The pace of the game has suddenly increased and it has become more intense. In the 56th and 57th minutes, Iwata showed a fast attack by having FW Nakayama run vertically on the side and Shimizu receiving the ball in the center. However, Tokyo was able to mark them tightly and prevent them from taking a shot. In the 60th minute, Fujita took a free kick from the left side of the penalty arc and aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal, but Doi made a super save. They also defended against consecutive corner kicks. However, in the 64th minute, Nishi, who was free in the midfield, passed to Nakayama who was on the left side of the penalty area. Nakayama chested the ball and Kanazawa, who had run past the Tokyo defenders, took a shot with speed. This resulted in a goal and they were tied. Iwata put pressure on Tokyo, and in the 65th minute, MF Fukunishi took a powerful shot. Tokyo tried to counterattack, but they struggled to connect passes. Then in the 72nd minute, Fujita received a throw-in ball and ran towards the back of the goal. He then made a lob pass to Shimizu, who headed the ball into the goal, and they were scored a second goal thanks to Fujita's clever play.

　However, in the 73rd minute, Tokyo made a substitution, replacing Fukuda with Kaga, then in the 74th minute, replacing Asari with Kina, and in the 76th minute, replacing Komine with Yamao. Yamao, who was praised for his attacking abilities, entered the midfield, and the 3-back defensive line shifted to a formation where Miura provided support, turning the tide of the game. The effect was immediate, as in the 79th minute, Kina connected with Sato on the right side, and with a well-timed run, passed the opposing defenders and received a return pass from Sato, dribbling into the penalty area and sending in a cross. Kaga, who was waiting in front of the goal, made a direct shot and scored!! With this fantastic combination play, Tokyo equalized, and the excitement in the stadium reached its peak.

Despite acknowledging the difference in strength, let's proudly move on to the "next".

　"One more goal!" The stadium was filled with a sense of urgency...but it wasn't going to be easy. The Iwata players who had caught up had a different look in their eyes. Just two minutes after the equalizer in the 81st minute, Nishi took advantage of Tokyo's aggressive play and dribbled down the right side, passing a strong ground pass to the center. Sandro stretched his leg to reach it, but the cut was weak and unfortunately it fell in front of Shimizu's goal. Shimizu took advantage of this ball and scored, taking the lead. Once again, Tokyo was behind by one goal. However, Yamao continued to move from the midfield to the front line, and Sandro also joined in the counterattack with the rest of the team. But this forward thinking ended up backfiring. In the 85th minute, Iwata's DF Kawamura was left free in the midfield, and he took a bold shot. Although Tsuchi had initially saved it, the Tokyo DF couldn't react to the rebound. Shimizu was the first to reach the ball and scored the fourth goal. In the 86th minute, Sandro cleared Kawamura's dribble from a counterattack. However, due to a collision with Tsuchi, the goal was left wide open. Kawamura picked up the ball again, and in the end, ace Nakayama scored the final goal. The game was over with a 5-0 loss.

　In the end, we conceded 3 goals in the last 10 minutes. It was a bitter defeat that made us realize the difference in game management. Tokyo, who dropped to 5th place with this result, cannot give up. The "challenge" that we faced head on against the champions was not in vain. We cannot give up here. While acknowledging the difference in strength, we want to use this defeat as motivation and move forward with our heads held high towards tomorrow.

[Manager Suzuki's comments] "In the first half, our backline pushed up and our midfielders were too close together, causing our balance to be disrupted. We were saved by our goalkeeper's performance in some parts. In the second half, our center backs pushed our midfielders forward to maintain balance and we tried to press in the midfield. In attack, we aimed to dominate the midfield and play with a good rhythm, using direct passes or changes in speed to break through on both sides. At Jubilo, we have to win even with this kind of performance. After being tied, our players showed on the field that they have the mentality of "we have to win if we want to become champions"."

[Manager Okuma's Comment] "(What's regrettable is) the difference in team balance and experience when we conceded the third goal. Iwata had their strengths, but looking back, we needed to maintain a stable position and mindset when it became 2-2. However, football is a difficult sport, and resting at that moment could have also been a disadvantage... In any case, both individually and as a team, there may have been areas where our decision-making was lacking. The players were in a situation where they had no choice but to challenge, and I think they did a good job of challenging. The most important thing now is to not let this affect us and to switch our focus to the next game."