The true value of the team's strength will be tested in the crucial moment.

　Kelly, Tetsuya ITO, Miura, Kagemi... and injuries continue. And in this round, Tokyo will face Yokohama F.Marinos, the winner of the Nabisco Cup, without Amaral due to accumulated warnings, making it a difficult lineup. Moreover, in the remaining 5 rounds, they will face teams fighting for relegation to J2 and teams competing for the top spot like Kashima, and the pressure will be different from usual as they face opponents with different motivations. This is truly a critical moment where the team's strength will be put to the test.

　Among them, today's starting members are Fukuda as the 1 top, Sato on the right in the midfield, Kaburagi in the center, Kobayashi Masamitsu on the left, with Shimohira and Asari as the defensive midfielders, and on the DF line from the right, Komine, Yamao, Sandro, and Fujiyama. And on the bench are GK Ozawa, FW Toda, as well as fresh members DF Kobayashi Minoru, MF Miyazawa, and FW Enomoto, making their first appearance in the league this season.

Marinos attack, Tokyo struggles

　The match progressed at the pace of F. Marinos. In the 7th minute, Tokyo's Kagamiki cut off F. Marinos' back pass and passed it to Sato, who was free on the left side and approached the goal, but his long dribble went over the goal line and they were unable to create any chances after that. F. Marinos had a free kick and corner kick in the 5th minute, and MF Nakamura took a shot from a distance in the 12th minute. In the 17th minute, Nakamura aimed for the goal again from a free kick, followed by two consecutive corner kicks. In the 20th minute, they had another corner kick and created 5 shots from set pieces, but on the other hand, Tokyo's Asari took the first shot in the 28th minute and they were put at a disadvantage.

　F. Marinos dominated the ball with a solid defense from the double pivot of Endo and Kaneko, while Nakamura moved around freely. CB Matsuda also frequently pushed forward. Tokyo's right side was pushed back by the aggressive play of left MF Dutra, and they struggled to counterattack from a defensive position.

　At 30 minutes, F. Marinos' Matsuda ran to the front line and tried to receive a pass from Shiroyuki and take a shot. However, just after at 31 minutes, Tokyo's Fukuda jumped out behind the defense to take a long ground pass from Komine and took a bold shot. Unfortunately, it hit the side net, but at 33 minutes, Sato headed in a cross and gave us a glimpse of hope for a goal... At 36 minutes, Dutra on the left side of F. Marinos passed to Nakamura in the center, who exchanged passes with Shiroyuki and took a soft shot. At 37 minutes, Nakamura and Shiroyuki exchanged passes again, and this time Shiroyuki took the shot. From this play, we got a corner kick and Komura took a header shot, but neither of them were able to score. Finally, in stoppage time, Tokyo quickly turned from defense to offense and Sato crossed, but it just missed Fukuda. It was a first half where only Yamao and Komine's defense stood out, but we didn't allow any goals and went into the second half with a 0-0 score.

Despite being scored on first by Shunsuke Nakamura, Toru Kaburagi quickly equalizes with a fine goal.

　In the second half, F. Marinos substituted FW Britto, who was injured, with FW Yasunaga. The game became a back-and-forth of interceptions. Although the ball went back and forth in the midfield, neither team was able to create a clear chance, and in the 53rd minute, MF Hirama of F. Marinos took a dribble shot from a distance, which was the first shot for both teams combined.

　Tokyo, who tried to break out of the stalemate situation, made a move. In the 54th minute, rookie Miyazawa, who made his first appearance in the league, replaced Shimohira, and in the 58th minute, forward Toda replaced Kobayashi. Kagami was placed at the top, Fukuda on the left midfield, Toda in the center, and Miyazawa in the defensive midfield. From here, both teams were finally able to establish a rhythm of attack and defense.

　However, despite Tokyo's intention to attack, in the 67th minute, F. Marinos' Matsuda dribbled up and passed to Dutra on the left, who then crossed to Nakamura for a header. In the 69th minute, Nakamura's dribble once again resulted in a free kick in front of the goal. As expected, Nakamura and midfielder Endo are a threat when they have the ball, and they work together with the movements of forwards Yasunaga and Jo to create attacking opportunities. And finally, in the 73rd minute, after goalkeeper's kick, Jo headed the ball to the front line, where Yasunaga received it and passed it to the left with a heel kick. Nakamura, who had been running with speed, then took a shot from around the left corner of the penalty area and scored. Despite being at a disadvantage, they allowed the first goal to be scored, which felt like a heavy burden.

　However, Tokyo tried to attack with the combination of Fukuda and Fujiyama from the left side, as the right side was always being held back. In the 75th minute, just after F. Marinos substituted Ueno for Kaneko, Fukuda received the ball from Fujiyama and returned it. Fujiyama then dribbled into the center and passed to Miyazawa, who sent a perfect ball behind the opposing DF. Sato, who was competing with the DF on the right side, stretched out his leg and tried to head the ball towards the center. Toda, who was trying to head the ball, was lured in and Kagami jumped in at the drop point and took a direct shot! The equalizer goal was scored, dampening the spirits of F. Marinos who were trying to gain momentum!

　Tokyo, which has been energized by this, in the 78th minute, Toda, who broke through behind the DF using his speed, received a through pass from Miyazawa! However, the opposing GK Enomoto quickly approached and caught it. Miyazawa also, in the 80th minute, immediately aimed for a middle shot when he saw that there was no place to pass. Although this was saved by the GK in front of him, his bold attitude of trying to shoot and break through with a pass showed a fresh challenge that is typical of Tokyo. In the 86th minute, Enomoto, who made his first appearance at the top, was substituted for Fukuda. Both teams lacked a decisive factor and the game was not settled in the 90 minutes. It went into extra time.

Ending in a draw, but shining on fresh players

　Tokyo, Enomoto enters the left midfield, and Miyazawa from the defensive midfielder also moves to the left to support, and Yamao moves up from the center to the right side to attack. In the 94th minute of the first half of extra time, Sato's sharp cross is cleared by the DF in the center, and Toda picks up the loose ball and takes a shot. The ball went to the right of the goal, but Tokyo showed their attacking style. F. Marinos, on the other hand, steals the ball at the DF line and Matsuda attacks and threatens the goal. In the 96th minute, they launch a quick attack, and in the end, Doi's clearance ball ends up right in front of Matsuda, who was attacking... It was almost a decisive shot from a very close range, but it hit the side net, and Tokyo was saved. In the 101st minute, F. Marinos brings in speedy FW Kijima, but as the second half of extra time begins, the whole team starts to show signs of fatigue, and Tokyo picks up all the loose balls and connects them. However, the next pass is read and intercepted. In the 108th minute, they give a free kick in the center of Tokyo's territory, and Castle heads Nakamura's free kick, but Doi catches it firmly. In the 112th minute, Kobayashi Minoru, who is also making his first appearance as a top player, replaces the injured Asari, but in the end, neither team gives in and the final whistle blows.

　After the game, Coach Okuma talked about actively using players, saying, "We were in a very disadvantageous situation, but instead of just trying to hold on and get one point, I wanted us to have the mindset of transitioning from defense to offense. I think everyone had the desire to win and the players who came on trusted their abilities and wanted to "go for the win". In the second half, we saw that aspect and the team was functioning better than in the first half." While it was a game that ended in a draw and there are still challenges to overcome, the result of one point may have been even more valuable for "Tomorrow's Tokyo". It was a game full of potential.

【Coach Lazaroni's Comments】"FC Tokyo had a clear strategy of dropping back and launching counter attacks from the beginning, and they didn't give us much space. However, even in that limited space, I think we were able to create chances. After Britt got injured, we faced the second half with a two-top of Yasunaga and Jo, and we continued to send diagonal passes to the front line and have our forwards interact with the post and make runs. The opening goal came from a brilliant run by Nakamura, but we let our guard down and made a silly mistake that led to a goal. Our failure to capitalize on the time we dominated was the reason for our defeat. The exhaustion of our players was also a big blow."

[Manager Okuma's Comment] "With so many injured players and inexperienced members playing in a tough J1 match, we knew this was how the game would unfold. While we are not satisfied with the result, it was a good opportunity to see new players grow. However, we also realized that we lacked the strength to win this type of game. As a team and as individuals, we need to push ourselves even harder and step up to the next level in order to win these types of matches."