Can't lose! A crucial match against the in-form Yokohama F.Marinos

　Sec. 3, we will face Yokohama F.Marinos at home. Both teams are currently in good form with 2 wins each. It is expected to be a tough match, but it is a home game. We want to defeat F.Marinos with our attacking football.

　Sato returns to the right side half. In addition, Fujiyama, who has recovered from injury, replaces Shimohira, and Asari takes the position of Miura, who is injured, to make his first start of the season. On the bench, rookie MF Maeda (18 years old), MF Hoshi, and FW Matsuda (both 21 years old) are listed as fresh members. On the other hand, F. Marinos have returned with their best lineup, including key players DF Matsuda and MF Oku, who have returned from suspension, and Dutra, who has been injured.

Against In-Form F Marinos

The visitors for the third game of the season were the Yokohama F Marinos who, like F.C.TOKYO, had won both games so far. A tough match was expected, but Tokyo were able to welcome back Sato on the right wing. In place of the suspended Shimotaira, Fujiyama filled the left back position, Asari took the place of the injured Miura, and three new faces appeared on the bench: 18 year-old midfielder Maeda, midfielder Hoshi and forward Matsuda, both 21. The visitors fielded a full strength team, with Matsuda and Oku returning from suspension, and Dutra from injury.

Both teams refuse to give in, and a tight game unfolds.

　Shortly after the start, the combination on the left side was not working well and the ball often went out of bounds. However, in the 2nd minute, Kelly → Sato's combination resulted in a perfect cross from the right side. Although Amaral and Kobayashi were overlapping in front of the goal and couldn't take a shot, in the 8th minute, Sato cut inside from the right side and took a shot. With sharp attacks from the side, led by Sato, they threatened the goal of F. Marinos. Both teams quickly regained possession with direct passes and continued to attack at a high pace, making for an intense match.

　F. Marinos attempted a direct goal from a 30m FK by MF Nakamura in the 9th minute. In the 15th minute, Nakamura took another shot from a 20m FK, but GK Doi made a nice save. In FK situations, Nakamura was joined by MF Oku and FW Will as kickers, posing a real threat. However, in the 26th minute, Nakamura's powerful FK from the right side was also saved by Doi, avoiding a dangerous situation.

　Afterwards, both teams had tough defense and it was difficult to approach the opponent's goal. Around the 30-minute mark, F. Marinos started to attack. When Will received a return pass from FW Shimizu, he boldly aimed for the goal from outside the penalty area, but the ball was caught by Tsuchi. On the other hand, Tokyo had several sharp crosses from Sato, but the opponent's defense cleared them away in the 32nd minute.

　Both teams played a tight game, utilizing their own strengths while also effectively shutting down their opponent's strategies. The first half flew by in an instant.

Fast and Furious

The game began at a frantic pace with both sides playing one-touch football, but neither was able to impose itself on the wild midfield melee. For F.C.TOKYO, fleet footed winger Sato looked the most likely creator; he curled in a fine cross in the 2nd. minute and burst through the middle but shot wide six minutes later.
The F Marinos threat was restricted to free kicks and corners, but in Nakamura, Will and Oku they have three of the best dead ball specialists in the country, and goalkeeper Doi had to be extra vigilant as Tokyo gave away a series of free kicks within striking range. In the 26th. minute he dived full length to finger tip a Nakamura corkscrew around the post.
The pace began to slacken a little after the half hour mark and Will came into the game more for F Marinos. Neither side troubled the scorers but both played to their strengths and an entertaining first half ended 0-0.

Suffering from F. Marinos' tough defense, Will scores the opening goal.

　F. Marinos have a strong defensive awareness from the midfield to the final line, and the wing backs, Hato and Dutra, do not force themselves to attack, forming a solid defensive line. Tokyo is having a hard time breaking through that. On the other hand, F. Marinos' Oku and Nakamura are the key players in both offense and defense, and they attack from the center. Tokyo is forced to stop them with fouls, giving the impression that the game is being interrupted. In the first half, both teams had a fair number of fouls, but the game continued without feeling that due to quick restarts...

　In the 52nd and 57th minutes, they aimed for a direct goal from a free kick, and in the 60th minute, F. Marinos had three consecutive corner kicks. Although they escaped this pinch with a concentrated defense, in the 63rd minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack, but the combination of Seigo Kobayashi and Sato failed to break the goal line. In the 71st minute, following another corner kick from F. Marinos, in the 72nd minute, they allowed a shot from Nakamura in the penalty area. Although this shot was not a perfect hit, Doi caught it, but Tokyo was put at a disadvantage.

　And at the 75th minute, Seigo Kobayashi was surrounded in the midfield and lost the ball, and F. Marinos connected with Shimizu → Nakamura. Nakamura lifted the ball to the goal line, and Will, who had just barely stepped out of the offside line, made a header shot. This resulted in conceding the first goal.

Where there's a Will

F Marinos increased the pressure on F.C.TOKYO as the second half began, with wing backs Hato and Dutra supporting the attack and Nakamura and Oku controlling the midfield. Tokyo gave up several free kicks in dangerous positions and a series of corners in the 60th minute. However, the defense held strong and Tokyo almost took the lead on a quick counter attack three minutes later, but the ball went out of play. The home team was on the defensive, but seemed to have survived the onslaught when Masamitsu Kobayashi hesitated on the ball and was dispossessed by Shimizu. He passed to Nakamura, whose lofted through ball found Will just onside. The Brazilian striker headed the ball firmly past Doi for the first goal.

Never give up until the end! Kelly scores a dramatic equalizer!!

　Tokyo, who wants to make a comeback, substituted Sato for FW Matsuda, who made his first appearance this season, in the 80th minute. However, they struggled against the tough checks of Marinos' final line - Matsuda, Nakazawa, and Naza - who constantly pushed forward, and were unable to create effective attacking plays. They were unable to take a single shot in the second half, and as they continued to attack and lose possession, the final whistle felt imminent.

　However, the drama unfolds in the 4-minute stoppage time. Miyazawa perseveres and earns the team's first corner kick of the day. Shortly after substituting the injured Seigo Kobayashi with Hoshi, Miyazawa takes a quick right corner kick and Kelly perfectly heads it in near the goal post! The ball is sucked into the left corner of the goal, scoring a crucial equalizing goal for Kelly in the last minute!

　When entering extra time, Tokyo deployed a formation with Amaral and Matsuda as the top two, but F. Marinos had the upper hand. Tokyo still pushed their defensive line up and consistently caught the opposition offside, not allowing any scoring opportunities. Then, in the 110th minute, Nakamura sent a sharp ball into the box from a free kick near the right corner of the penalty area, and Naza headed it towards goal! It was a close-range shot, but Doi made a superb save! Matsuda picked up the rebound and took a shot, but it missed the target. Despite this major threat, Doi made multiple fine plays to keep the game tied until the end of the 120 minutes. In the end, it was a draw, but Tokyo showed their never-give-up attitude until the very end and earned a valuable point. It was a well-deserved draw, showcasing Tokyo's persistence of "never giving up until the end".

[Summary of the press conference by former coach] "It was a tough game. However, in the midst of the situation where Fumitake MIURA was injured in last week's game and Shimodaira was also suspended, I think Asari and Fujiyama, who started for the first time this season, did well. This season, we have been practicing a lot to aim for a style where players like Miura can jump out from the defensive midfield position. Asari has a different style, so I was hoping he could use Miyazawa well and focus on defense. As for the goal we conceded, Masamitsu KOBAYASHI always demands that he goes for the shot when the ball is taken away, but today he was a little slow in his decision making due to fatigue and ended up being beaten by player Shunsuke NAKAMURA. However, we managed to catch up in the very last chance. It's only one point, but considering the injuries and suspensions of key players, I think the players who played did well. In the future, we want to continue playing direct football like in the first half, with players getting involved more and more."

F.C.TOKYO Fight to the Finish!

Desperate for an equaliser Tokyo replaced Sato with Matsuda for his first appearance of the season, but the solid F Marinos back line held firm and restricted the home side to only one shot on target in the second half. F.C.TOKYO seemed to be heading for their first home defeat of the year as the clock ran down. Deep in the four minutes of added time, Miyazawa won Tokyo their first corner of the game and took it himself, curling the ball in for Kelly to power a fine header down and into the corner. Kelly disappeared under a mound of teammates and the fans celebrated a priceless goal as Tokyo had once again snatched a last gasp equaliser.
Buoyed by the goal, Tokyo regrouped for extra time and, with Amaral and Matsuda as twin strikers, took the game to the visitors. The defense pushed up, using the offside trap to deny the visitors a chance. In the 110th minute, F Marinos won a free kick just outside the corner of the penalty area. Nakamura thundered the ball towards the goal and Naza rose to bullet a header from point blank range for what seemed to be the winning goal. However, Doi, with almost superhuman reflexes, flung himself to his left for a breathtaking save. Matsuda put the rebound wide and Tokyo had survived again. The match wound down from that point and finished all square. The "Never say die" spirit of the team had earned a valuable point.

Manager Hara: "That was a hard game. With Miura out and Shimotaira suspended their replacements played very well. One of our ideas for the season is to get the defensive halves forward and we've been working on it training. Asari is a different type of player to Miura but we were looking for him to combine with Miyazawa in midfield. As for the goal we conceded, Kobayashi is always looking to take the ball on and shoot but I think a little tiredness crept in. But I have to hand it to the players for the way they fought to the end and tied the game with our last chance. The way we played in the first half, the one-touch passing and the way we moved the ball around, is the kind of football we are hoping to produce."