It's a home game, win and advance to the final round tournament!

　Currently leading Group B with 10 points, Tokyo is running in first place. If they can earn 1 point this round, they will secure their spot in the final round on their own. Even with a draw, or if second place Shimizu S-Pulse loses, they will advance to the qualifying round. However, this is their last home game before the Club World Cup. They want to win comfortably and advance in first place, welcoming the semifinal round at home.

　Tokyo Verdy 1969, who also has 4 points and is in 3rd place, still has a chance to advance to the tournament. Naturally, they will come with all their might to win. It will be a crucial match for both teams.

　Both the starting and substitute members have remained unchanged since Sec. 3, with a kickoff at 7pm at the Japan National Stadium.

Unable to finish despite overwhelming Verdy

　Tokyo attacks Verdy's goal from the start of the first half. In the 2nd minute, Kelly and Fukuda make a one-two pass and enter the penalty area. In the 7th and 9th minutes, Fukuda and Fujiyama send sharp crosses into the goal area, winning consecutive corner kicks. In the 11th minute, Hoshi traps a pass from behind with his chest and takes a shot in the penalty area. In the 13th minute, Miyazawa presses in the midfield and steals the ball, then takes a middle shot. In the 15th minute, Kelly, Hoshi, and Miyazawa connect for a quick attack, and in the 16th minute, Fukuda breaks through the defense from a pass by Shimodaira. However, Verdy's defense line is strong and they are not easily able to score a goal.

　On the other hand, Verdy, with FW Edmundo completely withdrawn to the midfield, tries to use that as a starting point, but even if they manage to steal the ball at the final line, they become prey to Tokyo's press and are unable to connect passes.

　At 19 minutes, Kelly caught Verdy's FK and counterattacked. Toda flew out from a pass from Hoshi, but unfortunately it was offside. At 23 minutes, Fukuda stole the ball from a tough check in front of the goal and took a shot, but it was off target. At 29 minutes, Ito crossed from a deep position on the right side, but the opponent's DF cleared it. Star followed up on the ball that rose high in the penalty area and took a volley shot from just in front of the right goal area, but unfortunately it hit the GK's face. At 34 minutes, Kelly headed the ball from a right CK, but it narrowly missed the left goal. Tokyo had momentum up until the goal, but they couldn't finish due to Verdy's slow rhythm.

　Verdy made a breakthrough on the left side with FW Hiramoto in the 39th minute. MF Yamada attempted a long-range shot from a cleared cross, but this was their first shot. In the 43rd minute, MF Soma crossed from a corner kick and Hiramoto took a shot from the loose ball, but both attempts missed the goal.

　In the 44th minute, Tokyo's Verdy GK flew out to punch Miyazawa's accurate CK. Kelly pushed in the loose ball, but the opposing DF blocked it just before it could go in. Unable to take advantage of the chance, the first half ended with a score of 0-0.

Conceded the first goal with Edmundo's penalty kick

　Tokyo continued to attack without losing momentum in the second half. In the 46th minute, they took a corner kick from Hoshi's cross, and in the 49th minute, Fukuda stole the ball and launched a counterattack. However, Kelly's cross was cleared by Verdy's DF and neither attempt resulted in a finish. As the attacking line gradually pushed forward and the DF line began to open up, space was created and Verdy was able to dominate.

　However, in the 52nd minute, DF cleared Erik's FK. They also defended well against two CKs, and in the 53rd minute, FW Marquinhos managed to break through the DF's defense, but Ito stopped him with a brave tackle... In the following 55th minute, Marquinhos once again broke through the DF's defense and faced off against Doi in a 1v1 situation in the penalty area. Doi was judged to have committed a foul and gave Verdy a PK. In the 57th minute, Edmundo scored this PK, giving Tokyo their first goal against and their first loss in the Nabisco Cup.

Amaral, with Miyazawa's passionate goal, achieved a magnificent comeback victory!!

　Tokyo, who have kept a clean sheet for 4 consecutive games, have been feeling down when their record was broken. However, this time, they were different. In the 58th minute, Amaral was substituted for Toda, and the momentum of the game changed. Shortly after, a free kick from the right side was contested by Amaral and the opposing DF in front of the goal, and Jean headed the ball. The ball hit the back of the net, but unfortunately, it was ruled as a foul and the goal was disallowed.

　After that, there were scenes where the timing of the press was slightly off and Verdy was attacked, but they managed to overcome it. In the 64th minute, Kelly received a pass from the right side and crossed it in front of the goal. Amaral then struck the ball with a powerful header, scoring a goal! This equalizer from the reliable ace came at a crucial moment, bringing the game back to square one.

　There was no thought of "a draw is good" for FC Tokyo players here. In the 69th minute, Fukuda headed a free kick from Miyazawa on the right side. In the 73rd minute, Jean aimed for a free kick just outside the penalty area, which was obtained due to the opponent GK's hand.

　However, Verdy also fought back with intense play as S-Pulse was leading at this point and a draw would leave them with no chance. In the 71st minute, speedy MF Sakurai was substituted for Hiramoto. The game continued with a rapid exchange of attacks and defenses.

　Tokyo also replaced Sato with Hoshi in the 74th minute and approached the game with a winning attitude. In the 77th minute, Fukuda headed a cross from the right side by Kaji → Sato. In the 78th minute, Amaral received a pass from Shimohira and took a shot, but both were caught by the GK. However, Tokyo did not let up their attacking stance and in the 87th minute, Kelly received a pass from Kaji who had brought the ball into the space on the right side, after connecting with a kick from Doi. Seeing that the Verdy DF was marking tightly in front of the goal, Kaji passed to the space near the penalty arc. Miyazawa, who had made a run, confidently swung his left foot and the ball flew past the outstretched hand of GK Takakuwa and pierced into the left corner of the goal with tremendous force!!　

　After Miyazawa scored a goal that seemed to be filled with his "feelings", Verdy took the lead. In the 88th minute, rookie Maeda was substituted for Fukuda. In a formation close to a triple midfield, Verdy managed to withstand their fierce comeback and the game ended.

　With a passionate come-from-behind victory, we secured 3 points and advanced to the top of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league. Additionally, while we still have the final match away at Shimizu in 2 days, we have remained undefeated in our home games this season and will enter the J-League's break period.

[Player Miyazawa's Comment] "I wanted to win and secure first place today, so I'm glad I scored a goal at that time and we won. The key to victory was not panicking even when we were behind. Our goal is to win the championship. We want to believe in our potential and do our best. We also want to win on the 12th and continue in the league."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "I talked to the players about going for the win in order to advance in first place in the qualifiers. However, even though we created good opportunities, we couldn't score in the end. In the midst of that, we were caught on the counter and also gave Marquinhos a free kick. Due to the tough schedule, we couldn't keep up with the pressing from the front line and ended up playing more slowly, but our balance has improved. So our challenge is to score goals. We need to improve our accuracy because sometimes we lack the power in crucial moments. Even when we were down, the players didn't give up and had the desire to come back. Amaral and Yukihiko also did well coming off the bench, and Miyazawa has shown steady growth while playing the full game. However, we want to play a game of soccer that will make the fans happy and have more people come to watch. For that, we still need more finishing power."

[Verdy Lori's press conference summary] "It was a very speedy game and both teams showed a fighting spirit. Until the 30th minute of the first half, FC Tokyo led the game, but in the last 15 minutes, space opened up and Verdy found their rhythm, creating decisive chances. In the second half, we maintained that pace and were able to score. FC Tokyo used their bench work after conceding a goal and had good options. Amaral was strong in aerial battles and we had to be careful. We tried to counterattack in a desperate situation, but we had chances from good passing. However, we ended up conceding a long shot from the opponent's counterattack. Congratulations to FC Tokyo for taking their decisive chances."