A match we can't afford to lose

　This match, held three days after the last game, is against Verdy 1969. It is an away game at Tokyo Stadium that occurs once a season, and it is a match that everyone is eager to win, not just the players.

　Verdy is currently in 15th place and struggling at the bottom, and today’s game comes just two days after the last match. However, as a "Tokyo strategy," they have changed their formation from the previous 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2. Tokyo has Amaral starting for the first time since the restart as the kickoff begins.

Tokyo Derby a Crucial Fixture

Just four days after the previous game, F.C. TOKYO returned to Tokyo Stadium as the visitors for the away leg of the biannual Tokyo Derby against stadium co-hosts Tokyo Verdy 1969. Verdy, currently struggling in 15th place in Division 1, were playing their second game in three days. Verdy switched to 4-4-2 from their usual 3-5-2 and Amaral returned to the starting lineup for TOKYO.

First goal by Amaral! Getting into the rhythm

　Tokyo aggressively approached the Verdy goal from the start. In the 8th minute, from the left side, Toda connected with Amaral to Kelly, and finally Ishikawa cut into the penalty area from the right side and took a shot. They showed a proactive attitude towards the goal. In the 9th minute, Kelly received a throw-in ball and took a shot while facing away from the goal. In the 14th minute, while Kelly was holding the ball in the center, Miyazawa ran into the goal area, connected with a header to Toda, but unfortunately, this was offside.

　Tokyo is trying to break through Verdy's intense pressure with coordinated plays, but they are unable to fully break through, and instead, mistakes are seen here and there, allowing for counterattacks. In the 15th minute, FW Edimundo created space on the left side of the penalty area, and FW Hiramoto ran in to shoot from close range. However, Doih showed a fine save. In the 21st minute, from a free kick, DF Souma sent a pass, and MF Nagai's shot from the center was easily caught by Doih.

　Then, in the 23rd minute, Ishikawa surged up the right side and sent in a cross, which Amaral headed into the goal. It initially deflected off the opposing defender, but Amaral quickly capitalized on the weak clearance and pushed it into the goal with a lifted kick, GOAL! Tokyo took the lead by converting the chance into a result.

　This goal by Amaral, his first in five matches, boosts the team's momentum. In the 25th minute, Fujiyama and Kelly exchanged passes on the left side and surged towards the goal. Then, in the 27th minute, Ishikawa sent a grounded cross from the right side, and Amaral took a shot. They created pressure from both sides, and Miyazawa also delivered a well-timed switch pass. As Toda and Ishikawa made runs inside, Kelly connected the ball by drifting to the side, threatening the Verdy goal. In the 37th minute, Miyazawa received a free kick from Ishikawa, and his long shot went over the goal, but they utilized the pitch well and controlled the game with good rhythm.

　Verdy tried to break through the wall with skilled dribbling from Nagai, Hiramoto, and Tanaka on the left side for 40 minutes. However, in the 43rd minute, despite Tanaka's dribbling breakthrough on the left side, and in the 44th minute, Edimundo's dangerous advance, the Tokyo defense handled it calmly. The first half ended at the 45th minute, leaving expectations for the second half.

Amaral Puts TOKYO Ahead

Tokyo started brightly, putting Verdy under pressure straight from the kick off. A flowing move involving Toda, Amaral and Kelly set up Ishikawa on the right of the area after eight minutes; TOKYO were looking sharp and aggressive. A minute later Kelly received a throw in with his back to goal, twisted around and fired in a shot. In the 14th minute Kelly held the ball up expertly in midfield but his lay off to Miyazawa was judged offside.
Verdy were being forced onto the back foot but nearly took the lead in the fifteenth minute as Edmundo burst into space on the left and slipped the ball to Hirano whose point blank blast was superbly blocked by Doi in the Tokyo goal. The TOKYO keeper was called on again five minutes later and held Nagai's effort comfortably.
TOKYO took the lead in the twenty third minute. Ishikawa whipped in a cross from the right but Amaral's initial header was blocked; attempting to clear a Verdy defender succeeded only in flicking the ball up in the air. Amaral reacted fastest, trapping the ball on his chest then flicking it over the advancing keeper before volleying it gleefully into the net, for his first goal in five games.
Two minutes later Fujiyama and Kelly combined neatly in front of goal and in the 27th minute Amaral nearly had a second from Ishikawa's low cross. TOKYO were using the full width of the pitch, Toda and Ishikawa drifting inside as Kelly hugged the touchlines, playing a confident and stylish game.
Verdy attempted to increase the tempo as the first half drew to a close but the TOKYO defence held firm, denying dangerman Edmundo space or time on the ball. The first period ended 1-0 to TOKYO and expectations were high for the second half.

Sunk by Edimundo's dangerous free kick...

　As the second half began, Verdy repeatedly engaged in fierce challenges. Taking advantage of a free kick earned from this, in the 46th minute, Miyazawa took a shot but was blocked by the defense. In the following 47th minute, Ishikawa aimed from slightly left of center, but his shot narrowly missed the bottom left corner of the goal. In the 57th minute, Ishikawa fiercely chased down a pass that went into space on the right side and delivered a cross, but Toda's shot, running into the center, did not connect properly. Despite creating chances frequently, including set pieces and corner kicks, they were unable to secure an additional goal.

　In that situation, in the 58th minute, Jean fouled Verdy's Soma, who was waiting slightly to the left near the penalty arc and trying to receive the ball. He received a warning and conceded a free kick. Edimundo, who had scored directly from a free kick in the previous match, took this free kick, which slipped past Doih's fingertips and fell into the bottom right corner of the goal. The most dangerous man's strike equalized the score to 1-1.

Edmundo Strikes....

Tokyo began the second half where they left off in the first with the Verdy defense conceding a series of free kicks in dangerous positions. Miyazawa blasted into the wall in the 46th minute, Ishikawa curled one fractionally wide a minute later, and Toda failed by a whisker to connect with another Ishikawa free kick shortly after that. TOKYO created a hatful of chances but were unable to convert any. In the 58th minute, Soma received the ball with his back to goal on the left side of the penalty area and went to ground under pressure from Jean, who received a yellow card. Edmundo curled the ball beyond Doi's left hand for the equalizer.

Counterattacked from a mistake, struggling with Jean's expulsion

　Then, as if shaken by this unexpected goal, Tokyo starts to make many mistakes. In the 62nd minute, after losing the ball in their own territory, they allow Verdy a quick counterattack. Verdy connects vertical passes, and Edimundo creates space in front of the goal, delivering a final pass into the penalty area. Once again, Jean commits a foul against Hiramoto, resulting in a penalty kick decision. In the 63rd minute, Edimundo precisely converts this penalty kick into the bottom right corner of the goal, allowing them to take the lead in no time.

　Jean received his second yellow card for this play and was sent off. Tokyo, now down to ten men, was forced into a tough battle. In the 66th minute, Todah was substituted for Moniwa. Although Fujiyama was positioned high to counterattack, they couldn't recover the loose balls against Verdy's relaxed passing, and they were pushed back. In the 78th minute, the crucial set-piece corner kick also did not lead to a chance, and in the 78th minute, Baba was brought in to replace Fujiyama.

　However, just after that, in the 79th minute, FW Sakurai, who had entered the field in the 54th minute of the second half as a substitute for Nagai, received a second yellow card for delaying the game, leaving Verdy with 10 players. The match continued with warnings flying around, showing a hectic pace. In the 80th minute, Kaji surged up the right side and aimed for the goal, but the GK caught it. In the 81st minute, Tokyo lost the ball to Edimundo in their own territory due to a mistake, allowing FW Marquinhos to take a free shot. It was a decisive shot, but it just missed to the right of the goal. Conversely, in the 83rd minute, Miyazawa took a shot from a free kick near the left side of the goal, but it hit the DF wall. Then, in the 85th minute, Kelly's shot, which he took after running into the left side of the penalty area, was stopped by GK Takakuwa, and they couldn't capitalize on the last chance, leading to the end of the match.

　In the end, we couldn't hold onto a one-point lead and suffered a bitter comeback loss. However, the tough schedule continues. It's important to look forward and not dwell on this defeat as we aim to break the losing streak.

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "It was a match we didn't want to lose. Verdy switched to a four-back formation, but we thought that if we could effectively use both sides within our usual style of play, we would be fine. We took the lead, and just when we were looking for another goal, losing Jean to a red card was painful. In the second half, the defense dropped back too much. Edmundo scored from a free kick, and I believe our impatience was a factor in our defeat. Especially the second goal came from losing the ball, which led to a goal. The way we lost the ball was poor, and we need to eliminate those mistakes and improve the quality of our play. I want to create patterns where Kaji and Fujiyama become the starting points on the sides and effectively utilize Amaral and Kelly. Since we have consecutive matches, I want to somehow switch our mindset and prepare for the next one."

[Summary of Verdy Coach Lori's Press Conference] "We changed to a 4-4-2 formation to contain Kelly from the opposing team and to have four players in the midfield. I brought in Hiramoto because I thought he could compete better up front when we press from the front, even when we play long balls. Marquinhos plays as a second attacker, while Hiramoto is more like a center forward. In the first half, our balance was poor, and we were dominated in the midfield. Tokyo's pressing was very effective, and the scene where we conceded a goal was due to a mistake while we were holding the ball. Losing in the midfield means losing the game, so we talked about applying pressure in the second half. I think Sakurai, who came on as a substitute, contributed to our victory with his good movements."

Jean Off As TOKYO Slump

Stunned by suddenly conceding a goal against the run of play TOKYO lost their composure and began to carelessly give the ball away. In the 62nd minute they lost possession upfield allowing Verdy to quickly counter.
Edmundo rolled the ball into the path of Hirano as he burst between two defenders into the area then went down with Jean in a tangle of arms and legs. The referee pointed to the spot, then showed Jean a second yellow card. Edmundo sent Doi the wrong way and TOKYO found themselves 1-2 behind and down to ten men. Moniwa replaced Toda and Fujiyama was pushed further upfield but Verdy used their man advantage artfully, retaining possession and slowing the tempo down. Baba replaced Fujiyama in the 78th minute and soon after both teams were reduced to ten men as Verdy striker Sakurai, who had come on for Nagai in the 54th minute, was shown a second yellow card for not releasing the ball to Doi for a TOKYO goal kick.
The game deteriorated into a wild scramble and the yellow cards came thick and fast. Edmundo presented Marquinhos with a glorious chance to kill the game off in the 81st minute but the Verdy man fired wide. The best chance for TOKYO fell to Kelly after 85 minutes but Takakuwa blocked his effort and time ran out.
A second consecutive defeat and the manner of it are galling but the team must put it behind them and focus on the next match, a "home" game at the National Stadium against Consadole Sapporo.

Tokyo manager Hara :
" That was a game we didn't want to lose. Verdy switched to a back four so we were hoping to attack them using both sides. We took the lead and were looking for a second but losing Jean really hurt us. The defence played too deeply in the second half and after Edmundo equalised we lost our composure, making simple mistakes. We'll be looking to bounce back in the next game ".

Verdy manager Lori :
" We switched to 4-4-2 with the intention of stopping Kelly and played Hirano as a target man for long balls. Our balance was poor in the first half and we gave away the first goal with some sloppy play. If you lose the midfield you lose the game so I told the team to tighten it up in the second half and they responded well, with Sakurai's excellent movement partly responsible ".