Aim for victory away without fearing the Brazilian national team!

　The 1st Stage Sec. 12 is an away game against Kashiwa Reysol. It will be the first match in about a week since the game against Sapporo on July 28, and we want to build momentum with consecutive wins heading into the final stages of the season.

　Kashiwa, currently in 11th place, has not won a match since the league resumed and is in a difficult situation today, missing MF Sampaio and Ohno due to accumulated warnings. However, FW Edilson, who played for Kashiwa in 1996 and 1997 and was selected for the Brazil national team that won the World Cup this year, has joined the team and will make his debut today. It is highly anticipated that this appearance by Edilson will trigger a desperate counterattack. However, we want to aim for victory with Tokyo's soccer, united as a team, without fear. Shigenobu starts as the first right-back, and the kickoff has begun.

Who's Afraid Of Brazil?

The 12th game of the J-League first stage saw F.C. TOKYO make the short trip to Kashiwa for an away fixture against Reysol. TOKYO were hoping to build on the excellent first half performance in the previous week's victory over Consadole and win the remaining games in style.
Spurs' legend Steve Perryman's Reysol, currently lying 11th in the league and winless since the resumption of play following the World Cup, were without suspended midfielders Sampaio and Ono; however, they received a boost with the return of World Cup winner Edilson, a former Reysol player in 1996 and 1997, who donned the yellow of Reysol for the second time in this game. His speed on the break demanded caution from TOKYO but was certainly nothing to fear. Moniwa made his first appearance as right side back and the game kicked off in steamy conditions.

Taking control, Amaral scores first with a header!

　In the first minute, a cross was sent from Tokyo's left side to Kashiwa MF Watanabe (Hikari), and MF Sunakawa made a header shot. Both players are known for their attacking play from the sides, so intense battles were expected. In the fourth minute, Edjuson received the ball in midfield, turned to evade Fujiyama, and passed to the left side. Sunakawa received it, and the ball was passed to central FW Kitajima, but Dohi rushed out to clear the ball just before he could trap it. They won't easily allow a goal.

　Tokyo started off with a chance created by Kashiwa, but gradually increased their ball possession centered around Kelly. In the 11th minute, a pass targeting behind the DF line allowed Toda to break free in front of the goal, but unfortunately, he was offside. In the 19th minute, Ishikawa stole the ball in the opponent's half, cut in along the end line, and delivered a cross, but no one was able to connect in the center. In the 20th minute, Fujiyama advanced into the area just before the goal from a throw-in and attacked from the left side. However, Kashiwa counterattacked from here, and when the ball reached ADILSON, it was brought into the penalty area for a shot. This was saved by Doi, escaping the danger. In the 22nd minute, Ito lost the ball to ADILSON in the DF line, allowing a shot. Jean's clearance went back to ADILSON, who received a pass from Sunakawa and took a shot, but it went straight to Doi, allowing them to escape danger once again.

　Tokyo effectively utilized the movement behind Toda's DF, with Ishikawa leveraging his speed and work rate to become a key playmaker, gaining control of the flanks. However, as Kashiwa was pushed back, space became limited, preventing them from breaking through. In a scenario where Tokyo dominated and Kashiwa created chances on the counter, Tokyo launched a counterattack in the 37th minute. A cross from the interplay between Ishikawa and Kelly on the right side was cleared by the opposing DF. Immediately after, Shigenobu, who had advanced, sent a pass targeting the space between the DF and GK, but the GK caught it. However, in the 38th minute, a one-touch pass from the DF line reached Kelly on the right side of midfield, and Kelly delivered a pinpoint pass in front of the goal. Amaral then executed a powerful header, with the longest hang time of the season, scoring a goal! With a textbook header, Tokyo took the lead and headed into halftime.

Amaral Heads TOKYO Ahead

Reysol took the initiative from the kick off with Sunakawa getting on the end of a cross from M. Watanabe. In the 4th minute Edilson turned Fujiyama and found Sunakawa on the right; Kitajima pushed Sunakawa's low cross slightly too far and goalkeeper Doi hurried out to smother the danger. Reysol had the better of the early exchanges but TOKYO, with the indefatigable Kelly working hard in midfield, gradually gained a foothold, and began to dictate play. A very close offside decision denied Toda in the 11th minute but the game suddenly burst into life ten minutes later as Ishikawa scampered to the by-line but his cross evaded the TOKYO attack. TOKYO kept the pressure on from a throw-in with Fujiyama bursting into the area on the left; the Reysol defence blocked the attempt and launched a lightning fast counter attack. Doi held his nerve as Edilson bore down on him and produced a fine block to deny the Brazilian's near post blast. Edilson nearly set up the opening goal two minutes later as he robbed Ito on the right and hit a low cross toward the far post. Jean lunged to intercept but succeeded only in returning the ball to Edilson, who looked up and picked out Sunakawa arriving at speed on the edge of the area; with most of the goal to aim at the Reysol man curled his shot straight into Doi's midriff.
The game settled into a pattern of TOKYO pressing and Reysol looking to counter attack. From the 35th minute TOKYO began to tighten the screw: an Ishikawa cross into the danger area was cleared, Moniwa's ball behind the defence was held by the keeper and then a minute later TOKYO took the lead.
Neat one touch play from defence saw the ball reach Kelly whose sumptuous cross towards the penalty spot was met by Amaral at the peak of a prodigious leap between two defenders. The header was perfect: power, timing and direction left the Reysol keeper flailing and TOKYO were ahead.

With Edjuson's skillful assist, they equalize, but...

　Tokyo aggressively attacks in the second half. In the 48th minute, Kelly catches up to a pass on the right side, receives a return pass from Ishikawa, and shoots. However, the looping shot is caught by the goalkeeper. But Kashiwa also counters with intense pressure. In the 49th minute, left-side midfielder Hirayama shoots a ground ball from the left corner of the penalty area, but forward Kitajima just misses it in front of the goal. In the 50th minute, Edjuson takes a long-range shot, but it goes over the goal. In the 51st minute, Watanabe (Hikaru) sends a sharp cross from the right side, but this is cleared by Shigeno with a high header.

　However, it was just after that. A floated pass was sent to ADILSON, who was waiting near the penalty arc in front of the goal. ADILSON headed the ball down in front of the goal, and it spilled in front of Kitajima, who was free behind the defenders. Kitajima neatly pushed the ball into the goal.

　Until then, Tokyo had a strict and stable defense that prevented Kitajima from doing his job, but they were distracted by Edjuson and were equalized due to a momentary lapse.

　However, today Tokyo did not crumble here. The spirited Kashiwa is shaking things up wide left and right, starting from Edjuson, but Tokyo's DF is responding with focus. In the 59th and 60th minutes, after a change of sides, a cross is sent in from the right side, but the DF clears it in the center. In the 61st minute, when a cross from Moniwa is sent back by Toda, Miyazawa aims for the goal from mid-range. Then, in the 63rd minute, on the right side, Ishikawa goes one-on-one with the DF, fakes once to cut inside, and sends a sharp cross with his left foot. Once again, Amaral runs in for a pinpoint pass similar to the first goal and delivers a powerful diving header! The passionate ball shakes the goal net, and Tokyo takes the lead.

Edilson Shows His Class

TOKYO began the second half in aggressive fashion: Kelly overlapped down the right and played a sharp return pass to Ishikawa who advanced and let fly. 
The keeper held the ball well and launched a counter attack which ended with Kitajima inches away from connecting with a low cross. Edilson fired narrowly over in the 50th. minute and Moniwa made a vital headed clearance under pressure soon after, as the home side upped the tempo. A minute later a floated ball found Edilson lurking just outside the area and his cushioned header fell perfectly for Kitajima who finished with aplomb. Although pegged back and bombarded from left and right TOKYO refused to buckle and could have retaken the lead in the 61st. minute as Toda knocked a Moniwa cross back to Miyazawa, but his shot came to nothing. As it was they didn't have to wait long. In the 63rd. minute Ishikawa beat a defender on the right and launched a long left footed cross towards the far post where Amaral, gliding in behind the last defender, flung himself full length to power another textbook header low inside the post. 

King Explosion! Sinking Kashiwa with a Hat Trick

　"King of Tokyo" Amaral took his chance decisively, and Tokyo, gaining momentum, did not ease their attacking efforts. In the 69th minute, they substituted Kinya for Miyazawa to aim for an additional goal. Similarly, in the 69th minute, Kashiwa substituted their defensive midfielder Nagai for the Japan national team midfielder Myojin from the recent World Cup to regroup.

　However, in the 75th minute, Tokyo scored an additional goal to thwart Kashiwa's counterattack. Ishikawa passed from the right side of the midfield to the front of the goal. Toda, who received the ball in the center of the goal, made a direct pass to the right side. Amaral received this pass and brought the ball to the right corner of the penalty area, then shot with his right foot, and the ball flew like an arrow, grazing the goalkeeper's hand and piercing into the left side of the goal! With Amaral's outstanding finishing ability, he achieved his first hat-trick of the season, sinking Kashiwa.

　Tokyo continued their relentless attack. The game saw a rapid exchange between offense and defense, but although it did not lead to a goal, they consistently finished with shots. In the 44th minute, Edjuson broke through behind the DF, but the returning DF and Dohi put their bodies on the line to defend the goal. In stoppage time, Watanabe (Hikari) dove in from the right side to take a shot from a cross coming from the left rear, but it went just left of the goal. They held off any goals until the final whistle, achieving a convincing victory over Kashiwa.

　With this winning streak, we have returned to a record of 5 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws with a goal difference of 0, and we will face the next home match against Kyoto in the best condition.

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "I thought Edjuson was not at 100 percent condition, but he created dangerous scenes early in the game. Also, Kashiwa applied more pressure from the first half than I expected, and the ball movement on the field was fast, making it difficult for us to find a good rhythm at first. Around the 15-minute mark, we settled down, took advantage of the space behind the opponent's wing-backs, and I think we started to find our rhythm. However, today, above all, it was Amaral. The ball he received was good, and his condition was also great, scoring three goals at crucial moments. The best part was that even after being equalized in the second half, we did not get discouraged and were able to play our style of football. We not only defended but also launched good counters from there. If I could wish for anything, I would have liked to score one or two more goals, but we fought well and stayed focused until the end. I believe the team is growing little by little."

[Summary of Coach PERRYMAN's Press Conference]

"There were parts where we lacked confidence. Until we conceded the first goal and after equalizing, we showed some confidence, and the momentum was with Kashiwa. However, we lost the second goal in that situation and were more disappointed than expected. Until we conceded the third goal, the outcome was uncertain... We had our moments, but games can be decided in an instant. That's where we were caught by Tokyo. We didn't allow them to create any real chances, but their shots were excellent."

Amaral Makes It Three!

With the "King of Tokyo" giving a masterclass in finishing, TOKYO went in search of a third goal; the tireless Kina replaced Miyazawa after 69 minutes and at the same time Japan World Cup star Myojin replaced Nagai for Reysol.
Five minutes later it was 3-1 to TOKYO. Ishikawa found Toda on the edge of the area and his first time chip fell perfectly for Amaral at the right corner of the box. Amaral looked up and lashed a fierce volley across the face of the goal and inside the far post. Three chances, three stunning goals, the first hat trick of the season for the TOKYO No. 11.
Reysol flung themselves forward in a desperate attempt to salvage something from the game but apart from a last ditch save by Doi from Edilson in the final minute and an injury time shot from H. Watanabe that bobbled fractionally wide, the TOKYO defence held firm.
The win improved TOKYO's record to W5 D2 L5 with a goal difference of 0 and boosted their confidence ahead of the next match, a home game against Kyoto Purple Sanga.

TOKYO Manager Hara :
" Edilson wasn't at his best today but even so he caused us a lot of problems early on. Reysol pressured us more than I had expected, played some good football and prevented us from finding our rhythm. From about the 15th minute we settled down and began to get behind their wing backs. But today was Amaral's day. The crosses were great and his condition was good but the finishing was superb. The most pleasing thing was the way we fought back after Reysol equalised and were able to play our game. The defence performed well and, little by little, the team is developing ".

Reysol manager Perryman :
" Our lack of confidence showed clearly today. Up until TOKYO took the lead and then after we equalised we played well. After
conceding the second goal we were more discouraged than I had expected but the result was in doubt until they scored their third...We didn't allow TOKYO many clear cut chances but the few they had were taken very well ".