We will confront the whirlwind of Kyoto

　The final stage of the 1st stage has reached Sec. 13, where we face Kyoto Purple Sanga, who are currently on a 7-game winning streak. However, Kyoto fought a grueling overtime match against F. Marinos on August 4 (Sunday) and is approaching this match with only two days of rest. Additionally, due to accumulated warnings, key players FW Matsui, MF Nakabarai, and DF Suzuki (Kazu) will be absent, so they are certainly not in perfect condition.

　If we can stop Kyoto's momentum here and secure a victory, there is still a good chance to climb into the upper ranks. We want to use any favorable conditions for Tokyo as a positive factor and aim for a third consecutive win. Although we will be missing Taira SHIGE due to accumulated warnings, Asari will return to the starting lineup as a midfielder for the first time since the 7th round. Additionally, as in the previous match, Moiniwa will start as the right side back, and we have kicked off.

Awaiting In Form Kyoto

The visitors for the 13th game of the first stage were Kyoto Purple Sanga, currently riding a seven game unbeaten run. However, a two hour battle with F Marinos the previous Sunday and the suspension of regulars Matsui, Nakaharai and Suzuki meant they were below full strength and an F.C. TOKYO win would see them leapfrog Kyoto in the league table. TOKYO, looking for a third consecutive win themselves, were without the suspended Shimotaira, but welcomed back Asari in the defensive half position for his first start since April. Moniwa continued at right side back; the game kicked off at 7:04 pm with the mercury showing 30C.

Doi's fine play and Amaral's competitive strength shine in the first half

　From the start, both teams played with a compact formation, battling in a crowded midfield without creating any real chances. In the 7th minute, Kyoto's midfielder Nakamura picked up a cleared ball from Tokyo's defense and took a long-range shot, marking the first shot of the match. In the 8th minute, a pass from Miyazawa to Ishikawa was intercepted, leading to a breakthrough attempt by center forward Kurobe, but Ito quickly returned to handle the situation. It did not lead to a crisis. In the 18th minute, they were attacked with a series of passes in front of the goal, but Shigenobu's good judgment allowed them to escape with a corner kick.

　However, it was in the 22nd minute. Fujiyama fouled Kurobe, who was trying to penetrate the penalty area again on a counterattack. It wasn't a particularly aggressive play, but they succumbed to Kurobe's speed, resulting in a penalty kick decision. However, Kurobe's penalty kick was saved by Doi, who did not miss the opportunity due to the weak trajectory! Doi's fine play helped them escape a critical pinch.

　However, Kyoto plays an attacking 3-4-3 formation, but when they switch to defense, they adopt a 5-4-1 formation, thickening their defense and leaving Tokyo with no options for passing the ball. In the 25th, 27th, and 28th minutes, they repeatedly attempt to send passes behind the defensive line, but the timing is off, and they can't establish a rhythm. In the 29th minute, Kelly advances on the right side with a dribble, and Toda receives the ball in the penalty area and returns it to the left side. However, Kelly, who followed up, and Miyazawa, who ran in from behind, collide over that ball. There is an undeniable sense of disconnection. In the 31st minute, when Toda heads down a cross from the right side, Amaral breaks free behind the defense and takes a shot. However, the ball hits the crossbar, eliciting sighs from the stands.

　However, in the 39th minute, Amaral was fouled in the penalty area while trying to connect with Ishikawa's cross, and this time Tokyo got a penalty kick. An unexpected opportunity for the opening goal arose, and Amaral himself converted it, taking the lead by one goal even in a difficult situation. The match went into halftime.

A Tale Of Two Penalties

Both sides began the contest in compact form, squeezing play into the crowded midfield area. Kyoto midfielder Nakamura essayed the first shot of the match after 7 minutes but his attempt had no power and Doi held easily. Kurobe intercepted a loose pass from Miyazawa to Ishikawa a minute later and bore down on goal—Ito scrambled back to clear the danger. Moniwa was on hand in the 18th minute to break up a threatening Kyoto move. A largely uneventful first half burst into life in the 22nd minute as Kyoto centre forward Kurobe, chasing a long ball with Fujiyama in attendance, collapsed in a flailing mass of arms and legs on the edge of the area. The referee pointed to the spot; justice was served though as Doi read the kick well and dived to his left for a great save.
TOKYO were making little headway at the other end of the field.
While Kyoto lined up in an attacking 3-4-3 formation, when they lost possession this quickly changed to a defensive 5-4-1, pulling players behind the ball and denying the home side space to work in. Boosted by the penalty save TOKYO ventured forward but the last pass was not forthcoming; on the one occasion a chink appeared in the Kyoto defensive armour Kelly and Miyazawa both went for the same ball with the result that neither made contact. In the 31st minute Toda neatly headed a right wing cross into the path of Amaral who burst beyond two defenders and hammered a volley against the bar with the keeper rooted to the spot. The crowd gasped in disbelief.
The "King of Tokyo" soon redeemed himself however, going down in the area to win a penalty, then stepping up to send the Kyoto keeper the wrong way. The half ended 1-0 to TOKYO.

Immediately after the start of the second half, we were equalized...

　Tokyo wanted to gain momentum with a goal just before the end of the first half. They substituted Kinama for the injured Asari and prepared for the second half. However, it was Kyoto who turned their determination into a goal. Just after the start of the second half, in the 46th minute, Kyoto connected a throw-in from the right side with precise passes, and midfielder Saito dribbled to the left. He then passed into the space on the left side. There, midfielder Suzuki (Shin) made a clean shot that hit the net. Tokyo was quickly equalized.

　In the 48th minute, Amaral scored with a header from a free kick. Shortly after, Kina received a return pass from Amaral and took a long-range shot. In the 56th minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and delivered a cross, but no one was able to connect at the far post. Tokyo is pushing back while countering, but the goal remains distant, and they often find themselves in a difficult situation due to counterattacks from Kyoto after intercepting passes.

　Then, in the 57th minute, Moniwa advanced and sent a cross, but the Kyoto defender cleared it away. Kurube contested the ball with a header, and FW Tomita picked it up, keeping possession and passing to FW Park, who had sprinted up the left side. The South Korean representative Park utilized his speed to charge towards the goal and slid in to take a shot, scoring a goal. The counterattack was executed perfectly, and Tokyo conceded their second goal.

Equaliser Spurs Kyoto 

Kina replaced the injured Asari as TOKYO took the field for the second half. Expectations had been raised by Amaral's penalty strike but were soon to be cruelly dashed. Only a minute into the second period some neat short passing saw defensive half Saito surge forward and roll the ball into oceans of space on the left. Kyoto midfielder Suzuki met the ball at full speed and powered a shot past Doi into the roof of the net for a stunning equaliser. 
TOKYO attempted to bounce back but their efforts were undercut by some loose passing and wayward crosses; in a matter of minutes momentum had passed to the visitors. Disaster struck for the home side in the 57th. minute as a cross from Moniwa, up supporting the attack, was cleared by the Kyoto defence to Kurobe who headed on to Tomita. Tomita held the ball up and passed into the path of Korean World Cup star Park Si Jung who outpaced the TOKYO defence to slot home for a classic counter attacking goal. 

Despite a full-scale counterattack, it was in vain

　In the second half, Kyoto's coach GERT ENGELS changed the positions of Park, who was on the right side, and Tomita on the left, stating that he wanted to stretch Tomita out to the side. Park positioned himself more centrally, utilizing his speed and work rate to connect with the side, launching sharp attacks.

　Then, in the 64th minute, as Kurobe and Tomita attacked near the right corner of the penalty area, a foul was called on the Tokyo DF. Park took the free kick, and DF Kakuta connected with a header at the far side, allowing Kurobe to push it in and score the third goal. Kyoto demonstrated their determination by converting the chance into a goal.

　In the 65th minute, right after conceding a goal, Fukuda was brought on for Fujiyama. With a 3-5-2 formation placing Ishikawa on the left and Toda on the right, they aimed to score at least one goal in their counterattack. Kyoto's forward line and defense gradually stretched, creating space, but they were unable to create decisive chances. In the 72nd minute, Amaral's header from a free kick, and in the 74th minute, Kelly's shot both went over the goal.

　In front of Kyoto, who solidified their final line, Jean also showed a bold offensive push, and in the 84th minute, Hoshi was brought in to replace Ishikawa. However, the counterattack in stoppage time was timid in front of the Kyoto defense's wall, and the match ended without any resolution. Tokyo was unable to showcase its strengths and suffered a painful defeat.

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Today was a complete defeat. Our bodies felt heavy, and we didn't perform well in the first half. Doi saved a penalty, and it was good that we also earned a penalty. The opponent quickly retreated to close down space against our attacks. Normally, against such opponents, we would move the ball more, add some accents, and try to break through with one-twos, but we lacked sharpness and were caught on the counterattack. When they regained possession, everyone switched to offense, so there were moments we couldn't respond to their attacks. In duels, the ball always spilled to Kyoto's side, showing a difference in momentum. The goal conceded right after the second half started came from not contesting the throw-in properly, allowing the opponent to regain possession and circulate the ball, leading to the goal. Above all, the way we lost the ball was poor, and we disrupted our own rhythm. There were many issues, and it's disappointing that the team lacked spirit in this match. With Asari injured and Fujiyama suspended due to accumulated warnings, the situation is tough, but we want to regroup and prepare for the match against Kobe."

[Kyoto - Coach ENGELS Press Conference Summary] Since we played an extended match last Sunday, today we wanted to start from the defense and aim for counters before moving forward. We were able to do that to some extent, but the opponent also applied pressure on us, making it difficult to establish a good rhythm, and we became a bit passive. However, there were hardly any dangerous scenes until the conceded penalty kick. Although we were behind, our positioning was basically good, and our approach was not bad. So I believed that if we played more energetically in the second half, chances would definitely come. The timing of the equalizer in the second half was very good, and we took control of the pace, quickly scoring an additional goal. After scoring three goals, fatigue set in and we shifted to defense, but we defended firmly until the end and won. It was tough conditions with conceding the first goal in a while and missing a penalty, plus fatigue from the F. Marinos match, but I think the players showed great heart in that situation. That was the key point today.

Third Goal Stymies TOKYO

The speedy Tomita and Park had switched positions as instructed by Kyoto manager Engels and the result was two goals in 12 minutes, both from counter attacks. A third soon followed as Tokyo conceded a free kick on the right. Park curled a long ball beyond the far post, Kakuda headed it back into the danger area where Kurobe was on hand to nod past Doi.
Fukuda replaced Fujiyama and TOKYO shifted to a 3-5-2 formation with Toda on the right and Ishikawa on the left, but still the Kyoto defence remained impregnable. Amaral headed a free kick wide after 72 minutes and Kelly fired over two minutes later. Hoshi replaced Ishikawa in the 84th minute and Jean lent his formidable presence to the attack but TOKYO were firing blanks and the game petered out to a depressing 1-3 loss.

TOKYO manager Hara :
" A complete defeat. We looked heavy and never really got going at all in the first half. Doi made a great save from the penalty and we converted ours but were unable to create much on the counter attack as they got men behind the ball very quickly. We didn't have the spark needed to open up a defence in those conditions. Kyoto were first to the ball throughout and had more desire than we did. We didn't compete at the throw in which led to their first goal but most disappointing was the way we gave away possession. There was a lack of fighting spirit, which was also disappointing. Despite the injury to Asari and Shimotaira's suspension we'll just have to regroup and come out fighting in the Vissel Kobe game".

Kyoto manager Engels :
" Well, after playing extra time on Sunday night I felt a defensive approach would be favoured today, with the emphasis on counter attacking. They pressured us in the first half and we played rather negatively. Apart from the penalty we conceded we weren't really under much pressure defensively and I felt that the team's basic positioning was good and that with a more positive approach in the second half we could turn the game around. The timing of the equaliser was perfect; we found our rhythm and timing, scored two more and then defended well. We missed a penalty, fell behind and were still feeling the effects of the F Marinos game but the players showed their heart today ".