Defeat the struggling Kobe to even the score

　It can be said that they are not good at it. The record against Kobe shows that in the league matches, they have faced each other 4 times with 1 draw and 3 losses, never having won. In this year's Nabisco Cup qualifying league, they had 1 win and 1 draw, so they didn't lose, but they still want to defeat them in the league matches.

　This season, Kobe is struggling in 15th place with 2 wins, 10 losses, and 1 draw, totaling 7 points after Sec. 13. In particular, they are in a dire situation with 5 consecutive losses and 3 matches without scoring. Tokyo has also been off form in recent matches, losing winning games due to a slowdown in the second half. However, there should be ample opportunity to win against the current Kobe team. Today, we must win at all costs to bring the 1st stage record back to an even 6 wins, 6 losses, and 2 draws before the final match of the season. Such words naturally came from the players before the match, but now that the championship is out of reach, achieving a 'winning record' in the 1st stage has become one of our goals given our current standings.

　In a difficult situation, Kobe resorted to drastic measures by starting Kaz on the bench, while Tokyo also made changes with Kaji returning to the right back position after three matches due to injury, and Fujiyama being suspended due to accumulated warnings. Additionally, Minoru KOBAYASHI made a starting appearance at left back for the first time in eight matches, adding depth to the side attack that had been lacking in recent games.

TOKYO Visit Bogey Team Vissel In Hope

If F.C. TOKYO have a bogey team then it's surely Vissel Kobe. The four previous league meetings have resulted in three defeats and a draw; in this year's Nabisco Cup group stage however, TOKYO managed a win and a draw. The team made the journey to Kobe hoping for a first league victory over their hosts.
This season Vissel have struggled to a W2 D1 L10 record for 7 points and 15th position in the league. TOKYO have fared better but have developed an unfortunate habit of conceding second half goals; still, the team felt confident they had enough to take the three points and return their record to W6 D2 L6.
Vissel started with Kazuyoshi "Kazu" Miura on the bench, although he would be almost certain to see action at some point; Kaji returned for TOKYO after missing 3 games through injury and Minoru Kobayashi made his first start for 8 games as replacement for the suspended Fujiyama. TOKYO were clearly hoping to make more use of the wings than they had been able to in recent games.

Two consecutive matches! Once again, Amaral scores first with a penalty!

　In stark contrast to the steamy Tokyo Stadium from the previous match, the conditions at Kobe Univ on this day were perfect, with a refreshing cool breeze that felt like autumn. As the match began, both teams engaged in a fast-paced game, applying intense pressure from the front line.

　Tokyo gathered the ball to Kelly, and from there formed the rhythm of the attack by breaking through the sides via Amaral's hold-up play. On the left side, Toda became a solid pivot with precise play and bold runs, while Ishikawa on the right side created numerous chances with sharp dribbling breakthroughs. The attacking participation of both full-backs, Kaji and Minoru KOBAYASHI, was also effective, overwhelming Kobe in the battles on the flanks.

　On the other hand, Kobe's two top players, Jo and Hondo, applied pressure from the front with their spirited play, but since Tokyo had possession of the ball for a long time, they actually played more defensively. They aimed for sharp counterattacks after regaining the ball in deep positions. In the 7th minute, Tokyo was caught pushing forward, and a single pass took advantage of the space behind, but Tokyo's goalkeeper Doi made a good judgment to come out and clear the ball. After that, they continued to win the ball and sent crosses from the sides, but the accuracy of the balls was low, and they couldn't create any decisive chances.

　The match changed in the 19th minute when Amaral jumped in for a corner kick from the right for Tokyo, but during that time, Kobe defender Kitamoto pulled Amaral's shirt, resulting in a penalty kick. Furthermore, Kitamoto, who was not satisfied with this decision, persistently protested to the referee, leading to a second yellow card and his dismissal. In this unexpected turn of events, Tokyo earned a penalty kick, which Amaral successfully converted into a goal in the bottom left corner, taking the lead. Following the previous match against Kyoto, Amaral scored another opening goal from a penalty kick.

Amaral Fires TOKYO Ahead

In contrast to the recent sauna-like conditions in Tokyo Stadium it felt almost like autumn in Kobe Universiade stadium as the game kicked off in near perfect weather: 26C and a pleasant breeze. TOKYO began brightly with play being funneled through Kelly to Amaral whose layoffs to Toda on the left and Ishikawa on the right had the home defence under pressure. Both sidebacks, Kaji and Minoru Kobayashi, joined in the attack as TOKYO attempted to overwhelm Vissel down the flanks. 
The home team seemed content to allow TOKYO the lion's share of possession and hit on the break with twin strikers Jo and Bando busying themselves amongst the visitors' defence. In the 7th.minute TOKYO keeper Doi had to race out of goal to clear a long ball played behind the back line. Neither team managed to create any clear cut chances until the 19th.minute when the game suddenly burst into life. TOKYO won a corner on the right; Amaral leapt for the ball as it came in but tumbled to earth having had his shirt pulled by Kitamoto. The referee pointed to the spot and brandished a yellow card at Kitamoto. Kitamoto vented his spleen at the referee and was promptly sent off. Amaral made no mistake from the spot kick, sending the keeper the wrong way for his second converted penalty in two games.

Unable to break through the 10-man Kobe

　Tokyo, having taken the lead early on and gained a significant advantage, continued to attack in search of additional goals. However, after Kobe had one player sent off and changed their formation from 3-5-2 to 4-4-1, they could no longer exploit the spaces on the sides, and the attack became mainly focused through the center, relying on Amaral. In the 28th minute, Kelly broke through with a one-two with Amaral in the center and delivered a superb through ball to Toda, who had made a run into the box, but unfortunately, it was offside. In the 39th minute, when Amaral received the ball in the center, he sent a decisive pass to Kelly, who had skillfully stepped forward and run into the penalty area, but it was cleared by the Kobe DF just a moment before the shot could be taken.

　On the other hand, although Kobe was down to ten players, the lone forward, Jo, led the team with determined play, trying to capitalize on the few chances available. In the 40th minute, he unleashed a powerful overhead shot from about 25 meters in the center, which narrowly missed to the right of the goal, causing goalkeeper Doi to panic. Kobe's chances were certainly not abundant, but everyone displayed a spirited performance to fend off Tokyo's attacks, clearly showing a unified stance aiming for goals on the counter. Although it was undeniable that Tokyo had one more player on the pitch, after the match, Kobe's coach Matsuda remarked, "Jo, as a lone forward, worked hard and played the role of two forwards by himself," making it feel as if that advantage was nonexistent. In the early stages, Tokyo overwhelmed Kobe with excellent soccer from the sides, but after the opponent went down to ten players, they seemed to slow down, unable to secure an additional goal as they headed into the second half.

Ten Man Vissel Battle On

Vissel immediately regrouped into a 4-4-1 formation which cut down space on the flanks for TOKYO and the attack switched inside with Amaral as target man. He played a neat one-two with Kelly in the 28th minute and a fine through ball saw Toda outpace the defense but he was given offside. In the 39th minute Amaral burst into the area but his cross to Kelly was cleared by a defender. The Vissel players more than made up for the loss of Kitamoto with a redoubling of their efforts and Jo, playing as lone striker, busied himself to such an extent that sometimes it wasn't clear which team had only 10 men. He tried a spectacular overhead kick from 25m that sailed just wide of the post in the 40th minute. Although under considerable pressure Vissel stuck to their task and the first half ended 1-0 to TOKYO.

Tied by Kobe's determination, heading into extra time

　Since the match against Verdy in Sec. 10 (7/24), Tokyo has been following a pattern of conceding goals in the second half even after taking the lead in the first half. At halftime, they received instructions to "apply intense pressure from the start of the second half, move the ball more simply, and attack using both the center and the sides to secure additional goals." On the other hand, Kobe approached the second half with confidence, following halftime instructions that "if we continue our current style of play, chances will definitely come," leading to intense back-and-forth action from the start.

　Tokyo followed the coach's instructions and gained rhythm through attacks using the flanks shown in the early first half. In the 51st minute, Amaral passed from the post to Kaji, who made a deep run on the right side, and created a chance with a return pass. Then, in the 58th minute, Miyazawa took a powerful low shot from mid-range, and when the opposing GK failed to catch it and dropped it forward, Amaral closed in and scored! However, the goal was ruled offside. It was a very close call, but Miyazawa's bold play encouraged the team. Furthermore, in the 60th minute, Ishikawa made a brilliant dribble breakthrough deep on the right side and delivered a pinpoint ground pass in front of the opposing GK, but Kelly's dive was just short. In the 62nd minute, Ishikawa, who had moved to the left side, crossed the ball to the center, where Toda headed it, but the ball went over the bar. Tokyo's chances continued. In the 67th minute, the ball flowed smoothly from Ishikawa, who carried it in from the left, to Amaral in the center, and then from Amaral to Kaji running up the right side. Kaji then took a powerful shot from his dribble, but the ball narrowly missed to the right of the goal. In the 70th minute, Tokyo counterattacked, Kelly advanced with a dribble and passed to Ishikawa on the right. Ishikawa cut inside and took a shot with his left foot, but it was blocked by the opposing GK.

　Kobe, who endured Tokyo's relentless attacks with determination, gradually began to counterattack. In the 74th minute, a central free kick was headed towards the goal, but GK Doi barely managed to punch it away. Then in the 76th minute, from a counterattack, Barato broke through two Tokyo defenders with fierce determination and took a shot, which hit the crossbar. In the 77th minute, a cross from the left was headed in front of the goal, but Doi caught it as well. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Tokyo substituted Minoru KOBAYASHI for Moiniwa. They adopted a defensive strategy to hold on, but immediately after, in the 82nd minute, from a left corner kick, the ball contested in the center rose high in front of Tokyo's goal. It seemed Doi would catch it, but amid the crowded players, DF Shijikurei skillfully positioned his body at the ball's drop point to create a path and kicked it directly with his right foot into the goal. In the crucial final moments when concentration was most needed, Tokyo conceded an equalizer to Kobe.

　The match returned to the starting point, but Tokyo still had one more player. In the 85th minute, substitute Baba brought the ball from the right to the center and unleashed a powerful shot with his left foot. Unfortunately, it went just over the bar, but with Baba's addition, Tokyo's ball possession rate definitely increased, and chances grew. In the 87th minute, a pass from Ishikawa on the right reached Miyazawa in the center, who dribbled past two defenders and passed to Kelly on the left of the goal. As Kelly trapped the ball, the opposing DF could not help but commit a foul with a high kick. With 3 minutes remaining, there was a great opportunity for an indirect free kick from just 3 meters in front of the goal, but the shot taken by DF Jean went well over the bar. In the end, the match went into extra time with a score of 1-1.

Kobe Equalizes, Extra Time Beckons

Since the Verdy match on July 24th, F.C.TOKYO's games had fallen into an unwanted pattern: take a first half lead and then concede second half goals as concentration lapsed. To avoid a repetition, the players were instructed to harry their opponents and use the wings more, while maintaining their concentration. Vissel felt they were doing enough to create chances and snatch an equaliser and started the second half in confident mood.
But, as the second period unfolded, TOKYO, following the manager's half time direction, found their rhythm and used the flanks to greater effect. Some neat play by Amaral in the 51st minute set up Kaji for a shot on goal. In the 58th minute the Vissel keeper spilled a low blast from Miyazawa; Amaral pounced but the goal was disallowed for offside. Two minutes later Ishikawa blazed down the right wing and curled a low cross in towards Kelly who failed to make contact by a whisker. Ishikawa was the provider again in the 62nd minute as Toda headed his cross narrowly over the bar. The chances were coming thick and fast for TOKYO; in the 67th minute Amaral rolled a pass inside the last defender for the charging Kaji to fire fractionally wide and three minutes later Kelly found Ishikawa on the right. He cut inside and shot powerfully with his left foot but the Vissel keeper made a fine save.
Vissel somehow survived everything TOKYO threw at them and slowly began to gain a foothold in the match. In the 74th minute Doi punched clear a dangerous free kick; two minutes later Bando beat two defenders but shot over the bar. As the game entered the final 10 minutes Moniwa replaced Kaji to bolster the defence but disaster struck for TOKYO in the 82nd minute.
Goalkeeper Doi seemed to have cleanly held the ball from a corner but somehow lost it in a wild scramble of bodies and Sidiclei was on hand to prod home for the equaliser.
TOKYO seemed determined not to let conceding a late goal disturb their rhythm and nearly had the winner as Baba picked the ball up on the right, raced into a shooting position and let fly. The ball flew fractionally over the bar but the introduction of Baba for Toda had a positive effect on TOKYO. With 3 minutes remaining Miyazawa waltzed past two defenders and found Kelly. The referee gave an indirect free kick to TOKYO for a "high foot" by a Kobe defender on Kelly and presented TOKYO with a golden opportunity to take the game. Jean blazed the chance way over the bar and the 90 minutes finished 1-1.

Heartbreaking penalty... once again crying over a comeback loss

　Mentally, Kobe had the advantage, but Tokyo still had one more player, making the situation unpredictable for either team. In the first half of extra time, Tokyo once again displayed a furious attack. In the 100th minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and delivered a cross, but it was cleared by the opposing defender. In the 102nd minute, Baba took a bold shot, and just after that, in the 103rd minute, Kelly delivered an exquisite through pass to Kaji, who had surged up the right side, but Jean closed in and cleared it before it could be crossed back to the center. In the 104th minute, Amaral aimed for the goal from the left side but shot just slightly to the right. Immediately after that, Ishikawa's powerful shot from the right side of the penalty area also went wide to the right of the goal.

　Tokyo, attacking overwhelmingly, did not ease their offensive efforts even as they entered the second half of extra time. In the 108th minute, Amaral stretched out to dive for a large cross from the right side, but the ball went over the goal net. In the 109th minute, Baba aimed for a mid-range shot that went over the bar, but Baba's movement to draw the ball and his aggressiveness became a significant positive factor for the team.

　Despite relentless attacks, Tokyo could not score a goal and instead gave Kobe the courage to launch a final attack. At 111 minutes, a single through pass saw the speedy substitute Okano break through, but Jean barely managed to stop it. However, Okano's speed instilled fear in Tokyo. Alongside top striker Shiro, Okano summoned his last strength to chase Tokyo's DF from the front line. In response, Tokyo's DF made careless passing errors two or three times, losing possession. At 115 minutes, Tokyo lost the ball on the left side due to an easy mistake, and from a throw-in, a direct pass was played behind the DF. Okano shook off DF Moniwa and charged forward. Although DF Ito caught up in the penalty area, he fouled Okano in momentum, conceding a crucial penalty kick. The penalty was taken by Kazu, who had come on at 104 minutes. There was no way the former Japan ace would miss the PK in this situation. Kazu's shot easily shook Tokyo's goal net, sealing their fate. Tokyo, having lost what was a "winning match," confirmed a losing record in the 1st stage with one final match remaining. The entire team was deeply disappointed by the painful defeat, but the next game is the last home game of the 1st stage. The players must quickly reset their mindset and "fight" for the fans who support them and for themselves.

[Manager Hara's Press Conference Summary] We scored a goal from a penalty in the early stages, but after going down to ten men, our pace actually worsened. Normally, we should have pressed our advantage, but we ended up matching the opponent's pace. Kobe, with one player less, played with more determination, and it’s frustrating that we couldn't score until the end. What was disappointing was the goal we conceded in the second half. In a situation where we should have cleared the ball, our players hesitated and gave way to each other. I really wanted to win today's match to even out the results, but that fact cannot be changed now. We need to shift our focus to the next match and aim for victory in the final game.

[Vissel Kobe - Coach Matsuda Press Conference Summary] I'm just happy to win. It was a game I thought would end in a draw, so it's even more satisfying. Conceding a goal early and having a player sent off was painful, but we managed to adapt well by changing the system from 3-5-2 to 4-4-1. It was significant that our lone striker, Jo, worked as hard as two players, allowing us to play a style similar to 4-4-2. Even with one less player, we maintained a good rhythm and stayed focused until the end, which led to the V goal. It was a tough match, but I believe the players understood that if we stay focused and don't give up until the end, results will follow, making this a valuable victory in that sense.

TOKYO Fall To Extra Time Penalty

Despite being a man down Vissel's late equalizer had given them a boost and it was anyone's game as extra time unfolded. From around the 100 minute mark TOKYO began to threaten: an Ishikawa cross was cleared, Kaji fired in a shot from middle range and a beautiful Kelly through pass was cleared off Jean's toes by a defender. Amaral fired wide in the 104th minute and Ishikawa repeated the trick a minute later. TOKYO launched waves of attacks on the Kobe goal but a winner just wouldn't come. Amaral stretched out a leg to divert a cross over the bar in the 108th minute and the sparkling Baba fired over a minute after that.
Vissel hadn't given up the fight and with the jet-propelled Okano partnering Jo were capable of giving TOKYO a fright. Jean did well to cut out a simple through ball to Okano in the 111th minute but the speedy striker sowed the seeds of doubt in the TOKYO defense, resulting in some hesitant play that gifted the ball to the opposition. The decisive moment came in the 115th minute as Okano, chasing a long ball, went down under pressure from Ito and the referee unhesitatingly pointed to the spot. Kazu Miura, ex-Japan ace striker had come on in extra time and confidently beat Doi for the winning goal. Unbelievably TOKYO had lost a game that had seemed to be in their pocket. The players will have to pick themselves up and try to finish the first stage with a win in front of the home supporters in the final game next Saturday.

Manager Hara:
" Although we took an early lead and they were a man short our pacing of the game wasn't good. We have to make opponents play to our pace. Kobe fought very well but we should have made more of our opportunities. Conceding the late equaliser was terrible-we didn't deal with the danger at all. We really wanted to win today to move our record up to .500 for the season, but it's no use crying over spilt milk. We'll regroup and aim to finish the first stage with a win".

Vissel manager Matsuda:
" Obviously we are very pleased with the win as we expected the game to be a draw. Losing a goal and a player so early on was a blow but when we changed to 4-4-1 Jo worked so hard it seemed like 4-4-2, and that was the key really. We kept our shape, found a good rhythm and concentrated to the very end. In terms of showing the players what they can achieve through hard work this is a valuable win ".