Defeat Kobe, the weak team, and make the win-loss record even.

　It can be said that it is a weak point. The match record against Kobe is 1 draw and 3 losses in the league, and we have never won once. In this year's Nabisco Cup qualifying league, we won 1 and drew 1, but we still want to win in the league.

　Kobe this season has been struggling with a record of 2 wins, 10 losses, and 1 draw, with only 7 points in 15th place after the 13th round. Especially in the last 5 games, they have suffered 5 consecutive losses and have not scored in 3 consecutive games, and Tokyo has also been losing games in the second half in recent games. However, there should be plenty of opportunities to win against the current Kobe team. Today, we must win and return to a 6-6-2 record in the first stage, and prepare for the final match of the season. The players have naturally been saying such words before the game, but now that the championship is out of reach, one of the goals is to "overtake" in the first stage with the current ranking.

　Kobe, in a difficult situation, started Kazu on the bench and resorted to aggressive treatment, while on the other hand, Tokyo also had a strong lineup with Kaji returning to the right side back after missing 3 games due to injury, and Fujiyama starting as the left side back for the first time in 8 games due to a suspension from accumulated warnings, adding depth to their side attacks which had been lacking in the past few 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.

2 consecutive games! Once again, Amaral takes the lead with a PK!

　In stark contrast to the steamy Tokyo Stadium from the previous match, today's Kobe Univ is in perfect condition with a refreshing cool breeze that evokes the feeling of autumn. As the game begins, both teams aggressively apply pressure from the front, resulting in a fast-paced and intense match.

　Tokyo formed the rhythm of their attack by collecting the ball to Kelly and then using Amaral's post-play to break through from the side, but Toda on the left side was a solid base with accurate plays and bold runs, while Ishikawa on the right side created numerous chances with his sharp dribbling. Both Kaji and Minoru Kobayashi's attacking participation as fullbacks were also effective, overwhelming Kobe in the battle on the sides.

　On the other hand, Kobe has been putting pressure on the front line with the passionate play of their two top players, Shiro and Haruto, but Tokyo has dominated possession for a long time, causing the overall team to play defensively. They have been looking for chances through sharp counterattacks after winning the ball in deep positions. In the 7th minute, Tokyo managed to get behind Kobe's defense with one pass, but Tokyo's goalkeeper, Doi, made a good decision and came out to clear the ball. After that, they continued to win the ball and send crosses from the sides, but the accuracy of their passes was low and they were unable to create any clear chances.

　The game changed in the 19th minute, when Tokyo's Amaral jumped in from the right corner kick, but Kobe's DF Kitamoto pulled Amaral's shirt and was given a penalty kick. In addition, Kitamoto, who was not satisfied with this decision, persistently protested to the referee and received a second yellow card, resulting in a red card. With this unexpected turn of events, Tokyo was awarded a penalty kick and Amaral neatly scored in the left corner to take the lead. Following the previous match against Kyoto, Amaral once again scored the opening goal with 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 defense 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' defense. 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 10 Kobe players

　Tokyo, who received an early goal and a big advantage, continued to attack in search of additional goals, but after Kobe's player was sent off and they changed their system from 3-5-2 to 4-4-1, they were unable to exploit the spaces on the sides and their attacks became centered around Amaral. In the 28th minute, Kelly made a one-two with Amaral in the center and broke through, sending a perfect through pass to Toda who had run into the goal area, but it was unfortunately offside. In the 39th minute, Amaral received the ball in the center and sent a decisive pass to Kelly who had turned forward with skillful steps and ran into the penalty area, but the Kobe DF cleared it just a moment before the shot.

　On the other hand, despite being one player down, Kobe tried to take advantage of their limited chances with a determined play from their top striker, who led the team by putting his body on the line. In the 40th minute, he took a powerful overhead shot from about 25 meters in the center, narrowly missing the goal on the right and causing GK Doi to panic. Kobe's chances were not many, but everyone played with passion and defended Tokyo's attacks, clearly showing a unified attitude to aim for a goal from counterattacks. The pitch was undoubtedly supposed to have one more Tokyo player, but after the game, Kobe's coach Matsuda said, "Our top striker did his best and worked as a two-top alone," and it was a development that did not make us feel that at all. In the beginning, Tokyo overwhelmed Kobe with their fantastic soccer that broke through from the sides, but after the opponent was one player down, they slowed down as if to match Kobe, who had solidly defended, and went into the second half without being able to score an additional goal.

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.

Kobe's passion pushed for a tie, going into overtime.

　After the Verdy match in the 10th round (7/24), Tokyo has been following a pattern of conceding goals in the second half even if they take the lead in the first half. At halftime, they were instructed to put pressure on from the start of the second half, move the ball more simply, and use wide attacks on both sides to score more goals. On the other hand, Kobe also came into the second half with confidence, following the instructions at halftime to continue playing their current style of soccer and wait for opportunities. As a result, an intense battle unfolded from the start of the second half.

　Tokyo grabbed the rhythm with an attack using the side as instructed by the coach in the early stages of the first half. In the 51st minute, Amaral passed to Kaji who ran deep from the right side of the post and created a chance. In the following 58th minute, Miyazawa took a powerful low trajectory shot from the middle range, which the opponent GK couldn't catch and Amaral followed up to score! However, the decision was offside. It was a very close decision, but the team was encouraged by Miyazawa's bold play. In addition, in the 60th minute, Ishikawa dribbled through the deep right side with great speed and passed a pinpoint ground pass to Kelly, who couldn't reach it. In the 62nd minute, Ishikawa, who had now moved to the left side, crossed to Toda in the center, but the ball went over the bar. Tokyo's chances continue. In the 67th minute, the ball flowed from Ishikawa on the left to Amaral in the center, and then to Kaji who ran up the right side from Amaral, and Kaji took a powerful shot from the dribble, but the ball narrowly missed to the right of the goal. In the 70th minute, Tokyo countered and Kelly dribbled up and passed to Ishikawa on the right, who cut back to the center and took a shot with his left foot, but it was saved by the opponent GK.

　Kobe, who withstood Tokyo's fierce attack with determination, gradually turned the tide. In the 74th minute, a central free kick was headed towards the goal, but GK Minoru KOBAYASHI barely punched it away. In the following 76th minute, Hato made a determined run from a counter attack, shaking off two Tokyo DF players and taking a shot that hit the crossbar. In the 77th minute, a header from a cross on the left was caught by GK KOBAYASHI. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Tokyo substituted Shigenori MOCHIDA for Minoru KOBAYASHI to strengthen their defense and hold on to their lead. However, in the 82nd minute, a ball contested in the center from a corner kick rose high in front of Tokyo's goal. It seemed that GK KOBAYASHI would catch it, but amidst a crowded group of players, DF Robert SHIJIKUREI cleverly positioned himself to create a path and kicked the ball directly into the goal with his right foot. In the final moments of the game, when concentration was most crucial, Kobe equalized with a goal gifted to them by Tokyo.

　The game returned to a draw, but Tokyo still had one more player. In the 85th minute, substitute Baba brought the ball from the right to the center and took a powerful shot with his left foot. Unfortunately, it went over the bar, but with Baba's addition, Tokyo's ball possession rate definitely increased and they had more chances. In the 87th minute, a pass from Ishikawa on the right found Miyazawa in the center, who dribbled past two defenders and passed to Kelly on the left side of the goal. Kelly trapped the ball, but the opposing DF couldn't resist and committed a high kick foul. With only 3 minutes left, it was a perfect opportunity for an indirect free kick from just 3 meters in front of the goal, but DF Jean's shot went well over the bar. In the end, the game remained tied 1-1 and went into extra time.

Kobe Equalise, 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 PK...once again crying over a comeback loss

　Kobe had the advantage mentally, but the fact that Tokyo had one more player did not change, and the game was in a situation where it could go either way. In the first half of extra time, Tokyo showed a fierce attack again. In the 100th minute, Ishikawa broke through the right side and crossed, but it was cleared by the opponent's DF. In the 102nd minute, Baba took a strong shot and in the next 103rd minute, Kelly's perfect through pass from the right side reached Kaji who ran up, but DF Jean cleared it. In the 104th minute, Amaral aimed for the left goal with a shot, but it narrowly missed to the right. Immediately after that, Ishikawa's powerful shot from the right side of the penalty area also missed to the right of the goal.

　Tokyo, who overwhelmingly attacked, did not let up their offensive even after entering the extended second half. In the 108th minute, Amaral stretched his leg to dive into a big cross from the right side, but the ball went over the goal net. In the 109th minute, Robert aimed for a middle shot but it went over the bar, but his movement to draw out the ball and his aggressiveness were a big plus for the team.

　Tokyo, who couldn't score no matter how much they attacked, ended up giving Kobe the courage to make one final attack. In the 111th minute, substitute Jean made a run for a through pass, but DF Jean barely managed to stop it. However, Jean's speed instilled fear in Tokyo. Together with top striker Jean, Okano used all his remaining strength to chase after the ball from the front line, causing Tokyo's DF to make easy passing mistakes twice or three times. In the 115th minute, Tokyo lost the ball due to an easy mistake on the left side, and when a direct pass was made behind the DF from a throw-in, Okano shook off DF Shigeki and charged forward. Although DF Ito caught up to him in the penalty area, he ended up fouling Okano and giving away a crucial penalty kick. The one to take the kick was Kazu, who had come on as a substitute in the 104th minute. There was no way the former Japanese ace would miss a penalty in this situation. Kazu's shot easily found the back of Tokyo's net, sealing their defeat. Tokyo, who had lost a "winning game", had now officially lost the first stage with one game remaining. The entire team was down after such a painful loss, but their next game would be the final home game of the first stage. The players quickly switched their mindset and knew they had to "fight" for themselves and for the fans who would be cheering them on.

[Summary of Original Coach's Press Conference] We scored one point with a PK at an early time, but after one player was sent off, the pace turned bad. We should have pushed harder at that point, but instead we ended up matching the opponent's pace. It's frustrating that we couldn't score against a one-man down Kobe who was working hard. The most disappointing thing was the goal we conceded in the second half. Our teammates gave way to each other in a situation where we should have cleared the ball. We really wanted to win today's match and bring the win-loss record back to a tie, but we can't change the fact now. We need to switch our mindset for the next match and aim for a victory in the final game.

[Vissel Kobe Manager Matsuda Press Conference Summary] I am just happy to win. It was a game that I thought would end in a draw, so it was even more so. It was painful to concede a goal at such an early time and to have one player sent off, but we were able to respond well by changing the system from 3-5-2 to 4-4-1. This was largely due to the work of the lone striker, who was able to play a 4-4-2 style of soccer with the work of two people. Even with one less player, we were able to play with a good rhythm and our concentration until the end led to the V goal. It was a tough game, but I think the players understood that if they continue to concentrate without giving up until the end, the results will come. In that sense, it was a valuable victory.

TOKYO Fall To Extra Time Penalty

Despite being a man down Vissel's late equaliser 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 defence, 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 at our pace. Kobe fought very well, but we should have taken advantage of our opportunities. Conceding the late equaliser was terrible - we didn't handle the danger at all. We really wanted to win today to improve our record to .500 for the season, but there'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".