A match that absolutely cannot be lost!

　The 2nd Stage Sec. 4 is a match against Verdy 1969. Currently in 3rd place, Verdy is in good form. With 2 wins and 1 loss, and 6 points, they are tied with Tokyo in 6th place, but their 9 goals scored and a goal difference of +6 are league-leading numbers. In the last match, they took a 2-goal lead against Kashima, but were forced to play with 10 men midway through the first half and suffered a comeback loss. However, the soccer centered around Edimundo, placed in the attacking midfield, functioned organically. Their attacking power poses a significant threat.

　However, today's game is one that absolutely cannot be lost, regardless of rankings or points. This sentiment may have been shared by Coach Hara, the players, the stands, and Verdy as well. As clubs based in Tokyo, the clash of pride took place at Tokyo Stadium, with the autumn atmosphere lingering, kicking off the match in Tokyo.

Vanquish Verdy!

The opponents for the fourth game of the second stage were Tokyo Verdy 1969.
Leading scorers Verdy, lying third in the table at kick off, were unfortunate to lose to Kashima Antlers in their previous match by the odd goal in five after being reduced to ten men. Paced by Brazilian Edmundo playing just behind the forwards, their attacking prowess was expected to prove a menace to the TOKYO defense.
With Verdy now based in the capital as well this is a fixture neither side wants to lose; from manager Hara to the players and the fans, the determination on the F.C.TOKYO side was palpable as the game kicked off in an electric atmosphere on a cool autumn evening.

Dominating, but allowing Verdy to take the lead with a counterattack

　From the start, both teams showed an aggressive attitude, with intense back-and-forth action on the field, truly a "battle of offense and defense." In the 4th minute, Amaral received a pass from Ishikawa on the right side and charged toward the center, only to be brought down near the right side of the penalty arc. The ball spilled in front of Ishikawa, who had moved up to support, creating a perfect shooting opportunity, but the whistle for a foul against Amaral was blown just a moment too soon. From the resulting free kick, Miyazawa aimed for the goal but missed just slightly to the lower left.

　Verdy, in the 6th minute, saw Edimundo steal the ball in midfield and quickly sent a one-touch pass forward, taking advantage of the Tokyo defense line pushing up. Forward Hiramoto caught up with it and took a lobbed shot, but it went over the goal, escaping the danger. Shortly after, from Toda's hold-up play, Amaral took a shot. In the 8th minute, Verdy aimed for the goal directly from a free kick on the left side taken by Edimundo, but both were caught by the goalkeeper.

　Tokyo's intense pressing worked, and they took control after winning the ball. Gradually, Verdy struggled to advance. In the 16th minute, a set-piece led to a shot from Shige, which was blocked by Verdy's DF, resulting in a corner kick. However, it was right after this corner kick that Verdy connected a clearance ball forward. DF Lopez, who advanced from the back line, picked it up and passed to Taira on the left side. Taira sprinted down the left flank, drawing in Tokyo's DF, and delivered a final pass to the 'most dangerous man'—Edimundo—who was waiting free. He took a touch and shot, shaking the net with a powerful strike. In a flash, Tokyo conceded the opening goal from a brilliant counterattack.

Verdy Take The Lead

Both sides began the match in aggressive fashion but the best chance of the opening exchanges fell to F.C.TOKYO in the 4th minute. Amaral received the ball from Ishikawa in a central position and embarked on a surging run at the heart of the Verdy defense until he was clattered to the ground just outside the area. Following up, Ishikawa retrieved the loose ball and had only the keeper to beat but the referee had blown for the foul. Miyazawa curled the free kick around the Verdy wall but narrowly past the post.
In the 6th minute Edmundo won the ball in midfield, spotted the TOKYO defense line had moved too far upfield and launched a pass into the empty space. Forward Hiramoto raced onto the ball and floated a shot over the charging TOKYO keeper Doi; fortunately the ball cleared the bar as well.
Edmundo fired a free kick straight at Doi in the 8th minute.
Although TOKYO were pressing hard in midfield and playing the ball around stylishly, Verdy threatened on the break. Moniwa had a shot blocked for a corner in the 16th minute; the ball was cleared to Lopes who raced forward and found Hiramoto in space on the right. Hiramoto drew the defense towards him and squared the ball for the unmarked Edmundo to lash a shot into the roof of the net for the opening goal. A lightning fast counter attack and world class finish gave Verdy the lead.

Amaral shows his determination for the ball, equalizing with a penalty!

　In Tokyo, Ishikawa, who had injured his foot, was forced to substitute after 10 minutes, and Kinna came on to play on the right side at the 20-minute mark. However, even after conceding the first goal, Tokyo did not change their style of play, applying pressure to regain control. In the 22nd minute, Kinna's cross was met by Amaral, earning a corner kick, from which Jean headed the ball. However, it was caught by the GK. In the 29th minute, seeing a DF from Verdy keeping the ball at the final line, Toda and Miyazawa charged in fiercely. Then, in the 30th minute, Verdy's DF cleared Doih's goal kick, and as Amaral bravely chased the loose ball, he was brought down in the penalty area, earning a penalty kick. In the 31st minute, Amaral himself calmly converted the penalty, bringing the match back to square one.

　After that, Tokyo continued to approach the Verdy goal with Kina on the right and Moniwa on the left as the starting point, but due to the poor accuracy of the last pass and the receiver's decisiveness, they were unable to take a shot, and the first half ended.

Tenacious Amaral Ties It!

Ishikawa, injured early in the match, had gamely battled on but was unable to continue and Kina replaced him after 20 minutes. TOKYO continued to press forward with Kina making an immediate impact, bursting down the right and crossing to Amaral. The Verdy defense conceded a corner but the keeper held Jean's header. A period of sustained pressure from the home side followed and a typical piece of opportunism from Amaral earned the equalizer. Doi punted the ball downfield and a loose defensive header fell invitingly for Amaral who was upended as he raced into the area. The "King of Tokyo" picked himself up, bamboozled the Verdy keeper and tied the score from the spot.
Buoyed by the goal TOKYO began to dominate proceedings but failed to take advantage of several half chances and the first half finished 1-1.

Kelly scores the go-ahead goal from the planned play!

　In the second half, with the score tied at 1-1, Coach Hara's halftime instructions were, "Don't let Edimundo be free. Let's take more shots. Let's thoroughly use Kinama as a starting point to deliver crosses from the sides." Following those instructions, Kinama sometimes held the ball and sometimes passed, creating opportunities and leading the attack, allowing Tokyo to take control of the game.

　In the 48th minute, Kelly received a cross from Kina, who advanced up the right side, and took a shot, resulting in a corner kick. From the rebound of this corner kick, Kina aimed for the goal with a mid-range shot again. While maintaining possession and attacking, in the 53rd minute, they faced a counterattack from Verdy. After regaining possession near their own end line, Edimundo connected the play, and Hiramoto utilized his speed to attack from the left side. In the end, forward Sakurai, who was free just before the right goal area, took a shot. It was a close call, but Jean managed to block the shot just in time, averting the danger.

　Tokyo, dominating the game, continues to push towards the goal without losing focus, despite the counter-attacks from Verdy. In the 55th minute, Kaji's cross is met by Toda's header, but it goes over the goal. However, the strategy of keeping Toda inside and creating opportunities from the side pays off. In the 57th minute, Amaral, who was holding the ball on the left side, sends a cross in front of the goal, which deflects off an opposing defender competing with Toda in the center and spills in front of the goal. Miyazawa and Kelly are right there to capitalize on the loose ball, and in the end, Kelly pushes it in with his right foot for a goal! They secured a valuable additional point.

　Tokyo, not easing up, made a substitution at the 61st minute, replacing Toda with Fukuda to aim for "one more goal." Meanwhile, Verdy pushed Edmundo up front, with Coach Lori stating they "tried to create space in midfield by pushing up the DF line." However, Tokyo's DF marked tightly, preventing Edmundo from being left free. Tokyo continued to attack dominantly, and at the 63rd minute, Amaral received a through pass from Kaji and fired a powerful shot from the right side of the penalty area. From the corner kick earned by the goalkeeper's save, Miyazawa took a shot on the rebound but narrowly missed to the right. At the 75th minute, Amaral dribbled up the left side and sent a cross that Fukuda charged into but collided with the opposing DF. Although they couldn't add another goal, at the 85th minute, Amaral was replaced by Asari. Showing even more fighting spirit than before, they held on to defend until time was up. Securing a win in this crucial match, they also rose to 3rd place in the 2nd stage standings. Next match, they challenge the top-ranked Júbilo Iwata.

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "I had a stronger desire to win than usual. Verdy, even in the previous match against Kashima, centered around Edimundo, and when the ball reached him, the surrounding players moved quickly, creating rhythm from there. We understood that style of play, so we tried not to let Edimundo face forward easily. However, Ishikawa, affected by a contusion on his right thigh, lost a ball he would normally have caught up to, which eventually allowed Edimundo to be free and concede the first goal. It felt unpleasant, but Kina, who came on midway, utilized a completely different strength from Ishikawa, skillfully creating space and establishing a good rhythm. Recently, we had matches where we only scored one goal, but today, after scoring two goals, we had several chances to score a third. Moving forward, we need to improve the quality of crosses, traps, and shots to be able to finish in such situations. Although there were some dangerous moments, winning against a rival team with momentum means we have made good preparations for the next match against Jubilo."

【Verdy LORI Director's Press Conference Summary】"I want to talk about the technical aspects of the game in the press conference, but it's very difficult. Disappointing things that directly affect the results are happening in the game. I want to congratulate FC Tokyo."

Kelly Bags The Winner

TOKYO manager Hara's half time instructions were terse: "Mark Edmundo. Shoot more. Kina, get forward and cross." The team followed his direction to the letter as Kina broke down the right in the 48th minute and centred to Kelly, whose shot was deflected for a corner. The corner was cleared to Kina who tested the Verdy keeper with an awkwardly bouncing volley. TOKYO kept possession and probed for an opening, simultaneously maintaining a watch on dangerman Edmundo. Jean made a vital block to deny Sakurai in the 50th minute as another length-of-the-pitch counter attack from Verdy, sparked by Edmundo, threatened the TOKYO goal.
Toda had moved infield as TOKYO sought to make headway along the flanks and his header from a Kaji cross sailed narrowly over the bar in the 55th minute. Amaral, out on the left wing, aimed a cross at Toda soon after; his knock down fell in front of Miyazawa and Kelly but it was the latter who extended a leg to prod the ball home and put TOKYO in front.
Manager Hara then replaced Toda with forward Fukuda as TOKYO pressed for a third and decisive goal. Verdy responded by pushing Edmundo further forward to "tie up the TOKYO defence line and create some space in midfield," according to manager Lori. The TOKYO defence smothered Edmundo, denying him any time or space on the ball. At the other end Amaral fizzed a shot on target in the 63rd minute which the keeper did well to beat away for a corner. Miyazawa latched onto a weak clearance but fired fractionally wide.
Fukuda nearly had the ball in the net in the 75th minute from an Amaral cross but a desperate far post block denied him a chance to kill off the game. When a third goal wasn't forthcoming Asari replaced Amaral and TOKYO comfortably saw out the remaining few minutes for a well deserved victory that moved them up to third in the table, and set up a clash with league leaders Jubilo in the next game.

F.C.TOKYO manager Hara:
" We wanted to win tonight even more than usual. We knew what we had to do: stop Edmundo going forward. Due to Ishikawa being injured Edmundo managed to evade a marker and score. It was disappointing but Kina came on and played very well and we found our rhythm. We are only averaging a goal a game so we were pleased to get two tonight and were looking for more. Still, it's good to beat rivals like this and great preparation for the Jubilo game on Sunday".

Verdy manager Lori:
" At a press conference I should talk about the skill of the players, but it's difficult. Many things happened tonight which had a bearing on the result. I would like to congratulate TOKYO".