Defeating the champion Jubilo, hoping to rise to sole first place

　Sec. 5 is a match against Júbilo Iwata, the 1st Stage Champion. Due to being held one day later than other matches, the current provisional standings show Júbilo in 3rd place and FC Tokyo in 4th place. This direct confrontation between 3rd and 4th place is an important match for both teams, as winning today would elevate one of them to sole first place.

　In the first stage match, Jubilo suffered a complete defeat at home, losing 0 to 2. However, they have successfully avenged their losses against Gamba, Verdy, and the draw against Jeff in this stage. It is never easy to play against the champion team, but the team's condition is improving. With plenty of motivation, they charged into the away match in Iwata, burning with the desire for revenge. Ishikawa, who was a concern due to a right thigh contusion from the previous match, showed a lively appearance and started the game. The match kicked off in Tokyo amidst the autumn rain that began falling before the game.

F.C. TOKYO Reach For The Top

The fifth game of the second stage saw F.C.TOKYO visit Jubilo Iwata. The results from the games played a day earlier had left Jubilo in third place and TOKYO in fourth; a win for either team would see them go top of the league.
TOKYO had lost the corresponding first stage fixture 0-2 but gutsy performances in the recent victories over Gamba and Verdy had boosted their confidence and the team entered the game against the champions elect in a positive frame of mind. The only injury doubt, Ishikawa, had made a rapid recovery from a knock received in the Verdy game and was included in the starting eleven. F.C.TOKYO kicked off in a light drizzle at Iwata Stadium.

We allowed the opening goal from a mistake and couldn't capitalize on our chances...

　Tokyo aggressively moves forward from the first touch. However, when the ball is cut off at the final line, Júbilo's speedy ball movement approaches the goal. Then, a pass sent by Júbilo forward Takahara from the right outside the penalty area is intercepted, and next, Ito, who was marking Takahara, tries to clear it, but the ball spills just outside the penalty arc and ends up in the hands of MF Fujita, who was waiting freely like a gift. Fujita's low shot pierces the bottom right corner of the goal, and just one minute into the match, Tokyo is already trailing.

　However, Tokyo never looked down, and in the 5th minute, Toda and Amaral boldly ran into the goal area. When the opposing defender cleared the through pass, Ishikawa picked up the loose ball and took a powerful shot. They won a corner kick, and Jean headed the ball from Miyazawa's delivery, but unfortunately missed the goal. In the 12th minute, Ishikawa won a corner kick on the right side against the opposing defender, and when Ishikawa himself took the right corner kick, Toda jumped in but was narrowly cleared by the opposing defender.

　Jubilo is making a series of direct passes and attacking wide. The pressure is intense, and in the 14th minute, when Tokyo's back pass reached Doi, they applied fierce pressure, forcing a kick error from Doi, resulting in a throw-in. Continuing from there in the 15th minute, MF Kawamura received a ball from MF Nishi on the right side and delivered a sharp ground cross from the right side of the penalty area. FW Nakayama let it pass in the center, and behind him, Takahara, while losing his balance, accurately stopped the ball and unleashed a powerful shot with his left foot into the left side of the goal.

　Tokyo, who fell behind by two goals in the first 15 minutes as if mesmerized by Jubilo's flowing attacks, bravely pushed forward into Jubilo's territory. In the 18th minute, they earned a left corner kick from Ishikawa's shot, and from this corner, Kelly headed the ball, but Jean, who was there for the rebound, was caught by the goalkeeper. They missed a precious goal opportunity. In the 23rd minute, from Miyazawa's left free kick, Jean tried to connect with his foot in front of the goal, but it went over the goal. They desperately tried to find a breakthrough from set plays, but were also let down by their finishing, failing to score.

　Jubilo switches between offense and defense incredibly quickly. Even when Tokyo applies pressure and intercepts, they cannot connect passes from a low position in their own half and are quickly dispossessed. In the 24th minute, Takahara made a big switch to the left side to Hattori, connecting with Nishi to Fujita in the center, and then back to Takahara on the right side. Takahara evaded the defender and took a shot, launching a dynamic attack from a wide play.

　On the other hand, in the 29th minute, Kaji's long throw was received by Ishikawa, who crossed it, and Amaral entered the shooting motion, but the opposing defender cut it off. In the 34th minute, Kelly connected a throw-in from the right side, and Toda jumped in front of the goal to win a corner kick, but the corner kick did not lead to a goal. In the 38th minute, Asari was brought in to replace Shimohira. In the 42nd minute, Amaral jumped in on Miyazawa's free kick from the right side, but his header went over the goal. In stoppage time, Toda headed Kaji's cross, but it was cut off by the defender. Despite being dominated, the number of shots was 10:8, surpassing Jubilo, and Tokyo created more chances, but they could not shake the net, ending the first half.

TOKYO Struggle After Conceding Early Goal

TOKYO looked to surge at Jubilo straight from the kick off but the ball was cut out by the defence and quickly returned downfield to Takahara. Tetsuya Ito managed to intercept his pass but succeeded only in directing the ball into the path of Jubilo midfielder Fujita who wasted no time in striking a low shot inside the right post to put his side ahead with less than a minute on the clock.
If the early goal had stunned TOKYO they didn't show it and nearly equalised minutes later as Amaral and Toda tore into the home defence. Amaral's final through pass was only half cleared and Ishikawa, following up, let fly a powerful shot that the keeper turned around the post for a corner. Jean marched forward and met Miyazawa's corner with a towering header that flew narrowly wide. In the 12th minute Ishikawa harried a defender into conceding another corner which he took himself; a defender beat the diving Toda to the ball by a hair's breadth.
Jubilo responded with some sharp direct passing and pressed TOKYO down the flanks. In the 14th minute a back pass put TOKYO keeper Doi under pressure and he was forced to kick into touch. A minute later Nishi found Kawamura on the right of the TOKYO area and Nakayama dummied his low cross into the area. Takahara, although under pressure and losing his footing, managed to control the ball and blast it past Doi.
Despite being two goals down after only 15 minutes TOKYO continued to drive at the Jubilo defence with a fine effort from Ishikawa winning a corner in the 18th minute. Kelly, and then Jean, got touches on the ball but the Jubilo keeper eventually claimed it. Jean was again involved in the 23rd minute, turning a free kick from Miyazawa over the bar. TOKYO had several chances from set plays but were unable to convert any into goals.
Jubilo were able to turn defence into attack with such fluidity and speed that TOKYO, hemmed into the last third of the pitch, were unable to find a forward outlet for the ball when they regained possession. Or, if they did, support was slow in arriving and it was lost again. A sumptuous move involving five players and a double side change, started and finished by Takahara, nearly produced a third goal in the 24th minute.
In the 29th minute Ishikawa picked out Amaral with a fine cross but his shot was charged down by a defender. Toda won a corner in the 34th minute with a brave diving header but again it came to nothing. Asari replaced Shimotaira in the 38th minute, Amaral headed a Miyazawa free kick over the bar in the 42nd minute and in injury time Toda had a fierce drive blocked by a defender. TOKYO had outshot the home side by 10 to 8 but finished the first period 2-0 down.

Fukuda scores a valuable goal that he wants to use as a starting point for a comeback, but...

　Tokyo raised Kaji to a higher position from midway through the first half, adopting a three-back formation. Coach Hara stated, "To be more aggressive in scoring and to bring in Moino for Ito's covering," but in the second half, Fukuda was brought in to replace Toda. They approached the game with a two-top formation, placing Ishikawa as left midfielder in a 3-5-2 setup.

　However, just 2 minutes into the second half, at the 47th minute, Kawamura broke through on the left side with a dribble and allowed a cross. This cross was weak and flowed to the unguarded left side, but Tokyo could not regain possession, and there, MF Hattori rushed in fiercely and took a shot. Although Doi initially saved it with his left hand, Takahara, who was lurking in front of the goal, pushed it in, and Tokyo conceded their third goal early in the second half.

　Tokyo, nonetheless, attempted a desperate counterattack to strike back, and in the 56th minute, a shot from Miyazawa from a distance was cut by the opposing defender, spilling in front of Amaral, who broke free on the right side. He found himself one-on-one with the GK, but the shot was saved by the GK, making the goal seem ever more distant. Jubilo, increasingly dominant, showcased a mature game with quick passing that unified the intentions of both the receiver and the passer, and the match continued in Tokyo's half.

　However, it was in the 66th minute. On the left side, Miyazawa sent a long pass to Fukuda, who received it in the right penalty area. Fukuda evaded the defender, cut inside, and took a shot. The ball was blocked by the goalkeeper, but they earned a corner kick. From this short corner, Kaji brought the ball inside and delivered a low cross with his left foot to the center. Fukuda, running towards the near side while competing with a defender, connected and scored! This goal, which was Fukuda's long-awaited goal in league play after a year, was a valuable strike that both he and the team had been eagerly anticipating, and Tokyo finally secured a precious point to initiate their counterattack!

Fukuda Pulls One Back But...

Midway through the first half TOKYO had pushed Kaji forward and opted for a three back system. As manager Hara reasoned " We needed to score desperately and I wanted Moniwa covering in front of Ito ". Forward Fukuda replaced Toda at half time and Ishikawa moved to the left in a 3-5-2 formation. 
Unfortunately a defensive lapse in the 47th. minute saw a cross from Kawamura sail across the TOKYO penalty area to the unmarked Hattori. Doi managed to block his shot but Takahara was on hand to bundle the ball over the line for the third goal. 
Down but not yet out, TOKYO continued to push forward. Miyazawa tried his luck with a long range blast in the 56th. minute; the ball cannoned off a defender straight into the path of Amaral, who only had the keeper to beat. 
Somehow his effort was saved and the TOKYO players must have thought they were predestined not to score. 
In the 66th. minute a raking cross field pass from Miyazawa picked out Fukuda who rounded a defender and fired in a shot which the Jubilo keeper turned around the post for a corner. It was taken short to Kaji who whipped in a low cross for Fukuda to outmuscle a defender and power the ball home at the near post. Fukuda's delight was plain to see: his first league goal for nearly a year was a just reward for TOKYO's hard work and suggested a fightback was possible. 

Completely defeated before the mature Jubilo

　In the 67th minute, Ishikawa, who had been pushed back on the left side, was substituted for Kinama due to a serious injury. However, just after that, in the 68th minute, Júbilo advanced into Tokyo's territory, where Fujita maintained possession in the right penalty area. He passed it back to Nishi, who ran in and shot, and Takahara, who was in front of the goal, changed the course with a heel touch, scoring a goal. With Takahara's skillful hat trick, they unexpectedly conceded the fourth goal, bringing the deficit back to three points. In the 74th minute, Júbilo replaced MF Namiki with MF Kanazawa, and in the 78th minute, they brought in speedy FW Kawaguchi for Nishi, completely pulling away from Tokyo.

　As planned, in the 80th minute, Tokyo quickly countered while Jean was advancing, Nakayama connected the ball from the back, and Takahara sent it to the right side. Kawaguchi received it and broke through the right side with a dribble, evading the defender and taking a shot, resulting in three consecutive corner kicks.

　In the 85th minute, Tokyo's Asari received his second yellow card and was sent off. This caused a loss of focus. In the 87th minute, Nakayama sprinted down the right side, dribbled, and sent a cross to the center, where Takahara scored again. This was his fourth goal, bringing Jubilo's total to 5 goals. Then, in the 89th minute, the Tokyo DF cleared a ball from the goalkeeper, which Kanazawa received in midfield and sent a lob pass forward. Nakayama jumped in, competing with Ito, and scored a looping shot over Doih's head for the final 6th goal. Tokyo's DF collapsed, and they suffered a heavy defeat with no way to resist the large number of goals conceded.

　Coach Hara said, "When we made mistakes, we couldn't hold on and regain our rhythm. Leadership that can hold on at any time is necessary," discussing the reasons for the defeat. Indeed, we cannot be discouraged here. The road to battle is still long. Whether we can turn this defeat into a resource depends on the battles starting tomorrow, with Sec. 10 remaining.

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We wanted to be aggressive from the start, but I think we lost confidence after conceding the first goal. Jubilo was also aggressive from the beginning, so we tried to play without fear, but instead of keeping it simple, we tried to connect passes and made back passes, which led to our own downfall. After conceding two goals in the first half, we created several chances mainly from set pieces, so I told the team, 'If we score one goal, the pace will be in our favor' heading into the second half. However, conceding an additional goal right after the break had a big impact. Also, right after we managed to score one goal back, we conceded again, Asari was sent off, and we fell into a vicious cycle, ultimately allowing Jubilo to play as they pleased. It's difficult to win against Jubilo when we make mistakes like this. In the first half, we wanted to take the lead, but we were outmatched by Jubilo's pressing and quick decision-making. From the next match, Ishikawa and Moniwa will leave the team to join the U-21 national team, but we want to rebuild within a week so we don't continue to slide."

[Summary of Coach Suzuki's Press Conference] "In the previous match, we lost at home, so we absolutely could not afford to lose today. I think we were able to express that feeling throughout the game. We knew that Tokyo would come out aggressively from the start based on our previous battles. If we conceded a goal there, the game would progress at Tokyo's rhythm, so we focused on staying concentrated. When we gradually switched from defense to attack, I believe that playing in good spaces led to this result. I wanted a third goal in the first half, but the players understood the importance of the next goal, and I think it was significant that we scored the third goal at the beginning of the second half."

Fightback Fizzles

Kina replaced the injured Ishikawa in the 67th minute. Disaster struck for TOKYO a minute later as Fujita held the ball up on the edge of the TOKYO area, then rolled a pass back into the path of the charging Nishi whose shot was deflected past Doi by Takahara. The deficit returned to three and Jubilo further tightened the screw by replacing Nanami with Kanazawa and Nishi with the speedy forward Kawaguchi.
With Jean lending his weight to the attack in the 80th minute a fast break saw Kawaguchi streak through on goal only to be foiled by a fine save from Doi. Jubilo won three successive corners and effectively penned TOKYO back as the game entered the final few minutes.
After Asari received a second yellow card and his marching orders in the 85th minute it was game over for TOKYO. To add insult to injury Nakayama crossed for Takahara to notch his fourth and Jubilo's fifth of the match in the 87th minute and soon after a lofted through ball from Kanazawa saw Nakayama outpace Ito to lob over the charging Doi for number six. A depressing end to a thoroughly miserable afternoon for F.C.TOKYO.
As manager Hara said "After giving away the first goal we never really found our rhythm. We really needed someone to step up and show some leadership, but it just didn't happen." Still, with ten games remaining there is plenty to play for and the team will have to knuckle down and bounce back in the next match.


F.C. TOKYO manager Hara:
" We wanted to make an aggressive start but giving away a goal in the first minute completely knocked the stuffing out of us.
We knew how Jubilo would play and we felt that if we could keep it simple we stood a chance. After their second goal we had a string of chances from set plays and definitely felt that scoring first in the second half could turn the game around. Unfortunately they scored first and when we did pull one back they responded immediately. Losing Asari was a blow and after that we collapsed. You can't afford to make the mistakes against a team like Jubilo that we did today and expect to win. We're losing Ishikawa and Moniwa to the Japan U-21 team from next week; we have a week until the next game and are going to regroup and come out fighting ".

Jubilo manager Suzuki:
" We lost our last home game here and the players were determined not to let it happen again today. We knew TOKYO would be very aggressive after they conceded the early goals but kept our concentration and defended well. I really wanted a third goal before half time and we were very aware that the next goal would be the important one.
Scoring early in the second half was the key to victory today, I think ".