Defeating F.Marinos, the trigger for rising up

　Sec. 6 will face F.Marinos at the Yokohama International Stadium in an away game following the previous round. In the 1st stage, F.Marinos, a strong team that finished 2nd, competed for the championship until the final round. However, they have suffered 3 consecutive losses since the start of the 2nd stage. Although they have gradually regained their form with 1 win and 1 draw, they seem to be unable to fully demonstrate their strength. In addition, Tokyo has a good record against them in the past J1 league with 3 wins and 2 draws. Manager Hara said, "The record may be a factor, but that doesn't mean we can win just because of it." He tightened his focus and hopes to use this match as a chance to rise up.

　U-21 representative Shigenobu and Ishikawa left the team for the Asian Games, and Fujiyama started as left back and Sato as right midfielder. Sato returned to the starting lineup for the first time in 5 months since April 21st, and expectations were high as they kicked off.

Mangle Marinos! Move Up!

F.C.TOKYO made the short journey to Yokohama International Stadium for a second consecutive away game, the sixth match of the second stage. Their opponents, the Yokohama F Marinos, had lost out on the first stage title on the final day and, as if stunned by their failure, opened the second stage with three straight losses. A win and a draw in their previous games had seen them slowly regaining their form. F.C.TOKYO boast a W3 D2 L0 record against them in J.League play but, as manager Hara observed, "That doesn't guarantee a win". With Moniwa and Ishikawa playing for the Japan U-21 side in the Asian games, Fujiyama moved to left side back and Yukihiko Sato returned to the starting line up for the first time since April 21st. The game kicked off in wet, overcast conditions.

Sato and Kaji break through the right side, Amaral scores the first goal!

　After the devastating loss against Jubilo, Manager Hara said, "The key to today's game is to switch our mindset. Let's not chase too much from the beginning and play simply." Following his instructions, the first half started calmly. In the midst of it, in the 2nd minute, Sato received a pass from Kaji who had moved up from the right side, and crossed it in, earning a corner kick from the defender's clearance. Sato himself took the corner kick, but it was caught by the opponent's goalkeeper. However, in the 5th minute, Sato once again received a pass from Kaji and crossed it in, creating a chance for Tokyo from the right side.

　Against F. Marinos, who do not put extreme pressure, they try to build a slow attack from pass work. In the 5th minute, MF Ueno tries to advance from the center of the field, but Miyazawa stops him with a foul. Miyazawa receives a warning for rough play, and F. Marinos aim for a direct FK with DF Nazari, but it goes over the bar. In the 7th minute, MF Oku connects with FW Shimizu in the center, and MF Hato shoots from the right side, but it misses above the goal.

　At the 10-minute mark, Tokyo, who had been dominating the ball, received a pass from central midfielder Kelly and sent an early cross from the right side. Amaral, who had timed his run perfectly, leapt into the near post and headed the ball into the far corner of the goal! Just as planned, they took the lead with a well-executed header.

　The team's momentum increased with the ace's goal. In the 15th minute, Amaral connected with Kelly in the midfield, and then Amaral, who had once again advanced with Sato's cross, attempted a header shot. However, he was unable to score this time. In the 18th minute, Miyazawa aimed for the goal from a free kick, and immediately after, a through pass from Amaral's post play in the front line reached Toda, who had slipped behind the defensive line, but unfortunately it was offside. In the 26th minute, Jean headed Sato's cross from the right side, but it went over the bar.

Sato, Kaji Set Up Amaral

Regarding the mauling at Jubilo manager Hara commented "It's important for the team to bounce back today and not get caught out early on. Simple is best". Following his instructions TOKYO began in a composed manner. In the 2nd minute Kaji moved infield and found Sato out on the wing. His cross was cleared for a corner which he took himself but the Marinos keeper held the ball cleanly. The pattern repeated itself three minutes later with the same result. The Marinos were looking to run the ball at TOKYO; in the 5th minute midfielder Ueno surged forward only to be stopped, illegally according to the referee, by Miyazawa. Miyazawa received a yellow card and Naza blazed the free kick over the bar. Some neat interplay between Oku and Shimizu created an opportunity for Hato soon after but he shot high. In the 10th minute Kelly found Kaji out on the right. Kaji launched an early cross to the near post where Amaral, with exquisite timing, rose to nod the ball inside the far post and give TOKYO a perfect start.
Emboldened, TOKYO pushed forward. A similar move to the one that produced the goal ended with Amaral heading Sato's cross just over the bar in the 15th minute. Miyazawa belted a free kick wide in the 18th minute and Toda was given offside in a marginal decision soon after as a delicate through ball from Amaral split the Marinos defence. Jean lent his weight to the attack from set pieces and went close with a header from another fine Sato centre in the 26th minute.

Dramatic Turn of Events Leading to an Ejection

　Tokyo, who excels in winning battles on the ball, has been intercepting tightly marked opponents. In the 28th minute, Nazar's mid-range shot and FW Will's shot were both cut off in front of the penalty area, and left MF Dutra's attacking run was also contained, preventing them from finishing.

　However, here F. Marinos steals a CK. And with Dutra's left CK ball, Will jumps high and heads it into the goal. Tokyo DF, who had been focused until then, was caught up in the 29th minute by an attack from a set piece, and the score was tied.

　It was just as they were about to calmly move on, without panicking about going back to the beginning. In the 31st minute, F. Marinos, while dribbling around the center circle, was charged from behind by Miyazawa. This play resulted in a second yellow card being shown, and Miyazawa was sent off. Tokyo was forced to play with 10 men.

　Still, in the 32nd minute, Jean intercepted and passed to Kelly, who quickly connected with Sato for a powerful header. The goal was missed, but they never hesitated to move forward. However, from this point on, F. Marinos' passing improved significantly and they gradually created chances. In the 38th minute, a floating pass from Ueno in the center was controlled in the left penalty area, and Shimizu took a header shot, but Tsuchi caught it. On the other hand, in the 39th minute, Tokyo's Sato dribbled down the right side on a counterattack, put a precise cross in front of the goal, and Toda jumped in from the left side, but collided with the GK at the last moment. The shot missed the target, and they missed a close big chance.

　F. Marinos picked up a clear ball from Will's FK at 42 minutes, Dudu crossed from the right side, and Hato on the far side headed the shot, but Tsuchi saved it with one hand and escaped to CK. In stoppage time, Dudu bounced back from the back shot and aimed for the goal, but Tsuchi made a nice save. They did not allow any goals with their focused defense.

Miyazawa Sees Red

At the other end the TOKYO defense coped ably with the Marinos attack; some tight marking and sharp interceptions prevented any clear cut attempts on goal. One such blocked attempt earned the Marinos a corner in the 29th. minute and Will leapt prodigiously to head home. A simple set play saw their early good work undone. As if to rub salt into the wound Miyazawa upended Oku shortly after and was sent off. From a promising position TOKYO suddenly found themselves a man down and pegged back.
In the 32nd. minute TOKYO nearly reclaimed the lead as Jean cut out a Marinos through ball, laid it off to Kelly and hared forward. He met Sato's cross with a powerful downward header but failed to hit the target. From around this time the home side began to exert themselves and their pass work improved as did the number of chances. TOKYO keeper Doi made a fine save from Shimizu's looping header in the 38th. minute. TOKYO were not to be denied and with Sato the instigator once more Toda beat the Marinos keeper to a fine cross but directed it wide of the post.
As the first half drew to a close the Marinos turned up the pressure on the TOKYO goal: Doi produced a superb one-handed save to deny Hato and in injury time foiled Will to preserve the status quo.

Although they fought hard, they ran out of steam in extra time.

　However, in the second half, F.Marinos took control of the game and it was undeniable that Tokyo, playing with 10 men, was at a disadvantage. Early on, F.Marinos received a pass from Ueno on the left side, and Dudu, who was on the left side, crossed the ball. Will's volley shot in front of the goal was cut off by Ito. In the 47th minute, Dudu once again dribbled down the left side and took a sharp shot that was parallel to the goal. Nazar's header shot from the left corner kick, followed by Will's shot from the corner kick, were all denied by Tsuchi's fine play. Despite their dominance, F.Marinos could not score an additional goal, so in the 55th minute, they substituted defender Kohara for right midfielder Hisanaga. In the 57th minute, Hisanaga picked up a clearance ball from a free kick and took a shot towards the goal. Will was there to follow up, but the shot missed the target.

　At 60 minutes, Tokyo launched a counterattack. Amaral ran into the cross from Kaji and earned a corner kick. However, Sato's left corner kick drifted to the far side and narrowly missed Amaral. This led to a counterattack. At 63 minutes, Dutra broke through the left side and Will took a free header from the cross, but the pinch was avoided by Doi's miraculous one-handed save.

　Tokyo, who struggled with Dootra on the left side, substituted Sato, who was being chased on defense, with Komine at left center back in the 67th minute. They changed to a 3-back with Komine, Ito, and Jean, and focused on stabilizing their defense. However, in the 69th minute, F. Marinos also substituted injured midfielder Nagayama with forward Sakata. They brought in fresh firepower on the front line and went for the win.

　In the midst of a situation where F. Marinos are pushing and Tokyo are defending, in the 76th minute, F. Marinos DF cleared a loose ball and Kominato ran fiercely beyond the center line and took a long shot. Kelly aimed for the rebound, but the shot went over the bar. In the 78th minute, Fukuda was substituted for Toda, who was showing signs of fatigue. They aimed for a few chances while constantly defending.

　However, at the 80th minute, Marinos' Will made a through pass from the center to the left penalty area. Dutra broke through and took a shot, but Doi made a save. Shimizu and Oku followed up with shots, but the Tokyo defense blocked them. Tokyo's defense was strong, not allowing any goals, but the game continued with a tense atmosphere where they could be caught off guard at any moment. In the 87th minute, Oku took a middle shot from Sakata's cross from the left side. The ball narrowly missed to the left, and it seemed like the biggest danger had been avoided.

　However, it was just after the display of "3 minutes of stoppage time". F. Marinos connected Dudu from the left side throw-in to Will, who floated a pass to the left penalty area. Dudu ran in here and crossed on the ground. The ball that Oku shot in front of the goal was well cut by Komine, but the loose ball rolled back in front of Oku again, and in the end, he fell down and pushed the ball into the goal with his right foot, ending all hope. Although they showed a good fight to dispel the bad image of the previous defeat, they ran out of steam at the very end.

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We talked about starting off well after our big loss in the previous match against Jubilo. We were able to score the first goal at a good time and maintain a good rhythm from the start, and I felt like we were playing at our own pace. Miyazawa's red card was a harsh warning in the first half, and in the second half it seemed like he only touched the ball. As a result, his early dismissal had a big impact on the game. Instead of immediately playing defensively, we tried to keep speedy players like Sato and Toda on the field and aim for counterattacks. We had some good opportunities in the first half, but in the end, our sloppy marking from a throw-in led to our downfall. Even with one less player, our team showed a fighting spirit, and we wanted to hold on and at least make it to extra time. But in the last minute, we were caught off guard, and I think that was one of the reasons why our team couldn't reach the next level."

[Summary of F. Marinos' manager Lazaroni's press conference] "We were confused by Tokyo's fast-paced game at the beginning and struggled to find our own rhythm. During that time, Amaral was able to break away from Tokyo's good intercept and score a well-timed header, giving them the lead. There were also times when we didn't click, but after that, the team gained momentum and our aggressive offense in the back caused the opponent's midfielder to receive a warning and get sent off. Our momentum continued and we were able to equalize, and we even had a chance to turn the game around in the first half. In the second half, we dominated and set the pace, but despite creating many chances, we couldn't finish and it became a frustrating time. I think this was due to some anxiety in front of goal. We lacked the precision to create decisive moments and finish, which prevented us from scoring. However, in the end, Oku was able to score with a desperate effort and we were able to turn the game around. I think it was a very good performance."

TOKYO Battle But...

Aware that an early goal could settle the match the Marinos bombarded the TOKYO goal as the second half began. Dutra, making headway down the left, crossed for Will to smash a first time volley goalward. Ito blocked bravely but TOKYO were on the rack. Two minutes later Dutra again cut inside and fired but Doi was equal to the task, turning the ball around for a corner.
Doi blocked Naza's header for another corner which reached Will and again the TOKYO No.1 denied the Marinos' striker. Midfielder Hisanaga replaced defender Kobara in the 55th. minute for the Marinos and immediately set up Will whose shot drifted just wide of the post.
TOKYO launched a counter attack in the 60th. minute with Toda winning a corner. Sato struck the ball to the far post where it evaded Amaral by a whisker. The Marinos countered through Dutra but Doi again pulled off a stunning save to deny the unmarked Will.
In the 60th. minute Komine replaced Sato and TOKYO switched to a three back formation of Komine, Ito and Jean in an attempt to subdue the rampant Dutra.
In response the Marinos replaced the injured Nagayama with forward Sakata and renewed their efforts. A long range blast from Komine deflected into the path of Kelly in the 76th. minute but his snap shot flew just over the bar.
The clearly exhausted Toda then made way for Fukuda.
A fine through ball from Will released Dutra inside the TOKYO area in the 80th. minute; Doi somehow parried his shot and an almighty scramble ensued as first Shimizu and then Oku were denied by some frenzied defending. TOKYO escaped by the skin of their teeth in the 87th. minute as Oku latched on to a loose clearance and blasted the ball fractionally wide.
The fourth official had just signaled for three minutes of injury time when TOKYO finally had their concentration broken. A throw in on the left from Dutra to Will saw the latter float a pass toward the by-line for the former to pull back into the centre. Oku fired first time but straight at Komine; he made no mistake from the rebound and the game was up for F.C.TOKYO.
A brave display from TOKYO had erased the nightmare of the previous week but they were unable to hold out for extra time and finished with nothing to show for their effort.


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara:
"After last week's defeat I asked for a good start and the team responded very well. We quickly found our rhythm, took the lead and were on top. Miyazawa's sending off was very harsh but we knew we couldn't go straight into defensive mode so early in the game. With Sato and Toda we felt we had a chance to grab something on the break and had some chances in the first half. I felt we could take the game into extra time but poor marking at the throw in let us down and cost us the match. We really have to improve in such situations".

F Marinos manager Lazaroni:
"We had no answer to TOKYO's speed in the first half and were struggling. They took the lead with a great goal and were on top but our team showed their character and fought back. Oku's attacking instincts resulted in the sending off, I think. We had a host of chances in the second half but just couldn't take them and the players became frustrated. Still, Oku took the goal very well and it was an excellent victory".