J League resumes, a crucial match against Verdy

　Japan national team, U-22 national team's international match, the second round after a two-week interval from the first round. They will face Tokyo Verdy 1969 in an away game. It is a highly anticipated match as it remains to be seen how this break will affect the team, and it is a crucial game for both teams to avoid defeat.

　Tokyo, with injured right knee, Abe started on the bench. On the other hand, Amaral, who missed the Nabisco Cup and the league opening match, made his first appearance of the season. At the same time, he played his 300th official match, including JFL, J2, and the Emperor's Cup.

　Verdy, who will face them, will be without DF Yoneyama and Lopez due to suspension. MF Emboma, Tanaka, and other key players are also missing due to injuries, making it a difficult situation. However, newly arrived Brazilian MF Ramon will start and cannot be underestimated. The match started with Verdy's kickoff in the cold rain and wind.

Create opportunities and take advantage, but...

　Pitch conditions and the influence of the wind led to a cautious start for both teams. However, in the 5th minute, Tokyo's Jean headed in a free kick from Miyazawa on the right side. In the 7th minute, Amaral competed for a quick restart from Kaji's cross, and Miyazawa picked up the loose ball and took a shot. In the 12th minute, Toda and Amaral launched a quick attack from the midfield. Although they were stopped by the opposing defenders and slowed down, Kanazawa followed up and Kelly brought the ball into the penalty area for a shot. They showed a good attacking shape, but the opposing goalkeeper caught the ball.

　After 15 minutes, both teams struggled to move the ball forward despite cutting it off from each other. However, in the 21st minute, Ishikawa boldly took a middle shot as if trying to break the deadlock. In the 28th minute, Kelly on the right side passed to Amaral in the center, then to Toda, and finally to Ishikawa on the right side, utilizing the width of the pitch. Asari, who ran in from the right side, took the shot. In the 37th minute, Miyazawa on the left side passed a ground pass to the center, and Kelly, who ran in from behind, made a perfect shot, but it went over the goal. However, they continued to dominate the game and did not allow Verdy to create any chances.

　In the first half stoppage time, Kelly, who connected with the FK from the left, took a shot from in front of the goal, but the ball was blocked by the bar. After the rebound, this time Toda took a shot from close range, but it did not result in a goal due to the GK's fine play. In the end, in the first half, Tokyo had 8 shots compared to Verdy's 1. However, the first half ended with no goals.

Conceded the first goal on a slippery pitch from a penalty kick

　In the second half, it was Verdy who pushed forward. They connected with direct passes and threatened the Tokyo goal. However, they were unable to finish. In the 50th minute, FW Taira SHIGE dribbled from the left side to the center of the penalty area, but Moino SHIGE blocked him and Kanazawa cleared the ball. In the 54th minute, DF Yanagisawa picked up a cleared cross from the left and took a powerful shot from the right side, but Doi punched it away.

　Tokyo tried to bring their own rhythm without rushing, and in the 55th minute, Miyazawa crossed from the right side and Toda and Amaral jumped in, but the ball hit Amaral's foot and went over the goal. In the 59th minute, Toda received Kelly's pass from the left side and took a powerful shot from the right corner of the penalty area, but it missed the target. In the 62nd minute, Abe was substituted for Amaral as a "super sub" (according to coach Hara). His movement in the front line became more active, and in the 63rd minute, Ishikawa took a shot from the loose ball in front of the Verdy goal. The game began to lean towards Tokyo's pace.

　However, it was the 67th minute. Verdy's Hiramoto dribbled freely in the midfield and sent a lob pass to the front line. Shige from the final line made a control mistake and the ball rolled in front of Verdy's MF LORI who was trying to break through the defense line. LORI gained speed and headed towards the goal, but Tsuchi forced him down and the whistle blew. LORI himself scored the penalty kick, giving Verdy the lead.

Despite the fierce attack, Bamba's first goal brings back one point.

　Tokyo, who quickly conceded the first goal, started to fight back with their fighting spirit. They focused on crosses from both sides, and at times Jean also joined the attack, threatening Verdy's goal. In the 75th minute, Miura was substituted for Miyazawa. In the 77th minute, Kanazawa took a controlled shot from the left penalty area, but the goalkeeper made a save. Kelly tried to follow up on the rebound, but couldn't get a shot off. Shortly after, Kanazawa's shot earned a corner kick. In the 81st minute, Abe's shot just missed the goal to the right. In the 82nd minute, Baba was substituted for Toda. Baba was placed at the top, and Abe was placed on the left, forming a formation. However, in the 85th minute, Baba received a pass from Kelly's post-play in front of Verdy's crowded goal, but couldn't take a shot due to poor timing. In the 89th minute, Kaji's long ball in front of the goal was met by Verdy's defenders, but Jean couldn't finish it off.

　And in the time when it was about to enter the stoppage time, Verdy FW Takabe connected the ball from the Verdy GK to the front line, and FW Iio, who had entered as a substitute, received it. The Tokyo players were pushing forward, and Iio dribbled through the open space and rushed to the center. Seeing the Tokyo DF's feet stop, he took a bold shot from just outside the penalty area. The arrow-like ball pierced into the lower left corner and scored. Tokyo was left behind and lost the second goal.

　However, they never gave up until the end and after conceding a goal, they earned a left corner kick. Baba then made a diving header on the ball kicked by Kanazawa, bringing the score to within one point. But unfortunately, the time was up. Despite creating overwhelming chances, it was a bitter defeat and a disappointing result.

【Player Comments】《Amaral》"It's disappointing to lose, but I'm satisfied that I was able to play in 300 games. I couldn't quite find my rhythm today after coming back from injury, but I'll save the goal for the next game."《Kanazawa》"In the first half, we let the opponent have the ball to a certain extent, but we were able to catch them in the end, so I thought that was a good thing. However, we may have been a bit behind and lacking in aggressiveness. We want to win these kinds of games and be able to control the game ourselves."

[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "We created more chances than the opponent in the first half, but lacked accuracy in our shots. We gave away a penalty due to a simple mistake, which may have disrupted our rhythm a bit. Amaral played his first game in a while, so we pushed him as far as he could go and used Abe as a super sub due to his concerns about his foot. Baba also did a good job, but I wish he could have scored when it was 0-1. I don't think we were beaten by Verdy, but they are good at keeping the ball and passing it around to move forward easily. We wanted to attack faster when we won the ball, but with Amaral, who has a different rhythm than Abe, there was a slight gap in the team. Abe runs into space, while Amaral drops back to receive the ball. I think the best system is one that can utilize both of them. I don't think it was a bad game at all. We want to continue playing our current style of soccer while improving our finishing and eliminating simple mistakes. In games like today's, we need to secure points without fail."

[Verdy Lori Coach's Press Conference Summary] "The best thing about today's game was the result of winning. We were missing key players and had mostly young players in the lineup, and with the ground being slippery, we expected a close game. In the first half, we focused on long balls and set plays, and our direct passing from the midfield was not sharp. Also, FW Hiramoto was marked and only competed for high balls, so we made adjustments at halftime. We instructed the team to move the ball more and have Hiramoto receive the ball on the side. In the second half, that improved and led to a goal. FC Tokyo's side attacks and set plays were effective in the first half, but in the second half, I think Verdy's passing and process towards the goal were better. It should have been a 2-0 game, so we should have been more careful about the last goal. We have many injured players and a young team, so there will be ups and downs. From now on, our motivation and condition will continue to improve."