J League Resumes, A Must-Win Match Against Verdy

　Japan national team, after a two-week interval from Sec. 1 for the international match of the U-22 national team, will face Verdy 1969 in an away game for Sec. 2. It is noteworthy how this break will affect the team, and it is a match that neither side can afford to lose.

　In Tokyo, Abe, who has a right knee injury, starts on the bench to be cautious. On the other hand, Amaral, who missed the Nabisco Cup and the league opener, makes his first appearance of the season. At the same time, he has achieved 300 official matches played, including JFL, J2, and the Emperor's Cup.

　Verdy faces a difficult situation with DF Yoneyama and Lopez suspended. Key players including MF Mboma and Tanaka are out due to injuries. However, the former Brazilian national team MF Ramon, who has just arrived in Japan, is included in the starting lineup, making them a team not to be underestimated. The match started with Verdy's kickoff amidst cold rain and wind.

Create opportunities and take the lead, but...

　Due to the pitch conditions and wind influence, both teams started cautiously. However, in the 5th minute, Tokyo's Jean jumped in with a header from a free kick taken by Miyazawa from the right side. In the 7th minute, from a quick restart, Amaral contested a cross from Kaji, and Miyazawa picked up the loose ball and shot. In the 12th minute, after an interception in midfield, Toda and Amaral launched a quick attack. Although they were initially slowed down by the opposing defense, Kanazawa, who followed up, connected the play, and Kelly brought the ball into the penalty area and shot. They showed a good attacking shape, but it was caught by the opposing goalkeeper.

　After 15 minutes, there was a period where both teams struggled to advance the ball despite cutting it. However, in the 21st minute, Ishikawa boldly attempted a long-range shot as if to break the deadlock. In the 28th minute, from the right side, Kelly passed to Amaral in the center, then to Toda, and finally to Ishikawa on the right side, using the pitch widely, culminating in a shot from Asari who ran in from the right. In the 37th minute, Miyazawa advanced on the left side and delivered a ground pass to the center, where Kelly, running in from behind, made solid contact but shot over the goal. Nevertheless, they maintained an advantage in the match, not allowing Verdy to create any chances.

　In first half stoppage time, Kelly connected with a free kick from the left and took a shot from in front of the goal, but the ball was blocked by the crossbar. Following the rebound, Todah took a shot from close range, but it did not result in a goal due to a fine play by the goalkeeper. In the end, in the first half, Tokyo had 8 shots compared to Verdy's 1. However, the first half ended without any goals.

Allowed the opening goal from a penalty on a slippery pitch

　In the second half, it was Verdy who pressed forward. They connected direct passes and approached the Tokyo goal. However, they struggled to finish. In the 50th minute, FW Hiramoto's dribble breakthrough from the left side into the center of the penalty area was met by Shigeno, who closed in, and Kanazawa cleared the ball. In the 54th minute, after picking up a cleared ball from a cross from the left, DF Yanagisawa unleashed a powerful shot from the right side, which Doih was able to punch away.

　Tokyo, without rushing, tried to bring the game to their own rhythm. In the 55th minute, Miyazawa sent a cross 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 a pass from Kelly at the post from the left side, and Ishikawa took a powerful shot from the right corner of the penalty area. However, it missed the target. In the 62nd minute, Abe was brought in to replace Amaral, as Coach Hara wanted to use him as a 'super sub.' The movement in the front line became more active, and in the 63rd minute, Ishikawa shot from a scramble in front of the Verdy goal after the ball spilled out. The match tilted in Tokyo's favor.

　However, it was in the 67th minute. Verdy's Taira SHIGE was free in midfield and dribbled. He sent a floating pass to the front line. This was miscontrolled by Shigeyuki at the last line, and the ball rolled in front of Verdy's MF Ramon, who was trying to break through the defensive line. Ramon picked up speed towards the goal, and Doi couldn't help but bring him down, resulting in a whistle. Ramon himself converted the penalty, giving Verdy the lead.

After a furious attack, Baba scores his first goal to pull one back.

　Tokyo, having allowed an early goal, began a fierce counterattack. Centered around crosses from both sides, Jean occasionally pushed forward, closing in on the Verdy goal. In the 75th minute, Miya was replaced by Miura. In the 77th minute, Kanazawa took a controlled shot from the left penalty area, but the GK made a save. Kelly rushed in on the rebound but couldn't get a shot off at the last moment. Shortly after, Kanazawa earned a corner kick from a shot. Abe's shot in the 81st minute just missed to the right of the goal. In the 82nd minute, Baba came on for Toda. The formation was set with Baba at the top and Abe on the left. However, in the 85th minute, from Kelly's hold-up play, Baba received a pass in front of a crowded Verdy DF at the goal, but hesitated and couldn't take a shot. In the 89th minute, a long ball sent by Kaji into the goal area caused a mix-up among the Verdy DF. It spilled to Jean's feet, but he couldn't connect.

　As we entered stoppage time, Verdy's goalkeeper sent the ball to FW Takabe, who connected it to the front line, where substitute FW Iio received it. The Tokyo players were pushing forward, and in the wide-open space, Iio dribbled centrally. Seeing that the Tokyo defenders had stopped, he took a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area. The arrow-like ball pierced into the bottom left corner of the goal. Tokyo found themselves falling behind, conceding the second goal.

　However, even so, they did not give up until the end. After conceding a goal, they earned a left corner kick, and Baba made a diving header at the near side from the ball kicked by Kanazawa. This brought them within one goal. However, unfortunately, time was up here. Despite creating overwhelming chances, it ended in a frustrating defeat.

[Player Comments]《Amaral》"It's disappointing that we lost, but I am satisfied that I was able to play in 300 matches. Today, I struggled to find my rhythm after my injury, but I will save my goals for the next match." 《Kanazawa》"In the first half, I thought it was fine to let the opponent have the ball to some extent, as we were able to catch them at the end. However, we may have been a bit reactive and lacking in aggression. I want us to be able to control the game so that we can win matches like this."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We created more chances than our opponents from the first half, but we lacked accuracy in our shots. We conceded a penalty due to a simple mistake, which may have disrupted our rhythm a bit. Amaral was playing in a match for the first time in a while, so I used him to the extent possible and utilized Abe, who has some concerns with his legs, as a super sub. Baba also did a good job, but I wish he had scored when it was 0-1. I don't think we were outplayed by Verdy, but they are good at keeping the ball, so if we let them have it easily, they can connect passes and move forward quickly. I wanted to attack faster after winning the ball, but with Amaral, who has a different rhythm than Abe, there was a slight misalignment in the whole team. Abe runs into space, while Amaral comes back to receive the ball. I believe the best system is one that can utilize both of them. I don't think it was a bad match at all. While continuing with our current style of football, I want to improve our finishing and eliminate simple mistakes. In matches like today, we definitely need to earn points."

【Verdy LORI's press conference summary】"The best thing about today's game was the result of winning. Although we were missing key players and had a squad mostly made up of young players, the pitch was slippery, and we expected a closely contested match. In the first half, we focused on long balls and set plays, but our direct connections from midfield were lacking. Additionally, forward Hiramoto was marked and only competing for high balls, so we made adjustments at halftime. I instructed the team to move the ball more and for Hiramoto to go to the sides to receive the ball. In the second half, we improved in that area, which led to scoring. FC Tokyo's side attacks and set plays in the first half were effective, but in the second half, I think Verdy's passing leading up to the goal was good. It was a game that should have ended 2-0, and we should have been more careful about the last goal conceded. With many injuries and a young team, there are ups and downs. From now on, both motivation and condition will improve further."