The first stage has reached its halfway point, challenging a strong opponent away.

　Sec. 8 will be an away match against Yokohama F.Marinos. As we reach the halfway point of the 1st stage, this match will be a turning point for the future. This will be the third encounter with F.Marinos this season, but we have a poor record of one draw and one loss from the Nabisco Cup match in March. However, riding the momentum of consecutive wins, we want to defeat the 4th place F.Marinos and jump into the upper ranks.

　Winning Team Never Change = According to the principle of "not changing a winning team," Tokyo will approach the match with the same starting lineup for three consecutive matches. In place of the unwell Moniwa, Tokunaga will be on the bench as they head to Yokohama International Stadium. On the other hand, F.Marinos is in good form after FW Kubo scored a hat-trick against Kashima in the previous match. In addition to Kubo, who forms a two-top with another FW, FW Yasunaga has replaced the injured Marquinhos.

Conceded the opening goal, facing a tough situation

　Under clear skies, the match begins with a kickoff from F. Marinos. In the 3rd minute, Nasu, the defensive midfielder, picks up a loose ball in Tokyo's half and takes a long-range shot. In the 4th minute, Kubo connects with MF Oka, and from behind, the other defensive midfielder, Endo, makes a run and takes a shot. It seemed like F. Marinos was in control at the start. However, just a moment later, in the 5th minute, Sato from F. Marinos delivers an early cross from the right side. Kubo, who broke through between Jean and Kaji in the center, connects with the ball using his left foot and scores a goal. Tokyo lost a point while Kaji was unable to keep up with the marking and did nothing.

　Tokyo was struggling to maintain possession against F. Marinos' tough defense, but in the 25th minute, Amaral intercepted the ball just as F. Marinos was trying to build an attack in enemy territory. He checked the goalkeeper's position and took a looping shot from mid-range, but it just went over the goal. However, this play marked the beginning of Tokyo gradually creating chances.

　In the 30th minute, Kelly passed to the space on the right side from a counter. Kaji sent in a cross, but the opposing defender cut it off. After F. Marinos' pass was cleared in midfield, Kelly received it and made a final pass in front of the goal. Toda received it near the penalty arc and took a shot. In the 33rd minute, Abe picked up a loose ball in the opponent's territory and shot. In the 34th minute, Abe dropped a long pass from Jean, and Amaral cut in from the left to shoot. The match progressed within F. Marinos' territory.

Miura's passionate goal equalizes the score! But…

　In the 38th minute, F. Marinos' Oku took a direct shot from a free kick from a distant position. Doih couldn't catch it, and Anenaga rushed in to capitalize on the rebound but missed due to overexcitement, escaping a critical pinch. Conversely, Tokyo immediately launched a counterattack. Abe, who had drifted to the right side, received a long feed from Doih and passed it to Kelly, who sent it directly forward. There, Miura, who had run straight towards the goal from behind, jumped in with his head and scored! Miura showcased his strengths with this play, pushing the ball into the goal and equalizing the score.

　With this momentum, Tokyo advanced, and in the 41st minute, Kanazawa moved up the side to Amaral in the center, and after connecting with Kelly, Kanazawa shot after moving inside. Tokyo was on the attack, but ultimately this approach backfired. In the 42nd minute, F. Marinos regained possession in their own half, and with two passes from Endo to Oku to Kubo, they moved forward. Launching a counterattack, Kubo dribbled in from the right side towards the goal. As he entered shooting range, he used Sato in the center as a decoy and delivered a delicate last pass with the outside of his left foot to the advancing Yanagita from the outside. In a 3-on-3 situation, Tokyo's defense couldn't catch Yanagita's advance, leading to a goal and conceding the second point.

　Then, in the 44th minute, Endo, who evaded Sato on the right side with a one-two pass in the midfield, charged towards the goal. Amaral chased after him, and with Asari and Jean, they should have been able to take the ball. However, the three defenders were easily bypassed, and Endo found himself one-on-one with Doi. He scored a shot straight from the front of the goal, making it 3-1 in no time. They allowed a lead in a situation that was difficult for themselves and headed into the second half.

With 10 players, F. Marinos scored one goal against Kanazawa.

　In the second half, Ishikawa was brought on for Miura, and Miyazawa was substituted for Toda. Attempting a counterattack, in the 49th minute, Abe sent a cross from a pass spread to the left by Miyazawa, and Ishikawa took a strong shot. In the 54th minute, Abe persisted on the left side and earned a corner kick. In the 57th minute, Ishikawa won a right corner kick from a pass sent to Kelly. However, it was difficult to connect the ball in the face of F. Marinos' quick pressure, and the match became increasingly intense. Then, in the 64th minute, F. Marinos' Hato received his second yellow card and was sent off. Tokyo would fight for less than 30 minutes with a numerical advantage.

　Tokyo regained its rhythm with the advantage, and the ball started to circulate. However, they couldn't create decisive scenes in front of F. Marinos, who solidified their defense with tight marking. In the 73rd minute, Baba was brought in to replace Kaji. The two forwards were Abe and Amaral, with Kelly and Baba in the second line. They switched to a three-back formation and launched a fierce counterattack. In the 74th minute, Miyazawa's free kick from the right was met with a header from Amaral in the center of the goal, but it just went over the goal. In the 77th minute, Ishikawa bypassed Dutra on the right side and entered the penalty area. However, his shot went wide of the target. In the 79th minute, Miyazawa aimed directly at the goal from a free kick just outside the penalty arc, but the ground shot was caught by the GK.

　However, in the 85th minute, during a scramble in front of the goal from a left corner kick, Kanazawa pushed it in, scoring a goal!! They showed persistence and finally managed to get one point back. Tokyo continued to fiercely attack in front of the goal, but despite their efforts, they were met with a resolute defense from F. Marinos, and the time ran out mercilessly. Their determination to close the gap to just one goal was commendable, but the goals conceded in the first half proved costly, resulting in a painful defeat.

【Player Comments】《Miura》"In the first half, we went into halftime tied 1-1, and we tried to regroup in the second half. I was talking with Jean, but we couldn't execute thoroughly as a team, and we conceded a goal while pushing forward. I'm frustrated that we failed to manage the game." 《Abe》"The ball wasn't settling, and we couldn't connect it to our possession. We switched to two forwards midway through the first half, and we were able to create chances, but..."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "From the start, our movements were sluggish. We had been focused and kept two consecutive clean sheets, but today our defensive responses were slow, and we couldn't catch Kubo, Oku, and Anenaga. If we had marked them properly, we could have avoided conceding a goal from Sato's cross. In the second half, we brought in Miyazawa and Ishikawa, but we couldn't circulate the ball as usual and I think we got a bit anxious. We weren't able to attack using the full width of the pitch as we normally do. The ball didn't settle well with Kelly and Amaral. I wanted to somehow score one more goal to equalize. It would have been better if we could have scored a goal a bit earlier."

【Summary of Coach Okada's Press Conference】 "I think we only played well in the first and last 10 minutes. We became passive after scoring the opening goal early on. The game plan for the second half was to be more aggressive, but we had to defend due to a player being sent off. The two center-backs stayed focused until the end, which allowed us to maintain our lead. Tokyo's Amaral and Kelly are dangerous, so I instructed the stopper to stay back and not let them face forward. However, regarding defense, I believe our covering and awareness were thorough and stable. Even under some pressure, I want to develop a really strong ability to circulate the ball and attack aggressively."