Challenging a strong opponent away in the 1st stage that has reached the halfway point

　Sec. 8, we will face Yokohama F.Marinos away. This will be a crucial match as we approach the halfway point of the 1st stage. This will be our third match against F.Marinos this season, but we have had a draw and a loss in the Nabisco Cup match in March. However, we want to continue our winning streak and defeat the 4th place F.Marinos to climb up the rankings.

　Winning Team Never Change = "Don't change the team that is winning" principle, Tokyo will face the same starting members for the third consecutive round. In place of Shigetaka, who was feeling unwell, Tokunaga was on the bench and they headed to the Yokohama International Stadium. On the other hand, F.Marinos are in good form, with FW Kubo scoring a hat-trick against Kashima in the previous round. In addition to Kubo, FW Yasunaga has replaced the injured Marquinhos as the other FW in the two-top formation.

Conceded the first goal, in a difficult situation

　Under clear skies, the game begins with F. Marinos' kickoff. In the 3rd minute, Nishino picks up a loose ball in the Tokyo defense and takes a middle shot. In the 4th minute, Kubo connects with MF Oku and Endo, who runs in from behind, takes a shot. It seemed like F. Marinos had the upper hand. However, in the following 5 minutes, Sato crosses from the right side and Kubo breaks through between Jean and Kaji in the center to score with his left foot. Tokyo's Kaji couldn't keep up with the mark and they lost a goal without doing anything.

　Tokyo, who had been struggling against F.Marinos' tough defense and unable to keep the ball in the front line, had a difficult time. However, in the 25th minute, Amaral cut off the ball just as F.Marinos were trying to build an attack in the enemy's territory. He checked the goalkeeper's position and took a looping shot from mid-range, but unfortunately it went over the goal. However, this play sparked Tokyo to gradually create chances.

　30 minutes, Kelly passes from the counter to the right side space. Kaji crosses but the opponent's DF cuts it off. Then Kelly receives the pass from F. Marinos in the midfield and makes the final pass in front of the goal. Toda receives the ball near the penalty area and shoots. In the 33rd minute, Abe picks up a loose ball in the enemy's territory and shoots. In the 34th minute, Amorao drops a long pass from Jean and Abe, who was in the top position, cuts in from the left and shoots. The game was played in F. Marinos' territory.

Equalized by Miura's passionate goal! However...

　At 38 minutes, F. Marinos Oku took a direct shot from a far position on a free kick. Tsuchi caught it, but it slipped away and Yasunaga tried to follow up, but he missed and escaped a decisive pinch. On the other hand, Tokyo immediately started a counterattack. Abe, who had moved to the right side, received a long feed from Tsuchi and passed it to Kelly, who went directly to the front line. There, Miura, who had run straight towards the goal from behind, jumped in with his head and scored! Miura's characteristic play pushed the ball into the goal and tied the game.

　With this, Tokyo gained momentum and in the 41st minute, Kanazawa, who had moved up the side, connected with Amaral in the center, and Kelly, who was inside, took a shot. Tokyo continued to attack, but ultimately this attitude backfired. In the 42nd minute, when F. Marinos stole the ball in their own half, Endo, Oku, and Kubo made two passes to the front line. Kubo then launched a counter attack, dribbling from the right side towards the goal. As he entered shooting range, he used Sato in the center as a decoy and floated a final pass with the outside of his left foot to Anenaga, who had come up from the outside. In a 3-3 situation, the Tokyo defenders were unable to catch Anenaga's attack and ended up conceding a goal, their second of the game.

　And in the 44th minute, Endo, who had passed Sato on the right side with a one-two, rushed towards the goal. Amaral chased after him, and it should have been possible to steal the ball with Asari and Jean surrounding him. However, the three defenders were easily bypassed, and Endo faced Doi in a one-on-one situation. He then scored a shot from directly in front of the goal, making it 3-1 in no time. They allowed themselves to be put in a difficult situation and went into the second half trailing.

F. Marinos, who became 10 people, returned one point with Kanazawa's goal.

　In the second half, Iwakawa was replaced by Miura, and Toda was replaced by Miyazawa. They attempted a counterattack, and in the 49th minute, Abe sent a cross from the left after Miyazawa passed to the left, and Ishikawa took a strong shot. In the 54th minute, Abe stuck to the left side and got a corner kick. In the 57th minute, Ishikawa sent a pass to Kelly and took a right corner kick. However, it was difficult to connect the ball against the fast pressure of F. Marinos, and the game became more intense. Then in the 64th minute, F. Marinos' Namioto received his second yellow card of the day and was sent off. Tokyo now had to play with a numerical advantage for less than 30 minutes.

　Tokyo, who regained their rhythm with an advantage, started to move the ball around. However, they were unable to create any decisive scenes against the tough marking of F.Marinos. In the 73rd minute, Bamba was substituted for Kaji. Abe and Amaral formed a two-top, with Kelly and Bamba in the second row. They switched to a three-back formation and launched a fierce counterattack. In the 74th minute, Amaral headed in a free kick from Miyazawa on the right, but it narrowly missed the goal. In the 77th minute, Ishikawa entered the penalty area after dribbling past Dutra on the right side. However, his shot missed the target. In the 79th minute, Miyazawa aimed for a direct goal from a free kick outside the penalty arc, but the goalkeeper caught the ground shot.

　However, in the 85th minute, Kanazawa pushed forward and scored from a left corner kick in the midst of a scramble in front of the goal!! Tokyo showed perseverance and finally managed to score one goal. After that, they relentlessly attacked the goal, but were unable to break through the F. Marinos DF who defended with all their might. Unfortunately, time ran out and they were unable to equalize. Their efforts to catch up with a one-point difference were admirable, but the goal they conceded in the first half ultimately led to a devastating defeat.

【Player Comments】《Miura》"In the first half, we went into halftime tied 1-1 and tried to regroup in the second half. I talked to Jean, but we couldn't all stick to the plan and ended up conceding while we were attacking. It's frustrating that we failed to control the game."《Abe》"We couldn't settle the ball and connect our passes. We switched to a two-striker formation in the middle of the first half and were able to create chances, but..."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We were slow from the start. We were able to concentrate without conceding in the last two games, but today our defensive response was delayed and we couldn't catch Kubo, Oku, and Yasunaga. If we had marked them properly, we could have avoided conceding even after receiving Sato's cross. In the second half, we brought in Miyazawa and Ishikawa, but we couldn't pass the ball as usual and I think we got impatient. We couldn't execute our usual attacking style that utilizes the entire field. The ball couldn't even be controlled by Kelly and Amaral. We wanted to score one more goal and equalize. If we had scored one goal a little earlier, it would have been better."

[Summary of F. Marinos Okada's press conference] "Wasn't it not just the first and last 10 minutes that we played well? We became passive after scoring the opening goal early on. The game plan for the second half was to attack more, but we had to defend after a player was sent off. The two center backs stayed focused until the end, and we were able to hold onto the lead. Tokyo's Amaral and Kelly are scary, so I instructed the stoppers not to drop back and let them face forward. But in terms of defense, I think we are thorough and stable in terms of covering and awareness. Even under a little pressure, we want to develop a strong power that allows us to pass and aggressively attack."