Survival game for advancement to the Final Round

　The Nabisco Cup Qualifying League Sec. 6 (= Final Round) will be an away match against Vegalta Sendai. In the "Group B" where FC Tokyo belongs, Yokohama FM (10 points) has already secured advancement to the qualifying league after finishing first in the previous round, while FC Tokyo (8 points) in second place and Sendai (7 points) in third place still have a chance to advance to the Final Round. Currently, Tokyo is one point ahead, and a draw will secure their advancement to the Final Round, but Sendai has no hope of advancing to the Final Round without a victory, and it is expected that they will approach the match with fierce determination, especially since it is a home game.

　Tokyo's starting lineup features Tokunaga, a specially designated player, making his third consecutive start at right back. Fujiyama replaces the suspended Moniwa at center back due to accumulated yellow cards, and Asari steps in for Miura, who has a left Achilles tendon injury, in the defensive midfield position. FW Amaral makes his return to the starting lineup after two matches. On the other hand, Sendai is missing their key midfielder Iwamoto due to injury, and their central defenders Komura and Fabiano are both suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, resulting in a lineup far from their best.

　The survival game where the winning team advances to the Final Round kicked off at 7 PM at Sendai Stadium, which was filled with about 14,000 yellow-clad Sendai supporters, despite being held on a weekday.

Caught off guard for the first time in five matches, allowing the opening goal.

　Right after the start, it was Tokyo that first seized the rhythm of the attack. From the right, MF Ishikawa and DF Tokunaga, and from the left, MF Miyazawa and DF Kanazawa actively ran into the side spaces, providing accurate crosses. In the 3rd minute, a ball from the right side was shot by MF Kelly, who was free in the center, but it was blocked by Sendai's DF. Then, in the 10th minute, MF Ishikawa's ground pass from the right side was let through by Kelly in the center, and FW Abe, who ran in behind, was completely free to shoot, but unfortunately missed to the right of the goal.

　On the other hand, Sendai's FW Yamashita, Sato, and MF Zaizen formed a triangle with abundant movement, freely changing positions to become a focal point in the front line, frequently delivering early crosses from both sides. However, high balls were headed away by DF Jean, and through passes and central breakthroughs were all cleared by DF Fujiyama with sharp reading and covering, preventing any decisive chances. In the 9th minute, Sendai's Fukunaga took a well-aimed shot after entering the penalty area from the left, but this was also deflected by GK Doi with a superb save, preventing a goal.

　Tokyo continued to threaten Sendai's goal, and in the 19th minute, Amaral headed a ball kicked by Miyazawa from a right corner kick, but it went to the left of the goal. In the following 21st minute, a brilliant through pass from Kelly, who kept the ball in the center, reached Abe in the penalty area, and although Abe scored easily, it was unfortunately ruled offside. In the 24th minute, Jaan aimed for a diving header from a left corner kick, and in the 28th minute, Abe and Kelly consecutively made strong breakthroughs and shots in the penalty area, but were stopped by Sendai's defenders who put their bodies on the line. In the 29th minute, Kelly dropped a sharp cross from Tokunaga with his heel in front of the goal, but it was unfortunately cleared.

　Although Tokyo had more chances in front of the goal, they were pushed back by Sendai's intense pressing in the midfield. In the 32nd minute, Sendai's midfielder Ishii, who was holding the ball slightly to the left in midfield, made a through pass to the forward Sato. The Tokyo defense was a moment late in marking, allowing Sato to shoot easily, and the ball slipped through Doih's legs and rolled into the goal. Until that point, the ball had been circulated in midfield without breaking through the final line, but they were caught off guard for a moment, stopping the clean sheet record that had continued since the match against Ichihara on 5/24 (Sat.) in Sec. 10, and they allowed a painful opening goal.

Ishikawa's individual skill roared! A super shot to equalize

　Although they allowed the first goal, Tokyo repeatedly created chances in front of the goal by attacking from the outside, and then calmly built the game around Kelly. In the 43rd minute of the first half, a sharp cross from Tokunaga on the right was aimed at by Amaral with a header, but unfortunately went just wide of the right side of the goal. Just after that, in the 44th minute, Kelly received a pass from Abe with his back to the goal and unleashed an artistic looping shot while sharply turning, but this was also denied by a fine save from the Sendai goalkeeper.

　At halftime, Coach Hara instructed, "We are losing the battle for the ball in midfield. Let's be more aggressive," and the players put this into practice from the second half. Just after the start of the second half, in the 48th minute, a cross from the left side was headed dangerously close in front of the goal, but after that, it was completely Tokyo's pace. In the 52nd minute, Amaral broke through on the right side and had a big chance one-on-one with the Sendai GK, but since he had been deprived of scoring since the match against Sendai in the Nabisco Cup qualifying league Sec. 3 on April 9 (Wed), he seemed to have forgotten the taste of scoring and was blocked while trying to dribble past the GK without shooting. The loose ball rolled in front of Abe, who was positioned in front of the goal, and he aimed carefully with an inside kick, but this too was saved by the fine save of the Sendai GK and did not result in a goal. Furthermore, in the 54th minute, near the left corner of the penalty area, a quick exchange of passes from Ishikawa to Abe to Amaral led to Amaral taking a clean shot, but this was also thwarted by the crossbar, preventing the net from shaking. Even Amaral looked up to the heavens at this, but it was a scene that made one think that Amaral had indeed been deprived of scoring.

　The Tokyo onslaught continued. In the 55th minute, Ishikawa cut in from the right side and took a left-footed shot, but it hit the Sendai DF and went straight to the GK. In the 58th minute, as the Sendai DF tried to clear a loose ball near the penalty arc, Amaral blocked it, and the ball hit Amaral's foot and flew towards the goal with the force of a shot, but it was also deflected by the Sendai GK and did not result in a goal. Furthermore, in the 59th minute, when Amaral received the ball in midfield, he quickly passed it through to Kelly, who had made a run forward, and Kelly unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot, but it just missed to the left of the goal.

　In the 61st minute, Tokyo makes a move here. Replacing the not-so-great Abe, MF Baba is brought in. As soon as Baba enters the pitch, he adds an accent to the attack with his unique ball touch. In the 63rd minute, Ishikawa's sharp cross from the right was met by Amaral with a header, but it was deflected by the Sendai GK. In the following 64th minute, Amaral received a pass from Kanazawa and quickly shot with his right foot at a floating ball from the left corner of the penalty area. The ball flew to the far side, and the GK gave up, but this time it hit the right post and bounced back, missing the goal again. In the 68th minute, Baba received the ball in front of the goal and effortlessly dribbled past three defenders with quick steps, delivering a last pass to Amaral inside the penalty area. However, the Sendai DF closed in quickly, preventing a shot and squandering a decisive chance.

　Despite overwhelming pressure and being thwarted by the opposing goalkeeper's miraculous saves and bad luck, there was a moment of anxiety wondering if the match would end without a goal. In the 71st minute, Ishikawa received a pass on the right side, feigned a run down the line, and surged into the center. In an instant, he left two Sendai defenders behind and unleashed a sharp shot with his left foot. The powerful strike pierced the net with soul! Goal! With Ishikawa's super play, they finally succeeded in breaking through the Sendai goal that had been guarded by the divine.

Amaral's valuable comeback goal after 99 days that led to finishing in 1st place!

　Sendai, who had been caught up in a tie and had no room for error, brought in attacking players consecutively in the 73rd and 74th minutes to launch a counterattack. In the 77th minute, Sato from Sendai, who had dashed just past the offside line on the left side, took a shot with his left foot after a burst of speed, but it went across the goal. Conversely, in the 78th minute, Baba made a superb through pass from the center to Ishikawa at the front line, and Ishikawa took a shot after dribbling, but it was blocked. In the following 81st minute, the ball was circulated in front of Tokyo's goal, and a decisive pass reached Nemoto, who had entered the left side of the penalty area, but Fujiyama made a soul-stirring tackle, throwing not just his legs but his whole body to stop it. Despite being back in action after a long time, the performances of Fujiyama and Asari on that day were filled with the 'spirit' characteristic of veterans who have long been with Tokyo. They served as an excellent example for the younger players and reaffirmed their significant value to the team.

　And we must not forget another person, the "soul of Tokyo," who did a great job at the very end. In the 86th minute, just before the end, Ishikawa received the ball on the right side and challenged the U-22 Japan national team left-side player Nemoto head-on, breaking through with a strong drive forward. From just inside the goal line, he sent a backward pass to the front of the goal, where Amaral ran in and confidently pushed it into the net for a goal! This goal, the first in 99 days since the match against Sendai in the Nabisco Cup qualifying league Sec. 3 on April 9 (Wednesday), became extremely valuable not only for him but also for the team. With this decisive goal, they surpassed Yokohama FM (equal points, but ahead on goal difference), securing the top spot in the group.

　Amaral also missed several chances on this day, still far from his usual form, but this one goal could be a turning point and has a great possibility of leading to a future success story. It is a valuable goal (victory) for both him and the team, which they will carry into the remaining three league matches!

[Player Comments]《Ishikawa》"In the first half, we couldn't draw the ball well, and although there were chances, we couldn't score, so the flow was bad. However, in the second half, I was able to contribute to the comeback victory by scoring, which I think is a sign of my personal growth." 《Amaral》"It was good. I think the supporters were waiting for (my goal), so I believe they were happy. It was a tough match, but I'm glad we could advance to the Final Round."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "I thought it would be tough from before the match. Sendai had suffered a heavy defeat against Ichihara in the league, so I expected them to come into this home game with high motivation, knowing that a win would allow them to advance to the Final Round. As it turned out, in the first half, Sendai was superior in all aspects, including ball possession, but we made adjustments at halftime and in the second half, we were able to compete and dominate with the same mindset as Sendai. In the last few matches, we hadn't conceded any goals in the first half, so I felt that being able to maintain our composure and balance in the second half and turn it around to secure 3 points was a sign of the team's growth. I want to carry this momentum into the next match against Shimizu. Also, while Ishikawa's goal was of course wonderful, I was honestly thinking 'this might not work' when Amaral scored at the end, and I was as happy as if I had scored it myself. It's unfortunate that Amaral won't be able to play in the next match against Shimizu, but I want to prepare well and face it."

[Summary of the press conference with Sendai and Shimizu's coach] "The first half was good. We were tracking the ball very well from the forwards and were able to play the game at our own pace. However, in the second half, we conceded an equalizer, and in a situation where we needed to win, we adopted an offensive formation, but instead, we were caught out in the spaces we left open and conceded a goal."