To victory and the top of the league

　In the 2nd stage, Section 4, which will result in "2nd place promotion" if won, will be an away game against Oita. In the previous section, despite missing ace Amaral, Tokyo, who is in good shape, defeated 1st stage champion Yokohama FM 4-1 and will start with the same starting lineup this section. In order to stay in the top spot, it was necessary to win and secure "3 points".

　On the other hand, Oita has yet to win in the 2nd stage and is currently in 15th place in the previous round, and is struggling in the lower ranks with a 14th place overall ranking. In order to escape from the relegation zone, it was expected that they would come to this round with a large number of supporters and fight desperately.

　In the past, Tokyo has repeatedly given up their rights without putting up a fight in important final rounds such as "win and you can show your face in the top spot, or even take the top spot". However, this season, they have shown steady progress by breaking into 4th place as the "team with the fewest goals conceded" with a strong defense in the 1st stage, and are currently in a position to compete in the top ranks in the 2nd stage. In order to truly measure the team's strength, it is important to accumulate points and make a name for themselves in the top ranks here.

　The match gave a sense of impending difficulty. The heat in Oita was much more severe compared to Tokyo's. Although the temperature was not even 30℃, the humidity was close to 80%, and on the pitch with no wind, the perceived temperature was unexpectedly high, creating a harsh environment. I remembered the words of the Oita staff who had laughed and said, "Today is relatively easy." A slight unease crossed my mind, but on the contrary, the significance of accumulating points away in this situation is extremely significant. The important match that will determine the future for both teams began at 7:03 PM with the kick-off whistle.

In the early stages, Tokyo showed momentum, but...

　In the early stages, it was Tokyo who showed the first momentum. They increased the number of defenders and started defensively against Oita, while using Kelly as the axis to spread the ball quickly from side to side. In the 3rd minute, Kanazawa's cross from the left drifted to the right, and from there Ishikawa broke through vertically and put in a sharp cross to the near side, where FW Abe flew in for a sliding shot! The ball narrowly missed the frame and hit the side net, but it was a wonderful opportunity created by the characteristics of Ishikawa and Abe. After that, Tokyo continued to move the ball aggressively in the opponent's half, but they were unable to break through Oita's solid defensive network, led by Sandro, who used to play for Tokyo, and struggled to get to a shot.

　On the other hand, Oita took control of the game with a long ball from the side back aimed at the head of top player Robson, but Jean cleared it with a determined header. Tokyo took control of the game with a well-balanced defense and did not allow their back line to be broken.

　However, in the 11th minute, the ball was taken from an easy mistake on the right side and turned into a CK. From that CK, Oita's new foreign FW Robson headed the ball in front of the goal, and the ball bounced high. Doi barely escaped with a punch, but it was a dangerous situation. Tokyo did not break down in the flow of the game, but it was exposed that they struggled with the height of Oita's set pieces, with players like Robson and Sandro.

　At 16 minutes, Tokyo broke through the left side with a beautiful pass from Kanazawa to Kelly to Toda, but no one was able to finish the chance. Then at 22 minutes, Abe broke through the right side with a vertical pass and entered the penalty area, but was unable to get past the Oita DF and took a shot straight at the goalkeeper. Although they created chances, they were unable to completely break through Oita's strong defense line.

The ball was picked up and gradually pushed in.

　As time passed, Oita's physicality became more and more noticeable. Tokyo was able to confidently clear crosses from the side with high concentration, but Oita started to pick up those clearances in the midfield and launch another attack from the side, creating a difficult situation. In particular, Oita's Yutaka YOSHIDA showed persistent chasing and used his abundant energy to actively run into the side spaces and become a key player. In the 34th minute, YOSHIDA aggressively stole the ball from Kanazawa on the right side and immediately sent in a low cross, but Tsuchihi made a sharp reaction and caught it.

　On the other hand, Tokyo was passing the ball around Kelly, but they were unable to break through the deep defense line of Oita, who had a large number of players. Even when they spread the ball to the sides and crossed it in a monotonous manner, it was often blocked by Sandro and ended with a mediocre shot. However, just before the end of the first half, a counter attack led to a ball being passed to Teragawa on the left side. Teragawa cut inside and took a powerful shot, but Tsuchi was barely able to punch it away, and the first half ended in a 0-0 tie.

　In the second half, Oita's energy did not decrease and they gained even more momentum with the support of their home fans. In the 50th minute, Teragawa received the ball on the right side from a corner kick and made a powerful shot, but it hit the crossbar and bounced back. Robson then took a shot, but it missed the goal by a large margin. In the following 54th minute, a through pass was sent from the center and Robson took a shot from the left side, but Jean firmly blocked it and it bounced back. However, the ball was shot again and it crossed sharply in front of the goal, but the player waiting on the far side did not hit it perfectly and the danger was avoided.

　Tokyo continued to defend, but in the 61st minute, Kelly made a great pass to Toda, who was free on the left side from a counter attack. Toda picked up speed and charged forward, but due to the poor condition of the ground, he lost control of the ball and hurriedly took a shot that missed to the left of the goal.

Found a way out with player substitution, but missed the chance to score and ended in a draw.

　Tokyo is moving here. In the 63rd minute, Asari was substituted for Miura. Then in the 67th minute, Wu was substituted for Ishikawa, who was lacking in brilliance. The flow changed with the introduction of these two players. The energy and determination of these two players in the midfield surpassed the opponent and gave courage to the team.

　In the 71st minute, Toda lifted a cross from the right side and Wu attempted an overhead shot on the far side. In the following 74th minute, Abe joined the attack from the left side after Kaji's involvement. Abe made a vertical challenge and broke through, sending a ground cross to the front of the goal, but Kelly's jump fell just short. It was a decisive moment. In addition, in the 77th minute, Miyazawa dribbled from the right to the center and took a powerful left-footed shot, but it hit the opponent's defense wall.

　82 minutes, both teams went for the win. Tokyo substituted Suzuki for Abe and Oita also brought in their trump card, Will. It was interesting to see how this substitution would affect the outcome, but Tokyo's momentum remained unchanged. In the 84th minute, Kelly connected with Miyazawa's right corner kick in front of the goal, but the ball was hit too hard and bounced over the bar. In the 88th minute, Kelly kept the ball on the left side and sent a perfect through pass to Miyazawa who floated a cross from the goal line, but Toda's diving header fell just short. In stoppage time, Kelly swung his left foot after Suzuki's post play, but the ball went over the bar. In the end, the game ended with no goals from either team. Considering the opponent's ranking, we wanted to get all 3 points, but it was a tough environment away from home and it was important to stay focused until the end and bring back "1 point". It's not the best result, but by getting "1 point", we have moved up to 3rd place in the rankings.

　However, it was also a game that highlighted many challenges. The lack of control in the front line reduced the attacking power on both sides, and the burden on the midfield increased, resulting in unnecessary physical exertion. There is nothing more difficult than repeatedly doing shuttle runs in the hot and humid conditions like a steam room. In the next match, we will face the second-place Ichihara at home in a crucial game. We need to switch our mindset and prepare for victory.

【Player Comments】《Kaji》"It was a tough game where we were pushed back from the middle of the match. Jean did a good job of bouncing back against the opponent's long balls, but it was difficult for us to pick up the cleared balls. Still, I think we held on well until the end. I also regret making many mistakes and not being able to utilize Nao. I want to fix our coordination before the next match against Ichihara."《Jean》"We had our chances and the whole team fought well. We wanted to take all 3 points, but even 1 point is big when playing away. We wanted to win and move up to 2nd place, but the opponent had the same goal. It was a difficult game, but I think we held on well."

[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "Oita has only conceded one goal in the last three games and has been playing with a thorough strategy as a team. They are currently ranked low and will come at us with all they've got, so I told the players before the game that it won't be easy. Furthermore, they are used to this field and weather, so we knew it wouldn't be easy as soon as the game started. Today's game was tough because we kept losing the ball. We were a step or two slower due to the humidity, but with Asari and Wu in the midfield, we were able to pick up more balls. There were a few dangerous moments and it wasn't our best performance as a team, but I think we held on until the end. Especially since we have lost many away games in the past, I am glad we were able to hold on and get one point. The next game against Ichihara will be tough, but it's at home and we want to secure three points and aim for the title."

[Summary of Oita-Kobayashi's Press Conference] "Today, we focused on taking care of Toda, Abe, and Ishikawa's speed when Kelly scored. In the first half, we were able to contain Kelly, and in the second half, we marked Seto man-to-man when Kelly dropped back to receive the ball, and I am satisfied that we did not concede any goals as a result. On the other hand, it is unfortunate that we did not score. We were unable to finish with accuracy, but we were able to create chances from corner kicks and I think we were able to do what we wanted to do to some extent. We have only scored one goal (in the 2nd half), but I want to evaluate that we have become the team with the fewest goals conceded."