A crucial match that cannot be lost in the fight for promotion

　The league matches resumed after a two-week break for the Nabisco Cup. This match will be held a day later than other fixtures, facing Kobe. Tokyo, having won decisively 3-1 against Shimizu in the last match, has risen to 5th place. Depending on the results of other matches held yesterday, a win today could significantly elevate their ranking. On the other hand, Kobe, currently in 13th place, is still in danger of relegation and will be coming at them fiercely. Historically, the league matchup record shows 2 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses against this opponent, making it a challenging contest. A tough battle is expected, but this is an important match that could lead to future success. They want to secure all 3 points and seize a great opportunity to move up the rankings.

　Kobe's forward Bando is suspended. Tokyo is missing Yusuke KONDO due to injury, and Amaral starts for the first time in two matches. Shigeno and Ishikawa, who just returned on the 5th after participating in the U-22 national team's expedition to Hong Kong/Qatar during the league break, are showing their usual form. The match started under a cold, cloudy sky that hints at the arrival of winter, with Tokyo kicking off.

Taking advantage of the restart, Kelly scores the opening goal!

　Right after the start, Amaral takes a shot as if to control the pace. However, in the 3rd minute, Kaji loses the pass to Ishikawa, and from the counter, Kobe's forward Miura shoots. In the 6th minute, a free kick is awarded in front of the goal, and MF Shijikurei's powerful shot is saved by Doih, resulting in a corner kick. In the 8th minute, the ball is regained in front of Tokyo's goal, and Kobe's defender Matsuo crosses. It goes over Ozeas's head, avoiding danger, but it created a crisis. In the 11th minute, in response to Amaral's through pass, Toda breaks through from the left side to the front of the goal, but he is closed down by the defender and cannot shoot. In the 14th minute, Miura breaks through to the left of the goal from a long ball, but his cross is caught firmly by Doih.

　Up until this point, Tokyo had made some mistakes and struggled to find their rhythm, but in the 16th minute, Miyazawa's free kick was cleared by the opposing DF, resulting in a throw-in from the right side. Kaji threw the ball to the right corner of the penalty area, where Miyazawa appeared to receive it and passed it directly in front of the goal. Using Toda as a decoy, Kelly jumped into the drop zone from the left side, making contact with the ball with his outstretched foot, and it went into the goal! They broke through the solid defense of Kobe DF from a set play and secured a valuable opening goal.

　With this momentum, Tokyo launches a furious attack. In the 19th minute, Ishikawa competes for a pass from Toda in front of the goal, and Kelly shoots freely from the right area. The shot is saved by the goalkeeper, but after picking up the rebound and connecting, Miyazawa takes a precise shot with his right foot. Once again blocked by the goalkeeper, they quickly won a corner kick. The space on the right side was closed off by Kobe's midfielder Yabuta and defender Matsuo, and the attack starting from Ishikawa seemed to be at a standstill, but they instead initiated an attack from the left side. In the 21st minute, Kanazawa's cross led to a powerful shot from Toda after receiving a return from Kelly's post. However, it hit the crossbar, and unfortunately, it did not result in a goal. In the 28th minute, from Miyazawa's switch of play, Kanazawa delivered a low cross. It didn't connect with Toda, who dove in just a step away, but they launched a wave attack.

With a furious attack, Toda and Miyazawa score! Leading by 3 points

　In the 30th minute, Miyazawa spread the ball wide to the right. Kelly advanced with a dribble and delivered a cross, which was headed in by Toda at the far side, scoring a goal! They secured an additional point with a well-executed attack from the side change! In the 31st minute, they gave Kobe a free kick right in front of the goal, but Bismarck's shot was brilliantly saved by Doi with one hand. In the 34th minute, Matsuo took a controlled mid-range shot to the lower left corner of the goal, but once again, Doi made the save. He firmly protected the goal.

　And in the 36th minute. Tokyo earns a free kick just outside the right side of the penalty area. The kick taken by Miyazawa is sucked into the left side of the goal over the heads of Tokyo's offensive players who jumped to connect and the Kobe defenders trying to clear it! They scored the third goal. Today, Miyazawa not only showed aggressive attacking plays but also, after Miura applied pressure and won the loose ball, distributed a long pass to the front line from a deep position. He demonstrated brilliance in both offense and defense.

　The defense struggled to maintain a 3-point lead. In the 44th minute, Matsuo from Kobe broke through on the right side again, cutting inside and passing to the front of the goal. MF Park's shot from inside the area was saved by Dohi. Bismarck picked up the rebound and shot, but Jean cut it off just before the goal. They focused and continuously deflected shots that flew into the frame, escaping the crisis. In first-half stoppage time, a pass from Toda to Kelly connected, and the ball reached Ishikawa, who broke free in the right area. However, he lost his balance and couldn't take the shot. They went into halftime with a score of 3-0.

Explosive attacking football! A resounding victory over Kobe, rising to 2nd place!!

　In the second half, Kobe substituted forward Ozeas for the speedy Okano. However, Tokyo did not ease their offensive efforts, as Kanazawa surged up the left side, exchanging passes with Amaral and breaking into the goal area. The opposing goalkeeper caught the ball just a step earlier, but they created a chance right from the start. In the 47th minute, Kobe allowed a header shot from Shijikurei from a corner kick, but it went wide. In the 52nd minute, a cross from DF Tsuchiya's overlap led to another corner kick, but Tokyo transitioned to attack from the loose ball. Kelly advanced with a dribble, and after a connection with Miyazawa, Toda, who had drifted to the right, boldly entered the area and took a shot. Although it was initially blocked by the opposing DF, Toda dove for the rebound, and the loose ball floated in front of Ishikawa, who was waiting in the center. Ishikawa struck the ball sharply with his right foot for a volley! The ball beautifully shook the net!

　Immediately after scoring the fourth goal, Kelly received a through pass, and this time, Toda broke free on the left and took a shot. Amaral headed the ball after a save by the GK, but it was saved again by the GK. However, Amaral was there for the rebound, connecting with a ball that hit the DF, and they unleashed a storm of shots with Miyazawa. In the 59th minute, they launched a quick attack, and Kelly's cross from the right side was met by Amaral, who dove in for a header. Unfortunately, it went just wide to the left.

　Kobe substituted MF Nishitani for Bismarck in the 69th minute and MF Yamaguchi for Park. Tokyo, considering the fatigue from consecutive matches with the U-22 national team, substituted Suzuki for Ishikawa in the 70th minute and Fujiyama for Shigeno in the 78th minute, trying to hold on in the final stages. In the 73rd minute, Kelly took a long-range shot, well aware of the position of Kobe's goalkeeper, who was pushed forward. It just went over the goal. However, Kobe also tried to strike back, launching a counterattack centered around Shijukurei and Nishitani. As they gradually allowed Kobe to press, they conceded a free kick on the right side of the penalty area in the 84th minute. Yamaguchi received Nishitani's kick in the center and shot, which deflected off Tsuchiya just before the goal, changing its course and going in. They were unfortunately scored against in an unlucky manner.

　However, Tokyo continued to push towards the goal until the end, launching a counterattack from Toda's cut in the 43rd minute. Kelly sprinted up the right side and passed to Amaral, who was free in the center. However, Amaral's direct shot went to the left of the goal. In stoppage time, Kelly dribbled up from a counterattack initiated by Amaral and took a shot, but the opposing goalkeeper caught it. Although they couldn't score the fifth goal, they finished the match with a comfortable victory over Kobe. With this win, Tokyo accumulated 20 points. Verdy, Yokohama F, and Iwata are tied on points, but Tokyo surpassed them on goal difference, rising to 2nd place for the first time since the 1st round of the 2nd stage!

[Player Comments] Kanazawa: "Being able to score from a restart against Kobe, who had solidified their defense, was a major factor in our victory. I believe that first goal disrupted the opponent's game plan. However, the chaotic developments towards the end of the match remain a point of reflection. It was fortunate that we had a lead, but we need to make corrections moving forward." Miyazawa: "The mindset to aggressively attack from the first half led to our victory. The goal was struck with my usual aim. We have started to score from both set pieces and open play, so I want to continue this. I think (Miura) Bun-san's connection with Bismarck, where I filled in around him and applied pressure on the opposing defensive midfielder, worked well."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Yesterday's result has put Kobe in a tough situation again, so I thought today would be a difficult match. If we could score first, Kobe would push forward, so I wanted to get a second goal on the counterattack. The start was not good, with some easy mistakes and a worrying slide, but we scored first at a good time and got into a rhythm. For today's starting lineup, I was torn between using Amaral or Yusuke KONDO. In the Shimizu match, Yusuke KONDO, who started for the first time, was an accent and we scored three goals to win. Amaral had been feeling unwell due to a cold, so in practice matches and scrimmages, we alternated them to prepare so either could play. However, Yusuke KONDO injured his lower back in practice the day before. Amaral started under those circumstances, and he skillfully created space up front, drew fouls, and that helped Kelly, Ishikawa, and Toda become effective. Although he didn't score, I think Amaral showed his strengths. Everyone also had the feeling of 'wanting Amaral to score,' and his condition should improve. We want to prepare well again for the next match against Gamba."

[Summary of Coach Soejima's Press Conference] "It was expected that Tokyo would come out attacking from the first half, so our aim today was to endure the first half and make our move in the second half. However, conceding a goal in the 16th minute only heightened Tokyo's momentum. Their speed on the flanks is a characteristic of Tokyo, and we tried to contain that, but conceding the first goal ended up boosting their confidence. Tokyo seemed a bit stiff and slow at the start, but that first goal became the key to today's match. Although we conceded three goals in the first half, I believe we were able to regroup in the second half and create a game that can lead us to the next one. We can't afford to waste any matches, so we want to switch our focus to the next one."