Final match of the league, victory in Tokyo football!

　The league is reaching its final match, and in Sec. 15 of the 2nd stage, we will face Kashiwa Reysol away. In the previous match, we frustratingly drew with Verdy, eliminating our chances of winning the championship, but we cannot end the season with a loss as we aim to improve our ranking and prepare well for the upcoming Emperor's Cup.

　However, Amaral, who has an ankle injury, started on the bench. Yusuke KONDO, who had been suffering from a back injury, returned and made his first start since the match against Shimizu in Sec. 11. Additionally, Tokyo is missing Suzuki due to the World Youth (U-20 Japan national team), but Kashiwa has sent four players. Kashiwa is also dealing with suspensions and injuries, and aside from MF Myojin and FW Tamada, the number of appearances in this league is less than half.

　Tokyo will leverage the strength of being able to compete with their best members and aim for victory with their own style of football. Amidst the continuous cold rain, the fierce battle was kicked off with Kashiwa's kickoff.

Unable to find rhythm in front of Kashiwa's tight marking, conceding the opening goal

　At the start, Kashiwa FW Tamada enters the penalty area, but Moniwa closes in and takes the ball away. Following that, Dohi rushes out for a through pass to the front line, and the ball spills in front of the goal, but the defense calmly cuts it off. In the 3rd minute, Kaji's cleared cross is picked up by Miyazawa, who takes a shot, winning a corner kick. In the 7th minute, Kondo Yusuke receives a pass on the right side of the area, dribbles into the center, and takes a bold shot. In the 9th minute, Ishikawa cuts inside and shoots. However, while Kashiwa does not create any decisive chances, Tokyo struggles with the fast pressing from Kashiwa. They allow passes to be cut off in midfield and in front of the Kashiwa goal, failing to find their rhythm. Mistakes were also noticeable on the wet pitch.

　In the 17th minute, Moniwa, who had moved up, picked up a clearance ball from the Kashiwa DF in the front line, but was cut off as he trapped it, allowing Kashiwa to launch a quick counterattack. Then, Kaji fouled Tamada as he advanced, giving away a free kick. In the 18th minute, from just outside the left area, MF Kato sent a sharp free kick into the goal area, and MF Hagimura dove in with a header to score. They capitalized on their one chance and allowed the first goal.

　In the 25th minute, a sharp pass from Kelly, who advanced on the left side, reached Ishikawa, who was free on the right side, but the decisive shot went wide to the left. In the 30th minute, Miura was fouled in front of the goal, earning a free kick. Miyazawa connected with a surprising short pass to Kanazawa, leading to a through ball in front of the goal. Yusuke KONDO, who received it, fought for a shot inside the area, but it was saved by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. In the 36th minute, from a free kick by Kashiwa, FW Suganuma's cross was cleared by DF Watanabe Takashi, who picked it up in the left area and took a free shot. Kanazawa cleared this danger, and in the 37th minute, Kaji's lob was contested by Toda with a header in front of the goal, leading to a middle shot from Miyazawa. It was a familiar attacking pattern, but it just missed to the right. In the 38th minute, Miyazawa aimed for a free kick directly in front of the goal, but it went to the left. It was unfortunate to miss these good opportunities during a period when they were gradually gaining rhythm from side attacks after picking up second balls in midfield.

Despite being two goals behind, a counterattack against the 10-man Kashiwa!

　Kashiwa had a corner kick after 40 minutes when Tokyo's defense cut off Myojin's cross. It was the third corner kick of the day, but Kato's right corner was redirected by Suganuma in the center, and Watanabe Taka headed it in from the far side for a goal. Tokyo's marking was off, allowing a free shot, and they found themselves with a two-goal deficit from set pieces before the end of the first half.

　In the first half, Tokyo faced a tough situation as the defensive midfielder Hagiura and Myojin consistently intercepted the ball while transitioning from defense to attack. In the second half, Amaral was brought in to replace Yusuke KONDO, taking a gamble for a counterattack. As intended, in the 52nd minute, Kelly entered the penalty area and took a shot. In the 53rd minute, Amaral received a pass outside the area, shook off a defender, and shot, both hitting the goalkeeper directly. In the 54th minute, after receiving a pass from the left, Amaral passed to Ishikawa, who then passed to Toda in front of the goal. Toda made a direct pass to Amaral, who advanced into the area. However, the last pass from the sideline was cut off by a Kashiwa defender.

　Kashiwa threatened Tokyo's goal with quick attacks and set plays, but in the 62nd minute, Hagiwara, who fouled Toda in the Kashiwa area, received his second warning today and was sent off. Their intense fighting spirit backfired, forcing them to fight with ten men. In the 63rd minute, Tokyo substituted Abe for Miura. They put everything on the line for the remaining 30 minutes. Taking this opportunity, they began to use the pitch more effectively, and dynamic attacks were seen. In the 64th minute, Ishikawa connected with Kelly, and Toda, who broke into the goal area, took a shot. Unfortunately, it went straight to the goalkeeper. Just after that, Toda received a cross from Kanazawa at the post, and Ishikawa, receiving the return pass, shot from outside the area. The ball hit a defender, changed direction, and went into the goal! A decisive goal from Ishikawa emerged from a wave of attacks, and Tokyo raised the banner of counterattack.

As expected, Amaral's two goals lead to a dramatic comeback victory!

　In the 66th minute, Abe stole the opponent's ball on the left side and charged towards the goal to shoot, but the goalkeeper caught it. Tokyo aimed for the equalizer with crosses from both sides, but they were thwarted by Kashiwa's defenders showing height in front of the goal, making it difficult to finish. However, Kashiwa gradually began to slow down, resulting in more fouls. In the 79th minute, Miyazawa's free kick was cleared, leading to a throw-in from the right side. After receiving Kaji's throw, Ishikawa delivered a cross in front of the goal, and in the midst of a scramble, Abe shot the loose ball while falling down, scoring a goal!! It was a goal that seemed to embody the feelings of the entire team, bringing them back to a tie!

　Tokyo gained momentum, but a dramatic drama began from here. Four minutes after the equalizer, in the 83rd minute, Abe broke through the left side, bypassing the DF and delivering a cross from near the end line. This was met by a heading shot from Moniwa, who had surged forward after cutting off the pass. Initially blocked by the DF, the cleared ball spilled in front of Amaral! Amaral kicked it into the goal, scoring the third point!! It was a 'delicious' goal that felt like a gift from the gods, and with the passionate attack fueled by Amaral and everyone’s spirit, they succeeded in taking the lead.

　In this pressing mood, Kashiwa was on the defensive. In the 85th minute, Abe received a right cross and fought for a corner kick in front of the goal. On Miyazawa's left corner kick, Abe connected at the far side, and the ball came back to Amaral. Amaral calmly kicked it in directly, scoring a goal! With Amaral's two soul-filled goals, Tokyo turned the game around, and as the time ran out, they pulled ahead of Kashiwa with a score of 4-2. They achieved the results of their attacking football, finishing the second stage with the most goals in the league and ending in 5th place.

　However, the season is not over yet. Starting December 14, we will participate in the Emperor's Cup, competing for the last title of this season. Let's give our passionate support to Tokyo once again as we "fight until the end without giving up" towards New Year's Day!

[Player Comment]《Amaral》"I am very happy to contribute to the team with my goals and to achieve victory in front of many fans. As we reached the final match of the league, I had mixed feelings today. The team wasn't in good form at first, but after I came in, we gained momentum. Looking back, I feel it was good. When I came to Japan, the professional league hadn't started yet, and the team was amateur. From there, we turned professional, stepped up year by year, and moved up to J2 and J1. I am glad that we are now competing in the top league and that so many fans have started to support us. Today marks the end of the league, but rather than feeling sad, I am satisfied that we have been able to work together as a team up to this point. What remains to be done, and what the team lacks, is indeed a title. We have grown year by year, the level of the players has risen, and I believe we have come to a point where we can win a title. The reason we couldn't reach this stage now is that we were just a little short of something. Unfortunately, it is not something that can be easily obtained in 1-2 years, but winning a title will lead to further improvement of the team. We have worked hard until now, so I believe we will be able to achieve it soon. I want to aim for the Emperor's Cup."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "I anticipated that Kashiwa would apply intense pressure in the final match. Today's key point was Amaral. He had injured his ankle and had bruising in the previous match, making his condition difficult, so I wanted to use him at a crucial moment. The first half unfolded as expected, but we conceded two goals from set pieces after losing the second ball. There was a sense of unease, but at halftime, I said, 'If we score one goal, we will definitely have a chance to win.' In the second half, there were frustrating moments, but the goals from Ishikawa and Abe, and ultimately Amaral's energy led us to victory. It felt like everyone was playing with the hope that Amaral would score, and he delivered with his whole body. After drawing a match we should have won last week, there was a tension that seemed ready to snap, but Amaral helped us through that. I'm glad we won thanks to his strength. This season, our defensive strength improved in the first stage, and our scoring ability increased in the second stage. While there are still areas lacking, such as the accuracy of crosses and shots, there was never a match throughout the year where we lost our spirit. I believe that is where the team has grown."

[Summary of Coach Aurelio's Press Conference] "It felt like we played two matches within the 90 minutes. We were dominant and scored two goals until Hagiwara was sent off. After that, the match completely changed against Tokyo, who started using high balls. Tamada's substitution due to knee pain also affected us. At the beginning of the season, we couldn't say we were a good team and it was tough, but gradually we came together as a team. In the second stage, we showed good soccer from the start and got involved in the fight for the top positions. However, we faced various problems from the midfield, especially with many injuries, which made it difficult to form a complete team. On the other hand, we utilized young players and proved that they can perform as competent players. I am satisfied with this point and believe it will motivate them to aim for even better results in the near future."