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.

　At the 25th minute, Kelly advanced down the left side and delivered a sharp pass to Ishikawa, who was free on the right side, leading to a decisive shot that veered sharply to the left. At the 30th minute, Miura was fouled in front of the goal, earning a free kick. Miyazawa connected an unexpected short pass to Kanazawa, who played a through ball in front of the goal. Yusuke KONDO held on inside the area and took a shot, but the goalkeeper saved it, resulting in a corner kick. At the 36th minute, from Kashiwa's free kick, DF Watanabe Tsuyoshi cleared a cross from FW Suganuma but picked up the ball inside the left area and was shot at while free. Kanazawa cleared this danger. Then, at the 37th minute, Toda contested a header in front of the goal from Kaji's lob, and Miyazawa took a middle-range shot. It was their favored attacking pattern but narrowly missed to the right. At the 38th minute, Miyazawa aimed a free kick from directly in front of the goal, but it went to the left of the goal. During this period, when they gradually gained rhythm from side attacks by picking up second balls in midfield, it was unfortunate to miss these good chances.

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 have contributed to the team with my goals and to have won in front of so many fans. As we reached the final round of the league, I had mixed feelings today. The team was not in good form at first, but after I joined, we gained momentum. Looking back, I feel it turned out well. When I came to Japan, the professional league had not started yet, and the team was still amateur. Since then, we turned professional, stepped up year by year, and climbed up to J2 and J1. I am glad that we can now compete in the top league and that so many fans have come to support us. Today is the last league match, but rather than feeling sad, I am satisfied to have come this far with this team. What remains unfinished and what the team lacks is, of course, a title. We have grown year by year, the players’ level has improved, and I believe we have reached the point where we can win a title. The reason we couldn’t reach this stage this time is that we were just missing a little something. Unfortunately, it’s not something you can easily win in one or two years, but winning a title will lead to further team improvement. We have worked hard so far, so I believe we can win it soon. I want to aim for the Emperor's Cup."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We anticipated that Kashiwa would apply intense pressing in the final round. Today's key player was Amaral. In the previous match, he injured his ankle and had internal bleeding, so his condition was difficult, and we wanted to use him at a crucial moment. The first half went as expected, but we conceded two goals from set pieces after losing the loose balls. It felt unpleasant, 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 goals from Ishikawa and Abe, and ultimately Amaral's energy led us to victory. Everyone seemed to wish for Amaral to score, and he did so with his whole body. In the previous match, we ended a winning game in a draw, and the tension had been building all week, but Amaral connected us again. I'm glad we won thanks to his power. This season, our defensive strength improved in the 1st stage, and our scoring ability increased in the 2nd stage. Although we still lack accuracy in crosses, shots, and finishing, we never had a single match all year where our spirit faltered. 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."