Kelly makes a long-awaited return!

　In Sec. 4 of the 1st Stage, Shimizu S-Pulse will face off against a team with a past league record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses, making it nearly even. This season, S-Pulse has finished Sec. 3 with 1 draw and 2 losses, without any wins, and has been in a tough situation, suffering two consecutive heavy defeats of 0-4 in the last two matches (the first match of the Nabisco Cup and Sec. 3 of the league). Head coach ANTONIO, who took charge this season, is aiming for his first victory with significant changes to the starting lineup, excluding Brazilian players from the starting eleven for this match.

　On the other hand, Tokyo achieved a comeback victory against Verdy in the previous match, showing resilient soccer, and after Sec. 3, they have gradually improved their form with 2 wins and 1 loss. Furthermore, their key player Kelly has joined the squad for the first time this season from this match, finally bringing the best lineup together. However, Kelly is still far from his best condition, lacking both physical fitness and match experience, so he will start from the bench. Additionally, Tokunaga and Kurizawa, who performed well in the previous match, are currently away from Tokyo as their university soccer season has begun. The starting lineup remains the same as the previous match, except for Kaji replacing Tokunaga at right back. The bench also remains the same as the previous match, with Kelly taking Kurizawa's place.

　At the venue, Nihondaira Stadium, approximately 1,500 fans, including a record 11 buses and 480 people from the cheering bus tour, gathered to support the players with an impressive and loud cheer that rivaled the home supporters of Shimizu S-Pulse. With a perfect condition of 18.9°C, clear skies, and no wind, the kickoff whistle blew at 3:04 PM.

In the early stages, struggling against S-Pulse's long balls

　The match showed a balanced development from the beginning, but both teams were unable to create decisive chances due to the low accuracy of the final ball and the solid defense of the last line. Tokyo quickly spread the ball to the sides after regaining possession, aiming to exploit the space behind the opponent's three-back defense, but the ball control in the front line was poor, leading to a monotonous attack without the thickness of double or triple layers. The right side with Ishikawa and Kaji was consciously taken care of and was difficult to break through, but from the left side, Kanazawa frequently participated in effective attacks, supplying crosses in front of the goal. In the 9th minute, a cross from Ishikawa on the right was cleared poorly by the opposing defender. The ball rolled in front of Lucas, who was in the penalty area, and he took a powerful shot from close range, but the ball went well over the bar.

　On the other hand, S-Pulse sent long balls early from the DF line to the front, where MF Sawatari and MF Ito firmly followed up on the contested dropped balls in midfield, picking them up and either spreading the play to the sides or aiming for intricate central breakthroughs from FW Kitajima and FW Kuboyama's posts. Unlike the previous S-Pulse style of building up from the DF, the defenders immediately sent long balls forward once they had possession, making pressing ineffective and resulting in Tokyo being pushed back on their pitch for extended periods. The balls cleared by Moiniwa and Jean were contested in midfield, but at the 13th minute, a coordination error between Konno and Jean allowed the ball to be carried near the goal, and when Konno tried to recover it, he was fouled, resulting in a free kick. The ball kicked by Sawatari flew to the left corner of the goal, but Doi's fine save prevented it from going in. Also, at the 18th minute, Sawatari received a throw-in from the left inside the penalty area, made a sharp turn to shake off his marker, and shot with his left foot. The ball grazed Doi's hand, hit the right post, and bounced back. MF Ota, who was following up, took a close-range shot, but Toda, who had returned to the goal area, blocked it with his body, resulting in a corner kick. Furthermore, this corner was headed free in the center by DF Saito, but the shot went straight to Doi. Despite the continuous critical moments, the high concentration prevented the goal from being conceded.

Unable to score despite having a great opportunity

　Tokyo, having survived the crisis, began their counterattack. At the 20th minute, Lucas received the ball on the left side, dribbled past two markers, and passed to Ishikawa on the right side. Ishikawa controlled the ball with his chest and, from near the right corner of the penalty area, unleashed a powerful volley without hesitation! It was a mid-range shot reminiscent of the superb goal he scored against Shimizu S-Pulse last year, but unfortunately, the opposing goalkeeper punched it away. At the 25th minute, Miyazawa picked up a clearance from the opposing defender after Kaji's cross outside the penalty area and took a right-footed shot, but it went wide to the left of the goal. At the 32nd minute, Ishikawa used quick steps on the right side to evade his marker and sent a vertical pass, which Abe controlled. Then, Abe passed behind the opposing defender, allowing Lucas to break free. He took a powerful shot near the right corner of the goal area, but the ball only shook the side netting.

　S-Pulse's attack started as usual with long balls, but in the midfield, Konno fiercely stole the ball, and on the flanks, Kaji and Kanazawa showed absolute strength in one-on-one situations, preventing any decisive plays. In the 33rd minute, Sawatari delivered a sharp through pass behind Tokyo's defense, and Kitajima broke free, but Dohei quickly came out and caught it just in time. That was the only dangerous moment, and after that, Tokyo created numerous chances.

　Tokyo, which began to find its rhythm, saw a well-timed pass from Abe to Lucas in front of the goal at the 34th minute. Lucas evaded one marker and took a sharp mid-range shot, but it was caught right in front of the goalkeeper. In the 42nd minute, Lucas sent a back header from a long ball by Jean to the front line, prompting Abe to react and break through, charging towards the goal. He took a sliding shot, but it didn't connect properly, and he couldn't score. In the end, despite several scoring opportunities, neither team managed to score, and the first half ended with both teams at zero. The contest was carried over to the second half.

Kelly finally appeared on the pitch! The result is…

　At the start of the second half, in the 50th minute, Tokyo made a move. Kelly was brought on for Abe in midfield. The stands reached a fever pitch with Kelly's first appearance of the season, eagerly awaited by everyone, including himself. When Kelly first received the ball, as Ishikawa held the ball on the right side, he quickly moved to support and loudly called out, "Hi, Nao!" This call sparked the rhythm of the attack. On the pitch, it became easier to break through tight situations that had not been seen this season. Especially on the right side, Ishikawa, Kelly, and Lucas combined to bewilder the opposing defenders. Although minor improvements are needed, Kelly's addition has undoubtedly raised the level of football. In the 55th minute, the Kelly-to-Ishikawa combination sliced through the right side and sent a grounded cross in front of the goal, where Toda rushed in, but the goalkeeper caught it a moment early. At the 61st minute, Kelly received a pass from Ishikawa, broke through the right side, and delivered a cross, which Lucas rushed to meet but was just a step short and caught by the goalkeeper.

　The relentless attack continues. In the 63rd minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and delivered a cross, but Todah received it free on the far side, only for his trap to be too heavy, resulting in the ball being cleared by the defense before he could shoot. In the 73rd minute, they faced their biggest chance of the day. The ball was passed from Lucas on the left side to Kelly in the center, and as Miyazawa ran in to receive the ball that was dropped back, he shot with his right foot. The ball hit the defense and rolled to the right side, where Ishikawa picked it up and quickly sent a perfect ball back to the center. Todah, free in the middle, headed the ball, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. The size of the sighs from the stands reflected the magnitude of the missed opportunity.

　Still not giving up, Tokyo made their final moves with Baba in the 75th minute and Miura in the 77th minute. On the pitch, Kelly's work rate had dropped sharply, and expectations were high for Baba, who had been in good form in the last two matches. However, Baba's movements on this day lacked sharpness, and he often hesitated in his decisions, failing to create chances. Shimizu S-Pulse also seemed to have all players returning to defend in order to avoid conceding, showing a desperate defense. On the other hand, in attack, they focused on the substitute Araujo from counterattacks, burning with determination to secure their first three points of the season, but they fell silent in front of Tokyo's stable defensive line. In the end, despite showing intense back-and-forth until the last moment, neither team was able to score, and the match ended with a scoreless draw, leaving Tokyo with their first scoreless result of the season and just one point earned.

【Player Comments】《Toda》"In the moment of the decisive cross from Nao, I should have headed it down to the ground as per the basics. Today's match was all about that." 《Kanazawa》"I was proactive because there was space, but S-Pulse had many players crowded in front of the goal, so it was difficult to create decisive moments. I needed to come up with another idea." 《Miura》"It's important not to lose. But if I could be greedy, I wanted to win today and play against Jubilo."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "When I heard that S-Pulse would start with only Japanese players, I felt the team's intention to defend, but it was unfortunate that we couldn't break through that. They applied intense pressing from the front, and I could sense their determination to 'somehow win.' What was unexpected was that instead of building up from the defenders, they kept sending long balls forward. In the first half, they kicked long balls, which were dropped and gave Shimizu the rhythm. We also created good decisive chances from Nao to Toda, but couldn't score. We wanted to attack more from the sides and get the 3 points somehow... However, considering the high temperature and tough conditions today, I want to see taking 1 point away from home without losing concentration until the end as a positive. Regarding Kelly, he is not yet at 100%, but having the ball settle there improved our rhythm. I believe he will get better and better as we continue practicing. The fact that Kelly came back today is a gain."

【Summary of the press conference by Shimizu S-Pulse coach ANTONIO】 "I think we played a much better game compared to the last match against Gamba Osaka. We made significant changes to the lineup and executed our defensive strategy as planned. Unfortunately, we couldn't win due to some bad luck, like hitting the post. The reason I started only Japanese players today is that it was the best option at this time. I use players who are in good form at that moment. This was the lineup for today, and as we approached the match, it was important to take care of the midfield players' movements when the opponent's Lucas dropped back, as well as to pay attention to the speed of both sides, Ishikawa and Toda, to maintain defensive balance. In that regard, Saito did a great job keeping a clean sheet. Also, knowing that the opponent's pressing from the front line was strong, I instructed the team not to spend too much time on build-up and to kick long balls behind the opponent's defense, which I think worked well."