Aiming for a third consecutive victory, we challenge Kashiwa Reysol away from home.

　Tokyo, currently in 7th place with 2 consecutive wins in the league, will face Kashiwa Reysol away in the 5th round of the 2nd stage. Today's match will be held on Sunday, one day later than other matches, and the results from the previous day have created a tight race among the top teams. Tokyo aims to continue their winning streak and climb up the rankings, as well as gain momentum for their upcoming home matches against Urawa (on the 23rd) and Kashima (on the 26th).

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, has yet to win with 1 draw and 3 losses in the 2nd stage. In the previous match, they suffered a big defeat of 1-5 against Gamba Osaka. They are also struggling for the bottom place in the overall standings since the 1st stage, with MF Ricardinho and Roberto CESAR both out due to injuries. However, in September, MF Ono, who had been on loan to Nagoya, returned to the team. In addition, FW Hagi from Ichihara also joined the team, and they are trying to rebuild with new members. In the three matches this season, including the Nabisco Cup, Tokyo has 2 wins and 1 draw against them. However, considering that they have been training in private for this week's match at Kashiwa no Ha Stadium, their desperation for this match should be noted.

　This week, Miura is suspended. Konno and Miyazawa will form a double pivot, with Kondo leading the line as the lone striker. Suzuki, who has recovered from injury, will start for the first time since the final match of the 1st stage as the left midfielder. Toda has also made the bench for the first time since the July 24th Nabisco Cup 6th round match against Kashiwa. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff in the hot and humid conditions at the Kashima Stadium.

Struggling with tough marks and pitch conditions...

　Kashiwa was the first to attack boldly at the start. In the 15th second, right back Hato advanced and won a right corner kick, and FW Tamada took a shot. However, after this one chance, both teams struggled on the rough pitch and were unable to create opportunities. In the 13th minute, Kaji won a right corner kick from an overlap, but GK Minami picked up the clearance ball and Kashiwa was countered. In the 19th minute, Tamada entered the penalty area from the right side and allowed a shot from MF Myojin in front of the goal, but Doi blocked it in front.

　Tokyo took 21 minutes, Yusuke Kondo took a left CK, launched a wave attack from a short corner, and got the second CK from Inano's shot. They looked for a chance from a set play, but Kashiwa also got three CKs in a row in the 25th minute. They quickly picked up the loose ball and launched a counterattack, but couldn't finish it. However, immediately after, Kanazawa made a big side change pass to the right side. Through Kaji, Baba sent a cross to the front line, and Yusuke Kondo picked up the loose ball from Kashiwa's DF and took a shot. However, it was blocked by the opponent's GK.

　After taking the ball from a tough defense, Kashiwa will launch a simple attack targeting the front line of Hagi. On the other hand, Tokyo has been switching the positions of Suzuki and Baba on the left and right of the position since the 30th minute, but Kelly was marked by Kashiwa MF Myojin, and the play was disrupted, making it difficult to launch an effective attack. Finally, in the 43rd minute, they approached the Kashiwa goal from a free kick, and Inakano took a shot from the left area, but it was saved by the GK. And in stoppage time, after connecting a free kick, Kaji crosses to the front line, and the Kashiwa DF clears and counterattacks, trying to raise the DF line. Miyazawa picks up the clearance and sends a lob pass towards the back of the line, and Yusuke Kondo, who has escaped in front of the goal, heads it, but the ball hits the right post and goes to the center. And before Kelly could push it in, the Kashiwa DF clears it. Tokyo created a big chance towards the end, but couldn't score. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, and the game was carried over to the second half.

Kashiwa takes the lead with Toda's comeback goal!

　At halftime, coach Hara's instructions were "Kashiwa is playing tough, so the ball is not settling down easily, but let's be patient and receive the ball on both sides at a high position, and use the sides more." As instructed, we were conscious of the sides, and Imakano also repeatedly ran up the right side, but Kashiwa also prevented Tokyo from creating chances with their focused defense. In the 51st minute, Suzuki took a shot from the right side, and in the 52nd minute, Kaji picked up the loose ball from a corner kick and took a shot. However, both lacked the power to score a goal, and in the 53rd minute, Abe was substituted for Suzuki. Kashiwa earned a free kick in the 55th minute, followed by a corner kick. In the 58th minute, MF Ohno aimed directly from a free kick in front of the goal, and threatened Tokyo's goal from the restart.

　However, neither team was able to create a decisive scene, and in an attempt to break this stalemate, Tokyo substituted Toda for Kelly in the 68th minute. With Baba in the center, Abe on the left MF, and Toda on the right, they headed towards the goal. In the 76th minute, a quick restart from Miyazawa led to a pass to Baba, who then connected with Kondo Yu, but his shot missed the target. Despite both teams continuing to attack and defend, it was Tokyo who was able to capitalize on their chance first.

　79 minutes, Yusuke KONDO received a left GROT and passed it to Kelly on the outside while being surrounded by defenders. Kelly then made a one-touch pass to the center to Lori. Lori sent a beautiful arcing cross from the edge of the area to the far side, where Toda met it perfectly! With excellent timing and a high strike, Toda celebrated his return from injury with a header goal, giving Kashiwa the much-needed lead against a resilient opponent.

Unable to hold onto the lead, ending in a draw

　Kashiwa made a substitution in the 81st minute, bringing in FW Yamashita for MF Ohtani and MF Shimodaira for MF Ono. They launched a counterattack with a front three of Yamashita, Tamada, and Hanechi. In response, Tokyo made a substitution in the 85th minute, bringing in Fujiyama for the tired Miyazawa to play as a defensive midfielder. They were supposed to hold off the opponent's desperate counterattack and secure the win. However, in the 87th minute, Kashiwa's Tamada received a pass inside Tokyo's half, turned and slipped between Kaji and Imakuno, and dribbled forward. Jean went to cover for him, but just before that, Tamada made a smart decision and played a through pass to the front line. While Mochida was focused on Tamada, Hanechi was left unmarked and was able to break through and score with a one-touch finish. They were caught off guard for a moment and conceded an equalizer from the combination of Tamada and Hanechi.

　FK from the front of the goal given in stoppage time, Tsuchihi saves Tamada's shot. Although they did not allow an additional point, Jean's header shot from the last CK went to the right of the goal. There was no lead, and it was a frustrating draw. Throughout the game, Tokyo was unable to play the attacking football they wanted and only managed to earn 1 point.

【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"It's a shame that we couldn't secure the win in the very end. It was a tough game. The field conditions were poor and I couldn't play to my strengths, but I was able to assist in a goal. In the next match, we'll be facing a strong Reds team, but we'll be playing at home and with a lot of fans, so we want to come together as a team and win."《Toda》"It was good to be able to score when I was subbed in with about 20 minutes left. I've been playing with Miya (Miyazawa) for a long time, so as soon as the ball went to him, I just had to make a run behind the defense. The assist was good. It's my second goal in the league, but it was a game where we needed to get 3 points more than my personal achievement. We conceded a goal in the last second and were pushed back, so it's a lesson to reflect on that we needed to stay calm and play in the opponent's territory."

[Summary of the press conference by former coach] "Kashiwa today, because of the big defeat in the last match against Gamba Osaka, we were really desperate from the start of the game. I told the players that this would definitely happen in the training until today, but we changed the system to 4 back and threw in long balls early, picking up loose balls and loose balls. Due to the influence of the wind and the pitch condition, we were not able to connect the ball well, but we were able to withstand the first half firmly and thought that the second half was the decisive point. Toda scored the first goal at a good time, and to be honest, I thought we could do it. However, Kashiwa also desperately attacked by bringing in experienced players such as Shimohira and Kato towards the end. I was distracted by Tamada for a moment and lost my mark on Haji, which led to a goal. There is no game that can be easily won. I think we have to win this kind of game, but Kashiwa today was really great. In the next match, I want to defeat Urawa with the same feeling as Kashiwa today."

　[Kashiwa · Hayano coach's press conference summary] "Based on the fact that we had a very disappointing game last week, today we made sure that the back line did not drop. At the same time, I think we were able to chase from the front line firmly in the first half. However, we still lack confidence and composure in breaking through the opponent's final line, so we did not concentrate our efforts there in a decisive way. There was a big pinch at the end of the first half, but it was due to the immaturity of line control. As for the second half, we expected Tokyo to come out attacking, so we made sure not to drop the line like in the first half. We also instructed to thoroughly mark Kelly. It was good until the substitution in the second half, but we conceded a goal due to a lack of closing. At that point, we had no choice but to attack, so we put Yamauchi in, put Hagi on the left, and Tamada in the center to form a 3-top, and I think we were able to equalize by not giving up until the end. However, there was no momentum to take the lead afterwards. It was a game where we showed our desire to win, but we still couldn't get 3 points. I want to use this as the minimum base and move on to the next game."