Aiming for a third consecutive victory, challenging Kashiwa Reysol away

　In Sec. 5 of the 2nd Stage, we will face Kashiwa Reysol away. Currently, Tokyo is on a two-game winning streak, sitting in 7th place in the league. Today, the matches are held on a Sunday, a day later than usual, but due to the results from the previous day, the top teams are in a tight race. We want to achieve a three-game winning streak to break into the upper ranks and build momentum for the upcoming home matches (against Urawa on the 23rd and Kashima on the 26th).

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, has yet to secure a victory with 1 draw and 3 losses in the 2nd stage. In the previous match, they suffered a heavy defeat of 1 to 5 against Gamba Osaka. They are also struggling at the bottom of the overall standings since the 1st stage, with MF Ricardinho and Roberto CESAR sidelined due to injuries. However, in September, MF Ohno, who was on loan to Nagoya, has returned. FW Haji has also joined from Ichihara, and they are working to rebuild with new members. This season, in three matches including the Nabisco Cup, Tokyo has won 2 and drawn 1 against them, making them a favorable opponent. However, considering that they have been training in private at Kashiwa's Leaf Stadium for the upcoming match against Tokyo, it can be said that their desperation for this match should be taken seriously.

　In this match, Miura is suspended. Konno and Miyazawa will form a double pivot, with Yusuke KONDO playing as the lone striker. Additionally, Suzuki, who has recovered from injury, will start as left midfielder for the first time since the final match of the 1st stage. Toda has also made the bench for the first time since the July 24th Nabisco Cup Sec. 6 match against Kashiwa. The match started at Kashiwa's stadium in the sweltering heat, where just standing causes sweat to pour down, with Tokyo kicking off.

Struggling with tough marking and pitch conditions...

　Kashiwa boldly attacked from the start. Just 15 seconds in, right back Hato surged forward to win a right corner kick, and FW Tamada took a shot. However, after this one chance, both teams struggled to create opportunities due to the rough pitch. In the 13th minute, Kaji won a right corner kick from an overlap, but GK Minami's clearance was picked up by Tamada, leading to a counterattack from Kashiwa. In the 19th minute, Tamada entered the penalty area from the right side and passed to MF Myojin for a shot, but it went straight to Dohi.

　In the 21st minute, Tokyo's Yusuke KONDO won a left corner kick, launching a wave attack from a short corner and earning a second corner kick from Konno's shot. They looked for opportunities from set plays, but in the 25th minute, Kashiwa quickly earned three corner kicks in succession. They attempted a quick counterattack after picking up the loose ball, but could not finish. However, shortly after, Kanazawa made a big switch pass to the right side. After going through Kaji, Baba sent a cross to the front line, and Yusuke KONDO picked up the loose ball from the Kashiwa defense and took a shot. However, it was blocked by the opposing GK.

　Kashiwa steals the ball from a tough defense and launches a simple attack targeting Haji at the front line. On the other hand, Tokyo switches the positions of Suzuki and Baba after the 30-minute mark, but due to Kelly being closely marked by Kashiwa's midfielder Myojin, their play becomes fragmented and they cannot mount an effective attack. Finally, in the 43rd minute, they pick up the second ball from a free kick and approach the Kashiwa goal, with Konno taking a shot from the left area, but it is saved by the goalkeeper. Then comes stoppage time. After connecting a free kick, Kaji sends a cross into the front line, but Kashiwa's DF clears it and tries to push up the defensive line for a counterattack. Aiming for the space behind this line, Miyazawa picks up the clearance and sends a lobbed pass. Yusuke KONDO, who broke free in front of the goal, heads it, but the ball unfortunately hits the right post and goes central. Just a step faster than Kelly, who rushed in to push it in, Kashiwa's DF clears it. Tokyo created a big chance in the closing stages, but failed to score. The match remains 0-0 as it heads into the second half.

Kashiwa takes the lead with a goal from Toda upon his return!

　The instructions from Coach Hara at halftime were, "Kashiwa is coming at us strongly, so it's difficult to control the ball, but while being patient, both sides should receive the ball high up and utilize the flanks more." Following the instructions, the team focused on the sides, and Konno repeatedly surged up the right side, but Kashiwa's concentrated defense prevented Tokyo from creating chances. In the 51st minute, Suzuki shot from the right side, and in the 52nd minute, Kaji picked up a loose ball from a corner kick and shot. However, both lacked the power to break the goal, so in the 53rd minute, Abe was brought on to replace Suzuki. Kashiwa earned a free kick followed by a corner kick in the 55th minute. In the 58th minute, from a free kick directly in front of the goal, MF Ohno aimed directly, closing in on the Tokyo goal from the restart.

　However, neither side was able to create a decisive scene, and in an attempt to break this deadlock, Tokyo substituted Kelly for Toda in the 68th minute. Baba moved to the center, with Abe on the left and Toda on the right, heading towards the goal. In the 76th minute, following a quick restart from Miyazawa, Baba connected with Yusuke KONDO, and Kondo, who broke free in front of the goal, took a shot but missed the target. Even with less than 15 minutes remaining, the back-and-forth battle continued, but it was Tokyo who first capitalized on the opportunity.

　In the 79th minute, Yusuke KONDO received a left throw-in and passed to Abe, who was outside while being surrounded by defenders. Abe then made a one-touch pass to Miyazawa in the center. Miyazawa sent a beautifully arched cross to the far side from just outside the penalty area, and Toda made perfect contact! With impeccable timing and a high point of impact, he scored a header goal that celebrated his return from injury, taking the lead with a much-needed goal against a resilient Kashiwa.

Unable to maintain the lead, ending in a draw

　Kashiwa made substitutions in the 81st minute, bringing on forward Yamashita for defensive midfielder Otani and midfielder Shimoheira for midfielder Ohno. They launched a counterattack with a front three of Yamashita, Tamada, and Haji. In response, Tokyo substituted Fujiyama for the visibly tired Miyazawa in the 85th minute, reinforcing their defense to withstand the opponent's desperate counterattack. However, in the 87th minute, Tamada of Kashiwa received a pass in Tokyo's half, turned, slipped between Kaji and Konno, and advanced with a dribble. Jean came to support Tamada, but just before that, Tamada made a smart decision to send a through pass to the front line. While Shigeno was distracted by Tamada, Haji was left free, broke through to the goal area, and scored with a one-touch finish, equalizing the match. They were caught off guard for a moment, allowing the combination of Tamada and Haji to score the equalizer.

　The free kick awarded in stoppage time in front of the goal was saved by Dohi from Tamada's shot. Although they did not allow an additional goal, Jean's header from the corner kick at the end went to the right of the goal. They could not take the lead, resulting in a frustrating draw. Throughout the match, they were unable to play the attacking football they wanted in Tokyo, settling for just one point.

【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"It's disappointing to have missed out on victory at the very end. It was quite a difficult game. The pitch conditions were poor, and I couldn't showcase my strengths, but the assist for the goal was good. Next match will be against a strong Reds team, but since it's at home and many fans will come, we want to unite and win together." 《Toda》"It was good to be brought on with about 20 minutes left and to score. I've played with Miya (Miyazawa) for a long time, so when the ball came to him, I just had to make a run behind the defense, and a good ball came. The assist was great. This was my second goal in the league, but it was a game where we needed to secure three points rather than focus on individual achievements. I reflect on the fact that we conceded a goal due to a momentary lapse at the end, and when we were under pressure, we should have played a bit more calmly in the opponent's territory."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Today, Kashiwa came out really desperately from the start, especially after suffering a heavy defeat against Gamba Osaka in the last match. I had told the players during practice leading up to today that this would be the kind of match we would face. We changed our system to a four-back and started launching long balls early, picking up loose balls and second balls. Due to the wind and pitch conditions, we struggled to connect our passes, but we held firm in the first half, thinking the second half would be the decisive moment. Toda scored the opening goal at a good time, and to be honest, I thought we could do it. However, Kashiwa brought in experienced players like Shimohei and Masaru KATO in the latter stages and attacked desperately. For just a moment, I was distracted by Tamada and lost track of Haji, which led to the goal we conceded. There are no easy matches to win. I believe we need to be able to win matches like this, but Kashiwa was truly wonderful today. In the next match, I want to defeat Urawa with the same spirit as today’s Kashiwa."

　【Summary of Coach Hayano's Press Conference】 "Considering the very disappointing performance in the last match, we made sure that the backline did not drop today. At the same time, I think the chase from the front line was solid in the first half. However, we still lack confidence and composure in breaking down the opponent's final line, so we couldn't concentrate our efforts in a decisive manner. There was a major crisis at the end of the first half, which was due to our immaturity in line control. Regarding the second half, I anticipated that Tokyo would come out attacking quite a bit, so we made sure not to drop the line like in the first half. I also instructed to thoroughly mark Kelly. Up until the point where we made substitutions in the second half, things were going well, but we conceded a goal due to a lack of sharpness in our finishing. At that point, we had no choice but to go on the attack, so we brought in Yamashita, moved Haji to the left, and placed Tamada in the center for a three-top formation, and I believe we were able to equalize by not giving up until the end. However, we did not have the momentum to take the lead afterward. It was a match where we showed our desire to win, but we still cannot earn three points. I want to use this as a minimum base to approach the next match."