Midway through the 2nd stage

　Sec. 8 will be an away match against Nagoya. Nagoya has one match pending due to the cancellation of their previous match against Oita, currently holding a record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, with 10 points in 7th place. This is a match that neither team can afford to lose in order to advance to the top ranks, and both teams want to finish today with a victory to gain momentum for the Semifinal Round of the Nabisco Cup scheduled for next week.

　Kaji is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Instead, Fujiyama, who has been a starter since the match against Shimizu in the 2nd stage, will take his place on the right side. Additionally, since Kelly is not in good condition with his foot, Yusuke KONDO will start, and Lucas will position himself behind KONDO in a vertical forward relationship, hoping to clear the frustration of not scoring in the previous match.

　Nagoya's attacking line is in excellent form. In the match against Cerezo Osaka two games ago, they scored 5 goals, and among them, FW Marques with a hat trick, along with the 18-year-old FW JORGINHO, who replaced the underperforming FW Weslley, and MF Nakamura positioned in the 1.5 line, are players to watch out for. Although the weather was drizzling, today at Toyota Stadium, the retractable roof was in place, so there was no worry about rain; however, the humidity was high as the match kicked off in Tokyo.

Struggled after conceding the opening goal to Nagoya early on

　Tokyo actively pressured the opponent from the kickoff and launched quick attacks after regaining possession. In the 3rd minute, Toda stole the ball on the right side of his own half and surged forward to the opponent's penalty area for a cross. Although it hit the opponent's DF, they earned a free kick from the scramble for the second ball. Lucas, who ran in free to the near side from Baba's pass, took a shot but missed just over the crossbar, failing to capitalize on a great opportunity to take the lead. In the 5th minute, Yusuke KONDO picked up a clearance from the opponent's DF and dribbled centrally to take a shot. Unfortunately, he missed just to the left of the goal, but the team was able to create a good tempo in their attacks, making it seem like they could score at any moment; however, the opening goal was taken by Nagoya.

　In the 8th minute, Nagoya earned a free kick on the left side of Tokyo's defense, which FW JORGINHO delivered with a precise cross towards the goal. The ball was barely deflected by GK Doi and was pushed in by Nagoya DF Koga, allowing the first free kick and the first shot to result in an opening goal.

　Tokyo conceded a goal at an unexpected time, but they switched their mindset and turned to attack. In the 12th minute, Miura dribbled up the center, and opponent midfielder Nakamura could not help but foul him. From this free kick, they briefly escaped to a throw-in, but Baba made a through pass to Toda. In the 19th minute, Toda surged up the right side, and Lucas jumped in for a low cross, but the opponent's defender cleared it. From that right throw-in, Lucas used his individual skill to cut into the goal area and shot directly. Although it was deflected by Nagoya goalkeeper Narazaki, they aimed for a goal with an aggressive attitude. Furthermore, chances were created in the 27th and 29th minutes, but they could not finish with a final shot.

　Nagoya also has a high defensive awareness, and their attack revolves around midfielder Kraiton, spreading the ball while two forwards make runs into the spaces behind Tokyo's side defenders. They faithfully execute this strategy to launch counterattacks and advance towards the goal, making it difficult for Tokyo to find their rhythm. Nevertheless, in the 40th minute, Baba's free kick and in the 41st minute, a through pass from Yusuke KONDO to Toda, which was ruled offside, along with Miura's two long-range shots, kept Nagoya in the lead as the first half ended.

A sudden shift to competition from the second half

　At the start of the second half, Abe was brought in to replace Yusuke KONDO, and Lucas was positioned in his usual top position, with Baba behind him and Todai and Abe on both sides, changing their positions as well. Tokyo aggressively launched attacks just like in the first half. In the 49th minute, Baba connected a ball on the left side with a direct lob pass in front of the goal, and in the 50th minute, Baba's free kick maintained their dominance, but they couldn't get a shot off. Nagoya also attacked occasionally on the counter, but they couldn't get to a shot, and as the stalemate continued, a decisive chance came for Tokyo.

　In the 64th minute, Miura dribbled up the right side and passed to Abe in the center. With a one-touch, he turned to the opposite side and passed to Kanazawa, who was overlapping. The ball was directed to Lucas in front of the goal, who shot freely inside the penalty area. Unfortunately, it went just wide of the left post, and they couldn't score. In the 65th minute, Miyazawa was brought on for Miura, and in the 70th minute, Ishikawa was substituted for Baba, as they desperately sought to score a goal, always keeping an attacking mindset. And finally, the equalizer was born.

Lucas's equalizing header explodes!

　In the 74th minute, Miyazawa kept the ball near the halfway line and made a timely through pass to Toda, who was sprinting up the left side. Toda brought the ball close to the goal line and attempted a cross, but the opposing DF cleared it for a corner kick. Miyazawa took the left corner and delivered a precise ball, allowing Lucas to evade the marking of the opposing DF and score with a perfect header, finally equalizing the match.

　After the score was tied, both teams became more aggressive, and there were frantic attacks and defenses in front of the goal. However, in the end, both DF lines held their ground and prevented any goals, resulting in a final score of 1-1. They only managed to earn 1 point.

【Player Comments】《Lucas》"I think it was a good match, but the result... In the first half, the connection with Kondo wasn't very good in terms of combination play, but I wasn't too concerned about the attack (as much as others might think). I was able to get in front of the opponent's defense well during the scoring moment. We had chances from set pieces since the first half, so I was aiming for that. Miyazawa's ball was really good, anyway." 《Ishikawa》"The situation when I was brought on was the same as last match. However, neither the team nor I have been able to create chances. I do feel that my condition and the quality of my play are gradually improving... (In the match) when I was substituted, I received instructions from the coach to be aggressive and go for it, but it didn't go well. However, it's important to keep going."

　[Coach Hara's Press Conference Summary] "In the first half, we were better at the start and had several chances. We created good opportunities from free kicks and open play, but after conceding from a free kick, things got chaotic. For Grampus, JORGINHO made runs into space to receive the ball, and Marquez skillfully used that as a starting point to attack effectively. Conceding one goal by halftime was unavoidable, so we decided to circulate the ball more on the sides. Yusuke KONDO was not good in the first half; he was completely out of the game today. His defensive decisions and ball control were slow, but after moving Baba to the center midway through the first half, the ball started moving better. Nagoya Grampus' central defense is solid, so in the second half, we put Abe on the left side to attack wide. Toda worked hard, but we need to improve the accuracy of his final crosses and passes. We brought in Miyazawa, who delivered long balls to both sides, and trusting that, our attackers ran into the space behind to create chances. Nagoya also has fast players up front on counters, so we had to be careful, but we wanted to score one more goal and couldn't."

　[Summary of Nagoya Coach NELSINHO's Press Conference] "In the first half, we were able to progress the game at a good pace. The team was highly motivated and played well. We also scored from a free kick. However, after the 30-minute mark, we held onto the ball too much and allowed Tokyo to counterattack due to passing mistakes. That was a point of dissatisfaction in the first half. At halftime, I instructed the team to connect more passes, improve passing accuracy, and strengthen our defense. We were able to follow that in the beginning of the second half, but we conceded a goal from a corner kick. Today, the poor pitch conditions affected both teams. We couldn't play to our strengths in terms of speed."