Approaching with a winning attitude

　In Sec. 11, we will face Omiya Ardija, currently in 4th place, at home. This is a back-to-back match just three days after the last game, but Lucas and Toda have returned from injury. Although neither is at their best, they volunteered to play in this urgent situation of consecutive losses. Additionally, Konno will be used as the left side back. Coach Hara explained the reason, saying, "Konno has strength against opponents. Given the current team situation, we haven't been able to press from the front, and his work in midfield has been somewhat half-hearted, so I wanted to let him work simply as a side back." In midfield, Asari will play as a defensive midfielder, with Miyazawa and Kurizawa in the center. Lucas will start on the bench, and Yusuke KONDO will start at the top.

　Omiya, who has been promoted to the J1 League this season, has maintained the soccer style they built during their time in J2 without making significant changes, focusing on a solid defense and powerful counterattacks. With a steady performance, they have accumulated 5 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses. Although FW Cristiano, who is ranked 3rd in the scoring chart, is suspended for this match, they secured a victory in the previous match against Kashiwa with a goal from FW TUTO. Coach Hara stated, "We are effectively rotating players and achieving results." Today, MF Fujimoto is on the bench, and right MF Masaru Ando will make his first start of the season.

　The J-League campaign "10,000 Goals" is just 8 goals away. This match is attracting attention for that reason, but for Tokyo, it is an absolutely crucial game that cannot be lost. The players expressed their determination, showcasing their fighting spirit, and vowed to break the losing streak. The match started at 15:04 with Omiya's kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium under a cloudy sky, supported by the passionate stands.

Going For Victory

Fourth placed Omiya Ardija were the visitors for the 11th game of the season. F.C.TOKYO welcomed back the determined but far from completely recovered Lucas and Kaji. Manager Hara raised eyebrows by naming Konno as left side back but explained his choice at the pre-match press conference by saying, "He's physically very strong but has been stymied in his attacking role recently due to the team's current situation. A simpler role is in order today." Asari filled the holding midfield position with Miyazawa and Kurisawa in front of him. Lucas was named to the substitutes bench while Yusuke Kondo appeared as lone striker.
Newly promoted Ardija had made little change to the defensive, counter-attacking style that served them so well in J2 last year. Top scorer Christian was suspended and another Brazilian, Tuto, took his place. "Ardija are very skilled at selecting a team depending on their opponents and have the results to prove it," commented Hiromi Hara. Midfielder Fujimoto was on the bench while Ando made his season debut.
The J.League 10,000th Goal Campaign was nearing its climax as only 8 more goals were needed to reach that figure at kick off. The match was a hugely important one for TOKYO as the team struggled desperately to break out of the recent slump. The roar of the crowd reached a crescendo as Ardija kicked off on an overcast afternoon.

Although they allowed the opening goal from a penalty kick, they took the lead with fine goals from Ishikawa and Yusuke KONDO.

　In the early stages, there was a fierce battle for possession in midfield, and neither side was able to create finishing opportunities. Tokyo was trying to establish a rhythm by winning the ball from intense pressing and spreading it to the sides. In the 7th minute, Toda advanced deep down the right side and sent in a cross. In the 9th minute, Omiya FW TUTO entered the right area. He attempted to take a shot forcefully, but Shigeno responded well and prevented him from making contact. However, in the 11th minute, during a free kick situation from Omiya's left area, Jean was penalized for fouling an opponent in the goal area, resulting in a penalty kick. In the 12th minute, FW TUTO converted this, allowing an early lead.

　Although it was a goal that disrupted the rhythm they had almost grasped, Tokyo did not lose heart here today. They quickly transitioned from defense to attack, pressing towards the Omiya goal. In the 15th minute, Toda received a through pass from Kurizawa and took a powerful shot from a tight angle in the right area, but the opposing GK made a save. In the 18th minute, there was a free kick from the right. Miyazawa's sharp kick was aimed for Toda to connect with a header in the box, but he was offside. After the 24th minute, there were three consecutive corner kicks.

　It was the 28th minute. On the left side, there was a struggle for possession in Omiya's half, but Konno picked up the loose ball and charged towards the goal. He sent a final pass to Ishikawa, who had moved into the center. With a defender closing in, Ishikawa took a direct shot with the outside of his right foot. The ball curved beautifully and went into the goal! A wonderful shot from Ishikawa, assisted by Konno, equalized the score. By the way, this goal was the 9999th goal in J1.

　Tokyo, continuing their spirited play, pushed Omiya back with set pieces. In the 34th minute, Miyazawa aimed directly for a free kick from a distance. In the 36th minute, Ishikawa was fouled at the right corner of the area, resulting in another free kick. However, both of Miyazawa's kicks were blocked by the opposing DF. In the 42nd minute, Toda persisted in the front line, leading to a left corner kick. Yet again, Omiya's DF cut it off. Although they earned many set pieces, they could not convert them into goals.

　In the 44th minute, when it seemed like the first half would end, a scramble occurred in the opponent's left side area, and Konno, who gained possession, passed the ball forward. This hit the opponent's DF and spilled out near the left end line. Yusuke KONDO, who had rushed out, caught up and turned the opponent's DF in a deep position. The bold shot taken from the left corner of the goal area pierced the net on the opposite side, scoring a goal. They took the lead 2-1 and headed into the second half.

TOKYO Bounce Back In Style

The game began as a furious midfield battle with neither side able to seize the initiative. TOKYO looked to win the ball and hit the flanks. Toda made headway down the left and centred in the 7th minute. Tuto then burst into the TOKYO area but a thunderous block from Moniwa denied the former TOKYO man. In the 11th minute Ardija won a free kick outside the area and when the cross came in a player went down under pressure from Jean and the referee awarded a penalty. Tuto netted decisively and TOKYO were behind.
TOKYO were unfazed by the cruel blow and redoubled their efforts. In the 15th minute Kurisawa rolled a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Toda, bursting into the area. Toda lashed a drive goalward from an acute angle that Aratani parried away. The same player then made contact with Miyazawa's free kick but was given offside. TOKYO turned the screw, winning a succession of corners in the 24th minute.
The pressure told in the 28th minute. Konno rampaged forward, shrugging off challenges, before slipping the ball to Ishikawa on the edge of the Ardija penalty area. Ishikawa struck first time with the outside of his right boot and the ball described a perfect arc through the air and inside the right post. Ishikawa's exquisite goal tied the scores and became the 9,999th goal since the inception of the J.League.
TOKYO set about Ardija with renewed vigour. The visitors were stretched and resorted to a series of fouls and desperate clearances to maintain parity. They seemed to have weathered the storm but another fine goal put TOKYO ahead in the 44th minute. Konno again won the ball in midfield and launched it forward towards Kondo. Kondo managed to reach the ball just short of the byline but with no support in sight and a gaggle of orange shirts between him and the goal little seemed available. He deftly cut the ball back and accelerated into the area before hammering a low drive that ripped across the face of the goal and nestled inside the far post. TOKYO left the field to tumultuous applause with a 2-1 lead.

Breaking the losing streak, but escaping victory right in front...

　Omiya brought in MF Fujimoto in the second half, making a decisive move. Tokyo maintained an aggressive stance, and shortly after the start of the second half, Yusuke KONDO took a powerful shot from the left area. The opposing goalkeeper deflected it for a corner kick. From this corner, Konno attempted a header, but it went over the bar. In the 52nd minute, Yusuke KONDO and Toda combined to break down Omiya's right side, and in the end, Yusuke KONDO took a shot, but it was cut off by a defender. Following that, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and earned a corner kick. Ishikawa's kick was contested by Yusuke KONDO, but they were unable to capitalize on the chance.

　Omiya substituted MF Hashimoto for DF Mikami in the 56th minute, moving him to left MF. Left MF Kuninaga shifted to the defensive midfield position, and Nishimura in the defensive midfield was moved to right SB, launching a counterattack. From this substitution onward, Tokyo gradually lost control of the ball, allowing Omiya to take charge in the midfield. In the 66th minute, Yusuke KONDO received a cross from Miyazawa on the left, dribbled inward, and took a shot. It had power but went slightly to the right. In the 69th minute, Omiya brought in FW Yokoyama for MF Davidson Jun Marcus, strengthening their front line. Tokyo also substituted Kobayashi for Toda in the 71st minute and brought in Lucas for the visibly tired Yusuke KONDO in the 73rd minute.

　Immediately after, in the 76th minute, a scene from a free kick in the right area of Omiya's half. The opposing DF committed a foul on Lucas in front of the goal, earning a penalty kick. Lucas himself neatly converted it, seemingly pulling ahead of Omiya 3 to 1... or so it seemed. However, just one minute later, in the 77th minute, a left corner kick was awarded to Omiya, and Fujimoto's kick was met by DF Antonio, who fell while heading it in at the near post. The floating ball was sucked into the goal, quickly narrowing the gap to one point. Ultimately, this conceded goal would have significant repercussions later on.

　As Omiya increased their momentum for a counterattack and launched a power play, the remaining 15 minutes became a tough situation. In the 81st minute, from Omiya's right corner kick, Hashimoto delivered a decisive cross, creating a dangerous moment in front of the goal, but Lucas managed to clear it. In the 86th minute, they allowed a wave of attacks, and Kuninaga delivered a crucial cross from the right area. TUTO, free at the far post, aimed a precise header, but it went over the bar, escaping without incident.

　The time has entered 3 minutes of stoppage time. Immediately after that, the opponent's free kick was cut off, and Miyazawa sent a pass that allowed Ishikawa to sprint forward. Ishikawa charged into the left area and took a shot, but it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper with one foot. There were only a few seconds left. Kobayashi lost the ball in the left area, and it was thrown into the front line of Omiya. Konno's clearance hit the opponent and bounced back in front of TUTO, who was in front of his own goal. Then, a pass went to FW Morita, who had run in from the left, and he scored the final goal. Just when victory was in sight, we were equalized, a frustrating turn of events. Although we escaped from consecutive losses, we only managed to earn 1 point.

　【Player Comments】"(About the scoring scene) The ball slipped through, and I thought I wouldn't lose in a one-on-one, so I cut back the opposing defender. Normally, I would choose to pass here, but today I thought it was okay to miss and took a powerful shot. It went into the far side net, but there was no other course. However, aside from the goal scene, I didn't touch the ball much. I wanted to be more involved...""I wanted to win. But we earned 1 point, and I believe the momentum will surely change. We couldn't say it was good soccer, but we scored in a way we hadn't before by connecting second balls. In the scoring moment, KONNO took the initiative aggressively. For me, I had been challenging in a similar way before that and sometimes lost the ball to the opponent, but repeating it is important. I'll switch my mindset cleanly and do my best next time.""My injury has not fully recovered to perfect condition, but I wanted to play even if it was tough. The draw result is disappointing. Everyone on the team feels the same way. But it's important to think positively. I think today everyone showed the spirit to fight hard together. We want to fix what needs fixing and move in a good direction."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "If we could have used our time well and held on... it was a situation like that, but we couldn't endure for a few seconds and were caught up, which is very disappointing. However, amidst such a tough series of matches, the supporters have continued to provide warm encouragement. I believe the players showed a fighting spirit looking forward. Of course, we wanted 3 points. The result was only 1 point, but we must continue to show the attitude we had today. The goal conceded during stoppage time was less of an issue than the corner kick goal conceded after it went to 3-1. If that hadn't happened, the game might have changed. Regarding the last goal conceded, I wanted to use a bit more time, but we were easily caught and scored against. We need to correct that, but the players are keeping their heads up in a tough situation. We must turn this 1 point into something that leads to the next match."

　[Summary of Coach Miura's Press Conference] "The time we were losing felt long, and the game felt long at 90 minutes. The last 15 minutes were good, but the overall content was very unsatisfactory. One point is that we took the lead with a penalty kick, but that became a negative factor. We went on the defensive and clearly felt Tokyo's momentum. I thought we would eventually be turned around. After being reversed in the first half, I told the players at halftime, 'I don't want to see a game like this. Go out and redo it.' We then went on the attack again, and there were several chances to equalize with set plays. Even after falling behind by two goals, the players did not give up and managed to equalize. I think it was good that we started making substitutions midway through the second half. In soccer, when the first half is bad, it's hard to change the flow even if you try to start over in the second half. I want to take today's game as a lesson. At this rate, we cannot maintain this ranking."

TOKYO Break Losing Streak

Ardija sent on Fujimoto for the second half but it was TOKYO who nearly extended their lead as Kondo skillfully controlled a long ball and produced a rasping drive that Aratani fingertipped over the bar. Konno made contact with the resulting corner but failed to hit the target. TOKYO maintained the pressure with Ishikawa and Kondo looking dangerous but were unable to repeat their earlier heroics.
In the 56th minute Ardija replaced defender Mikami with midfielder Hashimoto and revamped their formation. Hashimoto moved onto the left of midfield, Hisanaga moved into a defensive midfield role and defensive midfielder Nishimura moved to right side back. The changes proved effective; TOKYO suddenly were struggling as Ardija wrested midfield domination away from them. Kondo curled a shot narrowly wide of the far post in the 66th minute. Ardija then beefed up their attack by replacing Davidson with striker Yokoyama. TOKYO responded by bringing on Kobayashi for Toda and Lucas for Kondo.
The changes paid off almost immediately. Jean lofted a free kick forward, Lucas tumbled and the referee pointed to the spot. Lucas smashed the penalty past Aratani and TOKYO seemed home and dry.
Less than a minute later Ardija won a corner on the right. Defender Toninho made contact with Fujimoto's well struck effort as he fell backwards and the ball sailed back across goal and under the bar to reduce the lead to a single goal. The pendulum swung back to Ardija and the visitors pushed forward in search of an equaliser. TOKYO defended desperately and seemed to have won the game when disaster struck in the third minute of injury time. Ishikawa raced free on goal only to see Aratani save with his feet; Kobayashi then lost possession on the left allowing Ardija to pump the ball forward. Konno's attempted clearance struck an opponent and landed in the path of Tuto. Tuto slipped the ball inside to Morita who clipped it past Doi to tie the score. TOKYO saw victory snatched from them with the penultimate kick of the match but had finally snapped the losing streak.


Players' comments 
Kondo: 
"I pulled the ball back and went for the far post. There was nothing else to aim at. Usually I would pass in that situation but I just decided to go for it. Apart from the goal I hardly touched the ball though. I really wanted to get into the game more".

Ishikawa:
"We really wanted to win today. It wasn't great football but we got a point and hopefully things will start to turn around now. We'll give it everything in the next game".

Lucas:
"I'm not 100% fit but I was desperate to get on the field and help the side today. It's very disappointing we couldn't win. Things are tough right now but we've got to stay positive. If we can do that we'll be going in the right direction".


F.C. TOKYO manager Hara:
"It's a real shame we couldn't run the clock down and hang on for the win. The fans were absolutely superb again today. The team showed great character and determination. The second goal we conceded, from the corner, really changed the game. If that hadn't gone in, the result would have been very different. Still, we have a point and the players' heads are up. We want to show the same commitment in the next game."

Ardija manager Miura:
"That felt like a very long 90 minutes today as we were losing for most of it. We played well in the last 15 minutes but the performance was lacking in many ways. For example, after we got the penalty we became quite negative and that allowed TOKYO back into the game. I wasn't surprised at all when they scored twice in the first half. I gave the players a rocket at half time and it worked; we could easily have scored earlier in the second half. After we fell two behind the substitutions worked well and the players never gave up. That's why we could take a point from this game. We learned a good lesson today though: if we play like this we won't maintain our league position."