Covering for Mogiwa and Konno's absence, victory in the final home game!

　In the 33rd round, Omiya Ardija will face off against their opponent. It's hard to believe, but it's already the final home game, and today will be the last match of the season at Ajinomoto Stadium. In the previous round against G Osaka, we finally showed our momentum and tenacity, playing the kind of soccer that Tokyo is known for. This round will be the culmination of the season, and we will give our all to win in order to meet the expectations of all the fans who have continued to support us.

　However, Shigetani and Konno are suspended. In addition, Hirayama and Inaba only had 2 days to join the team due to Olympic qualifiers, and they will start on the bench. On the other hand, Ishikawa has returned energetically and Baba and Kajiyama, who just returned to the starting lineup in the previous match, have improved their condition and will start. Lucas will lead the front line, Baba will play as an attacking midfielder, and Ikegami and Kajiyama will form the defensive midfield. Yata, who is making his first start as a center back, will work together with the team to cover each other and face the upcoming match.

　Omiya, on the other hand, is currently in 15th place with 31 points. They will come at us with all their might in order to secure their spot in J1. The first thing we need to do is match their intensity. The key will be how we can break through Omiya's strong defense and create chances. If Baba and Kajiyama can set the rhythm and take control, we should be able to create opportunities. We also need to launch speedy attacks in order to get past Omiya's tough press. On defense, we need to be careful of their precise counterattacks. If we lose the ball while attacking, Omiya can quickly take control and bring it to our goal. We need to switch between offense and defense quickly and prevent any dangerous situations.

　Ajinomoto, where gentle days shine, the match started at exactly 2:00 PM with a Tokyo kickoff.

Although they dominated the ball, they were unable to make progress...

　Both teams cautiously started the game, with the ball going back and forth between the two sides. In the 5th minute, a pass from Omiya reached Fujiyama in the Tokyo side, who quickly fed it to the right side. Ishikawa caught up to it and tried to cross it to Lucas, but it was cleared by the Omiya defense. In the 9th minute, Omiya's forward Yoshihara broke through the left side, but Fujiyama picked up the cross and started a counterattack. Baba → Ikegami → Ishikawa quickly connected and won a corner kick, but Omiya cut off Baba's right corner. In the 11th minute, Omiya earned a free kick on the left side of Tokyo's side, and Baba sent the ball to the center where Kajiyama took a shot. However, it was blocked by the Omiya wall.

　Omiya also threatened the Tokyo goal mainly through set plays, but they defended without any danger and gradually dominated the midfield with Baba, Kajiyama, and Kurisawa connecting passes precisely. In the 17th minute, Ishikawa dropped a cross from Kanazawa into the right area, Lucas → Tokunaga who moved up to the center → Kajiyama persistently connected passes, but in the end, they were surrounded and lost the ball. In the 18th minute, from Ishikawa's dribble shot, Kajiyama and Ikegami connected and earned a corner kick from Tokunaga's cross. However, Yata's header from Baba's right corner kick did not hit the target.

　After that, we dominated the ball and attacked into the enemy's territory, but Omiya DF returned quickly and even when we sent crosses, they were bounced back and we couldn't create any decisive chances. In the 25th minute, we were robbed in the opponent's territory and Omiya MF Ohashi passed to FW Yoshihara who broke through the front line and got into a shooting position near the goal. Although they were able to create a chance with just one vertical pass, Shioda's bold jump saved us and we regained our rhythm. In the 29th minute, Baba flew out to Kanazawa's through pass. In the 32nd minute, Kajiyama cleared the opponent's pass in our own territory and passed it to Ikegami → Kajiyama on the left → Kurizawa on the far side. Kurizawa dropped a header to Baba in the area and received a return pass to send a cross. We launched a good attack from a direct pass and a big development, but they were all defended.

　Omiya sent a long ball to the goal from DF Murayama at 42 minutes, and FW Morita dropped the ball, which MF Kataoka received and shot from outside the left area. This was blocked by Hatta. They tried to counterattack, but they couldn't finish it before the quick return of Omiya's DF. As a result, Omiya had 4 shots in the first half, while Tokyo had 2. Despite dominating the midfield, they couldn't break through the strong Omiya DF and the game ended scoreless.

Ishikawa takes the lead, but loses rhythm to Omiya's equalizing goal and suffers a painful comeback defeat.

　In the second half, when expectations were high for a goal, they quickly took the lead with a well-executed play. In the 46th minute, Omiya FW Yoshihara aimed for the back of Tokyo DF, but Hatta firmly blocked him and escaped with a corner kick. From this corner kick, Tokyo gained possession and launched a quick counterattack, evading Omiya's press. In the 47th minute, Baba attacked through the center, passed to Tokunaga on the right after Kajiyama cut through Omiya's DF and moved up the side. Kajiyama then ran up to the edge of the area and received a return pass from Tokunaga, before sending a heel pass into the area. In response to this pass, Ishikawa fell to the ground but still managed to powerfully strike the ball with his right foot and score! The quick passing, unexpected play from Kajiyama, and Ishikawa's clever movement in front of goal resulted in the first goal.

　However, the joy of the goal did not last long. Just 2 minutes after taking the lead, the opposing DF sent a feed into the Tokyo territory. It was just an ordinary ball, but Hatta, who went to get it, was tripped up by the turf and lost control, allowing Omiya FW Yoshihara to steal it and quickly run towards the front line. Even the sliding of Ikegami, who had returned, was not enough to stop it, and the minus pass sent from the goal line was easily met by Omiya MF Fujimoto in the center for a goal... In the blink of an eye, they were caught up to a tie.

　Still, there was time. In the 55th minute, Kurisawa picked up a clearance from Omiya DF from Baba's left CK and took a middle, but it was in front of Omiya GK. In the 56th minute, Lucas, in front of the area, dropped a long cross from Kurisawa and Ishikawa aimed for it, but it was outside the frame. In the 57th minute, Tokyo DF could not clear the long ball sent by Omiya DF Leandro to the front line, and MF Fujimoto headed it into the area after bouncing in front of the area. Here, FW Yoshihara slid in and the looping shot just went over the bar. There were also moments of danger. In order to break the flow of Omiya trying to gain momentum, Tokyo substituted Hirayama for Baba in the 58th minute and put him in the front line. They aimed for an additional goal with an attack starting from Hirayama.

　62 minutes, Kurisawa, who received a side change, dribbled past the opponent on the left side and cut into the area, sending a pass to the front of the goal. However, Kajiyama and Lucas closed in, but were unable to take a shot. In the 64th minute, Inaba was substituted for Yata, who had cramps. However, Omiya also substituted MF Saito for FW Yoshihara. Both teams quickly sent the ball to the front line and fought for second balls. In the 76th minute, Suzuki Nori was substituted for Ikegami on the left side, and Kurisawa moved to the defensive midfield position in an attempt to score a second goal. As the battle for the ball continued, in the 84th minute, Suzuki Nori dribbled past the left side from Hirayama's post and crossed. Hirayama then headed the ball, but it went over the bar...

　It was in the 89th minute, when it seemed like the game would end in a draw. The opponent's ball was intercepted, and Lucas, Ishikawa, and Hirayama were about to launch an attack, but they lost the ball. Omiya DF Leandro then dribbled fiercely from their own half into Tokyo's territory. None of the Tokyo players were able to stop him. DF Leandro received a return pass after a collision between Fujiyama and Omiya MF Kobayashi on the front line, and quickly entered the penalty area. Inaba tried to catch up, but was left behind as the shot pierced the net...

　Never give up until the end, and go for a power play targeting Hirayama. In the corner kick during stoppage time, Shiota also went up but couldn't score. It was a painful comeback loss in a game where we repeated mistakes throughout the season. We couldn't finish the final home game with a victory.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"The goal was made possible by Kajiyama using me well. I was sure the pass would come. I knew the DF was coming in, but I was able to kick forward. Today, I wanted to create a gap by receiving the ball between the opponent's midfield and DF line, with Baba and Kajiyama as the starting point of our attack. We were able to score first in the second half, but then things went bad. Even though the opponent's pace had dropped, they were able to gain momentum from that goal. We wanted to show our determination in the final home game for all the fans who have continued to come to Ajinomoto Stadium. It's frustrating that we couldn't do that."《Hata》"We were able to play a good game in the first half, considering the balance, but we were tired at the end. I'm really frustrated that we conceded a goal from my own mistake, but I want to develop the strength to bounce back from this. I've had injuries this year, but I approached this game with the intention of showing everyone who has supported me throughout the year. I tried to shout and fight as one team. I think we were able to do that. The cheers were very heartwarming. We want to continue to fight as one team towards the Emperor's Cup."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Omiya was focused and fighting due to the tension of the relegation battle. I don't think our performance was bad, but it was a typical example of this season where we were caught in the last minute by a turnaround. There have been various reports about my resignation and the players, and each player had a strong desire to win at Ajinomoto Stadium, our last home game of the season. That may have caused us to put too much pressure on ourselves. Mochida and Konno were suspended, so we used Yata and Ikegami. Both of them did well, especially Yata who had a near-perfect performance except for one mistake. However, his leg was cramping so we substituted Inonami. Ikegami also did a good job. Baba had just returned from surgery, so we substituted him to avoid any backlash. Also, there were many situations where there was only Lucas in the middle for crosses, so we put Hirayama in to make runs in a different way from Baba. We also considered the Emperor's Cup in the future and wanted to have various options, so we substituted Baba early to prevent his injury from recurring. We wanted to give the fans a victory in our last home game, but... I have no regrets about challenging with FC Tokyo for this past year, and Yata, Ikegami, Kajiyama, and others have shown personal growth. It is my responsibility that it did not result in success. There are players who are starting to show potential, and what we need to do now is to prepare well for the Emperor's Cup with Baba, Kajiyama, Mochida, Konno, and others. We must not waste this past year for both the team and myself."

　[Omiya SAKUMA coach's press conference summary] "Last week we drew with Kofu and now we have Tokyo and Kawasaki left. Today's FC Tokyo game was our last chance to secure our survival and avoid the relegation playoffs, so I talked to the players about that. Ajinomoto Stadium has a unique pitch and Tokyo has strong individual players, so we thought they would be stronger in battles. Therefore, we prepared to not lose in one-on-one situations and picking up second balls. We used FW Yoshihara in the starting lineup to intentionally attack behind Tokyo's defensive line. I thought it would be okay if we went into halftime with a 0-0 score, but Tokyo's pressure weakened in the middle of the first half. Also, the combination of Lucas and Baba was a threat, but when Hirayama came on, I thought we wouldn't be broken down in vital areas. However, Tokyo had a higher chance of winning second balls, so we brought on Saito and switched to a 4-1-4-1 formation to pick them up. However, we conceded early in the second half, so we were thinking about how to switch to attacking when MF Fujimoto scored the equalizer. It was a goal according to our plan, with Kanazawa using the space and Yoshihara scoring. It was a very tough game, and FW Morita, MF Fujimoto, and MF Kobayashi had a difficult time physically, but in the end, DF Leandro scored and substitutes FW Sakurai, MF Hashimoto, and MF Saito understood their roles well and fought. We were conscious of creating a triangle with Saito and the two CBs, and tried to control the game by creating a free man. I think we were able to control the game as we wanted. These 3 points are of great significance in the club's history. Also, I am not a philosopher or a religious person, but I do believe in the god of soccer. If we work hard every day and keep moving forward, I think we can receive blessings like we did today."