Entering the final stage of the 5-game series. Fighting hard for victory at home National.

　On Wednesday, October 26, the postponed Sec. 7 was held. Hosting Oita Trinita at home in National. In the previous match, we struggled against Tosu's tough defense and ended in a scoreless draw. The winning streak stopped, but the point gained away is considered valuable. The players also look forward, saying, "It's the minimum result, but we don't feel negative." However, Hanyu said, "Coming back home and feeling like we can win just because of that will trip us up. We haven't achieved anything yet. That's why we want to stay focused and aim only for victory," pledging to fight for all three points as if telling himself. Oita, on the other hand, currently sits 12th with 41 points. They lost at home to Kyoto in the previous match, and while the numbers still leave promotion possibilities, the championship is out of reach. However, since the first half away match ended in a draw, Coach Okuma said, "Teams in such situations often use 'defeating the leader' as motivation and fight with passion." Oita is originally sharp on counterattacks. Especially FW Morishima is tall and can also play shadow striker. Also, FW Maeda, who was with Tokyo last season, has surprising shots and passes, both players capable of a single decisive moment. To suppress them, it is important to control the midfield, maintain awareness of second balls, and quickly switch after losing possession. In attack, the focus is on how to break down the opponent and connect to scoring. This match, Konno is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Also, with only two days since the last match, Tokunaga will play center back and Nakamura right side back, utilizing their practical experience. Oita will line up FW Morishima as the lone striker, with FW Maeda and FW Nagayoshi as two shadows. MF Che on the left side and MF Lee on the right. The double defensive midfielders are MF Miyazawa and MF Kang. The wind is cold, and the chilly Japan National Stadium saw the match kick off at 19:04 with Tokyo starting.

Demanding Program Nears End At Tokyo National Stadium

In a game postponed from the 7th round of fixtures, FC Tokyo faced Oita Trinita at the National Stadium. Although Tokyo's record-setting run of seven straight wins had been ended by the solid Tosu defense in a 0-0 draw on Sunday, the team earned a valuable point from that tough encounter.
The players themselves felt a draw was a fair result and remained positive despite the end of the winning streak. Hanyu urged, "We're heading back home now, but if we assume we're going to win just because of that, we could have the rug pulled out from under us. We have to focus all our energy on going for the win. We haven't achieved anything yet."
Opponents Oita were in 12th place in the league with 41 points at kickoff. The team had lost at home to Kyoto last time out but were still mathematically capable of promotion, although winning the league was impossible. The reverse fixture earlier in the season had ended in a draw. "Sometimes it happens," commented Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma, "that teams in their position have the motivation and drive to upset the league leaders."
Noted counter-attackers Oita fielded lanky, busy striker Morishima in attack, a player capable of playing as a lone striker or alongside another forward. Alongside Morishima was forward Maeda, who played for Tokyo last season, another player capable of producing the unexpected, whether a pass or a shot. Controlling the midfield to deny those two any service would be vital, as would winning second balls and then turning defense into attack at high pace.
Konno was suspended for the game, with Tokunaga taking his place at center back and Nakamura filling in for Tokunaga on the right. Oita began the game with Morishima as the attacking spearhead, supported by Maeda and Nagayoshi. Choi and Lee filled the left and right midfield slots, with Miyazawa and Kang as defensive midfielders.
A cold wind was blowing through the stadium on a chilly evening in central Tokyo as the home side kicked off shortly after 7pm.

Took the lead with an own goal, but... conceded a goal for the first time in 8 matches due to a lapse.

　Oita formed a five-back shape with right MF Che and left MF I fully dropping back during defense. At the start of the match, there seemed to be some confusion over Oita's unconventional formation, and they were pushed back by that momentum. However, they gradually settled down, circulated passes, and tried to create chances. At 15 minutes, Kajiyama took a low trajectory middle shot. At 16 minutes, from Tanabe's cross, Lucas attempted an overhead kick. At 19 minutes, Kajiyama dribbled into the right area and crossed from the sideline. Tanizawa picked up the opponent's clearance and took a shot, but it was blocked, resulting only in a corner kick.At 22 minutes, Hanyu moved to the left front and sent a cross. Tanabe challenged with a header near post, and Tanizawa reacted to the ball that flowed to the center. His daring shot was saved by the opponent goalkeeper's foot, but Tanizawa chased the rebound again, and the ball that Oita's defender tried to clear rolled into the net. It was an own goal by Oita, but they firmly took the lead.After taking the lead, the game pace became somewhat more relaxed. Although there were moments when Oita launched counters from pass mistakes, at 33 minutes Lucas took a shot from a quick attack. At 36 minutes, Kajiyama advanced and launched a powerful attack, finishing with a middle shot by Hanyu. At 39 minutes, from Tanabe to Hanyu's layoff, Tanizawa took a shot. They created consecutive decisive chances but failed to capitalize on them.Then, in first-half stoppage time, Oita FW Maeda received a pass on the right side in the right area, sharply turned after a chest trap, and unleashed a splendid volley. It went into the net on the opposite side... The equalizer came just before halftime, and the match returned to square one.

Own Goal Gives Tokyo Lead

When Oita defended midfielders Choi and Lee dropped back, creating a five-man defence line. The irregular formation caused Tokyo some early difficulties but the home side soon settled and began to pass the ball around, creating chances. In the 15th.minute Kajiyama blasted a low drive from middle-range while Lucas attempted an overhead kick from Tanabe's cross a minute later. In the 19th.minute Kajiyama dribbled into the Oita area on the right, took the ball to the byline and crossed. The visitors' defence cleared the danger but only as far as Yazawa, whose shot was blocked away for a corner. 
Tokyo broke the deadlock in the 22nd.minute. Hanyu took the ball down the left and crossed, Tanabe helping the ball deeper into the Oita box with a flicked header. Yazawa reacted fastest, trapping the ball on his chest and prodding a shot on goal as the ball dropped. Shimizu, the Oita keeper, stuck out a foot and blocked the goal-bound effort but was unable to prevent the rebound striking his own defender and looping into the net. 
With the lead established Tokyo seemed comfortably in control of the game, despite the occasional stray pass leading to an Oita counter-attack. Lucas had an attempt on goal following a rapid break in the 33rd.minute while an attack in the 36th.minute led by Kajiyama finished with Hanyu shooting narrowly wide. In the 39th.minute Tanabe played the ball forward, Hanyu knocked it down and Yazawa shot. Tokyo were creating decent chances but were unable to finish them off. 
Then, at the very end of first half additional time, Oita played the ball up to Maeda on the edge of the Tokyo area with his back to goal. Maeda took the ball on his chest, pivoted sharply inside and cracked a volley that flashed beyond Gonda and nestled inside the far post. There wasn't time to restart the game and the first half ended 1-1. 

Unable to stop Oita's counterattack, conceded a comeback goal in stoppage time, marking the first home defeat.

In the second half, aiming for a comeback, we were attacked by Oita mainly through set plays in the early stages. In the 46th minute, we stopped Oita's forward Maeda with a foul, giving away a free kick right in front of the goal. It was aimed directly at MF Miyazawa, but Tokyo blocked it. In the 51st minute, there was a free kick from Oita's right side. From this flow, Oita's left MF Che's ball was intercepted by Tanabe in our own half. He advanced through the center and launched a powerful counterattack, but the last pass to Tanizawa, who had moved up on the left side, was just a bit too long... Tanizawa connected from the left area to the center, but it also didn't reach Tanabe... We couldn't capitalize on the chance...

　In an attempt to turn the tide, Ishikawa was brought on for Tanabe in the 54th minute, but in the 57th minute, a through pass was sent behind Tokyo's defense, allowing Oita's forward Hayato HASEGAWA to break free and face Gonda one-on-one. It was a critical moment, but Gonda made the save! In the 60th minute, Ishikawa caught up to a pass to the right front line and moved it inside. Takahashi took a shot from the loose ball, but it hit the defender and resulted in a corner kick.

　In the 62nd minute, Roberto CESAR was brought on to replace Hanyu. Both teams quickly switched between offense and defense, leading to a hectic development. However, in the 75th minute, Kajiyama pressed the opposing DF to win the ball and advanced into the area. It seemed he was brought down from behind, but there was no whistle. As time passed, Tokyo became more aggressive and launched a fierce attack. However, the accuracy of their final plays was lacking, and there were continued moments of miscommunication. In the 77th minute, after a clearance from the opposing DF, Ishikawa aimed with his left foot from the right corner of the area, but was thwarted by a great save from the GK... resulting in a corner kick. Following that, from a left throw-in, Tanizawa passed to Kajiyama, who earned a corner kick, and Takahashi headed the ball but it went wide.

　They launched a fierce attack aiming for three points until the end, but in the 83rd minute, they made a push from the left side with more players, and Ishikawa in the area prepared for a shot amidst the chaos, but the defender blocked it... Mukuhara, who followed up on the rebound, aimed for a long-range shot but missed the target. In the 89th minute, from Nakamura's right cross, Cesar made a powerful dive in front of the goal but just missed it. Then, this time from the left, Mukuhara and Ishikawa made their way in, and finally, Lucas dove in with his body, but he couldn't get the shot off either...

　Then, just as we entered 4 minutes of stoppage time, a pass from Ceza was intercepted while attacking, leading to a counter from Oita. FW Morishima dribbled up the center, and the last pass was made to FW Hayato HASEGAWA, who followed from the left side. From here, FW Hayato HASEGAWA's precise shot went through Gonda's legs and into the net... We allowed a heartbreaking turnaround goal in stoppage time, suffering our first home defeat of the season with 2 goals conceded since the match against Tochigi on August 21.

　[Player Comments] {Mikihara} "Since it was a home game, I really wanted to win. We fought with a mindset to keep attacking without giving up until the end, but because of that, we lost our balance. I think it was necessary to maintain balance with a bit more composure. I felt it was okay as long as we were allowing Oita to circulate the ball. However, we couldn't take care of the counter when we committed more players forward from there."

　"Taniyama" "(About the shot that led to the own goal?) I can only say it was a coincidence. Recently, we haven't been able to move the ball well overall, and the time we spend off balance has been increasing. If we don't fix that, it will be tough."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "Oita regained their momentum during the time of the first goal conceded. Given the current situation of the team, our attacks became rushed due to anxiety, leading to poor ball possession, which was exploited. I want to set aside the parts where we panicked and carry the feeling that we must win into the remaining six matches and the next game. I believe we need to reassess our team and the way we lose the ball. Today, we experienced the fear of football that I often talk about. This is the time to test our resilience. I want us to unite and fight through the remaining matches from here on out."

　(Why did the anxiety arise?) It was not just about feelings, but also about my choice of players. In soccer, it's better to attack quickly, but if you attack too quickly, you lose depth. If the back line doesn't push up, space will open up and the team will stretch out. Balancing that is important. The team needed to correct that, and it required selecting the right players. While there is attacking power and speed, the lack of time to utilize players and maintain attacking depth creates space. By making substitutions, Oita gained momentum. In the first half, Hanyu and other members created opportunities, and the defense was well-prepared and balanced. Ideally, it would have been great to have the calm ball movement from the first half during the fast attacks of the second half...

　(Wasn't it possible to draw out the opponent's DF line centered around Ishikawa's middle shot?) With space opening up behind, we need to improve the accuracy of the passes to that area and aim for the gaps between the DF. In the end, it felt like we lost the rhythm to the opponent while missing our shots. (Was there a lack of movement from the third player?) First, against a withdrawn opponent, there was also a lack of movements that go beyond the defenders in the previous match. In the first half today, we needed more ideas and movements from the third player, and we must raise our awareness of utilizing space. In the second half, we couldn't push up the DF line. To go for the win, we tried to integrate Takahashi as a single defensive midfielder with the DF line to care for the opponent's remaining attacks, but we couldn't accomplish it. In the midst of being overly aggressive, the way we lost possession was not good.

　[Summary of Coach Tasaka's Press Conference] "I was well aware of FC Tokyo's strength and the high individual abilities of their players. Also, it's quite rare to play at the National Stadium in J2. With some players experiencing the National Stadium for the first time, the key point was how much we could play our style of football. The first 30 minutes were like a lifeless match. We were intimidated by the opponent, and it felt like a game between professionals and high school students, but in the second half, we ran well, contested fiercely for the ball, and made efforts to recover possession, allowing us to defend and attack as a team."

　There was also the idea of being okay with a 1-1 draw, but I wanted to challenge how much we could do against FC Tokyo. I didn't intend to fight for a draw; I focused on going for the full three points until the end. Regarding the combination of players, I always change the types and positions. Today, I placed FW Morishima as a shadow and had FW Maeda positioned at the top. Last time, I had MF Nagayoshi, who was a defensive midfielder, play as a shadow. Of course, there is the opponent to consider, but I am thinking about how to bring out our strengths.

Late Goal Sinks Tokyo

Buoyed by the equalising goal, Oita looked the more threatening in the opening minutes of the second half. In the 46th minute Tokyo fouled Maeda as he looked to dribble his way into the penalty area; Miyazawa lined up the free kick but the Tokyo wall blocked his effort away. Following another Oita free kick in the 51st minute Tanabe intercepted a pass from Choi and raced upfield in a rapid counter attack; Tanabe's final ball to Yazawa on the left was overhit and forced him to take the ball wider before crossing back into the centre. The effort evaded Tanabe and the move came to nothing. 
Tokyo attempted to regain the upper hand by introducing Ishikawa for Tanabe in the 53rd minute. Barely three minutes later a through pass split the Tokyo defence and suddenly forward Hasegawa was clean through inside the penalty area with only Gonda to beat. Gonda saved Hasegawa's fierce low drive brilliantly, then spun around and grabbed the ball as it trickled towards the goal line. In the 60th minute Ishikawa raced onto an upfield ball and squared it into the Oita area, from where it eventually reached Takahashi, pushing forward from midfield. Takahashi shot but the ball struck a defender and sailed out for a corner. 
In the 75th minute Kajiyama stole the ball from a dawdling defender and burst into the Oita area. He was flattened by a lunging tackle from behind that the referee judged to have been not a foul. Tokyo continued to pour forward in waves but the final pass was either lacking accuracy or the players misjudged their movement. In the 77th minute Ishikawa cut inside and shot left-footed from the right corner of the Oita area, drawing a save from Shimizu and earning a corner. From yet another corner, earned after Kajiyama received the ball from a throw-in and pushed forward down the left, Takahashi made contact with a powerful header but directed the ball wide. 
Tokyo continued to throw men forward in search of the winning goal. In the 83rd minute a swift move down the left led to a wild scramble that ended with a defender blocking Ishikawa's goal-bound effort away. Mukuhara pounced on the loose ball but skittered a shot wide from outside the penalty area. In the 89th minute Roberto Cesar flung himself at Nakamura's cross from the right, missing the ball by the narrowest of margins. Moments later Lucas went close again, this time missing an Ishikawa cross by centimetres. 
The game was into its 94th minute when Oita intercepted a stray Cesar pass and launched a counter attack. Morishima took the ball straight up the field and to the edge of the area before slipping it to Hasegawa on his left. Hasegawa smashed the ball low and hard between Gonda's legs and into the net. The final whistle blew moments after the restart, condemning Tokyo to a shocking defeat. It was the first time the side had conceded two since the Tochigi game in August and the first home loss of the year. 


Players' comments 
Mukuhara 
"We were at home and really we wanted to win. We kept pushing forward and that left us unbalanced at the back. I think we should have kept something in reserve and held a better balance. I didn't feel particularly worried when Oita had possession and were passing the ball around. We weren't careful enough when they pushed men forward on the counter attack".

Yazawa
"I can't say anything about the goal except that it was just lucky. We haven't been playing the ball around well at all recently and we've lost our balance for long stretches of games. If we can't fix it then it's going to be tough".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma 
"The timing of Oita's first goal brought them back to life. At the moment we're far too impatient in attack which means we overextend ourselves, we're losing possession poorly and that leaves us open. We have to forget our impatience but keep the desire to win over the six remaining games and Sunday's match. We're going to have to look at the way we're rushing, the way we lose the ball and reconsider the make up of the team. I think we got a taste of the dangers of the kind of football we play tonight. It's time to test out our strength in depth. We want to be united as we approach the final run in. 
Where is the impatience coming from? It's not only the mood but my player selection as well. In football attacking with pace is better, but it can leave you isolated and lacking support. Then, if the defensive line doesn't push up it can leave your team stretched and create gaps. Balance is important. We have to fix that as a team and we need player selection. Our substitutions allowed Oita to gain some momentum. In the first half Hanyu and the others started the moves and our defensive balance was good. The best combination would have been the speed with which we attacked in the second half together with the balance we had in the first. 
Were we trying to draw out our opponents defence line by having Ishikawa shoot from middle range? We have to improve the quality of our ideas, the quality of our passes when there is space behind the defence and the way we break the lines. In the end the way we missed from our attempts on goal handed the rhythm to our opponents. 
Was there not enough movement from the third attacker? When teams defend deeply it's difficult to get beyond people, as we saw in the game last week. We have to be more aware of how to use the space that is there. Our defence line didn't push up in the second half. We played Takahashi as a lone defensive midfielder because we wanted to win and integrated him into the backline to take care of the threat from the players Oita left upfield. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. The way we lost the ball as we were pushing on was poor". 

Oita manager Tasaka 
"We had a good understanding of the strengths of the FC Tokyo side. Also, we don't get too many chances to play at the National Stadium in J2. Some of our lads had never played here before and given that we felt the key point would be how far we could play our own game. For the first 30 minutes of the match against a lively opponent we looked as though we'd left our backbone at home. Really, it looked like men against boys out there. In the second half though we ran hard and attacked the ball, and when we lost possession we battled to win it back. We attacked as a team and defended as one. 
Although we would probably have been happy with a 1-1 draw we wanted to see how far we could go by really challenging Tokyo. We weren't playing for a draw and went for the win right to the end. Regarding the team, we chose different types of players in different positions than usual. We played Maeda up front with Morishima shadowing him, while Nagayoshi, who played in defensive midfield last week, also played off the main striker. We're thinking of ways to get the best out of the team".