Chasing victory at home, taking promotion possibilities into our own hands

　Sec. 35 of the league is held, with Mito Hollyhock visiting our home ground. In the previous match, the entire team overcame suspensions and injuries to secure a valuable away victory. The points have risen to 68, creating a 9-point gap from 4th place Sapporo, marking a significant step forward toward promotion. Depending on the results of other matches that started earlier, Tokyo had a chance to secure a top 3 finish with a draw or better, but that did not happen. However, this match is focused solely on winning to secure promotion by our own efforts. Morishige is suspended this round due to accumulated warnings. Also, Konno remains absent due to ongoing Japan national team duties. Therefore, Tokunaga is selected as center back, forming his first partnership with Jade NORTH. Ishikawa is also named in the starting lineup again following the previous match. On the other hand, Mito currently sits 15th with 39 points but has shown resilience overcoming hardships caused by the earthquake and typhoon this season. In the last 9 matches, they have 4 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss. They often score just before halftime or fulltime, showing persistent determination until the end. MF Shimada is suspended this round. Also, FW Suzuki, who has been a key player leading the team, will start on the bench. However, as Coach Okuma warns, "Each young player and the team as a whole are growing," making them a dangerous opponent if allowed to gain momentum. To prevent them from gaining rhythm, Tokyo must also play tenaciously. We want to focus on both offense and defense to secure the win. The clear, warm daytime sky began to darken and cloud over Ajinomoto. The match kicked off at 16:04 with Mito's kickoff.

Tokyo Aim For Home Win To Possibly Clinch Promotion

Mito Hollyhock were the visitors to Ajinomoto Stadium for the 35th game of the season. In their previous outing Tokyo had overcome injuries and suspensions to dispatch Shonan Bellmare, a win that lifted the side to 68 points, 9 ahead of fourth placed Sapporo and within sight of promotion.
Depending on the results of games being played before theirs, Tokyo could theoretically achieve promotion with a draw; however, to regain J1 status by their own efforts the side needed to focus on beating Mito. Morishige was suspended and Konno away on National Team duty. Tokunaga started at centre back alongside Jade North, the first time the two had been paired together. Ishikawa made the starting eleven for the second consecutive game.
Opponents Mito lay in 15th place at kick off with 39 points. The team had shown admirable character to overcome the effects of the earthquake and typhoons, and had posted an impressive W4 D4 L1 record over the previous nine games. The number of goals scored late in both halves of matches was further testament to the never-say-die spirit within the team. Influential midfielder Shimada was suspended, while veteran striker and team leader Suzuki started on the bench. Tokyo manager Okuma issued a warning against allowing them any opportunity to gain momentum during the match, "Their young players and the team as a whole are developing." Tokyo would need a focused display in both defence and attack and a gritty performance to overcome the visitors.
The warm and sunny weather at lunchtime had given way to grey clouds by the time Mito kicked off shortly after 4pm.

The game progresses at a fast pace, but ends the first half scoreless.

　From the early stages, Tokyo approached Mito's goal with well-paced passing but lacked accuracy. Conversely, Mito launched quick counterattacks, creating chances to finish. At 5 minutes, Mito connected up to the front line and from a one-two play, FW Okamoto took a shot from the right area. At 7 minutes, from a free kick just outside the left area, MF Murata took a direct shot.At 12 minutes, from a pass back by Mukuhara who overlapped after a pass from Tanizawa, Kajiyama aimed a ground shot from a 45-degree angle on the left but it lacked power. Immediately after, Tokyo faced a Mito counterattack; left side back Omoto advanced high and crossed. FW Koike in the right area took a shot on target, but Gonda saved it. At 17 minutes, Nakamura won a duel against a defender on the right side, dribbled into the area, and sent a precise ground pass to the center, where Tanizawa connected with a direct shot, but it went off target.In a back-and-forth battle, at 27 minutes, from a right cross by Tanizawa, Lucas took a shot but was blocked by the goalkeeper's save. Despite pressing forward, Tokyo lacked precision and could not score. Around the 40th minute, Mito maintained pressure from set plays, but Tokyo remained composed. In defense, Jade NORTH and Tokunaga coordinated well to maintain balance, and the first half ended scoreless.

Fast-paced First Half Ends Scoreless

The first half began at a brisk tempo, with Tokyo moving the ball around at pace and drawing close to the Mito goal, although a certain accuracy was lacking. The visitors equally briskly turned defence into attack and managed to finish their forays forward with an attempt on goal. In the 5th.minute Mito moved forward, played a one-two and striker Okamoto drove a shot across goal from the right of the Tokyo area. In the 7th.minute midfielder Murata stroked a direct free kick over the wall and the bar. 
In the 12th.minute Yazawa played the ball forward to the overlapping Mukuhara but Kajiyama's low shot from the resulting cross lacked the power to trouble Homma in the Mito goal. The visitors counter attacked immediately, side back Omoto taking the ball down the left and crossing; forward Koike managed a shot from the right of the Tokyo area but Gonda comfortably held his effort. Nakamura bulled his way past a defender in the 17th.minute and drove a low cross in to the near post where Yazawa met the ball with a first-time shot on the run but was unable to keep his attempt down. 
The game continued to ebb and flow. In the 27th.minute Yazawa skipped down the right and crossed yet once again Lucas' shot failed to trouble Homma. Mito threatened briefly from a series of set plays as the first half drew to a close but Tokunaga and Jade North linked comfortably in defence and dealt with the danger tidily. The first period finished 0-0. 

Takahashi scores with a header! Ceza's consecutive goals in two matches put promotion within reach.

　With renewed determination, the second half began. In the 48th minute, starting from Hanyu, Kajiwara and Tanizawa advanced towards the goal. Although it was cleared by Mito once, Takahashi, who followed up on the loose ball, took a shot from distance and earned a corner kick. In the 49th minute, Ishikawa took the right corner kick, and Takahashi, who dove in at the near post, headed the ball into the net at the far side! They achieved the long-awaited opening goal from a set piece early in the second half.

　With this momentum, in the 54th minute, Jade NORTH surged up the left flank, applied intense pressure to win the ball, and after a combination play between Hanyu and Mukuahara, Ishikawa took a decisive shot but was blocked by the goalkeeper. Mito substituted their two forwards in the 59th minute, bringing in FW Suzuki and FW Tokiwa. Tokyo also brought in Roberto CESAR for Hanyu in the 68th minute. They aimed to launch even faster attacks against Mito, whose movements were gradually slowing down, to secure the victory.

　Although they took the initiative and attacked, they continued to struggle to score additional goals. Conversely, in the 74th minute, Mito's FW Suzuki collected the ball up front and dropped it to MF Frank ROMERO, who was in a shooting position from the center, but he couldn't make solid contact and it went wide. In the 77th minute, Mito's right MF Koike sent a sharp pass into the area, connecting with FW Tokiwa and the trailing MF Ozawa, but they were quickly contained with a solid cover.

　In the 79th minute, Lucas delivered a floating pass to the front line. César chased it down with incredible speed, striking a powerful shot from the right area to score the second goal! With César's consecutive goal in two matches, they pulled ahead of Mito. In the 85th minute, Mito's midfielder Frank ROMERO received a second warning and was sent off. They did not allow Mito, now down to ten men, to counterattack, and the match ended. They showed a focused performance in both defense and offense, securing victory at Ajinomoto! As a result, they accumulated 71 points, putting them on the brink of promotion.

　[Player Comment]《Takahashi》"The victory is the result of our patience on the pitch. I think it was very good. I was suspended in the last match, but I believe all 31 members of the team want to be on the pitch for such an important game. With only 11 players able to start, we tried to fight with responsibility, carrying the feelings of those who couldn't play. In that context, the opening goal was significant. (Promotion is just around the corner, but) in terms of facing the match in front of us and aiming for victory, nothing has changed. I want to face the challenges one match at a time and grow a little bit each time."

　Roberto CESAR: "The goal came from a good pass from Rukon, and I think it was a good shot on my part. I've been coming on as a substitute, but I believe it's important to deliver results in the time I'm given. I want to score more in the future, but above all, I want to fight for the team's victory."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "Today, the members not participating in the match practiced in Kodaira before coming to Ajinomoto. Even though the players changed due to injuries and accumulated warnings, I believe that by continuing to endure the soccer we have been playing, we were able to connect to the rhythm of the second half and the substitutes. Today was also a match that symbolized the struggles of this season, encapsulating the difficulties we faced when we paused during the five consecutive matches. However, there were times of impatience, but now we have built mutual trust among strong defensive players and those who can attack, allowing us to be more patient. This has given both the team and individuals a sense of fearlessness, which I believe led to our victory. It remains unchanged since the opening, but I want to fight hard in each remaining match of the Emperor's Cup and the league."

　(The first half was terrible football, but we were able to pick up the pace in the second half; was defense the issue?) I think that's true about the first half. Offense and defense are two sides of the same coin, but if we don't take fluid positioning in the attacking phase, we can't do what the opponent dislikes. What we've been working on this season is to first secure possession and then take good positions for attacking. We've considered going for the ball and connecting as part of our defense. If each person's impatience and positioning are poor, the team won't be able to win the ball. In the second half today, we returned to our roots, and I think Lucas effectively neutralized the opponent's defensive midfielder, allowing us to play our football. Moving forward, we need to be able to do that for the full 90 minutes.

　[Summary of Mito Coach Hashiratani's Press Conference] "It was FC Tokyo's game from start to finish. Our players really ran hard and did their best, but we definitely felt the difference in strength. It's not that we played poorly, but FC Tokyo was better. They have wonderful players and it was a great game. We fought with all our might, so the result is what it is. The Emperor's Cup is coming up soon, so we want to switch gears and do our best. Today, we aimed to keep things compact overall and wanted to keep the score 0-0 until about the last 30 minutes. It's tough to win against FC Tokyo by playing straightforwardly. Since we had to be drawn back, we planned to press from the front and try to intercept the ball if possible. Also, FW Suzuki injured his leg in the previous game, so playing 90 minutes was unlikely. We decided to bring him on the bench to keep the game close and make a push in the last 30 minutes. (After FW Suzuki came on, the pressing improved; was there a psychological boost?) That was part of it, but having a focal point allowed us to create time, push forward, and make runs from the second line. However, if he started, we didn't know how long he could last, and there was a risk of worsening the injury. He wanted to play himself, but I decided to make the push in the last 30 minutes. The whole team unified around that decision."

Goals From Takahashi And Cesar Take Tokyo To the Brink Of Promotion

The home side looked to make a fresh start in the second half and were soon on the attack. Hanyu was the instigator of a move in the 48th minute that saw Yazawa and Kajiyama push forward into threatening positions in front of the Mito goal. The ball was cleared initially but only as far as Takahashi, whose shot from middle range was blocked out for a corner. Ishikawa stroked the corner in to the near post where Takahashi's late run took him ahead of a defender and a downward, glancing header beat Homma and nestled inside the far post. Tokyo had broken the deadlock with a perfectly timed and executed set play.
Buoyed by the goal Tokyo plunged forward again, Jade North making a surging run forward in the 54th minute. He lost the ball under heavy pressure but Hanyu quickly scooped it up and Ishikawa cracked a shot on target that drew a save from Homma. Mito responded by replacing their forward pairing with Suzuki and Tokiwa in the 59th minute, while Roberto Cesar appeared for Hanyu shortly after. With Mito's work rate beginning to decline the injection of pace provided by Cesar was an attempt to seal the win.
Despite being firmly in control of the game Tokyo struggled to conjure a decisive second goal and endured a nervous moment in the 74th minute as Suzuki's knockdown narrowly evaded marauding Mito midfielder Romero. In the 77th minute Mito midfielder Koike stroked a tempting ball into the Tokyo area where Tokiwa and midfielder Ozawa exchanged passes, but the Tokyo defence quickly regrouped to smother the danger.
Then, in the 79th minute Lucas lofted a pass over the Mito backline, and Cesar gave chase at full speed, reaching the ball before the flagging defenders could cover. Cesar unleashed a ferocious volley that flashed past Homma almost before the keeper could react, and Tokyo had a two-goal cushion. In the 85th minute Mito midfielder Romero received his second yellow card of the game and trudged disconsolately from the field. Despite being two goals down and a man short, the visitors battled gamely on but it was an uphill struggle and Tokyo were able to comfortably run down the clock. The final whistle blew on a 2-0 win that took Tokyo to the very brink of promotion.


Players' comments 
Takahashi 
"That's a great result and we earned it by our patience during the game. I was suspended last week and I know that all 31 players in the squad want to play in an important game like this; only 11 can start though, so I was conscious of my responsibility to those who weren't selected today. Scoring first was very important. 
Promotion is close? We're focusing on winning the next game we have to play and nothing has changed there. We're aiming to deal with the issues each game brings and improve to whatever extent we can." 

Roberto Cesar
"I got a great pass from Lucas and it was a pretty good shot, even if I say so myself. I've been coming on as a substitute and I feel it's important to make an impact on the result in the time I have on the field. I want to score even more goals and contribute to the team winning".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma 
"Once again today we practiced at Kodaira with all the squad except for the starting eleven before we came to Ajinomoto Stadium. We've suffered from changing line ups caused by injuries and suspensions but managed to persevere and play our own game and today I felt the substitutions had a positive effect on altering the rhythm in the second half. Yet again the game could be seen as encapsulating all the difficulties we've had over the season, like the stretch of five games that recently finished. However, even though we were hasty at times, I felt the mutual trust of the defence and attack was there and we were patient. Moreover I thought the players felt the pressure and that drove them on to getting the win. We want to carry on taking the games as they come, the Emperor's Cup match on Wednesday night and the league game next week, just the way we have since the start of the season. 
The first half performance was poor but the pace increased in the second. Was that down to the defence? I think that's right about the first half. Attack and defence are exact opposites in that if you don't have fluidity of positioning in attack then you won't be able to hurt your opponent. One thing we've been working on this year is our positioning in attack after we win the ball. We've been looking at defence from when we go out to win the ball to the connecting pass after we do regain possession. If a player is impatient or has poor positioning then it prevents us from winning the ball back as a team. In the second half today we went back to basics and Lucas marked the opposition defensive midfielder out of the game. We want to work to make sure we can do that for 90 minutes in the next game". 

Mito manager Hashiratani 
"It was Tokyo's game from start to finish. Our players ran hard and worked hard, but I really felt the difference in quality today. It wasn't that we played badly, but Tokyo was very good. There were many excellent players on the field, and it was a good match. We gave it our all, and the result can't be helped. The Emperor's Cup game is next, so we want to bounce back and be ready for that. Today, we aimed to keep a compact formation and hold them to 0-0 for at least the first hour or so. Even if we play flat-out, it's still difficult for us to beat Tokyo. We felt there was nothing to gain by sitting back, so if we pressed from the front, we might be able to win the ball and do something with it. Also, Suzuki picked up a knock in the last game, and playing the full 90 minutes was impossible today. Our plan was to keep it close and then bring him on for the last 30 minutes. 
After he came on, our pressure increased. Was that a psychological boost? Yes, I think so. He was able to hold the ball up and allow our midfielders to push forward. If we'd started with him, we wouldn't know how long he could last, and there was a risk he could worsen the injury. He wanted to start, but it was my decision to hold him back for the last 30 minutes."