In a back-and-forth development, Takahashi scores the opening goal from Ota's corner kick!

Tokyo showed a proactive attitude from the start. In the 2nd minute, Tokunaga sent a pass forward that Kono connected with using his heel, and YoneMoto on the right side boldly took a shot while moving inside. However, it was blocked by the left upper bar. Yokohama also changed sides from midfielder Saito on the left area in the 5th minute, with right back Kobayashi overlapping for a mid-range shot. In the following 6th minute, Kono aimed for a central breakthrough with a dribble from intricate passing in the front line. Furthermore, in the 12th minute, Kono was fouled and earned a free kick just left of the penalty arc. Ota aimed for the goal but was blocked by the defensive wall. Yokohama also stole the ball with intense pressing, attacking in a coordinated manner, leading to a back-and-forth development.

After 15 minutes, Yokohama gradually launched a vigorous attack, creating chances. In the 16th minute, MF Fujimoto broke free in the right area. MF Saito attempted to pass to him, but it was slightly off, spilling from his feet. In the 20th minute, a pass mistake in midfield was intercepted, leading to a counterattack by Yokohama. MF Sato sprinted all the way to the left area, aiming for a shot that targeted the corner, but it went wide to the right. Tokyo maintained their focus and responded with a counterattack. They pushed up with a compact formation, but their coordination and precision in the front line fell short. In the 21st minute, Tokunaga advanced, creating a point in the right area, and Kono in the center aimed for a shot, but it was cleared by the opponent's DF Kurihara with a header.

In the 25th minute, Edu on the right side delivered a final pass in front of the goal. Kono received it and tried to shoot by changing his body position, but he couldn't get a shot off due to the marking from the opposing DF. He reacted again to the loose ball, but it hit DF Nakazawa and was caught by the GK. In the 35th minute, Yokohama had a decisive chance. Right MF Sato sent a lofted vertical pass to the front line. MF Saito entered the area to meet it. Morishige closed in while Gonda rushed forward to try to stop it, but Saito shot just before he could reach it. The ball headed towards the unguarded goal but narrowly missed to the left, avoiding a conceded goal.

The teams continued to miss opportunities, and in the 41st minute, Yonemoto fed a ball cut by Morishige from his own half to the front line. Edu let it pass, and Higashi, who had made a run from behind, dribbled forward. He found himself one-on-one with the opposing defender and tried to bring the ball into the area, but he was slightly late and couldn't take the shot. The ball that spilled out was passed through by Kono on the right, and Edu in the right area passed it to the center. Kajiyama, who had advanced, aimed for a shot. They showed a coordinated movement, but... the shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. However, Ota took the right corner kick, and Takahashi, who dove in at the near post, headed the ball into the goal! They capitalized on the set-piece opportunity to take the lead, going into halftime with a one-goal advantage.

Conceded a goal and drew, unable to secure a victory in the last 5 matches

In the early stages of the second half, Yokohama managed to seize the pace with their quick passing. In the 54th minute, Yokohama substituted MF Sato for MF Nakamura. Tokyo also brought in Muto for Kono in the 55th minute. In the 57th minute, Tokyo intercepted Yokohama's slow attack in their own half and connected the play forward, with Muto charging down the left side. However, he was cut off by Yokohama's DF Kobayashi with a sliding tackle, resulting in a corner kick. In the 58th minute, from Ota's left corner kick, Moriwaki headed the ball, but it hit the crossbar and bounced down... From the rebound, Moriwaki aimed for a shot again, but this time it was blocked by the goalkeeper.

From here, Yokohama counterattacks. They circulate the ball in their own half, and MF Nakamura's vertical pass is spread to the left by MF Hyodo. Left side back Nara-wa breaks through to a high position and delivers a grounded cross in front of the goal. MF Saito rushed in at the near post but let it pass, flowing to the center where FW Ito scored with a shot... Unable to stop the accelerated attack from Yokohama's front line, they conceded a goal and were equalized.

In the 66th minute, Hanyu was brought in on the right side to replace Kajiyama. They attempted to regroup and attacked from the sides, but there were moments when they lost the ball in front of Yokohama's tough defense. In the 73rd minute, they launched a quick counterattack, with Muto dribbling up the right side and passing to Hanyu on the outside. Hanyu carried it forward and delivered a cross, but it had too much momentum and went out of bounds. In the 74th minute, they regained possession in their own half, and Ota skillfully evaded the press to pass to Muto in the center. However, the pass Muto sent forward was too long and went over Edu's head.

In the 77th minute, Yokohama's DF Kurihara received a second warning and was sent off. Immediately after, Tokyo substituted Watanabe for Edu. They used their third substitution to go for an additional goal. Nevertheless, Yokohama showed determination with fierce defense. In the 41st minute, after a fierce battle for the ball, Higashi was fouled and won a free kick. From the left side, Ota's kick was aimed at Yoshimoto in the area, but he couldn't connect with a header. In stoppage time, they quickly restarted from their own half, and from a throw-in, Ota dribbled up the center, and Hanyu, who advanced on the right side, took a shot from the right of the penalty arc, but it went wide to the left.

Immediately after that, Watanabe's shot from the counter was blocked, but he connected with the loose ball to earn a corner kick. However, Yoshimoto's attempt to push the ball into the net from the right corner kick went wide. Next, Ota entered the area. A pass to the center was deflected by the opposing defender, and Hayu rushed in to take a direct shot, but it went over the bar... In the final stages, they attacked Yokohama, who were down to 10 men, but failed to capitalize on their chances and ended in a draw. In the last five matches, they could not secure a victory, finishing the season in 9th place in the J1 League with 48 points.

【Player Comments】
《Morishige》
"I would like to express my gratitude for everyone's support over the past year. Personally, I was able to have a very good year as a professional. However, I feel regret and apologize for not being able to achieve results as a team. As captain, I wanted to achieve better results as well. I want to channel that frustration into next season and work hard to contribute to the team."

《Takahashi》
"In the latter part of the season, our performance was not great, and I wanted to finish today with a victory, but I feel sorry that it didn't happen. However, today we approached the game with a double pivot, which allowed us to add depth to our attack, and we were able to show a shape where both flanks contributed defensively to contain the opponent's full-backs. There are challenges, but I want to work hard to use this as a stepping stone for further growth. In Tokyo, there are many players who are strict with themselves and push themselves hard in practice and matches. However, I want us to become a team that demands high standards from ourselves and others. I also want to become such a presence."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"There was a slight issue with Muto's physical condition, which forced us to change our formation, but considering it was a makeshift lineup, I think the players adapted well and fought hard. For a while after kickoff, we were not bad at all. We were able to apply aggressive pressure from the front. In the first half, both sides had chances. In the second half, similar to recent matches, we continued to struggle to find our rhythm, and the opponent capitalized on one chance to equalize. After that, we created many opportunities, but we couldn't convert them into goals. We have no choice but to accept this result, but it is truly disappointing.

However, I want to express my gratitude for each player's performance this season. They have gone unbeaten in the 14 matches since the break, with a total of goals conceded ranking 5th in the league and goals scored ranking 6th. This data indicates that they should be higher in the standings. I believe that in order to achieve that, there needed to be more decisive goals in tightly contested matches.

However, we were able to build the foundation of the team, and there were also young players who made their J-League debut. In addition to Morishige and Gonda, who were already part of the Japan national team, Ota and Muto have also been selected. In that sense, I feel that the players nurtured by Tokyo can become the future of the team. Today, four players from the youth team also took to the pitch.

From now on, if we can head in the right direction, I feel that we can become a team that competes with the top teams. Also, what I felt after coming to Japan is that in the J-League, the outcome is uncertain until the very end, and anything can happen. Since negative situations can also arise, I feel it is necessary to stay focused at all times.

【Yokohama F.Marinos Yasuhiro HIGUCHI's Press Conference Summary】
"We analyzed that Tokyo would approach with a 4-3-3 formation, but in reality, they started with a 4-4-2, which initially caused some confusion. The theme of our defense was how to contain Tokyo's fast attacks, and since Tokyo tends to cluster around the ball side, it was also important to move the ball wide. The game turned into an open back-and-forth, which allowed Tokyo's momentum to thrive. It was difficult to say that we fully took control of the match.

However, in the end, we only conceded one goal from a set piece. I believe we were able to clearly demonstrate the low number of goals conceded this season. In the end, DF Kurihara was sent off, which added tension to the team. Although it ended in a draw, I want to savor the fact that we accumulated one point and finished without our ranking being overturned, together with the players.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans and supporters who have come to the away area today and throughout this year, regardless of home or away. Today marks my resignation, but I want to express my gratitude to the fans and supporters who have supported the team for three years, as well as the club staff and sponsors. Thank you very much.