Temperature 36.1℃. The match took place in the scorching heat at Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium for Sec. 15.

In the match against Fukushima United FC, which is the final game of the first half of J3, 2,902 fans and supporters gathered.
Tokyo is surrounded by GK.
Three back line of Yamada, Yoshimoto, and Okazaki from the right.
Kajiyama makes a long-awaited appearance as the anchor, with Nozawa and Suzuki in the inside half.
Both wing-backs are Muroya, who was selected for the Japan national team at the Rio Olympics on the right, and Koyama on the left, with Insoo YU and Hiraoka in the front line in a 3-5-2 formation.
Hayashi, who has returned from injury, is on the bench.
Fukushima has scored 6 goals so far, and the forward Higuchi, who ranks high in the scoring rankings, enters the front line, connecting the ball properly before attempting to finish.
Tokyo with 13 points and Fukushima with 18 points.
The battle between the two teams, both desperate for victory as they head into the second half of the season, began with the kickoff in Fukushima.

[First Half]

Perhaps due to the high temperatures, both teams had a quiet start.
Fukushima gradually began to retain possession of the ball. At the start, they attacked from the right side. As time passed, they attempted breakthroughs from both the left and right sides, but the Tokyo defense responded firmly around the penalty area.
There are moments when shots are taken, but not many clear chances are allowed.
Tokyo steals the ball and gathers it to Kajiyama, but they lose the ball due to slight misalignments and their own mistakes, failing to find their rhythm.
Additionally, we are unable to pass the ball to the front line, resulting in more plays within our own territory.
After the match, Coach Anma said, "It's important to respect the opponent. The players understand that it's not about being pushed back, but rather about 'the opponent's time,' so they are able to respond accordingly." As he mentioned, the Tokyo defense, led by Yoshimoto, maintains their concentration and puts their bodies on the line to withstand Fukushima's attacks.
The first 'Cooling Break' in the J-League was taken around the 24th minute, and the match was temporarily halted.
The players leave the pitch for about 3 minutes to hydrate and cool down.
The game resumes with a goal kick from Tokyo, and Tokyo initiates an attack.
Immediately after the restart, Hiraoka attempts to break through on the left side alone, but is ultimately blocked by the DF.
In the 34th minute, following consecutive corner kicks, in the 37th minute, there was an attack from the left side towards the goal, but the defense held strong, giving Tokyo a chance.
In the 40th minute, after earning a free kick on the right side of the opponent's central area, Insoo YU quickly passes to Hiraoka, who connects directly to Muroya.
Muroya competed with the opposing DF, moved around to the right side, and connected with Insoo YU to advance into the penalty area.
Insoo YU takes a shot with his right foot from a 45-degree angle, but it goes to the left of the goal.
With this momentum, Tokyo received the ball in the center of the opponent's territory at the 41st minute, and Hiraoka turned to face forward and started dribbling.
Trying to shake off the opponent with speed, but is body-checked by the DF, ultimately being blocked inside the penalty area, but begins to approach the goal.
The match ended the first half with stats of one shot from Tokyo and eight shots from Fukushima.

【Halftime】
Coach Anma's Comments
"We are creating the current situation ourselves. Let's be proactive. We need to correct our positioning during defense."
I will continue to do my best at what I can do now, and I will definitely win.

【Second Half】
Both teams started the second half with a kickoff from Tokyo without making any substitutions.
Koyama and Okazaki from Tokyo's left side were proactive in their approach from the start.
In the 47th minute, Koyama has the ball on the left side, and Okazaki overlaps on the outside, breaking through the opponent's left side.
Okazaki delivers a cross from near the goal line, but it is caught by the GK.
Gradually regaining composure, Fukushima began to maintain possession of the ball just like in the first half.
Then, in the 54th minute, after being faced in midfield and challenged to dribble, a long-range shot was taken.
This flies in front of GK Iwai, but he is unable to catch it, allowing the opening goal.
However, Tokyo will also counterattack.
Tokyo had the ball possession time of 60 minutes.
When building up from the DF line, Yoshimoto delivers a sharp vertical pass to Insoo YU.
He connects directly to Muroya, who has burst behind the right side, and sends a low cross to Hiraoka, who has made a run into the goal area, but it is blocked by the defender.
In the 62nd minute, Yoshimoto wins the header duel, and the ball spills out.
Suzuki reacts to the ball, picks it up, and as he faces forward, Hiraoka breaks behind the opponent and makes a through pass.
However, Hiraoka couldn't control it and missed the chance.
In the second half, the temperature dropped slightly, leading to a 'water break.' After hydration in front of the bench, the match resumed immediately.
In the 73rd minute, Tokyo substituted Hiraoka and Kajiyama for Hayashi and Sho SASAKI.
Suzuki as the anchor, with Nozawa and Sho SASAKI as the inside halves. Hayashi will remain in the front line.
This is where Tokyo's attack begins.
Sasaki received the ball and Tokyo began to establish a rhythm, spreading the ball left and right as Muroya and Koyama started to attempt breakthroughs.
As they gradually began to push into the opponent's territory, they substituted Ito for Koyama to strengthen their momentum, and Ito quickly got involved in a chance.
In the 87th minute, Muroya delivers a long early cross from the right side of the opponent's half to the far side, and Ito heads it back to the near post.
Here, Sasaki dives in, but the shot goes over the goal.
Furthermore, Ito becomes a key player on the left side and approaches the goal.
The additional time is 4 minutes. Tokyo, not giving up, earns a free kick just outside the opponent's penalty area on the right side at 90+2 minutes, with the GK also overlapping.
Kicker Sasaki sends it to the far side, and Hayashi returns it. Yoshimoto dives for the ball and competes with the opponent, resulting in a penalty kick decision.
Insoo YU kicked this PK into the center, and the 5th goal in the J3 League became the equalizer, ending the match.

Tokyo has accumulated 1 point, finishing the first half of the season with a record of 3 wins, 5 draws, and 7 losses, placing 13th with a total of 14 points.

Thank you very much for your passionate support for FC Tokyo U-23.
We appreciate your continued warm support.

【Summary of Coach Anma's Press Conference】
"In this scorching heat, over 2,900 fans and supporters came out, and I truly believe that their support until the very end contributed to this point we earned."
Thank you to all the fans and supporters.
I think it was great that the players entered the game from the beginning without using the word 'hot' from the bench during the 'cooling break' and without making it an excuse.
There were moments in the first part where we were pressured due to easy mistakes and judgment errors, but we respected the game and acknowledged that it was not a bad time for us, but rather the opponent's time.
I think it was good for the players who always perform well to finish the first half with a score of zero.
I believe that after conceding a goal in the second half, we boldly continued to push towards the goal without looking down, which ultimately led to the penalty kick.
In that situation, it seems that Yoshimoto was initially going to take the kick, but Insoo YU said he would take it himself. I heard that each of them stepped up without backing down, saying 'It's me! It's me!' to decide who would be the kicker, and I truly believe that everyone fulfilled their responsibilities to earn those points.
It was Ito's first appearance today, and while I was struggling with whether to use Ito or Kijima, Coach Sato said with a strong voice, 'Let's go with Ito,' and I am very grateful for the momentum he provided in the final stages.
I would like to make sure to train properly in the areas where I am lacking in the future.

【Player Comments】
《Suzuki》
"In the first half, it was hot, and while I shouldn't use that as an excuse, the overall movement was sluggish. In the second half, we discussed as a team how to make proper adjustments. We started to connect the passes, and our time on the ball began to increase. We conceded a goal, but it would have been best to turn it around; however, we managed to score one back, and I think we achieved the minimum result we needed."
(How do you feel about your own play?) When I was playing as an inside half, I was communicating with players Kajiyama and Nozawa, but I couldn't effectively trap the opponent, and I spent a lot of time on defense.
I think it was good that we started to communicate in the second half and were able to play the match well as a team.
(For the next match) We drew against Fujieda at home, so this time it will be an away game and I think it will be a difficult match, but I want to do my best to earn 3 points.

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