Temperature 36.1℃. Sec. 15 match at Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium, which was played in scorching heat.

2,902 fans and supporters gathered for the match against Fukushima United FC, which is the final game of the first half of the J3 season.
Tokyo is surrounded by GK.
Yamada, Yoshimoto, and Okazaki make up the three-back from the right.
Kajiyama makes a long-awaited appearance as an anchor, with Nozawa and Suzuki as inside halves.
Both WBs, Insoo YU on the right and Koyama on the left, were selected for the Japan national team for the Rio Olympics. Up front, Lins and Hiraoka will play in a 3-5-2 formation.
Lin, who has recovered from injury, is on the bench.
Fukushima has FW Higuchi, who has scored 6 goals so far and is ranked high in the scoring rankings, leading the front line and the team that connects the ball firmly and then launches the finish.
Tokyo with 13 points and Fukushima with 18 points so far.
The battle between the two teams who both want a victory in the second half began with the kickoff in Fukushima.

[First Half]

Both teams had a quiet start, possibly due to the hot weather.
Fukushima gradually began to hold onto the ball. The start was from the right side. As time passed, they started to attack from both the left and right sides, but the Tokyo defense responded firmly around the penalty area.
There are moments when we are shot at, but we do not allow many scoring opportunities.
Tokyo, although they gather the ball and take it away to Kajiyama, they cannot grasp the rhythm due to small deviations and their own mistakes.
In addition, it will also be difficult to entrust the ball to the front line, resulting in more development within our own territory.
After the match, Coach Yasuma said, "It's also important to respect the opponent. The players understand the concept of 'opponent's time' and are able to respond, rather than being pushed back." The Tokyo defense, led by Yoshimoto, maintained their focus and defended against Fukushima's attacks with their bodies.
The first "cooling break" in the J-League was taken around the 24th minute, and the game was temporarily suspended.
Players will take a break from the pitch for about 3 minutes to hydrate and cool down their bodies.
Tokyo restarts from the goal kick and Tokyo makes a move.
Immediately after the restart, Hirayama tries to break through the left side alone, but is ultimately blocked by the DF.
34 minutes, after a series of corner kicks, in the 37th minute, the defense was able to protect the goal from the left side, giving Tokyo a chance.
40 minutes, when they got a free kick on the right side in the opponent's central area, Insoo YU quickly passed it to Hirao and connected it directly to Muroya.
Muroya competes with the opposing DF and turns to the right, connecting with Insoo YU and entering the PA.
Insoo YU shoots from a 45-degree angle with his right foot, but it goes to the left of the goal.
Tokyo, now energized, started dribbling with Hirayama receiving the ball in the center of the opponent's field at the 41st minute.
Despite trying to shake off the opponent with speed, the DF blocks the body and ultimately gets defended in the PA, but starts to approach the goal.
The first half ended with a stat of 8 shots for Fukushima against 1 shot for Tokyo S.

【Halftime】
Coach Yasuma's Comment
"We are creating the current situation ourselves. Let's be proactive. We need to fix our defensive positioning."
"We will continue to do our best and definitely win."

【Second Half】
Both teams started the second half without making any player substitutions, with Tokyo kicking off.
Tokyo's left side players, Koyama and Okazaki, were aggressive in the beginning.
47 minutes, when Koyama holds the ball on the left side, Okazaki overlaps on the outside and attacks the opponent's left side.
Okazaki crosses from the goal line, but it is caught by the GK.
Fukushima, which gradually regained its composure, began to possess the ball in the same way as in the first half.
Then, in the 54th minute, when they were able to face forward in the midfield and attempt a dribble, they ended up taking a middle shot.
Although it flew in front of the GK, it couldn't be caught and ended up conceding the first goal.
However, Tokyo will also launch a counterattack.
Tokyo has reached 60 minutes of possession time.
Yoshimoto makes sharp vertical passes to Insoo YU when building up on the DF line.
When this is connected directly to Hirayama, who jumped into the goal, with a low cross, it is prevented by the DF who jumped out to the right side.
In the 62nd minute, Yoshimoto wins the header battle and the ball is loose.
When Suzuki reacts to this ball and picks it up, Hirayama runs behind the opponent and sends a through pass.
However, Hirayama was unable to control it and missed the chance.
In the second half, the temperature dropped slightly and it became "drinking time". After receiving water in front of the bench, the game resumed immediately.
Tokyo made substitutions in the 73rd minute, bringing in Hayashi and Sho SASAKI for Hiraoka and Kajiyama.
Suzuki as anchor, Nozawa and Sho Sasaki as inside halves. Hayashi remains in the front line.
Tokyo's attack begins here.
Sasaki received the ball and Tokyo started to create a rhythm, spreading the ball left and right, with Muroya and Koyama attempting to break through.
As they gradually push into the opponent's territory, Ito replaces Oyama and strengthens the driving force, immediately getting involved in a chance.
87 minutes, when Muroya puts in a big early cross from the right side of the opponent's central area, Ito heads it back near the goal.
Sasaki jumps in here, but the shot goes over the frame.
Ito also becomes the starting point on the left side and approaches the goal.
Additional time is 4 minutes. Tokyo, who never gives up, gets a FK on the opponent's PA right outside at 90+2 minutes, and GK also overlaps.
Kicker Sasaki sends the ball to the far side and Hayashi crosses it back. Yoshimoto jumps into the ball and competes with the opponent, resulting in a penalty kick.
Insoo YU kicked this PK into the center, and it became the equalizing goal for the 5th point of the J3 league, ending the game.

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

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

[Coach Yasuma's Press Conference Summary]
"I believe that the support of over 2,900 fans and supporters who came out in this scorching heat really pushed us through until the end, and that's what led to this 1 point victory."
Thank you to all the fans and supporters.
During the match, amidst the "cooling break", I think it was best that the players were able to enter the game from the beginning without saying a word about "hot" from the bench and without making excuses.
There were some easy mistakes and judgment errors in the first part, but that was not a bad time, and we respected the opponent's time in the game.
I think it was a good thing for the players who were able to finish the first half with a score of zero to always feel good about it.
I believe that it was because they continued to courageously aim for the goal without looking down, even after conceding a goal in the second half, that they were able to earn a penalty kick.
Even in that situation, it seemed like Yoshimoto would take the kick at first, but Insoo YU said he would take it, and each of them pushed forward without hesitation, saying "It's me! It's me!" and scored the goal. I think everyone fulfilled their responsibility to truly earn the winning points.
Player Ito made his debut today, and when he was struggling to decide whether to use Ito, whom he doesn't usually interact with, or Ikichi, Coach Sato gave a strong word of encouragement, saying "Let's go with Ito," and I am very grateful for the tailwind he provided in the end.
I will continue to train hard in the future to improve my weaknesses.

【Player Comments】
《Suzuki》
"The first half was hot, and although I shouldn't use that as an excuse, our overall movement was sluggish. In the second half, we talked as a team about making adjustments. We were able to connect passes and increase our time on the ball. We conceded a goal, but it would have been best if we could have turned it around. We managed to pull one back and at least get a minimum result."
(How was your play?) During my time as an inside half, I communicated with players Kajiyama and Nozawa, but I couldn't catch the opponent well and ended up spending a lot of time on defense.
In the second half, we were able to communicate well and play the game in a good shape as a team, so I think it was good.
(For the next match) We drew at home against Fujieda, so this time it will be a difficult away game. However, I hope we can work hard and get 3 points.

※Photos other than the ones shown below are also posted on the official mobile site.
For more information, click here