Final round of the league, ending with a victory, 4 consecutive wins

Facing Omiya Ardija in the final match of this season's J1 League. Going away.
Last week, we achieved our third consecutive victory by defeating Sendai. Coach Shinoda said, "Just because it's the final round of the league, there's no special awareness. However, we want to end with a win and achieve our fourth consecutive victory. Above all, we were defeated by Omiya in the opening game of this season. We have a strong desire to show our progress from there and get revenge." He also mentioned that we will give our all in the upcoming game as usual and face Omiya head on.

Tokyo will face the game with Mizunuma starting again, just like the previous match. Kono, who has recovered from injury, will also be on the bench.

Omiya, on the other hand, is in 5th place in the 2nd stage and 4th place in the annual points.
Not only are they currently on a 3-game winning streak, but they have also not lost a single game with 7 wins and 3 draws since their defeat against Kobe in the 2nd Sec. 6 (July 30). They can be considered to be in excellent form. In addition to their usual strong defense, they have also scored multiple goals in their last 3 games, showcasing a strong balance between offense and defense. In particular, caution must be taken against their attack led by the FW duo of Dragun Murja and Ienaga, as well as the MF duo of Izumisawa and Esaka on the wings. Even if they are forced to endure a tough match, they must maintain their perseverance and concentration and never give up until the end.

In addition, Tokyo is only one win away from reaching 100 away wins in the J1 League, and this milestone record is at stake. We must unite our strength, maintain our dynamic energy and determination to win, and make the final match a victorious one.

The game started at 1:33 PM in Tokyo under a calm and sunny weather, but with strong winds and a feeling of coldness and chill in the shade.

Hashimoto scores a valuable opening goal from Mizunuma's corner kick

Both teams showed an aggressive attitude from the start, competing to win the ball. The intense battle continued as neither team was able to gain the upper hand with their tough defense.
6 minutes: Omiya quickly connects from their own zone, MF Izumizawa dribbles up the left side and takes a shot from the left area, but Akimoto makes the save.
12 minutes: Muroya initiated a second ball and Higashi took it, splitting the opponent's defense and aggressively attacking, but was brought down near the left area. However, there was no foul called and Tokyo quickly countered, preventing a finish.
16 minutes: It becomes a counter exchange. Omiya's left cross is cleared by Muroya, and immediately Morishige connects forward, but Azuma was blocked by the opponent on the left front line.

23 minutes: In the midst of intense changes in attack and defense, Omiya pushed into the field and Tanabe carried the ball to the right area, connecting passes at a fast pace. Mizunuma put in a cross from the right and earned a left corner kick. In the 24th minute, Mizunuma took the left corner kick and Hashimoto made a powerful header near the goal! The ball was sucked into the far net and it was a goal. They took the lead by taking advantage of a set piece opportunity. The score is now 1-0.

28 minutes: Omiya's FW Ienaga took a middle shot from a slightly right position, but Morishige blocked it and a hand foul was called, resulting in a FK at the edge of the penalty area. This was aimed at MF Oyama, but Tokyo's wall blocked it. Furthermore, the loose ball was connected and a header was taken by DF Kikuchi from a left cross, but Tokyo's DF also closed in and prevented the shot, allowing Akimoto to catch it.

37 minutes: After that, Omiya continued to dominate the ball. Then, Nakajima boldly moved up the center and was fouled by the opponent, but Higashi quickly stole the loose ball and made a through pass into the area. Tanabe rushed out and had a great chance, but... his momentum was just a little too much and the Omiya goalkeeper saved it from close range.

42 minutes: Maruyama, followed by Kajiyama, showed their strength. They bounced back the opponent and regained the ball, heading towards the left to Higashi. Higashi carried the ball forward and sent a slightly negative floating cross. Mizunuma, who ran in from the far side, took a shot. They created a great chance, but the shot went over the bar.
44 minutes: Omiya - Left side FW Ienaga with a pinpoint cross, but FW Murja, who was free in the center, headed it... It also went wide to the right, avoiding danger and ending the first half.
Omiya held off the fierce counterattack and created opportunities for additional points, but they were unable to score and entered the second half with a one-point lead.

Fight hard and finish the league with 4 consecutive wins and a clean sheet, ending in 9th place.

In the second half, Omiya was pushed back by the attacking team.
48 minutes: Tokyo formed a block and had enough defenders, but Omiya FW Ienaga kept the ball and sent a left cross. This allowed Omiya MF Yokotani to be left free in front of the goal, resulting in a header.
53 minutes: Omiya MF Izumisawa crosses the ball after avoiding the press from the front and connecting a direct pass. The ball is carried by the wind and reaches FW Murja, who is free in the far area. It seemed like a scoring opportunity was created, but Akimoto comes out and punches the ball with one hand. The second ball is then taken away and the opponent attacks from the right area, but Akimoto stays focused and manages to hold them off.

Tokyo tried to launch a counterattack, but the ball did not settle in the front line and they were quickly hit back. Despite being repeatedly crossed by Omiya and attacked from set pieces, they never lost their tenacity and managed to hold on until the very end.

68 minutes: Replaced Kajiyama with Takahashi.
75 minutes: Nakajima powerfully avoids the opponent's press, falls down but still manages to pass the ball forward. Tanabe → Mizunuma earns a free kick from the right side of the opponent's field. From this kick by Mizunuma, Maruyama heads the ball and Maeda on the right tries to aim. Both attempts are blocked, but the situation of playing in the opponent's field increases.
77 minutes: From Tanabe's through pass, Maeda in the right area tries to turn and aim for the right corner kick. But Mizunuma sends it to the area with a tricky ground pass...cleared.

Although we had multiple chances for set plays in succession, we were unable to score an additional point.
78 minutes: Kono is substituted for Mizunuma. They tried to regain momentum and flow.
81 minutes: Murai smoothly breaks through after receiving a pass to the left area, switches opponents and makes a vertical attack, but the cross goes to the far side. Hashimoto follows up and sends a floating ball to the east in front of the goal, but it hits his chest and becomes an Omiya ball.

In the final stages, there was a fierce battle between Omiya, who were chasing one point, and Tokyo, who were trying to defend, and there was a sense that their legs were starting to slow down.
86 minutes: Nathan BURNS is substituted in. He maintains his attitude of trying to exploit the opponent's weaknesses, and in additional time, Nakajima on the left side makes a through pass from a distance to the front line. BURNS catches up and immediately aims for the goal from the left area, but misses the target. This was Tokyo's only shot in the second half, and the game continued to be difficult, but they never lost their patience and were able to protect the goal scored by Hashimoto in the first half until the final whistle.
Finished the final round with a 4-game winning streak, resulting in a total of 52 points for the year, ending in 9th place for both the 1st and 2nd stages, as well as the overall season.

[Player Comments]
"Hashimoto"
"(About the goal) I usually go in as a decoy. Today, a wonderful kick was sent there and I was able to head it. I was also aiming for a goal, but at the very least, I wanted to connect it inside and have someone finish it off. It was a good course and I'm a little surprised myself, but I think it's because we made the movements that were decided as a team. Looking back on the season, things didn't go as I had envisioned. However, in the midst of challenging various things including my position, it was the season where I gained the most confidence. I want to continue to improve day by day with a sense of ambition for the Emperor's Cup and next season."

"Nakajima"
"Looking back on this season, there were many games where we were defeated at the last minute. We learned from that experience and today, we all had a strong desire to defend the goal together. I think that was really good. I do have a desire to attack more, but it is my role to create those opportunities. I want to switch gears and increase the number of plays where I can score or assist."

[Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference Summary]
"It's great that we were able to run for a full 90 minutes and ultimately earn 3 points. We were able to play patiently and endure against a team that is above us. We were able to score the first goal, and although we had a bit of a lull afterwards, if we were able to score the second and third goals, our morale would have been even higher and we could have played smarter and more solidly. Still, the support from our fans and supporters was amazing and we were able to earn 3 points as a team. In the league, there were some tough situations, but the players were able to come together and show their strengths on the pitch once again, thanks to their hard work in training. I am grateful to the players, staff, and fans and supporters. It's great to end with a winning streak and I want to prepare positively for the Emperor's Cup."

[Omiya - Hiroki SHIBUYA Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"Over the past year, the team and staff have prepared well and fought hard. Thanks to the support of fans, supporters, and many others involved with the club, we were able to achieve good results in the league. I have been with the club since the beginning and have continued to strive for the top, so I am happy to have achieved such results. All players, including those who struggled last year and those who joined this year, worked together to achieve this result. Based on this result, we want to aim even higher in the coming seasons. Today, we felt the pressure to win in order to move up, and we apologize to the fans and supporters, but the players showed what they have been working on all year in the game. We didn't start off well, but we were able to pull out the ball and attack well, but we couldn't break through Tokyo's defense."