The 2016 Meiji Yasuda J3 League is finally down to the last 2 matches.

The last away game of this season will be against Fukushima United FC at TOHO Stadium.
In the previous home match at Komazawa, under the harsh conditions of 36.1℃, we equalized with Insoo YU's penalty in the final moments of the game, making it 1-1.
Tokyo, having lost in the previous match, wants to avoid consecutive losses.
Enomoto has appeared in the goal for Tokyo since Sec. 23.
DF line from the right: Sakaguchi, Yanagi, Okazaki, Ogawa.
The double pivot is handled by Nozawa and Suzuki, with Hiraoka, Insoo YU, and Ikuchi lined up in front, and Hayashi positioned at the front in a 4-5-1 formation.
Fukushima will place Higuchi, who has scored 9 goals this season, at the front line, forming a two-top with the strong Rodrigo.
Umei, who is 194cm tall, is registered as a DF on the bench, but he is utilized in the forward position from the middle of the game, making his power play noticeable.
The match between the two teams, both tied with 30 points, started with a kickoff in Fukushima.

[First Half]
The match starts to move from the early stages.
In the 3rd minute, Insoo YU was fouled after a ball was kicked deep into the left side, resulting in a free kick.
Ogawa sends this to the near post, and Okazaki heads it into the far side, scoring the opening goal, his second of the season.
Tokyo, taking advantage of the first chance, then continued to seize control from defense.
Launch a coordinated press from the front line to take away Fukushima's freedom. In particular, not only Hayashi and Insoo YU from the front line, but also Suzuki from the defensive midfield actively goes to steal the ball from the opponent's defensive line.
In addition, in attack, they show variety with long balls from the Tokyo defensive line to behind the opponent's defense, and short passes using both sides from Hayashi's hold-up play.
Around 15 minutes in, we faced a counterattack from Fukushima, focusing on long balls and set plays.
In the 19th minute, an early cross from the right side was delivered, but Okazaki touched it with his head, resulting in a left corner kick. After clearing this, in the 22nd minute, Okazaki prevented a one-on-one situation on the left side, resulting in another corner kick.
Although a header shot was allowed at the far side from this corner kick, it went wide to the left of the goal.
The defense centered around Okazaki withstood this period, and then pressed forward again to push the opponent into Fukushima's territory, leading to Insoo YU's mid-range shot in the 32nd minute.
Continuing, in the 35th minute, they connected precise passes through the center, and in the end, Insoo YU aimed for a shot from the middle again, but it was saved by the GK.
In the 37th minute, Kiji made a dribble on the right side, and Sakaguchi ran up inside, drawing in the opponent.
The fabric used for this makes a cross to the center with the left foot from the cutback, but it barely misses Hiraoka.
In the 41st minute of Tokyo's offensive, they earned a free kick on the right side, and Ogawa's left-footed cross went to the center of the penalty area.
Hayashi, who competed with the opposing defender, headed the ball down to Insoo YU, who struck a right-footed half-volley directly into the goal to secure the second point.
Tokyo, maintaining its momentum, saw Insoo YU receive the ball in the crowded central area at the 43rd minute, delivering a vertical pass to Lins inside the penalty area.
Hayashi is hindered by the opponent's intense press, but continues to be a focal point in the center.
Another chance was created with the right corner kick in the 44th minute.
Ogawa passes to Suzuki near the goal, who redirects it with his head towards the far side. Here, Hiraoka jumps in but just misses it, ending the first half.
Maintained control with aggressive play against Tokyo's strong defense.

【Halftime】
Coach Nakamura
"We are tightly marking the opponent's long balls. We need to continue doing this thoroughly."
And let's continue to pick up the second ball.
Continue to target the opponent's blind spots in attack.
Let's aim for the next point.

【Second Half】
At halftime, Fukushima substitutes one player, and although Tokyo initiates the attack at the start of the second half, Fukushima also launches a counterattack.
In the 48th minute, after winning a free kick on the left side of the opponent's half, Ogawa sends it to the near post. Suzuki connects with it, but the GK makes a save.
From the right corner kick obtained, Ogawa again aimed for Hayashi at the near post, but the GK made a save. In the ensuing scramble, Okazaki pushed the ball into the net, but it was ruled a foul, resulting in no goal.
After that, similar to the first half, they aggressively pressed from the front and attacked both sides, but gradually the opponent took control and the intensity increased.
This is Fukushima's final home game of the season. With the support of a season-high 3,052 fans, they are increasing the pressure.
Then, in the 53rd minute, Nozawa gets injured in a contest with an opponent. When the match is interrupted, he is carried off on a stretcher and is replaced by Kubo.
The fabric slides to the defensive midfielder, and Kubo moves to the right side.
In the 59th minute, when the ball was passed behind the Tokyo DF line, Enomoto bravely rushed out and made a block with his body.
The right corner kick given here was met at the far post, but the decisive header went over the bar.
Tokyo, wanting to regain the momentum, brought in Sasaki from Hiraoka in the 65th minute to form a double pivot with Suzuki.
Rearrange the second row from the right with Kiji, Kubo, and Hayashi, and place Insoo YU in the front line.
However, Fukushima also brought in 194cm Umei to replace Rodrigo at the same time, increasing the intensity in the front line.
In the 66th minute, Tokyo steals the ball in their own half and launches a counterattack.
Hayashi passes the ball to Kubo, who dribbles forward and passes to Hayashi in front of the penalty area, but the shot is caught by the goalkeeper.
Conversely, in the 67th minute immediately after, Enomoto rushed out to the ball that went behind the Tokyo DF line but was evaded.
However, the DF who returned desperately put his body in to take the ball and defend the goal.
After 70 minutes, a floated ball was sent from the right side into the center, creating a starting point, and a player was free to jump in on the left side.
In the end, Tokyo DF slid to block the path and sent the ball out of bounds.
Tokyo, unable to pick up the second balls and keep possession in the front line, endures the opponent's attacks centered around long balls.
In the 74th minute, Fukushima brought in Muraoka, who then started sending high balls into the goal area from both the left and right sides with long throws.
In the 76th minute, a free kick was awarded outside the right side of the penalty area, but the wall blocked it. From the ensuing scramble for the loose ball, Hayashi was called for a handball, resulting in another free kick.
Enomoto firmly caught this free kick head-on.
Fukushima started sending long balls from the GK, and Tokyo became pinned down in their own territory.
Tokyo, wanting to counterattack, substituted Koyama for Kiji in the 87th minute, moving him to the defensive midfield position. Sho SASAKI was shifted to the right side, and it was SASAKI who created the chance.
Immediately after the substitution, Sakaguchi has the ball on the right side and passes it to Sasaki, who supported from the inside.
When this is sent to Hayashi at the far post, he takes a shot one-on-one inside the penalty area, but the defender clears it with a header.
In the additional time of 90+2 minutes, they missed the chance to score another goal.
As the long ball from the left side was contested in the center, there was a situation where pushing in the loose ball would result in a goal, but it veered to the right of the frame, escaping the danger as the match ended.
Won 2-0 and earned 3 points.

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

【Summary of Coach Nakamura's Press Conference】
"Although it was a place far from Tokyo, in Fukushima, I would like to express my gratitude to the many fans and supporters who came out to see us.
The match was a tight game as expected from the start, and with both teams having the same points, it became a battle for the remaining two matches while keeping that in mind.
In the first half, we were able to play relatively aggressive football with good movement, and I believe scoring two goals in that period was the key to our victory.
In the second half, we faced some dangerous situations due to Fukushima's pressure, but I believe the veterans, led by Enomoto, and the young players fought hard and managed to hold on until the end.

【Player Comments】
《SASAKI》
"Since the match against Gamba Osaka U-23, I was able to play for a slightly longer time of 20 minutes after a long while."
It had been a while, so it was difficult to get into the game, but once I got used to it, I was able to play as usual, which was great.
I want to prepare to play longer and more quickly.
(It seems you were well prepared this week?) You were well prepared, so your body was sharp, and you were well prepared.
However, there is a difference between practice and matches, and I want to participate for a longer time so that I can play in perfect condition during the matches.
(How was your performance after playing for a little longer?) I was in a slightly different position than usual, but I was conscious of moving the ball forward as much as possible. I wanted to express that aspect more.
(What are your strengths?) I believe it's the ability to touch the ball a lot and create rhythm, so I want to be involved with the ball as much as possible.
(What are your thoughts for the next match?) I think I will be able to play for a bit longer next time, so I want to get involved in scoring.
 

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