A fierce battle between teams that pride themselves on solid defense and fast counterattacks

'Kashiwa Reysol' has achieved 99 victories since the '95 season in the J-League. If they win today, it will be their 100th victory overall. On the other hand, Tokyo has only 3 victories in J1, despite being in first place. This shows the difference in history between the top leagues. In order to narrow this gap even a little, they have no choice but to fight each match with all their might.

In today's game, Tokyo's attacking lineup, led by the in-form Amaral and TUTO, will face the formidable Kashiwa DF in the J-League. On the other hand, the defensive line will have to contain FW Kitajima, who has been in the spotlight as an Olympic representative. Both teams excel in solid defense and quick counterattacks, making it an exciting match to watch.

Even though they were chased, Amaral scored in three consecutive games!

In the first half, FC Tokyo, who had the wind at their backs, attacked aggressively from the start. In the 9th minute, TUTO ran into the space behind the DF after multiple attacks from Fujiyama. Yukihiro jumped in for the cross, but was narrowly beaten by the DF. In the 10th minute, Sandro headed a shot from a corner kick, but it was offside. They couldn't break through the well-read final line of Kashiwa. Kashiwa started to create opportunities by intercepting passes from the final line and defensive midfield, and took control around the 20th minute. In the 24th minute, Kitajima headed in a cross from left MF Ono for a goal. They conceded the first goal in a vulnerable position. After that, Kashiwa had a higher defensive awareness than Tokyo and were quick to transition between attack and defense. Tokyo wanted to quickly move the ball forward on the counter, but Kashiwa's midfield quickly closed them down and disrupted their attacks. However, in the 40th minute, Fujiyama ran into the middle after Koike sent a ball into the left space. Amaral headed the ball into the right corner of the goal, even though it hit the opposing DF! Despite being at a disadvantage, ace Amaral took advantage of one chance and equalized the score.

Showed persistence! Yukihiko's equalizing goal!!

In the first half, Tokyo was unsettled due to half-hearted pass mistakes and defensive clearances. The intensity of the attack and defense remained unchanged in the second half, and both teams became heated due to each other's tough fouls, leading to a tense period of time. Both teams wanted to turn the tide, but it was Kashiwa who made the first move. In the 63rd minute, FW Kato and MF Sakai were replaced by FW Park and MF Hirayama. Shortly after, in the 68th minute, Kashiwa earned a free kick on the left side of Tokyo's penalty area. The kicker was Hirayama, who was also selected for the Olympic team. The sharp kick caused a clearance mistake by Asari and resulted in a goal. Tokyo was once again behind by one point. However, gradually, Amaral became the starting point in the midst of tough marking and began to actively move towards the back of the DF from both sides. In the 75th minute, Tokyo also brought in Kina to replace Koike, and Amaral, who had escaped the DF's marking, shot the ball that was headed down by TUTO from Kobayashi! Yukihiro, who was closing in on the ball that went through GK Minami's legs, got it!! It was a passionate shot that caught up with Kashiwa, who was pulling away. After that, there was a back-and-forth of counterattacks, but neither team was able to capitalize on their chances, and Tokyo entered their second consecutive overtime.

The wall of Hong Myung-Bo stood firm

Both teams fiercely engage in attacking and defending. Tokyo aggressively attacks with their physicality, but TUTO's finish doesn't hit the target. On the other hand, Kashiwa puts Hong Myung-Bo in the midfield and takes a gamble. "I asked Hong Myung-Bo to play as an attacking midfielder with one defensive midfielder, Akihito Akagami. I confirmed if he had the physicality for it, and he said, 'I'm fine!'" As Coach Nishino says, Kashiwa energetically chases the ball and their defenders also join the attack. Tokyo left the midfield open as time went on, but in the second half of extra time, they substituted Toda for Kobayashi. They actively make attempts, but they can't convert their shots. In the 118th minute, when it seemed like a draw was inevitable, a cross from Hirayama on the left side of Kashiwa found an unmarked Hong Myung-Bo who jumped and trapped the ball! In the next moment, everyone thought, "Was it a handball!?" But the ball, perfectly met with a left-footed volley, slipped through Doi's left hand and rolled into the goal...

Extension V goal of shock. The first defeat in J1 became bitter. But this is soccer. It was subtle, but coach Okuma calmly analyzed, "The problem is that we created opportunities to shoot." It would be that Hong Myung-Bo's determination was superior to anyone else's goal. And although we missed the "4 consecutive victories", there is no reason to look down after this defeat. In the current Tokyo, there is a toughness that never gives up even twice behind. By using each reflection for the next, let's aim for the "4th victory".

Coach's Comment

"Coach Nishino's comments"

"I predicted that it would be a tough game, but Tokyo didn't press as much as I expected and instead focused on counterattacks from a defensive position. Even when we were behind, our style didn't change and we didn't have the feeling of coming back to score (as a team). If we had been able to score by pushing up the defensive line, it would have been easier for us to aim for counterattacks. However, that simple attack made it difficult for us to fight back, and even though we had control of the game, we couldn't score additional points. We have to reflect on the fact that we couldn't fully execute our attacking plays, but in terms of midfield and defensive play, we defended well and were able to play the way we intended."

"Coach Okuma's comment"

"Hong Myung-Bo moved up to the midfield during extra time, but couldn't take care of it. The opponent came to win, so we wanted to first defend and then attack the back of the defense. However... (We were often attacked from the right side back of the first half, Naito) The through passes were intercepted and we made passing mistakes, which disrupted our rhythm. Also, because the accuracy of the feeds was low, we couldn't create a starting point in the front line and attack the back of the defense. We were defeated, but only four games have ended so far. We want to continue to fight each game carefully."