1st Stage Last Game

　At the end of the 14th round of the 1st stage, FC Tokyo had a record of 7 wins and 7 losses, resulting in a tie. On this day, it was a very important match for Tokyo, similar to the final day of a sumo tournament, where a win would mean "winning more than losing" and a loss would mean "losing more than winning".

　The opponent for this big match is the strong team Shimizu S-Pulse, currently in 2nd place and riding a wave of success. This season, S-Pulse has a 100% winning rate in home games and is currently on a remarkable 9-game winning streak. Although Júbilo Iwata has already secured the championship in the 1st stage, winning this match and finishing in 2nd place would earn a prize of 50 million yen, which has motivated S-Pulse greatly. Therefore, a tough and intense match is expected.

　Tokyo had a winning record in the first stage of last season (8 wins, 7 losses), and they wanted to secure a win in this match to continue their winning streak (8 wins, 7 losses) this season. At the venue, Nihonbashi, approximately 400 supporters, including 100 participants from the bus tour from Tokyo, gathered to support the players with passionate cheers that surpassed the support of 15,000 S-Pulse supporters. With such strong support away from home, they couldn't afford to lose. They wanted to win the last match of the first stage and carry the momentum into the second stage.

"Concentration" of Tokyo that overwhelmed S-Pulse

　When the game started, Tokyo immediately showed their "momentum". As Coach Okuma said before the game, "Let's fight with all our might until the end of the 1st stage", Tokyo on this day showed a fighting spirit where everyone pushed their emotions to the forefront towards a common goal = victory. In the 5th minute, Amaral made a powerful header from a right corner kick, and in the 7th minute, Amaral chested down Sandro's lob pass, which was followed by Nariyuki Kobayashi's mid-range shot. It missed the target, but in the following 8th minute, Amaral kept the ball in the front line and sent a perfect through pass to Kelly, who timed his run perfectly. Kelly took a decisive shot from the dribble, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. Furthermore, in the 10th minute, Yukihiko dribbled past the right side and delivered an accurate cross to the center, where Amaral was waiting. Amaral made a perfect header, but it was again saved by the goalkeeper, unable to shake the goal net.

　Tokyo created a rhythm of attack by Amalao and Kelly stabilizing the ball at the front line and becoming a solid foundation, with Miura and Yukihiko getting involved. Miura calmly distributed the ball directly with veteran-like composure, sometimes dribbling smoothly and sometimes disrupting the opponent with aggressive runs towards the front line. Yukihiko also showed aggressive dribbling breakthroughs on the right side and supplied numerous crosses. In defense, Sandro marked Baron, the opponent's target man, thoroughly. Tokyo's side attacks, which are a characteristic of S-Pulse, were also well dealt with by Tokyo's fullbacks, Fujiyama and Komine, and the midfielders on both sides, Narimitsu Kobayashi and Yukihiko. As a result, there were fewer crosses, but Sandro occasionally repelled the balls that were put in, and Tetsuya Ito covered the loose balls. Everyone overwhelmed S-Pulse from the beginning with high concentration.

Amaral scores with a penalty kick! We go into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

　Tokyo maintained their dominance as they entered the 20th minute, with Miura seizing the opponent's pass mistake and swiftly dribbling towards the space on the left side, judging the numerical advantage. Amaral and Kelly tried to break through vertically in sync, drawing the opponent's defenders towards them, and Yukihiko Sato, who had opened up on the right side, was left free. Miura immediately lifted a perfect cross with his left foot, and Sato, who controlled it, charged towards the goal. However, a delayed opponent defender marked Sato from behind and brought him down, resulting in a penalty kick. Amaral calmly converted it with his right foot, and Tokyo finally took the long-awaited lead.

　S-Pulse's representative duo of Morioka and Toda supplied sharp and accurate balls from the back to the front line, and playmaker Sawato and technician Hiramatsu developed this into attacks by spreading it to the two top or the sides. However, Tokyo always maintained a numerical advantage in every situation, and FW Amaral even came back to the defense line to clear the ball, truly not giving S-Pulse any scoring opportunities with a "everyone defends, everyone attacks" approach, and they turned around the first half with a 1-0 lead.

Missed numerous scoring opportunities and ended up being equalized in the late stages, leading to extra time

　In the second half, S-Pulse launched a counterattack against Tokyo, who had been flying full force since the first half and showing signs of fatigue. In the 2nd minute, Sawa, a skilled player, took a shot from just outside the penalty area after being awarded a free kick. It seemed like a goal was imminent, but goalkeeper Doi managed to punch it away. Then, in the following 3 minutes, a perfect cross was sent in from the right, and Baron headed the ball towards the goal, but Doi caught it again. After this, S-Pulse continued to actively create chances with Alex playing like a completely different person from the first half. Tokyo faced a difficult time, but with Doi at the center, everyone remained focused and made brave plays to prevent S-Pulse from scoring.

　On the other hand, Tokyo is not silent. In the 10th minute, the ball was passed from Seigo Kobayashi on the left to Miura, who had moved up to support, and then to Kelly, who ran into the center from there on a counterattack. Kelly saw that the opponent's goalkeeper was coming forward and took a looping shot, but unfortunately it went over the bar. Tokyo had more time being pushed back, but they defended with concentration and created chances with Kelly and Amaral as the solid foundation for their attacks on the counter.

　In the 29th minute, Amaral, Fujiyama, and Kelly connected after Fujiyama's interception, and Kelly took a free shot, but it went slightly to the right. Furthermore, in the 32nd minute, Kelly received a pass from Yukihiko SATO on the right side, quickly bypassing two opposing defenders who came to mark him and sprinting towards the goal. It was a decisive moment with only one opposing defender, but the communication with Amaral, who came to support, was poor, and once again they couldn't score.

　On the contrary, in the 34th minute immediately after that, Alex, who received a pass inside the penalty area, easily scored a goal, equalizing the score. The Tokyo Eleven stood still in astonishment in the unusually lively stadium. Up until then, they had endured without losing their concentration, and Tokyo had significantly more decisive chances, so the shock was not small.

　With this, the pace is completely in favor of S-Pulse. In the remaining time of the second half, Tokyo continued to be pushed back, but with Doi at the center, they managed to avoid conceding any additional points and the game went into extra time.

Super save by Doi, the comeback hero, and a dramatic goal explosion by Kelly

　Tokyo, just before the end of the second half, Tetsuya ITO, who had been risking his body to prevent numerous pinches, was replaced by Osamu UMEYAMA due to leg cramps. In the extension, Kina was substituted for Seigo KOBAYASHI. Withstanding the intense attacks from S-Pulse in the late second half, the substitutions of UMEYAMA and Kina helped Tokyo regain their rhythm, and the match unfolded with a heated back-and-forth battle.

　Tokyo grabbed a series of chances with a powerful left-footed shot from Miura in the 3rd minute, a sprint from Fujiyama after a wall pass in the 4th minute, a volley from Kelly at close range in the 10th minute, and another spectacular shot from Kelly in the 13th minute, but they couldn't score a goal. On the contrary, in the 14th minute just before the end of the first half of extra time, Komine got tangled up with the opponent FW in front of the goal from a cross from the right and was awarded a penalty kick, leading to the worst possible situation at the last minute.

　The kicker is FK master Sawato. Of course, if he can make this, the game will end with an S-Pulse V goal. Behind Tsuchiboi, who stands with his arms spread wide at the goal, many Tokyo supporters were screaming, believing in Tsuchiboi. In the next moment, the ball kicked by Sawato flew to the lower right corner of the goal with a low trajectory, and Tsuchiboi also reacted sharply, deflecting it outside the goal. Although they believed in Tsuchiboi, the Tokyo goal end was in turmoil due to this unbelievable situation. The Tsuchiboi chants did not stop. Everyone involved with Tokyo was screaming. Immediately after that, the whistle for the end of the first half of extra time sounded.

　And the climax came soon after. One minute into extra time, the ball was played from the center to the right, and Kelly headed the cross from Yukihiko into the near post, grazing the fingertips of the opposing goalkeeper and finding the back of the net. The stadium echoed with thunderous cheers and screams, shaking with excitement. The Tokyo Eleven chased after Kelly, exploding with joy and the biggest smiles. It was undoubtedly a special victory for the players, as they were able to play the soccer they wanted as a team in the final game of the 1st stage. Although it was a tough match against the strong Shimizu S-Pulse, the hard-fought victory, with everyone united and a great performance, surely left a lasting impression on the players and staff. With this historic win, Tokyo once again finished the 1st stage with a lead, just like last year. This season, it took some time for the team to find its "shape" due to Kelly's late addition and other factors, and they went through a difficult period. However, they finally found their "shape" towards the end of the 1st stage. Finishing the 1st stage in a good shape was significant and gave them momentum for the start of the 2nd stage. On August 11th (Saturday), in the opening match against Kashiwa, where the special event "Fireworks Samba Night" will also take place, Tokyo will restart their journey aiming for the championship!

[Manager Okuma's Comment] We were scored against during a time when I was considering whether or not to make a player substitution, taking into account Tetsuya Ito's condition. However, after that, the team performed well both offensively and defensively even with the change in personnel. Overall, the results of the 1st stage are the same as last season, but I think the growth this season is that we haven't had any consecutive losses. There are many areas where we are doing well, but we still need to be able to make instant judgments and perform our duties more effectively, such as in individual role sharing. We will make these adjustments and enter the 2nd stage, and continue to do our best.