To remain in the championship race...

　For Tokyo, aiming for their first title, the Nagoya match on this day became an important battle that would determine their future. Currently, Tokyo is in 3rd place with 14 points, while Antlers, in 1st place, has 19 points and Júbilo, in 2nd place, has 16 points. In this round, the top two teams will directly compete against each other, so if Tokyo can extend their points (by winning against Nagoya), the gap with the top two teams will significantly narrow. On the other hand, if Tokyo loses to Nagoya (currently in 5th place with 12 points), they will not only drop in rank but also quickly fall behind in the championship race. The next round will be an absolutely crucial match for Tokyo, as they face Júbilo directly, but Nagoya is also in a situation where they cannot afford to lose, so it is expected to be a tough battle.

　Tokyo's Miura and Nagoya's Weslley and Yamaguchi were absent due to accumulated warnings, but both teams formed lineups without their key players in a game that was crucial for remaining in the championship race. The game kicked off at 2:30 PM in the beautiful and brand new "Toyota Stadium," reminiscent of Italy's San Siro Stadium, under the clear autumn sky.

Tokyo Defense Struggles! In the early stages, Tokyo takes control

　The game quickly turned into a fierce exchange of plays and a fast-paced game with quick transitions between offense and defense. Both teams pressed hard in every situation, and Tokyo tried to wedge the ball to their top player Amaral, but he was tightly marked by Nagoya DF Koga and couldn't become the focal point. Tokyo attempted to send a long ball behind Nagoya's defensive line to send Fukuda running, but it was also effectively shut down, and they couldn't create any clear chances. On the other hand, Nagoya started their attacks from the midfield, with Sakai as the starting point, and Urida, Okayama, and Nakamura trying to break through with fast passing plays. However, the precision of the final pass near the goal was lacking, and they also couldn't create any decisive chances. Tokyo's defense remained focused, with Sandro perfectly containing Nagoya FW Marcelo, and Komine, Ito Tetsuya, and Fujiyama shutting down the opponent's attacks with sharp movements. Especially Ito Tetsuya, who played with a protective gear due to a left hand injury, showcased perfect plays both in attack and defense, stealing the ball from the opponent on the right side after a long absence and smoothly participating in well-timed attacks. Captain Shimodaira, who made a comeback after a long absence, initially seemed a bit confused, but gradually regained his sense of the game and led the team with a spirited play, sacrificing his body in front of the defensive line.

　Tokyo, who wants to set the rhythm, gathers the ball to Kelly and tries to find a way out by moving the ball quickly and challenging Yukihiro and Fukuda's vertical rushes on the side. The first chance came in the 11th minute, when Yukihiro passed the ball to the center from a right throw-in, and Kelly, who ran into it, took a strong shot, but unfortunately it went to the right of the goal. However, Tokyo's attacking rhythm improved from this shot, and Kelly, Amaral, Fukuda, and Yukihiro started creating chances with intricate passing exchanges in front of the goal. In the 24th minute, Kelly broke through vertically on the left side after receiving a pass from Fujiyama, and Yukihiro, who ran into it, took a sliding shot, but unfortunately it was blocked by the goalkeeper's nose. Immediately after that, Amaral aimed for an overhead kick from Kelly's cross from the left, but it missed to the right of the goal.

Despite conceding the first goal, Amaral's fourth consecutive goal equalizes the score!

　In the midst of the game progressing at a Tokyo pace, in the 29th minute, Nagoya MF Nakamura took advantage of a momentary gap that had been overall forward-leaning and broke through on the right side. Nakamura advanced all the way into the penalty area. Nakamura brought the ball to the goal line and quickly crossed it to the center, where Nagoya FW Marcelo ran in and headed it into the goal in front of GK Doi. Tokyo, despite pushing forward, once again (for the fourth consecutive game) allowed the opening goal to be scored by taking advantage of a momentary gap.

　Tokyo, who was trailing by one point, made a cross from the right side through Shimodaira and Yukihiko, but Amaral's shot in the center was not on target. On the contrary, in the 35th minute, Nagoya MF Okayama took a free shot from the left side after a counterattack, and the ball grazed Doi's hand and hit the crossbar. Tokyo, who escaped the pinch, immediately shot from the front of the goal by Shimodaira after a pass from Kelly who broke through the right side in the 36th minute, but the ball went over the crossbar. Tokyo, who wanted to equalize in the first half at all costs, continued to launch powerful attacks, but it was injury time. Just when everyone thought the first half would end like this, a long pass from Fujiyama to Fukuda in the front line, Fukuda passed it to Amaral who had drifted to the left side despite the persistent charge from the opponent's DF. Amaral, who received the pass from Fukuda, challenged the opponent's DF in a one-on-one battle, swung his right foot sharply from a one fake after entering the penalty area, and the shot shook the goal net beyond the desperate saving of Nagoya GK Narazaki.

　The first half ended shortly after this, and Tokyo equalized in the last minute with Amaral's fourth consecutive goal, bringing the game back to square one.

The intense battle that neither side could give up on ended without a resolution in 90 minutes...

　The match entered the second half, showing more intense offense and defense than the first half. Tokyo, which had fallen behind, returned to the starting point with Amaral's dramatic goal. In the 4th minute, Shimodaira passed to Fukuda, and Shimodaira ran into the penalty area, overtaking Fukuda, where Fukuda made a perfect return with a heel. Shimodaira then carried the ball near the goal and took a shot. The ball narrowly missed the right side of the goal, but Shimodaira's aggressive play gave the team courage.

　On the other hand, Nagoya also had a chance in the 7th minute when the Tokyo defender cleared a cross from the right side, but it was a weak clearance. The ball was then struck powerfully from outside the penalty area, aiming for the goal, but it went over the crossbar. In the 9th minute, Urida took a powerful shot from about 30 meters in front of the goal, but it missed to the right of the goal.

　Tokyo was not silent either. In the 11th minute, Kelly's cross from the right side flowed to the opposite side, and Fukuda kept it on the left side and sent a perfect through pass to Asari who had come up again with a beautiful heel. Asari lifted a beautiful cross, but unfortunately it was cleared. In the second half, Tokyo started to involve Shimodaira and Asari in the attack to add depth and launched a flowing attack. In the following 12th minute, Kelly became free in front of the goal from a scramble, and although Kelly attempted a dribble breakthrough, it was unfortunately stopped.

　Tokyo showed a high level of concentration in their defense. In the 23rd minute, Urida, who was in the center after Nagoya's quick attack, passed the ball to Marcelo on the left. Marcelo broke through to the front of the goal with a one-touch, but Komine managed to catch up and clear the ball. It was a decisive moment, but Tokyo escaped the pinch thanks to Komine's excellent defense. In the 38th minute, Nagoya connected the ball after Tokyo's defense cleared it from a right corner kick, and in the end, a powerful diving header shot was taken from a very close distance in front of the goal, but GK Doi escaped the pinch with a "super save". Although Tokyo had more chances, they were eager to score the winning goal, so their attacking mindset became aggressive, which sometimes led to inviting danger from counterattacks. However, thanks to the efforts of the defense led by GK Doi, Tokyo did not allow Nagoya to score additional points.

　Tokyo changed the rhythm by substituting Kina in the 27th minute and further increased their attacking power by substituting Kagemi, who was in good condition, in the 39th minute. In the previous four matches, they had achieved good results with this pattern, so even though there was little time left, they gave us plenty of hope. In the 41st minute, the ball fell to Amaral, who was free in front of the goal in the midst of a scramble, but Amaral was blocked by the Nagoya DF when he tried to cut inside. After that, both teams launched 2-3 counterattacks, but the accuracy of the final pass was poor and they did not create any decisive chances. In injury time, Kelly broke free from a counterattack and took a shot from a 1-on-1 situation with the Nagoya DF, but it hit the DF and did not result in a goal. In the end, the match ended in a draw after 90 minutes and went into extra time.

A fierce attack and numerous decisive blows, but no fruit was borne, a regrettable draw...

When the game went into extra time, it completely became Tokyo's pace. With KAGAMI joining the front line, Tokyo was able to establish a foundation other than Amaral. KAGAMI created opportunities with stable ball control on the left side, and then Kelly, Kina, and Amaral were involved in moving the ball forward reliably. As a result, the ball started to reach Yukihiko on the right side in a good condition.

　30 seconds into the start of the first half of extra time, a perfect cross from Yukihiko on the right went up and Amalao, who was waiting in the center, headed the ball freely but unfortunately it hit the crossbar. In the 3rd minute, Kelly also headed a cross from Yukihiko on the right, but it went well over the crossbar. Furthermore, in the 4th minute, Yukihiko cut inside from the right and took a left-footed shot, but it was caught by the Nagoya GK right in front of him. In the following 5th minute, Kelly once again headed a cross from Yukihiko on the right with perfect timing, but the shot was saved by the Nagoya GK in a super save, resulting in no goal. In the 9th minute, Kagami broke through on the right side and crossed the ball, and once again Kelly, completely free in the center, met the ball with a jumping volley perfectly, but the ball went wide to the left of the goal. And the climax came in the 14th minute, when Yukihiko broke through deeply on the right side and sent a pass to Kagami, who was waiting freely in the center, and Kagami took a left-footed shot from close range to the goal, but it went well over the crossbar. The game had entered the first half of extra time stoppage time. How many perfect opportunities have they created? Just as I briefly thought about it, Nagoya counterattacked and quickly broke down the defense in front of the goal. From inside the penalty area in front of the goal, Nagoya DF Nakatani took a powerful left-footed shot freely, but GK Doi made a "miraculous" super save and deflected it outside. It was Doi's best save of the season, and the game entered the second half of extra time.

　Tokyo's fierce attack continued even in the extended second half. In the 7th minute, Kina broke through the left side and passed it to Kagami in the center. From Kagami to Toda, back to Kagami, and finally Kagami unleashed a powerful volley, but it missed to the right of the goal. In the 13th minute,

Amaral dribbled from the right and took a shot from a close distance, but it went over the bar. The shots after the extension all missed, making one wonder if the goal at Toyota Stadium is smaller than the standard size. In the end, the game ended in a painful draw for Tokyo, as it felt like a lost opportunity after playing for 120 minutes without a resolution.

　Now, it's finally time for the "Tennozan" showdown against Júbilo. The balance of the game against Nagoya on this day was not bad, but I want to quickly switch my mindset to the result of a "draw". In a short time, let's make the best preparations and face Júbilo at the only Kokuritsu this season!

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

The fact is that the final packing and accuracy were not good, but there were chances. It became a disappointing result, saying "If I had scored one." There were also moments when I shot instead of passing again... and there were parts where judgment was lacking. We need to improve this kind of judgment. The good thing is that the performance of the substitute players stands out even in the past few games. I think the team's strength is definitely increasing. This doesn't mean that the possibility of winning is gone. The next match is a direct confrontation. I want to switch my feelings and fight.