Can't afford to lose! A crucial match against the in-form Yokohama F.Marinos

　Sec. 3, Yokohama F.Marinos will be welcomed at home. Both teams, who are currently maintaining a good form with 2 wins each, will face each other. It was expected to be a tough match, but it's a home game. We want to overcome F.Marinos with attacking football.

　Sato returned to the right side half. In addition, Fujiyama, who recovered from injury, replaced Shimohira, and Asari took the position of Miura, who was injured, and started for the first time this season. The subs include rookie MF Maeda (18 years old), MF Hoshi, and FW Matsuda (both 21 years old), fresh members. On the other hand, F.Marinos have returned key players DF Matsuda and MF Oku, who were suspended, and also welcomed back Dutra, who was injured, and have been playing with their best lineup.

Against In-Form F Marinos

The visitors for the third game of the season were the Yokohama F Marinos who, like F.C.TOKYO, had won both games so far. A tough match was expected, but Tokyo were able to welcome back Sato on the right wing. In place of the suspended Shimotaira, Fujiyama filled the left side back position, Asari took the place of the injured Miura, and three new faces appeared on the bench: 18 year-old midfielder Maeda, midfielder Hoshi and forward Matsuda, both 21. The visitors fielded a full strength team, with Matsuda and Oku returning from suspension, and Dutra from injury.

Both sides refuse to give in, and a tight game unfolds

　Immediately after the start, the combination on the left side did not work well, and the ball often went out of bounds. However, in the 2nd minute, a great cross came from the right side through the combination of Kelly and Sato. Amalao and Kobayashi overlapped in front of the goal, so they couldn't take a shot, but in the 8th minute, Sato cut inside from the right side and took a shot. With sharp side attacks starting from Sato, they threatened Yokohama F.Marinos' goal, but both teams quickly regained possession of the ball with fast checks and launched direct passes to attack, and the intense match continued at a high pace.

　In the 9th minute, F.Marinos, Yokohama, aimed for a direct goal with a free kick of about 30m by MF Ryo NAKAMURA. In the 15th minute, NAKAMURA shot from a free kick of about 20m, but GK Doi made a nice save. In the free kick situation, in addition to NAKAMURA, MF Oku and FW Will joined as kickers, and they were indeed a threat. However, in the 26th minute, Doi also saved NAKAMURA's powerful free kick from the right side of the goal, avoiding a crisis.

　After that, both teams continued to have a tough defense and rarely threatened the opponent's goal. Around the 30th minute, the pace of the game slowed down a bit and F.Marinos launched an offensive. When Will received a return pass from Shimizu, he boldly aimed for the goal from outside the penalty area, but the ball was caught by Doi. On the other hand, Tokyo's Sato made several sharp crosses, but the opponent's defender cleared the ball.

　Both teams played a tight game, utilizing their own strengths while effectively containing the opponent's intentions. The first half flew by in an instant.

Fast and Furious

The game began at a frantic pace with both sides playing one-touch football, but neither was able to impose itself on the wild midfield melee. For F.C.TOKYO, fleet footed winger Sato looked the most likely creator; he curled in a fine cross in the 2nd. minute and burst through the middle but shot wide six minutes later.
The F Marinos threat was restricted to free kicks and corners, but in Nakamura, Will and Oku they have three of the best dead ball specialists in the country, and goalkeeper Doi had to be extra vigilant as Tokyo gave away a series of free kicks within striking range. In the 26th. minute he dived full length to finger tip a Nakamura corkscrew around the post.
The pace began to slacken a little after the half hour mark and Will came into the game more for F Marinos. Neither side troubled the scorers but both played to their strengths and an entertaining first half ended 0-0.

Struggling against F.Marinos' tough defense, they allow Will to score the opening goal.

　F.Marinos have a strong defensive awareness from the midfield to the backline, and the wing-backs, Hato and Dutra, do not force themselves to attack, forming a solid defensive line. Tokyo is having a hard time breaking through that. On the other hand, F.Marinos rely on Oku and Nakamura as the focal points of their offense and defense, launching attacks from the center. Tokyo ends up trying to stop them with fouls, creating a fragmented impression of the game. The number of fouls in the first half was not small for both teams, but the game continued without feeling it due to quick restarts...

　52 minutes, 57 minutes and FK directly aimed at the goal, and in the 60th minute, F.Marinos had three consecutive CKs. This pinch was escaped by concentrated defense, but in the 63rd minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack, and the combination of Nariyoshi Kobayashi and Sato failed to cross the goal line. In the 71st minute, following another CK by F.Marinos, in the 72nd minute, Nakamura, who entered the penalty area, allowed a shot. Although this shot was not perfectly timed, Doi caught it, but Tokyo was put at a disadvantage.

　And in the 75th minute, Kobayashi was surrounded in the midfield and had the ball taken away, and F.Marinos connected with Shimizu and Nakamura. Nakamura lifted the ball in front of the goal, saying "this is the only chance," and Will, who had just crossed the offside line, made a header shot. This goal was scored, allowing the opponent to take the lead.

Where there's a Will

F Marinos racked up the pressure on F.C.TOKYO as the second half got under way, defending from the front with wing backs Hato and Dutra lending weight to the attack as Nakamura and Oku orchestrated things in midfield. A sustained period of pressure ensued as Tokyo conceded several free kicks within striking distance and,in the 60th. minute a string of corners. The defence held its shape and concentration, however, and Tokyo nearly took the lead on a fast counter attack three minutes later, but the ball ran out of play. The home side were on the back foot but seemed to have weathered the storm when Masamitsu Kobayashi dithered on the ball and was robbed by Shimizu. He fed Nakamura whose lofted through ball found Will just onside and the Brazilian striker headed firmly past Doi for the opening goal.

Never give up until the end! Kelly scores a dramatic equalizer!!

　Tokyo, who wants to counterattack, substituted Sato with FW Matsuda, who made his first appearance this season in the 80th minute. However, they struggled against the tough checks of F.Marinos' final line, Matsuda, Nakazawa, and Naza, who constantly pushed forward, and couldn't create an effective attacking shape. They couldn't even take a single shot in the second half, and in the repeated cycle of attacking and losing the ball, the final whistle felt imminent.

　However, the drama unfolds in the 4-minute stoppage time. Miyazawa perseveres and earns the first corner kick of the day. Just after substituting the injured Kobayashi with Hoshi, Miyazawa kicks a fast ball from the right corner kick, and Kelly perfectly heads it in near side! The ball is sucked into the left corner of the goal and it's a goal!! With Kelly's invaluable header released in the nick of time, they equalize!

　Entering into extra time, Tokyo deployed a formation with Amaral and Matsuda as the two top players, but Yokohama F.Marinos took control. Tokyo continued to push their defensive line up, effectively catching the opposition offside and preventing scoring opportunities. Then, in the 110th minute, Nakamura delivered a sharp ball into the goal area from a free kick near the right corner, and Naza attempted a header shot! It was a shot from close range, but Doi made a superb save!! Matsuda, the defender who picked up the loose ball, also missed the target with his shot. Despite escaping this major threat multiple times thanks to Doi's fine plays, the battle continued for 120 minutes without a resolution. In the end, it ended in a draw, but Tokyo showed a dramatic comeback in the very last moments of the 90 minutes, earning a valuable point. It can be said that they demonstrated the tenacity that Tokyo is known for, never giving up until the end, resulting in a valuable draw.

[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "It was a tough game. However, I think players like Asari and Fujiyama, who started for the first time this season, did well considering the situation where Miura was injured and Shimodaira was suspended after last week's game. This season, we have been practicing a lot to aim for a style where players like Miura can break out from the defensive midfield position. Asari has a different playing style, so I was hoping he could use Miyazawa effectively, mainly focusing on defense. Regarding the conceded goal, I always demand that Kobayashi Masamitsu goes for the shot when the ball is taken away from him, but today he might have been a bit slow in his decision-making due to fatigue and ended up being beaten by player Nakamura Shunsuke, resulting in a goal by player Will. However, we managed to catch up really well in the final chance. It's only one point, but considering the injuries and suspensions of key players, I think the players who participated did well without losing. In the future, we want to continue playing a direct style of football like in the first half, with the ball moving quickly and players getting involved."

F.C.TOKYO Fight to the Finish! 

Desperate for an equaliser, Tokyo replaced Sato with Matsuda for his first appearance of the season, but the solid F Marinos back line held firm and restricted the home side to only one shot on target in the second half. F.C. TOKYO seemed to be heading for their first home defeat of the year as the clock ran down. Deep in the four minutes of time added on, Miyazawa won Tokyo their first corner of the game and took it himself, curling the ball in for Kelly to power a fine header down and into the corner. Kelly disappeared under a mound of teammates and the fans celebrated a priceless goal as Tokyo had once again snatched a last gasp equaliser.
Buoyed by the goal, Tokyo regrouped for extra time and, with Amaral and Matsuda as twin strikers, took the game to the visitors. The defence pushed up, using the offside trap to deny the visitors a chance. In the 110th.
minute, F Marinos won a free kick just outside the corner of the penalty area. Nakamura thundered the ball goalward and Naza rose to bullet a header from point blank range for what seemed to be the winning goal, but Doi, with almost superhuman reflexes, flung himself to his left for a breathtaking save. Matsuda put the rebound wide and Tokyo had survived again. The match wound down from that point and finished all square. The "Never say die" spirit of the team had earned a valuable point.

Manager Hara: "That was a hard game. With Miura out and Shimotaira suspended their replacements played very well. One of our ideas for the season is to get the defensive halves forward and we've been working on it training. Asari is a different type of player to Miura but we were looking for him to combine with Miyazawa in midfield. As for the goal we conceded, Kobayashi is always looking to take the ball on and shoot but I think a little tiredness crept in. But I have to hand it to the players for the way they fought to the end and tied the game with our last chance. The way we played in the first half, the one-touch passing and the way we moved the ball around, is the kind of football we are hoping to produce."