The most important match after the break

　The 12th round of the 2nd stage, which resumed after a two-week break for the Nabisco Cup final, will be played against Nagoya at their home ground, Mizuho. Tokyo, who had surged into the championship race with four consecutive victories until the previous round, faced a contrasting team situation as Nagoya dropped to 10th place after a loss to Kyoto in the previous round. Whether this interruption will be a blessing or a curse for both teams remains to be seen. For Tokyo, currently in 5th place, this match is the most important of the remaining four matches, and a loss here would be a significant setback in the championship race. Coach Hara also rallied the players before the match, saying, "Today's match is the most important of the remaining four matches. We must win no matter what," reaffirming the importance of this match to the entire team.

　On this day, Nagoya was in a difficult situation with the absence of their key forward Weslley due to suspension, and also missing forward Vastitch due to injury. Despite the absence of these two star players, Nagoya entrusted the young duo of 21-year-old forward Hara and 19-year-old forward Katagiri. In the 1st stage, they were defeated by Weslley and Vastitch, so the absence of these two players was an unexpected opportunity. However, Tokyo also faced an emergency situation as their key defender Kaji, who holds the key to both offense and defense on the right side, got injured in a practice match three days ago. Therefore, the defense line on this day was composed of a new formation, with Fujiyama converted to the right, Shimodaira on the left, and Jean and Shigeki in the center.

　Remaining 4 rounds. Tokyo will directly compete against teams such as Urawa and Kashima, who are still in the championship race, after this Nagoya match. However, the most important thing is to confirm that they are maintaining their good form from the previous round in this Nagoya match and to produce results reliably. Tokyo has only won once in the past 5 matches against Nagoya, and even though they are currently weakened, they are still a formidable opponent that should not be underestimated. There is no room for mistakes. In the lowest temperature of the season, 11.3℃, Tokyo took to the pitch in Mizuho to stay in the championship race and aim for the club's second consecutive 5 wins.

Crunch Game 

After a two weeks break to accommodate the Nabisco Cup Final the 12th round of the J.League second stage saw F.C. TOKYO take on Grampus Eight at Mizuho Athletic Stadium in Nagoya. TOKYO, riding a four game winning streak, entered the match in fifth place; Grampus, following an extra-time loss to Kyoto in their previous outing had slumped to tenth in the table. How both teams would respond after the enforced lay off was in doubt; in no doubt, though, was TOKYO manager Hara when he commented, "This is the most important of the remaining games. We have to win."
The omens certainly seemed to favour TOKYO: the Grampus ace strikers Ueslei and Vastic were unavailable due to injury and suspension and their roles were filled by the 21 year-old Hara and 19 year-old Katagiri. Ueslei and Vastic had combined to scuttle TOKYO in the reverse fixture earlier in the season and their absence was a bonus; however, TOKYO were without the rapidly developing Kaji, injured in training three days previously. The TOKYO defence thus had an unfamiliar look: Fujiyama on the right, Jean and Moniwa in the centre and Shimotaira on the left.
Collecting all three points was vital for the team to retain any possibility of a first title; with only one win against Grampus in five previous league meetings the extent of the challenge was evident. Aiming to win five consecutive games for the second time in club history the players took to the field on a chilly late autumn afternoon.

It was a perfect start as planned, but...

　"Today, Weslley and Vastic are absent, and two young players are replacing them. If we put pressure from the front right from the start, it will set the rhythm for us. Let's go from the kickoff and not let the young players carry the burden by allowing them to play freely. It is important to play our own football without adjusting to the opponent. Coach Hara told the players before the game, 'If we score first, we will definitely win.'"

　The match started with a big kick-off in Tokyo, and Ishikawa on the right side rushed forward at top speed. As planned by Coach Hara, they showed an aggressive attitude going forward from the front line. Furthermore, Toda on the left side showed a speedy movement to penetrate behind the opponent's defense, and Amaral also put pressure on the opponent's ball with intense chasing. In the 3rd minute, Miyazawa kicked a free kick from the right side, and the sharply curved cross attacked the Nagoya goal. In the 5th minute, Fujiyama, who had entered as a right back, broke through with a one-two with Asari and put a cross in front of the goal, but no one was there to finish it. And in the 7th minute, Toda dropped the feed from Shimodaira with his chest in the center, and Kelly, who had come to support, sent a floating ball behind the opponent's defense directly. Toda, who had become free after shaking off the mark, faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation. However, as soon as he tried to start dribbling, the goalkeeper jumped in and took the ball away.

　If he had scored this decisive chance, it would have been exactly as Coach Hara intended, but no one could have expected that there would be no more big chances after this.

Solid Start 

" Instead of Ueslei and Vastic a couple of youngsters are starting today. If we can pressure them from the kick off and find our rhythm then we should be able to impose ourselves on the game. If we achieve that and score first we'll win " commented Hiromi Hara shortly before the game began.
TOKYO began the game at their usual high tempo with Ishikawa hurtling down the right wing, Amaral chasing every ball and Toda making his customary darting runs behind the back line. The pressure immediately created chances: Miyazawa curled a free kick into the box after 3 minutes, Fujiyama and Asari played a neat one-two soon after but the latter's cross came to nothing and then, in the 7th.minute, a golden opportunity fell to Toda as Kelly's delicate lob played him clean through with only the keeper to beat. The Grampus goalie raced off his line to clear the ball off Toda's toes. As the match was proceeding exactly as TOKYO manager Hara had envisaged nobody could have foreseen that was the best chance his team would fashion.

Unable to create scoring opportunities despite dominating the game

　Tokyo missed a decisive chance, but in the 10th minute, Kelly received a good through pass from Fujiyama in the penalty area, but was cut off when trying to evade the opponent's defender.

　Nagoya's defense, with a 3-back formation, had Panadzic, who is 188cm tall, taking up a surplus position, Koga, who is 185cm tall and a hard marker, sticking closely to Amaral, and Uchimoto, who is 181cm tall and stands out in terms of physical ability, mainly watching Toda. These three players are a troublesome presence for Tokyo because of their height, strength, and solid ball handling. In particular, Koga's marking on Amaral, as well as the tough marking by Yamaguchi Moto, the defensive midfielder, on Kelly, were intense, and Tokyo was unable to establish a solid foundation in the front line. On the other hand, in attack, the original plan was to play the ball to the powerful front two of Weslley and Vastic, and have the skillful MF Nakamura get involved from there to create various opportunities. However, on this day, the young substitutes who came on in their place often lost the ball when it was played to them, and the rhythm just couldn't be found. However, the attacking participation from the dribbles of right-side MF Omori and left-side MF Yamaguchi Kei had speed and they broke through several times to create chances.

　Both teams were unable to create decisive chances, but in the early stages of the game, Tokyo had the advantage with Kelly's mobility and Miyazawa's great development. However, in terms of attacking patterns, the right side without Kaji lacked power, with Fujiyama occasionally dribbling up but not showing sharp attacks from combination plays with Ishikawa. Nagoya often had space on the sides, and if they had run into the space from the back like Kaji, they might have been able to break through with long passes from Miyazawa.

　31 minutes, Ishikawa, who couldn't create a chance on the right side, receives the ball freely in the center and dribbles to make a move. He sends a good pass to Amaral on the left side. Amaral brings the ball in from the left side of the penalty area and shoots with his left foot, but the ball crosses in front of the goal. On the contrary, in the 35th minute, Nagoya's Kei Yamaguchi dribbles through the center and enters the penalty area, but the Tokyo DF prevents him from shooting by closing in on him. In the following 39th minute, Fujiyama intercepts the ball with his sharp dash and immediately passes it vertically from the counterattack. Amaral receives the ball on the right side of the penalty area and dribbles it back to the center, but it is caught by the Nagoya GK. After that, Asari in the midfield receives the ball well a few times and almost creates chances, but he tries to make a through pass instead of simply sending a pass to the front line and ends up making a passing mistake. Despite creating opportunities, they were unable to produce clear scoring chances.

Few Chances 

After the initial charge had failed to produce a goal the TOKYO attack was increasingly stifled by the man marking tactics of the Grampus defence.
Amaral, subject to the attention of the sturdy Koga and Kelly, shadowed by defensive midfielder Yamaguchi were unable to weave their customary magic and while plenty of space was available along the flanks the absence of Kaji and his ability to make runs from deep positions down the right reduced the attacking options. Grampus, too, were struggling to find their rhythm as the inexperienced strike force failed to make the most of some hard work by Omori on the left and attacking midfielder Yamaguchi. Ishikawa burst down the wing and found Amaral in the 31st. minute but his shot was blocked; in the 39th.minute Amaral again wriggled free of a defender but the keeper held his blast. TOKYO were enjoying plenty of possession but the final ball was too often lacking and neither side was able to break the deadlock as the first half drew to a close.

Yukihiko and Baba create chances with their hard work

　At halftime, the players received instructions from Coach Hara to "make use of Toda's running to exploit spaces. Instead of just thinking about connecting passes cleanly, put crosses in from the sides more simply and quickly. Even if it doesn't go in on the first try, if you pick up loose balls and put crosses in between the goalkeeper and defenders from the sides, you will definitely score. Let's keep repeating this." The players started to create a good shape from the beginning of the second half. In the 1st minute, Miyazawa took a shot from outside the box, and in the following 2 minutes, Toda dropped the ball and Kelly took a powerful shot, but it missed to the left of the goal.

　On the other hand, Nagoya also increased their movement in the second half, and especially Kei Yamaguchi created chances with his speed and technique in dribbling breakthroughs from the second row. In particular, Yamaguchi started to create a base by interacting with the movements of the three left-footed players, Takizawa, Nakamura, and Katagiri, who entered from the left side in the second half. In the 9th minute, Yamaguchi rushed through the left side from his dribble. In the end, it became a decisive situation as he sent a delicate looping pass into the penalty area, but Shigeki Moenishi cleared it just a moment earlier. Furthermore, in the 13th minute, the ball was connected with quick passing from the left side again, and in the end, Nakamura took a powerful shot, but the Tokyo DF cleared it narrowly. Unlike the first half, both teams started to show movement.

　Substituting Yukihiro for Ishikawa, who was not in good shape in the second half of the 15th minute, appeared on the pitch. As Nagoya's left side started to attack more, there were high expectations for Yukihiro, who could break through Tokyo's right side simply and deliver a cross. In the immediate 15 minutes, a pass from Kelly to Yukihiro on the right, Yukihiro delivered an accurate low cross from a deep position near the goal line, and Toda followed up with a diving header, but unfortunately missed to the right of the goal. With this, Tokyo, who gained momentum, had a great chance in the 24th minute when Kelly sent a perfect through pass to the front line, and Toda, who reacted to it, shook off the defenders and rushed forward. In the end, it was cleared by the opponent's goalkeeper a moment earlier, but it was a close chance. On the contrary, in the 25th minute, when the right side was broken through and a ground cross was delivered in front of the goal, an opponent player was waiting freely on the far side, but Miyazawa quickly returned and cleared the ball. It was a decisive moment.

　27 minutes, Tokyo, who wanted to change the flow, substituted Baba for Toda. Baba, who had a bitter experience in the Asian Youth, showed an aggressive movement as if to vent his frustration, and Tokyo started to create a good shape. In the 30th minute, Yukihiro made a speedy dribble breakthrough on the right side and put in an exquisite cross, but unfortunately it was cleared by the opponent's defender. Immediately after that, Baba skillfully dribbled past the marker in the center and took a left-footed middle shot. In the following 35th minute, Baba made a deadly killer pass to Amaral in the center of the goal. In the end, Amaral couldn't control the ball properly and couldn't take a shot, but it was an amazing pass. Furthermore, immediately after that, he created a chance through a direct pass exchange with Miyazawa, and Tokyo's chances definitely increased with Baba's addition.

Yukihiko, Baba Liven Things Up 

At half time TOKYO manager Hara urged his players to use the wings more and aim crosses into the space between the defence and goalkeeper. TOKYO began the second half in lively fashion with Miyazawa trying his luck from distance and shortly after a neat knock down by Toda teed up Kelly whose well-struck effort sailed fractionally wide.
Grampus, buoyed by the introduction of Takizawa on the left, began to raise their game as Yamaguchi became increasingly influential in midfield. In the 54th minute his delicate chip into the area had the TOKYO defence scrambling to clear and in the 58th minute a sharp infield ball found Nakamura whose fizzing drive was charged down.
In the 60th minute Yukihiko Sato replaced Ishikawa on the right and announced his arrival by taking Kelly's pass to the byline and lashing in a low cross that Toda met with a diving header that whistled past the post.
The move revitalised TOKYO and a sublime through ball from Kelly split the Grampus defence only for the keeper to whip the ball off Toda's boot again.
Grampus countered immediately and only a last ditch clearance by Miyazawa prevented them from taking the lead. Baba replaced Toda in the 72nd minute and added an extra dimension to the TOKYO attack. Yukihiko again raced to the byline only to see his centre cleared, Baba powered in a shot from outside the area and then sliced open the Grampus defence with a beautifully weighted through ball that Amaral somehow got stuck under his feet.

Crying again at the last minute loss

　Yukihiko's movement to exploit the opponent's DF, and Bamba's bold dribbling, activated Tokyo's attack, but Nagoya also launched a strong attack based on the left side. In the 39th minute, Nakamura, who had carved out the left side, put in a sharp cross towards the center, but Shimodaira cleared it with a diving header. It was a dangerous situation.

　As the back and forth battle continued, the second half was coming to an end and the signs of entering extra time began to emerge in the 43rd minute. Nagoya was given a corner kick, and a sharply low trajectory ball from the left entered in front of the goal. It was helplessly pushed into the goal by Nagoya FW Hara with his head in front of GK Doi. In the midst of the unusually excited stadium, Nagoya Eleven formed a circle of joy, contrasting with Tokyo Eleven who stood stunned. Everyone was at a loss for words in a situation that made Tokyo personnel want to say "why". There was little time left. After that, the counterattack was in vain, and time was up. In the first stage, Tokyo lost in stoppage time to Nagoya. It is frustrating to lose in the same scenario, but there is nothing more disappointing than not being able to win in this "big match" at the end of the stage. There are 2 home games out of the remaining 3 matches. We must quickly change our mindset and show our true determination from here.

[Coach Hara Press Conference Summary] "We wanted to start off well in the first game after the restart. However, today's match was not good in terms of performance. The opponent was missing Weslley and Vastitch, and had many young players, so we wanted to score early and get into our rhythm, but our start was not good either. At halftime, I told the players to "keep it simple," and the second half improved a bit... It's disappointing that we couldn't score despite conceding goals. We will do our best to win the remaining three matches."

[VERDENIK Coach Press Conference Summary] "I am satisfied that we were able to win despite struggling in today's match. In the first half, Tokyo's press was strong and we couldn't play well, but in the second half, they showed a good performance. There was a bit of luck, but I think the successful player substitutions contributed to the victory."

The Crying Game 

The game ebbed and flowed, with Shimotaira making a fine diving clearance to deny Nakamura in the 84th.minute, and seemed destined for extra time.
However, Grampus won a corner with only two minutes of regulation time remaining; Hara beat Doi to the ball and headed home. The TOKYO eleven stood in stunned silence as the Grampus players and crowd celebrated. The few minutes left were effectively wasted by the home side and the game was up; as in the first stage TOKYO had been undone by a last gasp winner. " Disappointing " barely does justice to the result. There is nothing left but to regroup and give it everything in the final three games.


Manager Hara:
"Well, with Grampus fielding several young players we felt if we could take an early lead we should be able to impose ourselves on the game. We didn't get the early goal or play particularly well, either. The second half was an improvement but we didn't score and that's the biggest disappointment. We'll do our best in the remaining games".

Grampus manager Verdenic:
"We struggled today but won so I'm happy with that. TOKYO pressed well and stopped us from playing in the first half but we bounced back in the second and performed well. You could say we were lucky to win but the substitutions were successful and contributed to our victory."