Defeating the formidable Nagoya, achieving 50 wins in J1

　Sec. 2 of the 2nd stage will be an away match against Nagoya. The past record against Nagoya is 1 win, 2 draws, and 4 losses, with the only win being in extra time and no victory in 90 minutes yet. Therefore, Nagoya is the only team in J1 that FC Tokyo has not defeated in 90 minutes.

　However, there is no shortage of bright materials in Tokyo at the moment. In the opening match of the 2nd stage of the previous round, they completely defeated C Osaka with the long-awaited FW Amaral and Abe's first couple goal. This proves that they are maintaining their good form from the 1st stage. Furthermore, DF Jean, who had been sidelined due to injury since the Nagoya match today, will return, and the team situation is improving.

　On the other hand, Nagoya, which changed its coach from the 2nd stage, has been losing in the Nabisco Cup quarterfinals first match and the league opening match, and continues to struggle since the end of the 1st stage. However, today is Nagoya's 2nd stage opening match, and it cannot afford to lose easily in its first home game after the new coach took office. The motivation for the first victory should be very high.

　The total record of league matches in Tokyo's J1 so far is 49 wins, 12 draws, and 45 losses. There is no choice but to celebrate the milestone of "50 wins" with a brilliant victory. Even though the sun had set, the whistle for the kickoff sounded at 7:03 pm in the harsh environment of Mizuho, an away game with temperatures close to 30℃.

First half of Nagoya's pace

　The match started with Nagoya taking the initiative. Nagoya, who were fired up at home, stole the ball with their strong physicality and persistent pressing, and created rhythm by using both sides of the field through midfielders Fujimoto and Takizawa. In the 5th minute, they created a chance from a right corner kick, and in the end, Takizawa took a powerful shot from near the right penalty area corner. The ball went over the bar, but it was a dangerous situation.

　On the other hand, Tokyo often finds itself on the defensive, occasionally creating chances from counterattacks utilizing the speed of Ishikawa and Toda, but unable to maintain the rhythm of their attacks. Amaral is positioned in the center, while Kelly also drifts to the side to receive the ball, but often finds himself isolated without support. In the 10th minute, Miura momentarily found himself free in the center and took a shot from a distance of about 30 meters, which became Tokyo's first shot of the day.

　The inability to execute a flowing attack is also largely due to the irregular bounces of the ball on the rough pitch conditions. Nagoya faces the same conditions, but there is a significant difference between being accustomed to them and not. In addition, the oppressive hot and humid environment weighed heavily on the players' legs.

　The Nagoya attack continues. While defending against attacks from the side, Shoji and Jean, the center-back combination, repelled them with high concentration. However, there were scenes where Wesley's individual skills bypassed them in the center and he took shots. In the 16th minute, he forcefully took a shot from about 20m in front of the goal, but the ball was almost sucked into the bottom right corner of the goal, only for Tsuchihashi to make a superb save and concede a corner kick. In the 20th minute, Sakai, the right full-back, cut inside and took a shot, but Tsuchihashi caught it firmly. Furthermore, in the 23rd minute, the right side was broken through, and Wesley, who was left unmarked, took a shot. The ball was on target, but Tsuchihashi caught it securely.

　Tokyo's counterattack came in the 24th minute, when Tokunaga was fouled and won a free kick near the right penalty area corner. Miyazawa aimed directly for the goal, but it went over. In the 25th minute, Kelly took a powerful middle shot from about 25 meters in front of the center, but Nagoya's goalkeeper Narazaki made a superb save, resulting in a corner kick. In the 32nd minute, Miyazawa aimed directly for the goal from a free kick on the left side, but it went over the bar again. In the 33rd minute, Wesley and Marques shook the goal net after a counterattack, but it was ruled offside. Tokyo overcame decisive moments and in the 35th minute, Ishikawa aimed for a free kick from the right side, but it was blocked by GK Narazaki's superb save. In the following 38th minute, when Toda passed the ball to Ishikawa who came to support from the front line, Ishikawa cut inside and took a shot, but it went over the bar. In injury time, Toda dropped Morinobu's long pass with his head, and Miura ran in and dribbled a bit before sending a perfect through pass to the front line. Kelly rushed forward and took a sharp shot while being sandwiched by Nagoya's defenders, but unfortunately it went to the left of the goal. The game was dominated by Nagoya's pace, but Tokyo made a comeback towards the end, and the decision was carried over to the second half.

Jean, Kelly's goal quickly changes the pace of Tokyo

　Tokyo, who wanted to change the rhythm of the second half, faced a pinch early on. The ball was connected inside the penalty area, and Jean cleared the ground cross from the right. The clearance was small, and the ball rolled in front of Nagoya players, who took a powerful shot, but it hit the Tokyo defense and did not allow a goal. Tokyo survived the pinch and in the 49th minute, Ishikawa put a sharp low pass to the center from the left side, and the ball reached Jean, who was waiting in the center after passing through the crowd, shaking the Nagoya goal net with a spectacular volley shot.

　The rhythm changes with this season's first goal of the year for Tokyo. Tokyo's feet start moving, while Nagoya's feet stop. As Nagoya becomes impatient, the balance on the sides collapses and large spaces begin to open up, which Tokyo exploits as expected. In the 58th minute, Miyazawa and Ishikawa tear apart the right side with a flowing rhythm, after Tokunaga intercepts a pass. Miyazawa puts in a deep cross. Although the Nagoya defenders clear the ball, the momentum is completely with Tokyo. In the following 59th minute, Miyazawa once again sends a precise long pass to Toda on the left side from a deep central position. Toda passes the ball to Kanazawa, who has moved up to support from ball retention. Kanazawa dribbles towards the center and plays a perfect through pass to Kelly, who has just stepped offside. Kelly, who is one-on-one with the goalkeeper, dribbles past the goalkeeper to the left and calmly shoots. The ball rolls into the goal! Tokyo takes a commanding lead over Nagoya with the long-awaited second goal.

Collapsed from a painful mistake and suffered a major comeback defeat with the second 3-goal loss of the season

　When Kelly scored the second goal, most of the people watching the game should have been able to imagine FC Tokyo's victory. The flow of the game, the movement of the players, it was all clear as day. However, sports is unpredictable until the final whistle blows. And this game was a result that reminded us of that.

　After Kelly's second goal, Nagoya immediately took action. They substituted one midfielder for a forward, and Marques formed a two-top partnership. Weslley moved to an attacking midfield position. However, the momentum still belonged to Tokyo. In the 64th minute, Amaral headed back a free kick from the left side, and Kelly attempted a volley shot, but the ball went well over the bar.

　At the 70th minute, Asari, who replaced Miura, carelessly sent a back pass to Doi, who couldn't handle the irregular bounce and made a mistake. The ball fell in front of Marques, who was alone in front of the goal, and he easily scored, narrowing the gap to 2-1. It was an unbelievable sight, but the players had no choice but to accept this reality.

　The formation quickly reversed. Nagoya, who had been sleeping until then, woke up again and began to overwhelm Tokyo with rhythmic attacks. Tokyo was completely on the defensive and had lost control on both offense and defense. In the 77th minute, Marques broke through the left side and sent a final pass inside the penalty area, but it hit Jean's hand as he slid to defend, resulting in a handball decision. Weslley scored this penalty kick perfectly and the score was equalized.

　The excitement in the venue had reached its peak. Tokyo also made a move by sending in Abe and Fujiyama immediately after the 79th minute, but the momentum was completely in favor of Nagoya. In the 81st minute, Doi barely escaped Wesley's powerful free kick with a punch. In the following 85th minute, despite Nagoya's relentless attack, the Tokyo defense managed to clear the ball within their own penalty area, but it bounced off a teammate's back and turned into a shot. Doi, in a panic, managed to catch it and prevent a crisis.

　However, in the 89th minute just before the end, Okayama, who connected from a corner kick, was pushed in with a header by Marques, who raised a cross from the right side to the center, and finally allowed a comeback at the last minute. In the end, the game ended with a score of 2-3. I don't remember ever losing a comeback after leading by two points like this, but there is no choice but to switch our mindset quickly for the upcoming cup matches and league matches.

【Player Comments】《Jean》"I was able to score a goal myself, but I feel nothing but regret because we lost the game. We have no choice but to switch gears. In the next Levain Cup match against Urawa Reds, we all have to come together and fight as one. We only think about winning. We will definitely win."《Miyazawa》"It's disappointing. Until it was 2-0, everything was going according to plan, but we couldn't switch gears when we conceded a goal. We need to change as a team at that moment. We have the Levain Cup against Urawa Reds coming up soon, so I want to switch gears and face the next challenge."

[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "It's disappointing that we ended up with a result like this, even though we were able to score in a good way by making adjustments at halftime. It was a game that we had to win. Today, the flow changed with that back pass. Even though we knew the ground was bad, we lowered our position instead of moving forward, which led to a missed kick. It's a fact that we were hit in a bad way and conceded a difficult goal to accept, but as a team, we have to stand firm at that moment. Since the Nabisco Cup is coming up soon, we want to switch our mindset and approach it."

[Nagoya NELSINHO coach's press conference summary] "The first half was a good performance according to our plan, and Tokyo's chances were only due to our mistakes or free kicks. In the second half, we conceded a goal from a free kick that we were cautious about and also lost an additional goal. However, judging from today's performance, we couldn't afford to lose easily. The first goal had a lucky aspect, but the substituted players utilized their imagination and changed the rhythm well. I think Nagoya's victory today is a natural result considering the performance. The team has gained confidence with this."