Aiming for the first victory in 5 matches

　Since winning the Yokohama FM match on August 30, Tokyo has been struggling, with 3 draws and 1 loss in the last 4 matches. Although they are currently in 9th place at the end of Sec. 7, the top teams have also been struggling, and the point difference with the first-place Nagoya is only 4. In a historically intense battle, Tokyo is still in a position to aim for the top.

　On the other hand, Kyoto, the opponent of the day, has been facing a tough battle as they are currently in 15th place, which is within the relegation zone. However, in the previous match, they managed to draw against the top-ranked Kashima with a goal from their new signing, Reji. Their form is improving. Considering Kyoto's difficult experience of relegation from J2 in the past, it is expected that they will come to this match at home with the support of passionate fans, fighting desperately.

　Both teams want to win points desperately, even if their goals are different. Tokyo, who wants to stay in the top ranks by securing 3 points with a victory after 5 games, starts Asari, who hasn't been in the starting lineup since the 13th round of the 1st stage, in place of Miura in the defensive midfield. Ishikawa, who was injured and forced to leave the previous round against Iwata four days ago, also showed a lively appearance and prepared for this day's final round. The temperature was 24℃, normal for this time of year, but under the strong sunlight that reminded us of midsummer, the kickoff whistle blew at 2:02 PM.

A difficult development where the second ball is picked up

　The match started with both teams cautiously observing each other's movements. While Tokyo tried to create opportunities by sending long passes behind Kyoto's defense and having Toda make runs, it was predictable and couldn't break through Kyoto's defense. Ideally, Amaral would have contested for long balls and the second line would provide support, but Amaral often dropped back to the midfield to receive the ball and focused on post-play, making it difficult to establish a foothold in the front line. In the 8th minute, after a interception by Mobata, Amaral and Kelly connected with precise direct passes four times and made a breakthrough in the center, but Amaral's final pass didn't reach Kelly and they couldn't take a shot. In the 11th minute, Miyazawa dribbled into the vacant space in the midfield and took a shot, which was the first shot of the day.

　On the other hand, Kyoto's forward Kurobe, who is one of the two top players, became the target man in the front line and frequently received long balls from both fullbacks. In response, Tokyo's players, Mochida and Jaan, bounced back with tough marking, but the cleared second ball was picked up by Kyoto's midfield again. Midfielder Ishimaru spread the ball to the side, and from the right, midfielder Nakahara, or defender Kakuta from the left, aggressively attacked the side and delivered crosses. In the 9th minute, Kyoto's left fullback Suzuki crossed the ball after a counterattack, and Kurobe headed it back in front of the goal, but Tokyo's defender cleared it a moment earlier. In the 19th minute, defender Kakuta, who joined the attack, sent a low cross with a shot-like trajectory from the right side, and Regi jumped in, but the ball was deflected by Doi, and then a Kyoto player who was there took a shot, but Tokyo's defenders threw themselves in front of it and it resulted in a corner kick. The newly joined forward Regi didn't seem to fit into the team that much, but he had an unpleasant presence with his 183cm tall body, utilizing his post play and sharp dives into the goal area.

　Tokyo also had their chances. In the 17th minute, Toda quickly passed the ball to Kelly on the left side, who then passed it back to Toda in the center to break through. Toda then passed to Amaral on the left side, who was free. Amaral entered the penalty area and crossed the ball low, but the diving player couldn't reach it. In the 37th minute, Kanazawa broke free from the left side in combination with Ishikawa and made a perfect pass to Ishikawa running into the center. Ishikawa took a powerful shot with his right foot from just outside the penalty area and hit the target, but the Kyoto GK managed to punch it away and prevent a goal.

　When Tokyo missed a decisive chance, Kyoto launched a counterattack. In the 39th minute, Kurobe jumped into the cross after breaking through the left side, but Jean cleared it with a header. In the 43rd minute, there was a momentary gap and MF Bijou broke through to the front of the goal, but Tsuchiho made a judgment and bravely saved it. In the following 44th minute, Regi headed the cross from the right side on the far side, but it was not slammed due to competition from Kaji and the shot went over the bar. In the end, the first half ended 0-0. The game would be carried over to the second half.

Concede the first goal from a penalty kick

　At halftime, Coach Hara instructed, "Shigeki and Jean are competing well, but they are struggling to win the second ball. Let's try to make the ball ours in the midfield. Not only kicking long balls forward, but also creating a base from Akachi and Kanazawa's sides before Toda and Ishikawa go forward. Amaral is pulling back too much. I want him to compete more in the front line." In the first half, Tokyo, who was playing against the wind, was limited to only two shots on goal and will launch a counterattack from the beginning of the second half.

　Tokyo allowed a heading shot from Regi on the far side after 49 minutes, once again being broken through on the left side by Kyoto's cross. However, they had a scoring opportunity immediately after in the 50th minute. Ishikawa received the ball that Toda dropped from a counterattack and made a dash, passing it to Amaral who was running up freely on the left side with exquisite timing. Amaral quickly took a left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area, a moment faster than the tackle from Kyoto's defender, but he couldn't find the target and missed the chance. In the 56th minute, Kelly took a powerful long shot from the left side throw-in, but it went over the bar. In the 58th minute, Ishikawa sent a lofted pass from the right to Toda in the center, and Toda sent a header pass to Amaral who was running into the penalty area, but it didn't quite connect well. And the highlight was in the 62nd minute, when Ishikawa, who received a throw-in from the right side, turned around and took a left-footed shot while the ball was still bouncing. The ball flew towards Kyoto's goal with a strong and beautiful trajectory from a distance of about 35 meters, but it hit the crossbar and didn't go in.

　Tokyo was able to pick up second balls and create chances from the side as confirmed at halftime, and they grasped the rhythm. However, in the 63rd minute, Kaji, who was marking Lezgi, who attempted to break through by reversing from ball retention in Tokyo's penalty area, knocked him down and resulted in a penalty kick. In the 65th minute, Kurobe scored this penalty kick, and Tokyo conceded the first goal.

Jean equalizes with a pinpoint free kick from Miyazawa, but...

　Kyoto Eleven and supporters are ecstatic. There is no way not to be excited about such a development in a situation where we want to accumulate even one point. However, that excitement will soon subside.

　68 minutes after conceding a goal, Tokyo earned a free kick from a distance of about 40m in front of the goal. Miyazawa sent a pinpoint pass with a sharp curve from his magical left foot, which dropped in front of the goal. Jean ran into it and changed the course of the ball with a header, sending it to the left side of the goal! The stadium fell silent as if stunned by the sudden equalizer. It was the exact same play that Yusuke Kondo scored in the match two rounds ago against Sendai, once again proving the accuracy of Miyazawa's kick.

　Tokyo, who desperately wanted to secure 3 points, increased their momentum and headed towards Kyoto's goal. In the 70th minute, Miyazawa crossed the ball from the right side after a corner kick, and Jean once again headed the ball on the far side, but unfortunately it hit the crossbar. On the contrary, in the 72nd minute, Kyoto's Matsui took advantage of a momentary gap and took a powerful shot from the central area, but Tokyo's goalkeeper, Doi, made a superb save. Immediately after in the 73rd minute, Toda broke through on a long ball kicked by Jean towards the front line, attempted an overhead shot while competing with the defenders, but it hit the opponent and resulted in a corner kick.

　Tokyo, who desperately wanted to secure 3 points, made a substitution in the 74th minute, replacing the visibly tired Amaral with a fresh Abe. Furthermore, in the 83rd minute, they made another substitution, replacing Ishikawa with Yusuke KONDO, showing a relentless attitude towards scoring until the end. However, in contrast, Kyoto took completely opposite actions. Wanting to secure 1 point for sure, Kyoto made a substitution in the 76th minute, replacing Regista FC with DF Hayashi. They changed to a 5-4-1 formation, adding one more defender and placing Kurobe as the lone striker. Additionally, in the 87th minute, they replaced Matsui with DF Nakamura to strengthen their defense. Tokyo continued to attack without giving up, and in injury time, Toda volleyed a lofted pass from Kelly from behind, but unfortunately, it hit the crossbar. In the end, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Once again, victory was postponed, but despite the difficult situation of conceding the first goal away, they managed to equalize and secure 1 point, which can be seen as a result that leads to the next. They definitely want to secure 3 points in the next home match against Kashima.

【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"Kyoto played in a compact 4-4-2 formation, not giving us much space. I was surrounded by Kelly and Amaral, and couldn't find a way to pass the ball. The goal was similar to the Sendai match, which gives me confidence, but we need to score from the flow of the game. Even in a tough away match, we need to become a strong team that can win."《Jean》"The ball from Miya was just like in practice, and I was able to evade the opponent and score a goal. It was satisfying to equalize with my own goal when we were one goal behind. Of course, it's not the best result, but considering that we lost in the previous match, it was good to be able to equalize in the tough situation of an away match. Next is a home match, and I really want to win. Kashima is strong, but I will focus on defending and hope for the other players to step up."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Kyoto is in a difficult situation in the annual ranking, and we knew they would come at us with all their might, so we expected a tough battle. We knew from watching the Kashima game in the previous round that they would compact their midfield, so we were thinking about who would have the advantage in picking up loose balls. However, in the first half, Kyoto picked up more balls from us and broke through from the sides frequently. We made adjustments during halftime, so we were able to regain possession in the second half. However, their midfield was very compact, and they always had two players on Kelly, making it difficult for him to keep the ball or create opportunities to move it forward. Not only us, but I've noticed that many other teams have had a lot of draws in recent matches, so I feel that getting three points is really tough. It was good that we were able to quickly equalize after conceding a goal, but we really wanted to catch up and turn the game around. I thought Kyoto would come out more, but I didn't expect them to defend so tightly towards the end. Since the next match is at home, we will prepare well for the Antlers game and aim for a victory."

[Kyoto Purple Sanga Pim Press Conference Summary] "We knew that Tokyo would kick long balls and come to get the second ball, but I think our defenders did well against that. We were able to get the second ball ourselves, and Suzuki and Matsui especially did a good job of breaking through from the left side. Tokyo's defenders are strong in one-on-one situations and well-organized, so it was difficult to score, but overall, the first half was satisfying. We knew that in the second half, spaces would open up between Tokyo's defenders and forwards due to fatigue, and Regi did well at the right time. After taking a 1-0 lead, we had to control the game, but it's unfortunate that we conceded a goal so easily. However, that free kick was a ball of fantastic quality. It was the same in the Sendai match. Regi had to be substituted due to injury, and we couldn't have a strong attacking presence up front, so we were pushed back, but I think we had a chance to win if we could control the game for 10 minutes with a 1-0 lead."