2nd stage also in the middle of the season

　Sec. 8 will be an away game against Nagoya. Nagoya is currently in 7th place with 3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, and 10 points, with one game yet to be played due to the cancellation of the previous match against Oita. This is a crucial match for both teams as they cannot afford to lose in their pursuit of a top position. They both aim to build momentum for the upcoming Semifinal Round of the Nabisco Cup, which will be held next week. Therefore, they both want to end today's game with a victory.

　Tokyo's Kaji is suspended due to accumulated warnings. In his place, Fujiyama, who started in the Sec. 2 match against Shimizu, will remain on the right side. Also, Kelly will be replaced by Yusuke Kondo due to his poor condition, and Lucas will be positioned behind Yusuke Kondo in the forward line. We hope that Lucas can make up for the frustration of not scoring in the previous match.

　Nagoya, on the other hand, has a strong attacking lineup. In the previous match against C Osaka, they scored 5 goals, with forward Marques scoring a hat-trick. In place of the out-of-form forward Weslley, his 18-year-old brother Jorginho and midfielder Nakamura, who plays in the second row, are three players to watch out for. The weather was light rain, but today Toyota Stadium has a retractable roof, so there is no need to worry about rain. However, the match started with high humidity in Tokyo.

Nagoya took the lead in the early stages, making for a difficult situation.

　Tokyo aggressively pressures the opponent from the kickoff and launches a fast attack after stealing the ball. In the 3rd minute, Toda steals the ball on the right side of their own field and quickly runs up to the opponent's penalty area, delivering a centering pass. Although it hits the opponent's defender, Lucas, who ran freely into the near side from Baba, shoots but misses above the crossbar, failing to convert a great chance to take the lead. In the 5th minute, Kondo Yu, who picked up the opponent's defender's clearance, dribbles up the center and shoots. Unfortunately, it goes wide to the left of the goal, but the team is able to create a fast-paced attack and it seemed like they could score at any moment. However, Nagoya takes the lead.

　In the 8th minute, Nagoya earned a free kick on the left side of Tokyo's defense. JORGINHO, the forward, delivered a perfect cross with his left foot towards the goal, but GK Doi managed to deflect the ball. However, Nagoya's defender KOGA, who was following up, pushed the ball into the net, conceding the opening goal from the first free kick and the first shot.

　Tokyo conceded an unexpected goal at an unusual time, but they switched their mindset and turned to attack. In the 12th minute, Miura dribbled up the center and the opponent's MF Nakamura couldn't help but commit a foul. From this free kick, they initially escaped with a throw-in, but Bamba passed to Toda. In the 19th minute, Toda dribbled up the right side and Lucas jumped into a low centering pass, but the opponent's DF cleared it. Then, from that right throw-in, Lucas cut inside the goal area with his individual skill and took a shot. It was saved by Nagoya GK Narazaki, but they continued to aim for a goal with an attacking posture. Furthermore, they created chances in the 27th and 29th minutes, but couldn't finish the final shot.

　Nagoya also has a high defensive awareness, and their attack is centered around MF Clayton, spreading the ball and having two forwards run into the space behind Tokyo's side defenders, launching counterattacks from there and pushing forward towards the goal. They faithfully execute this style of play, making it difficult for Tokyo to find their rhythm. However, despite a free kick by Baba in the 40th minute and an offside in the 41st minute, they were unable to score. In the first half, there was also a through pass from Kondo to Toda, as well as two middle shots by Miura, but they ended the half still trailing Nagoya.

From the second half, go all out for victory

　In the second half, Abe was substituted for Kondo Yu, Lucas was positioned in his usual top position, and Baba was placed behind him, with Toda and Abe changing positions on both sides. Tokyo continues to aggressively attack, just like in the first half. In the 49th minute, Baba connected a ball on the left side and made a direct floating pass in front of the goal. In the 50th minute, Baba took a free kick, gaining control, but did not make a shot. Nagoya also occasionally attacks from counterattacks, but they do not reach the shot, and the game remains in a stalemate. In the midst of this, Tokyo gets a decisive chance.

　64th minute, Miura dribbles up the right side and passes to Abe in the center. With one touch, the ball is switched to the opposite side and passed to Kanazawa, who was overlapping. He delivers a direct pass to Lucas in front of the goal, but unfortunately the shot misses to the left of the goal and they cannot score. In the 65th minute, Miura is replaced by Miyazawa, and in the 70th minute, Baba is replaced by Ishikawa, as they relentlessly go for a goal, always keeping an attacking mindset. And finally, the equalizer is scored.

Lucas's equalizing header explodes!

　In the 74th minute, Miyazawa kept the ball near the half-line and made a timely through pass to Toda, who was running up the left side. Toda brought the ball to the goal line and made a centering pass, but the opponent's defender escaped to a corner kick. Then, Miyazawa accurately put the left corner kick into the box, and Lucas, who cleverly evaded the opponent's defender's marking, scored a perfect header shot, finally equalizing the score.

　After the tie, both teams became more aggressive and a frenetic attack and defense was seen in front of the goal. However, both defensive lines held their ground until the very end and prevented any goals, resulting in a 1-1 draw at the end of the match. They only managed to earn 1 point.

【Player Comments】《Lucas》"I think it was a good game in terms of content, but the result... As for my relationship with Kondo in the first half, we didn't have many good combination plays (not as much as we thought), but I'm not worried about the attack. I was able to get into the opponent's defense well in the scoring situation. We had chances from set plays in the first half, so I was aiming for it. Miyazawa's ball was just really good."《Ishikawa》"The situation when I was substituted was the same as the previous match. However, both the team and myself haven't been able to create chances. I do feel that my condition and the quality of my play are gradually improving... (During the match) when I was substituted, the coach instructed me to be aggressive and go for the win, but things didn't go well. However, it's important to keep going."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "In the beginning of the first half, we were doing well and had several chances. We were creating good opportunities from free kicks and the flow of the game, but we made a mess after conceding a goal from a free kick. Grampus' JORGINHO was making runs into space and Marques was cleverly attacking from there. It was inevitable to concede a goal in the first half, so we tried to circulate the ball more to the sides. Yusuke KONDO didn't perform well in the first half. He couldn't get into the game at all today. His defensive judgment was slow when receiving the ball, but the game started to move a bit after moving Baba to the center. Grampus' central defense was solid, so in the second half, we tried to attack wide by putting Abe on the left side. Toda was also working hard, but he needs to improve the accuracy of his final crosses and passes. By bringing in Miyazawa, we were able to play long balls to both sides, and the attacking players made runs into the space behind, creating chances. Nagoya also has fast players on the counter, so we wanted to be cautious but couldn't score another goal."

　[Nagoya NELSINHO coach press conference summary] "We were able to proceed with the game at a good pace in the first half. The team had high motivation and played well. We were able to score from a free kick. However, after the 30th minute, we held onto the ball too much and allowed Tokyo to counterattack from a pass mistake. That was the dissatisfaction in the first half. At halftime, I instructed the team to connect more passes, improve the accuracy of passes, and strengthen the defense. We were able to do that from the start of the second half, but we conceded a goal from a corner kick. Today, the pitch conditions were poor for both teams, which affected our ability to play to our strengths, which is speed."