Facing Oita at home amidst a tough schedule

　Sec. 12 of the 2nd stage will be played at home against Oita Trinita. After facing an away match against Hiroshima on October 31st, we have a tight schedule with only 2 days of rest before the Nabisco Cup and this match. Despite winning the cup 3 days ago, considering the players' condition, today's lineup does not include M. Shigeno, S. Miura, K. Kelly, and I. Ishikawa. The starting lineup consists of DF M. Mashima, MF M. Miyazawa, S. Suzuki, and FW Y. Kondo. The center-backs are Y. Fujiyama and M. Mashima, left MF T. Toda, right MF S. Suzuki, with H. Baba as the attacking midfielder and Y. Kondo leading the front line.

　Currently, Oita is in 13th place with 10 points, but they are only 3 points behind Tokyo. In the previous match, they achieved a victory against Kobe and their form is improving. It is necessary to be cautious of their attacking style, especially their speed in the forward line led by FW Magnouba. Above all, Tokyo has not won in the last 5 league matches, with 3 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses. They want to accumulate points by using fresh players and first of all, they want to return to a draw. The weather at Ajinomoto Stadium is refreshing and sunny, with a temperature of 20.1 degrees, making it a perfect day for soccer. The match started with Oita's kickoff.

They start with a bold play, but

　Shortly after the start, they took the ball in their own half and Yuto Kondo broke through in front of the goal with a long pass from Miyazawa. Although he didn't manage to shoot due to a handball, his aggressive play hinted at a promising game. In the 3rd minute, Kanazawa took a powerful shot with his right foot from Miyazawa's left side free kick. Unfortunately, it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 8th minute, Baba connected a direct pass to Suzuki Nori and attempted to break through in the right area. Then, in the 9th minute, Miyazawa, who had drifted to the right side, courageously dribbled and shot. In the 12th minute, Baba crossed from Miyazawa's intercept. However, they couldn't bring it to a finish.

　Tokyo gradually lacked combination and precision in their play as they were unable to find a breakthrough in their domination of the ball. In the 14th minute, Oita MF Umeda broke free into the area after a midfield battle and took a shot. However, in the 23rd minute, Nori Suzuki won a corner kick from a cross, but the following two corner kicks did not result in a shot. In the 27th minute, Miyazaki picked up a loose ball from Mazushima's long feed and took a mid-range shot. In the 28th minute, Nori Suzuki dribbled into the central space and took a ground shot, but the goal remained intact.

　After that, the starting point could not be created on the front line, and the attack was monotonous. In the 30th minute, Oita connected the loose ball from a long ball, and Magna Alves took a middle shot, but it missed the frame. In the 36th minute, Magna Alves intercepted in the midfield and dribbled up from the left area to take a shot. This was saved by Toi and escaped to a corner kick. In the final stage, Oita couldn't create chances while grasping the pace, and the match was carried over to the second half with a score of 0-0.

Regain the pace and increase the expectation of goals!

　In the attack, there was a lack of satisfaction in the development, and at halftime, Coach Hara's instructions were "The defense from the front line is weak. Fight more, run more. You can't win by taking it easy." In the 48th minute, Suzuki Nori aimed directly from a FK slightly to the right of the midfield, but it went over the goal. In the 49th minute, they attacked Oita's goal from a quick restart, and Suzuki Nori persevered with a shot inside the area, but it hit Baba. Tokyo made the first move in this development. In the 50th minute, Lucas was substituted for Kondo Yu.

　Then, with this substitution and increased movement, the rhythm began to emerge. Immediately after attacking from a set play, in the 53rd minute, Suzuki Nori, who had been playing as a left midfielder since the end of the first half, initiated a challenge inside the area. In the 54th minute, Lucas, who received a fast pass from Baba, sprinted up the center and evaded the defenders to take a shot. However, it went over the goal. In the 56th minute, Oita received a counterattack, and the ball was passed to Umeda, who was free inside the area, from Magnou Alves' individual skill, but it was saved by a mistake. In the 57th minute, Tokyo launched a wave of attacks. Lucas competed on the right side and persistently crossed the ball low in front of the goal. Baba, who received it, was surrounded by defenders and couldn't make a clean contact, but Miyazawa picked up the loose ball and took a shot. The goalkeeper parried it, and Toda followed up, but unfortunately, it was offside.

　In this flow, Oita made a substitution in the 61st minute, replacing FW Nishiyama with FW Takamatsu, while Tokyo brought in Kajiyama as a substitute for Miyazawa. Tokyo, known for their ball retention skills, had a chance in the 67th minute when Toda dropped Suzuki Nori's left cross and Kajiyama received the ball in front of the goal, passing it sideways. Baba took a shot, but it went over the goal. Shortly after, Suzuki Nori delivered another sharp left cross. In an attempt to clear the ball, the defender's clearance fell to Imakawa who took a shot, winning a corner kick. In the 68th minute, from a free kick, Imakawa met Kaji's early cross with a diving header on the far side. Unfortunately, it narrowly missed the left side of the goal, but Tokyo showed a continuous attacking style.

Lucas' opening goal ends in a draw after being caught off guard

　In the 70th minute, Abe replaced Baba. In the 72nd minute, Lucas, who was free in front of the goal, shot with his left foot after receiving a cross from Suzuki Nori. Although he didn't make good contact, expectations for a goal increased. In the 75th minute, a short corner kick was connected, and Kajiyama cut inside from the end line after a feint in the penalty area, followed by a cross. Abe closed in near the goal, but couldn't take a shot. Oita's counterattack was prevented from reaching the finish line with concentrated defense.

　Kajiyama, Nori Suzuki, and Abe provide a good accent and attack. In the 82nd minute, Abe catches up with the pass that Imano sent to the open space on the right side, and crosses with a low trajectory! Lucas, who ran near the ball, kicks it directly and scores a goal. They took the long-awaited opening goal in an ideal development! Immediately after, Nori Suzuki quickly and strongly passes the ball to the front line after stealing the ball in their own territory. Lucas shoots while being surrounded by defenders, but the shot lacks power and the goalkeeper catches it. Expectations for an additional goal have greatly increased, but in the 84th minute, Matsubashi replaces midfielder Komorita.

　Immediately after that, Tokyo was intercepted by a half-hearted pass in the Oita territory and counterattacked. MF Yoshida passed to Magnouves, who ran up the right side and crossed. FW Takamatsu kicked the ball with a right-footed volley from a one-bounce, and it went into the lower right corner of the goal. While Tokyo was pressing forward, Fujiyama was distracted by Magnouves, and Mashima was late in responding to Takamatsu, resulting in an equalizer. In the remaining time, including 4 minutes of stoppage time, Tokyo tried to take the lead, but in the 89th minute, Lucas from the area through Kiyonori Suzuki was blocked by the defense. In stoppage time, Abe's left throw-in connected with Kajiyama and Lucas, and Toda dropped the ball off the post, which was then shot by Imakawa. However, it missed to the right and time was up. In the second half, despite attacking throughout, they conceded a goal and ended in a draw. They missed out on what seemed like a victory they had once grasped and only gained 1 point.

　【Player Comments】《Imano》"The balance in the midfield was not good today. Especially, we couldn't pick up loose balls well. As for the attack, we couldn't create a good rhythm and couldn't fully attack, but Lucas came in and finally allowed us to create a pause, and the midfield was able to turn forward and spread the ball to both sides for our original attack. We struggled against the opponent's simple long ball attack after Takamatsu-san was substituted."《Doi》"We approached the game thinking that we couldn't afford to play poorly just because we won the Nabisco Cup with only 2 days of rest. The lineup changed a bit, but it was a game we had to win. In the first half, we couldn't bring the game to our pace, but we thought we could score in the second half. However, after scoring, our defense line dropped back and we couldn't secure the win, which is disappointing. In the next match, I want to improve the accuracy of our finishes and win with everyone attacking and defending. I was very happy with the award ceremony and I want to thank everyone. (Towards the national team) I want to continue to showcase myself as usual and work hard. If I have a chance to play in the match, we have been undefeated in the preliminary round so far, so I want to do my best to avoid losing."

　[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "We had the Nabisco Cup final on Wednesday, and today Jean was suspended, and Shigeki, Ishikawa, and others were not in good condition, so we decided to take a bold move and include young players like Mashima and Norio. Lucas, who we hoped could change the flow of the game as a substitute, was also tired, and Miura and Kelly had been playing with a lot of motivation until the Nabisco final, so we wanted to see how the young players would perform. We had a good start, but Yusuke Kondo and others may have become a bit rigid. In the second half, Lucas came on and the ball started to settle, and I think our rhythm started to show. Oita creates chances with early crosses and when Magnu Alves comes on, so if we don't defend well and lose the ball, they can use the players left up front. We couldn't score for a while, but we took the lead in the 82nd minute and then we had to manage the time well. I think the young players still have some weaknesses in that aspect. However, in the previous league match, we went to Hiroshima and played in difficult conditions, and I think we showed our strength, which is that "anyone who comes on can contribute to the team." Each individual also faced their own challenges, and as a team, we want to continue winning games like today."

　[Summary of Oita Han BERGER's press conference] "I think we had an interesting game. It ended in a 1-1 draw, which I believe is the best result we could have achieved. When I saw the starting lineup of FC Tokyo today, I knew it wouldn't be easy. The players were different from the ones in the Nabisco Cup final, and they came with the intention of seizing their chances. Some people might think it's good for Oita that the lineup changed, but if they had played with the same players as in the Nabisco final, they would have had tired players and would not have been able to maintain high concentration. However, today fresh players played and it became difficult for us. We had a practice match against FC Tokyo during the preseason camp, and they really have a talented and young squad. We are strong at home in the Big Eye, but maybe we lack confidence away. However, I am satisfied with today's result. We have 3 home games out of the remaining 4 matches, so I think we can earn 3 points. I want to achieve good results at the end of the season."