Take 3 points from the strong newcomer Oita!

　The 25th round will welcome Oita Trinita at home. In the previous round against Yokohama FM, although there was an impressive offensive and defensive battle, it ended in a scoreless draw. The challenge of not being able to score in crucial moments remains, but Coach Hara says, "By continuing to create chances, we want to build momentum and convert them into goals." Due to Lucas' injury, Sasa took the top position in last week's practice. Regarding Sasa's starting position, Coach Hara says, "Although the system is the same, we want to utilize Sasa's strengths, which are different from Lucas'. Lucas is good with his feet, but Sasa can jump into crosses and even if there is some difficulty, he can still take a shot if there is space in front." In the battle to make the most of Sasa, we want to resolve the lack of scoring ability.

　Oita currently has 25 points. They are in 16th place, but after the end of Sec. 22, they welcomed Coach CHAMUSCA and also renewed their coaching staff. Since then, they have won consecutive matches against Urawa and Nagoya, and the team that was struggling is regaining confidence. They are making their counterattacks more thorough, but Yoshiro ABE, who had a limited-time transfer, also cautions that the team is different from when he was there, saying, "They have become more attacking." They aim to secure their place in J1 with compact formations and quick soccer development, and they will come aiming for 3 points even away. However, no matter how Oita comes out, we want to compete with "Tokyo soccer" and aim to win 3 points. It is an important match that must be won as the rankings will be reversed depending on the result.

　Today, we are holding the 9th "Brazil Day" event. Before the match, bouquets were presented to the Brazilian players and coaches of both teams, and Lucas and Rychely also showed their energetic appearance. We have high expectations for their determination to "fight for them". The match started at 15:04 with the kickoff in Oita, while the wind continued to blow due to the influence of the typhoon.

New Start!

Oita Trinita were the visitors to Ajinomoto Stadium for the 25th game of the season. Despite a good performance in the previous game against F Marinos, the match had ended in a 0-0 draw. The goal scoring problem continued but, as manager Hara commented, "If we continue to show our prowess in attack, the goals will surely come". Sasa practiced as lone striker during the week in place of the injured Lucas. "The system is the same but Sasa is a different type of player to Lucas. We want to put his talents to use. Lucas is best with the ball played into his feet but Sasa's forte is heading and shots from seemingly impossible positions", he continued. TOKYO were looking to Sasa to end the goal drought.
Opponents Trinita lay in 16th position with 25 points at kick off. The team had won two straight victories over Reds and Grampus and were on a roll under new manager Chamusca as the confidence flooded back. Yoshiro Abe, who recently returned to TOKYO after a loan spell at Oita, warned, "The team's almost unrecognizable from my time there. They've become an aggressive, attacking side". Trinita faced their battle against relegation with a compact, agile style and could be expected to aim for the three points. TOKYO were equally determined to win at home in a vital game that could seriously affect the league positions.
For the 9th year, TOKYO celebrated Brazil Day and the Brazilian players on both teams were presented with bouquets of flowers before kick off. Lucas and Rychely waved to the crowd as the starting eleven vowed to "play their parts for them as well". A typhoon to the south brought a gusty, swirling wind to the stadium. Trinita kicked off shortly after 3pm.

Unable to grasp the rhythm in front of Oita who is shining on the counter

　Tokyo deploys Sasa as the front line, Kurisawa as the attacking midfielder, Nori Suzuki on the right, and Toda on the left. Oita has the in-form FW Magnou Alves and Takamatsu as the two forwards. In the midfield, Yoshida, MF Edmilson, and Tulio form a double pivot in a 3-5-2 formation. The early stages of the match saw a battle for possession. However, Tokyo struggled to maintain possession in the attacking third, resulting in isolated attacks. In the 12th minute, Nori Suzuki dribbled from the left side and took the team's first shot of the day. In the 15th minute, a pass reached Kurisawa on the left, who cut inside and took a shot, but the goalkeeper caught it.

　Oita has a fast and thorough attack, with FW Magnol Alves and Takamatsu collecting the ball and looking for opportunities to break through from the second row. In the 20th minute, FW Magnol Alves, who became free, circled inside from outside the area and took a shot. In the 21st minute, a long pass was passed to MF Yoshida, who broke through behind the DF line, and he was allowed to take a free shot, but it went over the bar. In the 25th minute, Kaji switched to Oita MF Motohara and allowed him to invade the right area. He was given a minus last pass from a deep position, but the DF barely cleared it.

　30 minutes into the game, Kajiyama passed to Konno, who accelerated and Suzuki Nori crossed the ball. Sasa was in front of the goal, and Toda jumped in from behind, creating a good opportunity. However, the opponent's defender cut the ball, resulting in a left corner kick. Nevertheless, Oita, who had found their rhythm, connected a pass from FW Takamatsu to FW Magno in front of the penalty area in the 36th minute, setting up a shooting position. Takamatsu picked up the loose ball from the defenders and took a shot. In the 39th minute, a through pass was played to Yoshida, who had run behind Tokyo's defense, and from there, they faced a wave of attacks in front of the goal. Fortunately, they were able to escape this situation with the help of the opponent's pass error.

　44 minutes, Tokyo's CK chance is countered, and Oita MF Yoshida shoots from inside the area. The rebound from Doi's save is picked up, and FW Magnoua Alves shoots from close range, but Doi makes a fine save again! Tokyo is continuously attacked on the counter, creating decisive moments, but finally manages to hold on thanks to Doi's excellent play, and the first half ends with a 0-0 score.

TOKYO Penned Back By Skillful Counter Attacking 

TOKYO lined up with Sasa as lone striker, Kurisawa in a withdrawn role, Suzuki on the right and Toda on the left. Oita started in a 3-5-2 formation with the in-form Magno Alves partnered by Takamatsu up front, Yoshida just behind the front two and Tulio and Edmilson as double defensive midfielders. Neither side was able to retain possession for long in a frantic opening and TOKYO struggled to make headway in attack. Suzuki registered the first shot in the 12th minute, cutting inside from the left and letting fly from just outside the area. Kurisawa repeated the move in the 15th minute but Nishikawa, in the Trinita goal, held his effort comfortably.
Trinita attacked incisively with Magno Alves and Takamatsu holding the ball up for the midfielders to burst through into dangerous positions. Magno Alves cut inside and shot in the 20th minute and fired over following a fine long ball from Yoshida a minute later. Midfielder Nemoto slid past Kaji in the 25th minute and pulled a cross back from the byline that the home defence cleared decisively.
In the 30th minute Suzuki hared down the right after a quick restart and curled in a decent cross towards the onrushing Sasa and Toda. The Trinita defence scrambled the ball behind for a corner. It was Trinita who threatened most though, and enjoyed a purple patch as the first period drew to a close. Magno Alves and Takamatsu had shots blocked in the 36th minute, a poor pass in front of goal saved TOKYO after good work from Yoshida in the 39th minute and a diving, full-length save from Doi denied Yoshida's powerful drive in the 44th minute. The loose ball was chipped back into the TOKYO area and Doi produced another stupendous save to palm away Magno Alves' hooked volley. The first half ended 0-0.

In the second half, the team turns things around and creates opportunities, but fails to score

　In the second half, Tokyo began to grasp the rhythm. In the 51st minute, a feed to Toda who invaded the area. Despite losing balance, it passed through Kurizawa and fell in front of Sasa, but the timing of the shot was off. In the 55th minute, Sasa had a big chance to jump into Kurizawa's cross. However, it was blocked by the dangerously raised leg of the opponent's defender. In the 57th minute, Kajiyama connected with Sasa from their own half and expanded greatly to the right with Kurizawa. Kurizawa's right cross did not connect in the middle. Then, Toda competed with a header against Suzuki Nori's left cross, but the ball was caught by the opponent's goalkeeper. Although crosses started to come up from the side, the timing and trajectory were not quite right, and they couldn't bring it to a finish.

　Substitute Norio SUZUKI for Noriyuki SUZUKI in the 62nd minute. In the 64th minute, Kaji dribbles past the defender from the right and attempts to break into the penalty area, but is stopped by the defender and the ball goes out for a throw-in. In the 65th minute, Yoshiro ABE on the left side crosses to Kurihara on the right. Toda and Sasa make diving attempts, but the opponent's goalkeeper catches the ball. In the 68th minute, Kurihara crosses from the right and Toda jumps in the center to head the ball down. Yoshiro ABE runs into the left area and pushes the ball into the net, but it is ruled offside...

　In the 70th minute, Toda, who dribbled through, was fouled and won a free kick just in front of the area. Sasa aimed for a powerful kick from the left side of the penalty area, but it was saved by the sharp reaction of the opponent's goalkeeper Nishikawa, resulting in a corner kick. Tokyo completely dominated the pace of the game, but missed a big chance and couldn't score a goal no matter what.

　In the 80th minute, Miura was substituted for Kajiyama, and in the 82nd minute, Baba was substituted for Kurisawa. In the final stages, there was a back-and-forth of counterattacks, but in the 87th minute, Abe Yoshi passed the ball quickly to Baba, who connected with Kaji, who crossed the ball. Sasa won the left corner kick with a header. Jean perfectly timed his kick from Baba's kick, but unfortunately it went over the frame. Oita's attacks were well defended, and in injury time, Toda jumped out in front of the goal from an early restart, but once again his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Nishikawa, and time was up. Despite creating chances, the lack of finishing ability could not be resolved, resulting in a scoreless draw for the second consecutive game.

　【Player Comments】《Doi》"(Were there any nice saves?) Within the 90 minutes, there were both attacking and defending situations. I don't think the defense line collapsed. The real challenge lies in each individual play. When we lose the ball, it often ends up being lost without attempting to regain it... We need the mindset to go and reclaim it, just like Abe Yoshiro who came on as a substitute. Instead of thinking there are '9 matches remaining', we should approach it with the mentality of 'only 9 matches left' and treat each match as precious, fighting for it."《Jean》"It was a very challenging match. At first, Oita had chances and it was tough, but in the end, Tokyo also had opportunities. I think a draw is not a bad result. (Keeping a clean sheet for 3 consecutive matches) It is important to keep a clean sheet, both for the team and for myself. What we need now is to score and win. (Although it was Brazil Day) Unfortunately, I was the only Brazilian, but I gave my best with the Japanese players and Sasa from Paraguay. However, it's disappointing that we couldn't win. But today, many Brazilians came to support us, and it truly felt like being in Brazil. I am grateful to all the Brazilian fans and, of course, the regular Japanese supporters who were delighted for us."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Lucas, who was injured in the previous match, has fortunately already been able to train, but he is still unable to play in the game. We have been practicing for a week to use Sasa in that position. Also, with Ishikawa out, I didn't want to change the formation too much, so we tried to play with the same system, but it didn't work in the first half. Sasa was isolated, and the players around him were confused about the difference between Sasa and Lucas, regardless of whether it was good or bad. In the midst of that, Oita's MF Edmilson and Tulio were able to connect the ball. There were no goals conceded, but there were several dangerous situations, especially in the first half. Tsuchiho defended well, but we couldn't defend properly, and it affected our attacking play. Even when we won the ball, we couldn't find our usual rhythm. At halftime, I instructed the players to 'chase the ball from the front again,' but it didn't change much, so I brought Toda to the center and formed a two-top with Sasa. I aimed to have Toda make runs into space and support Sasa. With the inclusion of Yoshiro ABE, we almost found our rhythm. Although it was offside, it would have been good if we could have scored from the cross from the right side that caused a breakdown... Considering that our performance in the first half was not good, we were able to recover well in the second half. We also tried to score from set pieces by bringing in Baba at the end, but we couldn't push it in. We really wanted to win, but it was good that we defended by putting our bodies on the line even in dangerous situations and kept a clean sheet. We need to make Sasa function well on top of this defense and score goals. Everyone worked hard, even in dangerous situations, but we also need to take more shots. We had too few shots. We may have put too much pressure on today's match, thinking it was important, but there are still important matches to come. We want to continue practicing well and have good battles in each match."

　【Summary of Oita - Coach CHAMUSCA's Press Conference】"Today's match was very challenging. In the first half, Oita had the pace and had opportunities, but couldn't convert them into goals. In the second half, we also created chances, but FC Tokyo created more chances and controlled the game. Of course, we wanted to win, but we made sure the players were aware that we 'absolutely cannot lose'. We have been working hard for a week for the victory, and unfortunately, we couldn't earn 3 points, but we managed to secure 1 point in a tough match and our position in the standings didn't drop. However, compared to the previous two matches, our performance in attack was not good. We want to focus on that and improve in training." (Did the content change between the first and second half?) "In the second half, FC Tokyo came out attacking. Akira KAJI and the midfielders came closer to the top and played. It's because FC Tokyo improved."

TOKYO Fight Back To No Avail 

The home side started the second period strongly. In the 51st minute, Toda burst onto a through ball inside the area and shaped to shoot before being blocked; Kurisawa moved the ball on to Sasa who failed to make a clean connection. Kurisawa crossed to Sasa in the 55th minute but a defender's dangerously raised foot foiled the TOKYO striker. Another cross from Kurisawa evaded the onrushing forwards in the 57th minute. Toda then failed to reach Suzuki's cross from the left as TOKYO struggled with their timing.
Abe replaced Suzuki in the 62nd minute. In the 64th minute, Kaji blew past a defender and raced into the area but some sharp defending forced TOKYO to settle for a throw in. In the 65th minute, Abe found Kurisawa on the right but once again the final ball sailed past the onrushing Toda and Sasa and into Nishikawa's hands. TOKYO had the ball in the net in the 68th minute as Abe belted Toda's knockdown past the Trinita keeper but the referee's assistant flagged for offside.
Toda was flattened just outside the Trinita area in the 70th minute as he attempted to dribble his way through. Sasa lined up his kick and cleared the wall with a well-struck effort only for Nishikawa to produce a fine save and tip the ball over the bar. TOKYO were firmly in the driver's seat but were unable to make the breakthrough.
Manager Hara played his final cards, sending on Miura for Kajiyama and Baba for Kurisawa. The final few minutes saw several counter attacks that nearly decided the game. In the 87th minute, some neat interplay between Abe and Miura set up Kaji for a cross; Sasa made contact with a firm header and earned a corner. Baba swung the corner in and Jean, towering over the Trinita defence, met the ball squarely on his forehead but directed it over the bar. TOKYO held off Trinita's attack and nearly stole the points with the last kick of the match. A sharply taken free kick was rolled through to Toda, onside, in the area. Nishikawa raced off his line and spread himself, smothering Toda's shot. The final whistle blew immediately and, despite creating a hatful of chances, TOKYO had to settle for a scoreless draw for the second consecutive game.


Players' comments
Doi:
"Over the 90 minutes we attacked and were forced to defend but they didn't really overwhelm us at all. When we lost the ball we didn't go all out to win it back again; we have to be more like Abe. When he loses the ball he really fights to win it back immediately. We need more of that spirit. We have to see it as "There are only 9 games left", rather than "There are 9 more games". We have to take each game on its merits and do our best".

Jean:
"That was a very tough game. Oita had their chances in the first half but we fought back and made several of our own in the second. A draw wasn't a bad result overall. We've kept three consecutive clean sheets now and that's good for the team and me personally. We just need to start scoring a few goals. Yes, it was Brazil Day but I was the only Brazilian out there. Myself, the Japanese players and Paraguayan Sasa all did our best but unfortunately we couldn't get the win. A lot of Brazilian fans came out to support us today and the atmosphere was just like being back home. I'd like to thank them and all of the regular supporters".


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara:
"Happily Lucas is back in training after his terrible injury last week but he can't play in the games yet. We practiced all week with Sasa in his position. Ishikawa is missing too and we didn't want to tinker too much so we kept the same system but it didn't really work in the first half. Sasa was isolated and the players around him were a little bewildered by the differences between his game and Lucas'. Oita's midfielders Tulio and Edmilson were able to move the ball around. We didn't concede but there were a few hairy moments, particularly in the first half. Doi played well but we didn't defend too well and that transmitted itself to the attack. Even if we won the ball we couldn't find our rhythm. We didn't change things at half time; I just told the players to push forward more in chasing the ball and moved Toda alongside Sasa in attack. We wanted to let Toda break into space and support Sasa. And when Abe went on we found our rhythm at last. The goal was disallowed but that move from the right completely opened up their defence. Considering the quality of the first half I think we put things right very well in the second half. And then when Baba went on we were hoping to make something from set plays. Obviously we wanted the three points and there were a few difficult moments but we defended well overall. We're pleased with another clean sheet. We have to find a way to get the best out of Sasa and we're just not shooting enough at the moment. Maybe we over-emphasised the importance of today's game but the big games are coming thick and fast now; we'll work hard in training and take each one as it comes".

Trinita manager Chamusca:
"That was a very hard game. The first half was played at our pace but we didn't take our chances and then TOKYO fought back in the second half. We wanted to win, of course, but at the least the players were very focused on not losing. We worked hard for a week preparing for this game; it's disappointing not to win but at least we earned a point from a tough game and didn't fall any further down the table. Compared to the last two games though our attack wasn't as good today and that's something we'll have to work on in training. TOKYO improved in the second half because Kaji and the defensive midfielder pushed further forward".