Entering the final stage of the 5-game series. Striving for victory at home, the National Stadium, and fighting until the end.

　On October 26th (Wednesday), the postponed 7th round was held. They faced Oita Trinita at home, at the National Stadium. In the previous round, they struggled against Tosu's tough defense and ended in a scoreless draw. Although their winning streak was stopped, they consider the 1 point they earned away as valuable. The players also look forward, saying, "It's the minimum result, but we don't feel negative." However, Hanyu said, "When we come back home and feel like we can win just by being here, we get tripped up. We haven't achieved anything yet. That's why we need to tighten our focus and aim only for victory," and he vowed to fight for 3 points. On the other hand, Oita is currently in 12th place with 41 points. In the previous round, they lost to Kyoto at home, and although they still have a chance for promotion on paper, they cannot reach the championship. However, Coach Okuma said, "Teams in that situation often come to play with a motivated and spirited fight, aiming to 'defeat the top team'." Oita is originally sharp in counterattacks. In particular, FW Morishima is tall and can also play as a shadow. Also, FW Maeda, who was with Tokyo last season, has unexpected shots and passes, and both are players who have a "one-shot" ability. To control them, they want to take control in the midfield, maintain awareness of second balls, and quickly switch after losing possession. In terms of attack, the focus will be on how to break down the opponent and convert it into goals. In this round, Konno is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards. Also, with only 2 days of rest since the previous round, the center-back position will be taken by Tokunaga, who will utilize his previous match experience, and Nakamura will play as the right full-back. Oita will have FW Morishima as the lone striker, with FW Maeda and FW Nagayoshi as the two shadows. MF Che will be on the left side, and MF I on the right. MF Miyazawa and MF Kang will form a double pivot. The match started at 19:04 at the cold and chilly National Stadium, with Tokyo kicking off.

Demanding Program Nears End At Tokyo National Stadium

In a game postponed from the 7th round of fixtures, FC Tokyo faced Oita Trinita at the National Stadium. Although Tokyo's record-setting run of seven straight wins had been ended by the massed ranks of the Tosu defense in a 0-0 draw on Sunday, the side had earned a valuable point from that difficult encounter.
The players themselves felt a draw was a fair return and were upbeat, despite the end of the winning streak. Hanyu urged, "We're going back home now but if we assume we're going to win just because of that we could have the carpet pulled out from under our feet. We have to focus all our energies on going for the win. We haven't achieved anything yet".
Opponents Oita lay in 12th place in the league with 41 points at kick-off. The side had lost at home to Kyoto last time out but were still mathematically capable of gaining promotion although winning the league was impossible. The reverse fixture earlier in the season had finished in a draw. "Sometimes it happens," commented Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma, "that teams in their kind of position have the motivation and drive to knock over the league leaders".
Noted counter-attackers Oita fielded lanky, busy striker Morishima in attack, a player capable of filling the lone striker role or playing off another forward. Alongside Morishima was forward Maeda, who played for Tokyo last season, another player capable of producing the unexpected, be it a pass or a shot. Controlling the midfield to deny those two any service would be vital, as would winning the second balls and then turning defense into attack at high pace.
Konno was suspended for the game, Tokunaga taking his place at center back with Nakamura filling in for Tokunaga on the right. Oita began the game with Morishima as attacking spearhead, supported by Maeda and Nagayoshi. Choi and Lee filled the left and right midfield slots, with Miyazawa and Kang as defensive midfielders.
A cold wind was blowing through the stadium on a chilly evening in central Tokyo as the home side kicked off shortly after 7pm.

Although they took the lead with an own goal... they were caught off guard and conceded a goal for the first time in 8 matches.

　Oita, when defending, completely pulls back right MF Che and left MF I to form a 5-back formation. At the start of the match, there seemed to be confusion about Oita's unconventional formation, and they were pushed back by their momentum. However, they gradually settled down and tried to connect passes to create chances. In the 15th minute, Kajiyama took a low trajectory shot. In the 16th minute, Lucas attempted an overhead kick from Tanabe's cross. In the 19th minute, Kajiyama dribbled into the right area and crossed from the sideline. Yazawa picked up the opponent's clearance and took a shot, but it was blocked and only resulted in a corner kick. In the 22nd minute, Hayashi drifted to the left front line and sent a cross. Tanabe competed for the near post header, and Yazawa reacted to the ball that flowed to the center. His shot, which he boldly aimed for, was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper with his foot, but Yazawa chased after the rebound and the ball that the Oita defender tried to clear rolled into the net. It was an own goal by Oita, but they took the lead firmly. After taking the lead, they played with some room to spare. Although there were moments when they suffered from Oita's counterattacks due to misplaced passes, in the 33rd minute, Lucas took a shot from a quick attack. In the 36th minute, Kajiyama launched a strong attack from his forward run, and in the end, Hayashi took a shot from the middle. In the 39th minute, Tanabe took a shot from a drop pass by Yazawa. They created consecutive decisive scenes, but they were unable to capitalize on these chances. Then, in first-half injury time, Oita FW Maeda received a pass from the right side and sharply turned around in the right area. He unleashed a splendid volley. It went into the net on the opposite side... They were equalized just before the end of the first half, and the match returned to square one.

Own Goal Gives Tokyo Lead

When Oita defended midfielders Choi and Lee dropped back, creating a five-man defence line. The irregular formation caused Tokyo some early difficulties but the home side soon settled and began to pass the ball around, creating chances. In the 15th minute, Kajiyama blasted a low drive from middle-range while Lucas attempted an overhead kick from Tanabe's cross a minute later. In the 19th minute, Kajiyama dribbled into the Oita area on the right, took the ball to the byline and crossed. The visitors' defence cleared the danger but only as far as Yazawa, whose shot was blocked away for a corner.
Tokyo broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. Hanyu took the ball down the left and crossed, Tanabe helping the ball deeper into the Oita box with a flicked header. Yazawa reacted fastest, trapping the ball on his chest and prodding a shot on goal as the ball dropped. Shimizu, the Oita keeper, stuck out a foot and blocked the goal-bound effort but was unable to prevent the rebound striking his own defender and looping into the net.
With the lead established, Tokyo seemed comfortably in control of the game, despite the occasional stray pass leading to an Oita counter-attack. Lucas had an attempt on goal following a rapid break in the 33rd minute while an attack in the 36th minute led by Kajiyama finished with Hanyu shooting narrowly wide. In the 39th minute, Tanabe played the ball forward, Hanyu knocked it down and Yazawa shot. Tokyo were creating decent chances but were unable to finish them off.
Then, at the very end of first half additional time, Oita played the ball up to Maeda on the edge of the Tokyo area with his back to goal. Maeda took the ball on his chest, pivoted sharply inside and cracked a volley that flashed beyond Gonda and nestled inside the far post. There wasn't time to restart the game and the first half ended 1-1.

Unable to prevent Oita's counterattack, conceded a goal in stoppage time and suffered the first home defeat

In the second half, which aimed to take the lead, Oita was attacking mainly through set plays in the early stages. In the 46th minute, Tokyo prevented Oita FW Maeda with a foul and awarded a direct free kick from the front of the goal. MF Miyazawa took a direct shot, but Tokyo blocked it. In the 51st minute, Oita had a FK from the right side. From this flow, Tokyo's defender Tanabe intercepted the ball from Oita's left MF Che. Tanabe carried the ball up the center and launched a powerful counterattack, but the final pass to Yuzawa, who had moved up on the left side, was slightly too long... Yuzawa connected to the center from the left area, but it didn't reach Tanabe... They couldn't capitalize on the chance...

　In an attempt to turn the tide, Ishikawa was substituted for Tanabe in the 54th minute. However, in the 57th minute, a through pass was played behind the Tokyo DF, allowing Oita FW Hasegawa to break free and face off against Gonda in a one-on-one situation. It was a crucial moment, but Gonda made the save! In the 60th minute, Ishikawa caught up to a pass on the right side and moved towards the center. Takahashi controlled the loose ball and took a shot, but it hit a defender and resulted in a corner kick.

　In the 62nd minute, Roberto CESAR was substituted for Hayu. Both teams quickly switched between offense and defense, and the game became hectic. In the 75th minute, Kajiyama pressed the opponent's defender and stole the ball, entering the penalty area. It looked like he was fouled from behind, but no whistle was blown. As time passed, Tokyo became more aggressive and launched a fierce attack. However, the precision of the final play was lacking, and there were scenes where the coordination did not come together. In the 77th minute, Ishikawa aimed with his left foot from the right corner of the area after the opponent's defender cleared the ball, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's excellent save... and escaped to a corner kick. Then, Taniyama and Kajiyama made a move from the left throw-in, earning a corner kick. Takahashi headed the ball, but it went wide of the goal.

　We launched a fierce attack aiming for 3 points until the end, but in the 83rd minute, Ishikawa from the area entered the shooting position from the left side with the advantage of numbers, but the defender blocked it... Mukuhara followed up on the rebound and aimed for a shot, but it went wide. In the 89th minute, Cesar showed an impressive diving header in front of the goal from Nakamura's right cross, but narrowly missed. Then, Mukuhara and Ishikawa cut in from the left, and finally Lucas jumped in with his whole body, but couldn't finish it...

　And in the 4th minute of injury time, Cesar had his pass intercepted while attacking in the middle, and Oita suffered a counterattack. Morishima dribbled up the center and passed to Hasegawa, who followed from the left side. From here, Hasegawa aimed and shot, bypassing Gonda's legs and into the net... We allowed a devastating turnaround goal in injury time and suffered our first home defeat of the season with 2 goals conceded since the Tochigi match on August 21.

　【Player Comment】《Mukuhara》"Because it was a home game, I really wanted to win. We fought without giving up until the end, but because of that, we lost our balance. I think we needed to have a little more composure and maintain our balance. I felt that it was okay to let Oita have the ball. But we couldn't take care of the counterattack when we put more people forward."

　"Tanihara" "(Regarding the shot that led to an own goal?) It can only be said that it was a coincidence. Lately, we have been unable to pass the ball well overall and the time when the balance is disrupted has become longer. We need to fix that or it will be difficult."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "Oita regained their breath in the period of the first conceded goal. Currently, in the situation the team is in, we attacked too quickly out of impatience, had poor ball control, and were exploited in those areas. We will leave behind the parts where we got anxious and want to utilize the feeling of needing to win in the remaining 6 matches and the next match. I think we need to reconfirm ourselves as a team and reconsider the members in terms of impatience and losing the ball. Today, we experienced the fear of football that I always talk about. It's a time to test our resilience from here. We want to unite and fight in the remaining matches from here."

　(Why did the impatience arise?) It was not just about the feelings, but also about how I chose my players. In soccer, it is better to attack quickly, but if you attack quickly, you lose depth. If you don't raise the defensive line, spaces will be created and the game will become stretched. The balance there is important. We needed to fix that as a team, and it required selecting the right people for that. We have the power and speed in our attack, but we don't have the time to use people or create depth in our attack, which creates spaces. By making substitutions, Oita gained momentum. In the first half, Hanyu and other players created opportunities, and the defense was well-balanced and prepared. It would have been good to have a calm ball circulation like in the first half, within the fast attacking style of the second half...

　(Could we have pulled the opponent's defense line out by focusing on Ishikawa's shots?) We need to raise our ideas to another level, such as the accuracy of passes into the space behind and aiming for the gap between defenders. In the end, it was a game where we lost our rhythm while missing shots. (Was the movement of the third player lacking?) First of all, we didn't have many movements that surpassed the opponents in the previous match. In the first half today, we need more ideas or movements from the third player, and we need to raise our awareness of using space. In the second half, we couldn't push up the defense line anymore. In order to win, we tried to integrate Takahashi as a defensive midfielder and take care of the opponent's remaining attacks, but we couldn't accomplish it. In the aggressive approach, our ability to recover was not good."

　[Summary of Oita Tanaka's press conference] "We were well aware of FC Tokyo's strength and the high individual abilities. It's not often that we get to play at the National Stadium in J2. It was important to see how well we could play our own soccer, especially with some players experiencing it for the first time. The first 30 minutes of the game felt like we had weak legs. We were intimidated by the opponent and the content of the game resembled that of a professional and high school student playing. However, in the second half, we ran well, fought for the ball fiercely, and made efforts to regain possession even when it was lost. We were able to defend and attack as a team."

　There was also a thought that it would be okay even in a one-on-one situation, but I wanted to challenge myself to see how much I could do against FC Tokyo. I didn't intend to fight for a draw, and I went into the match with a focus on getting all 3 points until the end. As for the combination of players, I always change the types and positions. Today, I had FW Morishima shadowing and FW Maeda leading the attack. Last time, I had MF Nagayoshi shadowing, who was a central midfielder. Of course, there is also the opponent, but we are thinking about bringing out our strengths."

Late Goal Sinks Tokyo

Buoyed by the equalising goal, Oita looked the more threatening in the opening minutes of the second half. In the 46th minute, Tokyo fouled Maeda as he looked to dribble his way into the penalty area; Miyazawa lined up the free kick but the Tokyo wall blocked his effort away. Following another Oita free kick in the 51st minute, Tanabe intercepted a pass from Choi and raced upfield in a rapid counter attack; Tanabe's final ball to Yazawa on the left was overhit and forced him to take the ball wider before crossing back into the centre. The effort evaded Tanabe and the move came to nothing.
Tokyo attempted to regain the upper hand by introducing Ishikawa for Tanabe in the 53rd minute. Barely three minutes later, a through pass split the Tokyo defence and suddenly forward Hasegawa was clean through inside the penalty area with only Gonda to beat. Gonda saved Hasegawa's fierce low drive brilliantly, then spun around and grabbed the ball as it trickled towards the goal line. In the 60th minute, Ishikawa raced onto an upfield ball and squared it into the Oita area, from where it eventually reached Takahashi, pushing forward from midfield. Takahashi shot but the ball struck a defender and sailed out for a corner.
In the 75th minute, Kajiyama stole the ball from a dawdling defender and burst into the Oita area. He was flattened by a lunging tackle from behind that the referee judged to have been not a foul. Tokyo continued to pour forward in waves but the final pass was either lacking accuracy or the players misjudged their movement. In the 77th minute, Ishikawa cut inside and shot left-footed from the right corner of the Oita area, drawing a save from Shimizu and earning a corner. From yet another corner, earned after Kajiyama received the ball from a throw in and pushed forward down the left, Takahashi made contact with a powerful header but directed the ball wide.
Tokyo continued to throw men forward in search of the winning goal. In the 83rd minute, a swift move down the left led to a wild scramble that ended with a defender blocking Ishikawa's goal-bound effort away. Mukuhara pounced on the loose ball but skittered a shot wide from outside the penalty area. In the 89th minute, Roberto Cesar flung himself at Nakamura's cross from the right, missing the ball by the narrowest of margins. Moments later, Lucas went close again, this time missing an Ishikawa cross by centimetres.
The game was into its 94th minute when Oita intercepted a stray Cesar pass and launched a counter attack. Morishima took the ball straight up the field and to the edge of the area before slipping it to Hasegawa on his left. Hasegawa smashed the ball low and hard between Gonda's legs and into the net. The final whistle blew moments after the restart, condemning Tokyo to a shocking defeat. It was the first time the side had conceded two since the Tochigi game in August and the first home loss of the year.


Players' comments
Mukuhara
"We were at home and really we wanted to win. We kept pushing forward and that left us unbalanced at the back. I think we should have kept something in reserve and held a better balance. I didn't feel particularly worried when Oita had possession and were passing the ball around. We weren't careful enough when they pushed men forward on the counter attack".

Yazawa
"I can't say anything about the goal except that it was just lucky. We haven't been playing the ball around well at all recently and we've lost our balance for long stretches of games. If we can't fix it then it's going to be tough".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"The timing of Oita's first goal brought them back to life. At the moment we're far too impatient in attack which means we overextend ourselves, we're losing possession poorly and that leaves us open. We have to forget our impatience but keep the desire to win over the six remaining games and Sunday's match. We're going to have to look at the way we're rushing, the way we lose the ball and reconsider the make up of the team. I think we got a taste of the dangers of the kind of football we play tonight. It's time to test out our strength in depth. We want to be united as we approach the final run in.
Where is the impatience coming from? It's not only the mood but my player selection as well. In football attacking with pace is better, but it can leave you isolated and lacking support. Then, if the defensive line doesn't push up it can leave your team stretched and create gaps. Balance is important. We have to fix that as a team and we need player selection. Our substitutions allowed Oita to gain some momentum. In the first half Hanyu and the others started the moves and our defensive balance was good. The best combination would have been the speed with which we attacked in the second half together with the balance we had in the first.
Were we trying to draw out our opponents defence line by having Ishikawa shoot from middle range? We have to improve the quality of our ideas, the quality of our passes when there is space behind the defence and the way we break the lines. In the end the way we missed from our attempts on goal handed the rhythm to our opponents.
Was there not enough movement from the third attacker? When teams defend deeply it's difficult to get beyond people, as we saw in the game last week. We have to be more aware of how to use the space that is there. Our defence line didn't push up in the second half. We played Takahashi as a lone defensive midfielder because we wanted to win and integrated him into the backline to take care of the threat from the players Oita left upfield. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. The way we lost the ball as we were pushing on was poor".

Oita manager Tasaka
"We had a good understanding of the strengths of the FC Tokyo side. Also, we don't get too many chances to play at the National Stadium in J2. Some of our lads had never played here before and given that we felt the key point would be how far we could play our own game. For the first 30 minutes of the match against a lively opponent we looked as though we'd left our backbone at home. Really, it looked like men against boys out there. In the second half though we ran hard and attacked the ball, and when we lost possession we battled to win it back. We attacked as a team and defended as one.
Although we would probably have been happy with a 1-1 draw we wanted to see how far we could go by really challenging Tokyo. We weren't playing for a draw and went for the win right to the end. Regarding the team, we chose different types of players in different positions than usual. We played Maeda up front with Morishima shadowing him, while Nagayoshi, who played in defensive midfield last week, also played off the main striker. We're thinking of ways to get the best out of the team".