Pursuing victory at home, and the possibility of promotion in our own hands

　League 35th round is held, facing Mito Hollyhock at home. In the previous round, we overcame accidents such as suspensions and injuries and achieved a valuable away victory. We have accumulated 68 points and have a 9-point lead over 4th place Sapporo, so it can be said that we have made a big step forward towards promotion. Depending on the results of the other matches that start earlier, there was a possibility that Tokyo would secure a place in the top 3 with a draw or more, but that did not happen. However, this is a match where we concentrate and aim for victory in order to secure promotion with our own hands. In this round, Morishige is suspended due to accumulated warnings. In addition, Konno is still absent due to his activities with the Japan national team. Therefore, Tokunaga is appointed as the center back and forms a partnership with Jade NORTH for the first time. In addition, Ishikawa will start for the second consecutive round. On the other hand, Mito is currently in 15th place with 39 points, but this season they have shown strength in overcoming difficulties despite the impact of earthquakes and typhoons. In the last 9 matches, they have 4 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss. They also score many goals just before the end of the first and second halves, showing their perseverance until the end. In this round, MF Shimada is suspended. Also, FW Suzuki, who has been leading the team as a key player so far, starts on the bench, but as coach Okuma warns, they can be a dangerous opponent if they gain momentum as "each young player and the team as a whole have been growing". In order to maintain the rhythm, Tokyo also needs persistent play. We want to concentrate on both offense and defense and win. The match started with Mito's kickoff at 16:04, as the sun began to set after a sunny day and the Ajinomoto Stadium became cloudy.

Tokyo Aim For Home Win To Possibly Clinch Promotion

Mito Hollyhock were the visitors to Ajinomoto Stadium for the 35th game of the season. In their previous outing, Tokyo had overcome injuries and suspensions to dispatch Shonan Bellmare, a win that lifted the side to 68 points, 9 ahead of fourth placed Sapporo and within sight of promotion.
Depending on the results of games being played before theirs, Tokyo could theoretically achieve promotion with a draw; however, to regain J1 status by their own efforts, the side needed to focus on beating Mito. Morishige was suspended and Konno away on National Team duty. Tokunaga started at center back alongside Jade North, the first time the two had been paired together. Ishikawa made the starting eleven for the second consecutive game.
Opponents Mito lay in 15th place at kick off with 39 points. The team had shown admirable character to overcome the effects of the earthquake and typhoons, and had posted an impressive W4 D4 L1 record over the previous nine games. The number of goals scored late in both halves of matches was further testament to the never-say-die spirit within the team. Influential midfielder Shimada was suspended, while veteran striker and team leader Suzuki started on the bench. Tokyo manager Okuma issued a warning against allowing them any opportunity to gain momentum during the match, "Their young players and the team as a whole are developing". Tokyo would need a focused display in both defense and attack and a gritty performance to overcome the visitors.
The warm and sunny weather at lunchtime had given way to grey clouds by the time Mito kicked off shortly after 4pm.

The game progresses at a fast tempo, but ends the first half with a scoreless draw

　Tokyo approached the Mito goal with a fast-paced passing game from the beginning, but lacked accuracy. On the other hand, Mito launched quick counterattacks and had scenes where they reached the finish. In the 5th minute, a one-two pass connected to Mito's front line, and FW Okamoto took a shot from the right area. In the 7th minute, MF Murata was directly targeted from a free kick just outside the left area of Mito. In the 12th minute, Kajiyama aimed for the goal from a minus pass by Mutsuhara, who overlapped after Tanizawa, but lacked momentum. Immediately after that, Mito countered and left back Ohtomo moved up to a high position and crossed. FW Koike in the right area took a shot on target, but Gonda made a save. In the 17th minute, Nakamura won a battle with a defender on the right side and dribbled into the area. He sent a precise ground pass to the center, and Tanizawa made a direct shot, but it went wide. In the back and forth battle, in the 27th minute, Lucas took a shot from Tanizawa's right cross, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save. Despite the attacking pressure, they lacked precision and couldn't score. Around the 40th minute, Mito continued to create opportunities from set plays and pushed Tokyo back, but Tokyo remained calm. Defensively, Jade North and Tokunaga coordinated and maintained balance without breaking down, and the first half ended with a scoreless draw.

Fast-paced First Half Ends Scoreless

The first half began at a brisk tempo, with Tokyo moving the ball around at pace and drawing close to the Mito goal, although a certain accuracy was lacking. The visitors equally briskly turned defence into attack and managed to finish their forays forward with an attempt on goal. In the 5th minute Mito moved forward, played a one-two and striker Okamoto drove a shot across goal from the right of the Tokyo area. In the 7th minute midfielder Murata stroked a direct free kick over the wall and the bar.
In the 12th minute Yazawa played the ball forward to the overlapping Mukuhara but Kajiyama's low shot from the resulting cross lacked the power to trouble Homma in the Mito goal. The visitors counter attacked immediately, side back Omoto taking the ball down the left and crossing; forward Koike managed a shot from the right of the Tokyo area but Gonda comfortably held his effort. Nakamura bulled his way past a defender in the 17th minute and drove a low cross in to the near post where Yazawa met the ball with a first-time shot on the run but was unable to keep his attempt down.
The game continued to ebb and flow. In the 27th minute Yazawa skipped down the right and crossed yet once again Lucas' shot failed to trouble Homma. Mito threatened briefly from a series of set plays as the first half drew to a close but Tokunaga and Jade North linked comfortably in defence and dealt with the danger tidily. The first period finished 0-0.

Takehashi takes the lead with a header! Cesar's consecutive goals put promotion within reach

　In the second half, we approached with renewed determination. In the 48th minute, starting with Hanyu, Kajiyama and Yanzawa attacked the goal. Although it was cleared by Mito once, Takahashi, who followed up on the loose ball, took a shot and won a corner kick. In the 49th minute, Ishikawa took the corner kick from the right side, and Takahashi, who jumped near the goal, headed the ball into the net on the opposite side! We achieved the long-awaited opening goal from a set piece early in the second half.

　With this momentum, in the 54th minute, Jade NORTH ran up to the left front line, pressed hard and stole the ball, and Ishikawa took a decisive shot from the combination of Hayashi and Mukuhara, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 59th minute, Mito made a substitution with two forwards, Suzuki and Tokiwa. Tokyo also substituted Roberto CESAR for Hayashi in the 68th minute. They tried to attack with even more speed against Mito, whose movements had gradually slowed down, in an attempt to win.

　Despite taking the initiative and attacking, they were unable to score additional points for a while. On the contrary, in the 74th minute, Mito FW Suzuki received and dropped the ball on the front line, and MF Frank Romero, who had moved up from the center, entered a shooting position but missed the target. In the 77th minute, Mito right MF Koike received a sharp pass in the area, connected with FW Tokiwa and the back MF Ozawa, but it was well covered and prevented.

　And in the 79th minute, Lucas sent a lob pass to the front line. Cesar caught up with it at high speed, and from the right area, he struck a powerful shot to score the second goal! With Cesar's consecutive goals in two matches, Mito pulled away and in the 85th minute, Mito MF Frank Romero received his second warning and was sent off. With Mito reduced to 10 men, they held off the counterattack and the game ended. They showed a focused battle on both offense and defense and achieved victory at Ajinomoto Stadium! With this result, they accumulated 71 points and put themselves in a strong position for promotion.

　【Player Comment】《Takahashi》"The victory was the result of perseverance on the pitch. I think it was very good. I couldn't play in the previous match due to suspension, but I believe that all 31 members of the team wanted to be on the pitch for such an important game. Even though only 11 players can start, I tried to carry the feelings of the players who couldn't play and fight with responsibility. The opening goal was significant. (Promotion is imminent, but) we will face the upcoming match and aim for victory, so nothing changes in that sense. We will face each match and strive to grow even a little bit by addressing the challenges."

　"Roberto CESAR" "The goal was a good pass from Rucon, and I think it was a good shot. I have been coming off the bench recently, but I think it is important to produce results in the given time. I want to score more in the future, but above all, I want to fight for the team's victory."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "Today, the players who did not participate in the game practiced in Kodaira before coming to Ajista. Despite some inconsistencies due to player changes caused by injuries and accumulated warnings, I think we were able to continue playing the soccer we have been playing so far by enduring it, which led to the rhythm of the second half and substitute players. Today's match was also a representation of this season, as we struggled and faced the difficulties of the five consecutive matches. However, there were times when we were impatient, but now we have developed a mutual trust between defensive players and players who can attack, and we have become more patient. As a result, both the team and individuals have become more formidable. I think that led to the victory. It has been the same since the beginning of the season, but I want to fight firmly in each match of the Emperor's Cup and the remaining league matches."

　(The first half was terrible football, but we were able to pick up the pace in the second half, was it because of the defense?) Regarding the first half, I think that's true. Offense and defense are contradictory, but in terms of the attacking aspect, we cannot make the opponent uncomfortable without taking a fluid positioning. What we have been working on this season is to first make it our ball and then take a good attacking position. We have been considering the part until we steal and connect as defense. If individuals are anxious or have poor positioning, the team cannot steal the ball. In the second half today, we returned to the basics and I think Lucas was able to neutralize the opponent's midfielder and we were able to play our own football. In the future, we must be able to do that throughout the 90 minutes."

　[Summary of Mito Chokkai's coach's press conference] "It was FC Tokyo's game from start to finish. Our players ran really well and did their best, but we could feel the difference in strength. It's not that we were bad, but FC Tokyo was good. They have wonderful players and it was a great game. We fought as hard as we could, but it couldn't be helped. We have the Emperor's Cup coming up, so we want to switch gears and do our best. Today, we wanted to keep it compact and aim for a 0-0 score until about the last 30 minutes. It's difficult to win against FC Tokyo even if we fight them head-on. It couldn't be helped that we were pushed back, so we planned to press forward and try to intercept the ball... That's what we were thinking. Also, FW Suzuki injured his leg in the previous game, so we knew he couldn't play for the full 90 minutes. We put him on the bench with the intention of making a decisive move in the remaining 30 minutes. (Did having FW Suzuki on the field for the press up provide a psychological advantage?) That was also a factor, but having a starting point and creating time allows us to have forward momentum and make runs from the second row. However, if we had started him, we didn't know how long he could last and there was a possibility of a serious injury. He wanted to play, but I made the decision to go for it in the last 30 minutes. We had a unified intention as a team."

Goals From Takahashi And Cesar Take Tokyo To the Brink Of Promotion

The home side looked to make a fresh start in the second half and were soon on the attack. Hanyu was the instigator of a move in the 48th minute that saw Yazawa and Kajiyama push forward into threatening positions in front of the Mito goal. The ball was cleared initially but only as far as Takahashi, whose shot from middle range was blocked out for a corner. Ishikawa stroked the corner in to the near post where Takahashi's late run took him ahead of a defender and a downward, glancing header beat Homma and nestled inside the far post. Tokyo had broken the deadlock with a perfectly timed and executed set play.
Buoyed by the goal Tokyo plunged forward again, Jade North making a surging run forward in the 54th minute. He lost the ball under heavy pressure but Hanyu quickly scooped it up and Ishikawa cracked a shot on target that drew a save from Homma. Mito responded by replacing their forward pairing with Suzuki and Tokiwa in the 59th minute, while Roberto Cesar appeared for Hanyu shortly after. With Mito's work rate beginning to decline the injection of pace provided by Cesar was an attempt to seal the win.
Despite being firmly in control of the game Tokyo struggled to conjure a decisive second goal and endured a nervous moment in the 74th minute as Suzuki's knockdown narrowly evaded marauding Mito midfielder Romero. In the 77th minute Mito midfielder Koike stroked a tempting ball into the Tokyo area where Tokiwa and midfielder Ozawa exchanged passes, but the Tokyo defence quickly regrouped to smother the danger.
Then, in the 79th minute Lucas lofted a pass over the Mito backline, and Cesar gave chase at full speed, reaching the ball before the flagging defenders could cover. Cesar unleashed a ferocious volley that flashed past Homma almost before the keeper could react, and Tokyo had a two-goal cushion. In the 85th minute Mito midfielder Romero received his second yellow card of the game and trudged disconsolately from the field. Despite being two goals down and a man short, the visitors battled gamely on but it was an uphill struggle and Tokyo were able to comfortably run down the clock. The final whistle blew on a 2-0 win that took Tokyo to the very brink of promotion.


Players' comments
Takahashi
"That's great result and we earned it by our patience during the game. I was suspended last week and I know that all 31 players in the squad want to play in an important game like this; only 11 can start though, so I was conscious of my responsibility to those who weren't selected today. Scoring first was very important.
Promotion is close? We're focusing on winning the next game we have to play and nothing has changed there. We're aiming to deal with the issues each game brings and improve to whatever extent we can".

Roberto Cesar
"I got a great pass from Lucas and it was a pretty good shot, even if I say so myself. I've been coming on as a substitute and I feel it's important to make an impact on the result in the time I have on the field. I want to score even more goals and contribute to the team winning".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"Once again today we practiced at Kodaira with all the squad except for the starting eleven before we came to Ajinomoto Stadium. We've suffered from changing line ups caused by injuries and suspensions but managed to persevere and play our own game and today I felt the substitutions had a positive effect on altering the rhythm in the second half. Yet again the game could be seen as encapsulating all the difficulties we've had over the season, like the stretch of five games that recently finished. However, even though we were hasty at times, I felt the mutual trust of the defence and attack was there and we were patient. Moreover I thought the players felt the pressure and that drove them on to getting the win. We want to carry on taking the games as they come, the Emperor's Cup match on Wednesday night and the league game next week, just the way we have since the start of the season.
The first half performance was poor but the pace increased in the second. Was that down to the defence? I think that's right about the first half. Attack and defence are exact opposites in that if you don't have fluidity of positioning in attack then you won't be able to hurt your opponent. One thing we've been working on this year is our positioning in attack after we win the ball. We've been looking at defence from when we go out to win the ball to the connecting pass after we do regain possession. If a player is impatient or has poor positioning then it prevents us from winning the ball back as a team. In the second half today we went back to basics and Lucas marked the opposition defensive midfielder out of the game. We want to work to make sure we can do that for 90 minutes in the next game".

Mito manager Hashiratani
"It was Tokyo's game from first to last. Our lads ran hard and worked hard but I really felt the difference in quality out there today. It wasn't that we were bad but Tokyo were very good. There were a lot of excellent players on the field and it was a good game. We gave it our best and the result can't be helped. The Emperor's Cup game is up next so we want to bounce back and be ready for that. Today we had wanted to keep a compact formation and hold them to 0-0 for at least the first hour or so. Even if we play flat-out it's still difficult for us to beat Tokyo. We felt there was nothing to be gained from sitting back so if we pressed from the front we might be able to win the ball and do something with it. Also, Suzuki picked up a knock in the last game and playing the full 90 minutes was impossible today. Our plan was to keep it close and then send him on for the last 30 minutes.
After he went on our pressure increased. Was that a psychological bonus? Yes, I think so. He was able to hold the ball up and allow our midfielders to push forward. If we'd started with him we'd have no idea how long he could last and there was the possibility that he could exacerbate the injury. He wanted to start but it was my decision to hold him back for the last 30 minutes".