In the worst condition...

On this day, Oita was hit by heavy rain. The pitch at the Oita Municipal Athletic Stadium, the venue for the match, was in poor condition due to the continuous heavy rain, making the ground conditions the worst. Additionally, the players had already played two extended matches in the past week, and on top of that, they had back-to-back away games, so their physical and mental fatigue had reached its peak. Oita was running in second place at the end of the previous round, and they were currently the team with the most momentum, having also advanced to the second round of the Nabisco Cup. For Oita, they wanted to win this match and take the top spot. On the other hand, if Tokyo lost this match, they would significantly fall behind in the title race, so they desperately wanted to win and gain momentum. It was expected to be an intense game where both teams' determination and fighting spirit clashed. Before the match, the local Oita fans started their powerful support. In response, a familiar chant of "Tokyo! Tokyo!" could be heard. Despite the fact that it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes by plane from Tokyo and another hour by bus to reach this venue, the "Blue and Red Army in the Goal Stand" had made the journey, albeit in small numbers. There were about 5 of them. Although 5 people couldn't change the away game into a home game, their unwavering support without even using umbrellas in the pouring rain undoubtedly gave courage to the players.

Get the opening goal with a fierce attack!

In the first half, Tokyo created rhythm with fast passing from Almir, Yukihiko, and Amaral, and controlled the pace with the flexible dribbling of Kobayashi on the right. From the left, Fujiyama, the side back, made sharp dribbles to add depth to Tokyo's attack. Despite the poor field conditions, Tokyo dominated the ball with superior technical skills, not showing any signs of fatigue. In the 27th minute, Almir made a sharp pass to Amaral from a deep position, and Yukihiko made a perfect through pass to break through the opponent's shallow defense line. Almir sprinted forward and calmly got the ball. Tokyo continued to attack and completely took the initiative, overwhelming the opponent in terms of shots, but they couldn't score additional goals due to poor finishing. On the other hand, Oita created chances with the game organization of former South Korean national team player Choi, the post play of FW Will, the dribbling of Shiozawa, and the speed of Kamiya. This combination of four players had destructive power, especially Choi's accurate kicks and technique, which threatened Tokyo's goal multiple times. However, at this point, Tokyo's concentration and physicality surpassed the opponent's, and they hardly allowed any decisive opportunities.

Withstand Oita's fierce attack

In the second half, the flow completely changed in favor of Oita. Tokyo, who had reached peak fatigue, saw their physicality drop rapidly and their passing in the midfield start to falter. Additionally, Oita's ace, Choi, was marked poorly, allowing Oita to take control of the midfield. In the 3rd minute, the ball was passed to the opponent's forward, Will, who had drifted to the left, and he broke through and crossed the ball. The forward and Tokyo's defenders tangled in front of the goal, and the ball ended up hitting Sandro's foot and resulted in an own goal. Oita, who quickly equalized at the start of the second half, gained momentum and relentlessly attacked Tokyo's goal with Choi and Will at the center. However, Tokyo's Almir became the key player on both offense and defense with his astonishing effort, stealing the ball himself and distributing excellent passes to the front line. Additionally, recognizing that the overall physicality had dropped and the passes were not connecting, Fujiyama aggressively dribbled forward and created numerous chances. In the end, despite being pushed back, Tokyo did not concede any additional goals and the match went into extra time. As extra time began, signs of fatigue started to show for Oita, and the match continued with a back-and-forth battle. It was a tense and intense game where determination and tenacity clashed, with both teams creating multiple decisive opportunities but failing to score, resulting in a draw. Although there is frustration in turning a winning game into a draw, considering the demanding schedule and the away match, this draw can be evaluated as a good effort and not just a negative outcome.