Fateful Rival, Frontale

The previous match was on April 4th at Todoroki. In this game, Tokyo took the lead with two goals from their ace, Amaral, but Frontale showed their determination at home and equalized just before the end of the match. In extra time, Frontale dominated the game, but Tokyo held their ground, and the 120-minute battle ended in a draw without a decisive result. The rivalry between Tokyo and Frontale runs deep. Two years ago in the JFL, Frontale, who was then a J-League associate member, heavily reinforced their team in hopes of securing J-League promotion if they finished in the top two. However, they were defeated by Tokyo (then Tokyo Gas FC), crushing their dream of promotion (Tokyo Gas FC = 2nd place, Frontale = 3rd place). In last year's JFL, Tokyo and Frontale engaged in a fierce battle for the championship, with Tokyo ultimately achieving a dramatic comeback victory in the final match, leaving Frontale to taste bitter disappointment once again (Tokyo Gas FC = 1st place, Frontale = 2nd place). Tokyo and Frontale have consistently played intense matches as fierce rivals in recent years. In this year's J2 league, Tokyo currently sits in 3rd place, followed closely by Frontale in 4th place with a 2-point difference. Even in the early stages, a heated battle is already unfolding. Naturally, it was expected that this match would also be an aggressive and exciting game.

"Defensive midfielder" Asari, fully recovered!

On this day, a reliable man returned to the pitch. It is Asari, who supports the team with his modest but intense midfield defense. Since being injured and leaving the field in the Yamagata match on April 11th, Asari, who made his first comeback in 7 games, showed a lively appearance on this day and skillfully intercepted the opponent's attacks with his usual stable play. With Asari's addition, Tokyo's attacking power has increased by moving Almir, who had been playing as a defensive midfielder, to the front line and allowing him to focus on the attack. As expected, the match was a fierce and aggressive battle with both teams launching attacks. Tokyo created chances with aggressive attacking participation from right-back Umayama and left-back Fujiyama, especially on the right side where Umayama, midfielders Yukihiko and Almir combined to confuse the Frontale defense with a variety of combinations. On the other hand, Frontale gathered the ball early to their Brazilian strike duo from attacks originating from both sides, and created chances by breaking through the situation with precise passes and dribbles. In the first half, both teams connected the ball with a good rhythm, but the final touch was lacking and did not result in goals.

Amaral has also returned, but...

In the second half, Frontale came out to win. Despite the score being 0-0, they quickly made three substitutions and changed the flow of the game. In the post-match press conference, Coach Matsumoto said, "The risk of making three substitutions at that time was high, but we took the gamble and it paid off." Tokyo also made a change by bringing in FW Kabuki and introducing Amaral, who had recovered from an injury after six games. The crowd was excited to see the return of the "KING OF TOKYO" after a long time. However, Amaral's performance was far from his best, struggling against the opponent's tight marking and unable to do his job properly. The game continued at Frontale's pace, and in the 29th minute of the second half, they broke through the right side in a moment of vulnerability and passed to a free Tinger. Tinger perfectly centered the ball, aiming between the goalkeeper and the defender, and Ueda, who came on as a substitute, jumped in spectacularly to score. For Tokyo, it was a difficult time to concede a goal. After this, Tokyo, just like in the previous match against Niigata, pushed defender Sandro forward to go for the win. The game continued with back and forth attacks and defenses, and towards the end, Aumil broke through the right side and made a last pass to Amaral. However, Amaral's shot hit the defense and did not go into the goal. In the end, despite their intense attacking efforts, Tokyo couldn't score and the game ended. They suffered their first consecutive defeats of the season. The damage from two consecutive shutout losses is significant, but Asari's full recovery and Amaral's return are positive topics, and they want to approach the revenge match against Yamagata with a renewed mindset.