Edogawa Shakes!?

There were probably many people who were surprised by the overwhelming victory of 3-0 in the first match of the quarterfinals against Marinos (Yokohama International), which was unexpected. Although there is a difference in the situation between Tokyo, who is in the middle of the league, and Marinos, who has not regained their "game sense" during the league break, the news of a J2 team winning by a large margin against a J1 team that has gathered star players like shining stars was certainly "shocking". As a result, in order for Tokyo to advance to the semifinals, they need to keep Marinos within a 2-point difference (in the case of a 3-point difference: the match will go into extra time and be decided by a golden goal, in the case of a 4-point difference or more: Marinos will advance to the semifinals) in the second match of the quarterfinals to be held at Edogawa (Ku Athletics Stadium). A total of 5,208 spectators gathered to watch this big match, and even before the match, the "goal end" of both teams engaged in intense cheering battles in the stands. It was an unprecedented experience for Edogawa to have such a large number of spectators, and the venue was filled with an excited atmosphere as if it was shaking due to the tension before the match and the enthusiasm of the great support.

Yokohama F.Marinos, giving it their all!

The revengeful Marinos, who suffered a major defeat in the first match (on the 20th), held an unprecedented emergency meeting for 90 minutes the following day and boldly declared that they would adopt a super attacking "unconventional 4-top" formation. Although there is a sense of losing composure, the determination of coach De La Cruz to "come back from a 3-point deficit no matter what" is evident. While a 3-point advantage is a very significant advantage, when weighing the defensive strength of Tokyo without Sandro and the attacking power of Marinos, it cannot be said to be completely safe, and when thinking calmly, it even became somewhat worrisome.

The match went as expected, with Marinos launching a desperate attack from the start. Marinos placed "the young ace striker of the Japanese national team" Castle as the lone striker, with Bauber on the right, "the commanding tower of the Olympic team" Nakamura Shunsuke in the center, and the Korean national team's Ryu Soo-Tae on the left, specializing in attacking. In addition, the right side back Nagayama and the left side back Hato actively participated in the attack, forming an "ultra-attacking formation" to score three goals in 90 minutes to overturn the deficit. However, learning from the first match, they adjusted by moving the Japanese national team's Miura Atsuhiro to defensive midfield to counter Tokyo's counterattacks. Miura Atsuhiro successfully fulfilled his role as the starting point of the attack and effectively prevented Wada and Kaburagi, who had struggled in the first match, from doing their job.

Endure the fierce pursuit of Marinos!

Marinos, with an intense press that repeatedly fouls in the midfield, steals the ball and creates chances with aggressive dribbles from Baubel on the right and Yanagi on the left. In addition, Nakamura adds accents of speed and slowness, assembling attacks from the center with one-two breakthroughs and side attacks with the fullbacks running. On the other hand, Tokyo responds with a combination of Fukube, who returned from injury, and Yamao, who performed well in the first match, as center-backs in place of Sandro, who was suspended due to accumulated warnings. The combination with the surrounding players is also not bad, and they calmly deal with Marinos' fierce attacks. However, in the 21st minute, Marinos finally broke the balance by scoring a skillful goal against the previously perfect castle. Now, only two more goals are needed to equalize. Marinos are stepping up their game even more. Tokyo also occasionally breaks through the center with Almir and Amaral in a good rhythm, but they are cut off by Marinos' intense play. Tokyo, intimidated by Marinos' determination, drops their defensive line overall and is completely forced into a defensive position. However, even Amaral cuts off the opponent's attacks with the defensive line, showing the high defensive awareness and concentration of all the players, and manages to keep the first half to only one goal conceded.

Battle Against Time

With 45 minutes remaining in the second half, if we don't concede two goals here, Tokyo will secure a spot in the semifinal round. However, Marinos' determination has increased even further. Marinos no longer had any pride. In any case, they relentlessly committed intense fouls without hesitation in order to score two more goals. The number of direct free kicks for Tokyo, 33, tells the story. In the 8th minute of the second half, Tokyo was broken through on the left side and Marinos scored from the center again, bringing the score to within one point. 37 minutes remaining. Tokyo responded by moving, even though they conceded a goal, as Koike balanced the midfield and improved the defensive stability and attacking shape after winning the ball. In the 14th minute of the second half, Yukihiko returned from injury. It was a move made in anticipation of Marinos attacking even more in the remaining time, aiming for a counterattack. And it was a brilliant move. In the 21st minute of the second half, as Tokyo attempted a counterattack, Yukihiko was about to break through, but Marinos' defender, Ihara, collided with him head-on. As a result, Ihara was sent off with a red card, and Marinos, now with 10 players, toned down their play. On the other hand, Tokyo, with a numerical and psychological advantage, had more opportunities to attack.

Afterwards, Marinos showed a relentless attack against the Star Corps, but they were able to withstand it without losing focus, thanks to GK Suzuki. The match ended with a score of 2-0. As a result, Marinos won the first and second matches with a total score of 3-2, becoming the only J2 team to advance to the semifinals by defeating J1 teams three times in a row. Next, they will face Kashima Antlers on 9/29 (Away) and 10/6 (Home).

＜Coach Okuma's Comment＞Regardless of the content, we fought well without Sandro. It was significant that the balance improved with Koike's entry. Being able to have a serious match against a J1 team is a big plus for the players, but today's game also revealed some issues. We want to continue to do our best in the next game.