Is this Brazil?

On this day, the Nishigaoka Soccer Field, where the Omiya match was held, was showing an unusual excitement from before the game. It was the day of the once-a-year event, "Brazil Day," which was held for the third time this year, and the rhythm of the intense and lively samba was echoing, different from the usual "goal end." The "Barbaros," who came to support, is the most famous samba team in Japan, achieving a record-breaking seven consecutive victories at the "Asakusa Samba Carnival." The "real sound" is definitely different, and it has the power to make the listener start dancing without realizing it, providing a different way of enjoying the game. Despite the strong winds that made it difficult to hear the announcements, their music was powerful and enveloped the stadium with its Latin rhythm.

Worst condition

On this day, in the morning, we were hit by strong winds that made walking difficult and occasional heavy rain like squalls due to the influence of a typhoon. Fortunately, the rain completely stopped by the time the gates opened and it turned into a sunny day. Although it was a positive factor for the event, the rapidly rising temperature turned the ground into a steam bath, creating a very harsh environment for the players. Furthermore, the strong wind continued without showing any signs of weakening and instead intensified. In these worst conditions, the game started. In the first half, Omiya took the initiative. They narrowed the gap between the forwards and defenders, applied strong pressure in that tight area to win the ball, and quickly expanded to the sides. There, the attacking full-backs, Mr. Ujiie on the right and Mr. Okamoto on the left, actively joined the attack, and they broke through from the sides with combination plays with the midfielders. Alternatively, they easily passed the ball to the front line from the midfield, with the tall 185cm forward Mr. Isoyama and midfielder Mr. Mark positioning themselves as a two-top near the post, and they created chances by connecting precise passes in the center! Simple attacks like that. In particular, Isoyama's play was stable, causing trouble for the Tokyo defenders with his heading and chest control utilizing his height, as well as his deep ball retention.

On the other hand, Tokyo struggled against Omiya's compact and strong pressing defense, and couldn't establish a base in the midfield or forward positions. Additionally, being downwind, the monotonous long passes from the defenders lacked power and were mostly repelled. With many Brazilians (Brazilians enter for free!) watching, Amaral and Almir, who desperately wanted to score, tried to break through in tight spaces with intricate wall passes. Occasionally, there were moments of beautiful ball movement, but they didn't lead to decisive opportunities. In the end, both teams lacked clear-cut chances, and the first half ended with a dull scoreless draw.

To the rhythm of samba... Push, push Tokyo!

In the second half, Tokyo, who had the advantage of the wind, made a comeback. The instructions given by Coach Okuma during halftime, "Exploit the space on the right side!" were spot on. After Omiya's left fullback (Tokyo's right side), Okamoto, actively joined the attack, a gap opened up on the right side, but they were unable to effectively exploit it in the first half. Therefore, in the second half, Yukihiko, Amaral, and Almir consciously moved into that space, causing the Omiya defenders to crumble. In the 54th minute, Yukihiko, who had the ball on the right side, dribbled inside and passed it to Amaral in the center. Amaral took a shot with a one-touch turn, but unfortunately, it went wide to the right. Tokyo mercilessly attacked Omiya, who had started to lose their balance. Once Amaral, whose marking had become lax in the front line, was able to freely keep the ball, his exquisite passing work with Almir began to shine. At this point, Tokyo was in full-on attacking mode! Yukihiko from the right side and Kaburagi from the left side created consecutive chances. In the 61st minute, Amaral headed the corner kick from the left! Did it go in? It seemed so, but the opponent's goalkeeper punched it out. Then, in the 63rd minute, Almir was fouled on the right side, and a quick restart led to Yukihiko in the center. Yukihiko, who had become free at the right timing, got a valuable opening goal with a shot while falling down from a one-touch turn. After that, Tokyo continued to dominate and overwhelm Omiya. In the 70th minute, Almir impressed again from the right side. Almir, who dribbled with speed, made an exquisite heel pass in sync with defender Umayama's attack. Umayama then centered the ball to the center, where Amaral, who was waiting, scored an impressive diving header that made you think, "This is the KING OF TOKYO!" However, the ball hit the left goalpost and did not result in an additional goal. In the remaining 10 minutes, Omiya brought in a large forward and tried to win with height, but Kominato and Sandro kept them shut out. Towards the end of the game, there was a happening where Omiya's coach, Pim, was sent off, but in the end, Yukihiko's goal became the winning goal, and Tokyo won 1-0, earning valuable 3 points.

Furthermore, on this day, Kawasaki F.C. lost to Tosu, allowing Tokyo to reclaim the top spot with a one-point lead.

<Pim Coach Comments>

Today's game, in terms of conditions, Tokyo had worse conditions (= Tokyo's previous match was 5 days ago, while Omiya's was 2 days ago), but there was no problem until they conceded a goal. It is difficult to score against a strong Tokyo defense after being scored against in that way.

<Coach Okuma's Comment>

I want to reflect on not being able to create a solid and stable defensive line like Omiya against the opponent. In that situation, there were no players who could actively pass the ball or receive it. I think the remaining 10 matches will also be tough, so I want to use players who can demonstrate the desire to win in both offense and defense, in other words, players who have mental strength rather than just skill, and I want to strengthen that aspect.