Will they make it to the top division?

In this round (Sec. 34), the top team Kawasaki F. has already secured promotion in the match held on Friday (11/5), leaving only one remaining (J1) spot. Currently, the intense dead heat for this spot is between the 2nd place Tokyo and the 3rd place Oita. While Niigata and Sapporo still have a slight chance, it is safe to say that it has come down to these two teams. In such a situation, Tokyo has been presented with an unexpected opportunity towards promotion. Due to Oita's loss in the match held on Saturday (11/6), Tokyo, with 61 points, will open up a 5-point lead over Oita (59 points) if they win the match against Omiya on this day, bringing their points to 64. With only 2 matches remaining, if Tokyo wins the next round (Sec. 35) at home in "Komazawa" against Sendai (＋3→67), even if Oita wins (＋3→62), the point difference will remain at 5 with only 1 match left, securing Tokyo's promotion. In order to secure promotion at home no matter what, it was necessary for Tokyo to secure 3 points in this match against Omiya and put themselves in a strong position for promotion.

Struggling with Omiya's compact soccer

The current season's record against Omiya is 3 wins in 3 matches, with 0 goals conceded and a shutout. However, Omiya, who has been improving in the past few matches, showed their momentum in this game as well. At the beginning of the match, Tokyo actively attacked from the right side with Yukihiko and from the left side with Okuhara, utilizing their respective strengths and dominating the ball in Omiya's half. However, this dominance was short-lived. Omiya quickly adapted to the speed of the game, keeping their defensive line shallow and applying intense pressure forward. Tokyo tried to break through by quickly circulating the ball, but the rain that had been falling until just before the match affected the ground, causing the passes to be less accurate and only 3 of them succeeded. In response, Tokyo tried to send Okuhara and Kaburagi behind the defense line with long balls, but Omiya's defense was strong in aerial battles, and the simple and uncreative balls were easily repelled. The only chance worth mentioning was in the 33rd minute when Yukihiko passed to Almir on the right side, who then passed back to Yukihiko, and he took a forceful shot from a difficult angle. Other than that, Omiya's strengths were the only noticeable aspect of the game. When defending, Omiya did not aggressively chase after the forwards, instead concentrating their players near the center circle, and putting strong pressure on the Tokyo players when they entered that area. To enhance the press in this area, the defensive line was also kept shallow, maintaining a distance of about 20-30 meters between the forwards and the defensive line. Under the continuous intense press in this confined area, Tokyo, with Kagami and Kaburagi unable to become the focal points in the front line, and Almir and Yukihiko unable to make effective passes to break through, struggled to create attacking opportunities. Frustrated, defender Fujiyama attempted to dribble forward, but even if he managed to get past two players, he was stopped by the third. On the other hand, when Omiya won the ball, their midfielders Ukai and Iwase became the starting points of the attack, quickly feeding the ball to the forwards. On the left side, midfielder Harasaki kept the ball and timed his passes with the overlapping runs of the speedy and attacking-minded left back Okamoto, who delivered accurate crosses. In the midfield, Mark moved around freely, distributing the ball with minimal touches to build up the attack. Omiya quickly transitioned from defense to attack, displaying a fast-paced style of soccer with few touches overall, overwhelming Tokyo.

Tokyo fights back with KING Amaral's entry!

Tokyo struggled to create a foundation for attacking in the first half and was instead troubled by counterattacks after losing the ball. However, they gradually started to fight back in the second half. With superior stamina, Tokyo launched intense attacks right from the start of the second half. Omiya's left full-back, Okamoto, occasionally caused trouble with his attacking participation, but Tokyo's strong concentration, led by Komine and Sandro, managed to repel the threats. On the contrary, Okamoto's forward movement created space, allowing Yukihiko and Umeyama to make runs and create more chances. This is where Tokyo starts to move. Amaral, the "KING OF TOKYO," is brought on. Since injuring his left ankle in the Nabisco Cup match against Kashima on October 6th, the ace player returned to the pitch after about a month. Despite the lingering injury and having only played in a couple of practice matches, his presence and precise technique were still exceptional. Previously, Tokyo struggled to establish a foundation in the forward line, but with Amaral's ball retention, they gained more attacking opportunities and the full-backs were able to join the attack frequently. Additionally, Amaral was closely marked by Yan from Omiya, creating space in the center when Amaral drifted to the side, which was effectively utilized for crosses. In the 27th minute, Yukihiko passed to Amaral, in the 30th minute, Yukihiko passed to Umeyama, in the 35th minute, Aumier passed to Yukihiko, and in the 37th minute, Aumier passed to Amaral, creating a series of chances. The hot line between Yukihiko and Umeyama, who repeatedly broke through the right side, posed a threat to the opponents. In the 43rd minute, Umeyama delivered a perfect cross, and Amaral leaped to head the ball, but unfortunately, it hit the crossbar. In stoppage time, Shinjo received a direct pass from Yukihiko and passed it to Amaral in the center. Amaral controlled the ball and took a sharp shot, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. The remaining 25 minutes of the second half, after Amaral's introduction, were completely dominated by Tokyo, and they showed the potential to score. However, the match ended 0-0 and went into extra time.

Nightmare moment...

Entering extra time, the situation on the field changed again. Amaral, who came on as a substitute in the second half and moved around vigorously for about 30 minutes, suddenly lost his energy, causing Tokyo's attack to lose momentum. On the other hand, Omiya, who regained their momentum, had midfielder Mark at the top and started spreading the ball to both sides from post-play, continuously delivering crosses from the sides. Tokyo's defensive line dropped overall, and they struggled as they continuously received Omiya's corner kicks. In the first minute of the second half of extra time, midfielder Osaka sharply crossed the ball that came out to the left side from Mark, and it changed course after hitting the Tokyo defender who went to cover, landing right in front of the free Iwase who ran in. He spectacularly headed it in, and it was all over. The intense battle in the 106th minute, which put Tokyo in a strong position for promotion to J1, ended with a disappointing conclusion. They now face a direct confrontation with Oita on September 25th.

When Tokyo tasted the bitterness of defeat after four consecutive losses, they were able to stop the losing streak in the previous match against Kofu, giving them a chance to make a big step forward towards "promotion" once again. Is the "Road to J1" really that long and challenging? It is not just "pressure," but a journey that is "difficult and painful" for the first time. However, if they cannot overcome this adversity, they are not the real deal! In order to not waste the confidence and experience gained from winning the "Nabisco Cup" this season, let's bet everything on the remaining two matches! All they need is to win the remaining two! First, on November 14th, let's defeat "Sendai" at Komazawa!