"A Match Testing Tokyo Football"

　The 9th match of the 1st stage is an away game against the strong team Kashiwa Reysol. Kashiwa, who is currently in 4th place after the previous match, has conceded 11 goals, which is not a small number, but they have scored a total of 17 goals. They boast an attacking power this season, including FW Kitajima, who is currently ranked 2nd (tied) in the goal ranking. They would definitely want to extend their winning streak at home and stay in the championship race no matter what.

　Tokyo had a bad record against Kashiwa last season, losing both matches. In those matches, how can they find a way to win? More importantly, how much of Tokyo's style of soccer can they show? This is also a match that will test their winning streak. The starting lineup remains the same as the previous match, with a formation of 4-5-1.

Fast-paced offense and defense, but neither side gives in

　At the start of the first half, Kashiwa FW Kii received a ball from the side and dribbled into the penalty area arc, unleashing a powerful shot. The goal was missed, but Kashiwa continued to attack from the midfield, with FW Kitajima positioned at the post and MF Ono and FW Kii providing passes from the side. They repeatedly created chances, particularly when MF Hirayama attacked from the left. However, Tokyo did not just defend against this, but actively pushed forward from the right with Sato and Naito, while Kelly moved freely and held onto the ball to counter. In the 7th minute, Amaral brought the ball into the goal area alone from a pass by Naito on the right side and took a shot, but the ball went over the goal.

　Kashiwa, when the front is blocked, Hong shows a sharp attack from the DF line to support. In the 18th minute, Kashiwa's CB Tsuyoshi Watanabe attacked to the penalty area, and although the Tokyo DF initially cut it off, it was again taken away and connected, and Ohno, who was waiting freely, took a shot. GK Doi saved the pinch and got away with it. As if in return, in the 19th minute, Sato received a ball from a side change and cut inside to take a shot. Not only breaking through vertically, but also showing a strong consciousness to go towards the goal, both teams are engaged in a fast-paced offensive and defensive battle.

　But today in Tokyo, everyone displayed a very high level of concentration. Sandro marked Kitajima thoroughly, and even when the ball came to Kitajima from the side, he was not allowed to take a shot. In the 25th minute, GK Doi committed a violation of the "6-second rule" and gave an indirect free kick inside the penalty area, but the defenders blocked the shot with their bodies. On the contrary, in the 29th minute, Kelly headed a cross from Sato-Naito combination play. In the 31st minute, Narumitsu Kobayashi broke through the left side. He dribbled into the side of the goal and sent a last pass that was cut off by the Kashiwa DF, but they continued to grasp the rhythm of the attack. Kashiwa also actively shot back with Ohno and MF Yanagi, but in the 39th minute, Tokyo had a big chance. Miura broke through on the right side with a one-two with Naito, evaded the DF, and sent a cross that Kelly volleyed! The ball was deflected by Kashiwa GK Minami's hand and hit the post. The rebound came back to Kelly's feet again, but ultimately they couldn't score a goal.

Kelly scores the opening goal! And the game is intense

　After this play, an accident strikes. In the 40th minute, Kashiwa's Yanagi retaliates against Miura's sliding tackle and is sent off. And... Sato, who confronted Yanagi, is also shown a red card. Both teams, who have been evenly matched, are now down to 10 players due to these red cards. For Tokyo, the expulsion of Sato, who has been a key player on the side and has shown great effort, is painful, but once the decision has been made, there is no choice but to start over. Kelly is placed in the midfield right position, and Kashiwa rearranges their formation with Akira as a lone defensive midfielder as they head into the second half.

　In the 47th minute of the second half, Tokyo dropped the ball from Kobayashi and Amalao took a shot. Immediately after, Kashiwa's Kitajima competed in front of the goal and threatened with a combination of Kii and Ohno. Then, in the 50th minute, Miura, who had jumped in from the left side, received a foul near the goal line and won a free kick. With this ball kicked by Kelly, it went over the hands of GK Minami and curved into the upper right corner of the goal! With this artistic direct free kick by Kelly, Tokyo took the lead.

　The game will become more intense from here. In an attempt to bounce back from being behind, Kashiwa pushed up as a whole, with Hong attacking and Huang rushing towards the goal. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tokyo launched a quick counterattack. In the 55th minute, Naito -> Miura -> Amaral, and in the following 56th minute, Kashiwa launched a counterattack with Fujiyama and Kelly from a corner kick, but neither were able to score additional points.

　Kashiwa made substitutions in the 58th minute, replacing both side midfielders Hirayama and Watanabe Mitsuki with Sandokawa in midfield and Sakai up front, in an attempt to utilize attacking from the sides once again. However, in the 61st minute, Tokyo broke through the left side with Kelly and Fujiyama, and Kelly received a return pass in the center but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper. On the contrary, in the 62nd minute, Kashiwa made a big side change pass from the left, which Kitajima dropped and Sakai took a shot that narrowly missed the right side of the goal. Just two minutes later, Higai made a great save to deny a middle shot from midfielder Myojin, resulting in a corner kick and the intense back-and-forth continued. However, Higai also saved a powerful shot from Sandokawa in the 66th minute. It was a fine play.

Show Tokyo's style in offense and defense

　In the 73rd minute, Tokyo substituted Shimpei for Kobayashi due to Amaral's excessive pulling from the side, as instructed by Coach Okuma, so that he could give instructions from the position of the defensive midfielder and prevent balls from the side. In the 78th minute, Miura broke through the back of the left side defender from a free kick and attacked into the penalty area, but his shot was blocked by the post. Kashiwa launched a fierce attack, even pushing Watanabe, the center back, forward to score a goal, but Tokyo defended with their bodies and repeatedly launched fast counterattacks, typical of Tokyo's style. Although they couldn't score an additional goal, Tokyo today never lost their focus. In the 88th minute, Doi saved Kashiwa's shot in yellow. In the 89th minute, Shimpei prevented Hong's powerful shot with a spirited sliding tackle. And just when it seemed like the game would end 1-0 in injury time, Kelly received Naito's throw-in from the right side and forcefully sent the ball to the front of the goal, even in an awkward position. And Amaral, who was waiting in the center, aimed carefully and struck the ball with his head into the bottom left corner of the goal! With this second goal, they stopped Kashiwa's momentum...

　Tokyo secured their first consecutive victory in a thrilling game where both teams showed their determination. They want to carry this confidence and momentum into the next home game at Tokyo Stadium without any interruption.

[Manager Nishino's Comment] "The reason for the loss was that we couldn't break through. Even though we were pushing and taking the lead, we couldn't break through in the end. We can't break through with slow attacks. I think we lacked balls that would challenge more. I think we have enough strength, but we can't play the soccer we are aiming for. I keenly feel that we need to create a team that can consistently deliver the best performance, saying 'This is Reysol's soccer'."

[Coach Okuma's Comment] "There were times when we played too defensively after scoring a goal, but our balance was not disrupted. Our defense was able to hold their ground in the zone, and our forward line was able to carry the ball to the goal. Our energy level did not drop, and I think we performed well both offensively and defensively. I want us to approach the next game with the same level of focus as today."