Win and bring the win-loss ratio to a tie

The opponent for this day is Cerezo Osaka. Last year, they were a team that competed for the championship until the final stage of the 1st stage, but this season they have been struggling and are currently in 15th place after finishing the 11th round. They are still in a serious situation where they have not been able to fill the gap left by former Japan national team forward Nishizawa (currently playing in the Spanish first division). It's not that the members are not fulfilling their roles. In the forward position, there is Morishima, who has become an indispensable player for the Japan national team, and Daishi, who transferred from Urawa to fill the gap left by Nishizawa. In the midfield, there is a Korean trio led by the Korean national team's game maker, Yin. They have plenty of talent. If we were to point out a weakness, it would be the lack of stability in defense. They have conceded 20 goals, the second highest after the bottom-placed Verdy (21 goals), and in the previous round, they conceded a come-from-behind defeat after taking the lead against Verdy with only 15 minutes left in the second half. For Tokyo, they are not an easy opponent, but there should always be a chance to win. If they win this match, Tokyo will finally be able to return to a 5-5 record (currently 5 wins and 6 losses) after constantly being in a losing position since the 2nd round of this season. They want to win and continue their winning streak in the league and face a big match against Kashima on the "Tanabata Night" with the aim of achieving their first three consecutive wins of the season.

The impact of fatigue!? Cerezo mercilessly attacks a heavy Tokyo...

The game started at 7:04 pm under unstable weather with light rain remaining. Serrasso was the first to launch an attack. On the right side, the Korean combo of Lu and Yin served as the foundation, with Morishima getting involved with his abundant physicality to create chances. From the left side, former Korean representative Kim and young talent Nishitani launched a spirited attack. In the 15th minute, a powerful direct shot from outside the penalty area after Doi escaped a punch from a corner kick seemed to be a goal as it went over GK Doi's head, but Yukihiko, who was in the goal area, managed to clear it with a header. Immediately after, it seemed that Asari had cleared a header shot from a corner kick on the right side. They managed to survive the consecutive punches.

On the other hand, Tokyo seemed to be affected by the intense 110-minute battle in the previous match against Hiroshima three days ago. The players felt heavy overall, and their movements were slower than usual, making it difficult to connect passes to the front line. Amaral, who should have been the focal point of the front line, lacked his usual sharpness and strength, and his trademark post-play against the opponent's aggressive marking was lackluster.

The traces of growth in the way of fighting in bad times... A back-and-forth development continues

There was not no chance for Tokyo. In the 18th minute, Kelly received a pass in front of the penalty area after breaking through the center with a wall pass from the counter. Amaral made a one-touch shot after evading the defender and shooting, but the goalkeeper saved it. Kelly took the rebound and shot, but it hit the defender and then Seigo KOBAYASHI shot from the left, narrowly missing the goal on the right side. The team showed their growth by patiently defending and creating chances with a well-balanced fast attack. "Solid defense and fast counterattack" has always been Tokyo's trademark, but they have improved its accuracy through the challenges of J1, a high-level league.

The superior pace of the Celso continued after this. In the 20th minute, Yoon cut in from the right and unleashed a powerful shot with his left foot. Then, in the 22nd minute, Nishitani cut in from the left and took a shot. The ball went well over the goal, but the aggressive attitude of shooting from outside the penalty area of Celso was astonishing.

The attack and defense continued to go back and forth, but towards the end of the first half, Tokyo created consecutive big chances. In the 35th minute, Amaral jumped into a right FK and aimed for a header, but unfortunately missed to the right of the goal. In the following 39th minute, Amaral moved from the left of the penalty area to the right with a dribble, and passed it to Yukihiko on the right side. Yukihiko accurately crossed it diagonally between the opponent's GK and DF, and Kelly jumped in with a sliding but fell just short. Furthermore, in the 42nd minute, Kelly headed a cross from Komine from the right in the center of the goal, but unfortunately missed to the left of the goal. In injury time, Komine unleashed a powerful middle shot with his right foot from an overhead pass, but it was caught by the opponent's GK in front and the first half ended.

Key player Kensuke KAGAMI shines in the last minute of this match!

The situation continued to be a back and forth in the second half. In the second half, Manaka, who replaced Yin, showed sharp movements in front of the goal and actively aimed for a goal in combination with Morishima. On the other hand, Tokyo's captain Shimodaira showed dedicated movements both in attack and defense. He tactically played in front of the defense line to neutralize the opponent's attack, and in attack, he reliably connected passes from the defender to the front (or side).

Tokyo was the first to move to break this back-and-forth situation. First, Kensuke Kagami was brought in. In the past few games since joining, Kagami has demonstrated a large-scale play that utilizes his long reach in the top position. He has become an important option for the attack. Even on this day, there is no doubt that the rhythm has improved since Kagami joined. Kagami actively runs into spaces on both sides and aggressively touches the ball, even taking forceful middle shots himself.

On the other hand, Cerezo also brought in tall FW Okayama immediately after Kagami's substitution. Against Tokyo, whose midfield composition has increased in strength, they have been countering with a power play that utilizes height as their weapon. This Okayama is very strong in the air, and even Sandro couldn't easily defeat him.

In the 37th minute, Tokyo faced a harsh reality. After Kagami, Kina was also brought in to aggressively attack. However, in an instant, the defense line, which had been showing perfect defense with high concentration, was exposed. Nishitani easily broke through the center with a wall pass, and his shot from just before the penalty area with his left foot crawled along the ground, leaving Doi's desperate save in vain as it was sucked into the bottom left corner of the goal.

There was nothing left in Tokyo. Immediately after conceding a goal, Miura, who had just come on as a substitute, was brought in from Kega. There were 7 minutes left. Tokyo fought until the end without giving up, with a super attacking formation that also pushed Sandro up front. However, only difficult times passed. There was a possibility that Cerezo could fall to last place if they lost, and they couldn't afford to lose at home in this situation. Without pushing too hard, when it got tough, they put a long ball to Okayama, the target man, to buy time. And finally, the time disappeared from the scoreboard, and it was the last time. Just when I thought it was hopeless, drama unfolded. Kagami, who had been diligently fighting for the ball until the end, kept the ball in the penalty area and the opponent's defender collided with Kagami out of momentum. Kagami fell, and the referee's decision was a penalty kick! In the final moments, they obtained a miraculous big chance from Kagami's efforts.

As expected, King! A miraculous comeback to a tie, and a dramatic finale!

Without changing his expression in this situation, Amaral calmly set the ball on the penalty mark. On this day, Amaral, who had accumulated fatigue and was unable to do decisive work against the opponent's persistent charge, was the only one who could kick in this situation. The atmosphere in the venue reached its peak. The heartbeat of the stadium and the breath of the spectators could be heard. If he scored, the possibility of victory would greatly open up, and if he missed, it would be time up, creating an extreme sense of tension. Amaral's shot shook the goalkeeper's net. Amaral's victory pose after scoring showed the magnitude of the situation. Tokyo revived with a last-minute equalizer.

The game had completely become Tokyo's when it entered extra time. In the 4th minute, Yukihiko's free kick, and in the 7th, 10th, and 11th minutes, Amaral won the crosses from the side and took shots. On the other hand, Okayama added Sresso to their attack and also brought in the tall forward Sugi. Tokyo's defenders, led by Sandro and Tetsuya ITO, bravely fought back. The stadium was filled with a mixture of screams and cheers.

And after 2 minutes of extra time, Kelly passed the ball in the midfield to Amaral on the front line. Amaral received the ball inside the penalty area, turned sharply and made a forceful dribble. At that moment, the opponent's defender tried to stop Amaral's breakthrough and fouled him. The decision was once again a penalty kick! And of course, Amaral took the kick. Unlike the first goal, Amaral seemed to have a sense of composure this time. Perhaps it was due to his dignified presence on the field, or maybe it was because of the numerous challenges he had overcome... At that moment, even the aura could be felt.

At the next moment, Amaral's kicked ball once again shook the goal net. As expected of King! Both the equalizing penalty kick in regular time and the extra time winning goal were scored amidst the highest level of tension.

With this, Tokyo returns to a tie with 6 wins and 6 losses, and is now ready to face the final stage of the 1st season with a comeback in mind. The incredibly dramatic finale held a tremendous significance.

[Manager Okuma's Comment] We were able to achieve our defensive goals, but we couldn't decisively break through the opponent's four-man defense in our attacks. We managed to break through a few times, but unfortunately, we couldn't convert them into goals. However, I think the team did a great job of catching up today. We relied on Amaral again, but in the future, it's important for other players besides Amaral to step up and become a threat to the opponents. We will do our best for the next Antlers match.