The Ultimate Showdown!? Take on the Champion

　In the 9th match, FC Tokyo will face Júbilo Iwata, who are the champions of the 1st stage and currently leading the 2nd stage, at home. Tokyo has had 4 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss so far. In the 5 matches since September, they drew against Ichihara and Nagoya in the previous match, but won all 3 matches by a one-point difference, showing their strength in close games. This match against the top-ranked Iwata is of great significance for Tokyo, who are currently in 3rd place with a 4-point difference. It can be said to be a crucial battle that will determine the leader. It was expected to be a tough fight against the champions, but Tokyo wants to confront them with their characteristic soccer, sweating and using their wisdom as a united team. In the rain, they gathered the expectations of over 22,000 spectators and kicked off the intense battle at the Japan National Stadium, which is the only venue for this season.

Despite being dominated, the chances are more than equal

　It was not easy to break down the solid defense that has only conceded 4 goals in 8 matches on the current stage, against Iwata's midfield with strong ball retention. Right after the start, Tetsuya ITO aggressively ran up the right side and delivered a sharp cross, but the defense cleared it. While Iwata took care of Tokyo's attacks from the right side, they calmly circulated the ball to gradually establish their own rhythm. They then played vertical balls to the forward line, targeting Nakayama and Maeda, and threatened the goal. Iwata tried to take advantage of set plays against Tokyo, who stopped them with fouls. In the 7th minute, midfielder Hattori aimed for the goal from a direct free kick, but GK Doi caught it.

　Iwata, who quickly approached the loose ball, dominated the midfield. In the 9th minute, MF Nishi, in the 10th minute, MF Kanazawa, Fukunishi, successively shot from the middle range, but Doi's save also prevented an easy goal. In the 12th minute, MF Fujita's CK was blocked by the post and nothing happened. In the following 14 minutes, Hattori snatched the ball in the midfield and quickly switched to attack, but without forcing it, slowly connected and finally Hattori took a middle shot. The game continues in the Tokyo field. However, Iwata, who does not use back passes frequently and does not force anything, does not try to attack Tokyo's side and instead puts the ball in the middle with a wedge. In response, Tokyo's final line concentrates on defense, with a strong sense of covering, and does not allow decisive scenes to be created.

　On the other hand, Tokyo was unable to make much progress even when they took the ball at a low position. However, in the 20th minute, Amaral connected the ball from a withdrawn position to the right side. Sato, who attempted to break through, sent a sharp cross, but it was blocked by the defender who collided with Fukuda in front of the goal. In the 23rd minute, Amaral picked up the opponent's clearance ball and connected again, making a good decision to the open space on the right side. Sato, who dribbled into the box, took a powerful shot, but it was saved by GK Van Zwam as Tokyo tried to find a way out on the counterattack and regain their rhythm. Then, in the 32nd minute, Sato on the right side persistently passed a vertical pass behind the defender, and Kelly appeared smoothly and sent a ground ball to the center. Amaral jumped in, colliding with the goalkeeper, and the ball went into the goal! However, in the next moment, unbelievably, the referee judged it as a foul on the goalkeeper. The arena was in an uproar for a while, but once a decision is made, it cannot be overturned, and unfortunately, it became a "phantom opening goal".

　However, this play gave Tokyo Eleven a sense of "making the most of one chance". The press from Iwata against the spirited Tokyo weakened, and in the 42nd minute, Kelly kept the ball in the midfield and Sato delivered a sharp cross, with Fukuda heading towards the center of the goal. However, the fine play by Iwata's substitute goalkeeper Okami, who replaced the injured Van Zwam, stopped the shot. From the resulting corner kick, Amaral also attempted a header, but once again the goalkeeper made a fine save. In the following 44th minute, Kelly picked up a poor clearance by the opponent's defender and took a powerful shot, but the ball narrowly missed the goal to the left. In the end, there were no goals and the first half ended 0-0. However, despite being dominated, there were more than equal chances, showing a promising performance for the second half.

First goal by Miura! Intense battle between awakened Iwata and fierce attack and defense

　In the second half, Iwata, who wants to attack from both sides, substituted Maeda for FW Shimizu. In the 48th minute, they quickly transitioned from defense to offense, showing a flowing pass work from Nakayama to Shimizu to Nishi to Fujita, but Shimizu's shot went over the goal. On the other hand, Tokyo, without being pushed too much like in the first half, prevented a chance by putting an offside trap on the through pass from Nishi to Nakayama, who had run behind the defense in the 49th minute. They try to play in their own rhythm. And in the 54th minute, Miura, who had the ball in the midfield, temporarily entrusted it to Ito on the right side, and Ito sent a floating ball to the front of the goal. Amaral then sent it to Kelly, who was positioned in front of him, with a header, and Kelly became the post, and Miura, who had run in fiercely, shot! With Amaral's and Kelly's reliable post play and Miura's good judgment in jumping out, they broke through the solid defense line of Iwata's and took a valuable lead!

　The game becomes much faster from here, and the match becomes tougher. In the 56th and 57th minutes, Iwata showed a fast attack by letting FW Nakayama run vertically on the side and Shimizu receiving the ball in the center. However, Tokyo marked tightly and did not allow them to take a shot. In the 60th minute, Fujita took a free kick from the left side of the penalty arc and hit the bottom left corner of the goal, but Doi made a super save. They also defended consecutive corner kicks. However, in the 64th minute, Nishi, who was free in the midfield, passed to Nakayama on the left side of the penalty area. Nakayama chested the ball down, and Kanazawa, who had run through the Tokyo defenders, shot with speed. This goal equalized the score. Iwata put pressure on Tokyo, and in the 65th minute, MF Fukunishi took a powerful long-range shot. Tokyo tried to counterattack, but struggled to connect passes. Then, in the 72nd minute, Iwata took advantage of a throw-in as MF Fujita received the ball and broke through to the back of the goal. Despite being off balance, Fujita made a lofted pass to the front of the goal. Shimizu's header found the back of the net, and they conceded the second goal due to Fujita's clever play.

　However, in the 73rd minute immediately after, Tokyo substituted Kaga for Fukuda, and in the 74th minute, Kina for Asari, and in the 76th minute, Yamao for Komine. Yamao, who was praised for his attacking abilities, entered the midfield, and the three-back defensive line turned to a formation where Miura provided support. The effect was immediately apparent, and in the 79th minute, Kina connected with Sato on the right side, made a move to surpass the opposing defender, received a well-timed return pass from Sato, and dribbled into the penalty area to send a cross. Kaga, who was waiting in front of the goal, directly scored with a fantastic combination play, equalizing the score and reaching the peak of excitement in the stadium.

While acknowledging the difference in strength, proudly move on to the "next"

　"One more goal!" The stadium was filled with a pushing atmosphere... However, it wasn't going to be easy. The color of the eyes of the Iwata players who caught up had changed. In the 81st minute, just two minutes after the equalizer, taking advantage of Tokyo's vulnerability in the forward position, Nishi dribbled along the right sideline and passed a strong ground pass to the center. Sandro stretched his leg to reach it, but the interception was weak, and unfortunately, it spilled in front of Shimizu's goal. Shimizu neatly pushed the ball into the goal and took the lead. Once again, Tokyo found themselves one goal behind. Nevertheless, Yamao repeatedly moved from the midfield to the front line, and Sandro also joined the attack with everyone, but their forward consciousness ended up backfiring. In the 85th minute, Iwata's defender Kawamura, who had replaced Nishi, was left free in the midfield and took a powerful shot. Although Doi initially made the save, the loose ball couldn't be cleared by Tokyo's defenders. Shimizu quickly headed towards the goal and scored the fourth goal. In the 86th minute, Sandro cleared Kawamura's dribble from a counterattack. However, due to a collision with Doi, the goal was left wide open. Kawamura picked it up again, and in the end, ace Nakayama scored the final goal. The game ended with a concession of the fifth goal.

　In the end, we conceded 3 goals in the last 10 minutes. It was a bitter defeat that made us realize the difference in game control. Tokyo, who has now dropped to 5th place in the rankings. However, we cannot give up. The "challenge" that we faced head-on against the champions should not have been in vain. We must not break here. While acknowledging the difference in strength, we want to face tomorrow with pride, using this defeat as a stepping stone.

[Manager Suzuki's Comment] "In the first half, the backline pushed up and the midfielders lined up in a row, which disrupted the balance. There were parts where we were saved by the goalkeeper's performance. In the second half, the center-backs pushed the midfielders forward to restore the balance and tried to press in the midfield. In the attack, we aimed to dominate the midfield and break through the sides rhythmically and directly, or with changes in speed. Jubilo must win even with this kind of performance, and after being equalized, the players showed on the field the determination to win for the championship. I think it was a game like that."

[Manager Okuma's Comment] "(What I regret is) the difference in team balance and experience when we conceded the third goal. Iwata had their strengths, but looking back now, we needed a stable position and a stable mindset when it became 2-2. However, football is a difficult thing, and resting in that situation could also be... In any case, both individually and as a team, there may have been parts where our situational judgment was lacking. The players were in a situation where they had no choice but to challenge, and I think they challenged well. The most important thing now is not to break here, but to switch to the next game."