Change your mindset and start again

　In the previous match, Tokyo faced Júbilo Iwata, the 1st champion, in a "big match to survive in the championship race," and although they played an evenly matched intense battle until the last 10 minutes, they ultimately suffered a heavy defeat with 5 goals conceded. For Tokyo, the match against Fukuoka on this day is an important game that will determine their future. Although winning the championship has become realistically difficult, the possibility is not zero, and it is important for the team to continue to "fight" here in order to grow. It has only been three days since the fierce battle against Iwata and the heavy defeat, and the physical and mental fatigue of the players is immeasurable, but it is necessary to switch their mindset, fight, and not collapse here. In order to secure a higher position than last year and for the future of Tokyo, I wanted them to somehow overcome this tough situation.

　On the other hand, for Fukuoka, this match was a very important one. In the previous round, Fukuoka drew with Urawa, who are also in danger of relegation, and dropped to 14th place in the annual ranking, in a critical situation just above the relegation line. The point difference with Verdy, who are just below in 15th place, is 7, so if they win this match, they will make a big step forward towards "remaining" in the league, but if they lose, the sound of "relegation" will come closer. It is known that Fukuoka will come desperately. Furthermore, the venue for this match is their home ground, Hakata. As a team known for their intense play, it was easy to imagine that they would come to fight to the death with the attitude of "doing whatever it takes".

　The important match that will greatly influence the future for both sides kicked off at 3:00 PM in the refreshing autumn weather at Hakatanomori.A Stadium, igniting a fierce battle.

Overwhelmed by Fukuoka's momentum, they conceded a goal in the first 2 minutes of the match.

　Fukuoka's start was desperate. Amidst the unique rhythm of Hakata no Mori, the stadium was enveloped by the passionate support of the fans, and the Fukuoka Eleven fiercely invaded the Tokyo territory from the beginning. As Coach Okuma had pointed out to the players in the pre-match meeting, Fukuoka came to take the lead completely on the offensive from the start, not giving Tokyo any breathing room by applying pressure from the front line and quickly playing vertical passes.

　Tokyo is confused by the unique rhythm that surrounds the stadium when Fukuoka attacks, starting immediately with "Yoisho! Totto, Yoisho! Totto.." and 2 minutes in, the ball that was initially shot back from a right corner kick is kicked powerfully by MF Hirashima from an angleless position, resulting in an immediate goal. It can be said that they were overwhelmed by the away atmosphere, but it was also a fact that Tokyo's start was slow, as they did not take measures such as "kicking the ball far to stop the opponent's aggressive momentum" right after the start, which led to conceding a goal. It is true that Fukuoka had a sharp start, but it is also true that Tokyo's start was slow.

Kelly injured and Tokyo loses momentum

　It was a momentary nightmare, but Tokyo woke up and immediately turned the tables. Now, as a side attacker, Yukihiko, who boasts one of the best breakthrough abilities in J-League, starts to show his speed and breakthrough from dribbling on the right side. Fukuoka's aggressive momentum is halted, and instead Tokyo starts to launch calculated attacks with Miura's composed ball control and distribution in the deep midfield. With Kelly and Amaral providing stability up front, the flow of the game quickly shifts in favor of Tokyo.

　In the 9th minute, Fujiyama, who participated in the attack, crossed from the left side, and Amaral, who competed near the penalty area, headed the ball forward. Kelly, who reacted sharply to this, broke free and shot with his left foot, but unfortunately it went to the right of the goal. In the 2nd stage, Tokyo, who has gained confidence in always recovering even if they are scored against, gradually dominated the midfield and threatened the Fukuoka goal. However, in the 14th minute, just as Tokyo was about to set the pace, Kelly tried to break through in the midfield and was challenged by Fukuoka MF Nakahara, who, like a forbidden technique in judo, wrapped his right arm around Kelly's arm and both fell down. In the next moment, Kelly screamed and struggled, holding his right arm in pain. The play was interrupted, and Kelly had to receive treatment outside the pitch, but Tokyo players expressed their anger at the extremely dangerous play that could take away a player's career and protested fiercely. In the end, this series of events became the trigger for the game to become chaotic, leaving only a bad aftertaste and making the game uninteresting.

　Tokyo lost its core with Kelly at a crucial time, and Amaral fought alone on the front line, but the side attacks were completely toned down. A few minutes later, Kelly returned to the pitch with his right arm taped and regained some rhythm, but his play without the use of his right arm lacked speed and did not completely break down Fukuoka. Still, in the 23rd minute, a brilliant wall pass from Kelly to Amaral to Kelly from the center broke through the Fukuoka defense, and finally a sublime pass from Kelly to Fukuda in the center, who unleashed a powerful volley with his left foot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the end, Kelly gave up playing and was replaced by Kagami in the 31st minute.

Game break with rough play...

　Tokyo, who lost Kelly, implemented a two-top formation with Fukuda and Amaral for the first time here. Kaga on the left and Yukihiko on the right aimed for the Fukuoka goal with renewed determination. However, what awaited them was once again a "dirty foul". In the 32nd minute, the ball kicked by the opponent's GK flowed to Tokyo's left side, and Komine kept it by putting his body in, but Fukuoka FW Yamashita kicked Komine's leg from behind and knocked him down, then crossed the ball and Nakabara, who was waiting in the center, took a volley shot. The ball bounced high and went over Doi's head, but hit the crossbar and did not go into the goal. Immediately after that, Sandro tried to clear the ball that was played behind Tokyo's DF line with his left foot, but once again Yamashita kicked Sandro's right foot, and Sandro's clearance became smaller, and then he was shot. Although it didn't go into the goal, Tokyo's players completely lost their composure due to this continuous foul-like play. In the 34th minute immediately after that, Ito Tetsu, who is famous for having few fouls, knocked down Fukuoka FW Yamashita after an intense chase and received a yellow card. In the following 36th minute, Sandro was hit hard in the face with an elbow when competing with Fukuoka FW Hattori in an aerial battle, and he bled. Sandro fiercely protested. Sandro had never shown such anger before, but in the end, he had to pay the price of getting 5 stitches above his lip. Immediately after that, in the 37th minute, Amaral and Fukuoka MF Lu got into an argument and both received yellow cards in a mutual fight.

　The game has taken on a chaotic appearance, but both teams still have the goal of winning the game and continue to focus on playing. In the middle of intense battles for the ball, the offense and defense rapidly change places. In the 42nd minute, Tokyo received the ball on the left side from Kaga and concentrated on the attack, sending a through pass behind the shallow Fukuoka DF line. Fukuda jumped in and took a sliding shot! The shot was unexpected and had a good trajectory, but unfortunately, it was blocked by the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. Both teams started creating chances with quick transitions between offense and defense, but the game was interrupted once again due to unnecessary rough play. In the final moments of injury time, Fukuoka MF Nakahara and Ito Tetsuya fought for the ball, and once again, Kelly used the same move (wrapping his arm around) on both of them, causing them to fall. Ito Tetsuya, like Kelly, writhed in pain on the pitch, and although his left elbow was only lightly sprained, his right shoulder was bruised, further worsening the already fractured left hand. It was clear that this was an extremely dangerous act, and the game continued to escalate in its unruly nature.

A greater cost than defeat...

At halftime, Coach Kiyoshi OKUMA instructed the players to concentrate on the game and they pledged to give their all on the pitch to achieve victory with the current strength they have.

　Early in the game, Kagami crossed from the left side and Fukuda jumped in the center but fell short. Shortly after, Miura broke through deeply from the right side and passed to Granda in the center, but Amaral was cleared by the marker. Tokyo gradually built up rhythm as Kagami, who was in good form, made big movements from the left to the right side in the front line. In the 4th minute, Miura headed the cross from Yukihiko on the right side in the center, but it went over the bar. In the following 8th minute, Kagami unleashed a powerful volley after Ito Tetsuya's cross was cleared by the opponent's defender, but it also went over the bar. In the 16th minute, Kina was brought in to make a gamble, and the ball possession rate in the midfield increased significantly, creating more chances.

　On the other hand, Fukuoka is generally defensive due to their one-point lead, relying on counterattacks to steal the ball and entrusting it to Badea. From there, they distribute passes to Yamashita and Nakahara in the front line. They also break through the sides and send crosses, with Hattori, who is strong in headers, waiting in front of the goal. There is no room for complacency. Tokyo, in order to equalize the score, is taking some risks and pressing forward, so the number of Tokyo DF players during counterattacks is small, and they faced many dangerous situations. In the 21st and 24th minutes, Yamashita took shots from in front of the goal in quick succession, but both missed the goal by a narrow margin. The breakthroughs from the precise passing exchange between Yamashita and Nakahara in front of the goal are astonishing, and the Tokyo DF, led by Komine, defended with high concentration.

　29 minutes, substitute FW Toda for injured Ito. Approached the goal with an ultra-attacking formation of 3 tops. In the 31st minute, Fukuda headed Kina's cross, but unfortunately it was right in front of the goalkeeper. On the contrary, in the immediate 32nd minute, the left side was broken through from the counterattack, and when the cross was raised, the ball crossed in front of the goal and Hattori shot from a close distance on the opposite side, but it went over the bar. Furthermore, in the 34th minute, when the right side was broken through from the counterattack and the cross was raised, Hattori was headed by Donpisha in front of the goal, but Doi made a fine save and Yamashita followed up on the loose ball, but Doi caught it. Tokyo reduced the number of defenders and increased the number of attacks, but apart from Amaral, they couldn't create a focal point in the front line, and there was no breakthrough from the side to penetrate the opponent's defense, so they couldn't create decisive chances. Occasionally, Kina and Miura send looping passes to Fukuda's run into the goal, but they are either caught by the goalkeeper or cleared by the defenders. In the last minutes of injury time, Yukihiko shot a powerful volley from the opposite side to the cross raised by Kagami from the left, but it was saved by the goalkeeper and all hope was lost. In the end, the game ended with a score of 0-1. It is true that Kelly's departure in that way had a significant impact, but it is also true that Tokyo did not play soccer that could break the opponent. Tokyo completely lost their composure in the end. They became impatient in their attacks and were strangling themselves with unnecessary fouls against Fukuoka's time-wasting tactics from the early stages. In the end, it can be said that they fell into Fukuoka's "trap" from the beginning. However, it was not something that could be easily dismissed as "lack of experience". The malicious rough play against Kelly, Ito, and Sandro is by no means acceptable, and it is impossible to expect a calm state of mind in response to such actions. Normally, at the end of a game, there is a beautiful scene where players from both teams congratulate each other on their efforts, but on this day, a completely different scenario unfolded. Both teams got into a brawl, and the staff had to intervene... Can this be called a sport? The J-League, which was established with a wonderful philosophy, must not forget that it is a healthy sport before it is soccer.

　Tokyo suffered a significant loss on this day, not just in terms of defeat. It was not mentioned in the text, but Miura also fell victim to a malicious tackle during the game and sprained his right knee. The players are precious treasures of the team and the fans. In that sense, it can only be said that it was a disappointing match. In the next match against Marinos, we want to have a fantastic good game.

[Coach Okuma's Comment] Football is a sport, and it is essential to establish it as a sport. In that sense, today was disappointing as "teammates who want to play together." Before the outcome, it is necessary to understand such things. Everyone should recognize that players are treasures. As for the content of the game, one point to reflect on is that we couldn't establish a focal point in the front line after Kelly left. There was no breakthrough behind the opponent's defense when they pulled back. In the future, I want to think about establishing a focal point when Kelly is not there. I want to switch my mindset and continue fighting. *As an official website, there were some parts that were written too emotionally, so we have made some corrections today. (2001.10.22)