Final Round, the home game that we want to conclude with a victory

　Only 2 matches left in the 2001 J1 League. Today is the final home game. In the previous match, Tokyo was defeated by Kashima, who is leading the league, but there were many bright signs for the team, such as scoring the opening goal in a flash and the return of Kelly and Ito Tetsuya from injury. On the other hand, Kobe, although still in danger of relegation to J2 at the end of the previous match, had secured J1 survival before the start of this match due to the results of other day games. Both teams will not let their guard down, but Tokyo wants to avoid consecutive losses and aim for a higher position without treating this game as a mere formality of the J-League. Above all, it's a home game. We have to respond to the support we have received at Tokyo Stadium throughout the year with a victory. As the sun had completely set and it started to feel colder, at 19:04, the kickoff was accompanied by louder cheers than usual from the stands.

Unable to create decisive scenes, a lackluster first half...

　Kobe has approached the game with a 3-5-2 formation, compact from FW to DF and wide on both sides. Tokyo, on the other hand, tries to connect attacks by actively intercepting the ball through pressing in the midfield, with players like Fujiyama and Shimodaira. Tokyo's right side is energetic today as well, with Sato trying to run up the sideline and cross the ball in the 8th minute, but he was blocked by the DF. In the 9th minute, the ball was passed to Fukuda on the left side after Fujiyama's interception, and Fukuda cut into the penalty area and took a shot, but it was caught by the opponent's GK. After that, Tokyo gradually gained control by winning the ball in the midfield. In the 14th minute, Fukuda and Fujiyama tried to break through the final line with their combination. In the 16th minute, Sato received a sharp cross from Ito. In the 17th minute, when Miura, who had moved up to the front line, received a return pass from Kelly from behind and entered the shooting motion, but both were cut off by the Kobe DF. In the 19th minute, Kobe also connected a vertical pass from the DF line to FW Miura Kazu, who then crossed it back inside from the side, but it was anticipated by the defense.

Not compatible with Miura. The situation where neither could bring it to a finish continued. However, in the 22nd minute, Amaral headed a cross from Miura, who ran up the left side. It seemed decisive, but unfortunately it missed above the goal. In the 25th minute, Miura broke through on a ball aimed at the back of the defense line and made a last pass, but Sato's shot was caught in a melee in front of the goal, and in the end, it was blocked by the Kobe defense again.

　From around this area, the Kobe DF completely retreated. The ball was not chased from the front line, and the wing backs and sometimes the defensive midfielders returned to the final line to defend, with six players guarding the goal. Tokyo tried to create a breakthrough from Kelly and Sato, and in the 34th minute, Sato, who had come out behind the DF line, made a fast cross, but the DF cut it off. In the 41st minute, Kelly's cross did not reach Fukuda or Amaral in front of the goal. In the 43rd minute, Fujiyama overlapped in the midfield space and sent a powerful last pass after passing Fukuda, but the DF cleared it. Tokyo was unable to bring it to a finish while being defended and Kobe, on the other hand, only had one header shot from DF Clayson, and overall, the impression was low as the first half ended.

Caught in Kobe's trap, Amaral scores the equalizer

　The halftime instructions from Coach Okuma were "One of the fullbacks should actively participate in the attack. Miura is making good runs, so let's improve the accuracy of the final pass." In the second half, with renewed determination, Shimodaira took an aggressive shot from outside the box in the 48th minute to try to pull the defenders out. Kobe's Coach Kawakatsu said, "The first half went according to plan without disrupting the balance. In the second half, the wind direction will change, so it's okay to use long balls." In the 49th minute, he substituted Santos with midfielder Sugawara, but the defensive posture remained the same.

　However, in the 53rd minute, a momentary gap was created in the Tokyo DF, which had been concentrating until then. The cross from the left side of Tokyo was cleared once, but the clear ball picked up by Komine in front of the goal was passed to the opponent's MF Daniel. Daniel attracted the DF and passed to Miura Kazu on the right. Sandro was facing Kazu, but his well-aimed right-footed shot shook the goal net, and Kobe took the lead with their second shot of the day.

　Tokyo substituted Kobayashi for Fukuda in the 57th minute. Immediately after, Miura headed Sato's cross but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 59th minute, Shimohira substituted Kina. In the 60th minute, Sandro headed the right corner kick but it went left of the goal. Although Tokyo dominated the ball, their passing and shooting accuracy was poor and they couldn't score. Kobe's attack didn't pose a threat, and Tokyo pushed their defenders up with a 3-back formation, with Fujiyama and Sandro also joining the attack. However, in the 64th minute, Kelly's trap from Kina's cross was cut off by Kobe's defenders. In the 65th minute, Sato quickly switched the ball and passed it to Kina, who had moved forward on the right side. Miura jumped in freely to meet Kina's cross from a deep position, but his volley shot went over the bar. Miura and Kina created promising opportunities but couldn't convert their shots, and gradually struggled to break through Kobe's solid defensive line centered around Shijikurei.

　In the 73rd minute, Kobayashi was substituted for Komine. Tokyo, with Miura taking care of the final line, also pushed Sandro forward and aimed for a chance. On the other hand, Kobe has increasingly resorted to fouls that do not hesitate to receive yellow cards. And in the 83rd minute, Miura persevered on the right side, dribbled and tried to break through the middle, but was fouled and awarded a free kick. Kelly sent a precise ball in front of the goal from the right outside the penalty area, and Amaral headed it in! Amaral's 17th goal of the season equalized the score!!

　Tokyo, who wants to take advantage of this momentum and break away, had a chance in the 88th minute when Kelly and Sato combined, and Miura, who had come up from behind, took a shot but it went wide to the left of the goal. In injury time, this time they tried to break through with Amaral to Kelly from the left side of Fujiyama, but they couldn't take a shot. Miura also attempted a long-range shot from the open space in the midfield, but ultimately couldn't score a goal, and the game went into extra time.

The 6th overtime of the season lacked a decisive factor...

　The momentum was supposed to catch up with Tokyo. However, it was Kobe who connected the passes and found the rhythm. In the beginning, Kobayashi Sei persistently crossed from the left side, but the Kobe defenders responded without losing focus. In the 93rd minute, MF Daniel dribbled through Tokyo's midfield, which was pushing forward, and took a shot from outside the box. Immediately after, Tokyo's Fujiyama sent a final pass into the penalty area from Kina, but it was cut off before reaching Kelly. In the extra time, Kobe's defense became increasingly intense, ultimately diminishing Tokyo's momentum.

　Kobe substituted FW Wada for Okano in the 96th minute. In the 97th minute, Wada broke through the center of the DF line alone. Sandro stopped him from behind with a foul, but he was shown a yellow card for this play. Daniel's FK in front of Kobe's goal was saved perfectly by Doi, but with the introduction of Wada, Tokyo had to pay even more attention to defense than before. In the 101st minute, Kobe's attacking line stuck to the ball that was sent out in front of the goal, and Fujiyama's clearance was weak, right in front of DF Matsuo who had moved up. The shot missed the goal and the pinch was avoided, but it was a moment that made us nervous. In the first half of extra time, Wada took a powerful shot from a cross from Kobe's left side after Kazu's post-stop play. This shot also narrowly missed the goal, but it was a dangerous situation.

　As the second half of extra time began, the atmosphere in the stadium reached its peak and the intensity of the game on the pitch increased. In the 107th minute,

The ball was passed to Kina, who had moved behind the DF line from Fujiyama, and Kina drifted to the side and crossed the ball in front of the goal. Kobayashi Seigo took a shot after the DF cleared the ball, but the goal was not captured. They showed a good attacking form, but this ultimately became Tokyo's only shot in extra time.

　On the contrary, in the 111th and 113th minutes, they gave consecutive CKs and were shot by Shijikurei with a heading shot, but this hit the front of Toi. Tokyo is in a difficult situation where they can no longer pick up loose balls. In the 118th minute, FW Kaginuki was substituted for Sato, but both teams lacked the decisive touch and the time was up. Tokyo ended up with a bitter draw, being trapped by Kobe's tactics despite dominating throughout the game. The last home game of the season was unable to respond to the passionate support from the fans who continued to support us from start to finish, and ended in a regrettable draw. There is only one more league game left. Although it is technically an away game, we will face Verdy at home, Tokyo Stadium, on November 24th (Saturday). It is inevitable that it will be an intense match against an opponent on the verge of relegation to J2, but Tokyo will end the season with a resounding victory!

[Coach Okuma's comment]

"Today's game was a symbol of Tokyo's progress throughout the season = we have improved but still struggle to win. We showed resilience by equalizing in that period of time, but since entering the second stage, we have had many extensions and still lack the ability to win decisively. I felt that in order to constantly compete for the championship or win in J1 in the future, we need to overcome the obstacles symbolized by today's game. However, the team is making progress, so we need to maintain this balance and improve our attacking variations and strength a little more. We have one more game, and we want to play a game that can be said to have overcome those challenges and lead us to the Emperor's Cup."