Intercepting the Kyoto whirlwind

　The 13th section, which is also the final stage of the 1st stage, is a match against Kyoto Purple Sanga, who is currently on a 7-game winning streak. However, Kyoto fought a fierce battle in the extended game against F.Marinos on August 4th (Sunday) in the previous section, and they will face this match with only 2 days of rest. In addition, they are not in perfect condition as they are missing key players such as FW Matsui, MF Nakabara, and DF Suzuki (Kazu) due to accumulated warnings.

　If we can stop Kyoto's momentum here and get a win, there is still a good chance of breaking into the top. Tokyo wants to make the most of any advantageous conditions and aim for a third consecutive victory. Shimohira will be absent due to accumulated warnings, but Asari will play as a defensive midfielder for the first time since the 7th round. Moenishi will also be on the right side back, just like in the previous round, as we kick off.

Awaiting In Form Kyoto

The visitors for the 13th game of the first stage were Kyoto Purple Sanga, currently riding a seven game unbeaten run. However, a two hour battle with F Marinos the previous Sunday and the suspension of regulars Matsui, Nakaharai and Suzuki meant they were below full strength and an F.C.TOKYO win would see them leapfrog Kyoto in the league table. TOKYO, looking for a third consecutive win themselves, were without the suspended Shimotaira, but welcomed back Asari in the defensive half position for his first start since April. Moniwa continued at right side back; the game kicked off at 7:04 pm with the mercury showing 30C.

Impressive plays by Doi, showcasing Amaral's competitiveness in the first half

　From the start, both teams played with compact formations and battled in the crowded midfield, but they were unable to create any clear chances. In the 7th minute, Kyoto's MF Nakamura picked up a clearance from Tokyo's DF and took the first shot of the match. In the 8th minute, Ito intercepted a pass from Miyazawa to Ishikawa, preventing Kurobe, the center forward, from breaking through. There was no danger. In the 18th minute, they were pressured and attacked near the goal, but escaped with a corner kick thanks to a good decision by Shigeki.

　But it was the 22nd minute. Fujiyama, who was competing against Kurobe, fouled him as he tried to invade the penalty area again from the counter. It was not an intense play, but Kurobe was judged to have received a penalty kick in a form that succumbed to his speed. However, the PK kicked by Kurobe was saved by Doi, who did not overlook the weakness of the course! He escaped from a decisive pinch with Doi's fine play.

　However, Kyoto plays with an attacking 3-4-3 formation, but when they defend, they switch to a 5-4-1 formation, making their defense solid. Tokyo is unable to find openings. In the 25th, 27th, and 28th minutes, they attempted to send passes behind the defense line, but the timing was off and they couldn't establish a rhythm. In the 29th minute, Kelly dribbled up the right side and Toda received the ball in the penalty area and returned it to the left side. However, Kelly, who had moved up to support, collided with Miyazawa, who had run in from behind. There is a sense of disarray somewhere. In the 31st minute, Toda headed down a cross from the right side, and Amaral, who had slipped behind the defense, took a free shot. However, the ball hit the crossbar, eliciting a sigh from the stands.

　However, in the 39th minute, Amaral, who was trying to meet Ishikawa's cross, was fouled in the penalty area, and this time Tokyo got a penalty kick. A chance for the opening goal was unexpectedly created, but Amaral himself kicked it in and took a 1-0 lead in a difficult situation. The game went into the second half.

A Tale Of Two Penalties

Both sides began the contest in compact form, squeezing play into the crowded midfield area. Kyoto midfielder Nakamura essayed the first shot of the match after 7 minutes but his attempt had no power and Doi held easily. Kurobe intercepted a loose pass from Miyazawa to Ishikawa a minute later and bore down on goal-Ito scrambled back to clear the danger. Moniwa was on hand in the 18th. minute to break up a threatening Kyoto move. A largely uneventful first half burst into life in the 22nd minute as Kyoto centre forward Kurobe, chasing a long ball with Fujiyama in attendance, collapsed in a flailing mass of arms and legs on the edge of the area. The referee pointed to the spot; justice was served though as Doi read the kick well and dived to his left for a great save. 
TOKYO were making little headway at the other end of the field. 
While Kyoto lined up in an attacking 3-4-3 formation, when they lost possession this quickly changed to a defensive 5-4-1, pulling players behind the ball and denying the home side space to work in. Boosted by the penalty save TOKYO ventured forward but the last pass was not forthcoming; on the one occasion a chink appeared in the Kyoto defensive armour Kelly and Miyazawa both went for the same ball with the result that neither made contact. In the 31st. minute Toda neatly headed a right wing cross into the path of Amaral who burst beyond two defenders and hammered a volley against the bar with the keeper rooted to the spot. The crowd gasped in disbelief. 
The " King of Tokyo" soon redeemed himself however, going down in the area to win a penalty, then stepping up to send the Kyoto keeper the wrong way. The half ended 1-0 to TOKYO. 

Equalized shortly after the start of the second half...

　Tokyo wants to ride the momentum with a goal just before the end of the first half. Replacing the injured Asari, Kina was brought in for the second half. However, it was Kyoto who converted their determination into a goal. In the 46th minute, shortly after the start of the second half, Kyoto connected the ball from a throw-in on the right side, with Saito, the defensive midfielder, dribbling to the left. Then a pass was made to the space on the left side. Suzuki (Shin), the midfielder, ran into that space and his clean shot hit the net. Tokyo was quickly caught up to the same score.

　In the 48th minute, Amaral scored a header from a free kick. Immediately after, Kina received a return pass from Amaral and took a middle shot. In the 56th minute, Ishikawa broke through the right side and crossed the ball, but no one could connect on the far side. Tokyo continues to push forward in a counterattack, but the goal is far away, and they are frequently put in a difficult situation by Kyoto's pass from Muscat.

　And in the 57th minute, Shigeki Mogi advanced and sent a cross, but the Kyoto DF cleared it widely. Kurobe competed for the ball with a header, and picked it up, then passed it to FW Tomita who had run up the left side space. South Korean representative Park utilized his speed and rushed towards the goal, sliding in and shooting to score. The counterattack was beautifully executed, and Tokyo conceded their second goal.

Equaliser Spurs Kyoto 

Kina replaced the injured Asari as TOKYO took the field for the second half. Expectations had been raised by Amaral's penalty strike but were soon to be cruelly dashed. Only a minute into the second period some neat short passing saw defensive half Saito surge forward and roll the ball into oceans of space on the left. Kyoto midfielder Suzuki met the ball at full speed and powered a shot past Doi into the roof of the net for a stunning equaliser. 
TOKYO attempted to bounce back but their efforts were undercut by some loose passing and wayward crosses; in a matter of minutes momentum had passed to the visitors. Disaster struck for the home side in the 57th. minute as a cross from Moniwa, up supporting the attack, was cleared by the Kyoto defence to Kurobe who headed on to Tomita. Tomita held the ball up and passed into the path of Korean World Cup star Park Si Jung who outpaced the TOKYO defence to slot home for a classic counter attacking goal. 

Despite a fierce counterattack with all their might

　In the second half, Kyoto Engels coach changed the positions of Park on the right side and Tomita on the left side because he wanted to deploy Tomita on the side. Park moved towards the center and utilized his speed and stamina to connect with the side and launch sharp attacks.

　And in the 64th minute, Kurobe and Tomita attacked near the right corner of the penalty area, and the Tokyo DF committed a foul. Park took this free kick, and Kadoya from the far side connected with a header, and Kurobe pushed it in to score the third goal. It showed Kyoto's determination to convert chances into goals.

　65 minutes after Tokyo conceded a goal, Fukuda was substituted for Fujiyama. With Ishikawa on the left and Toda on the right, they faced the counterattack with a 3-5-2 formation, aiming to score at least one goal. Kyoto gradually created spaces between their forward line and defensive line, but they couldn't create any decisive opportunities there. In the 72nd minute, Amaral took a header shot from a free kick, and in the 74th minute, Kelly's shot went over the goal.

　Before Kyoto's solid defense, Jean also showed a bold attack and in the 84th minute, he substituted Ishikawa and brought in Hoshi. However, the counterattack in stoppage time was ineffective against Kyoto's defensive wall, resulting in a disappointing defeat. Tokyo was unable to showcase its strengths and suffered a painful loss.

[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "Today was a complete defeat. Our bodies felt heavy, and we didn't perform well in the first half. Doi saved a penalty for us, and we were fortunate to receive a penalty as well. The opponents quickly returned and closed the spaces against our attacks. Originally, we wanted to move the ball and create more opportunities with accents and one-twos against such opponents, but we couldn't find our rhythm and were caught on the counter. When they took the ball, all of their players transitioned, so there were moments where we couldn't respond to their attacks. In the battles against the opponents, everything seemed to fall in Kyoto's favor, and the difference in momentum became apparent. We conceded a goal right at the beginning of the second half because we didn't compete well from a throw-in, and the ball fell to the opponents and they capitalized on it. Above all, our ball retention was poor, and we disrupted our own rhythm. There were many challenges, and it was disappointing that we couldn't get into the game mentally. Asari's injury and Fujiyama's accumulated warnings put us in a difficult situation, but we want to regroup and prepare for the Kobe match."

[Kyoto Engels Coach Press Conference Summary] Because we played an extended match last Sunday, today we wanted to start from the defense and aim for counterattacks. We were able to do that, but the opponent also put pressure on us, making it difficult for us to establish a good rhythm and we became a bit passive. However, there were hardly any dangerous scenes until the penalty kick that led to a goal. Even though we were behind, our positioning was generally good and our approach was not bad. So, I believed that if we played with a bit more energy in the second half, we would definitely get chances. The timing of equalizing in the second half was also very good, and we took control of the game and quickly scored an additional goal. After scoring three goals, we became fatigued and focused on defending, but we held on until the end and won. It was tough to concede the first goal after a long time and miss a penalty, and we were also tired from the F.Marinos match, but I think the players showed a lot of heart in those circumstances. That was the key point of today."

Third Goal Stymies TOKYO 

The speedy Tomita and Park had switched positions as instructed by Kyoto manager Engels and the result was two goals in 12 minutes, both from counter attacks. A third soon followed as Tokyo conceded a free kick on the right. Park curled a long ball beyond the far post, Kakuda headed it back into the danger area where Kurobe was on hand to nod past Doi.
Fukuda replaced Fujiyama and TOKYO shifted to a 3-5-2 formation with Toda on the right and Ishikawa on the left, but still the Kyoto defence remained impregnable. Amaral headed a free kick wide after 72 minutes and Kelly fired over two minutes later. Hoshi replaced Ishikawa in the 84th. minute and Jean lent his formidable prescence to the attack but TOKYO were firing blanks and the game petered out to a depressing 1-3 loss.

TOKYO manager Hara :
" A complete defeat. We looked heavy and never really got going at all in the first half. Doi made a great save from the penalty and we converted ours but were unable to create much on the counter attack as they got men behind the ball very quickly. We didn't have the spark needed to open up a defence in those conditions. Kyoto were first to the ball throughout and had more desire than we did. We didn't compete at the throw in which led to their first goal but most disappointing was the way we gave away possession. There was a lack of fighting spirit, which was also disappointing. Despite the injury to Asari and Shimotaira's suspension we'll just have to regroup and come out fighting in the Vissel Kobe game".

Kyoto manager Engels :
" Well, after playing extra time on Sunday night I felt a defensive approach would be favoured today, with the emphasis on counter attacking. They pressured us in the first half and we played rather negatively. Apart from the penalty we conceded we weren't really under much pressure defensively and I felt that the team's basic positioning was good and that with a more positive approach in the second half we could turn the game around. The timing of the equaliser was perfect; we found our rhythm and timing, scored two more and then defended well. We missed a penalty, fell behind and were still feeling the effects of the F Marinos game but the players showed their heart today ".