Defeating the champion Júbilo and hoping to rise to the top spot alone

　Sec. 5 is a match against Júbilo Iwata, the champion of the 1st stage. Due to the delayed schedule compared to other matches, the current provisional ranking has Júbilo in 3rd place and FC Tokyo in 4th place. It is an important match for both teams as it is a direct confrontation between 3rd and 4th place, and if they can win with 3 points today, they can rise to the top of the standings alone.

　In the first stage match, Júbilo Iwata suffered a complete defeat of 0-2 at home. However, they have returned the favor to Gamba, Verdy, who also suffered similar defeats, and JEF, who ended in a draw, in this stage. It should never be an easy game against the champion team, but the team's condition is improving. With plenty of determination, they entered the away match in Iwata, burning with revenge. Ishikawa, who was worried about his injury due to a right thigh contusion in the previous match, showed a lively appearance and started the game. In the midst of the autumn rain that started before the match, the game started with Tokyo's kickoff.

F.C.TOKYO Reach For The Top 

The fifth game of the second stage saw F.C.TOKYO visit Jubilo Iwata. The results from the games played a day earlier had left Jubilo in third place and TOKYO in fourth; a win for either team would see them go top of the league.
TOKYO had lost the corresponding first stage fixture 0-2 but gutsy performances in the recent victories over Gamba and Verdy had boosted their confidence and the team entered the game against the champions elect in a positive frame of mind. The only injury doubt, Ishikawa, had made a rapid recovery from a knock received in the Verdy game and was included in the starting eleven. F.C.TOKYO kicked off in a light drizzle at Iwata Stadium.

Unable to capitalize on opportunities and conceding the first goal due to a mistake...

　Tokyo aggressively moves forward from the first touch. However, when the ball is cut off by the final line, Júbilo's speedy ball movement puts pressure on the goal. Then, Júbilo FW Cristiano's pass from outside the penalty area on the right is cut off. Following that, Ito, who was marking Cristiano, tries to clear the ball, but it spills just outside the penalty arc, like a gift ball, to MF Fujita, who was waiting freely. Fujita's low and controlled shot finds the bottom right corner of the goal, and just 1 minute into the match, Tokyo is already conceded the opening goal.

　However, Tokyo never looked down, and in the 5th minute, Toda and Amaral boldly ran into the goal area. When the opponent's defender cleared the through pass, Ishikawa picked up the loose ball and took a powerful shot. They won a corner kick, and Jean headed Miyazawa's ball, but unfortunately missed the goal. In the 12th minute, Ishikawa won a corner kick by defeating the opponent's defender on the right side. Toda jumped into the right corner kick taken by Ishikawa himself, but it was cleared by the opponent's defender at the last moment.

　Jubilo comes attacking wide with a series of direct passes. The pressure is intense, and in the 14th minute, Tokyo's back pass was intercepted by Doi, who pressed fiercely and caused Doi to miss his kick, resulting in a throw-in. In the following 15 minutes, MF Kawamura received a ball from MF Nishi on the right side and delivered a sharp ground cross from the right side of the penalty area. FW Nakayama let the ball go through in the center, and behind him, Takahara stopped the ball accurately with his left foot and unleashed a powerful shot into the left side of the goal, despite losing his balance.

　Tokyo, who fell behind by two goals in the first 15 minutes, attacked the Júbilo defense with determination. In the 18th minute, they won a left corner kick from Ishikawa's shot, and from this corner, Kelly headed the ball and Jean followed up, but the goalkeeper caught it. A close goal chance was missed. In the 23rd minute, Jean tried to score with his foot again from Miyazawa's left free kick, but it went over the goal. They tried to find a way through set plays, but their finishing lacked precision and they couldn't score.

　Júbilo Iwata switches between offense and defense incredibly quickly, and even when Tokyo presses and cuts off their attacks, they are unable to connect their passes from their own low position and quickly lose possession. In the 24th minute, Takahara made a big side change to Hattori on the left side, connected with Nishi and Fujita in the center, and then back to Takahara on the right side. Takahara evaded the defenders and took a shot, launching a dynamic attack from a wide position.

　On the other hand, Tokyo also had a chance in the 29th minute when Ishikawa received a long throw from Kaji and crossed it, but Amaral, who received the ball, entered the shooting motion, only to be cut off by the opponent's defender. In the 34th minute, Kelly connected a throw-in from the right side again, and Toda jumped into the goal area to win a corner kick, but the corner kick did not result in a goal. In the 38th minute, Asari was substituted for Shimodaira. In the 42nd minute, Amaral jumped into the air for a free kick from the right side by Miyazawa, but his header shot went over the goal. In stoppage time, Toda headed Kaji's cross, but it was cut off by the defender. Despite having more shots (10:8) and creating more chances, Tokyo couldn't find the back of the net and ended the first half.

TOKYO Struggle After Conceding Early Goal 

TOKYO looked to surge at Jubilo straight from the kick off but the ball was cut out by the defence and quickly returned downfield to Takahara. Tetsuya Ito managed to intercept his pass but succeeded only in directing the ball into the path of Jubilo midfielder Fujita who wasted no time in striking a low shot inside the right post to put his side ahead with less than a minute on the clock.
If the early goal had stunned TOKYO they didn't show it and nearly equalised minutes later as Amaral and Toda tore into the home defence. Amaral's final through pass was only half cleared and Ishikawa, following up, let fly a powerful shot that the keeper turned around the post for a corner. Jean marched forward and met Miyazawa's corner with a towering header that flew narrowly wide. In the 12th minute Ishikawa harried a defender into conceding another corner which he took himself; a defender beat the diving Toda to the ball by a hair's breadth.
Jubilo responded with some sharp direct passing and pressed TOKYO down the flanks. In the 14th minute a back pass put TOKYO keeper Doi under pressure and he was forced to kick into touch. A minute later Nishi found Kawamura on the right of the TOKYO area and Nakayama dummied his low cross into the area. Takahara, although under pressure and losing his footing, managed to control the ball and blast it past Doi.
Despite being two goals down after only 15 minutes TOKYO continued to drive at the Jubilo defence with a fine effort from Ishikawa winning a corner in the 18th minute. Kelly, and then Jean, got touches on the ball but the Jubilo keeper eventually claimed it. Jean was again involved in the 23rd minute, turning a free kick from Miyazawa over the bar. TOKYO had several chances from set plays but were unable to convert any into goals.
Jubilo were able to turn defence into attack with such fluidity and speed that TOKYO, hemmed into the last third of the pitch, were unable to find a forward outlet for the ball when they regained possession. Or, if they did, support was slow in arriving and it was lost again. A sumptuous move involving five players and a double side change, started and finished by Takahara, nearly produced a third goal in the 24th minute.
In the 29th minute Ishikawa picked out Amaral with a fine cross but his shot was charged down by a defender. Toda won a corner in the 34th minute with a brave diving header but again it came to nothing. Asari replaced Shimotaira in the 38th minute, Amaral headed a Miyazawa free kick over the bar in the 42nd minute and in injury time Toda had a fierce drive blocked by a defender. TOKYO had outshot the home side by 10 to 8 but finished the first period 2-0 down.

Fukuda scores a valuable goal that he wants to use as a starting point for a counterattack, but...

　Tokyo, which started with a 3-back formation by moving Kaji to a higher position in the first half. Coach Hara said, "To score more aggressively and to include Shigetani in Ito's covering," but in the second half, Fukuda was substituted for Toda. They approached the game with a 2-top formation, placing Ishikawa as the left MF, and a 3-5-2 formation.

　However, in the 47th minute, 2 minutes into the second half, the left side was dribbled past by Kawamura, allowing a cross. This cross flowed sweetly to the unmarked left side, but Tokyo was unable to regain possession and there MF Hattori ran in fiercely and took a shot. Although Doi initially saved it with his left hand, Takahara, who was closing in on the goal, pushed it in, and Tokyo conceded their third goal at the start of the second half.

　Tokyo, still trying to retaliate, desperately attempted a counterattack. In the 56th minute, the opponent's defender cut off a shot from Miyazawa from a long distance, and it fell in front of Amaral, who had broken through on the right side. Amaral faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, but the shot was saved by the goalkeeper, and the goal seemed even further away. Júbilo, who had become even more dominant, showed fast passing and coordination between the receiver and the passer, as well as effective pressing. Everything was matured, and the game continued in Tokyo's territory.

　However, it was the 66th minute. Miyazawa on the left side sent a pass to Fukuda, who received it in the right penalty area, evaded the defender and cut inside to take a shot. The ball was blocked by the goalkeeper, but a corner kick was awarded. From the short corner, Kaji brought the ball into the center with his left foot and delivered a low cross. Fukuda, who had run into the near side while competing with the defender, scored the goal! This long-awaited goal for Fukuda in the league match, which had been a year since his last goal, was a valuable shot that both he and the team had been eagerly waiting for. Tokyo finally seized a precious goal, which they wanted to be the starting point of their comeback!

Fukuda Pulls One Back But... 

Midway through the first half, TOKYO had pushed Kaji forward and opted for a three-back system. As manager Hara reasoned, "We needed to score desperately and I wanted Moniwa covering in front of Ito." Forward Fukuda replaced Toda at halftime, and Ishikawa moved to the left in a 3-5-2 formation.
Unfortunately, a defensive lapse in the 47th minute saw a cross from Kawamura sail across the TOKYO penalty area to the unmarked Hattori. Doi managed to block his shot, but Takahara was on hand to bundle the ball over the line for the third goal.
Down but not yet out, TOKYO continued to push forward. Miyazawa tried his luck with a long-range blast in the 56th minute; the ball cannoned off a defender straight into the path of Amaral, who only had the keeper to beat.
Somehow his effort was saved, and the TOKYO players must have thought they were predestined not to score.
In the 66th minute, a raking cross-field pass from Miyazawa picked out Fukuda, who rounded a defender and fired in a shot that the Jubilo keeper turned around the post for a corner. It was taken short to Kaji, who whipped in a low cross for Fukuda to outmuscle a defender and power the ball home at the near post. Fukuda's delight was plain to see: his first league goal for nearly a year was a just reward for TOKYO's hard work and suggested a fightback was possible.

Defeated completely in front of a fully matured Júbilo

　In the 67th minute, Ishikawa, who had been pushed on the left side, was substituted for Kina, taking care of his injury. However, in the immediate 68th minute, Júbilo advanced into the Tokyo territory and Fujita kept the ball in the right penalty area, then passed it back and Nishi, who had run in, shot. Takahara, who was in front of the goal, changed the course of the ball with a heel and scored a goal. With Takahara's skillful hat-trick, they quickly conceded the fourth goal, making it a 3-point difference again. In the 74th minute, Júbilo substituted MF Kanazawa for MF Nabu, and in the 78th minute, they substituted Nishi for speedy FW Kawaguchi, completely pushing Tokyo aside.

　As planned, in the 80th minute, Tokyo countered while Jean was advancing, quickly turned the tables, and Nakayama connected with a ball from the back to send it to the right side where Takahara was. Kawaguchi, who received the ball, dribbled past the defenders and took a shot, earning three consecutive corner kicks from this point.

　And in the 85th minute, Tokyo's Asari was sent off with his second yellow card of the day. With this, their concentration was broken. In the 87th minute, Nakayama sprinted down the right side and sent a cross to the center, where Takahara once again scored. With his fourth goal of the match, Júbilo reached a total of 5 goals. Then, in the 89th minute, the Tokyo defense cleared the ball from the goalkeeper, which Kanazawa received in the midfield and sent a lofted pass to the front line. Nakayama jumped in and, while competing with Ito, sealed the deal with a looping shot that went over Doi's head for the 6th goal. Tokyo's defense collapsed, and they were defeated by a large number of goals without any means of resistance.

　The former coach spoke about the cause of the defeat, saying, "When we made mistakes, we couldn't bounce back and regain our rhythm. Leadership to persevere in any situation is necessary." Yes, we can't afford to be discouraged here. The journey of the battle still continues for a long time. The remaining 10 matches depend on whether we can use this defeat as nourishment for tomorrow's battle.

[Summary of the former coach's press conference] "We wanted to be aggressive from the start, but I think we lost confidence after conceding the first goal. Júbilo also came out aggressively from the beginning, so we tried not to be afraid and play our game, but we ended up self-destructing by trying to connect simple passes or playing back passes. After conceding two goals in the first half, we created several chances focusing on set plays, so I told the team that if we score one goal, we can control the pace of the game in the second half. However, conceding an additional goal early in the second half had a big impact. Furthermore, we were scored on right after managing to score one goal, Asari was also sent off, and we fell into a vicious cycle and ended up being dominated by Júbilo in the end. It's difficult to win against Júbilo when we make these kinds of mistakes. We wanted to take the lead in the first half, but we lost to Júbilo's pressing and quick decision-making. From the next match, Ishikawa and Shigeta will leave the team for the U-21 national team, but we want to regroup in one week so that things don't continue to go downhill."

[Júbilo Suzuki Coach's Press Conference Summary] "In the previous match, we lost at home, so today we couldn't afford to lose. I think it was a game where we were able to show that determination. We knew that Tokyo would come aggressively from the beginning based on their previous battles. So we tried to concentrate firmly because if we conceded a goal, the game would progress in Tokyo's rhythm. When we gradually switched from defense to attack, we were able to play in good spaces, which I think led to this result. We wanted to score the third goal in the first half, but the players understood the importance of the next goal, so it was significant that we scored the third goal at the beginning of the second half."

Fightback Fizzles 

Kina replaced the injured Ishikawa in the 67th minute. Disaster struck for TOKYO a minute later as Fujita held the ball up on the edge of the TOKYO area, then rolled a pass back into the path of the charging Nishi whose shot was deflected past Doi by Takahara. The deficit returned to three and Jubilo further tightened the screw by replacing Nanami with Kanazawa and Nishi with the speedy forward Kawaguchi.
With Jean lending his weight to the attack in the 80th minute a fast break saw Kawaguchi streak through on goal only to be foiled by a fine save from Doi. Jubilo won three successive corners and effectively penned TOKYO back as the game entered the final few minutes.
After Asari received a second yellow card and his marching orders in the 85th minute it was game over for TOKYO. To add insult to injury Nakayama crossed for Takahara to notch his fourth and Jubilo's fifth of the match in the 87th minute and soon after a lofted through ball from Kanazawa saw Nakayama outpace Ito to lob over the charging Doi for number six. A depressing end to a thoroughly miserable afternoon for F.C.TOKYO.
As manager Hara said "After giving away the first goal we never really found our rhythm. We really needed someone to step up and show some leadership, but it just didn't happen." Still, with ten games remaining there is plenty to play for and the team will have to knuckle down and bounce back in the next match.


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara:
"We wanted to make an aggressive start but giving away a goal in the first minute completely knocked the stuffing out of us.
We knew how Jubilo would play and we felt that if we could keep it simple we stood a chance. After their second goal we had a string of chances from set plays and definitely felt that scoring first in the second half could turn the game around. Unfortunately they scored first and when we did pull one back they responded immediately. Losing Asari was a blow and after that we collapsed. You can't afford to make the mistakes against a team like Jubilo that we did today and expect to win. We're losing Ishikawa and Moniwa to the Japan U-21 team from next week; we have a week until the next game and are going to regroup and come out fighting ".

Jubilo manager Suzuki:
"We lost our last home game here and the players were determined not to let it happen again today. We knew TOKYO would be very aggressive after they conceded the early goals but kept our concentration and defended well. I really wanted a third goal before half time and we were very aware that the next goal would be the important one.
Scoring early in the second half was the key to victory today, I think".