Challenging Iwata, who aims for a come-from-behind victory in the final match of the 1st stage!

　The first stage, which has reached its final round. We will close it out by going to the enemy's territory and facing Júbilo Iwata. Tokyo, currently in 4th place. If we win today, we still have a chance to finish in the top 3, and our goal is only victory. Furthermore, there are expectations for how we will challenge and defeat the strong team Iwata, as it will be a culmination of the first half of this season.

　On the other hand, the battle for the stage championship has also been intense until this round, and it is an important game for Iwata, who is in 2nd place, as they have a chance to come from behind and win the championship. They will surely come with a strong determination to take 3 points. It is a crucial match where the result is questioned for both teams, and attention is also drawn to the performance of Tokyo without Kelly, and Iwata without MF Nishi and Hattori, who are key players for each team. The last 90 minutes of this stage started with Tokyo's kickoff, amidst the lingering heat and humidity from the daytime after the end of the rainy season.

Pressed, but the goal is defended!

　The match saw Iwata create chances from the beginning. Midfielder Fujita, who stole the loose ball inside the Tokyo defense, passed it to the right side. Forward Grau caught up and evaded the Tokyo defenders, entering the penalty area and taking a shot. Doi managed to deflect it for a corner kick, from which midfielder Fukunishi unleashed a high-heading shot. In the 4th minute, Tokyo's Abe received a throw-in from the left and brought it into the center, shooting from outside the box, but the opposing goalkeeper caught it. Immediately after, Iwata's Grau attempted a powerful direct goal from a free kick. In the 6th minute, Fujita broke through to the goal from Fukunishi's through pass, but Doi made an excellent timed dive to catch it. In the 7th minute, midfielder Nami passed to Grau on the right side, who took a shot from the right center, but Doi saved it for a corner kick. In the 18th minute, Jean jumped with a header to a long free kick from Miyazawa, but couldn't find the target.

　Iwata expands wide from skillful passing, with Grau being a good starting point up front, and Fujita, Nami, and Fukunishi following up from behind, launching a thick attack. In the 21st minute, Fukunishi advances from the left with a pass from Grau. Upon entering the penalty area, he swings to the left and Grau receives the ball again, crossing it. Fujita, who ran in from behind, heads the ball with perfect timing. It narrowly misses to the right, avoiding a decisive pinch. In the 22nd minute, Nami on the right side skillfully keeps the ball and reverses it with a lofted pass in front of the goal. Fujita jumps in with excellent combination and drops the ball in front of the goal with a heel, but Jean clears it.

　Tokyo is pressed by the fast-moving play of Iwata and cannot connect the ball in front of Iwata's press even if they take it at a low position. In the 26th minute, Jean heads in the FK obtained by Abe being fouled in the enemy's territory. In the 29th minute, when Tokunaga went up the right side and connected with Ishikawa, Miyazawa picked up the clearance of Ishikawa's shot and took a middle shot. However, both missed the goal. In the 33rd minute, Doi and the defender collided in front of the goal against Iwata's accurate FK. The ball spilled and they faced a pinch that could have been an own goal, but Tokunaga, who came to cover, cleared the ball with a sliding tackle and the ball hit the bar but narrowly avoided the goal. They did not allow a goal with a defensive effort even though they were pushed back.

With a strong defense, both teams continue to have no goals as time passes

　Tokyo struggled to assemble after the steal, but it didn't mean they didn't have a chance. In the 38th minute, Ishikawa, who received a throw-in from the right side, competed with speed. He rushed into the area and took a shot. In the 41st minute, Miyazawa connected a corner kick and crossed from the left side. After picking up the opponent goalkeeper's clearance in the right area, Shigeki Mochida passed to Ishikawa with exquisite timing to follow up, shaking off the defenders with a sharp turn. Ishikawa, who received the pass, unleashed a powerful shot from the right side of the goal to the near side, but it was blocked by Iwata goalkeeper Van Zwam's excellent save. At this time, Jean was injured in the battle in front of the goal. During the treatment, Amaral dropped back to the final line to cover and Tokyo defended the goal. In the end, the first half ended 0-0, keeping the hope alive for the second half to provoke Iwata's impatience.

　In the second half, Fuyuyama replaced Jean, who injured his right knee. In the 46th minute, Abe received a pass from Kanazawa on the left and broke through the Iwata DF with one touch. While competing with the DF, he took a shot but narrowly missed to the right of the goal. In the 3rd minute, the DF cleared a left cross. Miura picked up the ball and took a direct shot. In an attempt to change the flow of the game, Baba was substituted for Abe in the 8th minute.

　However, although they created chances at first, they were pushed back again by a settled Iwata. In the 56th minute, they fouled MF Jivković in front of the goal, giving Iwata a free kick. Fujita directly aimed for a shot, but Doi made a save and Mogi cleared the loose ball in a dangerous situation. In the 62nd minute, Baba received a pass from behind and kept it well, moving to the right. He changed the angle and made a through pass to Toda, who ran in from the left, but he couldn't finish due to the opponent's fast approach. In the 65th minute, Iwata had another free kick in front of the goal. Namiha aimed for the top left corner with a shot, but Doi made a super fine save. The ball flew perfectly in a course that made Namiha hold his head in frustration, but Doi touched it slightly and skimmed the post, resulting in a corner kick.

　Iwata substituted Jivkovic with Kawaguchi, a speedy left midfielder, in the 67th minute. However, both teams were tired from the intense battle and were unable to create any decisive chances as time passed.

Despite succumbing to the strength of the previous year's champion, we achieved our best performance in the 1st stage.

　75 minutes had passed, just before the substitution of Asari for Miyazawa. Iwata started a quick restart from a free kick in front of the goal, with Fujita persisting on the right side and temporarily moving back. Kawamura passed to Nanami, who then made a direct pass to the space on the right side. Kawamura caught up with it and crossed it from near the end line. Fujita perfectly timed his jump from the right and headed the ball towards the center. Tokyo's defense had been holding up well until this point, but they couldn't catch Fujita's run and ultimately conceded a goal.

　While carrying the behind, Asari was brought in. In the 77th minute, Amaral on the right side passed to Ishikawa in the area. Ishikawa made a good decision and sent a through pass to the front of the goal, and Baba, who had his back to the goal, turned around and brought the ball to a shot, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 83rd minute, Miura advanced and was fouled in front of the goal, earning a free kick. Baba directly aimed for the goal from outside the penalty arc, but the ball narrowly missed to the upper left and did not result in a tie. Iwata did not allow any additional points with everyone's tough defense, but in injury time, Amaral's header from Kanazawa's cross also failed to find the goal. They were unfortunately defeated with a score of 0-1.

　However, they finished the 1st stage in 4th place with 7 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses, and the fewest goals conceded in the league with 11. They achieved their best result ever, surpassing their 5th place finish in the 2nd stage last year. While the challenge of "scoring goals" remains, they showed resilience and did not collapse in any situation. The team is gradually but surely showing growth. They want to continue their momentum into the 2nd stage, which starts without any break, and the Nabisco Cup, in pursuit of their long-awaited "first title".

【Player Comments】《Miura》"Iwata definitely wanted to get 3 points. We wanted to hold them to 0 goals and counterattack when they came forward. We were able to play that way this season and it was going according to plan until halfway through... Iwata's key players are Itto Fujita and Nabe. It was tough, but we had to contain them."《Kanazawa》"We were prepared to be passed around, but in the end, it turned into a tired situation. Iwata found their opportunities and their strength was definitely felt, but Tokyo's team strength is gradually increasing. I think our solid defense is the result of working hard and quickly getting back. From now on, we want to aim higher step by step with a more targeted approach in the attacking phase."

[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "Iwata had a chance to win, but we also had a chance to finish in third place, so we wanted to win. We were defeated by a large number of goals in last year's match, and I thought today's game would be tough because Kelly was not here. We wanted to defend well and score on the counter-attack. I think if shots like Abe's in the second half had gone in, the result would have been different. We were cautious of the speed of passing and quick restarts from free kicks, but in the end, we let the loose ball be picked up again and were broken. However, I think our defense is doing well. I don't think we are defending too much, and I think being in fourth place is a result of the team gradually improving. In the future, we need to score goals and create opportunities for that. There are many challenges in how to score, but we want to keep trying."

[Summary of Iwata and Yanagishita's press conference] "In the first half, we were able to play in a way that is typical of Júbilo, with a very good development. However, one of the challenges was that we didn't take the shot when we had the chance. We wanted to score within the first half. In the second half, there were moments of fatigue and prolongation. I think it was good that we were able to win by taking advantage of our defensive efforts, including the final line, and converting our chances."