Winning to the top of the league

　Sec. 4 of the 2nd stage, which will "rise to 2nd place" if won, is an away game against Oita. In the previous match, Tokyo, who is in good shape, defeated Yokohama FM, the 1st stage champion, 4-1, even without their ace Amaral. Tokyo will start with the same starting lineup this match as well. In order to show their presence in the top spot battle, it was necessary to win and secure "3 points".

　On the other hand, Oita has not yet won a game in the 2nd stage and is currently in 15th place at the end of the previous round, ranking 14th overall and struggling in the lower ranks. In order to escape from the relegation zone, it was expected that they would come at full force with the support of a large number of supporters who gathered at home this round, desperately fighting.

　Tokyo has repeatedly relinquished its rights without resistance in important battles like this, where they could have shown their face in the top position battle or even taken the top position. However, this season they have shown progress by firmly establishing themselves in the top position battle, based on a tenacious defense in the 1st stage, and breaking into 4th place as the "team with the fewest goals conceded". It is important to accumulate points and be listed in the top position battle here, both in terms of measuring the team's true ability and in terms of progress.

　The match gave a sense of anticipation that it would be tough. The heat in Oita was much more severe compared to Tokyo. Although the temperature was not even 30℃, the humidity was close to 80%, and especially on the pitch where the wind couldn't pass through the Big Eye, the perceived temperature was higher than expected, creating a harsh environment. I remembered the words of the Oita staff who had laughed and said, "Today is relatively easy." A slight anxiety crossed my mind, but on the contrary, the significance of accumulating points away in this situation is very significant. The important match that will determine the future for both teams started with the kick-off whistle at 7:03 PM.

In the early stages, Tokyo showed momentum, but...

　In the early stages, Tokyo showed the first momentum. Tokyo defensively started with a large number of defenders against Oita, and showed quick attacks by spreading the ball left and right with Kelly as the axis. In the 3rd minute, Kanazawa's cross from the left drifted to the right, and from there Ishikawa broke through vertically and put in a sharp cross to the near side, where FW Abe jumped in with a sliding shot! The ball narrowly missed the frame and hit the side net, but Tokyo created the first chance in a wonderful way that showcased the characteristics of Ishikawa and Abe. After that, Tokyo aggressively moved the ball in the opponent's half, but they couldn't break through Oita's defensive network, which was solidly held by Sandro, who had previously been with Tokyo, and couldn't reach a shot.

　On the other hand, Oita, after taking the ball, threw a long ball from the side back aiming for the head of top player Robson, but Jean cleared it with a determined header. Tokyo took control of the game without having their defensive line broken by a well-balanced defense.

　However, in the 11th minute, the ball was taken away from an easy miss on the right side and turned into a corner kick. From that corner kick, Oita's new foreign forward Robson headed the ball in front of the goal, and the ball bounced high. Doi barely escaped with a punch, but it was a dangerous situation. Tokyo never had their flow disrupted, but it exposed their difficulty in dealing with Oita's set plays, which involved Robson, Sandro, and their height.

　At 16 minutes, Tokyo broke through the left side with a beautiful pass from Kanazawa to Kelly to Toda, but no one was able to finish the cross and missed the chance. Furthermore, at 22 minutes, Abe broke through the right side with a vertical pass from a counterattack and entered the penalty area, but he was unable to evade the Oita DF and his shot went straight to the goalkeeper. Although chances were created, they were unable to completely break through Oita's solid defensive line.

The clear ball is picked up and gradually pushed in

　As time passed, Oita's physicality became more noticeable in the match. Tokyo was consistently able to repel crosses from the side with high concentration, but Oita started to pick up those clearances in the midfield, leading to a difficult situation where they could once again expand to the side and deliver crosses. In particular, Oita's Yoshida showed persistent chasing, winning the ball and actively running into the side spaces of the front line with abundant physicality, becoming the starting point. In the 34th minute, Yoshida forcefully took the ball from Kanazawa in the right side and immediately delivered a low cross, but Doi made a sharp reaction and caught it.

　On the other hand, Tokyo was passing the ball around with Kelly at the center, but they couldn't penetrate the deep defensive line of Oita, who had more players. Even when they spread the ball to the sides and crossed it monotonously, it was often blocked by Sandro and ended with mediocre shots. On the contrary, just before the end of the first half, when the ball reached Terakawa on the left side from a counterattack, Terakawa cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot, but Doi managed to punch it away and the first half ended 0-0.

　Even in the second half, Oita's energy did not decrease, and they gained even more momentum with the support of the home crowd. In the 50th minute, Terakawa received the ball on the right side from a corner kick and made a powerful shot after breaking through vertically. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced back, and this time Robson took a shot but missed the goal by a wide margin. In the following 54th minute, a through pass was sent from the center breakthrough, and Robson took a shot from the left side of the goal, but Jean blocked it firmly and it bounced back. However, the loose ball was shot again, and the ball sharply crossed the front of the goal, but it did not meet the waiting player on the far side with precision, and the danger was averted.

　Tokyo continued to defend, but in the 61st minute, Kelly made a perfect pass to Toda, who was free on the left side from a counterattack. Toda accelerated with speed. However, due to the poor condition of the ground, he lost control of the ball while trying to control it in front of the goal, and his hurried shot missed to the left of the goal.

Found a way out with a player substitution, but... missed the chance and drew

　Tokyo is moving here. In the 63rd minute, Satoru ASARI was substituted for Miura. Furthermore, in the 67th minute, Kure was substituted for Ishikawa, who was lacking brilliance. The flow changed with the introduction of these two players. The energy and determination of these two players in the midfield surpassed the opponent and gave courage to the team.

　In the 71st minute, Wu attempted an overhead shot from a cross lifted by Toda from the right side. In the following 74th minute, Abe received a pass from Kaji's attacking play on the left side. Abe made a vertical breakthrough and sent a ground cross into the goal area, where Kelly jumped in but narrowly missed reaching it. It was a decisive moment. Furthermore, in the 77th minute, Miyazawa dribbled from the right to the center and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot, but it hit the opponent's defense wall.

　82 minutes, both teams went for it. Tokyo substituted Suzuki for Abe, and Oita also brought in their trump card, Will. It was interesting to see how this substitution would affect the outcome, but Tokyo's momentum didn't change. In the 84th minute, Kelly connected with a right corner kick from Miyazawa in front of the goal, but the ball he struck hard bounced high and went over the bar. Furthermore, in the 88th minute, Kelly, who kept the ball on the left side, sent a perfect through pass to Miyazawa running vertically. Miyazawa floated a cross from the goal line, but Toda, who jumped in, couldn't reach it by a narrow margin. In stoppage time, Kelly swung his left foot after Suzuki's post-play, but the ball went over the bar. In the end, the match ended without either team scoring. Considering the opponent's ranking, we wanted to secure 3 points no matter what, but it was significant to bring back "1 point" without losing concentration until the end in a tough away environment. It's not the best result, but by getting "1 point," we also climbed to 3rd place in the rankings.

　However, it was a match that highlighted many challenges. The lack of control in the forward line resulted in a significant decrease in the attacking threat from both sides, and increased the burden on the midfield, leading to unnecessary exertion. There is nothing more difficult than repeatedly doing shuttle runs in the sweltering heat. In the next match, we will face the second-placed Ichihara at home in a crucial showdown. We need to switch our mindset and prepare for victory.

【Player Comments】《加地》"It was a tough game, with the opponents pressing us from the middle of the match. Jean did a good job in dealing with their long balls, but we struggled to pick up the cleared balls. Nevertheless, I think we held on well until the end. I also reflect on my own mistakes and not being able to utilize Nao effectively. I want to improve our coordination before the next Ichihara match." 《Jean》"We had our chances and the whole team fought well. We wanted to take all 3 points, but even 1 point away is significant. We wanted to win the game and move up to 2nd place, but the opponents had the same goal. It was a difficult match, but I think we held on well."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Oita has only conceded one goal in each of their last three matches and they have been playing with a thorough approach as a team. They are currently ranked low and will come at us desperately, so I told the players before the match that it won't be easy. Furthermore, they are familiar with this ground and the weather, so it became clear that it won't be easy as soon as the match started. In today's match, we struggled because we kept losing loose balls. We were a step or two slower than the opponents due to the humid heat, but Asari and Wu were able to pick up the balls in the midfield. There were several dangerous situations and it wasn't good as a team, but I think we held on well until the end. Especially because we have often lost away matches in the past, they endured well and earned us 1 point. The next match against Ichihara is certainly tough, but it's a home match and we want to position ourselves to aim for 3 points and the title."

[Summary of Oita Kobayashi's press conference] "Today, we focused on taking care of Toda, Abe, and Ishikawa's speed when the ball entered Kelly. In the first half, we were able to contain Kelly, and in the second half, when Kelly dropped back to receive the ball, we marked Seto man-to-man and were satisfied that we didn't concede any goals. On the other hand, it's disappointing that we didn't score. We couldn't finish with poor accuracy, but I think we were able to do what we wanted to do to some extent, such as creating chances from corner kicks. We still have only one goal, but I want to evaluate that we have become the team with the fewest goals conceded."