Get 3 points and move up in the standings!

　In the previous match, Tokyo drew with Urawa and finished the 10th section in 8th place. Despite winning against strong teams like Yokohama FM and Kashima, their proud attacking soccer, they have shown their weakness by drawing against lower-ranked teams or failing to win games by a narrow margin, and they are unable to break out of the middle position. Out of the 10 matches, 5 ended in a draw, and they have been unable to secure victories despite playing good soccer so far.

　However, fortunately, the 2nd stage of this year is still in a close battle. Tokyo is in 8th place, but the difference with the top is "5". With 5 games remaining, it can be said that they are still in a position to aim for the title. After this, the match against Shimizu on this day became an absolutely important game that cannot be lost in order to keep up with the top teams.

　On the other hand, Shizuoka, the opponent, has been struggling. They have dropped in form with 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses in the last 5 matches, finishing 10th in the 10th section. They suffered a heavy 1-6 defeat against Urawa in the second leg of the Nabisco Cup quarterfinals held on the 8th of this month, and also suffered a 2-0 defeat against Kashima in the previous section, unable to demonstrate their true ability. However, in home games, they have remained undefeated with 2 wins and 3 draws since entering the 2nd stage. They have shown great strength at home, and looking at the past match records, they cannot be underestimated as they have 2 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in league matches against Tokyo.

　The starting lineup for Tokyo will see Fuyama replacing Kaji, who is suspended due to accumulated warnings, at right back. In addition, 18-year-old Yusuke Kondo, who will make his first start in place of Amaral, who was unable to train properly this week due to a cold, will be the lone striker. The rest of the team will remain unchanged.

　On the other hand, Shimizu also missed their ace MF Mitsushuji due to accumulated warnings, and the "Japan national team side showdown" with Kaji did not materialize, but there are still many highlights such as the U-22 representative showdown between Japan national team DF Shigeta vs South Korea national team FW An, and MF Ishikawa vs DF Ikeda. In the cloudy sky that seems to rain at any moment, the battle began at 3:34 pm.

Take the lead with Ishikawa's eye-opening super goal!

　The match became a fierce battle with a rapid exchange of offense and defense from the beginning. In the 2nd minute, Jean misjudged a harmless bounce ball on the left side and cleared it behind, allowing Shimizu FW Kitajima to break through and face GK Doi in a one-on-one situation. It was an early and decisive pinch, but Doi, who was solid throughout the game for both teams, caught the first shot firmly. On the contrary, in the 4th minute, Kondo Yusuke headed a cross from Fujiyama from the right side. In the following 5th minute, Toda passed to Kelly in the center, and when the ball was passed to Kondo Yusuke on the left, Kondo Yusuke made a sharp cut to evade the opponent's DF and took a powerful shot with his right foot. Unfortunately, it hit the Shimizu DF, but it was a bold play towards the goal.

　In the 8th minute, Ishikawa, who had been showing good movement since before the match, changed positions from the right side to the left side. A lofted pass from Miyazawa found the space behind the left side. Ishikawa, who received the ball at top speed, used the bounce of the ball to evade U-22 representative Ikeda who came to mark him, and quickly cut inside from the center, flashing his right foot a moment faster than the block from the opponent's defender. The world-class super shot pierced the left corner of the Shizuoka goal and took the lead.

Kelly's additional point pushes Shimizu away

　Tokyo, who took the lead with a goal that disrupted Shimizu S-Pulse's momentum, did not let up on their attack. In the 13th minute, Toda skillfully dropped a cross from the right to Miyazawa, who ran in and took a powerful shot. In the following 15 minutes, Miyazawa broke through on the left side and crossed the ball, but it was cleared by the opponent's defender. However, Ishikawa, who had run in from outside the penalty area, aimed fiercely from the front but missed the goal.

　On the other hand, Shimizu has been aiming for goals by distributing the ball from the back to the front line through midfielder Tsurumi and involving midfielder Ito, who moves widely in the attacking midfield position and expands to the sides, and then crosses the ball for forwards Yasu and Kitajima to attack. Occasionally, they have tried to open up Tokyo's defense line from the center by connecting Yasu and Kitajima to the post with precise direct passes, but they have not been able to create decisive opportunities due to poor accuracy in the final pass. Shimizu had a chance in the 17th minute when a throw-in from the left side was headed towards the goal, but Doi punched it away, albeit weakly, and midfielder Takagi took a volley shot from inside the penalty area but missed to the left of the goal. In the following 18th and 19th minutes, midfielder Suzuki caused panic in the Tokyo defense line by delivering a curved ball from a right corner kick, but the goal was far away.

　Tokyo's fierce attack continued afterwards. In the 20th minute, Yusuke KONDO, who received a pass on the left side of the goal, aggressively dribbled towards the center and unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot. In the 21st minute, KONDO once again aimed for the goal with a header from a cross from Fujiyama on the right. The 18-year-old young lion was eagerly aiming for the goal without feeling any pressure from his important role. In the 24th minute, Toda stole the ball on the left side from KONDO's charge and rushed towards the goal. Although he faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, the shot he took with his left foot from top speed missed the goal.

　A long-awaited additional point was born in Tokyo in the 25th minute, when Fujiyama from the right floated a throw-in and sent a pass to the front line. Toda passed through in the penalty area on the right, and Shimizu DF was lured by this, and the ball rolled in front of the goal. Kelly, who ran in, jumped out and shot a moment faster than the Shimizu GK, pushing it into the unmanned goal. Tokyo, who took two points in the early stages of the first half, is gaining momentum.

Sealing the "Ishikawa Day!?" with a stunning goal to decide the game

　Tokyo extended their lead to 2-0 with Kelly's goal and continued to play "attacking football". In the 27th minute, Toda received a pass from Ishikawa on the right side, and in the 35th minute, Kondo dropped a pass from Ishikawa, who had broken through on the right side, but Kelly's shot did not find the back of the net. In the 38th minute, Kanazawa crossed the ball from a throw-in on the left side, and Toda headed it freely in the center of the goal, but it went over the crossbar. Tokyo's defense, led by Jean and Mobata, repelled Shimizu's long balls to the monotonous front line. Fujiyama, who made his first start in a while, also said before the game that he wanted to contribute by showing his own strengths, and he demonstrated a tenacious defense that disrupted Shimizu's attacks at crucial moments.

　At halftime, Coach Hara said, "A 2-0 score is dangerous. Instead of defending, let's play the same soccer as in the first half. The game starts from here."

　As per the instructions of Coach Hara, Tokyo's "attacking football" remained unchanged even after the start of the second half. In the 48th minute, Ishikawa received a pass near the center circle and skillfully evaded a charging player on the left side, then dashed forward and quickly crossed the ball. The cross was pinpointed to Kelly, who had made a run from the far side, but Kelly's shot missed the goal and went over.

　When we missed a decisive chance, Shizuoka created a decisive opportunity in return. In the 51st minute, An allowed a shot from the front of the goal, turning around, and in the following 53rd minute, it was developed to the left from a clearance mistake. Finally, TUTO, who came on in the second half, took a powerful shot from a close distance, but Doi deflected it and it bounced off the bar, which Kanazawa cleared just in time. It was a dangerous situation, but we did not allow a goal with high concentration. In the 65th minute, TUTO took another decisive shot from the front of the goal, but Doi made a super save and did not allow a goal.

　In the 56th minute, Tokyo took the ball from Miyazawa's charge and crossed the Shimizu goal with a superb cross from Ishikawa on the counter, but it narrowly missed Toda's dive. In the 61st minute, Kelly received a well-timed pass from Fujiyama's attacking participation and took a shot from inside the penalty area, but it went straight to the goalkeeper.

　In the midst of a back-and-forth battle, in the 74th minute, as Shimizu pushed forward to score, Kanazawa made a big side change from the deep left side to the space on the right side. Ishikawa, who received that pass, made a sharp feint and cut inside to the center, swinging his left foot and shooting, with the ball piercing into the left side of the goal! Ishikawa's impressive performance of scoring 2 goals in a single league match for the first time in his career sealed the victory.

　Tokyo controlled the game without losing focus until the end, even though they conceded a goal to Yasushi immediately after the 75th minute. Shimizu's counterattack was not strong enough. After that, it became an intense battle, but Tokyo continued to send a "attack" message to the players throughout the game, with Coach Hara making attacking decisions until the end. In the 60th minute, Amaral was substituted for Yusuke Kondo as a forward, and in the 85th minute, Kaito Abe was substituted for Kelly as a forward. The game ended with Tokyo defeating Shimizu 3-1, and their ranking improved from 8th to 5th. As mentioned at the beginning, this victory was of great significance and value as it allowed them to firmly stay in the top ranks.

【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"I hit the first goal with an image, but I didn't know if it went in or not until I saw the reaction of those around me. I realized it was a goal. The second goal was just like in practice. I haven't been able to score for a while, so I really wanted a goal. I'm happy that I was able to score a goal that leads to victory."《Kelly》"It's difficult to win against a strong team like Shimizu away, so I'm happy that we won today. It wasn't too hot or too cold, and the condition of the turf was good, which led to a good performance. I'm glad I was able to score a goal in a good way."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Kaji couldn't play due to suspension, so we used Fujiyama instead. Also, I had planned to use Yusuke KONDO from the beginning instead of Amaral, and I thought that would be a key point. Amaral had caught a cold this week and couldn't practice properly, so I was planning to put him in at a crucial moment today. Yusuke did a great job and Fujiyama also played well, showing his strengths in defense. He can play as a center-back or a full-back anywhere, which allows Moino, Jean, and Kanazawa to play more freely. Their improvement is thanks to Fujiyama. Furthermore, the key to today's victory was Ishikawa breaking through on the wing. Shimizu became unsettled after that early goal. I think the goal was the result of our daily training, and it was good to see the attitude of going towards the goal on their own, not just creating chances. It is significant for the team to be able to keep up with the top with this victory. We have had many instances where we couldn't finish the game, so this victory will lead to the next one. We want to prepare well for the next match."

[Summary of Shimizu Ogi's press conference] "The reason for the loss was that we couldn't control the opponent's speed. Even when we were marking, we couldn't keep up with their speed in all situations where they scored. In terms of attack, we were pulled back by Ishikawa and Toda, and our defensive line lacked depth. We were able to get close to the goal, but we couldn't come up with the final idea or finish with poor accuracy."