League final match, victory in Tokyo football!

　The league is also approaching its final match, and in the 2nd stage, Sec. 15, we will face Kashiwa Reysol away. Although we drew with Verdy in the previous match and lost the possibility of winning the championship, we cannot afford to lose in order to improve our position and prepare for the upcoming Emperor's Cup.

　However, Amaral, who was nursing an ankle injury, started on the bench. Yusuke Kondo, who had been suffering from a back injury, returned and made his first start since the 11th round against Shimizu. In addition, Tokyo is missing Suzuki due to the World Youth (U-20 Japan national team), but Kashiwa has also sent out four players. Kashiwa, on top of that, has suspensions and injured players, and apart from MF Myojin and FW Tamada, they have not played in half of the league matches so far.

　Tokyo aims for victory with their own style of football, replacing the strength of being able to compete with the best team. In the midst of the cold, continuous rain, the fierce battle began with Kashiwa's kickoff.

Unable to get into rhythm against Kashiwa's tough marking and concede the first goal

　At the start, Kashiwa FW Tamada enters the penalty area, but Shigeki steals the ball by leaning his body. Then, Doi jumps out to the front line with a through pass, and the ball spills in front of the goal, but the defense calmly cuts it off. In the 3rd minute, Tokyo's Miyazawa picks up the clear of Kaji's cross and shoots. They win a corner kick. In the 7th minute, Kondo Yuto, who received a pass on the right side of the area, dribbles around the center and boldly shoots. In the 9th minute, Ishikawa cuts inside and shoots. However, Tokyo struggles with the fast pressing, not allowing Kashiwa to create decisive chances. They allow pass interceptions in the midfield and in front of Kashiwa's goal, and they cannot get into a good rhythm. Mistakes were also noticeable on the wet pitch.

　17 minutes, Shigeki Mogi, who was going up for a clear ball from the Kashiwa DF, picks it up on the front line, but is cut off when he traps it, allowing Kashiwa to launch a quick attack. And in the 18th minute, Kato, the MF, sends a sharp FK from the left area just before the hand to the goal front, and Hagi, the MF who jumped in, scores a diving header. One chance was taken advantage of, and the first goal was conceded.

　In the 25th minute, a sharp pass from Kelly on the left side found Ishikawa free on the right side, who took a decisive shot but missed wide to the left. In the 30th minute, Miura was fouled in front of the goal and won a free kick, which Miyazawa surprised with a short pass to Kanazawa, who then played a through pass into the box. Kondo received the ball and fought his way into the area for a shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. In the 36th minute, after a free kick for Kashiwa, defender Watanabe picked up the clearance of forward Suganuma's cross inside the left area and was left free to take a shot. Kanazawa cleared the danger, but in the 37th minute, Toda challenged goalkeeper Kaji with a header after a lob from Kaji, and Miyazawa took a shot from outside the box. It was a familiar attacking pattern, but it missed slightly to the right. In the 38th minute, Miyazawa aimed for the goal with a free kick in front of the goal, but it went to the left of the goal. It was regrettable to miss these opportunities during a period of gradually gaining rhythm from side attacks and picking up second balls in the midfield.

Despite being 2 points behind, they launched a counterattack against 10-man Kashiwa!

　Kashiwa had a corner kick in the 40th minute when Akira Akashi's cross was cut by Tokyo DF. It was their third corner kick of the day. Kato took the right corner kick and Suganuma redirected it backwards in the center. Tsuyoshi Watanabe then headed the ball into the goal from the far side. Tokyo's marking was off and they allowed a free shot, resulting in a 2-goal deficit from set pieces in the first half.

　In the first half, Tokyo had a tough time transitioning from defense to offense as Hagiwara and Myojin, the defensive midfielders, consistently lost the ball. In the second half, Amaral was substituted for Kondo Yuu, in an attempt to launch a counterattack. As planned, in the 52nd minute, Kelly entered the penalty area and took a shot. In the 53rd minute, Amaral received a pass outside the box, evaded the defender, and took a shot. Both shots went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 54th minute, Amaral received a pass from the left and passed it to Toda in front of the goal. Toda then passed it directly to Amaral, who had advanced into the box. However, the final pass from the sideline was intercepted by a Kashiwa defender.

　Kashiwa threatened Tokyo's goal with fast breaks and set plays, but in the 62nd minute, Hagimura, who fouled Toda inside Kashiwa's territory, received his second warning of the day and was sent off. The intense fighting spirit backfired, forcing them to play with 10 men. In the 63rd minute, Tokyo substituted Abe for Miura, going all out with about 30 minutes remaining. Taking this opportunity, they expanded the pitch and started to show dynamic attacks. In the 64th minute, Ishikawa passed to Kelly, who then passed to Toda, who jumped out in front of the goal and took a shot. Unfortunately, it hit the goalkeeper straight on. And then, right after that, Kanazawa crossed the ball and Toda received it at the post, returning it to Ishikawa, who took a shot from outside the box. The ball hit a defender, changing its course, and went into the goal! A well-executed goal by Ishikawa emerged from the wave-like attack, and Tokyo raised the flag of counterattack.

Amaral, with 2 goals by the King, achieves a dramatic comeback victory!

　In the 66th minute, Abe, who had stolen the opponent's ball on the left side, rushed towards the goal and took a shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. Tokyo tried to score an equalizer from crosses on both sides, but the Kashima DF showed height in front of the goal and prevented them from finishing. However, Kashima gradually began to slow down and committed more fouls. In the 79th minute, Miyazawa's free kick was cleared and resulted in a throw-in from the right side. Ishikawa received Kaji's throw-in and crossed it into the box, where Abe shot and scored while falling down in the midst of a scramble in front of the goal!! It was an equalizing goal that seemed to reflect the determination of the entire team!

　Tokyo, which had gained momentum, but from here a dramatic drama began. Four minutes after the tie, in the 83rd minute, Abe broke through the left side, bypassed the defender, and crossed from near the end line. Shigetane, who had advanced from the pass by Muscat, headed the ball. It was initially blocked by the defender, but the clearance ball fell in front of Amaral! Amaral kicked it into the goal and scored the third goal!! It was a "delicious" goal that seemed like a gift from God, but with the hot attack that Amaral and everyone's feelings had taken over, they succeeded in taking the lead.

　Kashiwa was on the defensive in this intense mood. In the 85th minute, Abe, who received a right cross, persevered and won a corner kick. With Miyazawa's left corner kick, Abe connected on the far side, and the ball returned to Amaral. Amaral calmly kicked it directly into the goal! Tokyo turned the game around with Amaral's two passionate goals, and they held on to a 4-2 victory over Kashiwa until the final whistle. They achieved the results of their attacking football and finished the second stage with the most goals in the league, securing 5th place.

　However, the season is not over yet. From Dec 14, we will participate in the Emperor's Cup, the last title of this season. Towards New Year's Day, let's cheer for Tokyo once again, "fighting until the end without giving up"!

【Player Comment】《Amaral》"I am very happy to contribute to the team with my goals and win in front of many fans. It was a complex feeling today as we approached the final match of the league. The team didn't start well, but we gained momentum after I came in. Looking back, I think it was good. When I came to Japan, the professional league hadn't started yet and the team was still amateur. From there, we became professional and climbed up the ranks to J2 and J1. I am happy to be able to compete in the top league and have so many fans supporting us. Today is the last match of the league, but I am satisfied that we have come this far together with this team, rather than feeling sad. The things we have left undone and what the team lacks is, of course, titles. I think we have been growing year by year, the level of the players has also improved, and we have come to a point where we can win titles. The reason we couldn't reach the top stage is that something was still missing. Unfortunately, it is not something that can be easily won in 1-2 years, but winning titles will lead to further improvement in the team's level. I believe that we will be able to win them soon because we have been working hard. I want to aim for the Emperor's Cup."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We predicted that Kashiwa would apply intense pressure in the final match. The key point today was Amaral. In the previous match, he injured his ankle and had internal bleeding, so his condition was difficult. We wanted to use him at a crucial moment. The first half went as expected, but we conceded 2 goals from set plays after losing the loose ball. It felt unpleasant, but at halftime, I told the team, 'If we score one goal, we will definitely have a chance to win.' In the second half, there were frustrating moments, but Ishikawa and Abe scored goals, and ultimately, Amaral's energy led us to victory. It was a play filled with everyone's wish for Amaral to score a goal, and he delivered it with his whole body. In the previous match, we drew after leading, and this week was tense, but Amaral helped us overcome that. I'm glad we won with his strength. This season, our defensive ability improved in the 1st stage, and our scoring ability improved in the 2nd stage. There are still areas where we lack accuracy in crosses, shots, and finishing, but throughout the year, we never had a game where our motivation waned. I think that's where the team has grown."

[Summary of Kashiwa Aurelio's press conference] "It felt like playing two matches within 90 minutes. We were in a dominant position and scored two goals until Hagimura was sent off. After that, the game completely changed against Tokyo, who used a lot of high balls. The substitution of Tamada due to knee pain also had an impact. At the beginning of the season, we were not a good team and struggled, but gradually we came together as a team. In the second stage, we showed good football from the start and were involved in the top fight. However, various problems arose from the midfield, especially with many injured players, and we couldn't form a team satisfactorily. On the other hand, we used young players and proved that they can perform as full-fledged players. I am satisfied with this point and believe that they will be the driving force to aim for even better results in the near future."