Overcoming the difficult away game, staying focused on the rhythm, and giving our all for victory

　Facing Júbilo Iwata away from home in this round, just two days after the Nagoya Grampus match. In the previous round, we conceded a goal before being able to convert our chances, but we managed to equalize with Makoto's goal near the end of the match, and we also have high expectations for Sasa's scoring ability. We want to continue the momentum of our good performance. However, Kanazawa is out of action due to a right foot injury. Makoto will play as the left full-back, and Miura and Kajiyama will start as the double pivot in midfield.

　Iwata, who is facing them, has "some games with very good content, and some games where they easily concede goals," analyzed by Coach Hara. However, they have steadily accumulated points and are currently in 5th place. In this match, GK Kawaguchi, DF Fukunishi, Hattori, and others are injured, and FW Maeda is suspended, so they are unable to field their best lineup. FW Choi, who started in the 5th round (April 13th), will be in the starting lineup. Karen will form a two-top with him, MF Naruoka will play as an attacking midfielder, Ota as the right MF, Murai as the left MF, and Kawauchi and Nabe as a double pivot in the midfield. The defensive line consists of Kane, Tanaka, and Chano, forming a 3-5-2 formation.

　Coach Hara is determined, saying, "We are in a difficult situation with injured players and consecutive matches. The condition may determine the outcome. Iwata has strength, but we want to play a balanced game and score points without letting them show their strength." It is a crucial match at the away game, Yamaha Stadium, where we have never won before, but we want to secure the points with a strong and energetic performance without being overwhelmed by the opponent's rhythm.

Battling A Bogey Team

Two days after the draw with Grampus, TOKYO traveled south to take on Jubilo Iwata. TOKYO had created a host of chances in the previous game but failed to take them and were punished on the counter attack; Konno grabbed a late equaliser to rescue a point. Sasa Salcedo's integration into the side seemed to be progressing and TOKYO were definitely improving. A leg injury had forced Kanazawa out of this game, though. Konno replaced him at left back as TOKYO began with a double defensive midfield pairing of Miura and Kajiyama.
Opponents Jubilo had, according to TOKYO manager Hara, "played very well in some games and then given away simple goals in others". They had steadily accumulated points though, and lay in 5th place at kickoff. Goalkeeper Kawaguchi, defenders Hattori and Fukunishi were injured, while forward Maeda was suspended. Jubilo were boosted by the return of striker Choi Yong Soo for his first game since April 15th. Choi teamed up with Robert Cullen in attack, Naruoka played behind the front two, Ota on the right, Muroi on the left, Nanami and Kawamura as defensive midfielders and a back line of Kim, Tanaka and Chano in a 3-5-2 formation.
"Both teams have injuries and are missing players", commented Hara, "That may well be the deciding factor today. Jubilo are strong at home so we'll have to play with a good balance to stop them and score ourselves". TOKYO had never won at Yamaha Stadium and would need to prevent Jubilo finding their rhythm to stand any chance of ending that record.

Iwata is caught off guard, but adjusts with a position change

　Kickoff is at 19:05. The daytime heat has finally eased, but there is hardly any wind on the pitch, and the humidity remains. Nevertheless, the ball speed is fast on the short grass pitch, and the game has started with a quick pace. Both teams are playing aggressively, creating an intense atmosphere. In the 3rd minute, Lucas skillfully handles Kajiyama's pass, and Ishikawa takes two shots from the right side. However, he is blocked by the opposing defender. In the 7th minute, Iwata also creates a chance with a through pass to forward Choi, followed by forward Karen breaking through, but Doi quickly reacts and clears the danger. In the 14th minute, Kajiyama steals the ball in midfield and passes it to Lucas, who evades the defender and takes a mid-range shot. Although there have been few finishing opportunities so far, there has been an exciting back-and-forth battle.

　However, as time passed, Iwata dominated the ball and pushed Tokyo. In the 22nd minute, a dynamic counterattack was launched with FW Choi as the starting point, but the Tokyo defense calmly prevented it. In the 26th minute, Iwata had an accident where MF Nabeshima injured his foot and was replaced by MF Funatani. Immediately after that, Tokyo attacked inside Iwata's territory, and MF Ota took a free shot from the center of the goal from a left cross. The decisive chance was avoided by Doi's punching. FW Choi connected the loose ball with a header, and FW Karen's shot from inside the area missed to the left, managing to withstand the fierce attack.

　Tokyo also tried to switch quickly and attack, but they struggled to connect from a low position to the front line. So, around the 30th minute, they changed positions with Imakano as a defensive midfielder, Suzuki Nori as a left full-back, Kurizawa as a left midfielder, and Kajiyama moved up one row. From here, they gradually started to find their rhythm. However, the offense and defense were back and forth. In the 39th minute, Ishikawa turned his opponent in the right area and took a daring shot with speed, but it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's great save. Immediately after this, Iwata's midfielder Naruoka was injured and replaced by forward Nakayama. In the 42nd minute, they were counterattacked from a corner kick, and Iwata launched a quick attack. Although Suzuki Nori initially stopped it, they lost the ball again, and Iwata's forward Nakayama made an early cross to the front line. Forward Karen ran deep into the right area and made a minus last pass in front of the goal. It was a decisive scene, but the shot by Choi hit Jean's extended leg, and Doi held onto the ball. In the 44th minute, Kajiyama's shot from Tokyo's counterattack hit the bar and bounced down, not going in... The score remained 0-0 as they entered the second half.

Jubilo Dominate

The game began shortly after 7pm and, while the heat of the day had diminished, conditions were humid and oppressive. The pitch was cropped short and was very slick. The match started at a frenetic pace and a tough, physically demanding 90 minutes seemed to be in store. In the 3rd minute, Ishikawa had two bites of the cherry after being set up by Kajiyama and Lucas, but a defender blocked both efforts. TOKYO keeper Doi had to be alert in the 7th minute to race off his line and collect after first Choi, and then Cullen, attempted to latch onto balls played through the visitors' defense. In the 14th minute, Kajiyama robbed an opponent and found Lucas; Lucas turned neatly past a defender and shot. It was a sharp move, from defense into attack, and finished with a shot on target.
Jubilo began to dominate possession and TOKYO were increasingly pushed backwards. In the 22nd minute, Choi set off on a blistering run at the heart of the TOKYO defense; the line held firm and the danger was averted. Nanami picked up an injury in the 26th minute and had to be replaced by Funatani. Jubilo then fashioned the best chance of the game thus far as a cross from the left picked out Ota unmarked in front of goal. Ota shot fiercely but Doi punched his effort clear. Choi headed the ball back towards goal and Cullen drove it inches wide of the post.
TOKYO attempted to build from the back but were unable to move the ball up to the forward line. In response, manager Hara rearranged the formation: Konno moved into a defensive midfield role, Suzuki played at left back, Kurisawa moved out to the left and Kajiyama moved forward into central midfield. The changes allowed TOKYO to play with more rhythm and Ishikawa drew a good save from Sato in the 39th minute after a trademark run and shot from the right. Jubilo were then forced into another substitution as Nakayama replaced the injured Naruoka. In the 42nd minute, Jubilo launched a rapid counter attack from a TOKYO corner. Suzuki won then lost the ball, allowing Nakayama to play a deep, early cross to Cullen at the far post. Cullen cut the ball back to Choi but a valiant block from Jean took the pace off his shot and Doi collected comfortably. In the 44th minute, Kajiyama let fly from 25 yards out; his powerfully struck effort dipped over Sato but struck the underside of the bar and bounced away to safety. The half ended 0-0.

Kurisawa scores a goal despite conceding the first goal! The intense battle ends in a draw

　The second half also progressed at a fast pace. In the 47th minute, Lucas competed for Suzuki Nori's left cross, and Kajiyama, who had advanced to the left area, picked up the loose ball and took a shot. However, there was no angle and it went wide to the right. In the 48th minute, Iwata MF Murai's pass found FW Nakayama, who hit the post, and MF Ota, who had run in, took a shot. The momentum was strong, but it curved to the left. In the 52nd minute, Sasa was substituted for Miura, and they went for the win with an attacking formation.

　In the 53rd minute, Inamoto jumps into Kurisawa's right corner kick, but it doesn't hit. In the 55th minute, Kurisawa breaks through the right front line from a counterattack, bravely attempting to break through while being surrounded by two opposing defenders. It seemed like he was fouled inside the area, but it resulted in an opponent's goal kick. From there, Iwata receives a quick counterattack, and the shot from MF Funatani, who connected with the cross, goes to the left. In the 57th minute, Sasa picks up Ishikawa's cross at the far post and passes it back. Norio Suzuki unexpectedly kicks a shot in front of the goal. Kurisawa receives it, but unfortunately, he couldn't finish it.

　In the intense match, both teams' distance between the forward line and the defensive line became stretched due to fatigue from consecutive games. In the midst of that, the number of counterattacks leading to shooting scenes increased, and it was a situation where either team could score. In the 65th minute, Karen Iwata, who had moved to the attacking midfielder position, faced forward and ran freely into the area, but Shigeki Shigeno closed in on the shot and it resulted in a corner kick. In the 67th minute, Karen picked up a loose ball in the area and took a shot, but Nori Suzuki and Konno defended it with their bodies and turned it into a counterattack. In the end, the opponent's defender barely managed to clear the ball from Ikeda's cross, but Kajiyama connected with the ball from this corner kick and played a through pass to the forward line. Ikeda broke free, but his shot hit the opponent's defender's leg and did not result in a goal. This time, Kajiyama aimed for the goal with the loose ball, but it went wide to the right.

　Amidst the rapid exchange of offense and defense, in the 75th minute, Baba was substituted for Ishikawa. Tokyo continued to move towards the goal without stopping their attacking momentum. However, in the 80th minute, Iwata's midfielder Kawamura dribbled forward. As the Tokyo defenders momentarily paused, Jean was attracted and a pass was sent to Choi on the right side of the area. Unable to catch Choi, they allowed a free shot and conceded a goal. They were scored against at an unfavorable time... However, the players on the field did not look down and launched a counterattack. Immediately after in the 81st minute, they received a foul near the opponent's center circle, earning a free kick. Without the opponent being prepared, Kurisawa stood freely in front of the area. Baba quickly passed the ball and Kurisawa decisively scored a goal! Baba and Kurisawa's quick decision-making and coordination brought the score level!

　Tokyo, who raised their spirits with Kurisawa's equalizer in the previous home game against Iwata, received a counterattack from Iwata in the 86th minute. Ota received a pass from Nakayama, but Moini desperately ran to stop it. In the 86th minute, Miyazawa, who had not played since June 11th (Chiba game in the Nabisco Cup), was substituted for Kajiyama. With accurate kicks, he tried to create chances by sending the ball to the front line of Sasa and Lucas. In the 89th minute, Kurisawa cut inside from left to right and passed it back to Miyazawa, who ran in and took a shot. However, the goalkeeper caught it. In injury time, Miyazawa's right cross reached Lucas in the far post, but he was blocked by the defender and couldn't take a shot. In the end, Tokyo couldn't secure a second goal to pull away from Iwata, and the intense game ended in a 1-1 draw. This makes it two consecutive games where they concede first and end in a draw.

　【Player Comments】《Kurisawa》"In the early stages, the passes became too vertical. I think it's easy for the opponents to defend when Nao and Kimio are just staying wide. I wanted to change the side through the midfield a little more. In the second half, the players on the side were creating space outside by moving inside, and we were creating scenes that led to chances. In the scene of the goal, I said to myself (to Baba), 'Give it to me!' We were conceded the first goal and ended up with two consecutive draws, but we were able to catch up and the team has a different atmosphere than before. The challenge now is to convert our chances."《Baba》"In the scene of the goal, I saw that there was space open for Kuri-san. Originally, I was planning to fake and kick it after pretending to pass it to Kaji-san, but Kuri-san's eyes were saying 'Give it to me.' He often comes to my house, so I guess that's proof that we have a good relationship (laughs). My condition is good. I come off the bench often, but I always think, 'When I get into the game, I will do my job.' Today, the midfield was dragging on until I came on, so when I had the ball, I tried to keep it and create chances through one-twos and other plays."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "It was the third game of a three-game series in one week, and some of the players were feeling a bit sick, so we couldn't predict their condition until we played the game. I heard that Iwata also had many injured players, but they still had a good lineup. We talked about playing our own soccer properly. We decided to put Imakuno at left fullback and Miura at defensive midfielder to start the game solidly. It wasn't necessarily a bad decision, but there were some moments where we were confused by the fast-paced pitch. Also, we lost the ball in the midfield many times, so we changed Imakuno to the center and Suzuki Nori to left fullback. That balanced the team. Júbilo had FW Karen dropping back and moving in and out of the front line frequently, making it difficult to grasp. There were some dangerous situations, but we had Sasa, Baba, and Miyazawa on the bench, so we planned to bring them in at crucial moments. We managed to bring the game to a 0-0 draw in the first half, intending to bring them in at the decisive moment. However, both teams created space and Iwata's midfielders Kawamura and Funatani came up and created some dangerous situations when we lost the ball. I instructed the team to take care of that, but they were tired and allowed the opponents to enter the space. Jean also had accumulated three yellow cards and seemed scared, so he escaped at the most important moment. I felt uneasy when FW Choi scored, but we didn't give up and immediately scored from a free kick by Baba. We wanted to get 3 points, but if we lose in a tough game, it's pointless. Imakuno's strengths come out more when he plays in the center, and Suzuki Nori was able to defend against the opponent's MF Ota as a left fullback. That was a positive outcome. We want to continue integrating Sasa into Tokyo's soccer style and further improve."

　[Summary of Iwata Yamamoto's press conference] "In the first half, there were various happenings such as injuries, but the young players aggressively challenged. It raised the level of the team and created new competition. It was a valuable match. I am happy as a coach that the young players with skills showed a fighting spirit and took responsibility. There were many mistakes in terms of content, but I want to express my gratitude to Makoto Tanaka for playing in this tough schedule and heat. He is playing fully for the team and also for the national team. I really feel his toughness. Choi was delayed due to a knee injury from the opening, and he hasn't been in top form until now, but I think he was decent today. We talked about going as far as we can. Until now, he had chances in short playing time, but he couldn't score easily, so the whole team was trying to let him score. It was good for the team that he scored today. All three substitutions were due to injuries. There have been injuries since the Gamba game, but there are many scheduling factors. It is a fact that consecutive matches from the national team's Iran game to the Nabisco Cup have led to injuries."

Kurisawa Ties It In Thrilling Finish 

The second period also began at a frantic pace. In the 47th minute, Suzuki raced down the left and crossed towards Lucas; the loose ball fell to Kajiyama who drilled his shot wide from a tight angle. In the 48th minute, Nakayama held the ball up for Ota to whip a fierce shot just wide of the right upright. TOKYO replaced Miura with Sasa in the 52nd minute in a bold attempt to break the deadlock.
The visitors won a corner shortly after but Konno failed to make a clean contact with the ball and Kurisawa had a penalty shout turned down after seemingly being tripped in the area after a sparkling run through the home defense. Funatani then fired wide for Jubilo as the end-to-end nature of the game continued unabated. Both teams began to be stretched, allowing space for counterattacks and a goal seemed inevitable. In the 65th minute, Moniwa blocked Cullen's shot out for a corner. Suzuki and Konno then combined to block another shot from Cullen before launching a counterattack that led to Ishikawa's cross earning a corner for TOKYO. The Jubilo defense cleared the corner out to Kajiyama who played it back in to Ishikawa; Ishikawa made room for a shot but it struck a Jubilo defender and rebounded to Kajiyama who fired wide.
TOKYO replaced Ishikawa with Baba in the 75th minute. Jubilo finally broke the deadlock in the 80th minute; Kawamura took the ball forward and picked out Choi as the TOKYO defense momentarily froze. Choi finished well and TOKYO were behind with only 10 minutes to play. The visitors' heads didn't drop and a piece of quick thinking from Baba led to the equalizer less than a minute later. TOKYO won a free kick near the center circle, the Jubilo defense was slow to regroup and Baba spotted Kurisawa unmarked inside the area. He played a quick pass forward and Kurisawa finished emphatically to tie the game.
Moniwa performed heroics to block Nakayama's effort in the 85th minute. Miyazawa then made his first appearance since June 11th, replacing Kajiyama, with Sasa and Lucas the targets for his accurate long balls. Miyazawa nearly won the game for the visitors in the 89th minute but Sato held his strike after good work by Kurisawa. Neither side was able to conjure a winner and the game finished 1-1. For the second successive match, TOKYO had fought back after conceding the first goal.

Players' comments
Kurisawa:
"For some reason we played too many long balls in the first period of the game. It was easier for our opponents to defend against than Ishikawa and Suzuki using the wings. We should have played the ball through the middle and changed sides more often. There was more space on the flanks in the second half and we were able to create chances. For the goal in my mind I aid "Pass it!" to Baba. For the second game we've come back after falling behind and there's a good atmosphere in the squad right now. We just have to start taking our chances".

Baba
"I looked up at the free kick and saw Kuri unmarked in the area. Kaji usually takes those free kicks but Kuri caught my eye and I was able to get the ball to him. I feel like I'm in good condition at the moment. I've been making a lot of appearances as a substitute recently and I've just been trying to concentrate on doing my job once I get on the pitch. The midfield was a little sluggish at the time I went on; I thought if I could hold the ball up or play some one-twos then we might create some chances".


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara
"It was the third game in a week and a few players were suffering with slight colds so we had to let them play to assess their conditions. We had heard Jubilo had a few injuries but they still put out a strong team. We mainly discussed imposing our style on the game. Konno started at left back and Miura in midfield; we really wanted to make a solid start. That was fine but the pitch was very fast and we lost the ball in midfield quite a lot so we changed the positioning and that improved our balance. Cullen played in a slightly withdrawn position and that made it a little difficult for us to pick him up. We had a few sticky moments but made it to half time 0-0 and we had Baba, Sasa and Miyazawa on the bench for the second half. Some space opened up in the second half and that allowed Kawamura and Funatani to get forward and cause us some problems. The players seemed to be tiring, Jean was on three yellow cards and then we lost our shape at a crucial moment. It was a terrible feeling to concede at that time but the team didn't give and we soon equalised. We wanted the three points but you don't get anything for losing a tough game. Konno shone in the centre and Suzuki played a good game at left back, successfully blocking Ota out of the game. They were bonuses for us today. We want Sasa to adapt to our style and move forward from here".

Jubilo manager Yamamoto
"We had injuries in the first half and the young players aggressively challenged for the ball. The standard of the team is rising and there's a new spirit of competition. It was a valuable game for us. As manager I'm very pleased to see talented young players showing their fighting spirit and accepting responsibility on the field. We made a few mistakes but given the tough schedule and the conditions Makoto Tanaka was superb. He's been playing for the national team and he played the full 90 minutes today; I really want to express my gratitude for his performance. He showed what a strong player he is. Choi had a knee injury from the opening game of the season and it's been a long road back to full fitness for him. We felt the time was right today and all the team wanted him to score. It's not only good for Choi himself but it's great for the team. The three substitutions we made today were all for injuries and all are due to the schedule. We've had the World Cup game against Iran, the Nabisco Cup and three league games in a week recently."