In the midst of a back and forth battle, Kiyoshi OTA's corner kick leads to Isao TAKAHASHI scoring the opening goal!

Tokyo showed an aggressive attitude from the start. In the 2nd minute, Tokunaga passed the ball forward and Kawano connected with a heel pass. Yonemoto on the right side carried the ball inside and bravely took a shot, but it was blocked by the top left bar. In the 5th minute, Yokohama changed sides from the left area through midfielder Saito, and right back Kobayashi overlapped and took a shot. In the following 6th minute, Kawano attempted to break through the center with dribbling after a precise passing play in the front line. Furthermore, in the 12th minute, Kawano was fouled and earned a free kick from just left of the penalty arc. Ota aimed for it, but it was blocked by the defensive wall. Yokohama also took the ball with tough pressing, attacked in a coordinated manner, and the game was in a back and forth situation.

After 15 minutes, Yokohama gradually launched a strong attack and created chances. In the 16th minute, MF Fujimoto broke through on the right side. MF Saito tried to pass the ball here, but it slipped slightly and spilled from his feet. In the 20th minute, Tokyo made a midfield pass mistake and Yokohama counterattacked. MF Sato quickly ran to the left side and aimed for a shot, but it went wide to the right. Tokyo also responded without losing focus and launched a counterattack. They pushed up the line with a compact formation, but the coordination and accuracy in the front line fell short. In the 21st minute, Tokunaga advanced and created an opportunity on the right side, and Kono in the center aimed for a shot, but it was cleared by the opponent's DF Kurihara's header.

In the 25th minute, Edu in the right area made a final pass in front of the goal. Kono received it and tried to change his body position to aim for a shot, but he couldn't shoot because he was marked by the opponent's defender. He reacted to the loose ball again, but it hit DF Nakazawa and was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 35th minute, Yokohama had a scoring opportunity. Right midfielder Sato played a high pass to the front line. Saito entered the area in response to this. While Morishige approached, Konda tried to control the ball by jumping forward, but he shot just before the timing. The ball headed towards the unguarded goal, but it slightly missed to the left and avoided conceding a goal.

Both teams missed chances in the following minutes, and in the 41st minute, Morishige intercepted a ball in his own half and fed it to Yonemoto on the front line. Edu made a through pass, and Higashi dribbled forward from behind. He faced the opponent's defender one-on-one and tried to bring the ball into the area, but he was slightly late and couldn't shoot. The ball spilled out from there, and Kono on the right side made a through pass, and Edu in the right area passed it to the center. Kajiyama, who had advanced forward, aimed for a shot. They showed a coordinated play, but... the shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. However, Ota took the corner kick from the right side, and Takahashi jumped in near the goal and scored with a header! They took advantage of the set-piece opportunity and took the lead, leading by one goal as they entered the second half.

Conceding a goal and drawing, unable to win in the last 5 matches

In the early stages of the second half, Yokohama took control of the pace with their quick passing. In the 54th minute, Yokohama substituted MF Nakamura for MF Sato. Tokyo also made a substitution in the 55th minute, with Muto replacing Kohno. In the 57th minute, Tokyo intercepted Yokohama's slow attack in their own half and quickly advanced, with Muto dribbling down the left side. However, Yokohama's DF Kobayashi made a sliding tackle and it resulted in a corner kick. In the 58th minute, from Ota's left corner kick, Morishige in the center attempted a header but hit the crossbar and bounced down... Morishige then attempted a shot from the loose ball, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper this time.

Yokohama counterattacks from here. They pass the ball in their own half, and MF Nakamura plays a vertical pass to MF Hattori on the left. Left fullback Narawa breaks through to a high position and crosses the ball on the ground in front of the goal. MF Saito rushes in near the ball but it flows through the center, and FW Ito scores a shot... Yokohama couldn't stop the accelerated attack in the front line and conceded a goal, equalizing the score.

66 minutes, Hanyu was substituted for Kajiyama on the right side. They tried to regroup and attacked from the side, but also lost the ball in front of Yokohama's tough defense. In the 73rd minute, they launched a quick attack, with Muto dribbling up the right side and passing to Hanyu on the outside. Hanyu carried the ball forward and crossed it, but the momentum was too strong and the ball went over the line. In the 74th minute, they won the ball in their own half, and Ota skillfully evaded the press and passed to Muto in the center. However, Muto's pass to the front line was too long and went over Edu's head.

77 minutes, Yokohama DF Kurihara receives his second warning and is sent off. Immediately after, Tokyo substitutes Edu with Watanabe. Using up their third substitution, they go for an additional goal. However, Yokohama also shows determination with intense defense. In the 41st minute, amidst a fierce battle for the ball, East is fouled and earns a free kick. Ota's kick from the left side, Yoshimoto tries to head it in the area but fails to strike it cleanly. In additional time, they quickly restart from their own half, from a throw-in, Ota dribbles up the center and Hayashi, who has moved up the right side, shoots from the penalty arc on the right... but it cuts to the left.

After that, Watanabe took a shot from the counter, but it was blocked. However, Watanabe connected with the loose ball and won a corner kick. But Yoshimoto's attempt to push the ball into the goal from the right corner kick went wide. Then Ota entered the penalty area. The pass to the center was deflected by the opponent's defender, and Hayashi followed up with a direct shot, but it went over the bar... In the final stages, we attacked Yokohama, who were down to 10 men, but we couldn't take advantage of our chances and ended up with a draw. In the last 5 matches, we couldn't achieve a victory, and we finished the J1 League this season in 9th place with 48 points.

[Player Comment]
《Masato MORISHIGE》
"I would like to express my gratitude for your support throughout the year. Personally, I had a very good year as a professional. However, I feel sorry and frustrated that we couldn't achieve good results as a team. As the captain, I wanted to achieve better results. I want to turn that frustration into motivation for the next season and work hard to contribute to the team."

"Takahashi"
"In the end of the season, the results did not go well, and I wanted to win today and finish beautifully, but I am sorry that it did not happen. However, today we approached with a double pivot and showed a way to suppress the opponent's full-back by creating thickness in the attack or having both sides defend. There are still challenges, but I want to work hard to further grow this as one of my skills. In Tokyo, there are many players who are strict with themselves and push themselves in practice and games. However, I want the team to become one that demands strictness from oneself and others. I also want to become such a presence."

[Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"There were some issues with Muto's physical condition, so we had to change the formation. However, considering it was a makeshift lineup, I think the players adapted well and fought hard. It wasn't bad at all in the beginning. We were able to aggressively pressure from the front. Both teams had chances in the first half. In the second half, similar to recent games, we couldn't find our rhythm and the opponent took advantage of one chance to equalize. After that, we created many opportunities but couldn't score. We have no choice but to accept this result, but it's really disappointing."

However, I would like to express my gratitude for the performance of each player this season. In the 14 matches after the break, there were no losses, with a total of 5th place in goals conceded and 6th place in goals scored. What these data indicate is that we should have been in the top positions. In order to achieve that, I think we lacked the goals that would have secured victory in the closely contested matches.

However, we were able to build the foundation of the team and there were young players who made their J-League debut. In addition to Mori Shige and Gonda, who were already part of the Japan national team, Ota and Muto were also selected. In that sense, I feel that the players Tokyo has nurtured will become the future of the team. Today, four players from the youth team also took the field.

From now on, I have a feeling that if we can continue in the right direction, we can become a team that can compete with the top teams. Also, what I felt coming to Japan is that in the J-League, you never know the outcome until the very end, anything can happen. Negative situations can also occur, so I feel that it is necessary to always stay focused."

[Yokohama F.Marinos Manager Yasuhiro HIGUCHI's Press Conference Summary]
"We had analyzed that Tokyo would come out in a 4-3-3 formation, but they actually started with a 4-4-2, which initially confused us a bit. Our defensive theme was how to contain Tokyo's fast attacks, and since Tokyo tends to lean towards the ball side, it was also important to move the ball wide. The game ended up being an open one with back and forth action, which played to Tokyo's advantage. It was difficult to say that we completely took control of the game."

However, in the end, we only conceded one goal from a set piece. I think we were able to demonstrate the low number of goals conceded this season. Finally, DF Kurihara was sent off, which added tension to the team. Although it ended in a draw, I want to reflect on the fact that we accumulated at least 1 point and finished without being overtaken in the rankings, together with the players.

Today, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the many fans and supporters who have supported us throughout this past year, both at home and away. I am stepping down today, but I would like to thank the fans, supporters, club staff, and sponsors who have supported the team for the past three years. Thank you very much."