The league's final match to compete for a championship spot

After the previous match against Kashiwa, the Emperor's Cup and the World Cup qualifiers for each representative team were held, and after a two-week interval, we are finally approaching the final match of this season's league as the 17th match of the 2nd stage, facing Sagan Tosu. In the match against Kashiwa, we won with a score of 1-0 and climbed back to 3rd place in the annual points. The point difference with Gamba Osaka in 4th place is only "2", but we are in a position to secure a spot in the championship playoffs on our own.

Coach Massimo said, "What we have built up over 33 matches will not change in tomorrow's match. However, this match is important because it determines our future. That's why what we have continued to do will be tested. It is a game where the maturity of the team is always questioned, and we pledge to approach it with a calm mind as always, giving our all that we have cultivated throughout the season."

Urawa Reds, who will face Tosu, finished 13th in the 2nd stage. They ranked 11th in the annual points. Although they advanced to the quarterfinals in the Emperor's Cup, this match will be their last in the league. With the spirit of "having nothing to lose," they will display aggressiveness and concentration, aiming for victory. Especially in the league, they have not lost in the last 4 matches. They have shown a strong defense and have brought the matches against top teams Hiroshima and Urawa to low scores, securing 1 point with certainty.

To win, Tokyo needs goals. They also need to win in situations such as ball control and quick starts, minimize careless plays and mistakes as much as possible, and break down Tosu's solid defense. Throughout the 90 minutes, they want to demonstrate the attitude of "just winning against the opponent in front of them" and accumulate 3 points.

Tokyo will face the same lineup as the previous match. Tosu's FW Toyota and DF Kikuchi start on the bench. FW Hayasaka, Mizunuma, and Ikeda are deployed up top. DF Taniguchi, Niwa, and Kim form the back three. Okamoto and Takahashi in midfield, with MF Yoshida and Choi on the wings.

Covered by clouds and feeling the coldness that signifies the arrival of winter, the big finale of this season at Ajinomoto Stadium started with Tosu's kickoff at 13:34.

Unable to score the first goal, time passes with a scoreless game

From the start, both teams pressed aggressively and attacked each other. In the 3rd minute, Tosu FW Mizunuma took a middle shot from the right side, but it lacked power and Vlada AVRAMOV caught it. After 5 minutes, Tokyo continued to look for counter-attack opportunities from interceptions in their own half. From a cut by Takahashi, they developed the play to the left. However, Tosu quickly switched and only managed to win a foul. In the 9th minute, they earned a free kick in the center of the midfield, and Yonemoto quickly restarted the play. Higashi broke through the left front line, evaded the opponent, and further turned around the Tosu DF with a feint, advancing to the left area and making a final pass to the center. Maeda in the center prepared for a shot while dropping back. The ball seemed to have gone over the bar after hitting the opponent, but it was judged as a Tosu goal kick.

After that, they continue to withstand Tosu's momentum and try to create chances from the quick start, but there is a period where they cannot bring the decisive shot. In the 23rd minute, a quick rightward expansion from the FK on the left side. Tokunaga puts in a right cross, but it is cleared and falls to the left area. Here, Kono, who set up, shoots from the trap, but it is blocked and becomes a CK. This loose ball from the left CK passes to Hashimoto in the right area, who tries to volley from the chest trap, but is also blocked by the Tosu DF.

29 minutes, Sagamihara is aiming for a lateral pass in the midfield, and Tosu quickly advances to the front line. FW Mizunuma breaks through to the right area and connects with FW Hayasaka, who has moved up the center. A shot with speed is taken, but the Tokyo DF desperately closes in, and the ball goes over the bar, avoiding a crisis. Tokyo pushes up the line high and has time to possess the ball, but they cannot effectively connect against Tosu's tough defense. They are also surpassed by Tosu in the battle for second balls and cannot grasp the rhythm.

42 minutes, Maeda in the center of the area tried to head the ball from a free kick on the right side, but was heavily marked by the Tosu DF. In the 45th minute, Hashimoto intercepted a clearance of a long pass to the front line and dribbled forward. He expanded to the right and Yonemoto tried to get into a shooting position, but was blocked by a sliding tackle. The shots were all blocked and they couldn't break down the Tosu DF. On the other hand, they maintained balance and ended the first half with a scoreless draw, hardly giving Tosu any chances.

Despite not giving up and aiming for the goal... 1 point was far away, and due to the difference in goals scored and conceded, finished in 4th place for the year.

We made small changes to the formation from the middle of the first half to adapt, but from the start of the second half, we switched to a 4-4-2 formation and bet on this 45 minutes. As planned, we grasped the rhythm from both sides, and in the 48th minute, Ota passed the ball and Maeda jumped in near the goal, but the Tosu goalkeeper caught it first. In the 51st minute, Ota → Higashi made a move in the front line and earned a left corner kick. However, we couldn't take advantage of the chance from the corner kick. In the 54th minute, Higashi broke through to the left front line with a one-two with Kawano, but the cross went to the far side. Immediately after that, Nakajima was substituted for Kawano. We continued to launch an offensive.

However, in the 56th minute, he passed the ball and created an opportunity on the left side, and Yonemoto aimed from the left area corner. Then, Morishige took a middle shot. Furthermore, connecting short passes in the front line, Takahashi advanced to the right area and entered a shooting position, but both were blocked by Tosu's dedicated defense. In the 62nd minute, Ota headed the ball from a free kick he earned on the left front line, but it went wide of the goal.

Sagan Tosu introduced FW Toyota in the 64th minute. However, Tokyo's rhythm remained unchanged, and in the 65th minute, East took a ground shot after Maeda dropped the ball on the left front line and East circled around the center. However, this was also blocked in the area and did not reach the goal. In the 70th minute, Hayashi was replaced by Lin in the front line. However, in the 72nd minute, Lin jumped into the short cross sent by Takahashi from the right area, but the header was not successful. Maeda followed up on the loose ball, but was surrounded by Tosu defenders and could not finish.

Tosu defends by pulling almost all players back to their own half and crowding the goal area. In the 84th minute, they were caught off guard and Tosu MF Mizunuma was beaten by MF Kamada on the right front line. He took a decisive shot but hit the left post... Still aiming for "one goal", in the 85th minute, they won the second ball from a melee and Lin from the right area reversed. He got into a shooting position but was blocked and resulted in a right corner kick. From here, Morishige in the center tried to push it in with his right foot while being marked, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 89th minute, Ota's cross was flicked back by Takahashi at the far post, earning a left corner kick. However, Morishige's header went wide of the goal. In additional time, Morishige headed from a left corner kick but missed to the right...

In the second half, we dominated the ball and progressed the game in Tosu's territory. We created chances through combinations in the front line, Ota's crosses, and set plays, and we kept pushing towards the goal until the end without giving up. However, the one point was far away... We only managed to earn 1 point, finishing 6th in the 2nd stage. In the overall standings, we tied with G Osaka with 63 points, but we finished 4th due to goal difference.

[Player Comments]
《MoriShige》
"We are very disappointed and frustrated that we couldn't seize the opportunity to move on to the next step ourselves. There were various factors regarding the draw, but we think it's our weakness that we can't make the most of these kinds of matches... We have approached this season with a strong desire to win the title with FC Tokyo. We have faced difficult matches one by one and have come to this position, so that's why we wanted to grab it with our own strength today. We can only express our gratitude to the fans and supporters. There is a sense of frustration that we couldn't deliver results in return."

《Ota》
"We couldn't win. That's it. We wanted one point... But we gave it our all. Our own abilities were not enough. We had chances from crosses, but my own kicking accuracy and the accuracy of set plays were also lacking. I think we couldn't effectively break through or possess the ball while Tosu was compact in the center. I am truly grateful to the fans and supporters who have supported us throughout the year. I still can't sort out my feelings right now, but I feel sorry and frustrated that I couldn't meet those expectations."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was a difficult game. Tosu closed down the spaces, so we were conscious of not losing our balance and being cautious of their counterattacks. In the first half, there weren't many opportunities, although there were a few chances like Maeda's shot scene. In the second half, we faced two dangerous situations on the counter, but we knew that a draw wouldn't mean anything, so we went on the attack. We knew it would be a tough game, but I think the second half was similar to the games against Urawa and Shonan in terms of content. I feel sorry for the players who fought so devotedly and couldn't achieve results, and I feel apologetic to the fans and supporters who supported us."
（About this season）
We were unable to advance to the CS due to the goal difference, but if we cannot objectively and calmly evaluate what we have accomplished by looking at things from various angles, we cannot hope for further evolution and a new start for the team. The wonderful thing about this team is that, despite facing various problems, we always fought together as one and never gave up until the end. Of course, everyone is filled with regret now, but I think they have become true players and can continue to grow from now on. Even in difficult situations, what I always thought was that I wanted to somehow climb to a high position with this team. I have been working for that. There is still the Emperor's Cup. I want to lift my head and do my job properly for the club called FC Tokyo."
"The game was almost perfect. We hardly allowed any scoring opportunities in defense and were able to create chances in attack. The word "almost" means that we couldn't score and secure the win. The players played with courage and what we have been doing for the past year has shown in the last few matches. I am happy that we were able to further grow in this game against Tokyo. We want to continue working hard with the players to become a team like Tokyo."