In the first half, there were scoring opportunities, but...

FC Tokyo, who won their first two matches, started attacking aggressively from the beginning, with the fullbacks as the starting point. In the 5th minute, after Umeyama's sharp interception, the ball was passed to Sato on the right side, who crossed it. Kagami headed the ball, but unfortunately missed the target. In addition, in the 10th minute, Fujiyama fought hard on the left side and passed the ball to Amarao. Amarao then played a perfect loop pass between the opponent's goalkeeper and defense, and Sato, who broke free, skillfully controlled the ball and dribbled past the goalkeeper to take a shot. However, the opponent's defender made a fine play and prevented a goal. After that, Amarao's powerful left-footed shot hit the post, and they missed several decisive chances, resulting in a back-and-forth battle.

Disrupting Niigata's solid defense rhythm

Niigata, who is also on a two-game winning streak like Tokyo, responded with a style of sharp counterattacks from a solid defense, characterized by quick starts and tight checks. In particular, the movements of Almir and Sato Yoshi, the two new midfielders this season, were effectively contained, preventing them from connecting passes and establishing rhythm, leading to a monotonous attack that often aimed for Amaral's head with long balls. However, Amaral was closely marked by the newly joined tall defender, and the goalkeeper's wide defensive range and strength against high balls meant that the monotonous long ball attacks did not succeed in unsettling the opponent. As the second half began, the flow increasingly favored Niigata. Niigata thoroughly executed quick counterattacks after pressing in midfield to win the ball, quickly spreading to the sides to create chances with crosses. In the 33rd minute of the second half, the deadlock was finally broken. From a scramble in midfield, a ball that went behind Tokyo's defense was passed by Komine to the Niigata forward while competing. This became an unintentional weak pass, and as it was touched just a moment earlier by the Niigata forward, Horike tackled and a penalty was awarded. This was easily converted, and they finally conceded the opening goal.

The fierce attack at the end did not bear fruit...

With this, Tokyo awakens and shifts to an all-out attack. In the 36th minute of the second half, the highly offensive midfielder Shinjo is brought in. He becomes a new starting point for the attack. Furthermore, DF Sandro is pushed up to the front line to try to gain aerial dominance. In the 41st minute of the second half, substitute Kaburaki takes a powerful right-footed shot. However, it is denied by a fine play from the goalkeeper. In stoppage time, they earn consecutive corner kicks and press towards the goal. Just before the end, Sato shoots from a corner kick rebound but unfortunately misses. And finally, the whistle blows to signal the end. Although they outshot their opponents, they were unable to break through Niigata's organized defense and suffered their first loss of the season at home. In the post-match press conference, Coach Okuma stated, "We couldn't convert our chances in the first half, and when the mood turned sour, we self-destructed (PK). It's not about whether Niigata is strong or weak; in J2, the difference in strength among teams is minimal, and there are no teams to be treated as special. I emphasize to the players the importance of treating each match with care. Before the next match against Kawasaki F, I want to quickly address the issues exposed in today's game and prepare for the future." Indeed, it is a painful loss, but only three out of 36 matches have been played. It's important to switch gears mentally.