Fateful Rival, Frontale

The last match was on April 4 at Todoroki. In this game, Tokyo's ace, Amaral, exploded with two goals to take the lead, but Frontale showed their home pride and equalized just before the end of the match. In extra time, Frontale came back strong, dominating the play, but Tokyo held firm, and the grueling battle of 120 minutes ended in a draw without a resolution. The rivalry between Tokyo and Frontale runs deep. Two years ago in the JFL, Frontale, then a J-League associate member, made a big push with numerous player reinforcements, knowing that finishing in the top two would secure promotion to the J-League, but they lost out to Tokyo (then Tokyo Gas FC) and had their dream of 'J promotion' shattered (Tokyo Gas FC = 2nd, Frontale = 3rd). Last year in the JFL, a fierce championship battle unfolded with Tokyo chasing Frontale, but ultimately Tokyo clinched a dramatic comeback victory in the final match, leaving Frontale to taste defeat once again (Tokyo Gas FC = 1st, Frontale = 2nd)... Thus, Tokyo and Frontale have been fierce rivals, consistently engaging in intense dead heats and producing many exciting matches in recent years. In this year's J2, as of the previous match, Tokyo is in 3rd place, followed closely by Frontale in 4th place, just two points behind, indicating an early and fierce dead heat. Naturally, this day's match was expected to be an aggressive and thrilling game.

"Defensive midfielder" Asari, fully recovered!

On this day, a reliable man returned to the pitch. It was Asari, who supports the team with his solid yet understated midfield defense. Since being injured and leaving the match against Yamagata on April 11, Asari made his comeback after seven matches, showing a lively presence and skillfully disrupting the opponent's attacks with his consistent play. With Asari's addition, Almir, who had been playing as a defensive midfielder, was moved up front to focus on attacking, enhancing Tokyo's offensive power. The match developed aggressively as both teams launched fierce attacks, as expected. Tokyo's right back Umeyama and left back Fujiyama created chances with their bold attacking participation, particularly on the right side where Umeyama connected with midfielder Yukihiko and Almir, confusing Frontale's defense with a variety of combinations. On the other hand, Frontale quickly gathered the ball to their Brazilian two-top from attacks on both flanks, creating opportunities with precise passes and dribbles. In the first half, both teams connected the ball well with a good rhythm, but their final touches were lacking, resulting in no goals.

Amaral has also returned, but...

As the second half began, Frontale took a gamble. Despite the score being 0-0, they made three consecutive substitutions to change the momentum of the game. In the post-match press conference, Coach Matsumoto said, "The three substitutions at that time were risky, but I acted thinking it was a 'gamble.'" With bold player changes, they seized the flow of the game. Tokyo also replaced forward Kaburaki and brought in Amaral, who had recovered from injury for the first time in six matches. The venue erupted with excitement at the long-awaited appearance of the 'KING OF TOKYO.' However, Amaral's movements were far from his best, struggling against the opponent's tight marking and unable to perform effectively. The match progressed at Frontale's pace, and in the 29th minute of the second half, they broke through the right side from a momentary gap, finding a free Tinga. Tinga delivered a perfect cross aimed between the goalkeeper and defender, which was met with a powerful dive from Urata, who had come on as a substitute, to score. This was a tough moment for Tokyo, conceding a goal during a difficult period. After this, Tokyo, like in the previous match against Niigata, pushed defender Sandro forward to take a gamble. As the back-and-forth battle continued, just before the end, there was a last pass from Almir to Amaral after breaking through the right side. However, Amaral's shot hit the defense and did not result in a goal. In the end, Tokyo fiercely attacked but failed to score, and the match ended. They suffered their first two consecutive losses of the season. The damage from two consecutive shutout losses is significant, but the complete recovery of Asari and the return of Amaral are bright topics, and they want to switch their mindset and approach the next match against Yamagata for a revenge match.