Battle without Almir

The J2 league, which opened on March 14, will enter a break of about one month for the Sydney Olympic qualifiers after the game on this day (Sec. 14). Tokyo was in 3rd place at the end of the previous match (Sec. 13), and with a win against the league leaders Oita in 90 minutes, they could take the top spot if 2nd place Kawasaki F (vs Sapporo) draws or loses, making this a highly motivated match. In the 1st round, while they advanced the game with Almir's opening goal in the first half, they were caught up in the second half due to fatigue from consecutive away matches, leading to extra time. In the end, the 120-minute battle ended in a draw without a resolution. Oita, which studies and analyzes the opposing team well, flexibly changes tactics. Their solid style of play, while not achieving big wins, is similar to Tokyo in that they do not lose. On this day, against Oita's best lineup, Tokyo faced a difficult formation missing the key player Almir due to suspension (accumulation of warnings). The first match of the season without Almir left concerns about midfield organization, and a tough development was anticipated.

Yukihiko and Koike's Struggle

On this day, the position left vacant by Almir was filled by Kagawa, who scored the decisive goal in the previous match against Yamagata (5/23), marking his first goal of the season. There was much attention on how much he would touch the ball in the attacking midfielder position. Additionally, Koike made his first start of the season in place of the injured Shinjo, who has been suffering from back pain. Koike, who has come on as a substitute in several matches and consistently shown stable play, also drew attention for his performance. The match quickly turned into a fierce battle between the top teams. Tokyo's Yukihiko, seemingly saying, "Leave the gap left by Almir to me!", actively engaged with the ball, creating chances with sharp dribbling and accurate passes. The recovering Amaral showcased excellent control and stable hold-up play, setting the rhythm for the attack. First-time starter Koike also fought hard with proactive movements, serving as a link between offense and defense, meeting expectations. On the other hand, Oita flexibly adjusted their positions, registering three defenders but actually deploying four, taking care of one of Tokyo's attacking patterns, which involves both full-backs pushing forward. In attack, Will and Choi skillfully maintained possession and distributed good passes to the front line, creating rhythm. Both are left-footed and possess a variety of kicks, targeting the weaknesses behind Tokyo's defenders and causing trouble for them.

"KING OF TOKYO" Amaral is still going strong!

As the second half began, the match intensified. In the 55th minute, Koike delivered a superb cross, and Kagami executed a direct volley. In the 63rd minute, Yukihiko broke through on the right side and centered the ball, which Sandro headed powerfully. In the 70th minute, Amaral entered the center and, after the ball hit the post, Fujiyama took a fierce shot. All were critical moments, but unfortunately missed the target and did not result in a goal. On the other hand, Oita also created a scoring opportunity as Will and Choi, who had been playing as passers in the first half, broke through and took powerful shots. The match entered extra time without any goals due to the efforts of both teams' defenses and a lack of finishing ability. In the 107th minute, Kobayashi, who came on as a substitute, delivered a cross from the left, which Yukihiko headed down, and Koike, who ran in, shot with his right foot. This hit the Oita defender and went back to Yukihiko, who returned it to the center, where Amaral scored a dramatic golden goal. Following his crushing victory over Kobe in the Nabisco Cup on April 14, Amaral secured his second golden goal of the season, bringing the fierce battle to an end. As for the rankings, although Kawasaki Frontale drew, there was no change in the rankings from 1st to 3rd due to Tokyo's extra time victory. (Comment from Coach Ishizaki) We changed from our usual three-back to a four-back, and the defense, including care for Tokyo's strong full-backs, went as planned. The reason for the loss was a lack of finishing ability, which we want to resolve before the battles resume on June 26. (Comment from Coach Okuma) In extra time, the marking became loose, but the defense, including the goalkeeper, was resilient and maintained focus until the end, which was the key to victory. Koike, despite being a first-time starter, contributed on both offense and defense and did well. Looking back, I am satisfied with the defensive aspect, but the drop in attacking power when Amaral was absent and the transition from defense to attack remain issues that we want to address urgently.