Last game at "Nishigaoka"

On March 14, 1999, the memorable debut match of FC Tokyo (J2) was held here at "Nishigaoka Soccer Stadium." The opponent was the same as today, Sagan Tosu. Under a clear blue sky, FC Tokyo overwhelmed Tosu in front of 3,685 enthusiastic fans, fully showcasing their new power. Players who needed to score, such as Okamoto and Amaral, added goals, and by the end, it was a commanding 2-0 victory. They splendidly celebrated their opening match with a win... About seven months have passed since then, and the long J2 League season is already approaching its final stages, with only seven matches remaining including today's game. This will also be the last match at "Nishigaoka." This season, matches were held mainly at "Nishigaoka," as well as at three other stadiums including "Edogawa Ward Athletic Stadium" and "Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium," but "Nishigaoka" hosted 10 of the 18 home games, making it, so to speak, the "ground most soaked with sweat and tears." The compact dedicated stadium, where the distance between the stands and the pitch is extremely close and the voices of the coach and players can be heard, is one of Japan's most atmospheric stadiums where fans and players can unite! The bench seats, standing areas behind the goals, the dim night lighting... all contribute to a local image typical of J2, and many fans and media personnel support "FC Tokyo soccer at Nishigaoka." The players feel the same way. For the last game at "Nishigaoka," we couldn't help but hope for a brilliant victory.

Impact of Amaral's absence

In the first half, Tokyo was the first to seize a chance. Tokyo used Almir in midfield as the starting point of their attack, launching a solid offensive through the participation of both left and right fullbacks and the defensive midfielder, Shinjou. Shinjou, with passionate play, stole the ball and actively pushed forward to create chances. At the 14th minute, Shinjou timed his run perfectly to break through on a through pass from Almir, held on stubbornly on the left side of the penalty area, and delivered a perfect pass to Kaburagi charging fiercely toward the center. Kaburagi faced the opposing goalkeeper one-on-one and took a well-aimed shot, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goalpost. However, from around this point, the momentum gradually shifted to Tosu. Although Tokyo built up well from the sides with Ume-yama Yukihiko on the right and Fujiyama Okamoto on the left, Kaburagi, who stayed up front, was unable to keep the ball due to Tosu's tight marking, limiting passing options and disrupting the rhythm. On the contrary, Tosu launched sharp counterattacks after winning the ball, with their forwards running long distances deep into the side spaces and establishing bases with solid ball control. Tokyo, increasingly exposed on the flanks, faced a critical danger at the 25th minute. Tosu’s forward flowing into space on the left side broke through when Yamao and Sandro tried to double-team him, and even the rushing goalkeeper Suzuki was bypassed, leaving the goal unguarded. However, Fujiyama saved the situation with a last-moment sliding tackle. Tokyo, unable to establish a base up front, saw Almir take on the forward position to play as a target man, temporarily improving the attacking rhythm. With a base up front, the fullbacks joined the attack more often, and Kaburagi was able to face forward and challenge defenders from balls dropped by Almir. On the other hand, with Almir holding the forward position and focusing on target play, there was no player to organize the game in midfield, making the attack monotonous. When Amaral was on the field, his stable target play allowed Almir to move freely, and through combination plays and versatile passes with Amaral, they could create decisive opportunities. But when Almir himself became the target man, the starting point of the attack disappeared. This made the importance of Amaral’s presence painfully clear once again. The first half ended with a back-and-forth battle, finishing 0-0.

The fierce attack of Tokyo began with Enomoto's entry, but...

Unable to establish a foothold upfront and having lost the starting point of their attack, Tokyo brought in forward Enomoto, who excels at post play. This instantly changed the flow of the game. By switching to a two-forward system with Kaburagi and Enomoto, and dropping Almir back to his original defensive midfield position, Tokyo's attacking power increased significantly. Enomoto demonstrated the stable post play expected of him, and by actively moving into deep spaces on both the left and right alternately with Kaburagi, Tokyo's passing options greatly expanded. Almir became the starting point of the attack, distributing passes to the left and right wings, where Fujiyama on the left and Umeyama on the right launched forward! From there, with crosses from the sides and shots cutting into the center, Tokyo's original attacking rhythm returned. From this point, Tokyo's "fierce attack show" began. At the 13th minute, Enomoto unleashed a powerful left-footed shot following excellent ball control, and immediately after, midfielder Shinjo advanced and fired a strong left-footed long-range shot. Then, a perfect through pass from Almir to Yukihiko waiting on the left side led to a fierce left-footed shot! Although all were stopped by Tosu's goalkeeper's fine saves or the goalpost, Tokyo's fierce attack during the first 15 minutes of the second half was spectacular.

Tokyo, who began to get frustrated after failing to score in several decisive moments, even saw their key defender Sandro join the attack as they continued their fierce offensive. However, at the 25th minute of the second half, Tokyo was caught off guard for a moment. Tosu launched a counterattack, and their ace forward Takemoto charged towards Tokyo's goal. Takemoto received a perfect cross from the left just on the edge of the offside line, shook off his marker Yamao, and powerfully struck Tokyo's net with his left foot. With 20 minutes remaining and trailing by one goal, Tokyo brought on forward Wada and launched an even more intense attack with a "Japanese-made three-forward" formation. At the 34th minute of the second half, Enomoto dived in to meet a low cross from defender Yamao who had surged up the right side, but the ball was narrowly cleared by a defender. Then, at the 37th minute, Yukihiko picked up a loose ball about 25 meters from the center in front of the goal and unleashed a perfectly curved shot, but it was brilliantly saved by Tosu's goalkeeper. The Tosu goalkeeper, who had made a series of fine saves early in the second half, seemed to be fully in the zone. Tokyo continued their fierce attack until the end, but Tosu's defense, centered around their goalkeeper, held firm, and the match ended 0-1. Despite nearly doubling Tosu in shots, 17 to 9, Tokyo lamented conceding just one goal and suffered their second consecutive league defeat following the previous match against Yamagata. It was disappointing that they couldn't finish their last game at Nishigaoka with a victory, but on the 17th (Sunday) next week, they face Sapporo, who gained momentum with a big win over Yamagata this round, and then on the 24th (Sunday), the crucial top-of-the-table clash against Kawasaki Frontale awaits. The players should focus on resting their bodies and resetting their minds. From here on is the real battle.

Director's Comment

(Sagan Tosu - Hiroshi SOWA, Manager's Comment)

It was a tough game with many pinches, but the backline held up well. As a tactic, we paid attention to suppressing the dribbles and attacks from the left side by Fujiyama. The players understood well and responded accordingly, but it was a big loss that Amaral was not there. With him keeping the ball there, the participation of the fullbacks in the attack increases and the defensive line becomes unstable. We had never won in Tokyo before, so I am just happy.

(Tokyo - Coach Kiyoshi OKUMA's comment)

I always thought the opponent's Wanchope would come. It hurts that we couldn't take it where we could have taken it first. I think the result would have been different if we could have kept the ball a little longer in the front line. The way we lost the ball was also bad, and the fullbacks couldn't push up. The good point was that Enomoto showed us the potential as a striker. In the future, we have no choice but to fight with this team, and we want to consider various combinations such as two top and second row.