Tokyo Verdy promotion to J1 League in next season after tied Shimizu S-Pulse scoring 1-1 in the J.League Promotion Play-Off final 2023 at Japan National Stadium, Tokyo.
Tokyo Verdy had a hard time creating any form of attack, but as time went on they gradually calmed down the game. In the 17th minute, Morita drifted to the left side of the opponent’s side and pulled out the ball, then sent a cross with his right foot, which was met by Yuzuki Someno who dived into the center, but his shot went wide of the target .
The most significant deciding chance of the match came in the 29th minute. Shimizu received a free kick in the center of the opponent’s half, recovered the bounce and again kicked the ball into the penalty area. When there was a scramble before the goal, the ball spilt in front of Inui, who was free in the centre, but his left-footed shot went over the crossbar.
After that, Tokyo Verdy tried to close in on the goal mainly through set pieces, but they were unable to find the back of the net, and the first half ended scoreless.
Shimizu created the first chance in the second half. In the 48th minute, Carlinhos Junio, aiming for a back pass from Nakahara near the centre of the pitch, stole the ball and carried it to the right side. After sending a low trajectory cross ball to the centre, Thiago Santana dived in and aimed for a header, but his shot just missed the right side of the post.
On the other hand, in the 56th minute, Tokyo V stole the ball from Miyahara, who was approaching Honaudo in the enemy half, and Kosuke Saito recovered the ball. He carried himself to the right of the penalty area and swung his right foot, but his shot missed the target.
The match took a significant turn in the 61st minute. Shimizu carefully connected passes on the right side of the opponent’s side, and Kengo Kitazume, who took the ball from Inui, sent a floating ball to the right of the penalty area. When Katsuhiro Nakayama reacted to the ball, the ball hit Morita’s competing hand, giving Shimizu a penalty kick. Thiago Santana will be the kicker. Shimizu took the lead with a shot that went against the goalkeeper and sank into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Tokyo Verdy, who could be promoted to J1 even with a draw, tried to move forward from here but was unable to get the ball to the front of the goal. In the 89th minute, Miyahara, who had the ball on the right side of the opponent’s side, sent a cross ball with his left foot, and Someno, who ran into the space at the back, caught the ball with a chest trap, but the opponent’s block blocked his finish.
Shimizu continued to lead by one point going into additional time, but Tokyo Verdy had a big chance after about three minutes. After stealing the ball on the right side of their own half, Nakahara connected it to the space behind them, and Someno, who was waiting up front, dribbled and carried it. As he entered the right side of the penalty area, he was taken down by Yuji Takahashi in a sliding tackle, which was ruled a penalty. Someno, who had been knocked down, acted as the kicker, and his shot aimed at the right side of the goal missed the hand of goalkeeper Takubo Okubo and headed into the goal. Tokyo Verdy brought the game back to square one at the last minute.
The game’s time is up. In this season’s J1 promotion playoffs, drama awaited in added time in the second half. Although the match ended in a draw, Tokyo Verdy, who had a higher ranking in the regular season, was promoted to J1 due to tournament regulations. He decided to return to J1 for the first time in 16 years since the 2008 season.
Credit Photo : J.League
