A crucial match to showcase our progress so far in the pre-season, just one week before the opening.

The final pre-season match before the start of the league will be held away against Thespakusatsu Gunma. Last week's match against Tosu was also a come-from-behind victory with goals from Kono and Watanabe. The team's completion is gradually increasing with a 1-0 win against Ulsan Hyundai and a 1-1 draw against Sendai in practice matches. Coach Ranko POPOVIC said, "Today's match will show our achievements so far. We will also express our ideal selves on the pitch in preparation for the opening match in about a week."

Tokyo will not participate in the expedition due to poor condition of Lucas and Hyun Soo JANG. However, Takahashi will return from rehabilitation and will be on the bench today. The starting members are Kaga and Morishige in the center of the defense, with Yonemoto and Masaru HASEGAWA in the double pivot. Lee and Ishikawa will be on the left and right MF, respectively, with Azuma as the attacking midfielder and Watanabe as the lone striker.

Gunma, on the other hand, will be led by Tadahiro AKIBA as their coach this season. With the addition of 15 new players including FW Aoki and FW Hirashige, the team initially struggled to produce results as they built their team from scratch. However, after finishing their training camp in Chiba, they have established a 3-4-2-1 system. Coach Akiba, who is filled with excitement towards the opening match, stated, "It's a big opportunity for the team to face FC Tokyo before the season starts. It will also be our team's debut at Shoda.S, so we want to show an aggressive style of soccer."

The match started at 13:04 with Gunma's kickoff at the Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma, where it was sunny but bitterly cold.

Ended scoreless in the first half with noticeable mistakes towards the end.

Tokyo tried to calm down and pass the ball from the start, but the pitch conditions were not good and the strong wind made it difficult to make it to the goal due to mistakes. In the 6th minute, Morishige passed the ball to the front line. Watanabe dropped it, and Lee received it in the center, dribbled into the area, and took a shot from the right side, but it didn't hit well. Gunma also pressed from the front line, and while Tokyo was able to connect the ball on the defensive line, they were unable to make effective passes in the vital area. There were also moments where they lost the ball in a bad position and were countered by the opponent.

After 20 minutes, they quickly switch to an offensive stance after stealing the opponent's ball. In the 23rd minute, Morishige passes to Higashi who tries to break through the left front line. He dribbles into the left area, but his last pass to Lee on the opposite side is unsuccessful. Yonemoto, who was following the loose ball, attempts a shot from the middle but misses. In the 27th minute, Lee runs onto Hasegawa's through pass and charges into the center of the area, but is unable to get past Gunma's strong defense. Despite creating multiple scoring opportunities during this time, they are unable to find the back of the net.

At 41 minutes, Ota from their own side made a long feed to the right front line. From here, Higashi followed from behind in a cross with Ishikawa, who received the ball and made a right cross. Lee from near the goal made a perfect header, but it was saved and only resulted in a right corner kick. After that, Tokyo started to show signs of fatigue and couldn't pick up the ball in the midfield. Towards the end, they were almost scored on with a left cross by the opposing FW Hirashige, but Konda made a great save and escaped with a corner kick. In the end, the first half ended scoreless.

Ota scores a crucial goal to secure victory

In the second half, Takahashi was substituted for Ishikawa at the beginning. They approached the game with a formation that placed Hasegawa as the left MF. They completely controlled the game with precise passing, but Gunma also defended well and did not allow easy entry into the area. As the game remained in a stalemate, Tokyo gradually began to create opportunities for shots. In the 62nd minute, Yonemoto and Lee connected with short passes and Watanabe turned and aimed for a middle shot, but the GK saved it.

65 minutes, Tokunaga breaks through the right side. Hasegawa aims for a middle shot from the loose cross, but is blocked by the GK and results in a corner kick. From this left corner kick, MoriShige connects the ball and enters the left area himself. He tries to shoot past the opponent's DF, but misses the target. On the contrary, in the 69th minute, Gunma's left cross reaches FW Hirashige in the area, causing a dangerous situation, but no shot is made. However, the ball is dropped and MF Kato takes a shot. A decisive attacking opportunity is created, but the ball goes over the bar.

Tokyo changed their formation to a 3-4-3, with Takahashi as DF and Hasegawa as midfielder. In the 80th minute, Kono was substituted for Lee and immediately after, Kono received a feed from Kaga and broke through the right side. He carefully aimed a looping shot from just outside the right area, but it hit the left post. Ota, who was following from the opposite side, was able to put the ball into the net, giving Tokyo the lead. Despite making four more substitutions and pushing for another goal, they were unable to score again. They fought hard and persevered through the struggle to secure the victory.

[Player Comments]
"Ota" "In the first half, I couldn't move forward. It felt like no matter how much I ran, I was being pushed back by the wind. It was tough. But we managed to keep the score at zero and in the second half, I had confidence that we could move forward as a team. There were some changes in the system, but it wasn't just about being "there", we were able to "go there". I want to think positively about that. There were a lot of opposing players in front of the goal, but I'm glad we were able to score. (We've been talking about wanting to score for a while now, right?) I woke up with a really sore neck this morning, but maybe that's when I can score (laughs). Winning is important no matter what the content is. I think it was meaningful."

"Lee" "Since it was a side appearance, I was conscious of doing midfield work and getting involved in goals. I wanted to increase the number of shooting scenes, but the situation was difficult. However, in the second half, we were able to create some form. If the quality of the last play improves, we can increase the number of shooting scenes and score more goals. (What do you need to score?) Individual skills may be necessary... My strength is to use my movement to make use of the people around me, or to be used by them. By strengthening our cooperation, I want to create an aggressive form as a team."

[Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference Summary]
"I think the media also felt it, but wasn't it difficult to work in the stands? It was such a weather and I think it was not an easy environment for the players standing on the pitch. I think the players showed their strength even in such temperature and difficult wind conditions, and it was an interesting game where we both fought hard. Today, the team was well organized, disciplined, and fought tenaciously and patiently. We were able to control most of the game and didn't give the opponent many decisive chances. I think we need to continue doing that, and we want to improve the quality and accuracy before the opening. It's a good thing that no one got injured today, and I think we were able to show the things we should do and the quality even in such an environment. I am satisfied that we were able to have a strong and tactically solid game like today one week before the opening."

[Gunma Akihabara Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"The players fought for 90 minutes in the unique Gunma wind. In the first and second half, the wind changed and the soccer changed so much, but they made solid decisions. In the second half, they were able to keep up the pace until the end without being cut off by the wind. I think that taking advantage of one chance is the quality of J1, so we will accept it sincerely and reflect on it. There is still one week until the opening, so we want to examine what was good and what was bad and become one again and do our best. (There were 15 players in the squad today?) This is my message. I don't want to bring players who are not at the level to play the game. I make it clear to the players. I won't put them in order because there is a spot. I told the players that I will only bring players who are at the level to play the game. Isn't that better for the company to save expenses? (laughs)"