Beleza!! TUTO!!

"Bereza (meaning 'beautiful' in Portuguese)!" I couldn't help but shout after seeing TUTO's second goal. In the 43rd minute of the second half, Yukihiko SATO scored with a perfect header from a corner kick taken from the left. This was TUTO's second goal of the day, pulling ahead of Kyoto. However, immediately after this, something even more surprising happened...

In the dying moments of the match, already in stoppage time, Kyoto launched a desperate all-out attack to try to pull one back. Naturally, Kyoto pushed forward, and their defensive line was high, so the goalkeeper Dohi, recognizing the situation, kicked the ball forward towards TUTO, who was the only one left up front, as soon as he caught it. The Kyoto defender marking TUTO reacted to the ball, leading to a contest, but on this day, there was virtually no obstacle to stopping TUTO, who had already scored two goals and was riding high. TUTO easily shook off the marking defender and took a shot at the bouncing ball! It was about a 30-meter distance, but the sharply dropping

"Incredible...". Those were the words someone said. Truly, the last 10 minutes of this match were TUTO's one-man show. How deep does this man's potential go...?

Trials? Entering the consecutive matches of Golden Week...

In the previous match against Hiroshima, Amaral was injured and had to leave the field. He was diagnosed with a bruise on his left thigh, expected to take 2 to 3 weeks for recovery. The impact of Amaral's absence brings to mind the 'nightmare' at the end of last season. However, this season, a 'perfect' system has been established in response to that lesson. From Oita, which troubled Tokyo in the same J2 league last season, we acquired the 'first J2 top scorer' Takuya JINNO, and from Kawasaki Frontale, we brought in the 'rising star' TUTO, two strikers. This was a strategy to overcome the 'crisis of Amaral's absence' that we will inevitably face in a long and tough season. JINNO was expected to play the role of a target player in Amaral's absence, while TUTO was anticipated to bring his limitless potential and energetic movement in the front line. TUTO formed a two-top partnership with Amaral from the opening match, showcasing his young talent. On the other hand, JINNO had a delayed start due to injury, but he made his presence felt in practice matches, waiting for the 'opportunity when he would be needed' that would eventually come. That opportunity arrived in the previous match against Hiroshima. The 'new combination' of TUTO and JINNO responded immediately, scoring through JINNO ⇒ TUTO ⇒ JINNO, contributing to victory in this important match.

And so we welcomed the consecutive matches during Golden Week. A three-match series against the two lower-ranked teams we absolutely cannot lose to (vs Kyoto on 4/29, vs Kawasaki Frontale on 5/6) and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup champion, Shimizu S-Pulse (on 5/3). It would be a lie to say there are no concerns about Amaral's absence, but overcoming this challenge could prove that FC Tokyo has the strength to compete in J1 this year. Fight on, Tokyo!

Struggling against Kyoto's fast press

The first match of the consecutive games during Golden Week is against Kyoto. Kyoto has only won once this season and is currently on a five-game losing streak, sitting at the bottom of the league. The team has the legendary 'King Kazu', Kazuyoshi Miura, who, despite the team's poor condition, is striving towards achieving the league's first-ever '100 goals'. He remains a player to watch out for.

In the match against the bottom-ranked team, they have only lost to Gamba Osaka in the 7th round, so they wanted to fight with high motivation, using the absence of Amaral as a "sense of crisis".

As each team's "Tokyo strategy" is thoroughly strengthened, Kyoto was no exception. With two defensive midfielders in front of three defenders, and two flexible wing-backs on both sides, Kyoto has been implementing the "pressing soccer" described by Coach Kamo.

Right after the match started, Kamino and TUTO developed the play to the side from a post play, seizing a chance, but afterwards, they were dispirited in front of Kyoto's fast press. As coach Okuma said after the match, "It is tough if we cannot break through personally or organizationally in tight situations," Tokyo was unable to find a way to attack against Kyoto's fast press, which always created a numerical advantage in tight situations.

Conversely, Kyoto quickly passed the ball to the two forwards, Kazu (Kazuyoshi Miura) and Hejis, after regaining possession, disrupting Tokyo with fast passing plays. In midfield, young talents like Matsui and Endo, equipped with technique and tactical vision, skillfully distributed the ball and delivered crosses from both sides. In the 6th minute, Endo delivered a precise pinpoint cross from the left, allowing Kazu to head the ball freely, and just 3 minutes later, Hejis unleashed a powerful shot from the center, leading to a game dominated by Kyoto.

To a Dramatic Finale...

Even in the second half, Tokyo struggled to build up play in midfield, repeatedly resorting to monotonous long passes from the defense line to the front. However, the introduction of Kinami slightly improved the situation. Kinami advanced with his trademark dribbling in midfield and provided a pass, causing the opponent's marking to be slightly delayed, which allowed Kamino's hold-up play in the front line to come to life. Consequently, the attacking involvement of both full-backs, Naito and Fujiyama, gradually increased in frequency.

Kyoto relentlessly attacks Tokyo's goal, centered around a high work rate. They unleash powerful shots from the sides and cut through the center, but Tokyo's last line of defense, Doi, makes a determined and desperate save. In the 30th minute of the second half, a decisive shot is taken straight at the goal, but Doi reacts brilliantly to deflect it. Up until this moment, there is no doubt that Doi was the hero of the day. However, after this, a scene unfolds that completely turns the tide of this disadvantage.

In the 33rd minute of the second half, TUTO broke through the left side with incredible speed on a counterattack and sent a low, sharp cross in front of the goal. Kaburaki, who jumped in, shot while falling. However, at this moment, the marked Kyoto defender made a painful handball. TUTO calmly converted this penalty to take the lead.

Kyoto, in a rush, lost the balance they had maintained and shifted to offense, creating space that Tokyo exploited without hesitation. And then... TUTO's one-man show began with the play that led to that penalty kick. As former Japan national team defender Nakamura said, "Even if you know that running ability, you can't stop it," TUTO's hat trick is backed by more than just momentum; it has solid support.

With this, we cleared the first match of the GW consecutive games. Even in the absence of Amaral, the two strikers, TUTO and Kamino, showed a strong presence. Unfortunately, TUTO will not be able to play in the next match against the strong team, S-Pulse, due to accumulated warnings, but the young forwards who played that day, including Kaburaki and Matsuda, are expected to rise to the occasion with Kamino as the core.

Director Okuma's Comments

The content of today's match was not satisfactory. There were many passing mistakes in tight spaces, and it was difficult to switch sides. A positive aspect of this match was that even though the midfield could not build up play, both full-backs actively participated in the attack, creating purposeful offensive plays. This should lead to positive developments in the future.

In the next match (although TUTO is not present), we will combine players like Toda, Kaburaki, and Matsuda, who are working hard in the satellite team around Kamino. Even without Amaral, we can compete if we develop a soccer style centered around Kamino.