Bereza!! TUTO!!

"Beléza (meaning "beautiful" in Portuguese)!" I couldn't help but scream when I saw TUTO's second goal. It was a scene where Yukihiko SATO scored a perfect header from a corner kick in the 43rd minute of the second half. TUTO himself extended Kyoto's lead with this second goal of the day. However, right after this, something even more surprising happened...

As the game was coming to an end, already in stoppage time, Kyoto launched an all-out attack in an attempt to score a goal. Naturally, Kyoto pushed forward and their defensive line was high, so GK Doi, judging the situation, caught the ball and immediately kicked it towards TUTO, who was left alone on the front line. The Kyoto defenders marking TUTO reacted and a struggle ensued, but on this day, with TUTO already scoring two goals and on a roll, there was no obstacle that could stop him. TUTO easily shook off the defenders marking him and took a shot at the ball that bounced high! Although it was a distance of 30 meters, the sharp "drive shot" that drew a large arc and fell sharply seemed to mock the hand of Kyoto's former Japan national team GK Matsunaga, who desperately stretched out, and was sucked into the left corner of the goal. The stadium fell silent for a moment, but soon after, it was filled with cheers.

"Incredible..." It was someone's words. The last 10 minutes of this match were truly a TUTO one-man show. How deep is this man's hidden potential...?

Challenge? Entering the consecutive games during Golden Week...

In the previous match against Hiroshima, Amaral was injured and sent off. He was diagnosed with a left thigh contusion and is expected to be out for 2-3 weeks. The absence of Amaral brings back memories of the "nightmare" at the end of last season. However, this season, the team has learned from that experience and taken a "perfect" approach. They acquired two strikers, Takuya JINNO, the "first J2 top scorer" who gave Tokyo a hard time in the same J2 league last season, and TUTO, the "rising star" from Kawasaki F. This was a solution to the "crisis of Amaral's absence" that they will inevitably face in a long and tough season. They expected JINNO to play as a post player in Amaral's absence, and TUTO to show his unlimited potential and energetic movement in the front line. TUTO has been playing alongside Amaral since the beginning of the season, showcasing his young talent. On the other hand, JINNO was delayed due to injury, but he showed his presence in practice matches and waited for the opportunity where he would be needed. And that opportunity came in the previous match against Hiroshima. The "new duo" of TUTO and JINNO responded immediately and contributed to the victory with a goal from JINNO to TUTO and then back to JINNO.

And then came the GW consecutive games. A 3-game series against two lower-ranked teams that we absolutely cannot afford to lose (vs Kyoto on 4/29, vs Kawasaki F on 5/6), and the Asian Cup Winners Cup champions, Shimizu S-Pulse (5/3). It would be a lie to say there is no anxiety without Amaral, but if we can overcome this, FC Tokyo can prove their strength to compete in J1 this year. Fight, Tokyo!

Struggling against Kyoto's fast press

The first match of the Golden Week series, the opponent of the day is Kyoto. Kyoto has only won one game this season and is currently in last place with 5 consecutive losses. The team has "King Kazu" Miura Kazuyoshi, and while the team's condition is poor, he is still aiming to achieve the first ever "100 goals" in league history. He is still a person to be wary of.

In the match against the last place team, Tokyo lost to G Osaka in the 7th round, so they wanted to fight with high motivation by using the "sense of crisis" of Amaral's absence as a springboard.

While each team's "Tokyo strategy" was thoroughly strengthened, Kyoto was no exception. Kyoto, who placed two defensive midfielders in front of three defenders and two flexible wing backs on either side, has been playing the "pressing soccer" that Coach Kamo talks about.

Immediately after the start of the match, Kamiya and TUTO expanded to the side from the post-play and seized the chance, but after that, they were subdued by Kyoto's fast press. As head coach Okuma said after the match, "It's difficult when we can't break through individually or organizationally in tight situations," Tokyo was unable to find a way to attack against Kyoto's fast press, which always creates a numerical advantage in tight situations.

On the other hand, Kyoto quickly disrupted Tokyo by taking the ball and entrusting it to the two top players, Kazu (Kazuyoshi Miura) and Hejis. In the midfield, young talents with technical skills and tactical vision, such as Matsui and Endo, freely spread the ball and sent crosses from both sides. In the 6th minute, Endo's accurate pinpoint cross from the left was headed by Kazu, and in the 9th minute, Hejis unleashed a powerful shot from the center. The game was dominated by Kyoto.

To a dramatic finale...

In the second half, Tokyo was unable to build up in the midfield and repeated a monotonous attack of long passes from the defensive line to the front line. However, the situation improved slightly with the introduction of Kina. Kina was able to supply passes after dribbling in the midfield, which allowed the forward Kamiya to start making post plays with a slight delay in the opponent's marking. As a result, the attacking participation of both fullbacks Naito and Fujiyama gradually increased.

Kyoto also comes attacking Tokyo's goal with a high level of activity centered around Hejis. They receive strong shots from the side or through the center, but Tokyo's last line of defense, Tsuchi, shows a determined save with great spirit. In the 30th minute of the second half, they are hit with a decisive shot from the front of the goal, but Tsuchi also deflects it with a fantastic reaction. Up until this point, the hero of the day was undoubtedly Tsuchi. However, after this, a scene occurs where they quickly turn the tables on this disadvantage.

33 minutes into the second half, TUTO breaks through the left side with an amazing running power from a counter attack, and sends a low and sharp cross to the front of the goal. There, Kagamiki jumps in and shoots while falling down. However, at this moment, a Kyoto defender marks a fatal handball. TUTO calmly scores this penalty kick and takes the lead.

Kyoto, who was in a hurry, has disrupted the balance they have maintained so far and turned to attack, creating space. And... TUTO's one-man show started from the play that led to that penalty kick. As Kyoto's former Japan national team defender Nakamura says, "Even though we know his running ability, we can't stop him," TUTO's hat-trick is not just about momentum, it has solid backing.

With this, we have cleared the first game of the Golden Week series. Even without Amaral, TUTO and Kanno, the two strikers, showed a strong presence. Unfortunately, TUTO will not be able to play in the next game against the strong team Shimizu S-Pulse (due to accumulated warnings), but young FW players such as Kaburaki and Matsuda, who played on this day, will surely live up to expectations.

<Coach Okuma's Comment>

The content of today's match was not satisfactory. In particular, there were many missed passes in tight spaces, and it was difficult not being able to change sides. One positive aspect of this match was that even though the midfield was unable to build up, both fullbacks actively participated in the attack and executed intentional attacks. This should lead to a good direction in the future.

Next match, (without TUTO), Toda, Kaburagi, and Matsuda, who are working hard in the satellite, will fight together with Kamiya as the axis. Even without Amaral, we can fight if we play soccer centered around Kamiya.