Achieve revenge on enemy territory!

On April 15 of this year, Tokyo welcomed G Osaka to their home, Japan National Stadium. They allowed Inamoto to score the opening goal, and although they equalized with Amaral's goal, they were quickly struck by two goals from Kojima, ultimately losing with a score of 1-3. G Osaka, who had been suffering from a losing streak until the previous match, rejoiced in their long-awaited victory, while Tokyo, following their defeat in the previous match against Kashima, faced their first consecutive losses of the season and the shocking event of their first home defeat, leaving them in silence. In the midst of heavy rain, Tokyo lost the exhausting battle at home, suffering significant physical and mental damage.

On July 29, more than three months later, Tokyo had arrived at the away Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium to seek revenge.

The situation is different from the match in the 1st stage, and both teams have only one loss each up to Sec. 6, with G Osaka in 2nd place and Tokyo in 3rd place, making this a highly anticipated matchup between top teams. Both teams cannot afford to lose this crucial match to avoid consecutive losses and stay in the upper ranks, and it is expected to be a fierce battle of pride. Although Tokyo lost to Hiroshima in the previous match, there were many positive signs in their offense, indicating that the team's condition was actually improving. This match gave hope that they would surely achieve revenge.

Although they conceded the opening goal, they equalized with a fortunate own goal.

The match began, and it was G Osaka that first found their rhythm. G Osaka applied intense pressure from the front line, and after winning the ball, Japan national team midfielder Inamoto and Vitau became the starting point of the attack. They built up the midfield with precise passing and launched a robust attack with excellent passes to the front line. Up front, the currently rising star and candidate for the Croatian Olympic team, Ninobure, became the target with his flexible technique despite his tall stature, while another forward, Yoshihara, made sharp movements to exploit spaces on both sides and aimed for a shot. In the second minute, Ninobure received the ball on the right side, dribbled inside, and passed to Nikawa in the center. Nikawa then made a direct pass to the forward Yoshihara. The pass hit the shoulder of Tokyo's defender Komine and fell in front of Yoshihara, who ran into the right side of the penalty area, and he struck a powerful shot with his right foot that pierced the goal net.

Continuing from the previous match, Tokyo once again allowed the opening goal, but this goal served as a wake-up call. From the very start of the match, they were completely overwhelmed by G Osaka's intense pressing and were unable to control the ball, but gradually began to develop their own style of play. Tokyo's Kima, in good form, kept the ball in a low position and spread it to the sides, while Fujiyama actively joined the attack from the left, attempting to break through G Osaka's defense in combination with Masuda on the same side. When Masuda kept the ball on the left side, Fujiyama made a run outside him, drawing away Masuda's marker, allowing Masuda to either dribble inside or pass to Amaral, TUTO, or the advancing Fujiyama. Meanwhile, on the right side, Yukihiko utilized his speed to easily deliver crosses from the outside.

Tokyo gradually began to take shape, but on this day, G Osaka's defensive posture was thorough, and it was difficult to create scoring opportunities. In particular, Inamoto's presence was significant; although several passes connected in midfield, whenever the ball was played forward, it was always cut off at Inamoto. While he wasn't responsible for everything, his sharp reading and strong challenges disrupted passes to TUTO and Amaral.

Tokyo struggled to create decisive passes from the midfield, and despite Amaral and TUTO's aggressive breakthroughs not reaching the goal, in the 20th minute, DF Sandro sent a bold long pass to the forward Amaral. The opposing DF Dambry, who was contesting for the ball, unfortunately cleared it with his head, causing the ball to roll into his own goal for an own goal. Tokyo equalized with an unexpected fortunate own goal.

Decrease in midfield creativity due to Kinami's injury exit

Tokyo equalized with an unexpected goal, which revitalized them. In the 30th minute, Kina received the ball on the left side, skillfully dribbled past the opposing defender, and delivered a cross. Yukiho then attempted a shot after keeping the ball and turning, but unfortunately missed to the right of the goal. After this, Kina became the focal point in midfield, distributing the ball left and right to create rhythm.

On the other hand, G Osaka's Inamoto became the starting point, and Vitau delivered sharp through passes to forwards Yoshihara and Ninobure with his versatile passing. In the 35th minute, a pass from Vitau reached right back Yanagimoto, who sent in a pinpoint cross, and Ninobure, waiting in the center, threatened the Tokyo goal with a header that was just above the defenders. In the following 37th minute, Vitau rushed towards a ball that had come in front of the goal and collided with Doih. Doih's good judgment saved the situation, but it was surprising to see that Vitau possessed not only technique and passing but also strength and stamina.

After that, not only the forwards but also the midfielders Nikawa and Yamaguchi made runs from Vitau's through pass to create scoring opportunities, but they were somehow thwarted by Doi's fine saves. Forwards Yoshihara and Ninobure were well marked by Komine and Sandro, preventing them from making decisive plays, but the inability to catch Vitau led to dangerous situations occurring multiple times.

Tokyo, who had been repeatedly counterattacking starting from Kima after somehow defending against G Osaka's attacks, faced an unfortunate incident. In the 40th minute, just before the end of the first half, Vitau made a fierce tackle on Kima, who was keeping the ball on the left side of Tokyo's defense. Kima fell heavily and had to leave the field due to injury. Vitau received a yellow card, but for Kima's injury to be balanced out, Vitau would need to receive a red card (sending off) and leave the pitch. It was a painful incident for Tokyo.

Intense battle between both teams for pride

As the second half began, G Osaka started to take risks. Right after the start of the second half, Lins moved dynamically to create chances, and Inamoto continued to do his job well in the defensive midfield position, always participating in the attack whenever there was an opportunity.

On the other hand, Tokyo's ball retention rate in midfield has decreased due to the absence of Kinama, leading to a difficult period. They still cannot catch Vitau, who continues to deliver through balls to players breaking forward. Just barely, the two center-backs, Sandro and Komine, are holding firm, preventing any goals, but they are in a state of constant defense.

In the 70th minute, Tokyo made their move. They brought in "goal scorer Kamino." The Kamino effect was immediate. By adding Kamino, Tokyo increased their posts, allowing for better buildup in the front line, with Amaral and TUTO organizing attacks from the balls dropped by Kamino. Furthermore, the attacking participation of both full-backs also became effective.

In the 27th minute, a decisive chance arose from a limited opportunity. TUTO, who dribbled past the opponent from the right side and moved into the center, delivered a delicate pass with his left foot to Kamino on the left side. Kamino then unleashed a volley shot with lightning speed from a chest trap. Unfortunately, it was deflected by the goalkeeper, but being able to take such a decisive shot in that difficult situation is something only a "striker" can do. He had also scored a determined goal in the previous match, raising expectations.

In the 28th minute, Amaral kept and broke through a ball that went to the left side and charged towards the goal. Just as he entered the penalty area, he took a powerful shot, but it was also thwarted by a fine save from the goalkeeper.

The back-and-forth battle continued. In the 29th minute, a decisive shot was taken in front of the goal from a counterattack, but it was deflected to a corner by Komine's super tackle. In the 31st minute, Nino Bure headed a cross from the right by G Osaka, but it went over the bar. In the 38th minute, they were broken through on the right side by a one-two, and Matsunami, who came on as a substitute, headed a sharp cross, but this also went over the bar. Conversely, Tokyo, having endured G Osaka's fierce attacks, saw Naito carry the ball down the right side in the 40th minute and take a long shot from about 35 meters, which hit the bar. As the rebounding ball came out, Seigo KOBAYASHI, who came on as a substitute, dove in, but Inamoto stopped him with a dangerous play (there were bruises on Seigo KOBAYASHI's face...). Seigo KOBAYASHI was brought down in this play, and the referee indicated a penalty kick. However, for some reason, the assistant referee raised the offside flag, and after a discussion between the referee and the assistant referee, the initially awarded penalty kick was rescinded and ruled offside.

After that, in stoppage time, Naito again took a shot from an overlap, and conversely, Matsunami from G Osaka had a decisive volley shot, continuing the intense back-and-forth until the end. Then, the whistle for the end of the second half blew.

Sinking from Vitau's super goal...

The match ended in a surprisingly abrupt conclusion. In the second minute of the first half of extra time, when Yanagimoto, the right back of G Osaka, had the ball on the right side, Vitau charged into the corner space on the right side with all his might. Tokyo's Sakae desperately tried to keep up, but at the moment he was a split second late, Yanagimoto passed the ball, and Vitau unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot from a tight angle outside the penalty area. The bullet shot pierced straight through Doih's near side and struck the goal. The next moment, the referee's whistle blew, signaling the end of the match. Tokyo could not contain Vitau until the very end, and ultimately, this most dangerous man scored the decisive goal. The injuries to Asari and Kina are regrettable, but there's no point in saying that now. Throughout the match, G Osaka had long periods of ball possession, but it is true that there were several chances to win. It is also true that fatigue was evident among Tokyo's players in this match, and they want to get back in shape over the next week and make a fresh start. The real battle begins now.

[Coach Okuma's Comments]

Due to the schedule and weather conditions, it was tough today. I think the players were able to give their best under these conditions.

Today, Amaral had particularly low activity, and he was unable to defend from the front line. If even one person loses balance, compact defense cannot be maintained. The issue was that we couldn't catch a team like Gamba, which has a very high level of activity and fluid positioning. Moving forward, we have a week off, so we want to properly adjust our condition and be fully prepared for the next match.