Get revenge on enemy territory!

On April 15th of this year, Tokyo welcomed G Osaka to their home Japan National Stadium. They allowed the first goal to Amaral, but managed to equalize with a goal from Inamoto. However, they were then stunned by two quick goals from Kojima, ultimately losing 1-3. G Osaka, who had been suffering from a losing streak until the previous match, celebrated their first victory in a while. On the other hand, Tokyo suffered their first consecutive loss of the season, as well as their first home defeat, following their loss to Kashima in the previous match. In a fierce battle in the pouring rain, Tokyo was defeated at home, resulting in a significant physical and mental blow.

After more than three months, on July 29th, Tokyo headed to the away Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium to seek revenge.

In the 1st stage, the situation is different from the previous match, as both teams have one loss each until the 6th match of the previous round, with G Osaka in 2nd place and Tokyo in 3rd place. It was a highly anticipated match between top teams. Both teams were determined to avoid consecutive losses and stay at the top, making it a fierce battle of wills. Tokyo, despite losing in the previous round against Hiroshima, showed many bright spots in their attack and their team's condition was actually heading in a positive direction. It was expected that they would surely get revenge in this match.

Despite conceding the first goal, we were lucky to equalize with an own goal.

The match began and it was G Osaka who first grasped the rhythm. G Osaka launched a fierce press from the front line, and after winning the ball, Japan national team's defensive midfielder Inamoto and Thales became the starting point of the attack, building up the midfield with accurate passing and launching a strong attack by passing through the perfect pass to the front line. In the front line, Nino Bure, who is currently being sold as a candidate for the Croatian Olympic team, becomes the target with his flexible technique despite his tall stature, and the other forward, Yoshihara, makes sharp movements to jump into the left and right spaces and aim for a shot. In the second minute of the match, Nino Bure received the ball on the right side, dribbled into the center and passed it to Niigawa in the center, who then passed it directly to Yoshihara in the front line. The pass hit the shoulder of Tokyo's defender Komine and fell in front of Yoshihara, who ran into the penalty area on the right and struck a powerful shot with his right foot into the goal net.

After conceding the first goal again in the previous match, Tokyo woke up with this goal. From the start of the game, they were completely overwhelmed by G Osaka's intense press and were unable to control the ball, but gradually began to develop their own style of play. Tokyo's in-form player, Yoshina, kept the ball in a low position and expanded it to the side, with Fujiyama actively involved in the attack from the left and combining with Masuda on that side to break through G Osaka's defense. When Masuda kept the ball on the left side, Fujiyama would run past him, making it difficult for Masuda to be marked, and he would either dribble into the middle or distribute passes to Amaral, TUTO, or Fujiyama who had run ahead. On the right side, Yukihiko used his speed to easily cross from the outside.

Tokyo gradually started to create a good shape, but the attitude of entering from G Osaka's defense on this day was thorough, and they couldn't create any scoring opportunities. In particular, Inamoto's presence was significant, and although some passes were connected in the midfield, whenever they tried to play vertically, they were cut off by Inamoto. Although it's not all because of him, with sharp reads and strong tackles, he intercepted passes to TUTO and Amaral.

Tokyo, who couldn't make a decisive pass from the middle, and Amaral and TUTO's aggressive breakthroughs couldn't reach the goal, sent a long pass to Amaral on the front line from DF Sandro after 20 minutes. The opponent DF Danbury, who was competing, tried to clear the ball with his head, but unfortunately the ball rolled into their own goal, resulting in an own goal. Tokyo was able to equalize unexpectedly with this lucky own goal.

Kina's injury forced the midfield to lose its composition.

Tokyo, who caught up with the tie with an unexpected goal, regained their breath. In the 30th minute, Kina, who received the ball on the left side, broke through the opponent's DF with a brilliant individual skill and crossed it. Yukihiro then took a reverse shot from the keep, but unfortunately it missed to the right of the goal. After this, Kina became the starting point of the midfield and began to spread the ball left and right, creating a rhythm.

On the other hand, G Osaka also started with Inamoto, and Vitaou sent a sharp through pass to the front line's Yoshihara and Nino Boure with his versatile passing. In the 35th minute, a pass from Vitaou reached right back Yanagimoto, who then sent a pinpoint cross. Nino Boure, who was waiting in the center, threatened Tokyo's goal with a header. In the following 37th minute, Vitaou charged towards the ball in front of the goal and collided with Doi. Doi's good judgement saved the crisis, but Vitaou's technique, passing, and surprising leg strength and stamina were also impressive.

After that, not only the FW but also the midfielders Futagawa and Yamaguchi made runs and created scoring opportunities, but they were prevented by Doi's fine saves. Kominato and Sandro did a good job marking Yoshihara and Ninobure respectively, but they couldn't catch Vita and dangerous situations occurred repeatedly.

Tokyo, who had been preventing G Osaka's attacks and launching counterattacks from Kina, was hit by an accident. In the 40th minute just before the end of the first half, Vitor tackled Kina fiercely while he was keeping the ball on the left side of Tokyo's own field. Kina fell violently and was forced to leave the field due to injury. Vitor received a yellow card, but Kina's injury and subsequent exit from the field would only even out the losses for both teams if Vitor were to receive a red card (ejected from the game). It was a painful event for Tokyo.

Intense battle between both teams' determination

In the second half, G Osaka came out to win. From the start of the second half, Vita was moving dynamically and creating chances, while Inamoto was doing his job perfectly as a defensive midfielder and always joining the attack whenever there was a chance.

On the other hand, with Kina's departure, Tokyo's ball possession rate in the midfield has decreased and they are facing a difficult time. They are still unable to catch Vitaux and are struggling to make vertical passes from there. Barely holding on, Sandro and Komine as center backs are not allowing any goals, but they are in a defensive state.

70 minutes, Tokyo also went into the game. It was the introduction of "goal scorer, Kamiya". The Kamiya effect was immediately apparent. By putting Kamiya in, Tokyo was able to increase their posts and create a gap in the front line. Amaral and TUTO were able to build attacks from the balls dropped by Kamiya, and the participation of both fullbacks in the attack became more effective.

At 27 minutes, a decisive chance was created from few opportunities. TUTO, who had dribbled past the opponent from the right side and entered the center, floated a pass to Lins on the left side with his left foot. Lins then took a volley shot with an incredible speed from a chest trap. Although it was unfortunately saved by the goalkeeper, it is something that only a "striker" can do to take a decisive shot from such a difficult situation. He also scored a determined goal in the previous match, raising expectations.

In the following 28 minutes, Amaral kept and broke through the ball that came out on the left side and rushed towards the goal. He took a powerful shot as he entered the penalty area, but it was also blocked by the goalkeeper's fine save.

The back-and-forth development continues. In the 29th minute, a decisive shot is taken from a counter attack, but Kobayashi's super tackle sends it to a corner. In the following 31st minute, Nino Bore heads a cross from the right for G Osaka, but it goes over the bar. In the 38th minute, Matsunami, who came on as a substitute, heads a sharp cross from the right side for G Osaka, but it also goes over the bar. On the other hand, Tokyo, who withstood G Osaka's fierce attacks, in the 40th minute, Naito brings the ball in from the right side and takes a long shot from about 35 meters, hitting the bar directly. The ball bounces back and Kobayashi, who came on as a substitute, jumps in, but Inamoto stops him with a dangerous play (leaving a bruise on Kobayashi's face...). Kobayashi is brought down in this play, and the referee points to a penalty kick. However, for some reason, the assistant referee raises the offside flag, and after a discussion between the referee and the assistant referee, the previously awarded penalty kick is taken back due to offside.

In the remaining time, Naito once again took a shot from an overlap, but then Matsunami from G Osaka scored a decisive volley shot, and the intense battle continued until the end. Finally, the whistle blew for the end of the second half.

Sunk by Vitor's Super Goal...

The match ended with a disappointing finale. In the 2nd minute of extra time, (G Osaka's) right back Yanagimoto received the ball on the right side and Vita sprinted with all his might towards the corner space on the right side. Tokyo's Seki desperately tried to keep up, but was a moment too late. Yanagimoto quickly passed the ball to Vita, who then took a powerful shot with his right foot from an angle outside the penalty area. The bullet shot flew straight past Doi's near side and into the goal. In the next moment, the referee's whistle blew and the match ended. Tokyo couldn't contain Vita until the very end, and ultimately this man, who they had to be most careful of, scored the winning goal. It's regrettable that Asari and Kina had to leave the game due to injuries, but there's no point in dwelling on it now. Throughout the match, G Osaka had control of the ball for a long time, but there were a few chances for Tokyo as well. It's also true that Tokyo's players showed signs of fatigue in this match, so they want to use the next week to recover and start fresh. The real battle begins now.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

Due to the schedule and weather conditions, today's game was tough. I believe the players were able to give their best performance despite these conditions.

Today, Amaral's movement was particularly low and he was unable to defend from the front line. Even if one person loses balance, it is impossible to have a compact defense. The team, like Gamba's midfield, has a very high level of movement and takes on a fluid positioning, so the problem was in that area. In the future, we will have a week off, so we want to adjust our condition firmly and aim for perfection in the next game.