Only victory is certain!

3 consecutive shutout losses... Even after watching the Nagoya game last week, the performance was not bad. The players have not completely lost confidence and have been fighting for victory, believing in it. However, if we were to suffer 4 consecutive losses in the early stages, it would be difficult for the players to maintain their motivation and there would be discord within the team, facing a tough situation. Therefore, in order to avoid this, this game was a "must-win!" and we could not afford to lose.

Also, on this day, it was the "first match" with Urawa Reds, the team that TUTO, who became the "savior" of Tokyo last year, transferred to. There is nothing more sad and frustrating than losing to a player who has transferred. The place was Urawa Komaba Stadium, the home of Reds where you can experience the most away games in Japan, and the conditions were not good, but we had to win no matter what. On this day, Miura, who aimed for victory as it was his 200th J-League appearance, Roppongi, who was selected as a candidate for the Japan national team and was full of fighting spirit, and Komine, who was given the important role of "TUTO killer" in his first appearance this season, all headed to the pitch with passion in their hearts.

Another heated battle

The atmosphere at Komaba Stadium was even better than rumored. Except for the away team's designated section (approximately 600 seats), the stands were perfectly filled with red. Not only was there a massive chorus, but there were also countless banners and big flags. The stands felt like a living creature, relentlessly attacking the away team. Normally, the away team would be swallowed up by this atmosphere, but the Tokyo supporters in the stands were not going to stay silent. As expected, the "isolated island" of Tokyo's supporters began their "counterattack" with their clever and witty cheers. The players must have felt encouraged by their brave display, not letting the numerical disadvantage affect them. The "intense battle" was not only on the pitch, but also in the stands, where the heat was already rising.

TUTO vs Komine

When the game started, it was Reds who made the first move. In the previous match, Reds, who were boosted by their victory against Marinos, pressed hard from the front line with TUTO at the center as expected, and quickly headed towards the goal after stealing the ball. Reds' attacking pattern is to distribute the ball to TUTO through Donizic, Ono, and Adriano. The attack, which was joined by Ono in the powerful Brazilian trio, was speedy and accurate, and in the early stages of the first half, Reds dominated the ball.

However, as time passed, it became clear that the Reds' attacks lacked another level of intensity. The reason was because TUTO, who had become the Reds' super ace, was being perfectly contained by Kashiwa Reysol's Komine. The theme of this day's coach Ohkuma was "TUTO countermeasures". And the secret strategy taken by the coach who knows his fear the most was "TUTO vs Komine". In a practice match against Kashiwa Reysol before the season opener, TUTO twisted his left ankle and had been away from the front lines for a long time. He was selected for this important match as his "first appearance of the season". However, for coach Ohkuma, this was not a "gamble", but a strategy based on data. In the J2 era of 1999, when TUTO was playing for Kawasaki Frontale, he had a record of not allowing a single goal in all four matches when marked by Komine. Despite it being his first appearance of the season, Komine played confidently and almost perfectly executed his "job order".

Another difficult development of conceding the first goal.

The match was dominated by the excitement of the stands, with multiple yellow cards being shown in a fierce exchange of plays. Both teams had strong midfield presses and struggled to create attacking opportunities, but Ono threatened Tokyo's goal with a shot after intercepting a pass in the 24th minute and a volley shot in the 35th minute, keeping the match in Urawa's pace. Tokyo also had chances with Kelly breaking through in the 33rd and 41st minutes, but they couldn't quite make it to the goal. The lack of energy from forwards like Robisu and Toru KABURAGI made it difficult for Tokyo to establish a foothold in the front line, contributing to the tough match.

In the 44th minute of the first half, TUTO, who had the ball in front of Tokyo's goal in the penalty area corner, dribbled sharply to the right side with a familiar move and took a shot. The ball grazed the hands of GK Doi and hit the left goal post, bouncing back and being pushed in by Adriano, resulting in the first goal being conceded. For a moment, the marking from Komine to Naito was delayed, allowing TUTO, who was being closely watched, to create a scoring opportunity.

However, immediately after this, Adriano, who scored a goal, was so overjoyed that he jumped over the signboard and received his second yellow card of the day, resulting in his dismissal. This gave hope for the second half.

Second half explosion! Kelly's first goal in Japan, Toda's first J-League goal leads to a come-from-behind victory!

At halftime, Manager Okuma instructed Robisu and Toru KABURAGI to "put their bodies on the line and become the foundation of the front line." This seemed to have an impact as Tokyo started to move in the second half. Just 2 minutes into the second half, Kelly sent a perfect lob pass to the back space of the Reds' defense. Robisu reacted to this and scored an equalizer with a direct volley shot from an impossible angle on the right side of the goal. Then, in the 7th minute of the second half, Kelly dribbled through the right side and took a powerful shot with his left foot, beating one defender and scoring again after the goalkeeper initially saved the ball. Kelly, who had been denied by the goal post twice in the previous match against Nagoya, finally scored his first goal in Japan and exploded with joy.

After that, Tokyo continued to dominate numerically, with Kelly as the starting point for sharp one-twos from the center, as well as side attacks from Fujiyama and Naito's active participation in the attack. Kelly's outstanding ball control when he went to the side, and his versatile passes from the center, further enhanced his brilliance with his own goal. In the 40th minute of the second half, Kelly, who had been sprinting through the center with high-speed dribbling, sent a perfect through pass to the front of the goal, and Rofisu reacted and broke through, but unfortunately it was offside. Although it didn't result in a goal, it was a very high-level attack. Even with one less player, Reds created chances from sharp counterattacks with Ono's spirited play, but TUTO, their hope, continued to be subdued by the powerful defense of Komine, and they were unable to create any decisive chances.

The finale came in the 42nd minute of the second half. From Kelly, who kept the ball on the left side, to Kina. Kina quickly sent a pinpoint cross to the front of the goal, where Toda, who came on as a substitute, jumped and headed the ball into the right corner of the goal, securing the third goal. This was Toda's first happy J-League goal. In the end, the game ended 3-1. Tokyo finally escaped their losing streak with a victory, their first since the opening game on March 10th.

And just as happy as the victory, Kelly and Toda's "first goal". Both had already proven their high abilities, but the missing piece was a goal. This goal was the trigger for them to become essential players for the team... By scoring this goal, their presence will become unshakable and the team will take another step forward.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

Until now, we have been unable to win matches despite creating good content and good form, so today we wanted to win no matter what. The players were also losing confidence, so I am happy that we were able to win today and I think it will give the players confidence.

In addition, I was happy with Toda's goal today because young players like Toda and Toru KABURAGI, who have been given opportunities, have not been able to perform well. We will gain momentum with this victory and continue to do our best for the next match.