It's a home game, don't be intimidated

　In this round, which will be the last home game of the 1st stage, we will face Gamba Osaka, who has the same record of 7 wins and 6 losses. Although the championship for Júbilo Iwata has already been decided with 2 rounds remaining, every game should not be considered a "digestive match". In that sense, Gamba is currently highly motivated. In the previous round, they achieved a big victory of 5-0 against Verdy, and Inamoto's transfer to the Premier League has been decided. In the remaining 2 rounds, they will surely come together as a team and play a suitable game to commemorate his last game. Their concentration and well-balanced attacking power should be noted. These types of games are often difficult, but Tokyo should not be intimidated and should expect a high-quality game by playing their own soccer. And with this victory, we hope to finish the 1st stage with a winning record and most importantly, end the final home game with a victory.

　This week, Kelly and Komine are suspended due to accumulated warnings, and Kaga is in the top position, while Naito is on the right side. Both Tokyo and Gamba have a trapezoidal midfield with a double defensive midfielder, and they set up a similar formation. Immediately after the start, Kaga moves to the side for Tokyo and shows an attack to Amaral in the middle from Sato's big side change. On the other hand, Gamba's number 10, Vitau, controls the game from the right side half and expands greatly, showing thickness with the upsurge of both defensive midfielders, Inamoto and Endo, and the game starts with both teams actively expanding.

Yoshihara, Skillful Goal

　However, after the ball settled down, Gamba slowly passed the ball around and waited for a chance to attack. In the 4th minute, the ball was passed to Vitor who was in the Tokyo midfield, and he managed to get past his marker.

Pass to MF Endo, who moved up to follow. Endo, who was completely free here, lifted a lob ball to the front line, and FW Yoshihara jumped behind DF. Yoshihara, with the Tokyo DF behind him, skillfully hit the ball with his right foot from just outside the penalty area on the right, hitting the left corner of the post and scoring. This goal, which praises Yoshihara's movement and technique, puts Tokyo behind early on.

　However, in the 8th minute, Kaga saw Sato run in from the left as a wedge and put up an early cross, but Amaral's header was caught by GK Tsuzuki. In the 14th minute, Kaga once again received a return pass from Sato and approached the goal. If Sato raises a cross from the right, Nariyuki Kobayashi cuts in from the left and creates an attacking shape for Tokyo, even though he cannot shoot. The temperature is close to 30 degrees and the humidity is 74%, making it extremely hot. Both teams' physical strength is decreasing and in the midfield, the press is loosening. In the 22nd minute, Amaral dribbles alone and attacks the penalty area, but the marking on Amaral is stricter than usual and he is knocked down, resulting in a counterattack.

　Gamba's forwards, led by Vitau, have been making notable movements by passing to FW Nino Boure and also receiving passes from him. On the other hand, left midfielder Nikawa's occasional runs and the attacking movements of defensive midfielders Inamoto and Endo have added accents, but due to the heat, their play lacked precision. In the 37th minute, Yoshihara passed directly to Nino Boure in the penalty area, who then passed to Vitau for a shot that went wide. In the 43rd minute, Tokyo's Kobayashi exchanged passes with Fujiyama on the left side and sent a final pass into the space in front of the goal, but Asari's run was not timed correctly and he was unable to take a shot. Tokyo ended the first half trailing by one goal.

Miura and Robisu's entry shows promise, but...

　In the second half, Tokyo substituted Miura for Shimodaira and immediately after the start, Miura broke through the right side. In the 48th minute, Sato and the side attack tried to find a way out. Naito was the starting point and in the 51st minute, the ball was passed to the left side from Seigo Kobayashi, who had dribbled up the middle, and Kagami aimed for a shot with an inside kick, but the GK barely caught it.

　On the other hand, Gamba's Vita and Nino Bure alternately approached the goal with a vertical position change, but in the 55th minute, Asari covered well and prevented the decisive opportunity. In the 58th minute, Miura rushed from the right side with Kaga's through pass. However, the GK jumped out and escaped to the CK, and after that, both teams struggled with stretched lines. In order to break through the time zone, Gamba substituted FW Kojima for Nino Bure in the 62nd minute. However, Tokyo, who had improved their rhythm with Miura's entry, ran in the 65th minute from Amaral's through pass, and the DF cleared the side. From there, Sato's cross was headed by Amaral, but he couldn't score a goal no matter what. So in the 67th minute, Robisu was substituted for Kaga. Robisu, who also played in the last minute of the previous round, should not be able to make the stadium boil with the return of the striker after two months. The counterattack mode has increased dramatically.

　At the 70th minute, Kobayashi received a floating pass from a free kick and sent it to the front of the goal. Miura then quickly ran behind the DF line, replacing Robisu who had come to receive the pass, and took a shot!... However, the ball slipped past the side of the goal, missing the most decisive chance of the day.

Someday, to compete with the world

　Gamba, who had been playing without pushing themselves too hard, did not immediately counterattack even when they took the ball, with Bitau keeping possession and slowly building up their attack. However, in the 74th minute, when Tokyo saw that there was no pressure in the midfield and pushed forward, Inamoto moved up. He received a pass from Bitau, who had been carefully watching him, and made a beeline for the goal. He passed it to Kojima, who was waiting in front of the goal area, and slipped past the defenders to receive the return pass and calmly shoot with his right foot. The ball hit the net, and Tokyo suffered a painful second goal. Even though they were in a crucial time where they needed to push forward, they were dealt a final blow by today's "star player," but they didn't give up. In the 76th minute, Toda was substituted in for Kobayashi. Naito pushed forward, and Robisu, Miura, and the rest of the Tokyo Eleven showed their fighting spirit until the end, but Robisu's header from a corner kick in the 78th minute went over the goal. In the 82nd minute, Robisu made another attacking run from Amaral's pass and took a shot from outside the box, but it narrowly missed the left side of the goal. Right after that, it looked like Robisu was fouled in the penalty area from a free kick, but the foul was called outside the box. Sato's direct free kick was also blocked by the wall, and they were unable to score before the final whistle. Gamba showed their skill in playing the game and handed Tokyo a bitter defeat by executing their game plan.

　However, the battle ends with the whistle. After the game, the stadium was filled with warm applause and cheers to celebrate Inamoto's new challenge. Tokyo sent a message of support on two Aurora Vision screens, "Mr. INAMOTO, You can do it for the GUNNERS." After the TV hero interview, Inamoto himself went to greet the Gamba supporters in the goal end, and then to the Tokyo supporters in the goal end. This beautiful scene showed that soccer is a sport that connects the world. Of course, it is important to not forget the frustration of today's defeat and to continue fighting one game at a time from tomorrow, but someday Tokyo dreams of producing players like Inamoto and becoming a team that can compete with the world.

[Manager Hayano's Comment] "Since we had a big win in the previous match, I thought today's game would be very difficult. I think we were able to ride the wave after Yoshihara scored the opening goal. It was a tough battle against the opponent and the heat, so at halftime, I instructed the players to not make any mistakes. However, we didn't have many chances to break through the sides and we couldn't press in the midfield, so it ended up being a game with poor content. It wasn't a satisfying game, but we were able to win without conceding any goals in an important game after a big win, so I want to use this as confidence going forward. I also want to instill in the young players the mindset of winning."

[Manager Okuma's Comment] "We conceded goals by allowing Gamba to play to their strengths. We were unable to defend against their attacks from behind the DF line, and their quick counterattacks. We ended up being in a difficult situation because they were able to turn the tables on us. Although we were not completely unable to play our style of soccer throughout the 90 minutes, it was a complete defeat in terms of momentum. We want to adjust and approach the final match with the ability to play our own soccer once again."