Defeat Gamba!

3 losses in 3 games... This is the record against Gamba Osaka (hereinafter referred to as G Osaka). Since FC Tokyo was promoted to J1 last year, the only opponents they have not won against in the league are these two teams, G Osaka and Kobe. It's hard to believe there is a difference in ability, but for some reason, they have not been able to beat these two teams. It's dangerous to have the image of "a tough opponent". In that sense, it was necessary to win today's match at all costs. Also, the team is currently in good form and in order to continue to rank high, they cannot afford to lose here. There is only one thing to do, "win against Gamba and return to Tokyo".

Fukuda debut! Amaral, Kelly, and Yukihiko are also in great shape!

On this day, it was the debut match of the highly anticipated striker, Fukuda, who transferred from Nagoya. Fukuda had only joined the team 10 days ago and was played in an unfamiliar position as a left midfielder, causing concerns about his combination with the rest of the team. However, once the game started, he immediately showed his presence with his sharp runs and powerful charges. With Fukuda's addition, the overall balance of the team became more "attacking", although there were some concerns about the defense. However, their attacking power greatly improved when they had possession of the ball.

The match started with Tokyo quickly utilizing Yukihiro's speed to launch sharp attacks, pushing G Osaka back. Fast attacks from Yukihiro have become a recent pattern for Tokyo's offense, and on this day, Yukihiro was aggressive in his approach, providing numerous decisive crosses through solo dribbles and combinations with Kelly and Miura. Additionally, Kelly and Amaral were in good form, with the offense always being built around Kelly as the starting point, and Amaral providing a stable post play at the top, becoming the foundation of the front line.

On the other hand, G Osaka responded with attacks that relied on the passing skills of their midfielder Bitau, the ball control of their two rivers, and the playmaking abilities of Endo, either by passing to their forward Nino Boure or by sending through balls to the speedy Yoshihara. However, their attacks lacked speed when they had possession of the ball, and they did not utilize the space on the sides enough. As a result, the ball often unintentionally gathered in the center and was intercepted by Tokyo's defense, making it difficult for G Osaka to create any clear scoring opportunities. G Osaka's usual style involves slow passing and then having their forward Yoshihara and both fullbacks make sharp runs, but on this day, they were constantly on the defensive in the side battles against Tokyo, and although they were able to pass the ball in the attacking zone, they were unable to break through Tokyo's defense line.

Kelly's beautiful goal gives us the lead!

The match progressed at a Tokyo pace. G Osaka created dangerous situations twice in the first 7 and 9 minutes with their quick restarts, but other than that, Tokyo's sharp attacks dominated the game.

In the 18th minute, Kelly attempted a looping shot from a crowded goal area, but narrowly missed. In the 28th minute, Amaral showed off a powerful header from a left corner kick, but it went over the bar. Then, in the 32nd minute, Amaral jumped for a header from a cross by Fujiyama on the left, but it also went over the bar. Tokyo, with Kelly's flexible ball control and exquisite distribution, continued to create chances one after another. In the 37th minute, Kelly received a pass in the center of the penalty area and scored a spectacular goal from a perfect wall pass with Amaral, taking the lead. It was a goal born from Kelly's split-second decision making, catching the opponent off guard after a thorough attack from the sides.

Tokyo, who wanted another goal in the first half, had a great chance in the 44th minute when Fujiyama passed a perfect ball to Amaral from the left. Amaral then dropped the ball to the post and Kelly took a strong shot, but unfortunately it hit the crossbar. Despite their attacking efforts, Tokyo couldn't score another goal and ended the first half.

Oh Kumamoto's great strategy! Kagami's first goal of the season crushes Gamba!

In the second half, G Osaka launched a counterattack. G Osaka, who wanted to catch up with the tie, raised Endo, who had been pulling back in the first half, to the front line, and Arai, the left fullback, also became more actively involved in the attack. In the 9th minute, G Osaka dropped a ball from the midfield to Nino Boure, who received it and broke through with a wall pass with Yoshihara, and took a powerful left-footed shot. Although GK Doi managed to deflect it and escape to a corner kick, G Osaka continued to attack the Tokyo goal. In the 14th minute of the second half, G Osaka's Futagawa tried to catch the ball that was raised to the front line, but GK Doi came out in front of him and Sandro cleared it halfway, and the ball rolled to Yoshihara, who was waiting in front of the goal, and was kicked into the empty Tokyo goal, equalizing the score in a disappointing manner.

Tokyo, which had been struggling, moves here. In the 19th minute of the second half, Kaga replaced Fukuda, who had been showing aggressive play but struggling to connect with chances. Then in the 25th minute of the second half, Shimodaira was substituted for Miura, who was showing signs of fatigue. Both players were making their first appearance in a while, but Kaga added a dynamic movement and stable ball control to the front line, while Shimodaira led the team with intense play and fighting spirit.

In the 32nd minute of the second half, G Osaka countered and midfielders Komine and Shimohira intercepted the pass, with Shimohira quickly passing it to forward Kelly. Kelly received the ball on the right side and sent a cross to Amaral, who ran towards the opposite side of the goal and beat the opposing defender to send the ball back to the center. Kaga jumped in with a diving header and scored a valuable additional point. The decision of coach Okuma, who acted quickly based on the flow of the game, proved to be a brilliant move.

After that, G Osaka showed their determination at home and launched a fierce attack. In the 37th minute, Arai from the left side made a strong shot from the center, and in the 39th minute, Bitau made a powerful shot from the combination of Yoshihara and Bitau. In the 40th minute, Yoshihara attacked the Tokyo goal with a powerful volley shot. However, the defense, led by GK Doi, held strong and prevented G Osaka's attack. Finally, the time was up. This was a crucial match that they could not afford to lose in order to stay at the top, and it was a significant victory to take the first win against G Osaka. Fukuda's addition was undoubtedly a strong reinforcement, and the reserve players gained confidence, which was a great achievement. Next, they will seek revenge against Hiroshima at home, Tokyo Stadium!

[Manager Okuma's Comment] The game today was as expected, with a close match in terms of content and number of chances. In the midst of that, it was a great achievement for the substitute player to change the flow and score. In the future, we cannot expect to only rely on the starting eleven, so the efforts of the substitute players will be necessary. Today was a confidence boost for both the players and the team. As for Fukuda, it was his first time playing in that position and he did well considering he just learned all the players' names. I have high expectations for him in the future.