A matchup after two years. Secure points in the favorable match against C Osaka.

　The league match held two days after the Nabisco Cup on the 9th is against C Osaka, who has returned to J1 this season. This will be the first match against C Osaka in two years, and the past record shows Tokyo with 3 wins and 1 loss, which is favorable. In particular, the match two years ago in the 2nd stage was a decisive victory with Amaral's hat trick, solidifying C Osaka's relegation to J2, making this a match with a significant history.

　Both teams are concerned about fatigue due to a tough schedule of three matches in the past week, but Tokyo achieved a significant victory with four goals in an aggressive game against Sendai in the Nabisco Cup three days ago, and the team's atmosphere is excellent. Having lost the previous league match against Verdy, they must avoid consecutive losses, so their motivation for this match is high.

　On the other hand, C Osaka defeated Shimizu in a fierce shootout last match, winning 5-4 and securing their first victory of the season. To gain momentum in the early stages of the season, they want to win this match and achieve consecutive victories. It was expected that they would approach this important match, which also involves their first home victory, with high motivation.

　Tokyo welcomed back Jean, who missed the match against Sendai three days ago due to accumulated warnings, and although they are missing FW Abe due to right knee pain, they have almost their best lineup ready. Amaral, who has scored 6 goals in 4 past encounters against C Osaka, is in good form after scoring 2 goals in the Nabisco Cup match against Sendai three days ago, raising expectations. On the other hand, C Osaka made bold player selections by putting FW Nishizawa instead of FW Baron as the partner for ace FW Yu OKUBO of the U-22 Japan national team, and starting MF Tokushige for the first time while veteran Morishima began on the bench. This exciting matchup, known for both teams' attacking prowess, kicked off at 3 PM.

Overwhelmingly attacking but unable to score

　The match was initiated by Tokyo. Following the theory of spreading the ball to the sides from the reliable post play of Amaral and Kelly in the center, they took control from the early stages, especially creating chances from the right side with the speedy attacks of Ishikawa and Kaji. In the 5th minute, Kaji, who joined the attack, delivered an accurate cross, which Kelly connected with, but it hit the opposing defender and was caught by the GK. In the following 13th minute, Todai connected with Kaji's cross at the near post, but this was also caught by the GK. In the 14th minute, Kaji delivered another cross, connecting Amaral to Kelly, and finally, Miyazawa made a run from the center and took a shot in an instant, but it went wide of the goal.

　On the other hand, C Osaka created chances from the post play of former Japan national team FW Nishizawa, with FW Yu OKUBO and MF Tokushige involved in the buildup. In the 15th minute, a through pass was sent to OKUBO, who was targeting the space behind Tokyo's defensive line, resulting in a one-on-one situation, but this was stopped by GK Doi. It was a reminder that OKUBO's speed should not be underestimated. Later, in the 19th and 24th minutes, OKUBO drifted into the left space and attempted shots, but did not allow a goal.

　Except for FW Yu OKUBO, C Osaka could not create chances except for occasional desperate shots from mid-range by MF Pelac, and since they could not keep the ball in midfield, they repeated monotonous attacks by kicking long balls to forwards Okubo and Nishizawa. The match continued at Tokyo's pace, and in the 26th minute, Ishikawa made a sharp run down the right side on a counterattack and passed a ground ball to the center, which Toda shot. The ball bounced off an opponent and he shot again but did not connect well. In the 32nd minute, Ishikawa volleyed a cleared ball from a corner kick, but it went over the bar. In the 34th minute, from a scramble in front of the goal, the ball passed from Kaji to Miyazawa to Kelly, and Kelly's shot seemed to go in, but it was unfortunately offside. Furthermore, in the 38th minute, Ishikawa took a middle-range shot, and in the 42nd minute, Kelly made a technical shot with a right-foot heel from a cross by Kanazawa on the left, but the ball did not go in. Conversely, near the end, C Osaka's MF Tokushige broke through the center exploiting a momentary gap, and finally took a free shot inside the penalty area, but it went over the bar. In the end, while Tokyo controlled the match, both teams remained scoreless as the first half ended.

C Osaka bets on an ultra-offensive formation

　As the second half began, C Osaka launched a fierce attack. Similar to the first half, they were inferior to Tokyo in midfield organization, so they quickly gathered the ball to the forwards Nishizawa and Yu OKUBO, ultimately relying on OKUBO's breakthrough ability to make a play, but Tokyo's defenders handled it calmly. In the 48th minute, they allowed OKUBO's sharp advance to penetrate deep into the penalty area, but they managed to escape with a corner kick. Conversely, Tokyo initiated a counterattack from a fast break, and in the 49th minute, the ball was passed from the left by Toda to Kelly to Kaji, who took a shot, but the goal was far away.

　In the 52nd minute, Perak took a shot from an open space in the central middle range, and in the following 53rd minute, they broke through the left side and delivered a cross, resulting in a powerful shot from the opposite side, but this was firmly stopped by goalkeeper Doi. Cerezo Osaka, gaining momentum, brought in their key players, midfielder Morishima and forward Baron, as if to press the attack with an ultra-offensive formation.

　In the 62nd minute, Baron contested a long ball from the back and sent it towards the goal, where Morishima dove in with a header to shoot. The ball lacked power, and GK Doi easily caught it, but C Osaka's attacking line began to show some threat. After that, Morishima created a base by bursting into the space on the side with his abundant stamina, and from there, Nishizawa, Yu OKUBO, and others approached Tokyo's goal with intricate passing.

Despite a counterattack with Baba's introduction, we couldn't convert our chances and ended in a draw

　Tokyo, unable to create chances against C Osaka's attacking power, brought in the in-form midfielder Lins, who has scored in the last two matches, in the 63rd minute. Immediately after, Lins received a pass on the left side and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from inside the left penalty area, but the opposing goalkeeper barely managed to punch it away, preventing a goal. However, this shot changed the momentum, and the opposing defense became cautious, dropping their line.

　Tokyo, having regained its rhythm, continued into the 65th minute. A pass from Ishikawa on the right side reached Miyazawa in the center, who took a sharp shot, but the opposing defender barely cleared it with a header. From the resulting left corner kick, Jean delivered a powerful header right in front of the goal, but it hit the goalkeeper and did not result in a goal. Furthermore, in the 68th minute, Kelly received the ball on the right side and made an exquisite heel pass to Amaral, who surged towards the goal unmarked. He sent a pass to Baba, who was free on the left side, but it was cut off by the opposing defender, missing a great opportunity. In the following 70th minute, Baba received a pass from Kelly in the center, skillfully evaded his marker, and took a powerful shot with his left foot, but it also struck the crossbar and did not result in a goal.

　After that, the match continued with a back-and-forth battle at Tokyo's pace, but in the 79th minute, C Osaka's FW Yu OKUBO made a sharp central breakthrough from a counterattack and took a powerful shot. This was saved by the guardian, Doi, with a super save, but from there, C Osaka regained their pace. In the 87th minute, they connected passes in front of the goal, and finally, from OKUBO's last pass, FW Baron took a powerful shot, but this was also saved by Doi with a super save, preventing a goal. Both teams continued to fight aggressively until the end, but the match ultimately ended without any goals, resulting in a scoreless draw.

【Player Comments】《Amaral》"In the first half, we were in control, but in the second half, the opponent increased their attacking players and we lost our rhythm. However, since it was an away game, I'm glad we were able to secure 1 point. I'm also happy that I could play for 90 minutes. I'm not at 100% yet, but I think I'm getting closer." 《Baba》"I thought the first shot would go in. I aimed for goals in three consecutive matches, but it's disappointing that I couldn't score."

【Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference】 "After three matches in one week, we were tired, and yesterday we got caught in a traffic jam due to an accident on the highway, waiting in the car for over an hour, which gave me a bad feeling. I told the players that even if they were not feeling well, we must definitely take points home today, but that turned out to be true. Also, the opposing coach Nishimura is a close friend from my national team days, and the desire for both teams not to lose seemed to make us too tense. The opponent did not connect their passes and kept sending long balls, making it difficult for us to apply pressure and play our usual style of football, but given today's performance, a draw seems reasonable. The performance was not bad at all. There are issues to address, but the pitch is good, and Abe will be returning, so we want to win the next match against Nagoya."

[C Osaka Coach Nishimura's Press Conference Summary] "We haven't won at home, so I wanted to secure all three points today. We should be able to create better developments, and if we can switch sides in the midfield and deliver good balls forward with one touch, I believe we can score with the good players we have up front. Moving forward, improving the precision in the midfield will be a challenge. It's disappointing that we couldn't win today, but I think it's very good that we kept the opponent to zero goals."