2nd Stage Opening, Let's Counter Cerezo's Attacking Football!

　The 2nd stage kicks off today. The first match is at home against Cerezo Osaka. Cerezo finished 5th in the 1st stage with 8 wins, 1 draw, and 6 losses. The total goals scored and conceded is 29, which truly represents "attacking football." Although we are missing forward Nishizawa today, we have tall players like Baron, Japan national team player Yu OKUBO, and speedy talents like Morishima, posing a threat to the opposing team. Since the previous encounter in the 1st stage ended in a scoreless draw, we must do everything possible to contain their powerful attacking lineup and make a strong start in this stage.

　In the starting lineup for Tokyo, Ishikawa and Tokunaga, who returned from Egypt three days ago after the U-22 Japan national team expedition, are included, with Amaral serving as the lone striker in the usual 4-5-1 formation. With rain pouring down and the temperature at a low 21.5°C, which is hard to believe for midsummer, the match started with Tokyo's kickoff.

Amaral's long-awaited first goal of the season in the league!!

　Ishikawa and Tokunaga, whose conditions were a concern, saw Ishikawa intercept a pass in the opponent's half and penetrate into the area in the 1st minute. He then boldly surged forward, although he was caught offside. In the 2nd minute, he aimed directly for the goal from a left free kick, showing an aggressive attitude. In the 4th minute, Cerezo Osaka's left midfielder Sato's cross was cleared, and forward Yu OKUBO took a shot. In the 7th minute, the defensive midfielder Accel took a long shot. In the 12th minute, Tokyo's Kelly attempted a header from a left cross by Kanazawa but failed to time it right, missing the goal by a large margin. In the 14th minute, Cerezo Osaka's Baron headed a shot from a free kick. Both attempts were directed towards the opponent's goal but did not lead to decisive chances. The match progressed with back-and-forth attacks.

　In the 20th minute, Kelly, who received a pass from Ishikawa on the left side, was fouled at the left corner of the penalty area. Miyazawa's free kick pinpointed to Amaral's head, who was free at the far side, but the strongly struck ball went wide of the goal and was cleared by the Cerezo DF. Furthermore, Kanazawa picked up the cleared ball and shot, but the opposing DF blocked it. Cerezo also created opportunities in front of the goal with Yu OKUBO and Morishima, and in the 22nd minute, the ball was passed to the right side by MF Kudo, leading to a middle shot by holding midfielder Nube. Although it missed the target significantly, it showed an attacking shape. In the 24th minute, Shigeno dropped a left corner kick with a header, and Miura, who picked up the loose ball from the DF, shot from close range but just missed the target.

　Both teams committed many fouls, and the game was interrupted by passing mistakes. However, in the 26th minute, Tokunaga advanced up the right side and passed to Ishikawa in the opponent's half. Ishikawa returned the pass with a one-two, sending Tokunaga running into the space on the right side. Tokunaga then broke past the opposing defender who came in for a tackle with a single touch and delivered a sharp low cross from near the goal line. Amaral, who dove in at the near post, executed a diving header! The ball shook the net and went in!! This perfect combination between Ishikawa and Tokunaga, which solidified the right side of the U-22 Japan national team, along with the perfect cross and the shot diving in at the near side, was truly a beautiful goal scene that could be found in a soccer textbook. It was the long-awaited first league goal of the season for Amaral, giving Tokyo the lead.

Took the lead but dominated by Cerezo, a tough development

　In the 38th minute, Cerezo's Yu OKUBO, surrounded by Tokyo defenders in front of the right side of the goal, persisted and passed to Sato, who had made a run to the left side, over Morishima. Sato turned inside the area and took a shot, but Doi made the save. In the latter part of the match, Tokyo used the field width to attack, but they couldn't create any chances for an additional goal, and the game went into halftime.

　In the 46th minute of the second half, Ishikawa received a right throw-in, turned inside, and took a shot. However, after that, both teams lost the ball frequently due to pressing in the midfield. In the 53rd minute, Cerezo substituted Sato for MF Hara. In the 54th minute, Accel took a shot from outside the area after clearing a free kick. It was a well-controlled ball, but Doi saved it with his right hand. In the 56th minute, in a similar situation, Tokyo's Kelly shot from Kanazawa's cross, but the DF cut it off. In the 60th minute, the ball was passed from Kelly on the right to Amaral in the center, then to Toda on the left, and Kanazawa picked up the rebound from the DF and made a through pass to the front line. Kelly, who was running into the goal area, won a corner kick.

　In the 61st minute, Cerezo substituted DF Koga for Akseu. DF Yanagimoto moved up to the defensive midfielder position, picking up loose balls and connecting plays to launch an attack. Tokyo substituted Chan (aka Go) for Ishikawa in the 65th minute and Asari for Miura in the 68th minute. However, the situation of having to defend against Cerezo's attacks did not change. In the 76th minute, Chan managed to deflect Yanagimoto's dribble up the left side of Cerezo to a corner kick. However, after Hara took the corner kick, he picked up the clearance and delivered a cross, leading to a header shot by Nube in front of the right side of the goal. The softly floated ball was drawn into the left side of the goal, and Tokyo was unexpectedly equalized.

Abe's super goal changes the flow and pulls away from Cerezo!

　Tokyo, wanting to take the lead somehow, sent a precise pass from the right side by Miyazawa in the 82nd minute, and Chan passed it in front of the goal. Toda, who picked up the deflected ball with his back to the goal, made a one-touch and shot as he turned around. However, he was blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 84th minute, Abe was brought in to replace Miyazawa, as Coach Hara wanted to use him as a "super sub" in crucial moments. It was right after that.

　After Dohi's goal kick, Amaral won the header and directed it backward, allowing Abe, who had just come on as a substitute, to run in at the right moment. While closing in on the defender, he made a one-touch move to break free in front of the goal, extending his right foot for a sliding shot just a moment before the opposing defender's tackle! Seeing the advancing goalkeeper, he thought about lifting the ball, and the shot beautifully arced as he intended. All eyes in the stadium followed its trajectory, and the ball firmly found the target, dropping in perfectly for a goal! Abe's super goal just after coming on as a substitute and with his first touch sent the stands into a peak of excitement, shaking with cheers for a while.

　Following Amaral, when the right players are acquired, the team gains momentum. Chang moved to the defensive midfield, and Toda, Abe, and Kelly showed remarkably quick movements up front. In the 87th minute, Tokunaga's pinpoint right cross led to another header shot from Abe, but it did not result in a goal. Furthermore, Abe charged up the right side and boldly took a shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 89th minute, Kanazawa picked up a clearance from the opposing defender and connected with Kelly. As Kelly sent the ball forward with a back header, Toda slipped between the defenders and took a decisive shot from in front of the goal, but unfortunately, it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Tokyo displayed a vigorous attack, running lively across the field. Defensively, Amaral returned to the final line to stop Cerezo's attack, and ultimately, the match ended with a score of 2 to 1. Amaral and Abe's splendid first pair of goals secured a hard-fought victory in the first match of the second stage.

【Player Comments】《Amaral》"I am happy with both my goal and the team's victory. I always felt I had to score, but I also thought I would eventually be able to do it. More than that, I am happy that the team is leveling up. Today, we were equalized in the second half, but after that, we had a strong desire to 'go for the win.' From now on, we need that strength of feeling and further improvement in our level." 《Abe》"I struggled for a long time without scoring. I wanted to come on right away in the second half, but time passed on the bench. However, I made sure not to give up until the end. If you give up, nothing will come of it. I just wanted to think about scoring and work for the team. I believe anyone can play for themselves. I want to continue scoring for the team."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Today, above all, I was happy that Amaral scored. He hadn't been able to score much in the league matches, but I believe this will lead to something positive for both Amaral himself and the team. I was worried about the rain, but it was very good that he scored the opening goal. However, just like in the Nabisco Cup match against Urawa, we were caught up from a corner kick today as well, which caused some anxiety. At that moment, Abe scored at a good time. Recently, his unique quality of 'unpredictability' had somewhat faded, but today, even with limited playing time, he showed his characteristic play. In the Nabisco Cup match against Urawa, Kaji made a good assist, and inspired by that, I think Tokunaga assisted Amaral today. We saw strong defense in many places, and Fujiyama also did well. Chan (Wu) is excellent in his strength in one-on-one situations and his fearless physical challenges. Usually, with Amaral, Kelly, and Jean in the team, he doesn't get many chances to play, but he shows that kind of play in practice. That's why I think other young players are also improving. There are still many areas that need improvement in terms of content, but we scored two goals at home and earned 3 points. From now on, we want to play attacking football that scores one or two goals or more. Even when the opponent attacks, like in the second half, if we can properly connect the ball after winning it back or finish with a counterattack, we can play more in our own rhythm and score one or two more goals. This is the challenge to move up a level."

[Cerezo Osaka Coach Nishimura's Press Conference Summary] "We had the desire to win, but our performance was too poor, and we ended without being able to show our strength. However, we will not become negative; since we made changes from the 1st Stage, we want to review with the players what went wrong. Our basic formation is a three-back, but when marking both sides of Tokyo, the players dropped too deep, so we shifted one side back. There was no major problem, but the first goal was beautifully broken down from the side. Although the opponent played well in the first half, the bigger issue was our half-hearted offense and how we lost the ball. Having good players alone does not score goals. It's about how the ball circulates among them. In that sense, each decision was slow. Everyone had the same image of what to do, but there was no movement. To show our desire to win and move up, our first touch was timid, and it took time to get going. However, this one match is not everything; what matters is what we do in the next game. I want to do my best and have high expectations for the players."