The beginning of the survival race for the championship

　With 3 matches remaining, 5 teams are tightly clustered within a 2-point difference, presenting a rare and intense competition in J-League history during the 2nd stage. In this context, Tokyo, who achieved a resounding victory against Kobe in the previous match, is currently in 2nd place, trailing the leader, Urawa, by a 2-point margin. For Tokyo, this championship race at the end of the stage is their first experience since their promotion to J1, and with 3 matches left, they will enter a true survival race for the championship.

　The match on this day, Sec. 13, will be against Gamba Osaka away. Gamba is currently in 9th place with 17 points, and if they win this match, they will still have a chance to enter the championship race, so their motivation should be high. In the previous match, they also managed to equalize against Kashima in the final moments, showing an upward trend in form. Looking at the past league match results, Tokyo has 3 wins and 4 losses, making them a challenging opponent, and a tough battle is expected.

　However, at this point, the opponent's condition doesn't matter. We just need to believe in the football we've played to get here and express that on the pitch. While technical and tactical discussions are important, as it is said, "the team with the strongest desire to win will be the champion," from here on, it will be the teams with a "strong mentality" that will demonstrate their strength. In that sense, under the circumstances where the presence or absence of this "strong mentality" is questioned, what kind of football can Tokyo show? This match will measure Tokyo's true strength.

　Tokyo's starting eleven is the same formation as the previous match. In contrast, Gamba has replaced both wing-backs from the last match and has brought in MF Hashimoto and MF Oikuro, who are starting for the first time in a while. Under the clear autumn sky, a perfect day for soccer, the whistle for the kickoff signaling the start of the survival race sounded at 2:03 PM.

Overwhelmed Gamba with high concentration in both offense and defense

　Backed by the loud cheers of about 800 supporters who traveled all the way from Tokyo, the team was aggressive right from the start. In the 1st minute, Tokyo transitioned to attack with a quick build-up, flowing from Ishikawa on the right to Kelly in the center, and then to Kanazawa on the left. Kanazawa took a direct low shot from the left corner of the penalty area, but it just missed to the right of the goal. In the 6th minute, Miyazawa cut the ball in the center and quickly sent a long pass behind the Gamba defense line. Toda broke free to chase the ball, but despite attempting to get past the oncoming Gamba goalkeeper, he was thwarted by a desperate defense that could have been called a handball. On this day as well, centered around Kelly's outstanding ball retention, Tokyo overwhelmed their opponents with Ishikawa's speedy breakthroughs from the right and Miyazawa's versatile passing.

　On the other hand, Gamba targeted the 192cm FW Magron with long balls, but Tokyo's 184cm Jean responded. The intense aerial battles were one of the highlights of this match, but the dangerous moment came in the 11th minute. A long pass was sent from Gamba DF Miyamoto to the front line, which Magron headed down, and the rushing FW Yoshihara unleashed a powerful volley, but the guardian Doi deflected it with one hand, preventing a goal. After that, Jean often won the aerial duels, and when the ball came to the ground, they sealed off the post play with sharp encirclement, including the defensive midfielders. Gamba's attacks from the sides, which they excel at, lacked impact as the ball could not settle in the front line. Gamba's sharp attackers, including MF Nikawa and FW Yoshihara, attempted to break through the center with desperate dribbling and short passes, but the solid defense line centered around Shigeno shut them out. With stable defense due to high concentration, they did not allow any dangerous situations to arise.

A painful goal conceded from just one mistake

　Tokyo's attack was sharper than in the previous match. In the 15th and 18th minutes, Kelly and Ishikawa broke through the right side with their hotline, and in the 23rd minute, Kelly passed to Miyazawa, who ran into the space on the left. Miyazawa delivered a low cross to the center directly, and Kelly, sprinting at top speed, connected with his right foot, but the decisive shot flew to the right of the goal, brilliantly saved by Gamba GK Matsushita.

　After that, Tokyo did not ease their attacking efforts. In the 25th minute, Kelly delivered a cross from the right side, and Amaral contested for a corner kick. In the 28th minute, Amaral broke through with a one-two pass with Miyazawa in the center and sent a delicate pass to Kelly, who had positioned himself in front of the goal, but it was just slightly off target. The game progressed completely at Tokyo's pace.

　However, in the 34th minute, while connecting passes in front of Tokyo's goal, Miura intended to kick the ball that he passed back to Morinawa forward, but it hit an opponent player. The rebounded ball went to Hashimoto, who was free on the right side. Without hesitation, Hashimoto sent a low cross into Tokyo's goal area, and Daigoku, who ran into the near side, pushed it in, allowing the first goal.

　Despite being overwhelmingly dominant, Tokyo allowed a goal from a single chance, but they did not crumble and once again directed their sharp fangs towards the Gamba goal. In the 35th minute, right after conceding a goal, the biggest chance of the day arrived. From midfield, a long pass pierced behind the Gamba defense, and Toda broke free, shooting with his right foot from close range to the left of the goal, but the GK made a sharp reaction to deflect it. Furthermore, Ishikawa picked up the ball that flowed to the right side and delivered an exquisite cross into the center of the goal, where Amaral was waiting free to unleash a decisive header, but once again, Gamba GK Matsushita made a super save to deflect the perfect shot that flew to the bottom left of the goal. In the 41st minute, Ishikawa cut deep down the right side with a pass from Kelly, sending a precise ground pass to the center of the goal, which Toda let through, allowing Kelly, who was running in from behind, to shoot freely, but the ball hit the crossbar. In the end, despite creating numerous decisive chances, Tokyo was thwarted by Gamba GK Matsushita and ended the first half still trailing by one goal.

Despite taking more than three shots, they were unable to score a goal against the miraculous saves of Gamba GK.

　"We are creating far more chances. Let's continue playing our current style with confidence. With so many supporters coming from Tokyo, we cannot afford to lose. In the second half, we just need to score towards those supporters. Let's definitely win and return to Tokyo." Coach Hara's halftime speech boosted the morale of the Tokyo Eleven as they prepared for the second half.

　The weather changed dramatically before the match, becoming overcast with thick clouds, but Tokyo's football has been heating up even more. Just 30 seconds in, Ishikawa delivered a cross from the right to the far side, which was cleared by the Gamba DF with a header. However, the GK couldn't catch the ball that floated in front of the goal, and Amaral seized the opportunity to shoot. The ball hit the DF and rolled to the left side, where it was crossed back to the center, and this time Kelly took a shot from close range, but it was firmly caught by GK Matsushita right in front of him.

　In the 52nd minute, Miyazawa sent a delicate pass from midfield to Ishikawa, who ran into the penalty area. Ishikawa took a direct shot with his right foot. The powerful shot hit the upper frame of the goal, but was deflected by GK Matsushita's superb save, resulting in a corner kick. Miyazawa aimed directly at the goal with his magical left foot from this corner kick, but GK Matsushita punched it away. The cleared ball was sent back by Miyazawa with a low, curved ball in front of the goal, and Kelly headed it, but it went over the bar.

　Tokyo not only dominated the attack but also quickly checked the opponent in midfield, preventing high-quality passes to the front line and maintaining a good balance in defense. However, desperate for a goal, Tokyo substituted Miura for Suzuki in the 68th minute. While increasing the number of attackers slightly altered the defensive balance, they allowed Gamba's Japan national team midfielder Endo to break through in midfield, leading to the ball being switched to the sides. In the 71st minute, Endo dribbled through midfield and sent a pass to Yoshihara on the right, whose cross found Maguron free in the center of the goal, but his header went wide to the left of the goal.

　The dangerous moments were limited to that, and after that, it became a one-sided game for Tokyo. In the 78th minute, a cross from the right by Kaji was headed down by Amaral, and Kelly made a good run but missed the shot. In the 79th minute, Ishikawa sent a grounded ball from the right side to a free Kelly, who shot but missed to the right of the goal. In the 80th minute, FW Abe was brought in to replace Toda. In the 83rd minute, Suzuki broke through on the left side and delivered an exquisite cross to the free Abe on the opposite side; Abe's powerful header seemed to find the right corner of the goal, but it was thwarted by a superb save from GK Matsushita. In the following 84th minute, Suzuki, showing sharp movement again on the left side, became the starting point for a flowing series of passes: Suzuki → Kelly → Suzuki → Amaral → Kelly → Abe, which bewildered Gamba, and finally, Abe unleashed a fierce shot from inside the penalty area, but it was also stopped by GK Matsushita.

　Although the remaining time was running out, Tokyo did not give up and showed a furious attack until the end. In the 88th minute, Ishikawa forcefully broke through on the right side, and after looking inside, he delivered a negative cross, allowing Miyazawa to run in free from the front of the goal and unleash a powerful left-footed shot. The ball was on a low trajectory and surely found the goal, but GK Matsushita caught it. In stoppage time, Miyazawa's free kick from the right side threatened the Gamba goal, but GK Matsushita cleared it with a punch. Kaji sent the ball to the front of the goal with a header from the center, and Amaral aimed with a back header, but unfortunately, it was offside. They showed fierce attacks until the very end, but cruelly, the time was up. Despite taking more than three times the number of shots compared to Gamba, with a count of 19 to 6, they ended without scoring and suffered a complete defeat. Although they lost under the circumstances of the championship battle, the aggressive attitude they maintained until the end with the best game content of the season should definitely lead to the next opportunity. Fortunately, there were upsets in other venues where the top teams lost, and the situation remains uncertain with two matches left. The content of today's match and the fighting spirit proved that Tokyo still has a sufficient chance to win the championship. In the next match, they will aim for the best result in the last home game of the season and connect their dreams to the final match.

【Player Comments】《Miura》"We had several chances from the first half, but they were all stopped by the GK, so I had a bad feeling. We lost in the end, but the teams above us also lost. Today's defeat certainly hurts, but since the next match is at home, I want to switch my mindset and fight hard." 《Toda》"I was able to approach the match with a more tense atmosphere than usual. We entered the match well, and if we had scored first, the result would have been different. If I had scored in the first chance..." 《Miyazawa》"It's disappointing to lose after being able to play our style of football like that. We really need to convert our chances. I've heard about other results, but we still have a chance. The next match is at home, so we will fight with all our might to win." 《Ishikawa》"The opponent's GK was fantastic. No matter how many shots we took, they didn't go in. We are playing good flowing football and it's not bad. I want to keep my head up, switch my mindset, and prepare for the Verdy match."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "The performance was the best among the recent matches. I think it was better than the last game, and today we were thwarted by Gamba's goalkeeper Matsushita. In the beginning, Kelly's shot was saved, which set the tone for the match, but it was almost miraculous. The team was in good shape with the planned strategy of attacking behind them, but we can't win if we don't score. We conceded a goal due to a mistake, but more importantly, we couldn't score ourselves, which was bad. We have no choice but to continue with our current approach while improving the precision in the details. Since the top teams are losing, there are still chances for us. We have no time to look down. We want to switch our mindset and prepare the best we can for the Verdy match."

[Gamba Osaka Coach Nishino's Press Conference Summary] "I think Matsushiro should come here and comment today. Today, we are facing Tokyo, who is currently the most potent in scoring, and I anticipated being pressured. In such a situation, everyone was focused and fought with a defensive mindset. Counterattacking after defending is not the usual way of Gamba, but being able to play this kind of match gives us confidence. Today, we were helped by Matsushiro, and from Maguron to Matsushiro, we raised our defensive awareness and did well. The gap with the top has also decreased, so we can raise our motivation and fight from here. I want to prepare well for the next match."