3 points in the away opening match

　Tokyo, having won the opening match of the previous round and starting off on a good note, headed to Oita for a chance to secure consecutive victories. Before the match, Coach Hara motivated the players by saying, "Today is the away opening match. For the opponent, it is their home opening match, and they will come at us with fierce determination. Let’s not lose our spirit and make sure to bring home the three points."

　The starting members from Tokyo are the same as the previous match, with Abe and Lucas as the two forwards, Toda on the right MF, and Suzuki on the left MF in the attacking lineup. The Olympic representatives, Mobiwa, Konno, and Ishikawa, joined the team on the 19th, but were not included in this expedition due to considerations of fatigue.

　On the other hand, Oita's attacking lineup features a two-top of Magno Alves, who scored in his J debut last match, and Yoshida, with Umeda on the right MF and Nemoto, who just returned from the Olympic team, on the left MF. In the holding midfield role, Bichu, a former player who represented the Netherlands and excelled in the World Cup, stands firm alongside Seto, forming a commanding midfield presence. Tokyo has never lost to Oita in their past six encounters and won 4-1 in a practice match during the February Kagoshima camp, so statistically, Tokyo remains favored, but they are certainly not an opponent to be taken lightly.

In the early stages, overwhelming Oita with a furious attack

　Right from the start, it was Tokyo that took the initiative. There was a large space behind Oita's shallow DF line, and whenever a pass targeting that area was made, it quickly led to goal-scoring opportunities. Especially when passes went into the space on the left side, Suzuki used his speed to break past the opposing DF, delivering excellent passes in front of the goal multiple times. In the 6th minute, a superb long through pass from Toda, who stole the ball in midfield, broke through to the front line, allowing Suzuki to break free with his speed and go one-on-one with the GK. It was a decisive moment, but the shot was blocked by the DF, preventing a goal.

　In the 11th minute, a crucial through ball reached the Oita forward due to a pass mistake by the DF in Tokyo's own half, but GK Doi made a "last-ditch" super save to prevent it. That was the only dangerous moment in the early stages. After that, Tokyo applied intense pressure from the front, forcing the opponent to lose the ball, quickly entering the space behind the opponent's DF to create chances, and overwhelming Oita. In the early stages, Tokyo completely controlled the pace of the game.

Miura's powerful volley breaks the balance and takes the lead!

　In the early stages, Oita was overwhelmed by Tokyo's speed, but as the first half progressed, they became accustomed to Tokyo's monotonous feeds to the front line. They started picking up second balls and made sharp counters into Tokyo's half. In response, Tokyo wanted to push their line higher and apply the intense pressure they showed right after the match started, but due to Lucas and Abe being unable to hold the ball, they couldn't push the whole team up, gradually falling back and creating a situation where the opponent found it easier to advance.

　In the 26th minute, DF Fujiyama stopped Magno Alves, who attempted a central breakthrough with a high-speed dribble from a counterattack, with a body check that was sure to earn a yellow card. Immediately after, a perfectly controlled shot from this free kick attacked Tokyo's goal, but Doi made a super save to deflect it out and escape the danger. In the following 32nd minute, they were broken through on the left side, and a free header shot was taken from the center of the goal on a cross, but it went over the bar. Oita has gradually been creating attacking shapes with quick feeds to the front line after winning the ball, attacking without wasting time on counterattacks.

　On the other hand, in the 40th minute just before the end of the first half, Kaji broke through on the right side and delivered a big cross to the opposite side, which Suzuki received freely but couldn't control well enough to take a shot. In the following 43rd minute, Kanazawa sent a cross from the left that Abe chest-controlled, and Lucas, who received the ball, evaded the opposing DF and took a shot, but it was blocked by the opposing DF. In the end, both teams reached the goal area in the first half but failed to deliver a decisive blow, ending the half at 0-0, with the match carried over to the second half.

　At halftime, the Tokyo Eleven received instructions from Coach Hara: "We can't break through with just vertical attacks. Let's focus on attacks from the sides and increase the number of diagonal balls. We are winning on the flanks, so in the second half, we should actively take on one-on-one situations." Early in the second half, they put this instruction into practice. In the 48th minute, Abe took a precise header from a right corner kick, but it was blocked by the opposing GK and DF, preventing a goal. However, in the 53rd minute, a cross from Kaji on the right side was punched away by the opposing GK, and Miura, who was positioned in front of the goal, ran in and volleyed with his left foot, sending the ball powerfully into the bottom right corner of the goal, scoring the opening goal. Miura broke the deadlock with his first goal of the season, securing a valuable point.

Unable to score additional points, instead conceding two goals and suffering a regrettable comeback loss

　Tokyo, riding the momentum from their opening goal, saw Abe break through with a fast dribble into the penalty area in the 55th minute, but his shot hit the defender. In the 62nd minute, Abe was free in front of the goal to meet a cross from Toda on the right, but he also missed to the right of the goal. Then in the 64th minute, after receiving a pass from Miyazawa on the right side, Abe quickly sent a through ball behind the opposing defender, allowing Lucas to break free. He took a shot with his right foot in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but the ball went just left of the goal. In the following 65th minute, Abe broke free from a through pass by Miyazawa in the center and was brought down after a sharp cut inside the penalty area, but the referee ruled no foul. Nevertheless, Tokyo continued their attack, and in the 66th minute, Kanazawa, who had joined the attack from a big switch on the right, took a direct volley shot with his left foot, but failed to hit the target.

　Tokyo, desperate for an additional goal, launched a relentless attack, but their final push in front of the goal was lacking, unable to score the "one more point" right in front of them. Conversely, Oita, having endured this difficult situation, likely began to feel a growing confidence that they could succeed, including a bit of luck. In the 70th minute, after clearing a ball from Oita's attack, a small ball was struck with a powerful long-range shot from directly in front of the goal. Doih was unable to hold onto it, and the ball was kicked in by Oita's Nemoto, leveling the score.

　Tokyo, wanting to change the situation, substituted Asari for the visibly tired Miura, and brought in Kajiyama for Suzuki to maintain possession up front and change the flow of the game. Desperate for the three points, Tokyo moved faster than their opponent to take the initiative, but in the 79th minute, they were countered and breached on the left side, allowing Magno Alves to score from a ground cross, conceding an additional goal.

　After this, we desperately aimed for the goal by bringing in forward Yusuke KONDO, but we were unable to break through Oita, who fought together with fierce determination backed by the home crowd's strong support, and we ended up hearing the whistle that signaled Tokyo's defeat.

【Player Comments】《Dohi》"We only got scored on during that time period. However, we need to be clearer about whether we are attacking or defending. Today was half-hearted. We play attacking football, so even during that time, we should have attacked more." 《Miura》"It's important to finish off the opponent when we have the chance. Today, not scoring the second goal when we had the opportunity was the reason for our defeat. If we attack that much and can't score, the opponent will think they can do it. I was happy with my goal in that situation, but I wanted the three points more. Since it was an away game, I wanted at least one point."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We started the game with our rhythm, and Oita had the atmosphere of a home opener, which motivated them, but we were able to surpass that. We completely dominated the left side and had many chances, but we wanted to score during that time. From the middle of the first half, Oita started to pick up the ball, and we fell back, making it difficult. At halftime, I instructed the team to 'attack the sides more' and 'not to drop the line too much,' and in the second half, we scored a goal at a good time, which brought us back to our rhythm. We had chances, but not being able to convert them shows that we still lack team strength. Today, I wanted to secure points with only the players available while resting the Olympic squad. However, the season has just begun. The Olympic squad will join us from next week. I want to prepare well and build a stronger team."

[Summary of Oita's Coach Hamberger's Press Conference] "Today, before the match, I told the players to 'show the supporters an exciting game' as we approached the game. FC Tokyo had many chances and there were some lucky moments, but since we lost in the camp in February, I am genuinely happy with today's victory. I am satisfied that we were able to win against a strong team like FC Tokyo. We have been building the team for the past two months, and I believe we are gradually improving. And today, we achieved a good result. Last season, if we conceded a goal, that was it, but today was different. We started at 0-1 and ended at 2-1. We have become very strong mentally. I am proud of the team and the players."