A match against Cerezo, who wants to accumulate points and rise to the top.

　The 4th round, which will be played two days after the previous round, will welcome Cerezo Osaka in a night game at Ajinomoto Stadium. Including today's Wednesday match, it will be a tough schedule with 3 games in one week, but this can be considered as the climax of the 1st stage first half. It is important to accumulate points and break into the top ranks. Kelly, who has returned from injury, will make his first start. Expectations are also high for the combination with Lucas. On the bench, in addition to Shioda, Fujiyama, Miura, and Abe, special designated player Kurisawa is also listed.

　Cerezo, on the other hand, is currently in last place with 0 wins and 4 losses in the 1st stage. However, after just 2 rounds, the coach has already been replaced and under the new guidance of coach Albert, they will surely strive for results. In the starting lineup, MF Hamada and Shimomura are both making their first starts in the central midfield. In the team sheet, DF Koke and MF Tokushige are listed, but they will be playing in a formation with Tokushige at left back and Koke at left midfield. In the chilly rain, the match started with Cerezo's kickoff.

Given a chance, we are behind

　FW Yu OKUBO, Nishizawa, and MF Morishima are all talented players in Cerezo's attacking lineup, but they first focused on pressing and solidifying their defense in the game. In the midst of this, Tokyo had a chance in the 5th minute with a cross from Ishikawa that was shot by Miyazawa. In the 7th minute, Kelly received a pass from Inamoto's interception in the box, but was blocked by the defense. In the 11th minute, Cerezo's Kelly attempted a long-range shot. However, for the first 15 minutes, both teams struggled to find their footing on the rainy pitch... resulting in an evenly matched game.

　Tokyo received a pass from behind in the left penalty area for 16 minutes, Toda turned around and headed towards the goal, but the shot was slightly to the right. Immediately after, Cerezo made a quick attack and Nishizawa took a shot, but Doi saved it. In the 20th minute, Tokyo persistently repeated throw-ins from the right side towards the Cerezo goal, but Miyazawa's middle shot went to the upper left corner of the goal. In the 26th minute, they cut off the opponent's free kick, launched a quick attack, and Ishikawa dribbled through while being challenged by the defenders. He took a shot from the right side of the area, but it went to the left.

　Neither team was able to create a decisive opportunity, and in the 28th minute, a through pass was sent from Cerezo's midfield to the penalty area, and Kanazawa escaped with a corner kick. In the 30th minute, Chiba's defender headed the ball in from the right corner kick, scoring a goal. Kanazawa was competing for the ball, but they quickly conceded a goal.

　Tokyo, who was given a chance, fell behind, but in the 32nd minute, Lucas received a pass from Kanazawa and broke through the area with a one-two with Kelly. However, the trap was too big and he couldn't take a shot. In the 37th minute, Lucas took a volley shot from a throw-in, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 42nd minute, Ishikawa went inside and took a shot, but it didn't reach the goal. The attacks were sporadic and the coordination was disjointed, with many mistakes. Kaji and Kanazawa didn't participate in the attack and couldn't create opportunities from the sides, resulting in an incomplete first half.

Lucas scores his first goal in the league, boosting the comeback mood.

　At halftime, Coach Hara's instructions were "Don't panic, let's first score one goal with our own soccer. Kelly -> Lucas has a good wedge. Let's use the side again there. Let's repeat attacking quickly from the outside." However, the first shot of the second half was by Cerezo. In the 47th minute, Tokyo allowed Koke to dribble through the right side and Nishizawa headed the cross. It was a dangerous situation, but the shot missed the frame and there was no harm. In the 48th minute, Tokyo's left corner kick by Ishikawa was headed by Jean, but it was cleared by Cerezo's defense. In the 54th minute, Jean's attack earned a free kick, but a foul in front of the goal prevented a shot. Tokyo continued to dominate the ball and push towards Cerezo's goal, but Lucas, Miyazawa, and Kaji made mistakes in their kicks and were unable to create scoring opportunities.

　Substituted Miyazawa for Abe at 55 minutes. With Lucas and Abe as the two top players and Imakano as the 1st midfielder, the rhythm started to emerge. At 58 minutes, Abe reacted to a long through pass from Kanazawa and ran into the left area from the right side, then passed to Toda in the center with a heel kick. Unfortunately, just before reaching Toda, the ball was cleared by the defender, but they showed a good combination. At 61 minutes, Ishikawa's through pass was stopped by Toda at the edge of the penalty area, and Abe forcefully brought it into the area and took a powerful shot. However, it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper Ito's nice save. At 63 minutes, Kanazawa boldly attacked from the left side and crossed deeply. Although Kelly's trap in the center did not result in a shot, they gradually started to show "Tokyo's soccer".

　And in the 64th minute, Lucas, who received a pass from behind, turned forward and made a move, earning a free kick after being fouled just outside the penalty area. In the 65th minute, Lucas himself took the free kick from about 20 meters in front of the goal, using Jean as a decoy, and the ground ball bounced off the pitch, grazing the GK's hand and going into the goal! It was Lucas' long-awaited first goal in the league, equalizing the score!!

But the goal is far away...

　There was no fear in Cerezo's attack, and the front line and DF line were also stretched out. All that was left was to go for "one more goal". In the 68th minute, Lucas received Jean's long ball and Kelly took a shot to the right, but it missed to the left. In the 71st minute, Ishikawa passed the DF on the right side and passed to the front of the goal. Toda, who received the ball near the end line, passed it back and Lucas took a free shot from the right side of the area, but the GK saved it. Kelly's shot from the rebound also narrowly missed the goal. They missed the chance for an additional goal.

　In the 74th minute, Kurisawa replaced Ishikawa. In the 76th minute, Kurisawa boldly aimed for a direct shot at the goal from the opponent's DF clear ball. Although it didn't meet perfectly, he remained calm and became the starting point for several chances. In the 79th minute, from Inano's persistent interception, Abe → Inano → Lucas connected and passed to Kaji who had moved up to the right side space, but the final play missed the goal by a large margin. Then in the 81st minute, after repeatedly attacking in waves in front of the Cerezo goal, Kurisawa picked up the loose ball from the opponent's DF and quickly turned around, sending a through pass to Kelly on the right side of the area. Despite being blocked by the DF, Kelly sent a cross and Toda scored in front of the goal, shaking the net! ... However, this beautiful goal was judged offside and became a phantom goal.

　Substituted Miura for Lucas as right MF in the 83rd minute. The final attack was made with Abe and Kelly as the 2 top players and Kurisawa in the center. However, in the 88th minute, the opponent's DF cut off Kelly's breakthrough on the right side. Then, Okubo, who was chasing from behind, added a powerful body charge, causing Kelly to lose balance and touch the ball. Kelly received a red card and was sent off due to this play. His fighting spirit had backfired. However, even with 10 players, the attack did not slow down. Immediately after, Jean headed Kurisawa's CK and Kanazawa aimed for the rebound from the opponent's block. In stoppage time, a similar scene was repeated, with GK saving Jean's header and Kanazawa picking up the loose ball and shooting from close range, only to be saved again. They launched a fierce attack that kept the Cerezo team pinned down in front of the goal, but they could not break through. They ended up with a draw and only gained 1 point. It is regrettable that the engine was slow to start, but they must switch their mindset and prepare for the next match against Iwata.

【Player Comments】《Konno》"Rather than trying to steal the ball and get involved in the attack, I am currently thinking of assisting by simply passing the ball forward. I want to contribute with more reliable plays and avoid making mistakes by practicing."《Moino》"I think Tokyo's way of playing has been studied and the opponents have changed their tactics accordingly. At that time, it is necessary to have a unified consciousness as a team on how to fight. I think we need options that surpass the opponent who comes at us by changing our own style."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We were unable to maintain our attacking rhythm due to fatigue and Kelly's first start. We had some miscommunication and missed opportunities. We were hoping to take control of the game if we could score one goal in the second half, but we wanted to play with a faster tempo and break through. However, our final precision was lacking. For example, Kaji may have been tired, but he made a crucial mistake at the most important moment. Our late attacks, such as the shot from Kanazawa's loose ball, are a challenge for the team. Kaji, who returned from the national team, clearly has poor condition, but every team is playing with this schedule. We want to switch our focus to the next Jubilo game and try to earn 3 points. (Regarding Lucas' substitution) He has been playing full games continuously and may be tired. We thought that having Kelly and Abe as a two-top and moving Kurisawa to the center would allow Kelly to keep the ball and create chances... In the first half, there was a scene where Lucas made a mistake and self-destructed, but he was able to create good opportunities. We want to take advantage of that and improve our attacking variations and precision."

[Cerezo Osaka, Manager Alberto's Press Conference Summary] "We naturally went for the win in today's match. However, I am somewhat satisfied with the draw. I feel that our team is improving step by step every day. We conceded a goal from a set piece in the previous match, so we have been working on that as a point to improve. The goal we conceded from a free kick today was a different case, and I don't think it was a bad situation... (Did you feel rushed after taking the lead and ended up being caught up again today?) We are still not a team that can run for 90 minutes physically, so we want to aim for that. We also want to become a team that can score a second goal right after scoring the first. We are making progress every day, so I think we will gradually improve from now on."