Home victory at Ajinomoto Stadium!

　The 12th round of the 1st stage, which will be the first league match since May 22nd, will be against Gamba Osaka. Tokyo is currently in 7th place with 16 points, while G Osaka is in 8th place with 15 points. As the result of today's match could reverse the rankings, it is a "direct confrontation" that cannot be lost. In the previous Nabisco Cup qualifying league, Tokyo had a consecutive win streak. We aim to continue this momentum in the final stages of the league, and the match will be held at Ajinomoto Stadium, which will be our home for the first time in about a month. We will receive passionate support from our home fans and aim for victory.

　DF Doi, who returned from the Japan national team, starts. Lucas, who was suspended in the previous match (Nabisco Cup), enters as the top, and the rest of the lineup remains the same as the previous Nabisco Cup match. On the other hand, G Osaka is missing DF Miyamoto and FW Maglone, but DF Shijikurei returns from injury. 4 back with DF Kiba, who made his first appearance of the season, as the center back. In addition, FW Okubo is at the top, and FW Fernandinho, MF Endo, and MF Futagawa have been taking a free-moving system where they "do not want to receive contact, so they want to shift their marks while changing positions fluidly and pull out the ball while moving (Coach Nishino)." The match started with G Osaka's kickoff in the hot and humid weather with a temperature of 27 degrees and humidity of 62 percent.

Despite conceding the first goal immediately after the start, we fought back from a set piece.

　It was right after the whistle. G Osaka connected the kickoff ball and FW Okubo invaded the penalty area. Tokunaga regained the ball, but it was another throw-in for G Osaka. Then, in the scramble on the right side of Tokyo, G Osaka broke through and MF Nikawa passed to Okubo who ran into the area from the left side. Okubo dribbled and collided with Jean who was chasing him and goalkeeper Doi who came out, and Okubo kicked in the loose ball for a goal. They conceded in just 53 seconds after the start.

　The challenge this season was conceding early goals, but we didn't let it get us down. Tokyo didn't lose their spirit and in the 4th minute, Suzuki received a long feed and crossed from the right. In the 5th minute, Tokunaga overlapped and won a corner from a sharp cross. Baba's right corner kick was initially saved by the opposing GK, but it fell into the penalty area and was shot by a free Inano. However, the ball went over the bar, missing a great chance. In the 8th minute, Baba pressed hard in the midfield and took a powerful middle shot. He won a corner kick and Lucas aimed for a header. In the 10th minute, Toda from the left side persisted and won a corner kick. From here, Jean hit a header, but GK Matsushiro made a fine save just before the goal. Coach Hara recalled for a moment, "Last year (in the 2nd stage match, we were defeated by GK Matsushiro who saved all of our chances)," but everyone must have had the same unpleasant feeling.

　11 minutes, but from the right CK obtained, Suzuki kicked a fast kick and Lucas's head ran into the center and pierced the goal! Tokyo caught up with the equalizer in no time with Lucas's long-awaited goal. After that, from Baba's distribution, they created opportunities from the side, and with 6 CK chances and 6 shots, they quickly overwhelmed G Osaka.

G Osaka also dominates the midfield, with neither side giving in.

　However, even G Osaka, who caught up, gradually counterattacked by dominating the ball. Tokyo cannot catch the free and easy movements of Fernandez, Endo, and Nikawa in and out of the front line, and they struggle without pressing against the passes that connect their feet. In the 18th minute, they fouled Okubo near the penalty arc and gave a free kick. Endo aimed directly at it, but the ball grazed the bar and went out of frame, avoiding any danger. In the 20th minute, Tokyo also took a direct free kick, and in the 25th minute, they took a corner kick with the combination of Kanazawa and Toda, creating chances from set plays. After that, Tokyo was often pushed back and couldn't play the game in their own rhythm, but they concentrated in the final moments and didn't allow G Osaka to create any decisive chances.

　In that situation, in the 37th minute, Baba sent a long pass to the right side from a quick development, and Lucas caught up. Now, Inano, who had gone up to support, sent a direct cross, but Toda and Baba overlapped on the far side and couldn't shoot. Kanazawa's powerful shot in response to the loose ball was also unfortunately over the goal. In the 40th minute, Inano, who had escaped again from Baba's pass, sprinted with all his might in front of the goal with a dribble. He was knocked down in the penalty area, but there was no whistle. In the 41st minute, G Osaka's Fernandinho was knocked down in front of the goal and earned a chance for a free kick. Endo aimed directly from the same position as the 18th minute, but this time it hit the bar and bounced back, and Tsuji, who was ready, caught it. They did not allow a goal and went into the second half with a tie.

Lucas & Yuta's combination leads to a beautiful goal explosion!

　In the second half, Suzuki took a bold long shot from the kickoff ball. Tokyo, who showed an aggressive attitude from the start, created chances from the side. In the 46th minute, Kanazawa attacked from Lucas' keep and crossed. Although it didn't suit Suzuki, in the 47th minute, Toda's header shot from Lucas' right cross was blocked by the bar. In the 54th minute, Imakawa picked up the clear ball from Suzuki's right cross and shot. They created chances in quick succession.

　However, G Osaka also dominated the ball with fast passing. The tense development continues. In the 61st minute, Imakano attacked from a quick attack and passed to Baba on the left side. Imakano, who had moved up into the area, took a shot from Lucas' cross. The goalkeeper caught the ball after it bounced off the opponent's block. In the 66th minute, G Osaka had a decisive chance. Fernandinho dribbled up and passed to the left side to Futagawa. Endo picked up the clearance from the cross and took a shot from inside the penalty area. However, he missed the goal and escaped the danger.

　Gradually, in the 69th minute, the movement of both sides decreased, and Tokyo substituted Abe for Suzuki. Then, in the 71st minute, Baba → Toda connected, and Lucas took a shot from the left area. In the 74th minute, Tokunaga, who had broken through the front line, received a pass from Konno and crossed from the right. Baba picked up the opponent's DF's desperate clearance ball and took a shot from the left of the goal area. Although both were blocked by the GK, they took their chances and finished them off perfectly. In the 75th minute, Wu was substituted for Toda. Then, in the 76th minute, when the pace of the game had slowed down a bit, Asari cut off the opponent's DF's feed in the right side. He headed it to Lucas in the center. Lucas passed it to Baba, who was in front of the area, and Baba made a soft lob pass to the space inside the area with a direct pass. Lucas chased after it fiercely and swung his right foot to score a goal! He scored a beautiful go-ahead goal from a flowing one-two!!

　Substitute Fujiyama for Lucas, who fought hard until the 84th minute. Fujiyama, who entered as a right MF, took a middle shot in the 86th minute, but unfortunately hit the post. Although there was no additional point, G Osaka's attack was solidly defended and the time was up. The victory at home at Ajinomoto Stadium was the first since the Tokyo Verdy match on April 3rd. With Lucas' happy two goals, the desired victory was achieved. With this, they have risen to 4th place with 19 points, temporarily. They will aim for a higher position in the remaining 3 matches.

【Player Comments】《Lucas》"The second goal was something I always aimed for in practice. It didn't always work out before, but today I was able to score it well. Yuta is a smart player with good technique. I knew the return would come and it went as planned. I haven't been able to score much before, but I've always believed in myself and never gave up. It's my first year in Japan and there are differences in soccer, and I don't know much about the opposing team, but I'm not in a hurry and I don't feel any strange pressure. I want to continue playing with confidence."《Doi》"We didn't start the game well. Even just before we conceded the first goal, there was a dangerous scene where G Osaka's Daikoku player entered the right side. After that, I was most careful not to be broken from the side, but we couldn't pick up the ball in the midfield and the defense line had to retreat. In the second half, we made adjustments and the balance improved, but there were also some sluggish moments. Personally, I haven't had much experience in the Japan national team, so there were some difficult parts, but the team is in good condition. We want to use today's reflection and fight carefully one by one."

【Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference】"We had been on a winning streak in the Nabisco Cup and had been starting off well lately, but today was a failure. I decided to start Tsuchi after his return from the Japan national team, thinking that he would calm down if he could get the first ball, but unfortunately the first shot went in. We have been conceding early goals a lot this season, but this was the quickest record. However, it's not a good thing, but we have experienced being scored on in the 3rd or 5th minute before, so the players were able to quickly recover and start attacking. Conceding a goal actually brought out a more aggressive attitude. We were able to create chances from set pieces and our plan of Toda and Norio making runs behind the defense worked as intended. In the midst of that, Lucas scored at a crucial moment."

　However, in the first half, there were many small and skilled players from G Osaka, and they were not pressed. It was difficult to deal with. At halftime, since there was no height in G Osaka's front line, we could win by kicking long balls. So, I talked to Lucas and Yuta and asked them to check, and the balance improved in the second half. However, on the contrary, we calmed down and Suzuki also showed signs of fatigue, so I put in Abe. I was hoping that something would happen if I let him go to the goal with all his might. In that situation, a wonderful one-two from Yuta and Lucas resulted in a goal.

　Lucas was struggling to score, but he was told, "The job is in front of the goal. If you play simply in the midfield and dynamically enter the goal area, the crosses will surely come." It's not easy to adapt to Japanese soccer, but he is trying his best and I think it's important to communicate like this. If he scores, it will definitely give the team momentum. Today's two goals were very important for the team. The supporters and especially Lucas must have been feeling great!

　It was a hot and tough match, but substitute player Fujiyama has the ability to play on both the left and right side backs as well as in the center. He is not currently being used in the starting lineup due to balance considerations, but he and Miura always give their all, so when young players come on, they can play with confidence. The difference between ending with a draw and winning today will affect our future. We want to make use of these 3 points and prepare well for the next match against Ichihara."

[Summary of G Osaka Manager Nishino's Press Conference] "We formed the best team with the current strength and approached it with the best system. However, today, our attacking was lacking the thickness as before. Okubo also did his best to create space as a lone striker, but in the second half, we couldn't put enough pressure from the midfield. We tried to increase the defensive awareness as a whole and aim for counterattacks, but Tokyo also had a strong defense and we couldn't break through it."