2nd Stage Kickoff. Aiming for victory with attacking football!

　The 2nd stage begins today. The first match is against Cerezo Osaka away. FC Osaka finished last in the 1st stage with 2 wins, 4 draws, and 9 losses. With Shinji KOBAYASHI as the new coach, they have acquired new players such as FW Furuhashi, new foreign player FW Miki, and MF Mario to fight for their spot in J1. It is crucial for Tokyo to win this match in order to aim for the championship and make a strong start.

　Since the opening match of each stage in Tokyo, which has not lost since 2000 when it was promoted to J1 with 8 consecutive wins, it would be great to continue the winning streak. With a win and a draw against strong opponents in the Spain tour and the match against Roma, the team's atmosphere is also good. Japan national team members Doi and Kaji, who won the Asian Cup, have returned to the team and are confident for the opening match. In addition, Kelly, who only played in 4 matches due to injury in the 1st stage, will return to the starting lineup and is expected to increase the scoring power with Lucas as a combination.

Baba's early goal couldn't ride the wave

　As instructed in the meeting, Tokyo aggressively attacks from the start. In the midfield, they securely connect passes and spread the ball to both sides, Akaji and Kanazawa, to launch side attacks. In the 6th minute, they earn a corner kick and Kicker Kurizawa's fast ball is directly cleared by the opponent DF, but Kanazawa wins the header in the center. The ball falls to Jean's feet and he shoots with his right foot from inside the left penalty area. The opponent DF clears the ball, but it bounces in front of Baba and he dives to head it in. The ball shakes the net and Tokyo takes the lead at an ideal time.

　C Osaka also allowed the first goal, but the 2 top players, Nishizawa and Furuhashi, have the ability to keep the ball and put it in early, using direct passes to put pressure on the Tokyo DF. In the 9th minute, Nishizawa received a pass from MF Hamada and passed it to Furuhashi, who had timed his run perfectly for a header. Although he couldn't hit the goal, the attacking rhythm gradually increased. Then in the 11th minute, C Osaka's MF Tokushige picked up a pass mistake from Kelly on the left side, dribbled through the center and took a powerful long shot. Tsuchi made a save, but the ball bounced in front of the goal and Furuhashi was there to push it in, equalizing the score.

　Tokyo is struggling to score additional points. In the 35th and 36th minutes, Kelly and Lucas exchanged passes in the center, but they were unable to make a shot and the attack rhythm was not established. In the 39th minute, Kajiyama tried to break through the center with a strong dribble and aimed for a shot from outside the penalty area, but missed the target by a large margin. In the midst of a stalemate, a goal was born in the 41st minute by taking advantage of a momentary gap in the visibly tired C Osaka. Kanazawa throws the ball in the C Osaka's half. Baba holds off the opposing DF and returns the ball to Kanazawa who ran up the left side. Despite being closed down by the opposing DF, Kelly ran in and pushed the low trajectory centering pass into the goal with his right foot, scoring an additional point. The first half ended with Tokyo in the lead.

Despite taking the lead with Abe's fine goal as a substitute,

　In the second half, the first chance comes to C Osaka. In the 51st minute, Mori Island, who broke through the center with a direct pass from Hamada, took a good shot from outside the penalty area. Tokyo is saved by the goal post. Tokyo also breaks through the opponent's side with individual skills from Kurizawa and Kelly on the right side, but it does not become a decisive chance. In the midst of both teams lacking attacking options, C Osaka starts to attack. In the 54th minute, FW Koke is substituted for MF Tokushige. They increase their attacking power and come to score. Tokyo also quickly passes the ball to Lucas on the front line after stealing it, and starts to counterattack.

At 57 minutes, Kurisawa dribbled up and hit the ball to Lucas, who took a direct shot after dropping the ball. Unfortunately, it was rejected by the bar. Also, Kajiyama, who cut the ball in the midfield, quickly fed a long pass to Kurisawa. Kurisawa ran up the right side and centered the ball, but it was cut by the opposing DF and resulted in a corner kick. Kurisawa took the kick himself and Jean, who was in the center, headed the ball. Unfortunately, it went over the goal. It seemed that the pace was gradually shifting towards Tokyo, but instead, C Osaka had a chance to score. In the 63rd minute, Hamada took advantage of a momentary lapse in marking and took a direct pass from Morishima and Nishizawa in the center, hitting a long shot that bounced off the Tokyo DF and went in, tying the game.

　Tokyo is now moving. In the 66th minute, Kelly, who showed signs of fatigue, was replaced by Abe. Tokyo also aimed for a lead and changed to an attacking formation, which turned out to be a perfect substitution. In the 70th minute, Abe passed to Lucas, who had drifted to the left side from a counter attack. Lucas then passed the ball to Abe, who had run up the center, and Abe calmly aimed and shot from outside the penalty area, piercing the right side of the goal net with a fine goal, successfully taking the lead for the third time.

Allowing a comeback to C Osaka who never gives up until the end

　C Osaka never gave up even when they were behind. In the 76th minute, DF Jean, who came on as a substitute, threw the ball into the center from a left side FK, and Morishima picked up the loose ball in the penalty area and charged towards the goal. Unfortunately, Jean had to bring down Morishima from behind, giving away a penalty kick. Nishizawa scored it, once again equalizing the score. With this goal, C Osaka completely regained their momentum and in the 79th minute, they scored their first winning goal of the day.

　Hamada, who skillfully slipped through on the right side, lifts a floating ball to the center. Nishizawa drops it in front of the goal with a header, and Morishima, who made a run, shoots with great force. This is the first time Tokyo has allowed a lead today. Immediately after, Tokyo substitutes Baba for Yusuke Kondo. And just one minute later, they substitute Masushima for Miura, and Tokyo launches a final attack with all their might. Kanazawa sends a centering from the left side, and Yusuke Kondo sends one from the right side, but the opponent's defender cuts them off by throwing their body in front. In the 85th minute, Jean heads the ball from a corner kick earned by Kurisawa's shot. The ball goes straight to the opponent's goalkeeper. They continue to attack even in stoppage time, but ultimately the game ends without any changes. It was a fierce battle for points, but Tokyo was defeated by C Osaka, who put their bodies on the line until the end.

【Player Comments】《Doi》'We scored 3 points but it wasn't good to concede 4 points. However, with some minor adjustments, we won't have any problems in the next match. We scored one point and got too confident, which led to carelessness. I think our team's attacking football is good. We just need to keep the defense at 0 points. We want to fight hard in each match from now on.'《Kaji》'The balance in midfield was off and we struggled to keep possession in the opponent's half, which affected our overall rhythm. We may have lost both physically and mentally in the battles. We want to use today's loss to motivate us for the next match.'

[Summary of the press conference by former coach] "After the break, C Osaka was very organized. I didn't expect them to come offensively today, but we couldn't stop their simple and early attacks targeting Nishizawa and Furuhashi. I thought the pace would pick up after the second goal, but it didn't, and we couldn't play compact and simple. C Osaka was superior in the ball battles. We were able to create chances and score three goals, but we conceded four goals. We faced Deportivo and Roma with confidence, but we couldn't stop the desperation of C Osaka. The winning streak from the opening game is gone, but we want to rebuild it once again."

[C Osaka Kobayashi Coach's Press Conference Summary] "We have been practicing for the past month, and the biggest point of reflection is that we were unable to defend against crosses and how to enter the game. Today, we were able to win with the mental strength of each player, but we must make corrections for the next match. However, this victory increases the trust between players and the team, and it is a big victory that leads to the next one. I am sincerely happy with today's victory."