League final match, aiming for victory with all our might.

　The league is also approaching its final match, and in the 2nd stage, Sec. 15, we will face Gamba Osaka away. Last week's home final match against Ichihara ended in a draw, and although the game was not bad, we can say that the results are not coming. In any case, we want to improve our ranking and end this match with a win in order to face the upcoming Emperor's Cup in a good shape.

　G Osaka is currently in second place and maintaining good form, although they missed out on winning the 2nd stage. Their attacking power with a total of 37 goals is outstanding. In particular, FW Okubo is the top Japanese scorer and is a dangerous and troublesome player for Tokyo DF. In addition, they have speedy FW Yoshihara, goal-scoring sense MF Fernandez, and talented Japan national team MF Endo who excels in set pieces.

　Tokyo is struggling with the management of its members. In place of the suspended Jean, Masushima will start and Kajiyama, who was in good form in the previous match, will be absent due to injury surgery. In his place, Miyazawa will start. Also, despite coming on as a substitute in the previous match, Ishikawa's natural movement on the right side has been revived, and he has returned to the starting lineup in place of Toda. In the chilly conditions, the heated battle began with G Osaka's kickoff.

Although we concede the first goal in the early stages...

　This season, we have already played two games against G Osaka, and we have a good record with two consecutive wins. In addition, for both of those two games, we have changed our usual 3-back tactics to a 4-back specifically for Tokyo, but as coach Hara predicted before the game, we have stuck with our 3-back formation. Both teams have been fiercely competing for possession in the midfield since the start of the game.　

　First, Tokyo takes the initiative with an attack from the right side. In the 2nd minute, a side change from Miyazawa is passed to Ishikawa, who then cuts inside with a dribble and sends a through pass to Baba, but it is called offside. In the 6th minute, Imakawa steals the ball in the midfield and passes it to Ishikawa on the right side, who then crosses it to the center, but it goes out of bounds and becomes a mistake. However, Tokyo continues to dominate the right side.

　However, G Osaka gradually began to dominate the ball with a fast-paced passing game in the midfield. In the 8th minute, a long feed from MF Miyamoto found FW Okubo with pinpoint accuracy, creating a chance. Then, in the 10th minute, they earned a corner kick on the right side. MF Endo sent a low liner ball and Okubo headed it, but it hit the post and went wide. They had many opportunities to bring the ball to a sure shot from a variety of attacks, but just as they were becoming more cautious, they conceded the first goal from a set piece.

　At the 12th minute, Endo kicked a right corner kick into the center, and DF Shijikurei, who had left his mark on Mashima, scored a perfect header shot, unable to break the unfavorable flow and falling behind by one point.

　Tokyo was not impatient. After 20 minutes, they were able to take most of the loose balls and had multiple shooting opportunities. In the 21st minute, Suzuki from the left side took a shot from outside the penalty area after a side change, but the opponent's GK caught it. In the 22nd minute, Inoue → Suzuki → Inoue made a one-two pass on the left side and sent a centering pass, but Baba's shot was cleared by the opponent's DF. In the 23rd minute, a centering pass from Kanazawa on the left side reached Baba in the far post, but his first touch shot was cleared by the opponent's DF on the goal line. In the 26th minute, Baba took a left-footed shot after a centering pass from Ishikawa on the right side, but it was not a solid hit and the opponent's DF cleared it. They created decisive chances but couldn't score.

　Despite taking risks in their attacks, G Osaka also created decisive chances through counters. In the 29th minute, Endo and in the 37th minute, Fernandez faced one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper, but Tsuchi saved at the last minute and did not allow an additional point. Although Tokyo remained dominant, the first half ended with a score of 0-1.

After Suzuki's equalizing goal immediately after the start of the second half, a fierce attack begins.

　At half-time, Manager Hara sent players onto the pitch with the instruction to "continue attacking from the sides thoroughly," but they were able to equalize in the most unexpected time, just after the start of the second half. When they earned a free kick on the right side, Miyazawa immediately sent the ball behind the opposing DF, and Suzuki, who had timed his run perfectly, was left free in front of the goal. After controlling the ball with his chest, he swung his right foot and scored a goal on the right side, equalizing the score.

　After that, it became completely Tokyo's pace. Whenever G Osaka had the ball, they were surrounded by 2 or 3 players and the ball was taken away. They repeatedly launched quick attacks from both sides and hardly gave the opponent any chances. In particular, Ishikawa maintained his good form from the previous match and showed great movement. He always took on one-on-one situations when he had the ball and became the key player in attacking by going to the goal and shooting even in difficult positions. In the 53rd minute, Ishikawa took a looping shot, and in the 58th minute, Suzuki took a shot from a quick centering pass between the opponent's GK and DF, with Ishikawa as the starting point, and the fierce attack continued. In the 59th minute, Abe was substituted for Suzuki, who seemed tired. The additional goal seemed to be just a matter of time, but finally the winning goal was scored.

Baba scores his third goal of the season, ending the league's final match with a victory!

　In the 63rd minute, Kaji connected with Ishikawa on the right side, and although the opponent's defender initially stole the ball, Kaji quickly regained possession and dribbled into the penalty area. He calmly looked around before passing the ball back to the center, where Baba was waiting. Baba took a direct shot and beautifully scored to the right of the goal, giving the team a 1-0 lead.

　G Osaka, who had taken the lead, had the ball collected by Okubo and attacked with Yoshihara and Fernandez, but Fujiyama and Mashima in the center read well and crushed the chances, and also perfectly defended against G Osaka's attacks with their bodies. It can be said that it was an unexpected development for G Osaka that Shijikurei, the center of the DF line, was forced to substitute for FW Matsunami due to injury in the 73rd minute.

　Afterwards, Ishikawa broke through the opponent's defense and shot over the head of the GK who had come out of the penalty area, but unfortunately missed just above the bar, and although there were decisive chances, they were unable to score an additional goal. However, they continued to attack throughout the game and ended with a 2-1 victory. This was their first win since the 6th round of the 2nd stage, and they finished the season in 8th place in the league standings.

　【Player Comments】《Baba》"In the first half, there were three decisive chances but I couldn't score and I feel sorry for the team. There were some moments where we were struggling, but I was able to aim for the goal and calmly score. It's my third goal of the season and I'm really happy to have scored with my foot."《Ishikawa》"Everyone had a strong desire to win from the beginning, and we conceded a goal early on, but I had confidence that we could turn it around. Today, we were able to prove that we can have a good attack if we have a good defense. It's a bit disappointing that the league season is ending, but we still have the Emperor's Cup and we will continue to do our best."　

　【Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference】"I thought G Osaka was a team with scoring power and an attacking style, and I also thought they had more scoring ability than Urawa. However, on the other hand, there were times when everyone went out to attack, and I told the players that if we could simply exploit the space behind the sides, we would have a chance. When we played against G Osaka, they changed from a 3-back to a 4-back, and we had lost the previous two games because of that, so I was wondering which formation they would come out with this time. But when the game started, they were still using a 3-back. However, we used Ishikawa and Suzuki on both sides and focused on making quick side changes and attacking from the sides. We conceded a goal from a set piece early on, and with Jean and Shigeki Mori out, we had to use Masashi Masuzaki as a center back against the opponent's DF Shijikurei. But we were immediately beaten beautifully, and I was a little worried about what would happen, but we held our ground and the ball started moving. We couldn't score in the first half, but we were able to attack well with Baba, Suzuki, and Ishikawa at the center. At halftime, I told them to keep moving the ball and attack from the outside, and right after the second half started, Norio (Suzuki) scored from a free kick, which I think put us back in a good rhythm. We won the Nabisco Cup, but to be honest, we still don't have the strength and power to compete in both the league and the cup. We didn't slack off after the Nabisco Cup, but maybe it would have been better if we had lost a few games as a team. We had been playing well, but we couldn't win or draw. We conceded two goals first in the previous game against Ichihara, but once everyone started to change their mindset and go for it, it was like reminding them of something they had forgotten. Kajiyama, who was excellent in the previous game, had to undergo surgery for his meniscus, so I decided to use Miyazawa, who hasn't been able to play much this season, as a replacement. And I also included Masuzaki, who was suspended, and I am very happy that these players were able to play freely. Masuzaki still has a lot to work on, but I think he did well against strong opponents like G Osaka, Okubo, and Yoshihara, and he didn't seem scared this time compared to the Niigata game. And the team was able to end the season with a win, so I think we can welcome the Emperor's Cup in a good position."

　[Summary of G Osaka Nishino's Press Conference] "It's the last game of the league, and we wanted to secure second place on our own by playing at home. I think all the players and staff had that desire. However, we were lacking on the field. We couldn't maintain the momentum from the previous game and couldn't control the game. Not just today's game, but in the final stretch, we couldn't play with the unified style that Gamba is known for in the midfield. When that happens, we can't defend well and we can't play well, so it's difficult for us to play our usual attacking style. Today, we couldn't control the midfield and the game was passive. We also had a lot of injuries in the final stretch, and we couldn't integrate well with the backup players. In the end, it comes down to the team's strength, but it's disappointing that we couldn't show that strength today. We still have a long way to go."