The team fights together as one to break the losing streak

　In Sec. 7 of the J1 League, we will face Gamba Osaka away. In the previous match, we gave our first league victory to Urawa, resulting in two consecutive losses, bringing our record to 3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, placing us in 4th position. In the last two matches, our proud solid defense has not functioned well, allowing the opponent to score first, and we have continued to lose the match at their pace. Additionally, our attacking line has not scored in the last two matches, which is a concern beyond just the wins and losses.

　G Osaka cannot be said to be fully revved up. Currently in 7th place with 1 win, 4 draws, and 1 loss. They have drawn their last three matches and are unable to secure a win. However, the attacking trio of FW Oguromi, FERNANDEZ, and MF Araujo is a cause for concern. The three can move freely, and they can transition from dribbling and one-twos to finishing, making it difficult to contain them if they gain momentum. Additionally, during set pieces, there is the Japan national team MF Endo, so they must be adequately cautious.

　Tokyo is in a difficult situation as injuries continue to mount, with Fujita, Shigeno, Fujiyama, and Kaji all sidelined, and now Kajiyama will be out for about three weeks due to left knee arthritis. However, Masushima, who came on for Shigeno in the last match, allowed a goal but fought well against the Urawa attack, holding his own in one-on-one situations and heading duels, showing that the substitute players can perform adequately. Additionally, Baba, who had been delayed due to injury, has returned to the bench, and it will be exciting to see what kind of plays he will make when called upon. Furthermore, last season, we had a good record against G Osaka, winning all three matches including the Nabisco Cup, which we hope will be a positive factor.

　From now on, as a team aiming for the top and the championship, further consecutive losses are unacceptable. The match started at 3:04 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo.

TOKYO Unite To Beat The Slump

F.C.TOKYO traveled to Osaka to take on Gamba in the 7th league game of the season. The loss to Reds in the previous game had dropped the club to 4th in the standings with a W3 D1 L2 record; more worrying was the defensive frailty exposed in two consecutive defeats and the sudden lack of offensive capability.
Gamba were far from peak form as the W1 D4 L1 record showed and had drawn their previous three games. However, forwards Oguro and Fernandinho, together with attacking midfielder Araujo, posed a threat with their dribbling ability and one-twos around the box. Japan National Team midfielder Endo added aerial power at set plays and the TOKYO defense would need to maintain a high level of concentration to deal with the Gamba attack.
The injury woes continued to pile up for TOKYO; in addition to missing Fujita, Kaji, Moniwa, and Fujiyama, a knee injury had sidelined Kajiyama for 3 weeks. The one bright point had been the performance of Masushima in the Reds game; despite the loss, the young center back had dealt with the threat of Emerson extremely well and the TOKYO management kept faith with the same back line that started that game. Baba made a welcome return from injury to the bench. TOKYO had beaten Gamba three times in 2004 in all competitions and were looking forward to ending the mini slump in emphatic fashion. The visitors kicked off just after 3pm.

Take the lead with Toda's first goal of the season!

　G Osaka lined up with a three-back defense including DF Miyamoto, and MF Shijikurei as a defensive midfielder, challenging with the expected 3-5-2 formation. From kickoff, G Osaka immediately created chances and took shots, showing an aggressive stance, but Tokyo quickly scored the opening goal on a counterattack. At 2 minutes, from the right side, Maeda passed to Ishikawa, who then sent a long feed from near the halfway line to the left side. Toda, running in, took a direct and bold shot, and the low trajectory pierced the right side of the goal. Incidentally, this was the 100th away goal overall. The match continued with Tokyo in control; at 6 minutes, Miyazawa passed to Konno who took a shot, but the opposing DF blocked it. At 10 minutes, from the center, Lucas held up the ball for Kurisawa to shoot, but it went straight to the GK. At 12 minutes, Miyazawa aimed directly for goal from a free kick about 25 meters out, but the opposing GK Matsushiro made a nice save. Up to this point, the game proceeded without any danger for Tokyo.

　However, after 15 minutes, G Osaka's pace suddenly took over. In particular, they dominated possession in midfield, and with their quick movements, FW Daigoku was able to receive the ball behind the DF line multiple times, creating chances. In the 22nd minute, Daigoku dribbled from the left side to the center and took a shot, and in the 24th minute, he broke through to the front line with a long feed from DF Yamaguchi and shot again, creating consecutive decisive chances, but Doi made a super save to prevent this. Furthermore, in the 31st minute, they connected from the right side with MF Endo to FW Fernandinho, and although they crossed to Daigoku in the center, he missed above the goal.

　Tokyo is also looking for chances on the counter. In the 38th minute, after stealing the ball from the opponent's corner kick in their own territory, Miyazawa made a long feed to Ishikawa, who was remaining up front. He advanced into the penalty area with a dribble but couldn't take a shot. In the 40th minute, Kanazawa broke free on the left side and passed to Toda for a cross, but Ishikawa, who was in the center, had his shot blocked by the opponent's DF. They struggled to create any real chances, and the difficult situation continued. G Osaka continued to attack. In the 43rd minute, from a right corner kick, DF Miyamoto took a header shot, but it hit the post and Doih caught it. In the 44th minute, Ooguro took a shot from outside the area in the center, but it went straight to Doih, and the DF held firm at the last moment, ending the first half at 1-0.

Season First Goal For Toda Opens The Scoring

Gamba started the game in their usual 3-5-2 formation with Miyamoto in defense and Sidiclei as defensive midfielder. The home side began in aggressive fashion but it was TOKYO who took the lead with a swift counterattack. In the 2nd minute Maeda fed Ishikawa on the right and from near the halfway line Ishikawa swept a long ball out to the left. Toda outpaced a defender and cracked a low first-time shot inside the far post for his first goal of the season and TOKYO's 100th away goal. TOKYO continued to dominate after the goal: the home defense blocked Konno's shot in the 6th minute, Kurisawa fired straight at the keeper in the 10th minute following good work from Lucas and Miyazawa drew a fine save from Matsuyo with a well-struck free kick in the 12th minute.
From around the 15 minute mark the balance slowly shifted back to Gamba as the midfield imposed itself and Oguro threatened with darting runs through the TOKYO defense. In the 22nd minute Oguro dribbled inside from the left and shot; in the 24th minute he latched onto a long ball from Yamaguchi and only a breathtaking save from Doi prevented the home side from tying the score. In the 31st minute he headed a cross from Fernandinho over the bar.
TOKYO threatened on the counterattack with a couple of half chances falling to Ishikawa as halftime approached. Miyamoto hit the post with a header from a corner in the 43rd minute and Oguro fired a shot straight at Doi on the stroke of halftime. The TOKYO defense held firm and the first period ended 1-0.

Defense collapsed in the second half, losing 5 goals and suffering a comeback defeat

　At halftime, Coach Hara instructed the players, "Don't pull back and let's press forward without fear," and sent them back onto the field. However, right after the second half began, G Osaka midfielder Hashimoto's shot was saved by Dohi, but the rebound was cleared by Toda. Unfortunately, the ball hit Masushima and went straight into the goal, resulting in an own goal and allowing the opponent to equalize. After that, unlike the first half, both teams started exchanging goals.

　First, in the 51st minute, Tokyo's Miyazawa takes a free kick from the left side and Ishikawa makes a perfect header to score the second goal. However, in the 52nd and 53rd minutes, Daigoku scores two goals in quick succession, allowing a sudden turnaround. In the 56th minute, Tokyo substitutes Miyazawa for Baba, which stabilizes the midfield and allows for a rhythmical attack using both flanks. In the 60th minute, Suzuki Noriyuki is brought in for the fatigued Toda, significantly accelerating the pace of the attack. Then, in the 64th minute, Ishikawa keeps the ball on the right side, crosses to the near side before getting past the opposing defender, and Lucas, who has made a run, heads the ball into the left corner of the goal, equalizing at 3-3.

　However, the joy was short-lived as just one minute later, Daigoku scored a hat-trick goal, pulling ahead. For all three goals, although the Tokyo defense had numbers in front of the goal, they couldn't keep up with Daigoku's quick movements, allowing him to shoot freely. The previously solid defense, which had only conceded 4 goals in 6 matches, crumbled. In the 72nd minute, G Osaka midfielder Araujo intercepted a pass from Jean to Maeda, dribbled in, and shot, which went into the goal, widening the gap to two goals.

　In the 73rd minute, Tokyo substituted Yusuke KONDO for Mashima, moving Konno back to defense to continue pushing for a goal. In the 75th and 76th minutes, Yusuke KONDO took shots, followed by Ishikawa in the 77th minute, and then Lucas in the 88th minute, but they were unable to score, and the match ended. It was good to see three goals after a long time in terms of offense, but more importantly, they could not stop G Osaka's Daigoku until the end, leaving challenges for the future.

　【Player Comments】<Maeda> "Right after the match started, I slipped when the ball was passed to Nigawa, but as a result, I managed to steal the ball with a sliding tackle. That tightened my focus, thinking I won't be easily beaten. Compared to the previous match, I think the coordination with Nao-san in offense and defense was better. I should have concentrated more after scoring. Because I got caught there, this is the result..." <Konno> "It was a complete defeat. It's not that Tokyo's back line was bad, but Gamba moved better and started their runs earlier. They controlled the game well. I think that's the cause of the loss. We all wanted to apply more pressure, but we ended up reacting late. We want to fix this and do our best." <Baba> "I was able to return to the pitch after a long time and felt I could play freely. From the moment I entered, I aimed to give over 80% effort and was able to get into the match smoothly. I think I was able to create rhythm. The goal area was well defended, and I couldn't shoot on target myself, but I was breaking down the sides. It's disappointing that we conceded immediately after scoring and that this is our third consecutive loss. We want to win next time."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "In these two matches, we couldn't score, and there were many injuries in the back line, which slightly disrupted the balance. Amid that, the whole team tried to defend and score. At the start, Toda, who hadn't scored for a long time, scored in a wonderful way, and things felt good. However, gradually Gamba started holding the ball more, and I especially felt the speed of FW Okuro's movements. At that point, Masushima couldn't keep up with Okuro's movements. As a result, Masushima could compete in headers, but for other movements of Okuro—such as running away from crosses or stepping back when the ball came to his feet—he was scared and showed those movements several times at the start. There were quite dangerous scenes from the first half, but we somehow defended, so at halftime I told them, 'Don't be scared, firmly shut him down and mark tightly,' but we got flustered again by an own goal. We scored a good goal from a set piece and took the lead, but then Okuro got us again. The timing after scoring was bad. However, rather than a tactical battle, the cause of defeat was that Masushima was scared and kept retreating, which affected Jean, and in the end, Okuro was able to challenge in his best space. Gamba's strongest form was feared by our back line. I think we also scored wonderful goals. All three goals, including the set pieces, were as planned. But we conceded too many goals. Moniwa seems close to returning, but we need to stabilize the back line a bit more. Masushima is still young. To become a truly mature defender, I want him to fight without fear more and more. Everything depends on his attitude going forward, but it's from now on. Baba, who came on as a substitute, is regaining condition, and Norio SUZUKI and Ishikawa are also in good form, so we want to prepare well and face the next match. We are starting to play our style of attack, so we want to become a team that can score while reducing goals conceded."

　[G Osaka Coach Nishino's Press Conference Summary] "Today was a game where we wanted to settle things as a team, so we approached it with that mindset from kickoff. The first half was unlucky; it was a closely contested match where we attacked but couldn't score, but the overall content was not bad. At halftime, I said that if we could score one goal in the second half, we would definitely score three. The own goal sparked that, and I had anticipated that scoring one goal would lead to this kind of game. Especially from the second half onward, everyone played aggressively, always pushing forward. With Oguro in good form, the whole team showed a very strong attitude toward the opponent's goal. Defensively, the first goal conceded was like falling into an air pocket, and our coordination in dealing with set pieces, including free kicks, was lacking. We conceded three clean goals, so we need to work on balancing better. There are many things to correct moving forward. However, more than the content, this was a game where we wanted to earn 3 points, so in that sense, it was very good. I hope that after making corrections, we can show a more Gamba-like attacking style going forward."

Defensive Collapse Dooms TOKYO

At half time TOKYO manager Hara's instructions were, "Don't play too deeply and don't be afraid. Play from the front." In the first minute of the second half Gamba midfielder Hashimoto fired in a shot that Doi parried away; Toda's attempted clearance struck Masushima and looped into the goal to tie the score. The goal triggered a remarkable scoring sequence. 
In the 51st minute Miyazawa curled a free kick in from the left and Ishikawa met the ball to perfection, sending an unstoppable header past Matsuyo to regain the lead for TOKYO. However, a burst of two goals in two minutes from Oguro gave Gamba a 3-2 lead. TOKYO then sent on Baba for Miyazawa with a brief to control the ball in midfield and bring the wings into play. In the 60th minute Suzuki replaced the tiring Toda to lend some impetus to the attack. The changes reaped a reward in the 64th minute when Lucas met Ishikawa's cross at the near post to glance a header past Matsuyo and tie the score at 3-3. 
TOKYO'S joy lasted only a minute as Oguro struck again to notch his hat trick and give his side the lead. The TOKYO backline was present in numbers but was unable to deal with Oguro's speed or movement and the defence that had conceded only 4 goals in 6 games had allowed another 4 in only 19 minutes. In the 72nd minute Araujo intercepted a pass from Jean to Maeda, raced forward and floated a shot past Doi to extend the lead to two. 
TOKYO replaced Masushima with Yusuke Kondo in the 73rd minute, pulling Konno back into defence and going forward in numbers. Chances fell to Kondo in the 75th and 76th minutes, Ishikawa in the 77th and Lucas in the 88th but a further goal was unforthcoming and the final whistle blew on a 3-5 loss. The return to scoring of the attack was encouraging but the inability to deal with Oguro was what the match would be remembered for. 


Players' comments 
Maeda: 
" Early in the game I had a match up with Futagawa, slipped and lost the ball. Losing the ball so easily made me tighten up a little. I thought I combined with Ishikawa better than in the last game. We should have concentrated better after scoring; we didn't though and that led to today's result". 

Konno:
" A complete defeat. It wasn't that our defence was poor, Gamba's front line was very quick. Their movement was very good and that's why we lost today. We wanted to pressure them more but we lost the initiative. We want to put that right in the next game".

Baba:
" I was pleased to get back on the pitch after such a long time and thought I'd be able to play at about 80% but I fitted in well and could find some rhythm, I felt. I froze up a little in front of goal and couldn't manage a shot but I was able to create some chances down the wings. It was disappointing to concede so soon after scoring and we want to win the next game".


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara: 
" In the last two games we had failed to score, had a lot of injuries in defence and lost some of our balance at the back. We decided to defend in depth and try to grab a goal. Toda hasn't been on the score sheet at all but got a great goal early on and we were looking good. But after that we allowed Gamba too much possession and Oguro threatened with his speed and movement. Masushima did well in the air but when the ball was played in to Oguro's feet he stood off him and was clearly worried about his pace. There were a few dicey moments but we finished the first half ahead. At half time I told him to stick close to Oguro and not to be afraid but we conceded the own goal and started flapping. We took the lead from a fine set play but Oguro scored soon after. The few minutes after we scored were very bad. Masushima lost his nerve and played too deeply and that pulled Jean out of position allowing Oguro the space he thrives in. We scored some good goals though; unfortunately we conceded more. Moniwa will be returning soon and that should provide more stability at the back. Masushima is still young but has to learn to play without fear if he wants to become a complete player. Baba is returning to match fitness, Suzuki and Ishikawa are in good form at the moment so we'll be making a few adjustments for the next game. We're making progress with our style of attacking football but have to reduce the number of goals we're conceding". 

Gamba manager Nishino:
" We wanted a real team performance today and we made a positive start but were unlucky in the first half. We were competitive but just couldn't score. At half time I told the players that if we could get one we could get three, it was that sort of game. The own goal provided the spark and the game developed as we had foreseen. Oguro is in good form but the whole team was so positive in going forward. For the goals we conceded the first one seemed to strike an air pocket, our communication was poor at the free kick and the third exposed our need for better balance. We have many things to work on. But more than anything we wanted the win and the three points today so we're very happy. We'll work hard and see more of our style of attacking football from now, I believe".