League matches resume, aiming for a simple victory!

　The league, which had been suspended since May 14 (Sec. 12), will resume, with Sec. 13 featuring a home match against Cerezo Osaka. There was a break of about three weeks since the Nabisco Cup, but the team has been steadily preparing for the resumption by holding a camp at Fukushima J-Village from June 17 to 22, and organizing two practice matches afterward. Training during the suspension focused on building the stamina needed to endure the consecutive matches in July, enhancing the intensity of one-on-one situations, and emphasizing the transition between offense and defense.

　During this time, Doi, Shigeno, and Kaji, who were active as members of the Japan national team, as well as Masushima and Kajiyama, who participated in the World Youth, joined the team sequentially from last weekend. Today, we approached the match with a 4-4-2 formation, placing Toda and Yusuke KONDO as the two forwards, and Konno and Miura as double defensive midfielders, with Fujiyama, Lucas, and Kajiyama on the bench, returning from injury.

　C Osaka, who suffered three consecutive losses since the league opened, has since improved their form, currently sitting in 11th place with 4 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss. This match will see DF Maeda and FW Furuhashi absent due to injury, but caution is needed against their solid defense and quick counterattacks. We want to effectively contain the high-scoring FW Nishizawa, the freely moving FW Morishima, and the left-sided MF Ze Carlos, who adds flair with his dribbling and timing, as noted by Coach Hara.

　Coach Hara stated, "Cerezo Osaka has inflicted the only defeat on Kashima this season, so even if we lose some ball possession, our counterattack, which targets Nishizawa up front, is functioning well. If we lose the ball carelessly, it could turn into Cerezo Osaka's pace, so it's important for us to attack simply and finish strong." The players are also highly motivated, saying, "We want to play an energetic, Tokyo-style football. No matter what happens, we will fight until the end without giving up." To make a fresh start, the match kicked off at 19:04 at Ajinomoto Stadium during a break in the rainy season.

Simple Is Best!

Following a six week break the J.League reopened with the visit of Cerezo Osaka to Ajinomoto Stadium. In the three weeks since the final Nabisco Cup game TOKYO had spent a few days at the J.Village in Fukushima in preparation for the restart. Training had focused on the basics: increasing strength, winning individual match ups and switching from defence to attack. 
Doi, Moniwa and Kaji had rejoined the team from National Team duty while Masushima and Kajiyama had returned from the World Youth Championships. TOKYO fielded Toda and Kondo in attack, with Miura and Konno in defensive midfield. Fujiyama, Lucas and Kajiyama were recovered from injury and appeared on the subs' bench. 
Cerezo had begun the season with three straight losses but then steadied to post a W4 D4 L1 in the following nine games and lay 11th. in the table at kick off. Regulars Maeda and Furuhashi were injured but the Cerezo style of solid defence and rapid counter attacking would demand extreme concentration from TOKYO. In -form striker Nishizawa, wily veteran Morishima and flamboyant dribbler Ze Carlos all posed a major threat. 
Before kick off TOKYO manager Hara commented, "Cerezo are the only team to have beaten Kashima Antlers this year and if we allow them to dictate play or if we give the ball away they will feed Nishizawa and hit us on the counter. We have to prevent the game being played at their pace and make sure we finish all our moves with an attempt on goal". The players were highly motivated and pledged to fight to the finish in true TOKYO style. 
The downpours of the Rainy Season abated for the day and the match began shortly after 7pm on a warm, clear evening.

Attacking from a stable defense, but ended the first half without scoring

　Tokyo goes on the offensive. Within the first minute, Yusuke KONDO received a pass from Konno and penetrated the left area. He sent a shooting cross in front of the goal. Toda closed in but just missed connecting. At 3 minutes, Yusuke KONDO, drifting to the right, won a corner kick, but Ishikawa's kick was cleared by the opposing DF. At 4 minutes, C Osaka created a chance on the left side, and FW Morishima broke through the center for a shot. They won a corner kick, but Tokyo's DF defended safely. At 9 minutes, Tokyo seized a loose ball from C Osaka's corner and launched a quick counterattack; Kurisawa sent a long pass into the right space. Ishikawa caught up and crossed, but it went out for a throw-in. At 13 minutes, Toda broke forward on Kurisawa's through pass but was blocked by a DF and couldn't shoot. Tokyo controlled the ball well and chased it actively, but the game continued with rapid transitions between offense and defense.

　In the 17th minute, C Osaka had a free kick from the right sideline in front of the goal. MF Ze Carlos aimed for the goal, but Dohi caught it. In the 19th minute, Ishikawa took a strong ground shot from slightly right of midfield. The opposing GK initially fumbled due to the force, but Yusuke KONDO could not capitalize. In the 21st minute, Tokyo was attacked on the left side but defended well, regained possession, and launched a counterattack. Kurizawa shifted the ball to the right, and Ishikawa, receiving it, took a shot from the right area, but the opposing GK made a save. C Osaka launched a quick counter in the 29th minute. MF Kudo's right cross was cleared by Ishikawa, resulting in a corner kick. In the 30th minute, after the opponent's corner kick, Tokyo launched a quick attack. A combination from Ishikawa to Kaji led to a right cross, but the GK caught it. Tokyo dominated possession and attacked, but could not create any decisive chances.

　At the 33rd minute, Toda sprinted down the left side with a dribble, sending a grounded cross to the center that did not connect with Yusuke KONDO. Picking up the clearance from this defender, Kurisawa took a shot from a distant left position, but the goalkeeper caught it. At the 40th minute, Kurisawa stole the ball in midfield, advanced with a dribble, was fouled, and earned a free kick. Ishikawa aimed the free kick from the left side outside the area, but it narrowly curved to the left. At the 44th minute, Yusuke KONDO unleashed a powerful long-range shot that was blocked by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. Just before halftime, from a left cross by C Osaka's Carlos, Morishima took a free header shot but it went over the bar. Tokyo tried to create chances through stable defense, using Ishikawa and Kaji on the right and through passes from Kurisawa on the left, but the ball rarely reached the front line, and there were not many decisive scenes. Both teams went into the second half scoreless.

First Period Ends Scoreless

TOKYO hit the ground running and nearly had the ball in the net seconds after kickoff. Kondo received the ball from Konno, raced into the Cerezo area and fired a low cross shot that evaded Toda's boot by inches as he slid in at the far post. Kondo won a corner in the 3rd minute before Cerezo showed their counter attacking prowess through Morishima, who also won a corner. The home defense dealt with the danger comfortably. In the 9th minute TOKYO latched onto a loose ball following a Cerezo corner and Kurisawa played a sublime, raking cross field ball to Ishikawa; the visitors' defense scrambled Ishikawa's cross away for a throw-in. TOKYO were playing the ball around neatly and maintaining a fine balance between defense and attack.
In the 17th minute Doi held Ze Carlos' well struck free kick. Yoshida, the Cerezo keeper, fumbled Ishikawa's powerfully struck daisy cutter in the 19th minute but recovered to snatch the ball away from the on-rushing Kondo. The TOKYO left repelled a Cerezo attack in the 21st minute then countered with Kurisawa setting up Ishikawa. Yoshida made a fine save to deny Ishikawa the opening goal. Cerezo won a pair of corners in the 30th minute but the TOKYO defense held firm and launched another counter attack from the second one. Ishikawa fed the overlapping Kaji who raced to the byline but Yoshida cut out his cross. TOKYO were dominating possession but failed to create a clear-cut scoring opportunity.
Toda scampered down the left and crossed in the 33rd minute; the ball evaded Kondo but a poor clearance fell to Kurisawa and his firm drive produced another save from Yoshida. Ishikawa hit a free kick wide of the post and Kondo drew a flying save from Yoshida with a thunderous drive from 25 yards as the first half drew to a close. Morishima should have put Cerezo ahead in injury time but headed over when unmarked in front of goal. That was a let off for TOKYO who had otherwise defended stoutly and attacked with purpose throughout the first period.

Toda takes a 2-point lead with Lucas's goal, but...

　In the second half, Tokyo aggressively attacked the C Osaka territory right from the start. Particularly, Ishikawa became the focal point, trying to create chances mainly through crosses. In the 52nd minute, Kondo advanced into the left area from a counterattack, evading the DF and getting into a shooting position, but the C Osaka DF cut it off. However, in the 53rd minute, the goal finally came. In response to Kaji's early cross, Toda, who ran to the near post, executed a diving header from a low position! The ball shook the far net and went in. They scored the opening goal from the intended play that had been repeated since the first half.

　Taking this opportunity, Tokyo relentlessly attacks the C Osaka goal, unleashing a storm of shots. In the 54th minute, Lucas was brought on to replace Yusuke KONDO. Immediately after, Ishikawa received a pass from Lucas and, seeing he was free from the right outside the opponent's area, aimed a precise long shot. It hit the crossbar and bounced back. Picking it up and persistently connecting, Kaji's shot from the right outside the area then struck the opposing goalkeeper hard. Lucas was right there to capitalize on the rebound and scored the second goal!

　Tokyo took a 2-point lead, and in the 60th minute, Kono made a through pass to Toda, who broke behind the opponent's DF line and cut back to shoot. Unfortunately, it went just left. However, C Osaka did not get discouraged and launched a counterattack, continuing a fierce exchange of clashes and a rapid switch between offense and defense. C Osaka brought in MF Kokeuchi in the 59th minute, MF Tokushige in the 63rd minute, and FW Kurobe in the 70th minute. In response, Tokyo substituted Asari for Miura in the 72nd minute. But it was right after that. In a situation with a C Osaka free kick, a penalty was awarded for a foul on an opponent in front of the goal. In the 75th minute, this was converted by Ze Carlos, narrowing the gap to one point.

　From this point, scenes allowing C Osaka to press increased, and in the 82nd minute, FW Nishizawa, free in the right area, cut back the Tokyo DF and shot. This went over the bar, avoiding danger. In the 84th minute, Kajiyama was brought on to replace Kurisawa. They tried to cut off the counterattack by keeping possession, but instead lost the ball more often and faced more counterattacks, which were stopped by fouls. Then, in stoppage time, a pass from Ishikawa to Kajiyama was intercepted, leading to a quick attack. Against MF Kokeguchi’s central breakthrough using his speed, Konno committed a foul to stop him, conceding a free kick about 25 meters in front of the goal. MF Ze Carlos scored from this, equalizing the score. Near the end, Tokyo also earned a free kick chance in front of the goal, but Lucas’s kick was blocked by the wall, and time was up. Although they took a 2-goal lead from their planned attacks, they conceded 2 goals from set pieces and ended in a frustrating draw.

　【Player Comments】<Kaji> "We were able to play soccer that captured the rhythm from the start. We scored two goals in the second half, but I think the way we managed the time at the end was poor. For the shot that led to the second goal, I hesitated for a moment between crossing or dribbling, but since the lane was open, I thought maybe and took a decisive shot. Although we were caught up, it wasn't a goal conceded due to a breakdown, so I think this match will lead to future progress." <Konno> "Apart from set pieces, there were no dangerous situations, and it's disappointing to have lost a match we could have won. We had to win. Maybe we became a bit defensive after leading by two goals. Also, since many of our attacks were one-off, we want to build up the midfield." <Miura> "I really wanted the three points, so it's frustrating. In the first half, I focused on not conceding goals as usual. But in soccer, you never know how goals will be conceded. It would have been better to finish 2-1... It's true we were pressed in the final stages. However, when you get caught up like this, it tends to create a bad atmosphere, so I think a draw was acceptable. We won't look back at the defense; we'll switch gears and move forward."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "I think we were able to play the soccer we aimed for until the score was 2-0. We conceded a penalty from a free kick, and the other goal was also from a free kick, and the second goal came during stoppage time. At that point, we should have used the time well to hold on. However, the team has been working on things during this break period... For example, against opponents like Nishizawa and Morishima who frequently come in and out, the overall defense was well done. Toda and Yusuke KONDO are the type to flow rather than hold the ball. To use them, after solid defense, it is necessary to have them run into space to create opportunities. The aim is to attack quickly from defense. We wanted to make use of their strength in making forward runs rather than technical skill. Lucas has returned, and he is good at receiving the ball, so at that time we put in wedges and spread the ball to the sides. As a result, two goals came from crosses and shots, which was exactly the style we aim for. The conceding of goals and the use of time at the end are issues, but with injured players returning, overall I think we are heading in a good direction. However, we must win this. With consecutive matches coming up, we want to switch our mindset to get 3 points next time."

　[C Osaka Coach Kobayashi's Press Conference Summary] "It was a tough game as a start after the break. From the beginning, the players were sluggish, and we couldn't create a good flow. (Due to injuries) making changes with several players made the group's combination in attack awkward. Overall, it was a game where we were outplayed by FC Tokyo. However, as a team, after conceding two goals by the 10th minute of the second half, we managed to equalize. This is something that hasn't happened before and it leads to the next step. The players showed a positive attitude to win, and those who were brought on worked hard during that time. In that sense, there was a result."

Toda, Lucas Score But....

TOKYO began the second period firmly encamped in the Cerezo half. Ishikawa buzzed along the right wing looking for centering opportunities but it was Kaji who provided the cross for the opening goal in the 53rd minute. Toda met his center to the near post with a perfect diving header that flew past Yoshida to give the home side a well-deserved lead. TOKYO attempted the move several times during the first half and it finally bore fruit.
The Cerezo defense was wobbling under the sustained onslaught and TOKYO sent on Lucas in the 53rd minute. It proved a timely substitution. Lucas picked out Ishikawa and the winger let fly from 30 yards; the ball cannoned off the crossbar and rebounded to Kaji some 25 yards out. Kaji hammered a low drive that Yoshida fumbled and Lucas was on hand to side foot the ball into the net and double the lead.
Toda should have made it three a minute later when he raced onto Konno's through ball but fired his shot into the side netting. Cerezo were down but not out and continued to hit TOKYO on the counter attack. The visitors sent on Kokeguchi, Tokushige and Kurobe while TOKYO responded by replacing Miura with Asari. Cerezo earned a penalty in the 75th minute when a player went down in the box following a free kick. Ze Carlos converted to reduce the lead to a single goal.
The momentum swung back to Cerezo and Nishizawa should have equalized in the 82nd minute but fired over the bar. TOKYO replaced Kurisawa with Kajiyama to maintain possession but the switch failed to stem the tide and the home side resorted to illegal means to halt Cerezo's forward movement. Deep into injury time Konno fouled the pacy Kokeguchi about 25 meters from goal; Ze Carlos stepped up and curled a sublime free kick over the wall and beyond Doi's despairing dive. Lucas had a chance to snatch victory with the last kick of the game but fired a free kick into the wall from about 25 yards out. The final whistle blew on a disappointing 2-2 draw.


Players' comments 
Kaji: 
"We played well from the start and found our rhythm. We built a two goal lead but the way we used the ball at the end was very poor. For the second goal I was undecided whether to shoot or cross but I saw a space and just hit it. They caught us out but we weren't overpowered and we can take heart from the performance today." 

Konno:
"Apart from two set plays they hardly threatened at all and it's very disappointing we didn't win the game. We should have won. After going two up we became slightly defensive, I think. The attack was a little monotone and we want to create more from midfield".

Miura:
"We wanted the three points at all costs today. We were determined not to concede in the first half. The game should have finished 2-1. We won't dwell on this but move on to the next game".


TOKYO manager Hara:
"Everything went according to plan until we were 2-0 up. They won a penalty from a free kick and then scored from another free kick in injury time. We have to be able to run down the clock in that situation. However, many of the things we worked on during the break showed in our play today. Nishizawa and Morishima hardly had a chance at all and the defence played very well. Neither Toda nor Kondo are holding players so we worked on defending solidly and creating space for them to run into; we focused on breaking rapidly from defence. Lucas returned from injury and is skilled at receiving the ball and moving it out to the wings. Our goals came from a cross and a shot so we're pleased with that. Defending a lead is a recurring problem for us but with the injured players coming back we feel we're moving in the right direction and are looking forward to the next game."

Cerezo manager Kobayashi
"For the first game after the break that was tough. We looked sluggish and really didn't create at all. We had to move some players around because of injuries but the attacking combination completely misfired. TOKYO really turned us over today. We conceded two goals in a few minutes but fought back to draw the game; that's something that has never happened before. The players' desire to win was very strong and the second half substitutes performed well for us. This is something positive we can take from today's game".