We must secure 3 points at home!

　In the last match against Kawasaki, we missed out on 3 points by just a step. However, Coach Garo mentioned, "It was a match where we showed good passing, tight marking, and a fighting spirit," indicating that the team is regaining confidence. We want to leverage this momentum and aim to secure 3 points at home in this match.

　Rychely was injured in his left foot during the match against Kawasaki and has left the team. Kawaguchi will be used as a forward for his first start of the season. Meanwhile, Kajiyama, who missed the last match due to a right foot injury, has returned to the starting lineup, although he mentioned, "It still hurts when I twist my foot," but he appeared in good spirits.

　Kyoto currently has 2 losses and 2 draws with no victories yet. However, in the last two matches, they allowed a lead but managed to equalize in the final stages, showing resilience to secure draws. The players to watch are FW PAULINHO (22 goals in last season's J2) and FW Alemon (15 goals) who has returned from injury, forming a two-top attack. PAULINHO has already scored 3 goals this season, and as a countermeasure, Inoha will mark him closely. The match started at 16:04 with Kyoto's kickoff at Ajinomoto, under cloudy skies.

Took the lead with Jean's goal, overwhelming Kyoto, but...

　Right from the start, the match was lively. In the 2nd minute, Kawaguchi received a vertical pass from Tokunaga, challenged the opposing DF, and won a right corner kick. With Kajiyama's kick, Jean's high header found the target perfectly, scoring the opening goal early on. Then, in the 6th minute, a similar scene unfolded. This time, Tokunaga challenged the opposing DF on the right side and won another corner kick. Once again, from the right corner kick, Jean attempted a header shot, but the opposing DF cleared it with their head, blocking the attempt. In the 8th minute, it was Jean again who met Baba's free kick, but this time it went over the bar.

　Tokyo seized the rhythm and controlled the ball. They continued to dominate the match. Opponent forward PAULINHO was closely marked by Inoha, making it difficult for him to take a shot. In the 19th minute, forward Alemon's shot from outside the area became Kyoto's first shot. In the 20th minute, Suzuki's left cross was dropped by Lucas, and Konno, who ran into the area, took a shot. They created a good opportunity but were blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 23rd minute, Kajiyama sent a long pass into the space on the left front, and Suzuki caught up to cross. In the 26th minute, a pass reached Konno, who was free in the left area, and from his shooting motion, he made a last pass to Lucas in front of the goal. They used the pitch widely to connect passes and create attacking shapes.

　After 30 minutes, a counter from Kyoto created a pinch, but Shigeno and Inoha cut it off. In the 36th minute, a direct free kick from about 30m in front of the goal was taken with a powerful shot by FW PAULINHO, leading to a follow-up attack from the rebound of Doih's save, but they defended it well. In the 39th minute, Tokunaga made a run to meet Baba's pass and delivered a right cross. Suzuki received it at the far post and sent in a left cross. They showed another wide attack, but after Kajiwara dropped it in the center, no one was able to connect.

　Kawaguchi became the starting point in the front line, with Tokunaga crossing from the right and Suzuki from the left, but the accuracy was lacking. Additionally, the finishing was not decisive, and they were unable to score an additional goal. In the 43rd minute, against a move by Kyoto FW Alemon, Jean marked him, and the ball spilled, giving Kyoto a corner kick. The left corner taken by MF Hoshi was cleared by Jean. The high ball went over FW Alemon in the right area. Alemon's header grazed Baba's head as they contested for the clearance and found the top left of the goal. They conceded a goal at a bad time, ending the first half at 1-1.

In the closing moments, Tokunaga snatches victory with a valuable goal!

　Expectations were high in the second half, but it was Kyoto that managed to regroup. Early in the second half, midfielder Mio boldly aimed for the goal with a long-range shot. Just after that, in the 46th minute, Tokyo's Kawaguchi made a cross from the side, and Suzuki delivered a direct cross to the center. Lucas, who tried to trap the ball, collided with Baba, and they were unable to take a shot. In the 48th minute, Tokunaga seized a loose ball on the right side and charged into the area. He sent a final pass to Baba, who was positioned more centrally, but the shot was blocked by the opposing defender. After that, Kyoto gradually began to counterattack, picking up second balls and sending quick passes to the front line.

　In the 56th minute, Sasa was brought on for Lucas and Kurizawa for Baba. They tried to change the situation quickly, but in the 61st minute, a pass reached Kyoto's midfielder Hoshi in the right area, and Hoshi cut inside past Tokyo's defense to shoot. Dohi saved it in the lower right corner of the goal, avoiding a crisis. In the 63rd minute, Sasa headed a right corner kick from Kurizawa, but it missed the target. In the ensuing play, Inoha picked up the loose ball and switched sides. From a drop by Jean on the left side, Kawaguchi shot, but the goalkeeper saved it. In the 65th minute, Abe was brought on for Kawaguchi. However, the quick transition from attack to defense troubled Tokyo as they struggled against Kyoto's defense, which had numbers in front of the goal.

　In the 75th minute, Suzuki stole the ball from the opposing defender and advanced into the left area, passing to Abe in the middle who took a shot, but it missed the target. In the 82nd minute, Tokunaga passed to Kurizawa, who then passed to Abe in the left area. Abe made a direct drop, and Konno, who ran in, took a shot... showing good teamwork, but Abe was offside. In a fast-paced exchange of offense and defense, Kyoto also approached the goal in the 77th minute from FW Alemon's hold, with defensive midfielder Saito taking a shot. The rebound was picked up, creating another chance. In the 80th minute, MF Nakahara jumped in for a right cross, but it went wide of the target.

　With neither side able to capitalize on their chances, it seemed like the match would end in a draw until the 89th minute. Suzuki's left corner kick was contested in the center by Sasa and the opposing defender, sending the ball to the right area. Tokunaga, who had made a run, controlled the ball with one touch and advanced close to the end line. From a tight angle, he took a powerful right-footed shot with the outside of his foot. The ball surged with tremendous force, slipping between the narrow gap of the goalkeeper and the goal, hitting the far post and bouncing in! Finally, Tokunaga's precious go-ahead goal pulled away the resilient Kyoto. Their determination to aim for victory until the end resulted in this goal, marking their second win of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Tokunaga》"We couldn't score during the flow of the game, but in the first half, we were able to play our style of football. However, not being able to score made it a tough match. (For my first goal) it was chaotic in the middle, so I just hit it as hard as I could. I believe that the strong desire to win ultimately led to the goal. I want to carry today's victory forward and accumulate points." 《Inoha》"Today we played in a 3-5-2 formation, and when attacking, I moved up into the midfield. It was easier for me. Coach Garo instructed me not to let PAULINHO do his job. I studied through video and focused on not allowing him to dribble or face forward. There were few moments where we were pushed back, so I just had to be wary of counterattacks. I was able to concentrate on cutting off the lanes."

　[Summary of Coach Gallo's Press Conference] "Today, the team stayed focused until the end, played with strong determination, and marked tightly and aggressively. I think the players did very well. The final goal was earned by everyone, and I want to praise the players. (What about Kajiyama?) He played in the defensive midfield position today, but in the first half there was a large space between the defensive line and the defensive midfield, so I instructed him to fix that. In the second half, including his positioning, he was able to play well. (What about Inoha?) Following JUNINHO in the Kawasaki match, this time he marked PAULINHO, and he did very well in both cases. His marking is an important role for us. (Instructions to Tokunaga?) Today, ball circulation and side changes went well, so along with Suzuki, I instructed them to challenge in one-on-one situations. There were quite a few chances to push forward, so I told them to enter the area and take on opponents. They are players with speed and strength and played well. (Wasn't it possible to score more goals?) Certainly, there were many chances. The important thing is that we created many such chances. I think we couldn't score because the opponent's defense was good. Tactics change depending on the opponent, so today we adapted to Kyoto in this way, but we will study the opponent again for the next Nabisco match and respond accordingly."

　[Summary of Kyoto Coach Hashiratani's Press Conference] "The players worked very hard. It was a flow where we could have earned not just 1 point but 3 points, so it's unfortunate that we couldn't get them. Since the start of the season, we haven't been able to secure 3 points and have been struggling, but I am very grateful to the supporters who came all the way to Tokyo. Next, we have the Nabisco Cup in two days, so we want to prepare well for that and then aim to earn solid points in the following league matches. (Regarding substitutions) Tokunaga and Suzuki on both sides of Tokyo ran a considerable distance, and our wide players were also tired, so we wanted to bring in fresh players to gain an advantage on the sides. We were somewhat pressed back, so we aimed to stabilize the defense, and if the midfield players who replaced the two forwards pushed up to take the initiative, we believed we could attack effectively. In the first half, the opponent played a 3-5-2 formation and controlled the midfield, so in the second half, we changed our shape to disrupt that and stabilized our defense. In the end, since we were being pressed in one-on-one situations, we prioritized stabilizing the defense. If Yoneda's leg hadn't cramped, we could have substituted a forward. Alemon, coming back from injury, had several good combination plays with PAULINHO, so if their conditions improve further, they should pose a threat to the opponent. Today's cause of defeat was that we needed to push the line higher. Staying inside the penalty box all the time means second balls get picked up and anything can happen. After clearing the ball, everyone must get out of the box, and the goalkeeper must cover the space behind; otherwise, we remain pinned down. Today, Inoha was assigned to mark PAULINHO, but the better a player gets, the more they get marked. The fact that Tokyo changed to a 3-5-2 to shut us down is proof of how good PAULINHO is. Since Kyoto's strengths were neutralized, I think Tokyo's strengths were also suppressed."