Always get 3 points at home!

　In the previous match against Kawasaki, we missed out on 3 points by just one step. However, coach Garo also mentioned that it was a game where we had good passing, tough marking, and a fighting spirit, and we are regaining our confidence as a team. We want to take advantage of this momentum and aim for 3 points at home in this match.

　Rychely injured his left foot in the Kawasaki match and left the team. FW Kawaguchi was selected as the starting lineup for the first time this season. On the other hand, Kajiyama, who missed the previous match due to a right foot injury, returned to the starting lineup in a lively manner, saying, "It still hurts when I twist my foot."

　Kyoto, on the other hand, has yet to win with 2 losses and 2 draws. However, in the last 2 games, they have managed to come back and hold on to a draw despite conceding a lead. The main players to watch out for are FW Paulinho (22 goals in J2 last season) and FW LemonS Hiratsuka (15 goals after returning from injury). Paulinho has already scored 3 goals this season, so Inonami will be marking him closely. The match started at 4:04 pm at the cloudy Ajinomoto Stadium, with Kyoto kicking off.

Jean's goal gave us the lead, but we still dominated Kyoto...

　The game started off with a bang. In the 2nd minute, Kawaguchi received a vertical pass from Tokunaga and challenged the opposing DF, winning a corner kick on the right side. Kajiyama's kick was met by Jean's high header, scoring the first goal of the game. In the 6th minute, a similar scene occurred. This time, Tokunaga challenged the opposing DF on the right side and won another corner kick. Once again, Jean took a header shot from the right corner, but it was blocked by the opposing DF's head. In the 8th minute, Baba's free kick was met by Jean once again. However, this one went over the bar.

　Tokyo grasps the rhythm and dominates the ball. They continue to advance the game in their favor. The opposing FW Paulinho is closely marked by Inaba, making it difficult for him to take a shot. In the 19th minute, FW Alemón's shot from outside the area became Kyoto's first shot. In the 20th minute, Suzuki drops Lucas' left cross and Imano runs into the area for a shot. They create a good opportunity, but the goalkeeper blocks it. In the 23rd minute, Kajiyama sends a long pass to the left front space, and Suzuki catches up to cross. In the 26th minute, a pass is made to Imano who is free in the left area, and from his shooting motion, he makes a last pass to Lucas in front of the goal. They use the pitch widely to connect passes and create an attacking formation.

　After 30 minutes, Kyoto invited danger from a counterattack, but Shigetani and Inonami cut it off. In the 36th minute, FW Paulinho aimed directly at the goal with a powerful shot from about 30m out from a free kick, but the ball was saved by Tsuchi and the resulting wave attack was defended well. In the 39th minute, Tokunaga flew out to meet Baba's pass and crossed from the right. Suzuki received the ball at the far post and crossed from the left. They showed another wide attack, but after Kajiyama dropped the ball in the center, no one was able to finish it off.

　Kawaguchi started from the front line, and Tokunaga from the right and Suzuki from the left kept crossing one after another, but the accuracy was not enough. In addition, the finish was not aggressive enough, and they were unable to score an additional point. In the midst of this, in the 43rd minute, Kyoto FW Lemon made a move, and Jean marked him, causing a CK for Kyoto. MF Hoshi took the left CK, and Jean cleared it. The ball that went high up landed on top of Kyoto's FW Lemon in the right area. Lemon's header grazed the head of Baba, who was competing to clear it, and ended up in the upper left corner of the goal. They conceded a goal at an unfavorable time and went into the second half tied at 1-1.

In the final moments, Tokunaga's valuable goal secures the victory!

　The second half was expected to be exciting, but it was Kyoto who managed to turn things around. Early in the second half, MF Mio boldly aimed for a goal with a middle shot. Shortly after, in the 46th minute, Tokyo attempted a side change from Kawaguchi, and Suzuki crossed directly to the center. Lucas, who was trying to receive the ball, and Baba, who jumped in, collided, and the shot was unable to be taken. In the 48th minute, Tokunaga snatched the ball on the right side and charged towards the front of the area. He sent a last pass to Baba in the middle, but the shot was blocked by the opposing defender. After that, Kyoto gradually began to counterattack. They picked up second balls and sent quick passes to the front line.

　Substitutes Sasa and Kurisawa were brought in for Lucas and Baba in the 56th minute. They tried to turn the situation around, but in the 61st minute, Kyoto's MF Hoshi received a pass in the right area and cut inside the Tokyo DF to take a shot. Tsuchi made a save in the bottom right corner and avoided danger. In the 63rd minute, Sasa headed Kurisawa's right corner kick, but missed the target. Ino picked up the loose ball and switched to the left side. From Jean's drop, Kawaguchi took a shot, but the GK made a save. In the 65th minute, Abe was brought in for Kawaguchi. However, Tokyo struggled against Kyoto's defense, which quickly transitioned from attack to defense and crowded the goal area.

　75 minutes, Suzuki steals the ball from the opponent's DF and advances to the left area, passing to Abe in the middle who takes a shot but misses the goal. In the 82nd minute, Tokunaga passes to Abe on the left area from Kurizawa. Abe drops it and runs, and Imakono takes a shot... showing a good combination play, but Abe is offside. In the fast-paced exchange of offense and defense, Kyoto also approaches the goal in the 77th minute from FW Lemon's keep, and midfielder Saito takes a shot. The ball is picked up and another chance is created. In the 80th minute, MF Nakabara jumps into the right cross, but misses the goal.

　Unable to take advantage of each other's chances, it seemed like it would end in a draw... until the 89th minute, when Suzuki's left corner kick was contested by the opposing defender in the center, and the ball went to the right area. Tokunaga ran into this area, took one touch, and entered near the end line. From an impossible angle, he took a forceful right-footed shot that went past the narrow goalkeeper and into the far post, bouncing back in! Finally, Tokunaga's valuable go-ahead goal separated Kyoto, who had been holding on. The attitude of aiming for victory until the end resulted in a goal, and they achieved their second win of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Tokunaga》"We couldn't score in the flow of the game, but we were able to play our own soccer in the first half. However, we couldn't score and it became a tough game. (The first goal) was a chaotic situation, so I just hit it as hard as I could. I think our strong desire to win ultimately led to the goal. We want to continue this win and accumulate points in the next game."《Inonami》"Today, we played in a 3-5-2 formation, and when attacking, I was able to move up to the midfield. It was easy for me to do. Coach Garo instructed me not to let Paulinho do any work. I studied him on video and made sure not to let him dribble or face forward. We didn't have many moments where we were pushed back, so we just had to be careful of the counter. I was able to focus on cutting off his routes."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "Today, it was a tough and intense game where we had to stay focused until the very end. I think the players did a great job. The last goal was a team effort and I want to praise the players for that. (What about Kajiyama?) He played in the defensive midfield position today, but in the first half, there was a big gap between the defensive line and the midfield, so I instructed him to fix that. In the second half, he played well, including his positioning. (What about Inonami?) Following his marking of Juninho in the Kawasaki game, he marked Paulinho this time and both of them did a great job. His marking is an important role for us. (What were your instructions to Tokunaga?) Our ball movement and switching sides were working well today, so I instructed him and Suzuki to go for one-on-one situations when they arise. They had chances to move up to the front line, so I told them to enter the box and make plays. They are both fast and strong players, and they did well. (Could you have scored more goals?) We definitely had many chances. The important thing is that we were able to create those chances. We couldn't score because the opponent's defense was good. Our tactics change depending on the opponent, so today we adjusted to Kyoto and played in this way, but for the next Nabisco game, we will study the opponent and adapt accordingly."

　[Kyoto - Manager Hashitani's Press Conference Summary] "The players worked very hard. It was a flow where we could have gotten not only 1 point but also 3 points, but unfortunately we couldn't. It's been a tough start to the season without getting 3 points, but I'm very grateful to the supporters who came all the way to Tokyo. We have the Nabisco Cup in 2 days, so we want to prepare well for that and then get enough points in the league matches after that. (Substitutions) Both sides of Tokyo, Tokunaga and Suzuki, were running quite a distance, and our side players were also tired, so we wanted to put in fresh players and create an advantageous situation on the side. We were being pushed back a bit, so we wanted to stabilize our defense and have the midfield players who came on for the two top players push forward and take the lead. In the first half, the opponent was in a 3-5-2 formation and dominated the midfield, so in the second half we changed to a formation to shut that down and our defense became more stable. In the end, we were in a situation where we were being pushed back in a 1-on-1 situation, so we prioritized stabilizing our defense. If Yoneda's leg hadn't cramped up, we could have substituted a forward player. Alémão, who was coming back from injury, had some good combinations with Paulinho, so if their condition improves, they should be able to threaten the opponent. The reason for today's loss was that we needed to push up our line more. If we keep staying in the penalty box, the second ball will also be picked up and we don't know what will happen. When we clear the ball, everyone needs to come out of the box and the goalkeeper needs to cover the space behind. Today, Inoha was marking Paulinho, but the better the player becomes, the more he will be marked. Tokyo changed to a 3-5-2 just to shut down Paulinho, which proves how good of a player he is. I think they were able to neutralize Kyoto's strengths, but at the same time, Tokyo's strengths were also neutralized."