Fight boldly against the strong Gamba

　In Sec. 9 of the J1 League, we will face Gamba Osaka away. In the previous match against Chiba, we were completely overwhelmed in the first half and struggled on both offense and defense. After the start of the second half, we made three substitutions, and after Lucas's penalty kick, we managed to seize the momentum and launched a fierce counterattack, but fell just short and lost. With consecutive losses including the Nabisco match against Yokohama, we are in a tough situation, but this week we have a one-week interval, allowing us to train thoroughly for the G Osaka match and prepare in top condition.

　G Osaka is currently in great form, sitting in second place with five consecutive league victories. Although the schedule is tough with the AFC Champions League being played alongside the league matches, the combination of new forward Magno Alves and Fernandinho, along with the skilled midfielders like Endo, and the two sides with DF Kaji and DF Enaga who transferred from Tokyo, allows for attacking plays to be initiated from anywhere, making their destructive power difficult to stop. It will be necessary to maintain concentration for the full 90 minutes to avoid any lapses. Additionally, the matchup against DF Kaji's former club is also drawing attention.

　Tokyo, aiming for a more aggressive midfield, positioned Konno as a defensive midfielder, with Miyazawa and Kajiyama on the flanks, while the defense consisted of Shigeno and Jean as center-backs in a 4-4-2 formation. Kawaguchi replaced Sasa in the starting lineup. The key point will be whether they can utilize the open spaces against the opponent's three-back defense and create opportunities in the front line. Additionally, Ozawa, who just returned from the Belinsoona International Youth Soccer Tournament, took the bench in place of the injured Abe.

　This season, Tokyo has yet to secure a victory away. However, Moniwa stated, "Our past matchups have not been bad at all. We will give our all and aim for victory," vowing to fight fairly. Coach Garo also aims for three points with an offensive approach, saying, "Even away, we will strive to score two or three goals!" With a temperature of 15.8°C and cloudy skies, the match kicked off at 2:03 PM in Tokyo.

Although they lost control in the midfield, they managed to end the first half with only one goal conceded.

　Tokyo seizes the opportunity at the start. Right corner kick; Miyazawa's kick is headed by Lucas. Although it is deflected by the opposing goalkeeper, they regain another corner kick. This time, Jean heads it but misses. In the 4th minute, from Miyazawa to Suzuki's left cross, Miyazawa picks up the deflection from the DF and shoots. It hits the DF, and Kurizawa picks up the loose ball in front of the goal, with Lucas closing in to win a left corner kick. Miyazawa also presses on the clearance from this corner kick but cannot shoot. Tokyo launches an attack, and G Osaka becomes completely passive to that momentum.

　However, when G Osaka began to calmly connect the ball with good rhythm, they could not keep up with the passing play, leading to a one-sided development. In the 8th minute, DF Kaji surged up the right side and delivered a right cross, but Jean cut it off. In the 10th minute, from a counter, FW Magno Alves received a pass from left MF Enaga and FW Fernandinho made a run into the center to shoot. It was a decisive moment, but it missed the target. In the 12th minute, FW Magno Alves and in the 14th minute, MF Endo took shots, but Doih kept them out and did not allow a goal.

　Forward FW Magno ALVES allowed both sides' DF Kaji and Ienaga to advance freely due to Fernandinho's ball retention, resulting in a situation where they were constantly on the defensive. In the 22nd minute, a pass error by Shigenobu was intercepted by the opponent, leading to a shot by FW Maeda. In the 25th minute, a central breakthrough by FW Magno ALVES and Fernandinho resulted in a shot by MF Ienaga. It was a dangerous moment, but they did not concede a goal. Tokyo attempted to attack after regaining possession, but they either made passing errors or were dispossessed, failing to carry the ball to the goal area.

　Then, in the 35th minute, Tokyo allowed the first goal. After clearing a right free kick once, FW Magno Alves received a pass in the center and scored a beautiful shot from outside the area. After that, the opponent, feeling secure with their one-goal lead, began to create attacking shapes. In the 39th minute, a counterattack from Tokunaga to Lucas resulted in a cross, but it couldn't be connected in the middle. In the 44th minute, from a left free kick by Miyazawa, Konno attempted a header shot, but the opposing GK made a save, resulting in a corner kick.

　Overwhelmed by G Osaka's attacking power for most of the match, it was a situation where conceding two or three goals would not have been surprising, but centered around Doi, everyone put their bodies on the line in front of the goal and somehow finished the first half with minimal goals conceded.

Although they grasped the rhythm of attack in the second half, they were unable to score and lost the match.

　Tokyo brought in Akamine in place of Kurisawa at the start of the second half, with Lucas positioned as an attacking midfielder. This energetic movement from Akamine began to energize the entire team, particularly as they started to win the battles for second balls, leading to a higher ball possession rate in midfield, which allowed them to create attacking opportunities. In the 52nd minute, a quick restart from Miyazawa ended with a shot from Akamine, and in the 59th minute, Lucas passed to Kajiyama, who delivered a final pass to Akamine in the area. Surrounded by defenders, he was unable to take a shot.

　In the 60th minute, Akamine, who ran in from the right side after receiving a pass from Miyazawa, kept the ball. Konno, who followed up, sent in a cross, and Kawaguchi received it at the far post, but despite chest trapping and getting into a shooting position, he couldn't hit the target. In the 62nd minute, Kajiyama took a shot from outside the area after exchanging passes with Lucas in the center, but it went over the goal. In the 64th minute, Miyazawa took a shot from a throw-in, but again it went over the goal. Kawaguchi and Akamine became the focal points in the front line, and the team advanced towards the goal, managing to create shooting opportunities, but they couldn't hit the target.

　In the 72nd minute, Ozawa, who made his first appearance in the league, was brought on for Miyazawa, shifting to a three-forward formation to pursue goals. In the 80th minute, Suzuki's left cross from a counter-attack was contested by Kawaguchi with a header, but Akamine reacted to the loose ball but couldn't finish. In the 81st minute, Konno advanced with a dribble, drawing the DF and delivering a final pass to Ozawa in the right area. Ozawa boldly took a shot, but the opposing DF cut it off. In the 85th minute, Tokunaga dribbled up the right side and aggressively challenged the opposing DF, but was forced to concede a corner kick.

　In the 89th minute, Tokunaga made a move and crossed before getting past the defender. Although it was cleared once in front of the goal, Konno picked up the loose ball and took a shot, but it went over the bar. The match ended with a score of 0-1. In the second half, they created several chances and pushed G Osaka to the brink, but failed to deliver the decisive blow, resulting in consecutive losses in the league.

　【Player Comments】《Suzuki》"It's disappointing that we couldn't earn any points. Personally, I feel like I'm forgetting my play, such as breaking through and shooting. It was a match where I realized the difference in individual abilities. Today, I faced Kaji, but in the future, I will be competing against players from the Japan national team and strong opponents. If I can't break through there, it will be tough. However, it's necessary to switch my mindset. After the match, we had a meeting led by Doi-san, discussing how to move forward." 《Ozawa》"Since the team didn't achieve a good result, I can't evaluate my own play. We were in a losing situation, so I tried to be proactive. The coach instructed us not to worry about defense. I was only thinking about going all out, but looking back now, I might not have been calm. There was a moment when two opponents slid in, and I couldn't take the shot, but if I had been calm there, I think I could have turned and shot. I lacked composure. I wish I could have taken a better shot... However, there was space, so it was easier to play. My desire to play more in matches has strengthened, and I believe it will lead to future opportunities."

　[Summary of Coach GALLO's Press Conference] "I thought we started well and created good chances for about the first 20 minutes. However, after that, Gamba improved and it became more even, and we ended up conceding a goal at the end. In the second half, we were in a tough situation being one goal behind, so we brought in substitutes up front and went with four forwards for the last 30 minutes to attack. However, we couldn't score that goal. At halftime, I instructed the players to apply more pressure in midfield, and because we were able to improve on that, we were able to circulate the ball well in the opponent's half in the second half. Overall, I think it was about even."

　【G Osaka Coach Nishino's Press Conference Summary】 "It was a very heavy match. There are various factors such as it being a day game and the team currently being on a winning streak, but the content and overall movement felt unusually heavy. However, there will be many such matches during the season, and I believe the fact that we were able to win in such situations shows the strength of Gamba right now. I think we lacked one more accent in our attack. We tried putting midfielder Kaneko in a more advanced position, but we couldn't quite create the changes we needed. The battles on both sides were as expected, evenly matched. Tokyo's Tokunaga and Suzuki have the ability to break through vertically, and there were times when they got the better of us, but there were also moments when Kaneko and Kaji excelled. Towards the end of the match, it became quite defensive, which was not what we wanted. However, after conceding three goals in the previous match, everyone had a strong awareness of 'we absolutely cannot concede today,' and we were able to overcome that challenge. I knew that it would turn into such a game, and I think we realized that if we don't maintain a high level of awareness, it will become difficult. However, it was good to start the series of matches in this way, and I want to maintain a good sense of tension until the break."