Maintain good form and aim for a third consecutive victory!

　Sec. 12 will see us face Omiya Ardija at home. We want to leverage our momentum from two consecutive wins to conclude the last league match before the break with a victory. Omiya, on the other hand, is currently in 12th place. Since their victory against Yokohama FM in Sec. 7, they have been struggling with three consecutive losses, interrupted by one draw. However, in the previous match against Hiroshima, they dominated the game but lost after conceding a single chance. Coach Garo also analyzes them as "a team with good technique, skilled in passing, and capable of controlling the game" in the J-League.

　Especially with the high accuracy of kicks from midfielder Daiki KOBAYASHI, along with the ball retention skills of midfielder Fujimoto and Yoshiyuki KOBAYASHI, they can be quite formidable when they gain momentum. Attention is also needed for set plays where they are the starting point. In response, Tokyo wants to leverage the mobility of the frontline, including Lucas and the two forwards, to seize control in the midfield. They aim to score the first goal and take the lead in the match to secure victory.

　Coach Garo mentioned, "In just four months since my appointment, the players have understood my tactics very well," discussing the factors behind the team's good form. Literally, Garo soccer has begun to take root in the team, but achieving three consecutive wins has been difficult in the past. If we limit it to league matches, we have to go back to the 2002 2nd stage (four consecutive wins from Sec. 8 against Sapporo to Sec. 11 against Sendai, including a V-goal victory in Sec. 9 against Kobe). Today, taking advantage of our home ground, we aim for our first league three consecutive wins since 2002.

　The starting lineup will be the same as the previous match against Kofu. Additionally, Toda, who had been away from the team since the beginning of the season, has returned and made his first appearance on the bench this season. Omiya will have FW Grau and the tall FW Morita as a two-top, with a box-shaped 4-4-2 formation in midfield. Before the match, a ceremony was held to celebrate Miyazawa, who will achieve his 100th appearance in J1 League matches this round, and the match started at 15:04 with Omiya's kickoff at Ajinomoto under clear skies.

Lucas scores the opening goal with a penalty! They continue to dominate Omiya, but...

　Omiya was the first to take a shot. In the 1st minute, forward Grau cut in from the left side and struck with his right foot. In the 3rd minute, defensive midfielder Davidson Jun Marcus aimed from the middle. However, both attempts ended up being single shots and posed no threat. Tokyo created a decisive chance in the 4th minute. Tokunaga dribbled up the right side, exchanged passes with Kawaguchi, and received a return pass inside the area. From there, he sent a fast ground cross directly in front of the goal. However, just before Akamine and Lucas could connect, the Omiya defender cleared the ball, resulting in a corner kick.

　In the 6th minute, a free kick was awarded on the left side of the opponent's half. Miyazawa's long kick was met by Jean, who jumped in with his head inside the area. The shot hit the right post and bounced back, and as Jean quickly got up to follow up, he was tripped and brought down by the opposing defender, resulting in a penalty kick. In the 8th minute, Lucas converted it perfectly, taking the lead early! This marked Lucas's third consecutive goal, boosting morale, and Tokyo completely seized the pace of the game. They took control in midfield, with both flanks pushing high, creating numerous chances.

　In the 13th minute, Kawaguchi connected from Akamine's post, and Miyazawa took a mid-range shot. In the 15th minute, Lucas passed to Akamine on the left side, who then set up Kajiyama in the center to spread the play to the right. Tokunaga made a run into the goal area and unleashed a powerful shot directly. They created a decisive moment from a wide attack, but were thwarted by a great save from the opposing goalkeeper, Aratani. In the 16th minute, Konno advanced into the area, received a pass, and crossed it back in front of the goal. Akamine connected with a sharp cross, but it went just outside the frame.

　In the 23rd minute, Omiya launched a counterattack from a free kick. Kawaguchi, who broke through to the front line, received a precise long feed from Miyazawa and kept the ball before passing it to Suzuki, who came up from the left. Suzuki shot from just outside the area with speed, but once again the opposing goalkeeper made a save. Kawaguchi's follow-up shot went over the bar. In the 29th minute, from another free kick, Kawaguchi drifted to the right and sent a grounded cross to the center of the goal. Jean swung his foot in front of the goal, but the goalkeeper caught it. Although chances were created, the team continued to struggle to convert them into goals.

　In the 34th minute, Shigenobu, who chased the opponent, injured the back of his right thigh and was substituted. Masushima was brought in. However, without being shaken by this accident, the defense firmly suppressed Omiya's attacks. In the 38th minute, a counterattack was initiated from Omiya's corner kick. In the 42nd minute, Omiya MF Fujimoto entered the area, connecting with FW Grau to MF Yoshiyuki KOBAYASHI, but Jean cut it off and launched a quick attack. However, they ultimately could not score an additional goal, ending the first half at 1-0.

Conceded a goal from a set piece, suffering a regrettable comeback loss

　In the second half, Omiya brought in FW Sakurai and MF Saito. They positioned Sakurai as an attacking midfielder, forming a three-top lineup with FW Gura, FW Morita, and MF Kobayashi. Tokyo struggled to respond to this change and began to be pushed back. In the 54th minute, Omiya launched a series of attacks. Crosses were sent in rapidly from both the right and left, culminating in a header shot from FW Morita. However, Dohi caught the ball firmly in front of his body.

　In the 55th minute, Tokyo substituted Rychely for Akamine, and in the 60th minute, they brought in Inoha for Kawaguchi as a defensive midfielder. Kajiyama was moved up a line in an attempt to reorganize through these substitutions. Immediately after each substitution, in the 55th minute, Masushima had a header from a left corner kick. In the 60th minute, Konno headed the ball to Jean from a right corner kick, but both attempts narrowly missed the target. Conversely, Tokyo increased their fouls to stop Omiya's aggressive attacks, resulting in many free kick and corner kick opportunities for the opposition.

　Despite holding firm at the final line and managing to withstand pressure, in the 76th minute, from a right throw-in by Omiya, FW Grau received a pass and entered the area, unleashing a powerful shot at MF Kobayashi. Thanks to Doih's fine play, they escaped to a corner kick, but from this corner, Omiya DF Tomita scored with a header, leveling the match. After that, there was a back-and-forth counterattack between Omiya, who continued to press forward, and Tokyo, who aimed to exploit space using Rychely's speed.

　In the 89th minute, Suzuki, who made a breakthrough, was fouled, earning a free kick from about 20 meters outside the left area. Kajiyama aimed directly but could not hit the target. Nevertheless, Omiya's attack did not stop, and as they approached 3 minutes of stoppage time, a free kick was awarded to Omiya outside the left area. It became a tense moment, but this free kick was taken by MF Kobayashi Dai, and his sharp shot found the top left corner of the goal... Just before the end, they conceded a goal, and the match ended. They suffered a regrettable comeback loss. As a result, although they have the Nabisco Cup remaining, the league campaign enters the break with a record of 5 wins, 2 draws, and 5 losses from 12 matches.

　【Player Comments】《Konno》"There were too many Omiya players in the midfield, and we couldn't go for the ball. I ended up dropping back to the defensive line, and both Kajiwara and Miyazawa had no choice but to drop back as well. We were only able to defend and couldn't pose a threat to the opponent. Each of us needs to be more proactive in communicating, aggressively going for the ball, and connecting that to our attacks. We couldn't make those adjustments during the match." 《Tokunaga》"In the first half, we couldn't score when we needed to, and we lost our rhythm. We tried to go for the second goal, but we couldn't finish, and the flow was lost. I had a chance too, but I should have scored there... In the second half, the opponent's passing was skillful, and we had no choice but to fall back. We need to avoid making the same mistakes next time. It's important to switch gears, so I want to make solid corrections this week."

　[Summary of Coach Gallo's Press Conference] "In the first half, we created the shape we wanted, took the lead with one goal, and had many chances. However, we had to score additional goals after creating so many chances. I talked about that at halftime as well. In the second half, Omiya, who was losing, aggressively attacked, and our rhythm was disrupted. We could no longer mark as tightly in midfield as in the first half, giving them space. So we brought in Inoha and tried to apply pressure firmly again. At the same time, we introduced Rychely to utilize his speed. Unfortunately, we couldn't change the rhythm. We played very well in the first half, but dropped off in the second half. At least it was a match we should have been able to draw. It's disappointing that we couldn't do that. (What is the condition of Moiniwa's injury? Did his substitution have an impact?) At this point, we don't know until we conduct tests. Moiniwa is an important player for the team, but including the fact that he couldn't keep up with marking, his absence was not the cause of the defeat. Masushima, who came on as a substitute, also played well. (After completing one-third of the league matches, what points should be corrected during the break?) The Nabisco Cup is still remaining. The conditions are tough, but as long as there is a chance, we have not given up on advancing past the group stage. I want to think about the points to correct after that is over."

　[Summary of Omiya Coach Miura's Press Conference] "FC Tokyo changed their coach, and their new approach has just begun to take hold. In response, we reviewed our defensive and offensive strategies before the match. However, we ended up playing passively. Especially in defense, it’s not about blaming anyone, but we lacked aggressiveness. Aside from conceding the penalty, Tokyo completely controlled the pace. Losing 0-1 in the first half was reasonable, and if they had scored a second goal then, it would have been a very difficult situation. Since our performance was poor, I boldly made two substitutions. I brought in FW Sakurai and MF Saito, placing Sakurai as the attacking midfielder. In the first half, FW Morita and FW Grau’s support was too distant, so I thought we needed someone in the attacking midfielder position. Also, I believed the game would be over if we conceded a second goal, so I brought in MF Saito, who can organize the defense. Thanks to these two, I think the momentum changed dramatically. Even after equalizing, we didn’t have a defensive mindset; we didn’t want to break the good flow. It was significant that the players maintained the attitude of ‘going for the goal.’ (There were many long balls?) When we have tall players up front, we always try to play simply. From there, we aimed to pick up second balls, and FW Morita and FW Wakabayashi entered the area to intimidate the opponent. After all, you can’t score without getting into the box. In the previous match, that didn’t happen at all, so I instructed the wide players to deliver crosses earlier. (In the end, Daigo Kobayashi helped, right?) Both sides had chances on set pieces. The result depends on whether you have players who can finish. Not just him, but in other teams as well, there are many games where a striker with finishing ability helps even if the overall performance is poor. Scorers are truly valuable in football. Recently, we had been playing evenly matched games but without results, which tended to make us negative. We also knew that FC Tokyo rarely loses once they take the lead, so this victory is valuable in that sense as well. I am satisfied with our performance in the second half."