Reorganize the defense and win with Tokyo's rhythm!

　Sec. 28 will be held on Sunday, one day later, facing Gamba Osaka at home. In the previous match against Hiroshima, they lost after leading by two goals, conceding five goals. This week, they need to reorganize their defense and focus on how to play in their own rhythm. There is also hope for a long-awaited victory at home. This week, Jean will be suspended due to accumulated warnings, and Inoha will be used as a center-back. Hirayama will be positioned at the front line, Lucas will play as an attacking midfielder, and Konno and Kajiyama will form a double pivot. Additionally, Suzuki, who had been injured in his right shoulder, returns to the bench for the first time since the match against Kashima on July 22.

　G Osaka is currently in 2nd place. They haven't won in the last three matches and are not in good form, but since the league leaders, Urawa, drew yesterday, they will likely be fighting hard for victory today. Although MF Endo has left the team due to health issues, they have a wealth of talent, and the attacking power of Japan national team FW Bando and FW Magno Alves, who is ranked 2nd in the scoring chart, is formidable. They can aim for goals with their combination, and they will launch central breakthroughs starting from MF Nikawa. If the center is marked, they can also break through from the sides using right MF Kaji and left MF Ienaga, showcasing a variety of attacking options.

　In response, Tokyo wants to clearly define the position and timing of their press to regain possession and quickly transition to attack. They aim to utilize Hirayama's height and Toda's speed to break down the walls of G Osaka's DF Miyamoto and Shijikurei. Last week's practice saw Coach Kuramata discussing the issue of "still being slow to switch," but they want to focus on the coordination between the DF line and the front line, aiming for victory in Tokyo's rhythm.

Exploited defensive gaps, conceding 2 goals in the first half...

　Overcast at Ajinomoto. Since Sec. 26 and Sec. 27 were away matches, this is the first home game since the match against Niigata on September 30. Fans continued to gather, attracting an audience of 36,161, and the match kicked off in Tokyo at 15:04. From the start, both teams displayed their fighting spirit, leading to intense back-and-forth action. In the 7th minute, Lucas won the first corner kick of the day. Kajiwara's right corner was headed by Konno, but the opposing DF blocked it. Kajiwara picked up the loose ball and advanced near the goal area. Hirayama connected with a negative pass, but unfortunately, it was blocked by the DF.

　Up until this point, G Osaka had not created any decisive scenes, but in the 11th minute, FW Magno Alves on the right flank held the ball persistently, crossing it back while moving away from the goal. The ball went over Inoha's head in front of the goal and reached FW Bando. Bando controlled it with his chest and scored with a quick strike. He took advantage of the Tokyo defense's gap and allowed an early opening goal.

　Still, Tokyo created chances from the bold attacks of Ishikawa and Kajiyama. In the 23rd minute, Kajiyama advanced up the left side, exchanged a one-two with Lucas, dribbled into the left area, and passed back to Lucas. Lucas's shot was blocked by the opposing DF. However, just after that, in the 24th minute, a loose ball was taken in midfield, and G Osaka's MF Nikawa sent a floating pass behind Tokyo's DF. FW Magno Alves caught up at high speed, controlled the ball with his head while entering the left area. From there, he scored a skillful shot, taking the second goal.

　Although they exposed their defensive fragility, they were not completely overwhelmed. Even when behind, they did not give up and attempted a counterattack. In the 29th minute, Ishikawa cut in from the right side and won a corner kick with a fast ground cross. Kajiama connected with a header from the corner taken by Konno, and Lucas attempted a header shot but missed to the left. Ishikawa continued to move well and launched attacks from the right side, but they struggled to secure the ball in the front line. In the 42nd minute, Tokunaga broke through on the right side and was fouled, earning a free kick from the right side of the area. Ishikawa aimed for a volley from the rebound off the G Osaka defender, but the opposing goalkeeper caught it. The score remained unchanged, and they went into the second half trailing by two goals.

Konno, Suzuki, and Ishikawa! Three goals in seven minutes, a dramatic comeback victory.

　At the start of the second half, G Osaka found their rhythm. They pressed towards the Tokyo goal mainly through set plays, but Tokyo maintained their concentration and did not allow any additional goals. In the 54th minute, Baba was brought on to replace Hirayama. Lucas was positioned up front, aiming for the goal. In the 58th minute, Baba took a long shot when he noticed there was no pressure from the opposing team in their half. Although it was caught by the goalkeeper, the aim was good and it became a catalyst for Tokyo to regain their rhythm.

　In the 61st minute, Tokunaga advanced into the center, and Kajiyama ran in to capitalize on a loose ball from a scramble in front of the goal. However, he was closed down by the opposing defender and couldn't take a shot. In the 64th minute, Suzuki was brought on to replace Toda. Gradually, Baba began to dominate possession from his hold, and Konno also showed aggressive attacking runs, leading to longer periods of offensive play. Still, they couldn't convert their chances, and the situation continued where they lost possession and faced counterattacks from G Osaka. In the 74th minute, a pass from G Osaka's midfielder Nikawa found forward Magno Alves, whose shot from close range was saved by Doih, who prevented a crisis by diving to block it.

　In the 76th minute, Tokyo substituted Miyazawa for Kajiyama. With this player change, they completely seized the pace and finally broke through G Osaka's goal. In the 77th minute, the opposing GK rushed out in response to Fujiyama's feed to the front line. Here, Konno started running, skillfully evaded the GK with a clever trap, and slotted the ball into the empty goal, scoring! They closed the gap to one point.

　With this goal, the mood for a comeback intensified. In the 81st minute, Suzuki received a pass from Fujiyama to Baba near the left sideline, dribbled forward, and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that pierced the top right corner of the net! This spectacular equalizer sent the stadium into a frenzy. In the following 84th minute, Konno overlapped on the left side, persistently connecting with the loose ball, and passed to Suzuki, who was advancing towards the goal. Suzuki sent a fast ground ball into the box, which Ishikawa skillfully trapped and calmly slotted into the goal, scoring!! They scored three goals in quick succession to achieve a brilliant comeback, and the excitement in the stadium reached its peak.

　As the remaining time decreased, G Osaka also attacked from set plays, and the tension continued. In stoppage time, a free kick was awarded just outside the penalty arc, creating a tense scene. FW Magno Alves aimed directly and sent the ball flying into the left side of the goal, but it was saved brilliantly by Doi, and shortly after, the time was up! A substitute player created the rhythm, and three goals were scored in the second half for a dramatic comeback. Supported by the cheers from the stands, they secured a valuable three points at Ajinomoto, their first since the match against Nagoya on April 29, defeating G Osaka.

　【Player Comments】<Suzuki> "The goal was always blocked on the side vertical, but in that moment I saw space inside. The opponent's DF didn't close in, so I thought it was a chance and shot toward the goal with all my might. I was able to connect well and shot without slicing it. (The assist to Ishikawa) G Osaka's DF, like Shijikurei, are tall, so I was thinking of sending a fast, shooting-type ball inside. When I played, we were losing, and since my strength is attack, I decided to play boldly. I was included in the squad last night and was itching with the feeling of "finally!" Today, I truly feel that the three months of hard work during my injury paid off. Having supporters call my name is a big motivation for players. Today's cheers were louder than usual, which boosted my motivation even more. However, I've only played one match so far. The real challenge is how much I can do from here." <Konno> "We conceded two goals at the start, but everyone ran well until the end, and the stadium atmosphere was fantastic, so we managed to come back. At halftime, we recalled the previous match against Hiroshima where we were overturned, and discussed that if we scored one goal, the opponent would get nervous. In the first half, Kajiyama was pushed forward, and G Osaka MF Nigawa was also coming out, so I stayed back most of the time. In the second half, I thought I had to take risks and go forward. The goal came from a good ball, and since the GK was coming out, I felt that if my first touch was good, I could score. The trap went well. Gamba has high individual ability and is definitely strong as a team, but I thought if we played our football, we could have a good match. Today, there was a sense of unity throughout the stadium, creating an atmosphere of "we can do it." Scoring one goal changed the stadium atmosphere and gave us great strength. We will continue to face top teams, and since their motivation is high, our desire to beat them grows stronger. It's exciting, and I want to trouble the top teams."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "Since becoming coach, we haven't been able to win at Ajinomoto, and we've always caused trouble for the supporters. The players worked hard, but it was the strong support from the fans that also inspired the players to rise up. It was truly good. In the first half, G Osaka scored brilliantly on two chances. We were able to play our style of football to some extent, but we conceded goals. In that situation, there were aspects where we couldn't hold the ball up front, so we tried to correct that and approach the second half differently. I told Hirayama to hold the ball firmly, but G Osaka thoroughly marked the wedge passes to Hirayama. Because of that, things didn't go as planned, and the surrounding players became frustrated. Hirayama has height, and he created chances on three set plays in the first half. Considering that the marking was focused on him, we observed until the start of the second half, but since there was little change, we substituted Baba and sent Lucas to run into space. After that, we had several chances and were able to score. We planned to use Suzuki on the left side for a limited time. Since he was just returning from injury and couldn't play long minutes yet, we aimed to challenge when G Osaka's MF Kaji started to tire. We boldly brought him on with 25 minutes remaining, and since he delivered results, it was good."

　[Summary of G Osaka Coach Nishino's Press Conference] "Yesterday, after Urawa drew, it was a big chance match. The players approached it with that mindset, but it was a game completely uncharacteristic of G Osaka. After scoring two goals, there was neither attacking power nor intensity. The awareness to push forward was lacking, and there were many defensive periods. With Hirayama on the field, the defensive line dropped, increasing the number of contact plays in the penalty area, which is a weakness for G Osaka, and indeed the line dropped. At halftime, I emphasized this point and told the players, 'This is a dangerous game,' but the feeling became more like 'We want to hold on.' Also, although we could regain possession, we couldn't create pauses in midfield, and I felt we somewhat lost confidence in our attack. With MF Endo absent, while winning the ball was excellent, it was difficult to expect MF Myojin and Hashimoto to develop plays, connect passes, and manage time from there. In attack, when MF Nigawa was contained, we couldn't build the game. FW Barato was injured and was in a state where it was uncertain how much he could lead. There were moments when Fujiyama and Tokunaga entered midfield, so I substituted Maeda for defensive purposes in midfield. To block Tokyo's side attacks, FW Magno and Barato tried to pressure the opposing center backs and push back both fullbacks, but it didn't go well. I disliked Hirayama being substituted. Baba added accents with ground passes, and Suzuki coming out there was the worst pattern. In that sense, I wanted to eliminate Tokyo's side attacks early by bringing in Maeda."