Fix the issues and aim for 3 points away!

　In Sec. 2, we will face Omiya Ardija at Saitama Stadium 2002. Unfortunately, we lost the opening match 2-4, but this time we will make defensive adjustments and adopt a more aggressive approach, aiming for victory even in an away game! However, Lucas, who scored two goals in the previous match, will miss this game due to a cold. Kajiyama is also not in good condition and will remain on the bench. On the left front, we have Suzuki, with Kurizawa playing just behind the forwards, and the in-form Fujiyama will start as center-back.

　Omiya also started the season with a loss. In the opening match against G Osaka, they defended tenaciously with a 4-4-1-1 formation, but conceded a goal due to a mistake in the 88th minute and lost the match. However, they maintained a compact formation, and their zone defense is solid. The key point in this match will be how to break down that defensive line.

　On the other hand, Omiya seems to be struggling with their attacking coordination, but "FW Eniuton is left-footed and has quick burst speed. He is a player who can break through on his own (Coach Hara)" and deserves attention. Additionally, they have players like FW Kobayashi Dai and MF Hashimoto, who are capable of delivering precise kicks, and in past matchups, set pieces have often determined the outcome. Tokyo also wants to leverage the height of players like Hirayama to counter this.

Konno scores the opening goal! The defense also shows stable play.

　The match started at 16:05 with Omiya's kickoff. From the beginning, Tokyo initiated attacks from the sides with Norio SUZUKI and Ishikawa. In the 1st minute, Fukunishi passed to Norio SUZUKI for a left cross. In the 4th minute, Kurizawa stole the ball from the opposing forward Enyuton and spread it to the right. Ishikawa broke through on the right side and delivered a cross. Although Hirayama and Norio SUZUKI were slightly off-timing and couldn't connect, it showed a good attacking shape. In the 11th minute, Fujiyama picked up a cleared FK ball and fed it forward. Hirayama connected with a header, and Fukunishi, who remained in front of the goal, took a shot. In the 14th minute, Ishikawa attempted to break through vertically, drawing the defense towards Kurizawa in the middle. Kurizawa dribbled and passed to Fukunishi, who had broken free in front of the goal. It was a great opportunity, but unfortunately, the goalkeeper blocked it, and they couldn't score the opening goal.

　After 20 minutes, Omiya gradually started to launch counterattacks. However, today's Tokyo showed a high defensive awareness, demonstrating a concentrated defense centered around Dohi. In the 21st minute, Omiya midfielder Hashimoto's cross was met by midfielder Fujimoto, who attempted a diving header, but Dohi made a great save! In the 23rd minute, from a long ball by Omiya, forward Kobayashi Daisuke broke into the space on Tokyo's left side and delivered a cross. Forward Eniuton was positioned in front of the goal, but Tokunaga jumped in to clear it. In midfield, Konno and Fukunishi, along with Kurizawa, moved well to win the ball and quickly transitioned to attack. Then, in the 26th minute, Suzuki Norio quickly sent the loose ball from inside Omiya's half forward. Ishikawa broke forward and won a left corner kick. On Ishikawa's kick, Konno at the far post connected with a powerful header, scoring the long-awaited opening goal!

　In the 34th minute, from Kurizawa's feed, Noriyuki SUZUKI kept the ball in the right area. Fukunishi connected, and Kanazawa, who advanced on the left side, delivered a cross. Hirayama, who jumped in from the front, attempted a header shot, but the ball went wide of the goal. Conversely, in the 39th minute, a loose ball was taken from the right side of our defense, allowing Omiya's left back Hato to enter the area. The cross reached forward Eniuton in front of the goal at an excellent timing, and he headed it, but Dohi caught the shot right in front of his body. There were moments when Omiya created chances for a counterattack, but the defense held firm, and we went into halftime with a one-goal lead.

Secured the pace with Fukunishi's goal, achieving the first victory of the season!

　In the second half, Omiya gains momentum from a set piece. In the 48th minute, they earn a free kick just outside the area, and MF Hashimoto aims directly, using FW Eniuton as a decoy. This shot hits the right post, bounces back to the left, but narrowly misses the target. In the 53rd minute, MF Fujimoto breaks into space on the right front line and boldly enters the area to take a shot. Fujiyama holds firm against this, and in the end, Doih's quick reaction helps them escape the danger.

　In the 57th minute, Hirayama held on at the right front line and won a corner kick. Ishikawa's kick was blocked by the DF, and they earned another right corner kick. This time, Kurizawa took the kick, and although it was blocked by the DF once, the ball fell to the feet of Ishikawa and Omiya MF Fujimoto, who were competing in the area. From there, Fukunishi rushed in on the loose ball in front of the goal and struck with his right foot from a tight angle on the right side. The shot pierced the net on the opposite side!

　After Fukunishi's first goal following his transfer, they took a two-goal lead and began to find their pace. In the 68th minute, Kawaguchi was brought on for Ishikawa. Immediately after, Kawaguchi broke free to meet Doih's long pass to the front line, but the opposing goalkeeper caught it just a step earlier. In the 72nd minute, Kajiyama was substituted in for Fukunishi, who had injured his ankle and was being cautious. In the 76th minute, Wanchope, making his J-League debut, was brought on for Hirayama. They aimed to score one more goal.

　In the 87th minute, Noriyuki Suzuki's left cross was dropped by Wanchope, and as it spilled from the opposing DF, Inoha, who had overlapped, picked it up and delivered a right cross. Kajiyama, inside the area, broke free between the opposing DF and DF and attempted a header shot, but it went wide to the right. In stoppage time, Omiya connected passes in front of the goal to try to score, and FW Yoshihara took a shot from close range. However, Doi made a sharp save! From the rebound, Fujimoto on the left side of the area took another shot, but Doi quickly returned to catch it again! They maintained their concentration and defended until the time was up. In attack, they efficiently scored 2 goals from set pieces while keeping Omiya's attack scoreless, earning 3 points away. They achieved their first victory of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Fukunishi》"I felt responsible because I missed chances at the beginning. I wanted to score the next time a chance came, so to be honest, I'm relieved. More than that, I wanted to win quickly, so I'm happiest that the team won. By scoring first, we were able to play at our own pace. From now on, I want to score when we have the chance and play the game at our rhythm to win. (This is) a big win for me after my transfer, but the league is long. I want to build on this step by step." 《Konno》"I'm relieved to have achieved our first victory. I have always wanted to score the opening goal. It just happened to be me, but I was happy because it was a shape I’m good at. There was some distance, but I was able to strike strongly and score, which felt great. Today, I focused on nullifying the opponent's strengths, and I marked (Yu KOBAYASHI) Daigo, who I was most wary of. I played a bit defensively to prevent him from breaking through behind the defense. Behind me, I was able to cover well with Fuji-san and Yuhei. I think the way we fight will change depending on the opponent's characteristics, but I want to continue winning while nullifying their strengths and showcasing our own."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "This past week, we have been effectively utilizing Lucas and Hirayama while monitoring the condition of the Olympic representative players. However, since the day before yesterday, Lucas has caught a cold, and Kajiyama's condition has not improved. In Lucas's absence, we planned to use Ishikawa and Norio Suzuki on the sides, employing fast players for a simple style of play. We corrected the positioning mistakes that led to conceding goals in the opening match and clarified the relationship between Konno and Fukunishi. Kurizawa has been in good form since the practice match, but we couldn't use him in the opening match because we fell behind by three goals. I thought if we could integrate him well into the midfield, it would create a good balance, and he performed as intended in today's match. There were some dangerous moments in the first half, but it was good that we ended it 1-0. In the second half, Omiya came at us with momentum, and I wasn't sure what would happen if MF Hashimoto's free kick had gone in. However, Fukunishi's second goal made things easier. I actually wanted to be more aggressive, but everyone had the memory of conceding four goals in the previous match in their minds. We knew Omiya would kick the ball forward, so I told the players to ensure proper positioning of the back line. There were some dangerous scenes, but we maintained our focus and put our bodies on the line until the end. This victory should give the players confidence, and we want to continue building on it. However, starting tomorrow, the Olympic representative players will be on an expedition to Malaysia, so we need to create a team for when they are not available."

　【Summary of Coach Robert's Press Conference】 "The start of the first half was good for Tokyo. I felt the players were tense and shrank. After 15 minutes, Omiya's right side improved, and MF Fujimoto and DF Nishimura were able to participate actively in the attack. Several times, FW Enyuton, MF Fujimoto, and Hashimoto had chances but couldn't convert, and instead, we conceded a goal in an unfortunate manner. I repeatedly mentioned which player should mark whom, but during that corner kick, we completely left someone free. However, the start of the second half was very good. Especially Hashimoto's left-footed free kick hit the post, which was unfortunate. (Regarding the second goal conceded) I had told the players to play simply without taking risks deep in our own territory, but MF Fujimoto couldn't clear the loose ball, which led to the goal. After conceding two goals, the players lost their sense of tension. In a 0-2 situation, it was difficult to turn the game around again. FC Tokyo controlled the game well after scoring two goals and aimed for a third. It's true that losing consecutively can't be called a good start, but there's no need to panic, and our practice methods won't change. We haven't scored in two consecutive matches, but we can only continue practicing shots and crosses daily, hoping that it will bear fruit."