Resume league play, maintain focus, and launch quick attacks for a home victory

　In the 3rd section of the league, we will face Kyoto Sanga F.C. at home. After the Nabisco Cup, it will be our first league match in 2 weeks. During this time, there have been activities for the Japan national team and the Olympic team, and Konno, Hanyu, and Nagatomo have joined the team for a short time. In addition, there have been a series of injuries recently. Kajiyama, Emerson, and Ishikawa have left the team. Coach Shirofuku said, "The team's situation is not perfect, including the condition of the national team players," but also added, "Every team is in the same situation. We have 3 consecutive matches starting from this section, but we will give our all to win the upcoming match."

　On the other hand, Tokunaga, who had been injured, returned. In addition, Konno, Hanyu, and Nagatomo also worked on adjustments and started. In the midfield, which has many injured players, Kanazawa was used and Konno formed a double pivot. Yoshimoto, who started in the center back for the first time in two games since the Nabisco Shimizu game, will start in a 4-4-2 formation with Cabore and Akamine up top, Otake on the right MF, and Hanyu on the left.

　Kyoto, who will fight in J1 from this season, has a record of 1 win and 1 draw in the league, which is equal to Tokyo. In addition, they have not lost a single game this season, including the Nabisco Cup. They use their system flexibly, steal the ball from a compact formation, and their attacks, with Sato in the midfield and Watanabe on the left side back, are powerful. In addition, FW Yanagisawa, FW Paulinho, and Tokushige have both high energy and strong finishing skills. Furthermore, there are unique players on the bench, such as FW Tahara, who has both height and strength, and FW Hayashi, who has speed.

　There is a possibility of being defeated if you lose concentration for even a moment against the strong Kyoto. Speed will be required in all aspects such as switching between offense and defense and restarting. This is an important match to gain momentum in the three consecutive games from this round. We want to grab a victory at home without losing in the opening and midfield battles. The match will start at 2:04 pm in Tokyo at the Ajinomoto, which will be cold under the cloudy sky.

Yoshimoto scores first goal, equalized but Akamine's header puts them ahead

　The match started with a bang. In the 2nd minute, Cabore didn't miss the opponent's GK's clearance mistake, stole the ball near the right area, and dribbled past Kyoto DF to take a shot. Although it was blocked by the GK, they won a corner kick. Daichi took the right corner kick and Cabore competed for it, causing the ball to fall in front of Yoshimoto in the left area. Yoshimoto skillfully controlled the ball and took a shot, scoring their first professional goal and taking the lead early in the game.

　However, Kyoto also quickly launches an attack and takes it to the finish. In the 7th minute, they quickly take the ball from Tokyo in the midfield and MF Sato carries it up to FW Yanagisawa in the left area. Yanagisawa becomes the decoy and FW Paulinho, who followed up, shoots and hits the right post, saving Tokyo from danger. In the 13th minute, Tokyo takes it back and Imakawa dribbles up to attack. The attacking team also had numbers, but Kyoto's return was quick and they couldn't create a chance. In the end, Tokunaga's cross was headed by Cabore, but the timing was off.

　In the 17th minute, Kyoto's FK in the center of Tokyo's field. The distance was there, but FW Paulinho aimed directly. The ball, which changed course after hitting Tokyo DF, was saved by Shiota and escaped to CK. However, this left CK was decided by MF Kakuta, and the game was tied.

　After that, both teams continued to attack each other, and the back and forth battle continued. Tokyo gained momentum from the sides. In the 25th minute, Tokunaga fought for a right corner kick, and Imakawa timed his header perfectly from Otake's kick, but it went slightly to the left. In the 29th minute, Hayashi passed the ball into the area from the left side. Imakawa, who had moved up, connected with a one-touch pass, and Otake in the left area controlled the floating ball and took a looping shot. Although they couldn't score, Akamine persistently picked up the ball that had drifted to the far side and crossed it from the right. Cabore headed it, but it went to the left.

　At 36 minutes, from Kyoto's CK, Shioda → Cabore connected and Hayashi, who went up the left side, crossed. Kanazawa, who attacked the loose ball, connected, but in the end, it was defended. Just before the end of the first half, at 44 minutes, Hayashi connected from Shigeta's quick restart, and Nagatomo crossed from the left. It didn't reach Cabore in front of the goal, but it was a CK. Here, Agetake's kick was headed in by a free Redmine, and it was a goal. Both teams scored from set pieces, and Redmine took the lead with a goal in the second half, following his Nabisco goal in the previous game.

Kyoto concedes a comeback due to their momentum, but a determined draw with Konno's equalizer.

　Kyoto brought in FW Tahara in the second half, aiming to counterattack as a target in the front line. In the 46th minute right after, from this FW Tahara's breakthrough, a CK. Kyoto MF Sato shoots from the loose ball from the CK, but the Tokyo DF blocks it. In the 48th minute, Tokyo seizes the chance for an additional goal, and Tokunaga advances to the right area and passes outside the area. There, Otake, who had moved up freely, took a left-footed shot, but it went over the bar.

　In the 56th minute, Kyoto brought in MF Atariba as a defensive midfielder and moved MF Shijikurei to DF, forming a 3-back system. This system change allowed Tokyo to be caught off guard for a moment. In the 57th minute, Tokyo's defense was passed around and MF Atariba blocked FW Tokushige's shot from the right side. The ball floated to the left and DF Watanabe was there to receive it. Otake went to mark him, but was cut inside due to poor defense and a mid-range shot was taken. This shot powerfully hit the net, once again tying the score.

　Kyoto, who had gained momentum, sent a long ball to FW Tahara on the front line and pushed Tokyo DF. Tokyo also did not become a one-sided defense, and in the 74th minute, Asari was thrown in and Inoue was moved up one row to aim for a comeback. However, Kyoto's momentum continued, and in the 78th minute, substitute FW Hayashi crossed from the left side behind Tokyo DF. FW Tahara, who had jumped out here, was hit with a free header, but Shioda saved it with one hand. In the following 80th minute, Yoshimoto's clearance fell at the feet of MF Atariba waiting in the midfield. MF Atariba floated a pass behind Tokyo DF with one touch. FW Tahara, who ran in here, shot while sliding. He allowed a comeback goal from a difficult position.

　Still not giving up, in the 82nd minute, Kawaguchi was substituted for Otake, and in the 84th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Akamine. They used Hirayama's height to launch a counterattack. Then, in the 87th minute, Tokunaga went up the right side and crossed the ball into the goal area. The ball barely grazed the Kyoto DF and headed towards the top left corner of the goal, but the opponent's GK managed to save it with one hand. In this rebound, Imakawa cleverly followed up with a header and scored a goal. With Imakawa's third consecutive goal in the league, they caught up with a determined equalizer.

　In stoppage time, starting from Kawaguchi, they attacked the area and won a right corner kick. They connected passes from Hayashi's kick, but were stopped by Kyoto's desperate defense. Immediately after, Nagatomo crossed to the left. Konno headed it, but missed the frame. In the first half, Tokyo took the lead, while in the second half, Kyoto took control and both teams created chances and fought for goals, resulting in a fierce 3-3 draw.

　【Player Comments】《Imano》"We ended the first half in a good shape, but in the second half, we ended up defending and making mistakes on our own. As a result, we let the opponent have the ball and felt like we were being dominated. It was a shame to concede a goal in that situation. We need to have the ability to bounce back and control the game better. Also, it's a challenge for us to maintain our lead and play at our own pace."《Hanyu》"I think it was an exciting game for the viewers, but it was a game we could have won. We started the first half with a 2-1 lead. In the second half, we were equalized and then reversed, and in the end, we managed to catch up. There were some moments where we were lucky and saved. The direction that Tokyo aims for in soccer is understood by everyone. However, to actually embody it, we need technical skills, decision-making abilities, and precision. We still have little time to do it as we want. I think we need confidence, so I want to gain confidence as an individual and as a team through practice and games."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "This match was the most injury-ridden one we've had this season. Especially in the midfield, there were many injuries, so we used players who were well-prepared and able to play on the pitch. In the beginning, we were focused on Kyoto's defense and counterattacks, so we were careful about how we entered the match and made sure to pass the ball with that in mind. However, that focus was too strong and our midfield became a bit too rough. I think there were too few scenes where we were able to bring the ball to the attacking third with the passing work we've been doing. It couldn't be helped at the start of the match, but even during the match, there were scenes where the midfield passed the ball backwards instead of moving forward, or passed the ball backwards when they could have moved it forward. If we had played more aggressively, I think there would have been more scenes where we passed the ball and headed towards the goal. In the end, we were able to equalize. I think it was a result of the players' strong desire to win and go for the goal, but there are still areas where we need to improve and make adjustments in terms of our performance. Fortunately, injured players will be returning soon. We want to use players who are well-prepared and review our core style of soccer."

　[Kyoto - Coach Kato's Press Conference Summary] "We played a game where we scored 6 points in Kyoto again. Even in close games, there are chances to win and take one point. In that situation, we were able to catch up after being reversed today. In terms of that, we could feel the enthusiasm of FC Tokyo players and the feeling that we cannot lose at home. We wanted to bounce back and win, but unfortunately we couldn't. First of all, we easily conceded a goal from a set piece in the first half, but I want to praise the players for turning the flow around from there. I think the players were not defeated by FC Tokyo. If we had been playing in J1 last year, we could have predicted that this would be the kind of game. However, we have just returned to the team this season and there are still some areas where we are feeling our way. We want to continue to persist in these kinds of games, steadily accumulate one point at a time, and gradually improve our strength."