Unbeatable battle for survival!

　In the 31st round of the league, we will face Gamba Osaka away. In the Emperor's Cup on 11/3, we struggled against the momentum of J2 Sendai but managed to advance to the 5th round. With a victory in the previous round against Kashima, we were able to stay in the race for the championship, but the situation remains the same where we cannot afford to lose any of the last four matches. This round, which is crucial for our survival, is an away game, but we must do whatever it takes to secure points and carry on to the next round.

　G Osaka, who is currently in the middle of the ACL and has been playing hard consecutive games, showed their typical soccer and won 3-0 in the first final match held on 11/5 (Wed). They can be said to be riding the wave at the moment. In the league, they are in 7th place with a 1 point difference from Tokyo, but they will surely come up with a strong soccer to climb up the rankings. However, both the members and the system have changed since the ACL final. FW Ronnie and Hashido are placed as the top two, and FW Lucas is in the top position. DF Nakazawa is absent due to injury, so there are concerns about defense, but they can be said to have approached the game with an attacking formation.

　Tokyo's Shigeki returned to the starting lineup after missing the Emperor's Cup Sendai match. As in the home game on 7/16, the battle on the sides will be a key point in this round as well. Ishikawa said, "Negotiating with the opponent is one of the fun parts. If Gamba's sides come out to attack, we can exploit the space. However, we don't just want to aim for breakthroughs behind the defense, but also want to create numerical superiority quickly and break down the defense with coordinated movements. The team is highly motivated to fight together." With a compact formation, they will try to limit the opponent's midfield as much as possible, switch quickly, and counter with Tokyo's soccer that starts from the sides.

　As the league enters its final stages, tense matches continue, but Saito says, "The more we win, the more weight the next match carries. I feel fortunate to be able to compete in this situation and we must not let it slip." Let's aim for victory against G Osaka, who are aiming for the Asian Championship, and put up a fight that is more than equal! The match started at 2:01 pm with G Osaka's kickoff at the chilly and rainy Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium.

Cabore's goal gives us the lead! We are ahead by one point heading into the second half.

　Allowing G Osaka to dominate the ball from the start of the match, they were able to control the rhythm. Sharp movements from FW Hashimoto targeting the back of the DF created chances, but they were able to escape the decisive pinch in the 2nd and 8th minutes thanks to Shioda's great save. G Osaka's attacks continued, and Tokyo tried to counterattack while enduring. Then in the 20th minute, Cabore kept the ball on the left side. Nagatomo, who had run up from behind, crossed from the goal line. Although it initially went to the opposite side, Ishikawa followed up and dribbled past the opposing DF to cross from the right. Cabore then jumped in with his head and won the battle against the opposing DF, scoring the opening goal.

　However, the G Osaka pace did not change. The midfield was fluid and unable to take the ball. Even if they managed to take the ball, they were unable to launch attacks against G Osaka's quick checks and instead received second and third attacks. In the 32nd minute, G Osaka DF Lucas Kaiji shot from close range after passing Nagatomo. In the 34th minute, FW Lucas made another through pass and FW Hado was able to break through the DF's defense and create a scoring opportunity, but Shioda stood in the way and saved the situation.

　Tokyo also creates chances from counters with Cabore as the starting point towards the end of the first half. In the 41st minute, Cabore on the left side sends a long ground pass to the space on the right front line. Ishikawa wins the ball against the opponent's DF and runs in, creating a decisive chance, but the shot goes over. In the 42nd minute, Ishikawa drops the ball from Cabore's cross and Hirayama takes a shot in the center. It goes straight to the opponent's GK. In the end, they lead by one point at the end of the first half.

Ishikawa and Hirayama score additional points, leading to an away victory!

　In the second half, we concentrated well from the start and created additional points with a strong desire to score. In the 45th minute, Nagatomo's long throw from the left side went past Hirayama, who was playing a supporting role in the center, and rolled to the far side. Ishikawa, who was there to follow up, scored the second goal perfectly! This was a valuable additional point in terms of the flow of the game and stopping the opponent's momentum. However, in the 52nd minute, Shige suffered a knee injury and Asari was substituted in. We will face the rest of the game with a formation that moves Inoue to center back.

　G Osaka also replaced MF Sasaki with FW Hato and substituted MF Kurata with FW Ronnie in the second half, increasing the number of players in the midfield and launching a counterattack with FW Lucas as the lone striker. In the 61st minute, Tokyo also brought in Akamine for the visibly tired Cabore. Then, in the 62nd minute, Tokunaga sprinted up the right side on a counterattack and sent an early cross right to Hirayama in the center of the box. Despite having a defender on his back, Hirayama turned towards the goal and shot it in with a deft touch. The ball slipped past the goalkeeper and into the net, giving them a 3-0 lead.

　However, in the 66th minute, they allowed a header from FW Lucas, who received a beautiful pass from G Osaka, and conceded a goal. After that, G Osaka continued to attack without giving up, while Tokyo countered. However, Tokyo was able to maintain their defense and limit the number of goals conceded, ultimately securing a win with a score of 3-1. Although G Osaka had more shots with 15 compared to Tokyo's 7, Tokyo was able to convert their few chances into 3 goals and take home 3 points, marking their first win at the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium since 2004.

【Player Comments】《Shioda》"G Osaka probably wanted to take the lead in the first half, considering their busy schedule with ACL matches. So if we could hold them to a 0-0 draw in the first half, I believed that we would have our chances in the second half. We were dominated in the beginning, but I think it was good that we were able to prevent them from scoring during that time. (You made several saves against G Osaka's scoring opportunities, didn't you?) I watched videos and knew that FW Hasegawa is really good at making runs. The ground was slippery due to the rain, but I took a chance and made a run in the first play. From there, I was able to create a good image and control my distance. (You were constantly targeted by G Osaka's through balls, what were your challenges as a defender?) I don't think we were the only ones being targeted. MF Endo and Nakagawa are able to make through passes with various kicks if they are allowed to face forward and look up. I knew that they also have chip kicks and can take shots in one go, like what Lucas did today. G Osaka is known for their passing game, but they are actually quick at transitioning after winning the ball and can make through passes from there. That's what makes them dangerous. So we were cautious and created a block to defend against them, making it difficult for them to enter dangerous areas. We conceded one goal, but I think we can be confident that we held our ground together. In addition to the competition for the top spot in the league, there are also non-logical factors that we need to consider in order to continue fighting at the top. It may be necessary to gather the individual powers and produce more than what 11 players can do. It's a big deal that we were able to win against Kashima and G Osaka here."《Ishikawa》"(On the team's second goal) At first, my reaction was a bit slow, but Nagatomo's throw-in came further than I expected. I was hoping for it to come further and it did (laughs). The cross that led to the opening goal was exactly what I aimed for. I thought the opponent's pressure would come if I tried to go vertical, so I quickly lifted it with my left foot. If it could reach Cabore, there would be a chance for a shot, or we could pass it back and let Aita score. Today, we were dominated by G Osaka and the most difficult time was when it was 0-0. We didn't feel like we were being dominated, but there were many moments where they brought the ball all the way to our goal. I think it was crucial that we were able to withstand that. After taking the lead, we tried to counterattack as G Osaka came forward. I was planning to make a run from the opposite side if Cabore got the ball. We couldn't score, but we had chances towards the end of the first half. It was tough, but I think we were able to create some opportunities. It wasn't exactly how we wanted, but we won against Kashima in an aggressive way and today we won in a different way. Being able to win in various ways shows that we are building our strength as a team. We will continue to take one step at a time and do our best."

　【Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference】"We are currently 5 points behind the top team and our goal difference is not that big, so today's game was crucial for us to keep up with them. The players showed great determination on the field and were able to score 3 goals by utilizing their strengths. However, there were still some areas that need improvement, such as our counter-attacking and precision in our slow build-up play. We were able to maintain a solid defense and did not allow any major mistakes, but we need to create more opportunities for ourselves. This is something we need to learn from Gamba. Overall, it was a great result to keep our opponents to only 1 goal and earn 3 points. (We pressed high from the beginning, but...?) We were aware of the vital area between our center-backs and defensive midfielders, where our opponents could create dangerous situations if given time on the ball. So our main focus was to not allow them any time in that area. We also made sure to put pressure on their defensive midfielders to disrupt their supply of balls into that area. I think we were successful in that aspect. However, as I mentioned earlier, we still need to work on creating opportunities for ourselves after winning the ball. (You said the game against Kashima was the best of the year, but what about today?) In terms of mentality, we showed a strong determination to keep up with the top team and continue improving throughout the year. However, in terms of our performance, we still have a long way to go. It's not that we played poorly today compared to the game against Kashima, but we need to keep raising our level. Today, we were able to clearly see what we need to continue working on."

　[G Osaka Nishino press conference summary] "After a good game in the ACL, I thought we should avoid this kind of game. In the previous match, we couldn't get results after a good game in the ACL. I was worried that we would make the same mistake again. However, I think the players played a good game for 90 minutes. It wasn't a bad performance and we were able to play aggressively as usual. However, we couldn't score and ended up giving away counterattacks. Even on the bench, I thought it would be a tough game. Unfortunately, my prediction came true. If we can't score like this, we will end up with a result like today. Right now, the most important thing is to switch our focus and not let this affect us. (DF Nakazawa was absent and MF Akechi played as center back, what was the impact?) I don't think Akechi had a bad performance and the midfield formation wasn't something new. We were able to possess the ball well and create attacks. We just couldn't score as usual and couldn't find our rhythm. I don't feel like our performance was affected by the change in position and I think we dominated the game overall and controlled the pace. However, that was Tokyo's tactic. Not being able to break through in the first half showed us how tough the game was going to be."