A fight we cannot afford to lose for survival!

　In Sec. 31 of the league, we will face Gamba Osaka away. In the Emperor's Cup on 11/3, we advanced to the 5th Round despite struggling against the momentum of J2 Sendai. With a victory in the previous league match against Kashima, we somehow managed to stay in the championship race, but the situation remains that we cannot afford to lose any of the last 4 matches. This match, crucial for survival, is especially important. Although it is an away game, we want to secure points by any means and carry that momentum forward.

　G Osaka, currently in the midst of the ACL with a series of tough matches, showcased their characteristic style of football in the Final Round first match held on 11/5 (Wed), winning 3-0. They can be said to be riding the wave right now. In the league, they are in 7th place with a one-point difference from Tokyo, but they will surely come at us with an aggressive style of play to rise in the rankings. However, both the members and the system have changed since the Final Round of the ACL. FW RONI and Bando are positioned as the two forwards, while FW Lucas plays just behind them. Although DF Nakazawa is absent due to injury, there are concerns in defense, but they can be said to be approaching the match with an offensive formation.

　Tokyo sees the return of Moniwa to the starting lineup after missing the Emperor's Cup match against Sendai. Just like in the home game on 7/16, the battles on the flanks will likely be a key point this match. Ishikawa stated, "One of the exciting aspects is the back-and-forth with the opponent. If Gamba's flanks push forward, we can exploit the spaces. However, we want to do more than just aim for breakthroughs behind the defense; we want to create numerical superiority more quickly and break down the defense with coordinated movements. The team's awareness of fighting together is high." With a compact formation, we will not allow the opponent's midfield too much freedom, quickly transition, and counter with Tokyo's style of play starting from the flanks.

　As the league approaches its final stages, tense matches continue, but Sahara fights with a strong feeling, saying, "The more we win, the more weight the next match carries. I feel happy to be able to fight in such a situation, and we must not let it break." Let's achieve victory by competing on equal footing or better against G Osaka, who aims for the Asia Challenge title! The match started at 14:01 with G Osaka's kickoff at the chilly, rainy Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium.

Cabore scores the opening goal! Leading by one point into the second half

　From the start of the match, G Osaka was allowed to dominate possession, gaining their rhythm. They created chances with sharp movements targeting the DF behind FW Bando, facing critical situations in the 2nd and 8th minutes, but Shioda's great saves helped escape the danger. G Osaka's attacks continued, and while Tokyo managed to endure, they attempted to counterattack. Then, in the 20th minute, Cabore kept the ball on the left side. Nagatomo, who had surged up from behind, delivered a cross from near the goal line. Although it initially flowed to the opposite side, Ishikawa followed up, evading the opposing DF to deliver a right cross. Cabore then jumped in with his head, winning against the opposing DF to score the opening goal.

　However, G Osaka's pace remains unchanged. The midfield moves fluidly, unable to win the ball. Even when they do regain possession, they cannot launch an attack due to G Osaka's quick pressing, and instead, they face secondary and tertiary attacks. In the 32nd minute, G Osaka DF Kaji evades Nakatani and shoots from close range. In the 34th minute, FW Lucas's through pass allows FW Bando to break behind the defense and create a scoring opportunity, but once again, Shiota stands in the way and averts the crisis.

　Just before the end of the first half, Tokyo also creates a chance from a counterattack starting with Cabore. In the 41st minute, Cabore on the left side sends a long ground pass into the space on the right front line. Here, Ishikawa wins the battle against the opposing defender and runs in, creating a decisive chance, but the shot goes over. In the 42nd minute, from Cabore's cross, Ishikawa drops it in the center, and Hirayama takes a shot. Right in front of the opposing goalkeeper. In the end, the first half finishes with a one-goal lead.

Ishikawa and Hirayama scored additional points, securing a victory away!

　In the second half, we started well with great concentration and created additional points with a strong desire to score. In the 45th minute, Nagatomo's long throw from the left side went past Taira SHIGE, who was acting as a decoy in the center, and spilled to the far side. Ishikawa, who was there, scored the second goal! This was a valuable additional point, as it disrupted the flow of the match and the opponent's momentum. However, in the 52nd minute, an incident occurred when Moino injured his knee, leading to the substitution of Asari. We decided to adopt a formation with Konno moved back to center-back.

　G Osaka also made a substitution at the start of the second half, bringing on MF Sho SASAKI for FW Bando, and in the 60th minute, they replaced FW Roni with MF Kurata to increase the number of players in midfield, positioning FW Lucas as the lone striker to launch a counterattack. Tokyo also made a substitution in the 61st minute, bringing on Akamine for the fatigued Cabore. Then, in the 62nd minute, Tokunaga surged up the right side on a counterattack, delivering an early cross perfectly to Hirayama in the center of the area. Despite being marked by the opposing defender, Hirayama turned towards the goal and took a shot that slipped past the goalkeeper and into the net, extending the lead to three goals.

　However, in the 66th minute, G Osaka allowed a header from MF Niikawa to FW Lucas after a brilliant passing play, conceding one goal. After that, G Osaka pressed on without giving up, while Tokyo responded with counterattacks. However, in defense, they coordinated well and managed to limit the damage, keeping the score to a minimum until the time was up. Although the shot count was 7 to 15, about half of G Osaka's, they capitalized on their limited chances to score 3 goals and secured 3 points at the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium for the first time since 2004.

【Player Comments】《Shiota》"G Osaka had consecutive ACL matches, so they surely wanted to press hard and decide the game in the first half. That’s why I believed if we could hold them to 0-0 in the first half, we would definitely get chances in the second half. Although they controlled the pace from the start, I think it was good that we prevented conceding during that period. (You saved many of G Osaka’s clear chances, right?) I had seen videos and knew that FW Bando’s timing for breakaways was very good. The pitch was a bit slippery after the rain, so I boldly rushed out on the first play. From there, I felt I got a good sense of timing and distance. (You were constantly targeted behind the defense, what are the challenges as a defender?) I don’t think we were specially targeted alone. If you let MF Endo or Nigawa face forward and look up, various through passes come from different kicks. Like today when Lucas scored, there were chip kicks and direct attempts, which we knew about. Although G Osaka is known for passing soccer, their quick transition after winning the ball and immediate passes are what’s dangerous. That’s why we were cautious and formed blocks to defend, so it wasn’t easy for them to enter dangerous areas. We conceded one goal, but I think everyone holding firm is something to be confident about. Also, in the league’s final stages and the battle for the top spots, there are parts beyond logic. It may be necessary to unite individual power and produce more than the effort of 11 players. Winning consecutive matches against Kashima and G Osaka here is significant."《Ishikawa》"(About the team’s second goal) At first, my reaction was a bit slow, but Nagatomo’s throw was longer than I expected. I was hoping it would reach! And Yuto really threw it far (laughs). The cross leading to the opening goal was exactly as planned. I thought if we challenged vertically there, the opponent’s pressure would come, so I crossed early with my left foot. If it reached Cabore well, there was a chance to shoot or to lay it back for Sota to score. Today, G Osaka controlled the ball a lot, and the 0-0 period was the toughest. I didn’t feel overwhelmed, but there were several moments when they quickly created shooting chances. I think enduring those moments led to our victory. After taking the lead, G Osaka pushed forward, so we aimed for counters. When the ball went to Cabore, I planned to break out from the opposite side. Although we didn’t score, chances near the end of the first half were from that plan. It was tough, but I think we created such chances several times. It wasn’t exactly as we wanted, but after the Kashima match where we played aggressively, today we won with a different pattern. Being able to win in various ways shows the team’s growing strength. I want to keep working hard to build step by step."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "We are 5 points behind the top team, and the goal difference is not that large, so this was a match we could not afford to lose in order to keep up with the leaders. The players showed great determination on the field, and I think it was very good that we were able to score three goals by playing to our strengths. Looking at the content, not everything was perfect; while our counterattacks were powerful, our slow attacks still lacked precision, and I think we spent a lot of time defending. During defense, we formed a solid block and did not have any breakdowns, but I want us to create more of our own time on the ball. That is the challenge we saw today and something we need to learn from Gamba. In any case, I think it was very good that we built a solid block, limited the opponent to one goal, and earned points. (You pressed high from the start?) The area called the vital area, the space between our center backs and defensive midfielders, is dangerous if we give the opponent time there to face forward and create chances. So, the key was not to allow them time in that area. To do that, since the ball is supplied there from the opponent’s defensive midfielders, it was important to approach and pressure their midfielders to prevent them from doing their job. I think we managed that part. However, as I said earlier, after winning the ball, we need to create our own time. (You said the match against Kashima was your best this year, how about today?) In terms of mentality, showing that we can keep up with the top and become a team that improves steadily throughout the year, I think we showed something solid. But in terms of play, we still have a long way to go. It’s not that we played well against Kashima and poorly today, but we need to keep raising our quality. I think today clearly showed what we still need to keep working on."

　[Summary of G Osaka Coach Nishino's Press Conference] "Since we played a good match in the ACL, I wanted to avoid a game like this. In the previous match as well, after a good ACL game, we couldn't get the result. It's a question of whether we would make the same mistake again. However, I think the players played a good game for 90 minutes. The content was not bad, and we were able to play a more aggressive style than usual. We failed to convert scoring chances and ended up giving counters. Even on the bench, I thought this would become a tough match. Unfortunately, that bad prediction came true. When you can't convert scoring chances like this, you end up with a result like today. The most important thing now is to switch focus so it doesn't affect the next game. (With DF Nakazawa absent and MF Myojin playing as center back, what was the impact?) I don't think Myojin's performance was bad at all, and the midfield formation was not something new. We maintained possession well and were able to build attacks. We just couldn't convert scoring chances and couldn't establish our rhythm. Even if positions change somewhat, I don't feel the content collapses, and today we controlled the game overall and it was Gamba's pace. However, that was Tokyo's tactic. The fact that we couldn't break through in the first half showed how tough the match was."