Bravely aiming for victory against the tough opponent Gamba Osaka

　In Sec. 8 of the league, we face Gamba Osaka away. The previous match against Kyoto ended in a draw, and we have not secured a victory in the league since the March 28 match against Omiya. Especially in attack, the number of goals scored has been low, and we have been unable to play the football we want, resulting in a frustrating series of matches. Coach Shirofuku reflected, "It's not that the players' motivation is low or that they lack willpower. The issue was how to channel the energy towards winning, and that focus was not unified." He organized these challenges and aims to boldly target 3 points in this match.Gamba Osaka currently sits 13th with 7 points. They have struggled with injuries and have only one win in the league so far. Although key midfielders Endo and Lucas have returned to the lineup this match, Coach Shirofuku said, "They inherently have strong ability and high-quality individual decision-making. The quality does not change regardless of who plays." Gamba Osaka fields young and energetic forwards Usami and Otsuka up front, so one highlight will be the midfield battle to prevent them from easily receiving passes. Against their 3-5-2 formation with defenders Kaji and midfielder Yasuda on the wings, the key will be how well we can create opportunities from the sides. If we can score the opening goal from there, our chances of earning 3 points will increase.Tokyo saw Nakamura return to the starting lineup from the previous match, and Kajiyama was included in the squad for the first time since Sec. 2. Regarding the attack, Coach Shirofuku frankly stated, "The word 'trial and error' is not wrong," but emphasized, "As we clarify the team's style of play, I want players who are prepared to seize their chance and break through, rather than simply substituting one player for another because someone is not performing well." He is focused on turning competition into results.Last season ended with one draw and one loss, including a heavy defeat away, so this match is a chance for revenge. Both teams aim for passing football, and Coach Shirofuku said, "There is much to learn from Gamba Osaka." Still, he firmly stated, "We have no intention of copying Gamba Osaka. By learning from them, we can better utilize Tokyo's individual weapons and strengths." With determination, he aims to bring the match to an "equal or superior battle" and pursue victory. The match kicked off at 17:03 with Tokyo starting.

Created a scoring opportunity but fell just short...

　At the start, both teams cautiously tried to find their rhythm through their own style of football. With neither side forcing the play and the game evenly matched, at the 8th minute Ricardinho dribbled up through the center of the opponent's half and took a shot himself, but the goalkeeper caught it. At the 11th minute, from a counterattack, Ishikawa floated a ball behind the left flank defense. Ricardinho, running forward, cut back into the left area and took a shot, but it went off target. At the 19th minute, Kim Young-gun advanced into the area, received a pass from Hirayama, and created a chance. By applying early pressing in midfield to build rhythm, Tokyo gradually increased their ball possession time and targeted the gaps behind G Osaka's defense to create good opportunities. At the 23rd minute, Hirayama acted as a pivot up front, connected from Ishikawa running down the left side to the center, then Hanyu passed to Nagatomo who came up from the right; Nagatomo cut inside and took a shot from the right corner of the area, but the goalkeeper saved it. At the 37th minute, from a side change by Kim Young-gun, Ishikawa broke through the right side and sent a quick cross, but Hirayama in the center could not connect. Then at the 39th minute, Ricardinho broke forward on a pass from Hanyu and connected to Ishikawa who was free on the right. Ishikawa carried the ball inside the area and aimed for a shot, but the opposing defender recovered quickly, and Ishikawa was a beat late and could not finish. They missed a golden chance and only earned a corner kick. After that, G Osaka launched counterattacks while circulating the ball, and at times pushed forward on the counter, preventing Tokyo from fully gaining momentum. The half ended scoreless.

Allowed two goals due to the opponent's high finishing ability and lost the match

　G Osaka brought on FW Lucas and MF Endo from the second half, switching to a 4-4-2 formation. However, it was Tokyo who created the first clear chance early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and delivered a precise cross to Ricardinho in the center. But Ricardinho couldn’t connect... At the 55th minute, Nagatomo won a duel against G Osaka MF Yasuda and pushed forward to the sideline. He sent a backward pass to the center but couldn’t finish. Young Gwon KIM picked up the clearance and unleashed a powerful long-range shot, but it was blocked by a defender. Trying to gain momentum, Kajiyama and Shigematsu came on at the 59th minute. At 61 minutes, Young Gwon KIM sent a long feed to the front, which Hirayama headed down, and Ishikawa fired a well-aimed shot from the right area, but it just went wide to the left... Continuing to miss chances, at 66 minutes, G Osaka FW Lucas took a mid-range shot from the left side of Tokyo’s half. The ball seemed to slip from Gonda’s hands and went into the net. Tokyo conceded the opening goal. Riding the momentum from this goal, G Osaka launched energetic attacks with Lucas as the focal point. Tokyo also brought on Suzuki, but at 75 minutes, Tokyo’s defender failed to clear a ball that came to FW Lucas, and FW Usami closed in on the ball near the goal. Gonda saved the initial shot, but MF Endo skillfully connected the rebound, allowing FW Usami to score. Tokyo pushed back with Young Gwon KIM’s powerful long-range shots and Kajiyama aiming for the goal from a corner kick rebound, but ultimately suffered a frustrating goalless defeat. 【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》“I conceded a goal after I came on, and it was at a time when we couldn’t fully seize the momentum. But maybe this is the natural result when you don’t finish your chances... If we could balance spreading the opponent wide and stretching vertically in front of the goal a bit better, I think we could find more rhythm. This is my third year under Coach Shofuku, and I feel we’ve been able to connect passes well. From there, while connecting, we need to score at the final moment... I want to be involved in plays near the goal and score together with everyone. Not being able to play was the most frustrating thing for me. I want to turn that frustration into performance on the pitch and do my best. (How is your leg condition?) It was a tough situation after coming on, but my ball feel is gradually improving. I didn’t notice anything during the match, but I want to take good care tomorrow to avoid any rebound. I want to gradually increase my playing time.” 《Young Gwon KIM》“I was frustrated and disappointed. But I also wanted to fight more, so after the match I could barely stand... (You actively tried long-range shots and free kicks?) I felt the team had too few shots, so I tried to shoot aggressively within what was allowed... I want to improve my accuracy more.” 【Coach Shofuku’s Press Conference Summary】“We had a very frustrating experience here last year, so we prepared as best as possible with the players for today’s match. But the 0-2 result is something we have to accept. The game content in the first half went according to our plan in a way, but I think the difference in accuracy inside the penalty areas of both teams was reflected in the score. We don’t know what position we will be by the end of this weekend, but probably the current position reflects the content and accuracy within our area, and we have to accept that. No matter how good shape we create or how far we move the ball forward, the lack of accuracy is our current reality. We want to work on that with the players. There were some unthinkable missed shots, but including those, I want to accept it as our true ability.” 【G Osaka Coach Nishino’s Press Conference Summary】“The first half was more of a dull game than balanced, and we couldn’t find a clue to attack. Fortunately, we didn’t face any powerful attacks, but offensively we didn’t function well. Although not perfect, we boldly switched two players, and with some help from FC Tokyo’s rhythm, we were able to calmly move the ball and develop play one by one. The first half had too many long feeds, so at halftime we calmed down and confidently tried to regain our tempo by building from the back and moving the ball carefully, even if a bit slower. Finally, we managed to handle the ball with a good accent. There were very few good chances, but I’m relieved we scored and got results. Regarding the two players (MF Endo and FW Lucas), I still feel they have a long way to go for a full 45 minutes, and we need to raise the overall flow a bit. Takashi (FW Usami) scored from an enthusiastic attempt, so I think we’ve seen some positive signs.”