The J1 League, which we will face for the first time in 2 years, will start a long season.

　The first match of the 2012 season will be against Omiya Ardija, away. Tokyo will face J1 for the first time in two years, but this season they have already played "FUJI XEROX SUPER CUP against Kashiwa" and "ACL against Brisbane", so it can be said that they do not have the usual toughness at the start of the season. Especially in the match against Brisbane, they showed Tokyo-like soccer and won comfortably on the away ground, and the team's atmosphere is very good. However, they will face their third match in one week, and will have to face the tough schedule of consecutive matches.

　Preparations for this round are essentially only for one day before the match. Coach Popovic said, "The lineup will prioritize the condition of the players," and Lucas and Kajiyama, who were absent from the Brisbane match and focused on the league opening, will return to the starting lineup based on the Brisbane match. Watanabe and Ishikawa will start on the bench.

　Omiya, who they are facing, finished 13th in last season's J1. This season, under the leadership of Jun Suzuki in his third season, they have acquired MF Choyong Chol (transferred from Niigata), DF Shimodaira (from G Osaka), and MF Carlinhos Junior (from Brazil) to improve the quality of their soccer and aim for a higher position.

　FW Rafael, top FW Higashi, MF Cho Yong-chol, who plays on the side, and other players from Omiya are all capable of breaking through individually, but we want to prevent them from controlling the flow by containing the distribution from MF Carlinhos Junior in the defensive midfield. How we can increase the number of chances in Tokyo's attack is also a current challenge.

　The beginning of a long league season. 34 games, not a single one can be lost. A battle to aim for victory with all our might, united as one and playing our own football. Although the rain from last night has finally stopped, it is still cold at NACK. The match started at 7:04 PM with a kickoff from Omiya.

Gonda unleashes a series of superb plays, preventing Omiya from scoring and riding on their momentum.

　Shortly after the start, Kaga, who received a pass on the DF line, was targeted by Omiya FW Higashi and was stolen, allowing him to enter the area freely. Although they were suddenly in a big pinch, the shot was saved by Konda and they avoided conceding a goal. However, without being shaken, in the 6th minute, Tokunaga → Kajiyama → Hasegawa on the right exchanged passes and Kajiyama advanced in the center with a dribble. He sent a last pass to Tanihara, who had gone up on the opposite side just before the right area, but perhaps because the pitch was slippery, they were unable to control it together.

　Tokyo tries to take control, but their coordination is off and Omiya gains momentum. In the 12th minute, Omiya attacks from the left side. The cross is cleared by Tokyo's defense, but it is picked up and a shot is taken while unmarked. In the 22nd minute, Omiya has another decisive moment. From a vertical pass by right back Murakami, forward Higashi breaks through and sends in a low cross. Omiya midfielder Julian Choyongchol takes a decisive shot from close range, but Kanda makes a save! The rebound is targeted again, but Kanda saves it once more! Thanks to Kanda's consecutive fine plays, the goal is not conceded.

　Unable to grasp the rhythm, Kajiyama changed positions to attacking midfielder and Hasegawa moved to the defensive midfielder position after 25 minutes. Finally, Kajiyama was able to create more opportunities up front. In the 41st minute, Takahashi passed a long ball to Tanihara on the left side. Tanihara took the ball forward and shot before the opposing defenders could close in, but it went wide to the right.

　In the first half stoppage time, Kajiyama dribbled to the front line by connecting Ota's clear ball. He advanced to the left area and sent a last pass to the front of the goal, but it did not reach Lucas near the goal, nor did it reach Taniyama who jumped in from behind... Throughout the first half, Omiya aimed for the back and forced us to run, but Gonda stood in the way of Omiya's scoring opportunities and we managed to end the first half without conceding a goal.

Lucas scores a stunning opening goal! Take the victory and start with a win.

　In the second half, after trying to rebuild, immediately after the start, a switch was made from a vertical pass, and Tokunaga ran into the area with good timing from Kajiyama's development and took a shot, but the GK caught it. In the 47th minute, Lucas took the ball from Omiya DF and ran down the right side. However, the shot was blocked by the GK's save... In the 50th minute, Hasegawa and Kajiyama's passing work, Hanyu aimed for the goal but didn't have enough momentum.

　Gradually took control, but Omiya took the second ball and threw it in, and even in the scene where the clear was picked up again...they were also attacked. In the 58th minute, Omiya MF Cho Yong-Chol broke through and jumped into the goal area to FW Rafael...but the shot was once again saved by Gonda with his whole body!!

At 61 minutes, after surviving this pinch, Ishikawa and Tokunaga, who had just come on as substitutes, connected directly, and Hayashi connected with a vertical pass, which was tenaciously connected by Hanyu to Kajiyama just in front of the right area. Kajiyama passed to Lucas on the left penalty arc. Lucas controlled the ball with a trap and struck a stunning shot with his right foot into the net for a goal! From Kajiyama's calm pass, Lucas scored a brilliant goal, taking the lead in a spectacular fashion!!

　In the 70th minute, a shot from Ishikawa, who had a connection with Lucas, shook the net, but it was offside. Omiya also aimed for an equalizer, and in the 71st minute, they launched a fierce counterattack by sending in the tall FW Hasegawa, followed by the precise kicking MF Hashimoto. In the 72nd minute, Tokyo substituted Hayashi for Hanyu. They countered with a formation where Lucas moved to the side.

　Despite Omiya's crosses, Tokyo still managed to raise their line and respond compactly. In the end, they were unable to calmly connect their own passes and the game became intense with back-and-forth attacks. However, they maintained their focus on defense and shut out the counterattacks, securing the win at the final whistle. Lucas scored a crucial goal and helped defend it until the end, leading Tokyo to a victorious start in the J1 league this season!

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"It was a very tough game, but we helped each other. The goal wasn't just my own effort, but if you watch the process that led to it, you'll see that it was the result of everyone working together. Omiya's pressure was intense and we couldn't get a hold of the game in the first half. In the second half, I think we were able to create a good flow compared to Omiya. I think that should be recognized. The goal was a difficult shot, but I believe it was a great goal that will remain in my soccer career as a memorable one. I will do my best to score at the next Ajinomoto Stadium!"

　"Gonda" "(It was a series of great saves, wasn't it?) We have to make sure we don't allow those kinds of situations. Even if they are created, I think there might have been a better way to handle it when looking back at the game. This season, I am also trying to expand my defensive range and go out when the DF can't cover. (Did you manage to endure the situation?) This season, Tokyo is aiming to take the initiative in both defense and attack by taking action on our own. I think the people watching today were more excited about Omiya. We want to do our best to be able to do that."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "In the first 30 minutes, we were not awake. The opponent was well organized and created two decisive chances from our mistakes. But Gonda saved us. Only Gonda knows how he prevented those chances. It was an amazing save that cannot be explained. Towards the end of the first half, we were able to play our football and start moving the ball. As for the second half, it became a high-tempo and attacking game for both teams. It was a game where both teams played good football and I think everyone watching enjoyed it. Considering that we were able to turn the game into a victory, I think it was a truly amazing game. Luck also played a big part in it."

　Today, I have been telling the players, "You may be tired from long travels, but throw away those thoughts. Just focus on making the best preparations for today's match." As a result, we were able to surpass the opponent even in the second half and show our evolution. The goal for the future is to dominate the game and play attractive soccer. In order to continue doing so, we want to make use of today's match. Last week, we had snow and this week, we had long travels, so we couldn't have satisfactory training, but we can start training again from tomorrow. It's only the beginning of the season, so we can't say we're tired. We want to improve on our mistakes and carry it over to the next match."

　[Omiya Suzuki coach's press conference summary] "Both teams aggressively put pressure and attacked... that was the form. I'm disappointed that we couldn't get 3 points. There were several decisive moments in the first half, but we couldn't score, and in the second half, we lost momentum. It's a shame that the attack became monotonous, but overall it wasn't such a bad performance. I think we were able to fight with confidence."