Aiming for the 150th victory in J1, a win at home to overcome the disappointment of the previous round.

　League Sec. 15 will be held, facing Cerezo Osaka at home. In the previous Sec. Yokohama FM match, we were unable to show our Tokyo style and only had 3 shots, resulting in a defeat. In addition, Ota, who injured his right metatarsal bone, will be out for a long time. At the same time, Ishikawa has discomfort in his calf and Shioda has injured his left ankle, both will be absent. It's a difficult situation, but we will overcome it together and aim for victory by returning to our own style of soccer.

　C Osaka, currently in 14th place with 17 points, is known for their attacking style of football under new manager Sergio SOARES. The attacking force of MF Kiyotake and Kim Bo-kyung on the wings, along with FW Kempes and Kakitani, is a force to be reckoned with and must be closely watched. However, with a total of 17 goals scored and 19 goals conceded, their goal difference is currently at -2.

　Kanda aims to take control of the ball and keep possession, and wants to play a game where the attacking line of C Osaka is forced to defend, saying, "If C Osaka can't get a rhythm, the front line and defense will be separated. In the game against Hiroshima, we conceded 4 goals on the counter, but we want to stick to our own soccer and value our own ball and win." In addition to overcoming the disappointing defeat in the previous match, this match is only one win away from a total of 150 wins in the J1 league. We want to grab a victory at home with aggressive Tokyo-style soccer on both offense and defense.

　Tokyo started with Kaga as a starter for the first time since the ACL Beijing match on April 4th, and Tanabe also made his first appearance since the Hiroshima match on March 31st. Lucas was placed at the top, Tokunaga at right back, and Mukuhara on the left. Despite the humidity exceeding 70%, the match started at 6:04 pm with C Osaka's kickoff under comfortable weather conditions.

Take control and defend against C Osaka's scoring opportunities from counterattacks.

　Tokyo took control of the game from the beginning, focusing on the match. In the 2nd minute, speedy attacks were launched with Tanabe on the left, Kajiyama in the center, and Tanihara on the right side crossing the ball. In the 5th minute, Kajiyama broke through the right front line and passed a lob to Hasegawa, who had made a run into the area from Tokunaga in the center. In the 12th minute, Tokunaga broke through to a high position from Mori's feed and sent a cross. Although they were unable to shake the net, they showed a well-executed attacking style.

　At 17 minutes, Lucas closed in on the opponent's DF and cut the ball in the left area. Kajiyama followed up with a pass to the center, but it was cleared for a corner kick. At 19 minutes, Takahashi sent a long pass from their own half. Taniyama made a run to meet it, but couldn't control it at his feet. At 26 minutes, Lucas received a vertical pass from Hasegawa in the center of the area. His trap was too high and he ended up competing with the opponent's DF, but he managed to get the ball and take a shot from the front of the goal! However, it was blocked by the goalkeeper and the chance was missed...

　After that, C Osaka created a scoring opportunity. In the 30th minute, MF Kim Bo-kyung broke through the right area from a through pass by midfielder Ogihara and sent a final pass to the center. FW Kakitani ran into this area, but the timing was just slightly off... and they escaped the danger.

　In the 35th minute, Tokyo suffered a counterattack from a pass mistake, and C Osaka's MF Kiyotake passed to MF Kim Bo-kyung on the right front line. In response, Gonda jumped out and cut off the course, and the ball was cut by Morishige. It was a decisive moment, but they were saved by C Osaka's combination mistake and escaped with a CK. In the 43rd minute, they pushed up the whole team and Kaga aimed for a low trajectory powerful middle shot, but the GK saved it. They got a CK, but they were immediately countered by C Osaka's FW Kakitani, who shot from a close distance to the left area, but Gonda saved it!

　Tokyo took the lead but couldn't break through, and the game turned into a sharp counterattack by C Osaka. However, thanks to multiple great saves by Thales, the first half ended scoreless.

Hasegawa scores first! Lucas adds another point and shuts down the counterattack.

　In the second half, C Osaka's momentum increased. In the 49th minute, Tokyo's CK was cleared and a solid counterattack was launched. In the 56th minute, Tokunaga's cross was cleared and C Osaka's FW Kakitani received it, with FW Kempes aiming for goal from the left to the center. Then in the 58th minute, Kajiyama injured his foot and was forced to be substituted. As a result, Yonemoto was brought in as a defensive midfielder. Hasegawa was moved up one line and calmly defended, trying to bring the ball forward without panicking.

　In the 59th minute, a pass was made to free MF Kim Bo-kyung in the left area of C Osaka, and although they were in a pinch, they were saved by a mistake. Immediately after in the 60th minute, Tokunaga dribbled towards the center and passed to Hasegawa on the right side, who was positioned near the right area. He brought the ball inside and took a powerful left-footed shot from near the penalty arc, which found its way into the far corner of the goal, giving them the lead.

　C Osaka also launched a counterattack and the game became a close battle, but in the 76th minute, Tanizawa fought hard on the right side and won a throw-in. C Osaka DF cleared the throw-in, but it went to Takahashi in front of the right area, who headed it to the center of the area. Receiving the ball, Tanabe sent a direct pass to Lucas, who had slipped behind the DF, and Lucas calmly pushed it into the net for a GOAL!!

　C Osaka, who was behind by two points, aimed for the back of Tokyo DF in the 86th minute, and C Osaka FW Nagai flew out to match the long pass, and faced off against Konda in a one-on-one. However, Konda saved the decisive shot with one foot! In the 88th minute, MF Ogihara took a shot from a direct free kick. In stoppage time, FW Kakitani took a shot from a loose ball from a throw-in... and they were pushed to the goal until the end, but both shots missed the target. They were also helped by C Osaka's mistakes, but they maintained their aggressiveness in both offense and defense, keeping the score at zero and securing the victory! They achieved their 150th win in J1.

　【Player Comments】《Masaru HASEGAWA》"I couldn't do anything in the previous match, so I was thinking of playing aggressively. (The goal was right after I changed positions to attacking midfielder?) My role doesn't change much even as an attacking midfielder. I try to be aggressive and go for the goal even when I'm playing as a defensive midfielder. (Was it a shot like the one in the ACL Beijing match?) I think it was a better goal than the one in the Beijing match (laughs). Today, we were able to play as a team and create attacking opportunities. We had more players pushing forward, so we were vulnerable to counterattacks from C Osaka, but I was able to score and think positively. It was a team victory."

　"Lucas" "The game was between two good teams, C Osaka and us, and either team could have won. The goal was scored when Tanabe passed the ball to me just before the offside line, and I was able to calmly score. I am very happy to have scored, but more than that, I am most happy that we were able to win as a team. However, in the past few games, I haven't been able to take shots myself, but today I had a few chances to shoot. Of course, scoring there would have been the best, but I don't think it was bad."

　【Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference】"I think it was a satisfying match for the viewers, as both teams played an attractive and attacking style of soccer. Continuing to play this way will be a factor in bringing more fans and supporters to the stadium. Today, we had a good start to the match, taking control from the beginning and maintaining a high line of passing. We were able to execute what we have been working on. However, we made some mistakes which led to counterattacks and gave the opponent some clear chances. This is because we were playing with a high line, leaving a lot of space behind us. The most important thing is to improve our ball retention and not lose possession. We want to work on that aspect."

　However, I think that throughout the game, we were superior in terms of combination and quality of play, and we were able to play worthy of victory. If we can fight with this attitude and quality of play, the results will naturally follow. There was a difference in that aspect compared to the Yokohama FM game. In the previous match, there was no content or result, but I told the players that it is important not to repeat that. They themselves should have felt it even without me saying it. We were able to prove that.

　Today, it's not just one person who did well, but I want to praise all the players who fought on the pitch. The only bad thing is Kajiyama's injury. We still don't know his condition, but if we lose him, it will have a big impact on the team. Finally, I want to thank all the fans and supporters who came to the stadium and gave us a big cheer for 90 minutes. I am grateful for creating such an atmosphere. Both teams played a spectacular game worthy of receiving cheers today.

　[Summary of C Osaka Soares' press conference] "It was a very intense game with a lot of movement. And with the pitch being watered and slippery, it was an evenly matched game with both teams having the intention to connect the ball well and play with speed. I think we created more clear scoring opportunities than Tokyo, but our finishing was not precise enough. As for the conceded goal, the first one was a very good goal from Tokyo's number 8 player's individual skill. There is also a part to praise him for. The second goal from Lucas, from my position, looked offside... Despite it being a game we could have won, it ended up being a game where we missed out on victory."