Stop the losing streak at home and win the first round of the league

　As the final match of the first round, Sec. 17 will be held at home against Gamba Osaka. In the previous match, they were taken the initiative by Iwata in both offense and defense, resulting in two consecutive losses. Although they are in a difficult situation without producing results, they want to stop the losing streak with their own style and direction as a team. They definitely want to earn 3 points at home.

　G Osaka, currently in 16th place with 13 points, is facing a tough situation. After changing managers to Matsunami at the beginning of the season, they were starting to turn things around and were on the rise. However, in the previous match against Kashiwa, they suffered a defeat with 6 goals conceded. At the same time, DF Nakazawa and FW Paulinho are both injured and the team is facing a difficult situation.

　However, the individual abilities of G Osaka players are recognized by everyone. That's why MF Endo's development power and DF Konno's wide defensive range and quick approach to the front, when their power is fully utilized, Tokyo will struggle. This round, the focus will be on the match-up between G Osaka's DF Konno and Lucas' former team, but the team's strength will be tested. We want to aim for victory by working together as a whole and taking control in both offense and defense.

　In Tokyo, while Chanhyunse is away for the activities of the Korean national team at the London Olympics and Hashimoto is absent due to the activities of the U-19 Japan national team, Nakamura was chosen as the starting left back for the first time this season. Hasegawa moved to the left side and Tanabe played as the attacking midfielder. The game started at 6:35 pm with a kickoff from G Osaka, under unstable weather conditions with occasional heavy rain despite a temporary decrease in intensity at the start of the game.

Nakamura, who made his first start, scored the opening goal just after the start! Lucas marked two brilliant goals!!

　Tokyo showed an aggressive attitude from the start and demonstrated their momentum forward. In the 3rd minute, Nakamura on the left side dribbled after a pass exchange in the midfield and tried to finish from the left area. Although G Osaka initially blocked it, they persistently pressed the opponent's defense, regained possession of the ball, and broke through to the front, shooting between the opponent's goalkeeper's legs with their right foot! Nakamura took full advantage of his first starting opportunity this season and scored the opening goal in the early stages!

　However, without looking down, G Osaka shoots in the 9th minute with FW Abe. In the 10th minute, FW Sato jumps out to the left front line and brings it to the area freely. In the 12th minute, the left cross almost reaches FW Sato in the far post, but they hold on without losing focus. In the 17th minute, DF Lucas receives a pass from MF Takahashi, who connected from the defensive line, and exchanges passes with MF Nakamura on the left side. And when they see no pressure, they boldly aim for a middle shot from the opponent's side, slightly to the left! The shot with no spin falls just before the goal and goes into the net! They scored an additional goal at a good time.

　Tokyo, who has grasped the flow of the game. In the 24th minute, Hasegawa, who was trying to move up the right side, received a side change from Takahashi. He carried it all the way to the right area, but was forced to a corner kick just before the shot. In the 30th minute, Hasegawa took a shot from a free kick. However, right after missing the chance, G Osaka MF Futagawa sent a pass to FW Abe in the front line, who then jumped into the area. In response, Gonda was judged to have held him back with a foul, resulting in a penalty kick. In the 31st minute, this penalty was calmly scored by G Osaka MF Endo, allowing them to catch up.

　However, without letting the opponent grasp the rhythm here, Tokyo also launches their own soccer. In the 37th minute, they cut off the opponent's ball and counterattack. Hasegawa → Lucas on the right side heads towards the goal, and passes the ball to Tanihara who has moved up on the inside, taking a decisive shot. Although it missed the frame, they score an additional point in the 44th minute just before the end of the first half.

　Kaga from our own field → Tanizawa connects with Takahashi's pass, and Tanabe near the center circle sends a floating pass to Lucas, who tries to break through the opponent's DF between the front lines. Showing a well-coordinated connection, he skillfully avoids the G Osaka DF with a trap and carefully aims for the GK, scoring a soft shot GOAL!! With two skillful goals, Lucas scores his second goal of the day and leads G Osaka to a comfortable lead as they head into the second half.

Conceded the second goal, but allowed G Osaka to catch up and won with 3 goals

　In the second half, Tokyo launched a strong attack in the early stages. In the 49th minute, a powerful counterattack was launched and Hasegawa dribbled to the front line. He drew the opposing DF near the area, and sent a final pass to a free Tanizawa on the right side. Tanizawa tried to loop the ball into the goal from there, but it was saved by the GK... In the 57th minute, Hasegawa brought the ball to a high position on the left side and sent a final pass to Tanabe who was closing in on the near side, but it was blocked by G Osaka's DF, Imakano, and the shot could not be completed.

　Unable to take advantage of the opportunity, in the 62nd minute, G Osaka's left back Fujiharu attacked and was held up in the front line, giving away a left corner kick. This corner kick was connected short, and after a pass exchange with MF Endo, DF Fujiharu was able to dribble and easily cross. Tokyo was unable to clear this, and the ball that fell at the feet of Morishige was combined with the feet of G Osaka's FW Sato behind... They conceded the second goal in a distracted manner.

　After being reduced to a one-point difference again, G Osaka dominated the ball and faced a fierce counterattack. In the 79th minute, G Osaka's long ball found Robert on the side, who then passed it to MF Endo in a high position in the area. Although they couldn't catch it, they were able to create a decisive opportunity... In the end, Tokunaga finally escaped with a sliding tackle to a corner kick. In the 88th minute, they tried to intercept G Osaka's passing play, but couldn't steal the ball, which ended up with G Osaka's MF Myojin, who then aimed for a shot from just outside the right area, but it went over the bar.

　In stoppage time, a FK was given to G Osaka, and MF Endo's kick from the left side was punched by Kanda. The ball fell to G Osaka FW Sato in the left area, but he missed the ball... In the end, they lost their rhythm and were unable to connect passes, but they did not allow any goals. They scored 3 goals for the first time since the May 20th Tosu game and won their first game in 3 matches. They took 3 points at home.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"(My) first goal was within my shooting range and I was able to make a good impact. The second goal was a really good pass from Tanabe. I was able to control the first touch and calmly score. I like the second goal better. It was a team effort, everyone was involved in the build-up play. We are aiming high. Today, regardless of the opponent, we had the mentality of not losing in order to climb up the rankings."

　"Nakamura" "It was my first start of the season, but mentally I stood on the pitch with the same mindset as always, to win for the team... The opening goal was lucky, but I think it was good that I was able to bring the ball up and take a shot. However, I believe that producing results also means keeping a clean sheet. Especially in the second half, I wanted to connect more, but G Osaka's midfield is skilled and their fullbacks were positioned high, making it difficult to build up. There are many things I need to reflect on."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "We have to be satisfied with taking 3 points today, considering the current situation of the team. I think we were able to control the game for the most part, but we let our guard down and created a situation where we struggled on our own after taking the lead. Of course, we have respect for G Osaka, but we became the most dangerous team ourselves. In the second half, there were also moments where we were afraid to continue playing as we had been, and we kicked the ball out too easily."

　Of course, there are many great players in G Osaka and it is a high-quality team, but we haven't been able to do what we have been working on and haven't done. We ended up helping G Osaka. As for one player, they ran into individual play without understanding team play. We must understand that if we show gaps in lazy play, the two-point lead will only make it difficult for us. We want them to learn to tighten up and do their best for the team when leading, and if they can't do that, it will be difficult to move up. I want to check the PK again, but I wonder how it was... that's how I feel."

　[Summary of G Osaka Matsunami's press conference] "In the previous match, we conceded a lot of goals, so this week we focused on defense during training. We had that awareness overall at the start, but we were immediately put in a position where we had to chase after conceding a goal in one play. As for the second half, I think it was a game where the players understood that if we could score, we could turn the game around. However, if we continue to concede goals easily like the first and third goals, it takes a lot of power to turn the game around. We need to improve the quality of individual and group defending, such as pressing. We have attacking power as a weapon, but we need to score within a balanced defense to get results. Without good defense, we cannot create a good attacking rhythm. If we cannot control the game at the beginning and end, I think it will be a tough battle."