Focus on the upcoming match and aim to break the losing streak.

　In the 33rd round of the league, we will face Gamba Osaka away. In the previous round, we ended up with a scoreless draw on a rainy pitch and suffered a consecutive loss. The players reflect, "When we concede the first goal, the opponent always tightens their defense. We haven't been able to surpass that while being countered." The most important thing for Tokyo right now is to take the lead. We will switch our minds and bodies from the previous defeat and focus on the upcoming match, aiming for a goal and victory.

　G Osaka, who currently has 36 points and is in 16th place. In the previous round, they had a great victory against Shimizu. Although they were unable to escape from the relegation battle, they have only lost 2 games since the 19th round on July 28th. Not only have they scored the most goals in J1 with 64, but they have also only had 2 games without scoring, showing their true G Osaka style and trying to make a comeback. In this round, DF Iwashita will be suspended, but DF Nakazawa will return from a long-term injury and there will be no change in their playing style.

　Tokyo made changes to their lineup from the previous match. Ota started in place of Nakamura, who injured his right knee. Additionally, Ishikawa, who is dealing with a right foot injury, will be on the bench, with Lucas and Hasegawa playing as left and right midfielders, respectively, and Watanabe as the lone striker. The key will be to press the opponent's strong attacking force from the front and midfield, and to steal the ball with tough defense and quickly transition into attacking plays. Considering Tokyo's current situation of not scoring in the past two matches, it will also be important to see how long they can keep a clean sheet.

　G Osaka will also fight for survival like Kobe, but if they get caught up in that, it will be difficult to win. Yonemoto said, "Regardless of the fact that the opponent is Gamba and the opponent is fighting for survival, we need to focus on what we can do and not forget our Tokyo style and challenger spirit. We want to show a bold attitude and take the victory." The match started at 14:33 in Tokyo's kickoff at the sold-out Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium.

Leading with Tokunaga's goal, but caught up from a set play and ending the first half.

　The match started with an attack from G Osaka's side, creating a chance. In the 7th minute, G Osaka's central MF Kurata → FW Leandro, who had drifted to the left side, made a through pass behind Tokyo's DF. FW Ienaga jumped out and took a decisive shot from inside the left area, but Kanda made a save. However, Tokyo gradually started to create opportunities by breaking through the high DF of the opponent. In the 14th minute, Watanabe dropped Kanda's kick and Kajiyama followed with a through pass behind the DF. Hasegawa's shot shook the net, but it was offside.

　In a development where both sides try to take control, Lucas in the center of the opponent's field at 17 minutes, traps and shoots a direct middle shot, but it cuts to the left. Then at 21 minutes, the ball is passed from the DF line, Takahashi → Watanabe drops the ball, and Ota crosses to the left. Lucas becomes the decoy in the area and the ball goes to the far side. Tatsunaga runs in from the outside and perfectly scores with his right foot, taking the long-awaited lead.

　The Tokyo attack continues. In the 33rd minute, Lucas intercepts the ball in the opponent's territory. He passes it to Watanabe on the front line, cuts back the defender and takes a shot. However, the ball is blocked and Hasegawa charges in. He has a one-on-one chance with the GK, but his shot is saved by the GK's body. Unable to capitalize on the chance, they remain without an additional goal. In the 37th minute, MF Endo takes a sharp free kick and FW Ienaga dives into the goal to score a powerful diving header, resulting in a goal. The first half ends in a tie.

In the second half, we continued to dominate and attack, but were unable to secure a win and ended in a draw.

　Tokyo seizes a big chance in the second half. In the 47th minute, Watanabe charges towards a loose ball on the left side of Tokyo's front line. The opponent GK also rushes out, but Watanabe wins the race with his speed and heads towards the goal with no GK present. However, the angle is not good and his shot from the left area hits the bar. Lucas in the center follows up on the rebound and takes a decisive shot, but it goes wide to the left. In the 54th minute, Watanabe in the center passes to Hasegawa in the left corner of the area with a heel kick. Ota takes advantage of the broken opponent DF and makes a speedy run into the area, but his shot is saved by the GK.

　In the second half, Tokyo took control and constantly pushed the game forward in G Osaka's territory. However, in the 62nd minute, G Osaka's substitute MF Sasaki took a shot from the right side and passed it to FW Leandro. Although defender Morishige tried to intercept the ball, it ended up loose and FW Ienaga took advantage of the moment to score the go-ahead goal. In the 69th minute, Ishikawa came on for Kajiyama and Lucas moved to the attacking midfield position for Tokyo.

　In the 73rd minute, the center's Yonemoto → Ishikawa on the right quickly attacked, Hasegawa in the center dropped to the left, and Lucas created a decisive opportunity in the area, but the shot floated. In the 76th minute, from Lucas' big side change, Ishikawa cuts inside and shoots sharply with his left foot, but the GK makes a great save and it goes out for a CK. In the 80th minute, Nemanja Vucicevic is brought on and the attack gains even more momentum.

　Then, in the 84th minute, Ota dribbled through the left side and advanced to a close distance to the goal. Vucicevic followed up with a shot from a negative pass. It hit the bar, but Watanabe was there for the rebound and headed it in to equalize. They continued to push for a comeback and in stoppage time, Ishikawa dropped a side change to Takahashi, who headed it down for Lucas in the center to take a precise shot, but it did not hit. On the other hand, G Osaka created chances from sharp counters, but they were unable to finish. As a result, they shared one point each.

　【Player Comments】《Watanabe》"Even when we were reversed, we believed in our own strength. It was good that we were able to score an equalizer, but unfortunately we couldn't turn it into a win. Personally, I was hungry for a goal and wanted to contribute to the team by showing my strength as a starter after a long time. In the scoring scene, I pushed it in with my feelings because it came right in front of me. However, I also missed a big chance at the start of the second half. I had no angle at all, but I kicked it towards the goal firmly... (bitter smile). And in the chance in the first half (after 30 minutes), I really wanted Aria to score (laughs). In the end, that's what it was. I also think that was a factor in not being able to win. We conceded two goals in defense, but as a team, we were focused and not bad. Today, everyone had a strong desire to win and fought with that in their play."

　"Tokunaga" "I think we were able to play our soccer for 90 minutes. There were good parts, but the fact that we conceded two goals is a challenge. We have been conceding goals recently, so we need to make further adjustments. For the goal, Kosuke gave a good cross and Lucas was able to finish it in front. I was able to calmly score. As for Gamba, we understand that they were also fighting to avoid relegation, but I think they were a bit stiff and played defensively. On the other hand, we were able to bring the ball up to take shots. If we were able to score there, I think we could have won the game. There are things to reflect on, but I want to take a positive approach to today's game. In the final round, we will be able to play at home, so we want to have a good game and win, and continue to fight for next season."

　【Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference Summary】"Hello everyone. I'm worried if your bodies are not cold because it was cold (laughs), but I think it was an exciting and interesting game where your bodies didn't have time to get cold. Both teams showed their strengths and created many dangerous chances with their attacking play. We were able to move the ball well and create chances, and I think we can evaluate that we were able to press and win the ball back as a team when the opponent had the ball. Unfortunately, we couldn't take advantage of our chances."

　There were several chances that I thought were difficult to miss. It's also part of soccer to miss those chances, and it's something that can happen. Today, the opponent was also great, but I feel like we were the ones closer to getting three points. I think we were able to show a high-quality and exciting match today, and when we fight on the J1 stage next season, I want to show a more exciting and attractive attacking soccer between Tokyo and Gamba than today. It's a shame that we conceded, but I want to congratulate FW Ienaga."

　[G Osaka Matsunami Coach's Press Conference Summary] "The players also have the same desire to win. We couldn't find our rhythm against the opponent's compact defense. We also conceded a goal from our own mistake. Gradually, our attacking rhythm improved and we were able to equalize. As we pushed for the third goal, not being able to score it was the part that prevented us from winning today."

　(Lucas entered as the right MF today on the left side of strong points DF Fujiharu and MF Kurata. Did you expect that?) Looking at the starting members, Lucas entered on the right, so I told him to take care of that area as he can also defend. But I think the relationship between DF Fujiharu and MF Kurata wasn't good from the start. I thought if DF Fujiharu could be more aggressive and go forward, it would have been a time when the opponent would be on the defensive. But he couldn't go forward easily. That's where Lucas' tactics and experience were superior. He may feel something there, so we need the power to overcome that and break through. Lucas is a smart player, so I hope he can grow by feeling the tactics, receiving the ball, and the timing when the ball enters."