The crucial match in the final stages, featuring the Japan national team players, is also a highlight.

After an interval of about two weeks, the league Sec. 31 will be held. We will face Cerezo Osaka at home. The previous match against Kofu ended in a draw, but we fought with a commitment to win until the end. With that attitude as a minimum baseline, we will further enhance our shared awareness and unity to fight through the season.

C Osaka, currently in 5th place with 50 points. Although they lost to Tosu in the last match, they had been unbeaten in 10 matches from August 10 until then. They are in good form. With players like forward Kakitani and midfielder Yamaguchi, who are also making a name for themselves in the Japan national team, they have a young and energetic squad that utilizes an attacking style as their weapon. However, the characteristic of this season is their low number of goals conceded. They have only conceded 27 goals (tied for 1st place in the league with Hiroshima). Attention is focused on how to break down their solid defense.

The point difference with C Osaka is 2, and the ranking could change depending on the results of this match, making it a crucial game. Not only are there players from the Japan national team, but also members who have faced off in the Olympics and U-17 tournaments, providing plenty of highlights. However, in the first half of the away match and in the Nabisco Cup, we lost by just one point due to a slight opening, so we must not repeat that same loss. We want to continue showing resilient and aggressive Tokyo football and seize victory.

In this match, Takahashi is suspended. Therefore, Hyun Soo JANG will be used as a defensive midfielder. The center backs will be Mori Shige and Kaga, forming the lineup. The wind is strong, but the cold is not too severe, and just before the match, the sun shone brightly at Ajinomoto, with a season-high crowd of 40,371 spectators gathered, starting with a kickoff in Tokyo at 1:05 PM.

While grasping the rhythm, they allowed the opening goal.

From the beginning, Tokyo dominated the ball and aggressively attacked. In the 3rd minute, Lucas broke free from a feed by Morishige. In the 7th minute, Hyun Soo JANG persistently picked up a loose ball in front of the opponent's goal, passed it to the left, and Higashi aimed for a shot from the edge of the area. C Osaka also launched a quick counterattack after regaining possession, but with a swift defensive transition, they managed to prevent any finishing attempts for a while.

However, in the 20th minute, Yonemoto was fouled by C Osaka and twisted his ankle upon landing, temporarily leaving the pitch. Tokyo had been pushing forward, but their rhythm was disrupted by C Osaka's tough defense. In the 28th minute, Yonemoto seized a loose ball and spread it to the left, where Lucas made a cross. This was cleared, but they attacked again, with Higashi in the center passing to Watanabe, who broke into the right area and took a shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.

In the 31st minute, after missing this chance, C Osaka passed the ball to right side back DF Sakamoto who made a cross. Although Tokyo DF had enough players, the ball was sent into the area by FW Sugimoto's header to FW Kakitani in the center just before the area. They tried to contain MF Simplisio who ran in, but the ball spilled to the right in the midst of the scramble, and FW Minamino scored a powerful shot... C Osaka capitalized on their first chance and allowed the opening goal.

Still, in the 38th minute, Lucas shot from a left corner kick near the goal. In the 42nd minute, Watanabe received a vertical pass from Yonemoto, turned, and shot. In the 43rd minute, Watanabe's long-range shot was aimed at Higashi in the left area, but the C Osaka defender blocked it. From there, Hasegawa shot at the ball that spilled into the right area, but none of them could score. They went into halftime trailing.

A spectacular equalizer by Aria! However, they were caught off guard just before the end...

In the second half, Ishikawa was brought in to replace Yonemoto, who injured his foot. They immediately faced a big chance. In the 48th minute, they regained possession in their own half and launched a counterattack, with Hasegawa passing to Ishikawa, who was sprinting up the right side. Ishikawa dribbled forward and passed centrally to Watanabe, who received the ball just before the penalty area, took a step forward, and shot, but it went to the right. After that, both teams engaged in vigorous attacking plays.

In the 51st minute, from a direct pass by C Osaka, MF Yamaguchi broke into the right area and returned the ball directly to the center, where FW Kakita took a decisive shot, but Gonda made the save! In the 56th minute, Tokyo created another scoring opportunity. In the center, Hasegawa sent a long through pass to the left area, allowing Higashi to break free and take a shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.

After a period of being unable to score, in the 70th minute, from a series of passes in midfield, Lucas on the left passed to Masaru HASEGAWA in the center, who boldly aimed for a long-range shot. The well-aimed shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced back inside the goal. They equalized and the game heated up even more. Both teams fiercely exchanged attacks in search of additional goals. In the 77th minute, from Ota's cross, Ishikawa at the near post headed the ball towards the goal, and Higashi pushed it in with his body, shaking the net, but it was ruled offside.

In the 79th minute, Kono was substituted in. In the 82nd minute, Tokunaga, who advanced into the right area after connecting from Kono's run to the left front line, aimed for the goal but it went just over the bar. In the 87th minute, Watanabe received a pass from the left in the center, turned around, and aimed for a shot but it went wide. This resulted in a goal kick for C Osaka, and C Osaka's goalkeeper Jin Hyeon KIM quickly moved forward. The ball went over the heads of Morishige and Kaga, allowing forward Kakita to break into the area and score in a one-on-one against Gonda.

After that, even with Hirayama's introduction, we could not stop C Osaka's momentum and suffered a bitter defeat. As a result, there is now a 10-point gap to the 2nd place in terms of numbers, and with matches remaining among the top teams, the possibility of finishing in the top three has been eliminated.


[Player Comments]
《Ishikawa》
"I think it was a focused match from the first half for both teams. The quality of movement was good as well. However, I wanted to increase that 'quantity' when I stepped onto the pitch. By exploiting the gaps, I felt that C Osaka's defense was a bit flustered. The central space started to open up, and we were able to make penetrating passes. We began to see a shape where everyone could contribute to the finish. After equalizing, everyone felt, 'We can do this.' But as we became anxious without converting our chances, it felt like we created openings for ourselves."

Personally, I felt today that I am fighting while carrying the supporters' feelings. This year, I haven't been able to do anything, and I also have the desire to play with Lucas for as long as possible. In the limited time remaining, I want to embody the soccer that Tokyo aims for, showing determination and pride to turn this into a fight that leads to the next step.

《Morishige》
"Both goals conceded were due to a lack of concentration. We were aware that Cerezo Osaka could launch long kicks from the goalkeeper... I feel regret that we couldn't win despite so many people coming to support us, but we will not give up and will fight to win until the end. Even if the ACL qualification becomes tough, it is necessary for us to set our next goals and fight. I want to gift a victory to those who come to watch us every match."


[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference]
"I feel that only the results were lacking. The atmosphere in the stadium was also great, and I wanted to deliver results amidst such support, but that was the only thing that was lacking. Of course, C Osaka is also a wonderful team. They play attacking and attractive soccer, and I think they are one of the teams that make the J League interesting. We performed well, but we lost focus on minor details. We conceded the opponent's first shot, and the way we conceded the second goal was not good either. However, the players fought with high awareness and strong determination, creating many chances in the flow of the game. There is no need to look down."


【C Osaka - Coach Kurupi's Press Conference Summary】
"After the last match, I said, 'I've been working in Japan for about six years, but I don't really understand Japanese football.' To put it simply, it could go either way, we could lose at any time or win at any time. I felt today that it all comes down to the players' concentration. I think they showed really high concentration today and fought tough until the end. Tokyo also played a very good game, but I feel that being able to win a close match like today was a result of the players' concentration."