I want to conclude with a victory, the last league match before the break

The last league match before the break for the World Cup, Sec. 14 will be held. They will face Gamba Osaka at home. In the previous match, despite taking a season-high 22 shots, they ended without scoring and drew. They have gone four consecutive matches without scoring and have not been able to secure a victory. However, Coach Massimo stated, "The players continue to play well and have a strong mindset. That is why it is important to prepare as much as possible for victory," aiming to overcome this situation as a team.

Therefore, in this match, forwards Edu and Muto, and midfielder Mita were used. The coach explained, "When continuing to have good matches, there are both pros and cons to making changes in player usage. However, since the team is well prepared, some changes can be made."

G Osaka, which returned to J1 this season, is currently in 11th place. They have the same record as Tokyo with 4 wins, 3 draws, and 6 losses, but they surpass them with a goal difference of 1. Under the leadership of coach Masaru HASEGAWA in his second year, the team initially went through trial and error at the start of the season, but with the return of FW Usami and the emergence of MF Abe and others, it can be said that they have gradually begun to show their true strength.

Midfielder Endo and Konno have been selected for the Japan national team World Cup squad. Today, the "Japan national team showdown" with Morishige and Gonda is also one of the highlights, but Morishige stated, "Against the attacking Gamba Osaka, enduring where we need to endure will bring us closer to victory," emphasizing that this match aims for victory by leveraging the style they have built up.

It was refreshingly clear, and in the evening, a coolness could also be felt at Ajinomoto, the match started at 18:04 with G Osaka's kickoff.

Edu, Muto meets expectations with a series of lightning-fast goals

The match started with action early on. Just 30 seconds after the kickoff, Tokyo had a throw-in. From this flow, Tokunaga fed the ball forward. Muto connected it just before the area, and Kono dribbled into the right area. Drawing in the opposing defenders, he made a precise pass to the center. Edu finished it off with a direct shot for the GOAL!! They took the lead by exploiting a gap in G Osaka's defense.

Not only that, in the 2nd minute, Muto cut the opponent's pass near the left sideline and passed it to Kono, who then dribbled into the left area after receiving a heel pass. He pierced a shot into the near bottom past the opposing defender! The pressure from the front line and the dynamic attack paid off, quickly leading by 2 goals.

However, after that, G Osaka regained their composure and gradually found their rhythm. In response, Tokyo changed their formation. Muto moved to the left side, and Yonemoto to the right side. They attempted to adjust to a 4-4-1-1 formation with Takahashi and Mita as the holding midfielders. Even so, they allowed G Osaka to dominate possession, and there were moments when G Osaka advanced into the area. In the 24th minute, G Osaka midfielder Abe's breakthrough on the right flank was cut off by Mita's sliding tackle. They remained focused on the loose ball, and Takahashi cleared it with a header for a corner kick. In the 30th minute, a chance was created from a corner kick, and G Osaka midfielder Endo's right corner led to a decisive header from defender Nishino, but Ota intervened just in time to clear it. In the 32nd minute, G Osaka forward Kurata's shot from the right area was saved by Gonda.

After scoring, they were unable to take shots, but maintained their defensive concentration. Conversely, in the 45th minute, G Osaka's MF Konno's vertical pass was intercepted by Yoshimoto with a sliding tackle. This clearance flew into the opponent's half, and Edu tried to break through the front line. However, he was momentarily pulled back between two opposing defenders and lost control. Muto, who had run a long distance for the loose ball, closed in and tried to bring it into the center of the area to aim for a goal, but it was blocked... The first half ended with a score of 2 to 0.

Edu clinched the victory, securing a win without conceding a goal for the first time in five matches!

G Osaka brought in MF Nikawa in the second half. In the 47th minute, they exploited the space behind Tokyo DF on the left, and although MF Nikawa took a shot from just outside the left area after winning the loose ball, Tokyo blocked it with their bodies. However, there was a sense that the next goal could be decisive. Then, in the 52nd minute, Muuto pressed the G Osaka DF line. Although they couldn't win the ball here, Takahashi intercepted a loose pass from DF to MF Endo and sent it directly to Edu just in front of the area. Edu, near the penalty arc, controlled the ball with a trap and turned around. He scored with a powerful left-footed shot that just grazed the right post! He secured the third goal that decided the match.

After 55 minutes, G Osaka's defense showed signs of weakness, and Tokyo gained a free kick opportunity from consecutive passing mistakes. However, in the 56th minute, Ota's free kick aimed from just outside the right area hit the crossbar... After picking up the second ball from this, Kono took a shot from the left area, but it was blocked.

After that, G Osaka substituted DF Iwashita for MF Okazaki. MF Konno moved to DF, regaining composure and launching a counterattack with a "typical" passing play. In response, Tokyo brought in Higashi in the 68th minute and Hanyu in the 77th minute. They moved Muto back to the front line, placing Hanyu and Higashi on both sides to respond. They firmly held their ground in their own half and initiated sharp counterattacks.

In the 84th minute, they cleared the opponent's cross and launched a counterattack. Hanyu advanced up the left side and made a well-timed through pass to the front line. Muto skillfully broke free and entered the left area. Edu was in the center, and Takahashi was also advancing, but Muto's pass was cut off, resulting in a corner kick. Although they couldn't score the fourth goal, G Osaka's counterattack was shut down, primarily by the defense. With an outstanding performance and game management, they secured their first victory in five matches, concluding the league before the break.

[Player Comments]
《Edu》
"I am happy that I was able to score two goals as a starter and that the team won. In the last few matches, the team has been struggling without scoring. Today, I was able to score early in the game, and I believe that first goal gave the team confidence and courage. Furthermore, I think it was good that we were able to score another goal quickly. We had been playing well but not getting results. I want to reflect on what was lacking and make corrections during the break. Together with the Nabisco Cup, I want to make a comeback in the second half of the league matches."

《Muto》
"(Regarding the goal) I was originally good at that kind of shot, but as a professional, I often passed the ball. I felt that I was lacking a bit of greed... so I am really happy to have scored. I also saw Edu free on the right. However, since I carried the ball that far, I aimed for it. Today, everyone on the team was trying to take the goal with a strong mindset. I was also able to keep pushing forward with my dribbling, which is my strength."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"I didn't expect to start like this, but I think the players' desire to win was conveyed to everyone. It's unfortunate that we couldn't earn points in the last few matches despite deserving victory, but I want to express my gratitude to the players for maintaining a high level of professionalism and giving their all even in such situations. When it became 2-0, G Osaka pushed forward, leading to a style of play that exploited the space behind. We created six to seven decisive chances, and I think scoring three goals from those was efficient. G Osaka has many players with high technical quality, especially the two defensive midfielders who are very good players. I knew that when the center-backs had the ball, the full-backs would push up and develop the play through the defensive midfielders. Today, the opponent's full-backs might not have positioned themselves very high, but we made sure to apply pressure effectively. After scoring two goals, the full-backs started to take up higher positions, so we changed our system to 4-4-1-1. The players have improved their tactical understanding and responded quickly. This is the result of their constant attention and effort. G Osaka is strong and a good team, and considering their ability, I don't think their current points are deserved, but today our performance was very good."

【G Osaka - Kenta HASEGAWA's Press Conference Summary】
The two goals conceded at the start were everything. When facing Tokyo, they come out strong from the beginning, and if we become passive, we will lose. We talked about focusing and getting into the game with our own tempo, but we were cleanly outplayed. In the second half, we sent them out thinking that if we could score one goal... but we conceded due to a mistake. However, even after conceding two goals, we managed to play our own football and brought the game to a point where we thought, 'If we can score one goal.' Even after conceding the third goal, the players maintained their focus and fought until the end. It's disappointing and frustrating that we can't win in Kanto, especially with so many supporters coming to cheer us on away. We had come this far in good shape, and I wanted to finish the first half with good football, but today we were outplayed by Tokyo. However, the Nabisco Cup is coming up soon, so I want to switch my mindset and keep fighting.