Raise everyone's defensive awareness, minimize goals conceded, and aim for victory

The league Sec. 30 is approaching just three days after the last match. An away game against Gamba Osaka. In the match against Hiroshima, the team scored multiple goals for the first time in three games and secured a victory. The team remains in 6th place, but the point difference with 3rd place is "6". In preparation for this match, the training was closed to the public for two days, considering the consecutive matches. Coach Massimo stated, "I wanted to focus on tactics in a short amount of time." Tokyo will continue to start Canini as a center-back. Mita will play in midfield, and Watanabe will be in the starting lineup up front. The team will adopt a 4-1-2-3 formation with Kono playing as an attacking midfielder.

G Osaka is currently in 2nd place with 52 points. Although they lost to Kashiwa in the last match, they were on a 7-game winning streak before that and are in excellent form. With their momentum, the Tokyo players are on high alert, considering them "the strongest team at the moment." G Osaka has a total of 51 goals scored, ranking 2nd in the league. As you know, FW Usami and PATRIC have shown outstanding scoring ability, but on the other hand, they have also conceded only 28 goals, which is the 4th fewest in the league. It can be said that they have a good balance between offense and defense. The lineup includes Kan in the CB position, replacing the suspended DF Iwashita. Additionally, DF Fujiharu and MF Abe will start on the bench. The double pivot consists of MF Endo and Konno, with MF Kurata and Omori on both sides.　

In contrast, Tokyo, with the league's fewest goals conceded (25), must focus on how to exploit the opponent's weaknesses through their usual tenacious defense. It is especially important not to give space to G Osaka's attacking players, and to pay close attention to the developments from midfielder Endo and the advances of the full-backs. The aim is to raise the defensive awareness of the entire team and to start the match by first minimizing goals conceded.

At the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium in Osaka, with mild weather that is neither hot nor cold, the match started at 19:04 with a kickoff from Tokyo.

The DF line shows no signs of weakness, heading into the second half scoreless

In the 9th minute of the match, G Osaka's midfielder lost the ball, and FW Usami sprinted into the space on the left side, delivering a last pass to the near post in front of the goal. The area was crowded, but Gonda made a one-handed save! He also cleared the rebound with determination, resulting in a corner kick. After that, G Osaka was awarded consecutive corner kicks, but ultimately ended in a missed shot, allowing Tokyo to escape the danger.

15 minutes have passed, and although there was a chance to restart immediately after the start, it could not be capitalized on here. Gradually allowing G Osaka to dominate possession. In the 19th minute, Tokyo's attack. Muto, who broke through to the front line, was surrounded by the opposing defenders and managed to control the ball while losing his balance, then turned and took a direct shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.

In the 21st minute, G Osaka quickly transitioned to attack after stealing a pass in midfield. FW Usami aimed a powerful shot from mid-range, but it went wide to the right. In the following 22nd minute, from the left, G Osaka's FW Usami passed to PATRIC in the right area. After a one-two, a decisive last pass was sent to FW Usami in the left area, but Tokunaga cleared it with a sliding tackle just before he could shoot! They escaped to a corner kick and managed to defend. After 30 minutes, Tokyo showed no defensive cracks, but they couldn't advance the ball. They couldn't pick up the second balls, lost control, and were pushed back by G Osaka. In the 32nd minute, there was a chance for a free kick. Although it was a free kick from nearly 30 meters away, Ota aimed directly at the goal. The shot flew into the upper right corner but was blocked by the opposing GK's save.

In the 38th minute, G Osaka forward Usami dribbled into the right area and delivered a last pass to the far side. The ball was received freely in the left area, and a shot was taken but blocked in front of the goal. The rebound flowed back to the right, and we were attacked from both flanks, but we defended stubbornly! In the 43rd minute, Mita held on in the left forward position and crossed the ball in front of the goal. Muto in the center of the area attempted a bicycle kick volley but it went straight to the opposing goalkeeper.

In added time, G Osaka's FW Usami broke through on the left side and made a decisive last pass in front of the goal. However, Canini cut it off. The ball hit YoneMoto in front and resulted in a left corner kick, but G Osaka committed a foul during this corner kick situation. Gonda was injured. G Osaka maintained control, and it was a tough time. Even when they regained possession in their own half, they struggled to connect forward. They couldn't capitalize on the few counterattacks or set-piece opportunities. However, they defended without showing any cracks in the defensive line and went into the second half scoreless. But in the last play, Gonda was injured and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher...

Unable to achieve consecutive wins due to being overpowered...

Since the start of the second half, Shiota has come on as a substitute for the injured Gonda. In the 48th minute, G Osaka's right-side FW Usami dribbled forward and, with a one-two with the central FW PATRIC, accelerated and broke into the right area. A decisive shot was taken, but it just missed the outside of the side netting...

In the 53rd minute, Takahashi's vertical pass was intercepted, leading to an attack by G Osaka. They attempted to regain possession on the right side of their own half, but Takahashi was pressured and fell. There was no foul by G Osaka here. The loose ball was picked up by G Osaka's midfielder, who spread it to the right, and a precise ground shot was scored by midfielder Omori just in front of the right area... conceding a goal.

In the 59th minute, Tokyo substituted Edu and Matsuda for Kono and Mita. However, immediately after that, G Osaka's midfielder Endo aimed directly at the free kick awarded before the substitution. He skillfully scored directly from a tight angle over the near post... conceding the second goal.

After that, Tokyo's formation consisted of a three-back with Tokunaga on the right, Morishige on the left, and Kanini in the center. The wide players were Matsuda and Ota. The double pivot was Takahashi and Yonemoto. Edu was at the forefront, with Watanabe on the right and Muto on the left in a 3-4-3 formation. In the 66th minute, Tokyo's attack saw Ota's early cross go to the far side, where Matsuda pushed it in from the edge of the goal, surpassing Watanabe, for a GOAL!! Matsuda's first professional goal brings them within one point!!

In the 76th minute, Matsuda and Takahashi advanced on the right flank, and from their passing exchange, Watanabe, positioned a step back, took a controlled mid-range shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper in the bottom left... As the difficult situation continued, all substitutions were used, and taking advantage of the formation change, Matsuda scored his first goal, closing the gap to one point... However, they couldn't create any real chances against G Osaka's skillful game management. They couldn't achieve consecutive wins due to being overpowered, and their ranking fell to 7th.

【Player Comments】
《Matsuda》
"I'm happy about my first goal, but I can't be completely joyful. To be honest, the frustration of losing is greater. Regarding the goal, I believed that the ball would definitely come and jumped in behind Watanabe. Just as I thought, Ota sent it with his right foot, and I was able to make good contact. I came on as a substitute with the intention of changing the flow of the game, and I think it was good that I was able to do that a little bit."
However, we also needed to make more movements to draw out the ball, and I want to improve the quality of movements aimed at getting behind the opponent.

Ota
"I think we managed to take care of the space that PATRIC from G Osaka was targeting well. However, it wasn't so much about G Osaka... rather, we couldn't calm the game ourselves. Overall, there were many mistakes, and we were rushing too much. We couldn't play the kind of football where we create time, connect, and attack simply from the sides. It felt like the 90 minutes ended without us being able to do anything... It was also a restless 90 minutes. There must be things that become clear from such a defeat, but I believe we need to show a stronger mentality and intensity in our challenges, a posture that anyone can understand. I want to approach the next four matches with a stronger mindset to win."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference】
"I think the first half was well balanced. There wasn't much space, but we executed our tactics properly. The opponent had a few chances, and we had some chances as well. After that, Gonda received a dangerous foul and got injured. In the second half, we substituted in Shiota, who was able to enter the match well. There were a few mistakes, but we were able to respond properly afterward. We managed to score one goal back and fought until the end believing in victory. That is a great pride for the team, and I think we were able to show a never-give-up attitude. We can learn from experienced teams like Gamba Osaka and Urawa. I want to utilize such experiences in the future. It is undoubtedly necessary for our growth."

【G Osaka - Manager Kenta HASEGAWA's Press Conference Summary】
"Despite it being Sunday, many supporters came to Expo. It was very good that the players were able to work hard until the end and present a victory in front of those supporters. Today was a very important game. Given that we lost the previous match, we have to continue without losing any games from here on out, and I thought it would be a difficult match against FC Tokyo, as their defense is solid. I believe we were able to play aggressively from the start. In particular, FW Usami's sharpness was wonderful. I think it was just a matter of scoring a goal. Not only FW Usami, but also MF Konno, MF Endo, and DF Kan, who came in, stayed focused until the end. Including the bench, the team was united today and we were able to win against FC Tokyo."