2015 Season Begins! "Everything is for Victory!" with Continuation and Improvement from Last Season!

Tokyo will head to enemy territory, the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium, to kick off the 1st stage against Gamba Osaka. Under the guidance of coach Massimo, this season marks the second year where we will continue to build upon what we have achieved last season and strive for even greater success. It will be a season where we fight for victory above all else.
Newly joined players with proven track records and experience such as Ryoichi MAEDA and Tatsuya ENOMOTO, returning members from loan transfers, and rookies joined the team in mid-January. After training in Okinawa, Miyazaki to Fukuoka camps, and playing in practice matches and pre-season matches, the team has been preparing for the season. On this day, Canini started as a center back, with Kajiyama as a defensive midfielder. Ota also started despite his injury. Yonemoto and Hanyu were used as inside halves, with Maeda and Muto up front, and Kono as the attacking midfielder.

Gamba Osaka, on the other hand, is the reigning triple champion of last season. Under the third-year guidance of coach Kenta HASEGAWA, the team has seen little change in its roster and continues to display a powerful offense and a persistent defense. Although they suffered two consecutive losses in the already held ACL matches this season, they showed their experience in the Fuji Xerox Super Cup against Urawa, starting with a patient defense and capitalizing on set pieces and opponent mistakes to score.

Tokyo will focus on containing the powerful attack centered around opponent FW Usami and PATRIC, while also trying to break through their solid defense. Although the temperature is not too low, the game started at 2:04 PM with Gamba Osaka's kickoff as the rain gradually began to fall.

Conceded a goal just before the end of the first half. Trailing by one point at halftime.

The match started with 3 minutes. FK from the center of the opponent's field. Yonemoto sent a soft kick to the space in front of the goal, but no one could connect and it went to the opponent's GK. In the 16th minute, from a series of opponent's CKs, the opponent's SB Fujiharu broke through to the left area and sent a powerful kick to the front of the goal, but Kanda held it and it became another CK. The time of being attacked from set plays continued.

39 minutes, Tokyo's cross from Tokunaga, Maeda and Hanyu follow on the right front line. Kajiyama, who moved up the center from the build-up there, boldly shoots. They get a CK from the opponent's block. However, Ota's right CK is caught by GK Higashiguchi and they fail to score. In the following 40 minutes, they adjust to the ball in the area from the opponent's short pass, but Morishige blocks and disrupts the balance, and the ball is caught by Kanda with a quick jump.

Just before the end of the first half, it seemed like the opponent's ball crossed the goal line in a match-up between FW Usami and Morishige, but in a moment of hesitation, Osaka connected a pass to FW Usami and MF Endo crossed from the left corner area. FW Patrick then scored with a header over Canini...resulting in a goal being conceded.
They allowed a goal to be scored at the end of the game and ended the first half one point behind.

Muto's goal equalizes the score, and they take a valuable 1 point away from home!

In the midst of heavy rain, Maruyama was substituted for Ota at the start of the second half. In the 49th minute, Tokyo launched an attack. They connected passes and moved to the right from Maeda's post-play. Tokunaga, who had advanced forward, crossed the ball in front of the goal. Mutoh headed it perfectly, but...right into the opposing GK's hands. In the 52nd minute, Tokyo lost possession on the left side and were quickly attacked by the opposing team. Kajiyama in the area was judged to have fouled FW Usami, resulting in a PK. In the 53rd minute, Usami scored the PK in the bottom left corner...and Tokyo conceded their second goal.

Substitute Hayashi for Kono in the 58th minute! He entered the front line and formed a formation close to a 3-top. In the 60th minute, Hayashi, who had replaced him, pressed the opponent's GK fiercely and tried to steal the ball that had been dropped. In the end, it was offside, but it was a play that conveyed Hayashi's feelings. In the 65th minute, Hanyu was replaced by Higashi, who entered as a right inside half. On the left side, Muto, Yonemoto, and Kajiyama formed a double pivot, with Maeda and Hayashi as the 2-top.

At the 75th minute, East made an early cross from the right side. Maeda dropped the ball from the far side and Mutoh quickly and persistently controlled it, sending it to the opposite side for a GOAL!! East Tokyo, trailing by one point, pushed forward in the 88th minute. Lin dynamically jumped to meet Tokunaga's cross, but got tangled up with the DF and was ultimately stopped by the opposing GK. East continued to push forward, and in the 90th minute, Maeda in the center and East on the far side both jumped to meet Tokunaga's cross, but neither of them could quite touch the ball.

And in the added time, the opponent DF Iwashita cleared Kajiyama's through pass. The ball reached Mutoh on the front line, and he took a one-touch shot with a half-volley! The ball flew over the GK's head with a drive and shook the net in a spectacular fashion, GOAL!! GOAL!! They caught up to the equalizer! They allowed two points to be taken advantage of by mistakes and carelessness, but they showed a never-give-up attitude and headed towards the opponent's goal until the end. Mutoh marked two goals and brought the game to a draw in the final moments, taking a valuable 1 point away and ending the 2015 season opener with a worthy draw.

[Player Comments]
《Muto》
"Last year, my goal scoring decreased towards the end of the season and I felt some pressure. Today, being able to score in this opening game, some of the pressure was released. The first goal was all about the first touch. Maeda dropped the ball nicely for me and I knew the opponent's defense would be covering me if I went inside, and I also knew the goalkeeper would come out. As soon as I hit the ball for the second goal, I knew it was going in. Throughout the game, I wish I could have created more opportunities to receive the ball and make plays... But in the end, I am very happy to have helped the team and it was the result of everyone's determination and attitude towards scoring. I was able to score two goals with the support of my teammates. However, I still want to make sure to take advantage of any chances in the future and score goals that will lead to the team's victory."

"Hayashi"
"I was in a state of being two points behind, so I knew exactly what I had to do. I felt like I didn't have much momentum... so I pressed forward and tried to jump into crosses. Even if I got crushed, I just wanted to connect with someone. That's what I can do and it's my strength. It's the first time I've played this much time in J1. When I entered the pitch, I could hear the cheers from the stands and I felt the expectations and I was happy."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"In the first half, we had a lot of confidence and were playing great possession football. However, the goal we conceded changed the flow of the game and made it difficult for us as a team. In the second half, we conceded a second goal from a penalty and the game became even more challenging. We changed our formation to simplify the midfield and focus on winning battles in the box. We had a clear plan and maintained a high intensity tactically. Despite being down 0-2, we were able to equalize. Gamba Osaka is the reigning champion and the strongest team in Japan, so I have no doubt about that. But to play a game like this against such a strong opponent shows the true mentality of this team. I am very satisfied with that."

[Summary of Gamba Osaka's Kenta HASEGAWA's Press Conference]
"We wanted to start the season off with a win, but I think we played until the very end in front of our many supporters. Our performance was very good and we were mentally prepared. We played like it wasn't our fourth game in a row and until the last 10 minutes, we showed a lot of heart. We may have gotten a little tired when we conceded a goal and the opponent started to attack. However, we want to take the positive of getting one point. Of course, we wanted to get all three points, but I think everyone showed a strong mentality in fighting and aiming for goals. We will take the one point positively and use the one week break to prepare ourselves for the next game."