2015 Season Opening! Continuing from last season and building upon it, "Everything is for Victory!"

Tokyo will head to the away ground, Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium, to face Gamba Osaka in the opening match of the 1st stage. Under the guidance of Coach Massimo, this season marks the second year, aiming to build on what was developed last season while striving for further improvement, as it is a season to fight "for the sake of victory."
Newly joined are Ryoichi MAEDA, Tatsuya ENOMOTO, and other experienced players, along with returning members from loan spells and rookies, starting activities in mid-January. After training camps in Okinawa, Miyazaki, and Fukuoka, as well as practice matches and preseason games, they have been intensifying their training. On this day, the lineup featured Canini as the center-back, with Kajiwara starting as the defensive midfielder. Ota also started despite an injury. The inside midfielders were Yonemoto and Hanyu, while the front line consisted of Maeda and Muto, with Kono playing just behind them.

Gamba Osaka, the treble champions of last season, are under the leadership of Kenta HASEGAWA in his third year. The team has not undergone significant changes, and they continue to showcase a powerful attack while also demonstrating resilience by sometimes solidifying their defense. This season, they have already ended two matches in the ACL without scoring and suffered two consecutive losses, but in the Fuji Xerox Super Cup match against Urawa, they started with patient defense and capitalized on set pieces and the opponent's mistakes, showcasing their wealth of experience.

The focus will be on how to suppress the powerful attack centered around the opponent's FW Usami and PATRIC, while also figuring out how to break through their solid defense. Although the temperature is not that low, the rain has gradually started to fall, and the match kicked off at 14:04 with Gamba Osaka's kickoff.

Conceded a goal just before the end of the first half. Going into halftime one goal behind.

The match started with a free kick from the center of the opponent's half after 3 minutes. Yonemoto sent a soft kick into the space in front of the goal, but no one was able to connect, and it went to the opponent's GK. In the 16th minute, following a series of opponent's corner kicks, the opponent's SB Fujiharu broke into the left area and sent a powerful kick in front of the goal, but Gonda managed to hold it, resulting in another corner kick. The team continued to be pressured by set plays.

In the 39th minute, Tokyo's Tokunaga's cross was spilled, and Maeda and Hanyu followed up on the right flank. From there, Kajiyama moved to the center and took a bold shot. They earned a corner kick from the opponent's block. However, Ota's right corner kick was caught by goalkeeper Higashiguchi, failing to score. In the following 40th minute, a short pass from the opponent led to a ball into the area, allowing FW Usami to break free, but Morishige disrupted his balance with a body check, and the ball was quickly caught by Gonda.

Just before the end of the first half, it seemed that the opponent's ball crossed the goal line during the matchup between FW Usami and Morishige, but in that brief moment of pause, the ball was passed to FW Usami of Osaka, and MF Endo delivered a cross from near the left corner of the area. This was met by FW PATRIC, who scored with a header over Canini... allowing a goal.
They were caught off guard just before the end and allowed a goal, going into halftime one point behind.

Muto's goal equalized the score, securing a valuable away point!

As the rain intensified, Maruyama was brought on for Ota at the start of the second half. In the 49th minute, Tokyo launched an attack. After connecting passes, they spread the play to the right from Maeda's hold-up play. Tokunaga, who advanced, delivered a cross in front of the goal. But Mutou's header was right at the opposing goalkeeper. In the 52nd minute, Tokyo lost possession due to a pass error on the left side, allowing the opponent to attack quickly, and a penalty was awarded for Kajiyama's foul on forward Usami in the area. In the 53rd minute, Usami struck the penalty into the bottom left corner... conceding the second goal.

In the 58th minute, Hayashi was brought on to replace Kono! He entered the front line, forming a shape close to a three-top formation. In the 60th minute, Hayashi, who came on as a substitute, pressed the opposing goalkeeper fiercely, trying to seize the loose ball. Although he was ultimately offside, it was a play that conveyed Hayashi's determination. In the 65th minute, Higashi came on to replace Hanyu, taking the position of right inside half. On the left side, Muto, Yonemoto, and Kajiyama formed a double pivot, with Maeda and Hayashi in a two-top formation.

In the 75th minute, Higashi delivered an early cross from the right side. Maeda dropped the ball at the far post, and although Muto was marked by the opposing defender in front of the goal, he quickly and tenaciously controlled the ball and sent it to the opposite side for a GOAL!! Tokyo, trailing by one goal, had a chance in the 88th minute. Tokunaga's right cross was met by Hayashi, who made a dynamic dive at the near post, but got tangled with the defender and was ultimately stopped by the opposing goalkeeper. The pressure continued, and in the 90th minute, Tokunaga's cross found Maeda in the center, and Higashi at the far post dove in, but... he barely missed touching the ball.

And then came the stoppage time, where Kajiyama's through pass was cleared by the opposing defender Iwashita. This reached the forward Muto, who shot with a half-volley after a one-touch! The ball soared over the goalkeeper's head as if it had been driven, shaking the net powerfully, GOAL!! GOAL!! They equalized! Although they allowed a two-goal lead due to mistakes and weaknesses, they maintained a never-give-up attitude and pushed towards the opponent's goal. Muto marked two goals and brought the match to a draw just before the end, securing a valuable away point, and the 2015 season opener ended in a valuable draw.

【Player Comments】
《Muto》
"Since the end of last season, my goal scoring decreased and I felt a bit of pressure. Today, scoring in this opening match helped me relax a little. The first goal was all about the first touch. Maeda skillfully laid it off, and if I had gone inside, the opposing defenders would have covered that, and I also anticipated the goalkeeper coming out. For the second goal, the moment I struck the ball, I knew it was going in. Throughout the match, I wish I had created more opportunities to receive the ball facing forward and to take on challenges... As a result, I’m very happy to have helped the team, but it was the outcome of everyone’s never-give-up spirit and fighting attitude toward the goal. I was supported by my teammates to score two goals. Even so, I want to continue seizing chances and score goals that lead to the team’s victory."

《Hayashi》
"Since we were down by 2 points, I was clear about what I needed to do. I felt like we were lacking a bit of momentum, so I pressed from the front and tried to dive into crosses. I thought it would be fine even if I got crushed, as long as I could connect with someone. That’s what I can do and it’s my strength. This was my first time playing this long in J1. When I stepped onto the pitch, I could really hear the cheers from the stands, and I felt the expectations, which made me happy."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
“In the first half, we maintained possession with great confidence and continued to play wonderfully. However, conceding a goal like that changed the flow of the game, making it difficult for the team. In the second half, we conceded a second goal from a penalty kick, making the match even tougher. After that, as the opponent closed down the central spaces, we changed our formation. We simplified the midfield and decided to compete inside the box. With a clear intention and maintaining high intensity, the tactics worked well. Today, we managed to equalize from a tough 0-2 situation. Gamba Osaka is last season’s champion and undoubtedly the strongest team in Japan right now, but being able to play such a match against such an opponent showed everyone the true mentality of this team. In that regard, I am truly satisfied.”

【Summary of Gamba Osaka Coach Kenta HASEGAWA's Press Conference】
“We wanted to start the opening match well, and I think the players fought and played until the very end in front of many supporters. The match content was very good, and the players showed strong spirit. Despite this being the fourth match in a series of four, they played with intensity until the last 10 minutes. After conceding one goal and the opponent pressing forward, some fatigue seemed to show. However, I want to take a positive view that we earned 1 point. Of course, it was a situation where we needed to get 3 points, but each player expressed strong determination in their fighting spirit and pursuit of goals. We will take this 1 point positively, and with a week until the next match, we will prepare by properly adjusting our condition.”