The first battle at Suita Stadium, aiming for victory with dynamic soccer

Facing Sec. 13 of the 2nd Stage, we will compete against G Osaka away. This will be our first battle at Suita Stadium.
In the previous match against Urawa, we suffered a regrettable comeback loss. However, Morishige stated, "There are still issues with our approach throughout the 90 minutes, and there were points for reflection, but there were also parts where we felt a sense of achievement against Urawa. That's why the frustration is considerable, but as a team, we came together and made bold challenges, and there were times when we could overwhelm our opponents. I want to take that as a great confidence and aim for proactive play in both offense and defense in this match as well."

In addition, although we remained at 39 points for the year in the last match, the results of other matches confirmed that we will compete on the J1 stage next season.
Regarding that, Coach Shinoda said, "The fact that we secured our place without sinking gradually is the result of everyone's efforts. However, our attitude towards daily practice and matches will not change. We will focus on continuity and aim for victory with dynamic football," and he emphasized the importance of each match, committing fully to win the upcoming game.

In this match, Tanabe from Tokyo returns from suspension due to accumulated yellow cards. The center-back pairing of Morishige and Maruyama will face the strong attacking lineup of Gamba Osaka.

G Osaka's 2nd stage is currently on a three-game winning streak, sitting in 2nd place. They are fighting to make a comeback without feeling the impact of Takashi USAMI's transfer or the absence of FW PATRIC. In particular, FW Nagasawa is in good form, being a troublesome presence as a target. Not only that, but the supporting MF Ademilson, side MF Kurata, and MF Omori are also players who can break through individually.
The front line is full of talent, says Coach Shinoda.

We want to boldly uphold our style and confront the top-ranked G Osaka, showing our fighting spirit to lead us to victory.
On a clear autumn day, Suita Stadium was filled with many fans and supporters, dyeing the goal area in blue and red, and the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 16:00.

The score changed rapidly, and it was 2-2 at halftime

3 minutes: A floating pass to FW Nagasawa in the G Osaka penalty area. Just on the edge of offside, he breaks free, and in a near one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, Tokunaga clears it with a strong effort.

12 minutes: Nakajima received a pass just outside the area. He evaded the opposing defender and turned to aim for the top right corner of the goal, but it was just over the bar.
13 minutes: Tanabe intercepted a pass in the opponent's half and dribbled into the right side of the area. A shot with his right foot found the bottom right corner of the goal, scoring a goal. Tokyo takes the lead.
15 minutes: G Osaka midfielder Omori shoots with his right foot from about 20 meters away from the goal. The ground shot finds the bottom left corner of the goal, making the score 1-1.
After that, Tokyo takes control of the ball. The second line players, Higashi, Nakajima, and Kono, actively make their moves.

18 minutes: G Osaka's DF Fujiharu makes a quick counterattack, charging up the left side. A pass that evades Akimoto, who tried to intercept a through ball, reaches FW Nagasawa, who shoots into an unguarded goal. The score changes to 1-2.
22 minutes: Kono received a pass on the right side of the area and struck with his left foot. The ball beautifully arced into the left side of the goal. They equalized. It's now 2-2.

34 minutes: A through pass to Maeda, who is engaging with the defensive line from the east in the center of the pitch. Maeda advances into the right side of the area and strikes with his right foot, but it is caught by the opposing goalkeeper Higashiguchi, resulting in no goal.
40 minutes: Akimoto's long feed is contested by Maeda, and the ball deflected by his head goes to Higashi. Without slowing down his speed, Higashi controls the ball and takes a left-footed shot just before the area. This is saved by the opposing goalkeeper Higashiguchi, and no goal is scored.
The first half, with a rapidly changing score, ends with a tie at 2-2 as they head into the second half.

Equalized just before the end, resulting in a 3-3 draw

Second half begins: G Osaka makes their first substitution. MF Endo comes in for MF Konno.
In the second half, both teams compete for control from the early stages, battling for the ball in midfield.
51 minutes: G Osaka MF Omori runs up the left side and crosses. The loose ball is picked up, and MF Kurata approaches the goal with a cross from the right side, but it does not connect with a teammate, and the situation is resolved without incident.
53 minutes: The right side was broken through freely by MF Ademilson, and he aimed for the goal with a negative cross, but Tokyo's DF cleared it tenaciously.

57 minutes: Nakajima takes consecutive shots from inside the area, but is blocked by GK Higashiguchi.
62 minutes: Kajiyama passes to Kono, who takes a left-footed shot from the center outside the area. This goes wide to the right of the goal.
63 minutes: Tokyo intensifies their attack. Nakajima and Azuma penetrate the left side. The ball is passed to Tokunaga, who has moved up from his own half, and he sends a cross in front of the goal, but it is caught by the opposing goalkeeper Higashiguchi.
68 minutes: MF Endo steals the ball blocked by the opponent, and MF Ademilson dribbles from his own half. He is allowed to enter the left side of the area, but Akimoto and Maruyama apply pressure and make the save. They prevent a goal with their committed play.

72 minutes: Higashi passes to Maeda, then Nakajima connects, and Nakajima takes a right-footed shot in the area, but the opposing defender blocks it.
74 minutes: G Osaka makes their second substitution. MF Fujimoto comes in for MF Omori.
74 minutes: Tokyo makes their first substitution. Hashimoto comes on for Kono.
76 minutes: Kajiyama intercepted an opponent's pass mistake and passed to Higashi just before the area. As Higashi dropped the ball, Nakajima switched to his right foot and took a shot. This was deflected by the opposing goalkeeper Higashiguchi.

79 minutes: MF Fujimoto collects the ball in the center and makes a through pass to FW Nagasawa, who runs towards the goal. Nagasawa finds himself one-on-one with Akimoto, but Akimoto makes a fine save!
81 minutes: G Osaka makes their final substitution. FW Katsuya comes in for MF Ademilson.
81 minutes: Tokyo makes their second substitution. Hanyu comes on for Kajiwara.
Hayabusa moves to the central midfield position from the right side, while Hashimoto is on the right side.

86 minutes: Tokyo makes their final substitution. Hirayama comes on for Maeda.
90 minutes: Tokunaga dribbles to the left of the area. He brings it forward, and Hirayama is there for the cross. With Hirayama's goal, Tokyo has successfully turned the game around.
90 minutes + 1: G Osaka attacks from the right side, and DF Yonekura, who closed in on the scramble in front of the goal, scores. The match is tied again. It's now 3-3.
The seesaw game, where both teams exchanged goals, ended in a 3-3 draw.

[Player Comments]
"It was a match we could have won. The content of the match was good, and the parts where we couldn't secure the win will be a challenge for the next game. We need to organize ourselves properly, and there is always a reason for conceding goals. There are individual aspects and things we need to correct as a team, so I want to prepare well for the next match. Our attacking line scored three goals, which is thanks to everyone's effort, and we must also defend well as a team. Today, playing in this stadium for the first time, I felt a really good atmosphere, and I thought that if we play J-League matches in such a stadium, it might become even more exciting."

《Tanabe》
"Thanks to the opponent's mistake, the ball rolled to me. There was space in front, so I aimed for a shot. We had the ball for a long time and I think we were able to progress as we intended. Kajiwara and I were conscious of breaking through the opponent's two forwards, and since many of the players in the second line prefer to receive the ball at their feet, we were passing in a way that made it easier for them. The opponent is strong in counterattacks, so I think it was a match where both our strengths and the opponent's strengths were showcased."

《Hirayama》
"I was conscious of moving between the GK and DF line during practice, so in that scene, I trusted that Tokunaga would make a vertical run and jumped in. I believe that his breakthrough at that moment was the key to scoring the goal."

【Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference】
I reflect on having played a very frustrating game. It was a very good game, and I think we were able to show what we want to do. We started the game well, but conceding a goal immediately after scoring is something that should not happen, so we need to reflect on that. As a team, we are still immature in figuring out how to win this game, so I want to carefully review the footage again, organize our thoughts, and continue training. In terms of offense, we were able to show good ball control and create good chances several times. We managed to score a goal, but against G Osaka, if we don't challenge ourselves to break through more and show higher quality, we will end up with games like this. However, I want to continue this style of football and prepare well for the next match.

[G Osaka - Summary of Coach Kenta HASEGAWA's Press Conference]
"It was a tough match, but I want to positively take this one point and continue fighting. Many fans and supporters gave us really passionate support, and if we could have ended with a win, it would have been an incredibly satisfying match. We fell behind early, and there were moments at the start of the second half where we were a bit pressured, but we also had several big chances, and it wouldn't have been surprising if we had scored the third goal first. However, we couldn't convert, and as the remaining time got shorter, we conceded the third goal in that manner, leading to a difficult situation. In the end, I truly believe we showed our spirit and managed to draw the match. With four games left, I want to fight hard and spend the next week preparing to finish on a good note. The preparation time is shorter than usual, but I want to recover both mentally and physically and get ready for the match against Urawa."