The 2nd stage begins, Cerezo's attacking soccer is completely defeated!

　The 2nd stage begins today. The first match will be against Cerezo Osaka at home. Cerezo finished 5th in the 1st stage with 8 wins, 1 draw, and 6 losses. The numbers of 29 goals scored and 29 goals conceded truly represent their "attacking football". Today, despite the absence of FW Nishizawa, they have a strong lineup with Baron who has height, Okubo who is a member of the Japanese national team, Morishima who has speed, and other talented players, posing a threat to the opposing team. In the previous match of the 1st stage, they only managed a scoreless draw, so they must do whatever it takes to contain their powerful attacking lineup and have a strong start in this stage.

　In the starting lineup for Tokyo, Amaral, who returned from Egypt three days ago after the U-22 Japan national team expedition, is listed along with Ishikawa and Tokunaga. They are playing in the usual 4-5-1 formation, with Amaral leading the line. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff amidst heavy rain and a surprisingly low temperature of 21.5℃, which doesn't feel like midsummer.

Amara's long-awaited first goal of the season in the league!!

　Condition was a concern for Ishikawa and Tokunaga, but Ishikawa entered the area after intercepting a pass inside the opponent's territory in the 1st minute. Then, although it was offside, he boldly jumped out to the front line. In the 2nd minute, he showed an aggressive attitude by aiming directly for the goal from a left free kick. In the 4th minute, Cerezo's forward Okubo shot after clearing the cross from left midfielder Sato. In the 7th minute, the defensive midfielder Akeu took a long shot. In the 12th minute, Tokyo's Kelly headed a cross from Kanazawa, but failed to time it correctly and missed the goal by a wide margin. In the 14th minute, Cerezo's Baron headed a shot from a free kick. Both attempts were towards the opponent's goal, but did not result in a decisive chance. The game continues with a back and forth offensive and defensive battle.

　In the 20th minute, Kelly, who received a pass from Ishikawa on the left side, was brought down in the left corner of the penalty area. Amalao, who was free on the far side, headed Miyazawa's free kick perfectly, but the ball, which was struck hard, missed the goal and was cleared by Cerezo DF. Furthermore, Kanazawa picked up this cleared ball and took a shot, but the opponent DF blocked it. Cerezo also created opportunities in front of the goal with Okubo and Morishima as the starting point, and in the 22nd minute, midfielder Hisato connected the ball that was crossed to the right side, and defensive midfielder Hattori took a middle shot. The shot missed the target by a large margin, but they showed an attacking shape. In the 24th minute, Shigeru dropped the ball with a header from the left corner kick, and Miura, who picked up the loose ball from the DF, took a shot. He aimed from a close distance, but it narrowly missed the frame.

　Both teams had many fouls and the game was interrupted by missed passes, but in the 26th minute, Tokunaga went up the right side and entrusted the ball to Ishikawa in the opponent's territory. Ishikawa returned the pass to the space on the right side with a one-two, allowing Tokunaga to run. Tokunaga broke through the opponent's defender who came to tackle with a one-touch and delivered a sharp low-cross from near the goal line. Amaral, who had jumped near the ball, made a diving header! The ball shook the net and went into the goal!! It was a beautiful goal scene that came out of a soccer textbook, with Ishikawa and Tokunaga's perfect combination, a perfect cross, and a shot that jumped into the near side. Amaral's first goal of the season, which everyone had been waiting for, gave Tokyo the lead.

先制するもセレッソに支配され、苦しい展開

　In the 38th minute, Cerezo's Okubo passed to Sato, who had moved up to the left side to support, after Okubo was surrounded by Tokyo DF on the right side of the goal and persisted, surpassing Morishima who ran into the center. Sato cut back inside the area and took a shot, but Doi made a save. In the final stages of the match, Tokyo used the field wide to attack, but they couldn't create a chance for an additional goal and the match entered the second half.

　In the 46th minute of the second half, Ishikawa received a right throw-in and shot inside. However, after that, both teams often lost the ball due to pressing in the midfield. In the 53rd minute, Cerezo substituted MF Hara for Sato. In the 54th minute, Accel shot from outside the area after clearing the FK ball. It was a well-controlled ball, but Doi saved it with his right hand. In the 56th minute, Tokyo cut off Kelly's shot from Kanazawa's cross in a similar way. In the 60th minute, Kelly connected with Amaral in the center from the right, then with Toda on the left, and Kanazawa picked up the rebound from the DF and made a through pass to the front line. Kelly, who had run into the goal area, won a corner kick.

　61 minutes, Cerezo Osaka substitutes DF Koga for Accel. Moving DF Yanamoto to defensive midfield, they pick up loose balls and connect them to launch an attack. Tokyo substitutes Chang (Wu) for Ishikawa in the 65th minute, and Asari for Miura in the 68th minute. However, the development of being on the receiving end of Cerezo's attacks did not change. In the 76th minute, Chang evades Yanamoto's dribble on the left side of Cerezo and it becomes a corner kick. However, after clearing the corner kick kicked by Hara, Hara picks it up again and crosses it, and Fube heads the ball in front of the right goal. The soft ball is sucked into the left goal, and Tokyo is quickly caught up to a tie.

Cerezo takes control with Abe's superb goal that changes the flow!

　Tokyo, who wants to somehow take the lead, sent a neat pass to the right side by Miyazawa in the 82nd minute, and Chang passed in front of the goal. Toda, who picked up the loose ball with his back to the goal, took one touch and shot while turning around. However, it was blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 84th minute, Abe was substituted for Miyazawa, whom the coach Hara wanted to use as a "super sub" in a crucial moment. It happened right after that.

　Amalao competes with Doi's goal kick with a header on the front line and sends it back. Abe, who just came on as a substitute, runs in at the moment it falls. While approaching the defender, he quickly breaks through to the front of the goal with one touch and extends his right foot for a sliding shot, just a moment faster than the opponent's tackle! As he said, "I was thinking of lifting it," the shot draws a beautiful arc. The eyes of the entire stadium follow its trajectory, but the ball firmly finds the target and drops into the goal! The excitement in the stands reaches its peak with Abe's super goal just after coming on as a substitute and with his first touch, and it sways for a while with loud cheers.

　After Amaral, when the team gets the person they should get, they gain momentum. Tokyo, with Chan in the defensive midfield, Toda, Abe, and Kelly showing sudden quick movements up front, had another header shot from Abe from a pinpoint right cross by Tokunaga in the 87th minute, but it didn't go in. Furthermore, Abe himself ran up the right side and took a daring shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 89th minute, Kanazawa picked up the opponent's defender's clearance and connected with Kelly. Toda intercepted the ball that Kelly sent to the front line with a back header and took a decisive shot from in front of the goal, but unfortunately it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Tokyo ran around the field energetically and showed a fierce attack. Amaral defended until the final line and stopped Cerezo's attack, and in the end, the game ended with a score of 2-1. Amaral and Abe secured a close victory with a splendid first couple goal and achieved their first victory in the 2nd stage.

【Player Comments】《Amaral》"I am happy for both my goal and the team's victory. I always had the feeling that I had to score a goal, but I also believed that someday I would be able to do it. More than that, I am happy that the team is improving. Today, we were caught up in the second half, but we had a strong desire to 'go for the win' afterwards. From now on, we need to maintain that strong mentality and further improve our level."《Abe》"It was tough not being able to score for a long time. I wanted to come on in the second half right away, but time passed on the bench. However, I made sure not to give up until the end. If you give up, nothing will be born. I just wanted to focus on scoring goals and do my job for the team. I think anyone can play for themselves. I want to continue scoring goals for the team in the future."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Today, I was most pleased that Amaral scored. He hadn't been able to score in the league matches, but I believe this will lead to good things for both him and the team moving forward. I was worried about the rain, but it was great that we scored the opening goal. However, just like in the Nabisco Cup match against Urawa, we were equalized from a corner kick today, which made me feel uneasy. At that moment, Abe scored at a good time. Recently, his characteristic unpredictability had been fading a bit, but today he showed his style even in a short appearance. In the Nabisco Cup match against Urawa, Kaji provided a great assist, and I think that inspired Tokunaga to assist Amaral today. We saw strong defense in various places, and Fujiyama also did well. Chan (Wu) was wonderful with his strength in duels and his fearless approach to challenges. Usually, with Amaral, Kelly, and Jean around, he doesn't get many chances, but he plays like that in practice. That's why I think other young players are also improving. There are still areas that need improvement in terms of content, but we scored two goals at home and earned three points. Moving forward, we want to play an attacking style of football that scores one or two goals or more. Even when we are pressured by the opponent like in the second half, if we can connect well after winning the ball or finish with a counterattack, I believe we can play more to our rhythm and score one or two more goals. This is a challenge for us to reach the next level."

[Cerezo Osaka Coach Nishimura's Press Conference Summary] "We had the desire to win, but our performance was so poor that we ended up unable to show our strength. However, I don't want to be negative; we made some changes since the 1st stage, so I want to review what went wrong while discussing it with the players. Our foundation is a three-back system, but when we mark both sides in Tokyo, we tend to drop back too much, so we shifted one side back. There weren't any major issues, but the first goal was beautifully created from the side. However, in the first half, the opponent was good, and the half-hearted offensive play and how we lost the ball were more problematic. Having good players alone doesn't guarantee goals. It's about how the ball circulates to them. In that sense, our decisions were slow. Everyone had the same image of what we wanted to do, but there was a lack of movement. To express our desire to win and move up, I think our first touches were timid, and we were slow to get going. However, this one match is not everything; it's about what we do in the next game. I want to do my part well, and I have high expectations for the players."