Aiming for a courageous victory against the formidable Gamba Osaka

　In the 8th round of the league, we played against Gamba Osaka away. In the previous round against Kyoto, the match ended in a draw, and we have not been able to achieve a victory in the league since the match against Omiya on March 28th. Especially in terms of attack, the number of goals scored is low, and we have been unable to play the soccer we want, continuing to have frustrating battles. Coach Jofuku reflects, "It's not that the players' motivation is low or that they don't have the desire. It's just that they haven't been able to generate the energy for victory." He organizes the challenges and aims to win 3 points in this round. On the other hand, G Osaka is currently in 13th place with 7 points. They have also struggled with injuries and have only won one match in the league so far. Coach Jofuku says, "They have inherent strength and the quality of individual players' decision-making is high. The quality doesn't change regardless of who plays." G Osaka has young and energetic forwards such as Usami and Otsuka, and one of the highlights is the battle for control in the midfield to prevent them from easily passing the ball. In addition, the key is how we can create opportunities from the sides against the opponent's formation of 3-5-2 with defenders Kaji and midfielder Yasuda as wing-backs. If we can score the first goal from there, the chances of winning 3 points should increase. Tokyo has Nakamura returning to the starting lineup since the previous round, and Kajiyama has made the squad for the first time since the 2nd round of the league. Regarding the attacking line, Coach Jofuku honestly says, "It's not wrong to say that it's trial and error." However, he emphasizes the importance of turning opportunities into breakthroughs by players who are prepared, rather than simply replacing someone because they are not performing well, while making the team's style of play clear. Last season, we ended up with 1 draw and 1 loss against G Osaka, especially suffering a big defeat away. It is a match that we want to take revenge in. Coach Jofuku says, "There are many things we can learn from G Osaka, who also pursue passing soccer." However, he also states, "We have no intention of copying G Osaka at all. By learning from G Osaka, we should be able to further utilize Tokyo's individual weapons and strong points." With determination, we aim to bring the game to a "battle equal to or greater than" and achieve victory. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 17:03.

Just one step away from creating a scoring opportunity...

　At the beginning, both teams cautiously entered the game, trying to find their rhythm from their own style of play. As neither team forced the issue, the game continued with a back-and-forth exchange. In the 8th minute, Ricardinho dribbled up the center of the opponent's half and took a shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 11th minute, Ishikawa floated a ball to the left front line behind the defense from a counterattack. Ricardinho ran into the left area and took a shot, but it went wide. In the 19th minute, Kim Young-gon advanced into the area and created a chance after receiving a pass from Hirayama. Tokyo gradually gained control of the ball and created opportunities by targeting the space behind G Osaka's defense, starting with a quick press in the midfield. In the 23rd minute, Hirayama became the starting point in the front line and connected with Ishikawa, who ran to the left side, and then with Nagatomo, who came up from the right. Nagatomo moved inside and took a shot from the corner of the right area, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 37th minute, Ishikawa broke free on the right side after a side change by Kim Young-gon and sent a fast cross, but Hirayama in the center couldn't finish it. Then, in the 39th minute, Ricardinho received a pass from Hayashi and connected with Ishikawa, who was free and had moved up from the right. Ishikawa took the ball inside the area and attempted a shot, but the opponent's defender quickly recovered and he was a beat too late to shoot. The excellent chance was missed, and they only earned a corner kick. After that, G Osaka had moments where they passed the ball and launched counterattacks, not allowing Tokyo to fully grasp the rhythm. The first half ended scoreless.

Defeated by the opponent's high scoring ability, conceding 2 goals

　G Osaka brought in FW Lucas and MF Endo in the second half, changing to a 4-4-2 formation. However, it was Tokyo that created a decisive chance at the start of the second half. In the 51st minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and sent a perfect cross to the center for Ricardinho. However, Ricardinho was unable to connect... In the 55th minute, Nagatomo outmuscled G Osaka MF Yasuda and broke through to the sideline. He sent a backward pass to the center but couldn't finish. Kim Young-gun picked up the clearance and unleashed a powerful shot from distance, but it was blocked by the defense. To regain rhythm, Kaji and Shigematsu came on in the 59th minute. In the 61st minute, a long feed from Kim Young-gun was headed down by Hirayama, and Ishikawa took a carefully aimed shot from the right area, but it just went slightly to the left... In the 66th minute, G Osaka FW Lucas took a shot from the left side of Tokyo's half. The ball seemed to change direction at Gonda's hands and rolled into the net. They allowed the first goal. With this goal, G Osaka gained momentum and launched vigorous attacks starting from Lucas. After that, Tokyo also brought in Suzuki, but in the 75th minute, Tokyo's defense failed to clear a ball that came to FW Lucas, allowing FW Usami to pounce on the ball that rolled in front of the goal. Gonda saved the shot initially, but MF Endo skillfully connected the loose ball, allowing FW Usami to score. Tokyo, trying to counterattack, saw Kim Young-gun's powerful shot and Kaji's attempt from a corner kick rebound, but ultimately suffered a frustrating defeat without scoring. 【Player Comments】《Kaji》"After I came on, we conceded a goal, and at that time, we couldn't seize the flow. However, it might be a natural result that if we don't convert our chances, this is what happens... If we can create more balance in spreading the opponent wide in front of the goal or stretching vertically... I think we could find more rhythm. In my third year under Coach Jofuku, I feel we have been able to connect well. From there, we need to score in the final moments... I want to be involved in plays in front of the goal and score together with everyone. I was the most frustrated about not being able to play in the match. I want to turn that frustration into my performance on the pitch. (How's your foot?) It was a difficult situation coming on as a substitute, but my ball sense is gradually improving. I didn't feel anything during the match, but I want to take good care of it so that I don't have any rebound tomorrow. And I want to gradually increase my playing time." 《Kim Young-gun》"I was frustrated and disappointed. But I also have a strong desire to fight more, and after the match, I couldn't get up for a while... (Did you actively aim for long shots and free kicks?) I felt that the team had too few shots, so I aimed actively within my limits... I want to improve my accuracy more." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】"Last year, I felt very frustrated here, so together with the players, we prepared the best we could for today’s match, but the result of 0-2 is something we must accept. The content of the game, in the first half, went according to our plan in some ways, but I think the difference in precision in both teams' areas directly reflected in the score. I don't know what our ranking will be this weekend, but I think the current ranking reflects the content within our area, and we must accept that the precision within the area is what leads to our current ranking. No matter how well we create chances, if we can't carry the ball to that point with precision, that is our current reality. I want to work on that with the players. There were also some unimaginable shooting misses, but I want to view that as part of our current ability." 【G Osaka Coach Nishino's Press Conference Summary】"The first half was not so much a stalemate as it was a mediocre match, and we struggled to find a way to attack. Fortunately, we didn't face any powerful attacks, but in terms of flow, we didn't function well offensively. Although we weren't at our best, we boldly switched two players, and while we were helped by FC Tokyo's rhythm, each player was able to calmly move the ball and create some flow. The first half had too many long feeds, so at halftime, we calmed down and aimed to regain our tempo by moving the ball steadily, even if it took a little longer. Finally, we were able to distribute the ball quite well with a good accent. There were very few good chances, but I am relieved that we were able to score and achieve results in such a situation. Regarding the two (MF Endo and FW Lucas), I still feel they have a long way to go for a full 45 minutes, and I think we need to raise the overall flow a bit. I think Takashi (FW Usami) scored from an aggressive attempt, and I feel we have seen some positive signs."