Break through the opponent's solid defense with persistent play and secure a victory away from home!

　In the 19th round of the league, we played against Cerezo Osaka away. In the previous match against Kashima, we struggled in the first half but made adjustments in the second half and secured a valuable 1 point with a goal from Imakuno. Although there is still room for improvement in terms of conceding goals from set pieces, our energy level remained high throughout the 90 minutes. With the confidence and momentum gained from the match against Kashima, we aim to secure 3 points today. On the other hand, C Osaka is currently in 5th place. Despite the transfer of MF Shinji Kagawa to Germany during the break, they have achieved 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in the 7 matches since July. Although they lost 2-3 to Shimizu in the 15th round, they have maintained good form. They have scored a total of 28 goals so far, while conceding only 17, which is the fewest in the league. In particular, they have kept clean sheets in the last 3 matches. They are known for their solid defense, but they also have attacking players such as FW Ienaga, Adriano, and MF Kiyotake, and they have a high ball possession rate. Although MF Amaral will be suspended for this match, the key will be how well we can concentrate and defend against C Osaka's ball possession and turn it into a counterattack. For Tokyo, Gonda and Kajiyama have returned to the starting lineup after recovering their condition. On the other hand, Hayabusa is absent again due to a left foot injury, and Tokunaga will play as the left midfielder. The two forwards will be Okubo and Ricardinho. In terms of attack, we want to break through the space behind C Osaka's full-backs who play in high positions and create opportunities from the sides. If Ricardinho and Ishikawa can exploit the space, it will be possible to take advantage of Okubo's sharp movements. We want to break through C Osaka's strong defense, both individually and collectively, and score the first goal. Tokunaga expressed his determination, saying, "I want to be involved in the build-up play and contribute more to scoring by moving forward. If our attacks become predictable, we won't be able to break through C Osaka's defense. Their defenders, especially Moni (Mochizuki), mark tightly, so we want to use the space. Once we regain possession, we also want to actively aim for counterattacks." Like in the previous match where we found our rhythm through player substitutions and formation changes, we will unite as a team and never give up in the match against C Osaka! The match started at 19:05 at Kincho Stadium with C Osaka's kickoff.

They were forced to make substitutions and faced a difficult situation, allowing the opponent to take the lead and ending the first half.

　In the 4th minute of the start, Tokyo lost the ball on the left side and C Osaka FW Ienaga attempted to break through and crossed the ball. It reached FW Adriano perfectly and he scored with a header, giving up an early lead. Although it was a goal that should not have been conceded, they remained calm and continued to attack. In the 10th and 17th minutes, chances were created from Ishikawa's sharp crosses, but they did not result in shots. In the 12th minute, Okubo broke through the opponent's defense with a pass to the front line, but his shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. In the 20th minute, Ishikawa dribbled up and unleashed a powerful shot with a drive, but it went off target. The opponent's goalkeeper fumbled the ball, but quickly caught it. In the 21st minute, Ricardinho bypassed the opponent's defense from the left side and took a shot, but it went wide. On the other hand, C Osaka also took the ball and their forward line took fluid positions, threatening Tokyo's goal sharply. Tokyo struggled against this and made adjustments by moving Imakawa to defensive midfield and Morishige to center-back, before the 30th minute. However, in the 37th minute, Morishige received his second yellow card of the match and was sent off. From here, they had to play with 10 men, with Imakawa dropping back to center-back and Tokunaga and Kajiyama in defensive midfield. Okubo played as the lone striker, with Ishikawa and Ricardinho on the sides. Despite the difficult situation, Tokyo controlled the game towards the end of the first half. In the 44th minute, Kajiyama shifted to the left and Matsumoto aimed for a middle shot from the ball dropped by Tokunaga. It grazed the opponent's defender and hit the crossbar... Immediately after, Ricardinho attempted a central breakthrough and Ishikawa seized the loose ball, aiming for a middle shot, but it went wide. In the end, they went into halftime trailing.

Despite Ōtake's determined goal, the team suffered multiple setbacks and was defeated.

　Entering the second half, just 50 minutes in, C Osaka's cross was cleared once, but was regained by C Osaka. From there, substitute FW Komatsu challenged in the right area, and Gonda's clearance was pounced on by C Osaka's right SB Takahashi, resulting in the second goal conceded... In an attempt to change the flow, in the 56th minute, Hirayama and Ohtake were brought in to replace Daigoku and Ricardinho. However, with a numerical disadvantage, it was difficult to create chances. In the 66th minute, Shigematsu was brought in, with Nakamura on the right of the defense line, and Konno and Kim Yong-gun in the center. Tokunaga covered the left side, with Kajiyama and Ohtake in the holding midfield. Matsushita was positioned as the right MF. The formation aimed to break through with Hirayama and Shigematsu up front. Particularly, several crosses were sent into the goal area from the right side, starting with Nakamura and Matsushita, but were repelled by the opposing goalkeeper. Conversely, in the 80th minute, from a counter by C Osaka, substitute FW Kuroki scored a powerful long-range shot. Nevertheless, not giving up, in the 86th minute, from Kim Yong-gun's advance, Ohtake evaded a one-two and attempted a central breakthrough, with the loose ball connected by Hirayama, and Ohtake again entered the area. Calmly evading the opposing defense, he managed to score one back. However, immediately after, in the 87th minute, a long-range shot from C Osaka's MF Ishigami from the side slipped from Gonda's hands... Unable to overcome the numerical disadvantage, the team was constantly attacked by C Osaka. In the final stages, Ohtake marked a determined goal, but conceded four goals and suffered a defeat. 【Player Comments】《Ohtake》“(Reflecting on the goal scene) Since Kim Yong-gun was advancing, I evaded the one-two and moved forward. The loose ball from the chaotic situation was well set up by Saito-kun, and I calmly evaded the defense. Although we were at a disadvantage, C Osaka was not following our second line's runs, so I wanted to somehow get it forward into a dangerous area and score a goal. Today was tough due to being down to 10 men, but if we could have held on and scored one back at 0-2, I think there would have still been a chance. I think conceding the third goal was painful.” 《Daigoku》 “We conceded early, but I had a chance right after that. It hit the opponent's goalkeeper's head, but if I had scored there, the game might have changed. If we could have made it 1-1, I don't think there would have been a sending off, and not being able to score in those situations is something I need to reflect on. While we can't say there were many chances as a team, we need to score even with the few we have. That's the job of a forward. I want to work hard to be able to do that. (Although we dropped to 14th place) it may be that what the team is trying to do is not quite coming together. While countermeasures against the opponent are necessary, it may be important to calmly organize our own football and unify our intentions once again.” 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 “I am very disappointed. I regret that we could not celebrate with the supporters and fans who came to the away game. (Morishige was sent off, but what impact did it have on the team?) I think the players themselves understand well the difficulty of losing a player from the first half in this climate.” 【C Osaka Coach Levir CULPI's Press Conference Summary】 “Good evening. I think it was a really good game. Especially, we were able to score the first goal at Kincho Stadium, and the goal that capped off today was also from Cerezo. I feel that this stadium can truly be called a lucky stadium for us. The supporters are very close by. Therefore, the players can give more than they have. This victory was really important to encourage the supporters to continue coming. I think it was clearly shown in today's game that this support will be a great weapon for Cerezo at Kincho Stadium.”