Belaza!! TUTO!!

"Beléza (meaning "beautiful" in Portuguese)!" I couldn't help but shout when I saw TUTO's second goal. It was a scene where Yukihiko SATO's corner kick from the left was perfectly headed into the goal in the 43rd minute of the second half. TUTO himself extended Kyoto's lead with this second goal of the day. However, right after this, something even more surprising happened...

At the end of the match, it was already in injury time, but Kyoto launched a desperate all-out attack to score a goal. Naturally, Kyoto pushed forward and the defensive line was high, so GK Doi, judging the situation, kicked the ball towards TUTO, who was left alone in the front line, as soon as he caught it. The Kyoto defenders who were marking TUTO reacted and it became a contest, but on this day, there was almost no obstacle to stop TUTO, who had already scored two goals and was on a roll. TUTO easily shook off the defending player marking him and took a shot with the ball bouncing high! Although it was a distance of 30 meters, the sharply dropping "drive shot" that drew a large arc mocked the outstretched hand of Kyoto's former Japanese national team GK Matsunaga and was sucked into the left corner of the goal. The venue fell silent for a moment, but soon after, it was filled with loud cheers.

"Amazing...". It was someone's words. The last 10 minutes of this match were truly TUTO's one-man show. How deep is this man's hidden potential...?

Trial? Entering the GW consecutive battle...

In the previous match against Hiroshima, Amaral was injured and sent off. He was diagnosed with a contusion in his left thigh and is expected to take 2-3 weeks to recover. The absence of Amaral brings back memories of the "nightmare" from the end of last season. However, this season, they have taken a "thorough" approach to that lesson. They acquired two strikers, Takuya JINNO, who was the "inaugural J2 top scorer" and troubled Tokyo in the same J2 league last season, and TUTO, the "rising star" from Kawasaki Frontale. It was a strategy to overcome the "crisis of Amaral's absence" that they will inevitably face in the long and tough season. They expected JINNO to play as a post player in Amaral's absence and expected TUTO to demonstrate his limitless potential and energetic movement in the front line. TUTO formed a striking partnership with Amaral from the beginning of the season and showcased his young talent without any regrets. On the other hand, JINNO also had a delayed start due to injury, but he showcased his presence in practice matches and waited for the "opportunity that will require him" that will eventually come. And that opportunity came in the previous match against Hiroshima. The "new combination" of TUTO and JINNO responded to it, and JINNO scored after a pass from TUTO, and contributed to the victory in an important match.

And then came the GW consecutive matches. A series of three matches against the two lower-ranked teams that we absolutely cannot afford to lose (vs Kyoto on 4/29, vs Kawasaki F on 5/6), and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup champion, Shimizu S-Pulse (5/3). It would be a lie to say that there is no anxiety without Amaral, but if we can overcome this, it will prove that FC Tokyo has the strength to compete in J1 this year. Fight, Tokyo!

Struggling against Kyoto's fast press

The first match of the consecutive games during Golden Week, the opponent of the day is Kyoto. Kyoto has only won one game this season and is currently in last place with 5 consecutive losses. The team has "King Kazu" Kazuyoshi Miura, and although the team's condition is not good, he is exerting his individuality towards achieving the historic "100 goals" for the league for the first time. He is still a person to be wary of.

In the match against the last place team in Tokyo, they had only lost to G Osaka in the 7th round, so they wanted to fight with high motivation by using the "sense of crisis" of Amaral's absence as a springboard.

While each team's "Tokyo countermeasures" were thoroughly strengthened, Kyoto was no exception. Kyoto, which deployed two defensive midfielders in front of three defenders and two flexible wing-backs on both sides, has been playing the "pressing soccer" that Coach Kamo talks about.

Immediately after the start of the match, Kamiya and TUTO expanded to the side from their post-play and seized an opportunity. However, they were then overwhelmed by Kyoto's fast press. As Coach Okuma said after the match, "It is difficult to break through individually and organizationally in tight situations." Tokyo was unable to find a way to attack against Kyoto's fast press, which always created a numerical advantage in tight situations.

On the contrary, Kyoto, when they took the ball, quickly entrusted it to the two top players, Kazu (Miura Kazuyoshi) and Hejis, and from there, they disrupted Tokyo with fast passing work. In the midfield, young talents with technique and tactical vision like Matsui and Endo freely scattered the ball and crossed it from both sides. In the 6th minute of the match, Kazu scored a free header from a highly accurate pinpoint cross from Endo on the left, and in the 9th minute, Hejis unleashed a powerful shot from the center. The game was dominated by Kyoto.

To a dramatic finale...

In the second half, Tokyo was unable to build up in the midfield and repeated a monotonous attack of long passes from the defensive line to the front line. However, the situation improved slightly with Kina's entry. Kina advanced one step forward with his dribbling skills in the midfield and supplied passes, which allowed Kanno in the front line to start his post-play with a slight delay in the opponent's marking. As a result, Naito and Fujiyama's participation in the attack as both fullbacks gradually increased in frequency.

Kyoto also attacks Tokyo's goal with a relentless pace centered around Hejis. They cut in from the sides or the center and unleash powerful shots, but Tokyo's last line of defense, Doi, shows a determined save full of fighting spirit. In the 30th minute of the second half, they are hit with a decisive shot from the front of the goal, but Doi also deflects it with a fantastic reaction. Up until this point, Doi was undoubtedly the hero of the day. However, after this, a scene occurs that completely turns the tide in this disadvantageous situation.

In the 33rd minute of the second half, TUTO broke through the left side with an amazing running power from a counter attack and sent a low and sharp cross to the front of the goal. Kaburagi jumped in and took a shot while falling down, but at this moment, the Kyoto DF who was marking him committed a fatal handball. TUTO calmly converted this penalty kick and took the lead.

Kyoto, who had maintained their balance up until now, became impatient and shifted to an attacking style, causing spaces to open up. Tokyo took advantage of these spaces and attacked. And... TUTO's one-man show started with the play that led to that penalty kick. As former Japanese national team defender Nakamura of Kyoto said, "Even though we knew about his speed, we couldn't stop him." TUTO's hat-trick is not just about momentum, it is backed up by solid evidence.

With this, we cleared the first game of the Golden Week consecutive matches. Even without Amaral, the two strikers, TUTO and Kanno, showed a significant presence. Unfortunately, TUTO will not be able to play in the next match against the strong team Shimizu S-Pulse (due to accumulated warnings), but young FW players Kaburaki and Matsuda, who played on this day, will surely live up to expectations.

<Coach Okuma's Comment>

Today's game was not satisfactory in terms of content. In particular, there were many missed passes in tight spaces, and it was difficult not being able to change sides. One positive aspect of this game was that even though the midfield couldn't build up, both fullbacks actively participated in the attack and carried out intentional attacks. This should lead to a positive direction in the future.

In the next match (without TUTO), we will fight by combining Toda, Kaburagi, Matsuda, and others who are working hard in the satellite team with Kamiya as the axis. Even without Amaral, we can fight if we develop soccer centered around Kamiya.