Expecting Fresh Power!

　Tokyo, who were missing their two key players, DF Jean and MF Kelly, due to injuries in the previous match against Ichihara, confidently introduced fresh power in the match against G Osaka on this day. In the starting lineup, 20-year-old Shigenobu Mogi replaced Jean as center-back, and 18-year-old Marcelo replaced Kelly as attacking midfielder. In addition, 18-year-old DF Oyoku and 16-year-old MF Chang (nickname for Jang Eun OH) were named on the bench. Except for Oyoku, all of them were making their debut in the team, following the rookie MF Baba (18 years old) and MF Maeda (18 years old) who have already made their official match debut this season. It seems that Coach Hara actively utilizes fresh power in the lineup.

　On this day, the debut of MF Chang attracted particular attention. If Chang, who will be 16 years, 8 months, and 20 days old on this day, participates in the match, a "new record" will be created by shortening the previous J-League youngest appearance record (set by Yuuki ABE of Ichihara on August 5, 1998, at the age of 16 years and 10 months and 30 days) by 2 months and 10 days. Expectations were high for the establishment of a new record by this genius boy who came from Korea and his astonishing performance that was beyond his age.

　On the other hand, G Osaka, who is missing their scoring source, FW Maguron, due to suspension, has a solid lineup with former Brazilian national team MF Marcelinho leading the attack and Japanese national team DF Miyamoto leading the defense. There are only two league matches left until the World Cup break. For Tokyo, currently in 6th place, and G Osaka, in 7th place, this match is a crucial battle that they cannot afford to lose in order to remain in the title race. Tokyo's strength is undoubtedly weakened without their two key players, but they are relying on unexpected energy from their motivated and fresh power to secure victory.

New Faces Fresh Hopes 

Following the loss of key men Jean and Kelly to injury in the previous game against JEF U, F.C.TOKYO played the youth card for the 6th game of the season, away to Gamba Osaka. Twenty year-old Moniwa replaced Jean, eighteen year-old Marcelo filled in for his compatriot in the withdrawn striker position and sixteen year-old Jang Eun Oh debuted in midfield. Apart from eighteen year-old substitute Omata, all were making their first ever appearances and together with midfielders Baba and Maeda, both eighteen, who also made their first team debuts this season, are proof of the positive approach under new manager Hiromi Hara.
All eyes were on Jang Eun Oh who broke the record for the youngest player to appear in the J-League. At 16 years 8 months and 20 days he surpassed the previous mark, held by Yuki Abe of JEF U, by 2 months and 10 days. Great things are expected of the South Korean youngster.
Gamba were without suspended striker Magrao; however, with former Brazil midfielder Marcelinho directing the attack and Japan defender Miyamoto marshalling the defence were at full strength. With only two games remaining before the World Cup break both sides were aiming to bolster their points totals. F.C.TOKYO were hoping that youthful energy could replace the loss of several first team regulars.

Disrupting the rhythm of the unique low tension of the Expo

　The previous match record is 1 win and 3 losses against Tokyo, and the compatibility with G Osaka is not good at all. Tokyo, who plays with full speed in both offense and defense from the beginning, based on high technique, has often struggled to keep up with G Osaka's slow tempo of patiently passing the ball without rushing. On this day, there were noticeable empty seats in the stands with 4,883 spectators, and an indescribably relaxed atmosphere that promotes slow-paced soccer enveloped the venue. Tokyo falls into this low-tension atmosphere from the start.

　At the beginning, Tokyo attempted to play their usual aggressive pressing game from the front line, but the lack of coordination in the pressing from the four players in the front line resulted in an ineffective ball recovery in high positions, allowing the opponents to easily connect passes. Previously, Kelly was the key player in both attack and defense, with the team adjusting accordingly. However, Marcelo, who replaced Kelly, desperately chased after the ball but lacked the necessary timing and ended up going forward alone, unable to win the ball. As a result, the midfielders Miyazawa and Asari were also pulled forward, leaving the midfield vulnerable to Marcinho's attacks. G Osaka focused on feeding the ball to Marcinho and exploited the team with a variety of long and short passes.

　However, Tokyo gradually regained composure against G Osaka, who controlled the ball but did not rush to attack with a slow tempo. In the 6th minute, Miyazawa quickly restarted the game with a free kick near the center circle and sent a through pass behind the opponent's defense, creating a big chance for Nariyuki Kobayashi, but he fell short and the ball was cleared. Tokyo built their game around Miyazawa, using Amaral's posts and Yukihiro on the right side to increase their attacking opportunities. Marcelo also actively engaged with the ball, not sparing any effort in his movement, and although he made many mistakes, he spread the ball to the side and ran into the goal area to take shots. Although he didn't score, he headed a cross from the right in the 17th minute and immediately after that, he spectacularly shot a ball dropped by Amaral from a corner kick, showing his proactive attitude.

Lack of Atmosphere Leads to Trouble 

Gamba have proved difficult opponents for F.C.TOKYO - the record stands at Won 1 Lost 3 - and were content to slow the pace of the game to prevent the visitors getting into their stride. A meagre crowd of only 4,883 had turned out for the game; the slow tempo and lack of atmosphere seemed to disturb F.C.TOKYO. Unable to play their customary high pressure game, harrying opponents up field, they were reduced to a fruitless chase after the ball.
Defensive midfielders Miyazawa and Asari were stretched and had no answer to Marcelinho, the conduit for all Gamba's movements, as he sprayed passes around at will.
For all their possession Gamba didn't seriously threaten the F.C.TOKYO goal, and the visitors actually had the best early chance as a quickly taken free kick found Masamitsu Kobayashi unmarked but a last ditch tackle cleared the danger. F.C.TOKYO slowly began to work their way back into the game as the lively Marcelo made some headway in midfield - in the 17th minute he got his head to a right wing cross and soon after went close following an Amaral knock down.

Become defensive and fall behind unexpectedly

　The defense was also at the mercy of Marcelinho, but G Osaka's Matsunami and Yoshihara's strong center-back duo of Ito and Shigeki kept a clean sheet and did not allow any goals. In the 19th minute, they were broken through on the right side and faced a powerful shot, but Tsuchi prevented it. In the 21st minute, a perfect through pass was sent behind the defense by Marcelinho, but Ito won the competition and did not allow a shot.

　However, during the time period of "Now, let's go," an unexpected pitfall awaited. In the 22nd minute, Amaral, who was defending in front of the goal, missed a clearance from a free kick taken by Endo from the left side of G Osaka, and the ball passed through Doi's legs and into their own goal. This own goal, which was completely unexpected, allowed G Osaka to take the lead at home. This unexpected goal conceded during a time period when Tokyo, lacking their two key players in attack and defense, was starting to find their rhythm, cast a significant shadow mentally.

　Pressing aggressively from the front line and aggressively approaching the goal by winning the ball in high positions is the style of Tokyo football this year. However, the pressing of the front line players on this day was weak from the beginning, and it became a factor that made the whole team play at a slow tempo that seemed to match the opponent's pace, lacking in intensity. With the goal conceded due to this mistake, the entire team became even more defensive, and the situation headed towards a more difficult direction.

　Tokyo tried to build the game around Miyazawa, but after Miyazawa passed the ball, the next play was sloppy and they couldn't break through G Osaka's solid defense. When Kelly was on the field, he would pass the ball to Amaral, who would then receive it and advance through dribbling or passing, creating scoring opportunities relatively frequently when the ball was passed to both sides after breaking through the opponent's defense. However, on this day, they were constantly in a numerically disadvantaged situation in the attacking zone because they couldn't do that, and Yukihiko and Seigo couldn't break through on their own. Therefore, they had no choice but to take desperate mid-range shots without fully breaking down the opponent.

　In the 32nd minute, we allowed an additional goal due to another mistake. Minoru KOBAYASHI's pass was intercepted on the right side, and Marcelo and Matsumi connected with it. Matsumi then crossed from the left side, and Yoshihara shot from close range on the right side. The shot hit the bar and bounced back, and Matsumi, who was following up, kicked it powerfully into the net, making it a 2-goal difference. Furthermore, in the 42nd minute, Matsumi broke through on the right side again and scored a goal, ending the first half with a score of 0-3.

Unlucky Goal Dampens F.C.TOKYO Spirit 

Despite the best promptings of Marcelinho, the F.C. TOKYO center back pair of Ito and Moniwa had dealt comfortably with the Gamba strikers Matsunami and Yoshihara. Goalkeeper Doi was forced into a save after 19 minutes, and Ito made an important tackle soon after. Just when F.C. TOKYO seemed ready to tighten their grip on the game, disaster struck. Endo curled in a free kick from the right, and Amaral, back helping the defense, mis-hit his clearance, the ball squirming past Doi and over the line.
The goal knocked the stuffing out of F.C. TOKYO; unable to find Amaral in advanced positions and lacking Kelly to pick up his knockdowns, they were reduced to shooting from distance. Another lapse let in Gamba for a second goal in the 32nd minute. A loose pass from Minoru Kobayashi allowed Marcelinho to feed Matsunami on the right. Yoshihara hammered his cross against the bar; following up, Matsunami lashed the ball into the roof of the net for 2-0. The same player made it three just before half time as he held off a defender before firing low past Doi.

Although we suffered a humiliating defeat, there were also gains...

　At halftime, Coach Hara said, "In the second half, let's replace Kobayashi with Toda, who has momentum, and chase from the front line. Let's remember the soccer we have played so far and turn the game around in the second half. Don't end it like this for the fans who came to support us. Everyone is being pessimistic. Don't fear anything. If we fight until the end without giving up, we will definitely win." With that rallying cry, Tokyo started the second half and Toda ran into space as instructed, showing his momentum. In the 7th minute, Toda broke through from the back and had a big chance, but couldn't reach it and the opponent's defender cleared it.

　And in the 9th minute of the second half, Chan appeared, replacing Yukihiko who was still not in perfect condition. At this moment, the J-League's youngest appearance record was updated for the first time in 4 years. Chan seemed nervous at first, but soon showed a passionate play in both offense and defense as an unfamiliar side midfielder, not his usual attacking midfielder position. Chan would drop back to a deep position to defend, then sprint up the right side to receive the ball from Miyazawa and Toda with a big side change, and deliver a cross. It was unbelievable for a 16-year-old, his astonishing physicality, but what impressed me even more was the "fighting spirit" that was most needed by the team on this day. He suffered a head injury (2 stitches after the match) when competing with the opponent's defender for Miyazawa's side change, but he didn't hesitate at all and immediately returned to the pitch with a bandage. Once back on the pitch, he continued to compete in aerial duels without hesitation, just like before the injury, and he also made aggressive sliding tackles to win the ball.

　The match then saw G Osaka extend their lead by 4 goals in the 12th minute of the second half, as Marcelinho delivered a pinpoint cross from the right side and Arai pushed it into the net with a header. In the 24th minute, Marcelinho once again provided a cross from the left side, and Yoshihara jumped in from the center to score the team's fifth goal with a header.

　Tokyo fought until the end to score a goal. In the 37th minute, Amaral brought the ball in from the right and passed it to Miyazawa in the center. Miyazawa took a sharp shot with a one-touch, but unfortunately it hit the crossbar. In the 43rd minute, Toda broke free from a through pass from Ito, who had advanced from the center, and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, but his shot narrowly missed to the left of the goal. Amaral also ran tirelessly until the end, but there were scenes where he tried to break through on his own and ended up losing the ball to the opponent. In the end, the match ended without being able to retaliate. It was painful to lose a match that we desperately wanted to win with this performance, even though it was a difficult formation. It is uncertain whether Kelly and Jean will return for the next match against Sendai. It was a gain that Chan's usability was established in this match, but we need to quickly come up with countermeasures with a change of mindset.

[Summary of the coach's comments] It was a complete defeat. I feel sorry for the fans who supported us. Normally, we can be more aggressive from the start, but we couldn't do that today. We became timid after an own goal during a calm period of the game, and losing confidence from a mistake leading to the second goal was significant. Today, the ball couldn't settle with Yukihiko and Masamitsu, and without that, we couldn't establish a rhythm. The lack of confidence in the attacking line affected both offense and defense. The positive outcome is that we have confirmed Chang's usability, and we can consider him as a future asset. In soccer, there are times like this. We need to switch our mindset and prepare to win the next game without lingering on this defeat.

Where There's Life

At half time manager Hara told his players to "remember the kind of football we have played so far this season. There's nothing to be afraid of. If we don't give up and fight to the end we can still win ". He replaced Minoru Kobayashi with the more attack minded Toda and F.C.TOKYO came out fighting in the second half. Toda latched onto a long ball in the 52nd minute but a desperate tackle denied him a clear shot on goal. Soon after Jang Eun Oh wrote his name in the J-League history books as he replaced Sato on the right, where he performed admirably with a maturity and physical presence that belied his age. In an aerial collision he received a cut that required stitches after the game, but was soon back on the pitch after treatment, with his injury having no discernible influence on the aggression and fighting spirit he showed on his debut.
In the 57th minute Marcelinho curled in a pinpoint cross for Araiba to head past Doi for number four, and an almost identical move in the 69th minute brought a similar result, except this time Yoshihara was the lucky recipient.
F.C.TOKYO battled to the bitter end but even a consolation goal eluded them.
Miyazawa fired over the bar in the 82nd minute and Toda failed to hit the target after being put clean through with only the keeper to beat just before the final whistle, which shortly after blew on a comprehensive defeat. Jang was the only bright spot on a miserable afternoon for F.C.TOKYO; Jean and Kelly remain uncertain for the next match, away to Vegalta Sendai.
Whether they return or not, F.C.TOKYO will have to regroup and rethink their approach.

Manager Hara: " A total defeat. I feel I must apologize to the fans who came all this way to support us. Usually we're aggressive from the kick off but it just wasn't there at all today. We gave away an own goal at a crucial time, lost our confidence and then a mistake led to the second. Yukihiko Sato and Masamitsu Kobayashi couldn't get into the game and we never found our rhythm-the front line's loss of confidence affected the whole team. Jang Eun Oh's debut was the only positive for us today. These things sometimes happen in football. We have to regroup and prepare for the next game in away that gives us a chance ".