Win at home at Ajinomoto Stadium!

　The league match of the 1st stage, Sec. 12, which is the first match since May 22nd, will be against Gamba Osaka. Tokyo is currently in 7th place with 16 points, while G Osaka is in 8th place with 15 points. As the rankings could be reversed depending on today's result, this is a "direct confrontation" that cannot be lost. In the previous Nabisco Cup qualifying league, Tokyo had a winning streak. We aim to continue this momentum in the final stages of the league and hold the match at Ajinomoto Stadium, which will be the first time in about a month. We will receive passionate support from our home fans and aim for victory.

　Tsuchihi, who returned from the Japan national team, started the game. Lucas, who was suspended in the previous match (Nabisco Cup), started as the top striker, and the rest of the lineup remains unchanged from the previous Nabisco Cup match. On the other hand, G Osaka is missing DF Miyamoto and FW Maglone, but DF Shijikurei has returned from injury. He forms a four-back line with DF Kiba, who is making his first appearance of the season, as the center-back. In addition, FW Okubo is at the top, and FW Fernandinho, MF Endo, and MF Nikawa have been adopting a system of freely moving around and shifting their marks while pulling out the ball while avoiding contact with the opponent. The match started with G Osaka's kickoff in the hot and humid weather with a temperature of 27 degrees and humidity of 62 percent.

Despite conceding the first goal immediately after the start, we counterattacked from a set play

　It was just after the whistle. G Osaka connected the kickoff ball and FW Okubo invaded the penalty area. Tokunaga took the ball back, but it was another throw-in for G Osaka. Then, G Osaka broke free from the struggle on the right side of Tokyo and MF Nikawa passed through to Okubo, who ran into the area from the left side. Okubo dribbled forward, collided with Jean who was chasing him, and with Dobu who came out, and Okubo kicked this loose ball into the goal. They conceded the first goal in just 53 seconds after the start.

　The issue of conceding goals at the beginning of this season was a challenge, but there was no need to be discouraged. Tokyo did not lose heart and in the 4th minute, Suzuki received a long feed and crossed from the right. In the 5th minute, Tokunaga overlapped and stole a corner kick from a sharp cross. Baba's right corner kick was initially saved by the opposing goalkeeper, but it spilled into the penalty area and Imano, who was free, took a shot. However, the ball went over the bar, missing a great chance. In the 8th minute, Baba aggressively shot a middle shot after stealing the ball from the midfield. They won a corner kick and Lucas aimed for a header. In the 10th minute, Toda from the left side persisted and won a corner kick. From here, Jean struck a header, but Matsushiro, the opposing goalkeeper, made a fine save just before the goal line. Coach Hara briefly reflected, "The nightmare of last year (defeat in the 2nd stage match, where goalkeeper Matsushiro saved every scoring opportunity) came to mind," but everyone must have had the same unpleasant feeling.

　11 minutes, but from the right CK obtained here, Suzuki kicked a fast kick, and Lucas's head ran into the center and pierced the goal! Tokyo caught up with the same score in no time with Lucas's long-awaited goal. After that, from Baba's distribution, they created opportunities from the side, and overwhelmed G Osaka with 6 CK chances and 6 shots in no time.

G Osaka also dominates the midfield, with neither side giving in

　However, G Osaka, who caught up, gradually counterattacked by dominating the ball. Tokyo struggled as they couldn't catch the intense and versatile movements of Fernandez, Endo, and Nikawa in and out of the front line, and there was no press against the passes that connected their feet, causing them to suffer. In the 18th minute, they fouled Okubo near the penalty arc and gave away a free kick. Endo aimed directly at it, but the ball grazed the bar and went out of bounds, resulting in no harm. Tokyo also created chances from direct free kicks in the 20th minute and from a combination of Kanazawa and Toda for a corner kick in the 25th minute. After that, Tokyo was often pushed back and couldn't progress the game at their own rhythm, but they concentrated in the final moments and didn't allow G Osaka any decisive chances.

　In that situation, in the 37th minute, Baba quickly sent a long pass to the right side, and Lucas caught up. Imamura, who had come up for support, sent a direct cross, but Toda and Baba overlapped on the far side and couldn't take a shot. Kanazawa's powerful shot in response to the loose ball also narrowly missed the goal. In the 40th minute, once again, Imamura broke through with Baba's pass and sprinted with full power in front of the goal. He was brought down in the penalty area, but there was no whistle. In the 41st minute, G Osaka's Fernandinho was brought down in front of the goal and earned a free kick opportunity. Endo again aimed directly from a free kick in a similar position to the 18th minute, but this time it hit the crossbar and bounced back, and Doi, who was ready, caught it. They didn't allow a goal and went into the second half with a tie score.

Lucas & Yuta's combination explodes with a beautiful goal!

　In the second half, Suzuki took a bold long shot from the kickoff ball. Tokyo, showing an aggressive attitude from the start, created chances from the sides. In the 46th minute, Kanazawa attacked from Lucas' keep and crossed the ball. Suzuki couldn't connect with it, but in the 47th minute, Toda's header shot from Lucas' right cross was blocked by the bar. In the 54th minute, Imakano picked up the clear ball from Suzuki's right cross and took a shot. They created chances in quick succession.

　However, G Osaka also dominated the ball with fast passing. The tense development continues. In the 61st minute, Imakano attacked from a quick counterattack and passed to Baba on the left side. Imakano, who entered the area with Lucas' cross, took a shot. The goalkeeper caught the ball again after picking up the loose ball from the opponent's block. In the 66th minute, G Osaka had a decisive chance. Fernanjinho dribbled and attacked, passing to Nigawa on the left. Endo picked up the clearance from the cross sent from here and took a shot from inside the penalty area. However, it missed the target and escaped the danger.

　Gradually, in the 69th minute, as the energy of both teams began to decrease, Tokyo substituted Abe for Suzuki. Then, in the 71st minute, Baba passed to Toda, and Lucas took a shot from the left area. In the 74th minute, Tokunaga broke through the front line, following a pass from Konno, and crossed from the right. Baba picked up the opponent's defender's clearance ball and took a shot from the left side of the goal area. Although both shots were blocked by the goalkeeper, they created solid finishing opportunities. In the 75th minute, Wu was substituted for Toda. Then, in the 76th minute, when the pace of the game slowed down a bit, Asari intercepted a feed to the opponent's defender in the right side. He headed the ball to Lucas in the center. Lucas passed to Baba, who was in front of the area, and Baba immediately floated a soft lob pass into the space inside the area. Lucas chased after it vigorously and swung his right foot to score a goal! He scored a go-ahead goal from a beautiful flowing one-two combination!

　In the 84th minute, Fujiyama was substituted for Lucas, who had fought hard up until this point. Fujiyama, who entered as the right midfielder, took a middle shot in the 86th minute, but unfortunately it hit the post. Although there were no additional goals, G Osaka's subsequent attacks were solidly defended until the final whistle. This victory at home at Ajinomoto Stadium is the first since the Tokyo Verdy match on April 3rd. With Lucas' delightful two goals, the desired victory was achieved. With 19 points, they temporarily rose to 4th place. They will put in a spurt for the remaining 3 matches, aiming for a higher position.

【Player Comments】《Lucas》"I always aimed for the second goal from practice. It didn't always work out before, but I was able to score well today. Yuta is a smart player with good technique. I knew the return would come, and it went as planned. I haven't been able to score much before, but I've always believed in myself without giving up. It's my first year in Japan, and there are differences in soccer and I don't know much about the opposing team, but I'm not in a hurry and I don't feel any strange pressure. I want to continue playing with confidence."《Doi》"I didn't start the game well. Just before we conceded the first goal, there was a dangerous scene where G Osaka's Okubo entered the right side. After that, I was most careful not to be broken from the side, but I couldn't pick up the ball in the midfield, and the defense line had to retreat. In the second half, we made adjustments and the balance improved, but there were also moments of delay. Personally, I have had few opportunities to play in the national team, so there were difficult parts, but the team is in good condition. I want to use today's reflection and fight each game carefully."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We had been starting well recently, with consecutive wins in the Nabisco Cup, but today was a failure. I decided to start Doi immediately after his return from the national team, thinking that he would calm down if he could get the first ball, but unfortunately, the first shot went in. This season, we have conceded goals early in many matches, but this is the shortest record. However, although it is not a good thing, we have experienced being scored against in the 3rd or 5th minute before, so the players were more resilient than expected and continued to attack. I think that the attitude of needing to attack even more came out after conceding a goal. We were creating chances from set plays, and Toda and Kimura were successfully breaking through the opponent's defense from the back, as planned. In the midst of that, Lucas scored at a crucial moment."

　However, in the first half, there were many small and skilled players coming in and out of G Osaka, so we couldn't press them. We struggled with that. At halftime, we talked about how we could win by kicking long balls because G Osaka's frontline lacks height. So, we asked Lucas and Yuta to check them, and the balance improved in the second half. However, we became too calm, and Suzuki showed signs of fatigue, so we brought in Abe. We expected something to happen if we let him go all out in front of the goal and add some accent. In that situation, a great one-two play between Yuta and Lucas resulted in a goal.

　Lucas was struggling to score goals and was thinking about it, but he said, "The job is in front of the goal. If you play easily in the midfield and dynamically enter the goal area, crosses will definitely come up." It's not easy to adapt to Japanese soccer, but he is trying his best to get used to it and believes that communication like this is important. There is no doubt that the team will gain momentum if he scores goals. Today's two goals were very important for the team. Both the supporters and Lucas himself must have felt great!

　It was a hot and tough match, but substitute player Fujiyama has the ability to play as a left or right full-back or even in the center. Currently, he is not being used in the starting lineup to maintain balance, but he and Miura always give their best effort, so when young players come on, they can play with confidence. The outcome of today's draw and a win will make a difference in the future. We want to make good preparations for the next Ichihara match, taking advantage of these 3 points."

[Summary of G Osaka Nishino's Press Conference] "We formed the best team with the current strength and approached the game with the best system. However, today, our attacking play lacked the thickness that we had in the past. Daiku also did well in creating opportunities as a lone striker, but in the second half, we couldn't effectively put pressure on the midfield. We tried to increase our defensive awareness overall and aim for counterattacks from there, but Tokyo also had a strong defense and we couldn't break through it."