Striving for victory in the final match of the league.

　The league is also approaching its final match, and in the 2nd stage, Sec. 15, we will be playing against Gamba Osaka away. The previous match against Ichihara at home also ended in a draw, and although the game was not bad, it can be said that the results did not come. In any case, we want to improve our position even by one and finish this match with a win, in order to face the upcoming Emperor's Cup in a good shape.

　G Osaka is maintaining a good form, currently in 2nd place, although they missed out on winning the 2nd stage. Their attacking power with a total of 37 goals is outstanding. Especially, FW Okubo is the most dangerous and troublesome player for Tokyo DF, currently leading the Japanese goal scorer. In addition, they have talented players such as speedy FW Yoshihara, goal-sensing MF Fernandinho, and Japan representative MF Endo who excels in set plays.

　Tokyo is struggling with the arrangement of its members. In place of Jean, who is suspended due to accumulated warnings, Masushima and Kajiyama, who performed well in the previous match, are absent due to injury and replaced by Miyazawa in the starting lineup. Additionally, Ishikawa, despite coming on as a substitute in the previous match, returned to the starting lineup in his natural position on the right side, replacing Toda. In the chilly conditions, the heated battle began with Gamba Osaka's kickoff.

早い時間帯で先制を許すが...

　This season, we have already played two matches against G Osaka and have won both of them. The compatibility between the two teams is good. In addition, for both of those two matches, we had intentionally changed our usual 3-back formation to a 4-back formation as a tactic against Tokyo. However, as Coach Hara had mentioned before the match, "This time, they might come with a 3-back formation," we faced them without making any changes. Both teams have been engaging in intense battles for ball possession in the midfield since the kickoff.　

　First, Tokyo takes the initiative with an attack from the right side. In the 2nd minute, a side change from Miyazawa is passed to Ishikawa, who dribbles into the middle and passes through to Baba, but it is offside. Then, in the 6th minute, Imakano steals the ball in the midfield and passes it to Ishikawa on the right side, who crosses it into the center, but it goes beyond the end line and becomes a mistake. However, Tokyo completely dominates the right side.

　However, G Osaka gradually began to dominate the ball with a fast-paced passing game in the midfield. In the 8th minute, a long feed from MF Miyamoto to FW Okubo was passed with pinpoint accuracy, creating a chance. Then, in the 10th minute, they earned a right corner kick, and MF Endo delivered a low liner ball that Okubo headed, but it went wide of the right post. There were many instances where they brought the ball to a shooting position with a variety of attacks, and just as they were becoming more cautious, they conceded the opening goal from a set piece.

　At the 12th minute, Endo kicked a right corner kick into the center, and DF Shijikurei, who had lost his mark on Mashima, scored a perfect header shot, unable to break the unfavorable flow and fell behind by one point.

　Tokyo did not rush. After 20 minutes, they were able to win most of the loose balls and had several shooting opportunities. In the 21st minute, Suzuki on the left side took a daring shot from outside the penalty area after a side change, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it. In the 22nd minute, Inamoto, Suzuki, and Inamoto played a one-two on the left side and sent a centering pass, but Baba's shot was cleared by the opponent's defender. In the 23rd minute, Kanazawa's centering pass from the left side reached Baba in the far post, who controlled the ball and took a shot, but the opponent's defender cleared it on the goal line. In the 26th minute, Ishikawa's centering pass from the right side allowed Baba to break free and take a left-footed shot, but it didn't hit properly and the opponent's defender cleared it again. They created decisive chances but couldn't score.

　Knowing the risks, G Osaka also created decisive chances on the counterattack. In the 29th minute, Endo and in the 37th minute, Fernandinho had one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper, but Doi made a save at the last moment and prevented an additional goal. Despite Tokyo's continued dominance, the first half ended with a score of 0-1.

After Suzuki's equalizer immediately after the start of the second half, a fierce attack begins.

　At halftime, Manager Hara sent the players onto the pitch with the instruction to "continue attacking from the sides thoroughly." However, they managed to equalize in the most unexpected timing, right after the start of the second half. When they earned a free kick on the right side, Miyazawa immediately delivered the ball behind the opponent's defense. Suzuki, who had timed his run perfectly, found himself free in front of the goal after controlling the ball with his chest. He then swung his right foot and the ball pierced into the right side of the goal, resulting in an equalizer.

　After that, it completely became Tokyo's pace. As soon as G Osaka had the ball, they surrounded it with 2 or 3 players and took it away, repeatedly launching fast attacks from both sides, hardly giving the opponent any chances. In particular, Ishikawa maintained his good form from the previous match and showed amazing movements. Whenever he had the ball, he would take on one-on-one situations and become the key player in the attack, going all the way to the goal and even shooting from difficult positions. In the 53rd minute, Ishikawa made a looping shot, and in the 58th minute, Suzuki took a shot from an early centering pass between the opponent's goalkeeper and defender on the right side, with Ishikawa as the starting point, leading to a fierce attack. In the 59th minute, Abe was substituted for Suzuki, who showed signs of fatigue. The additional goal seemed to be a matter of time, and finally, the winning goal was scored.

Baba's third goal of the season ends the league's final match with a victory!

　In the 63rd minute, Kaji connected with Ishikawa on the right side. Although the ball was initially stolen by the opposing defender, Kaji quickly regained possession and dribbled into the penalty area while calmly surveying the field. He then returned the ball with a slightly backward-centered cross. Bamba, who was waiting in the center, skillfully aimed and shot directly towards the goal, beautifully scoring to the right side, thus taking a 1-0 lead.

　On the contrary, G Osaka, who had their lead taken away, gathered the ball to Daikoku, and Yoshihara and Fernandinho attacked together, but Fujiyama and Mashima in the center read well and crushed the chances, and also perfectly defended G Osaka's attacks with their bodies. It can be said that it was an unexpected development for G Osaka that Shijikurei, who is the center of the defense line, was forced to substitute for FW Matsunami due to injury in the 73rd minute.

　Afterwards, Ishikawa broke through the opponent's defense and shot over the goalkeeper's head from outside the penalty area, narrowly missing the top of the bar. Although there were decisive chances, they were unable to score an additional goal. They continued to attack throughout the game and finished with a 2-1 victory. This win was their first in the league since the 6th round of the 2nd stage, and they finished the season in 8th place.

　【Player Comments】《Baba》"In the first half, we had three clear chances but couldn't convert them, and I apologize to the team for that. There were moments when the defense was solid, so I aimed for the right spot and calmly finished the goal. It's my third goal of the season, and I'm really happy that I scored with my foot."《Ishikawa》"Everyone had a strong desire to win from the beginning, and we conceded a goal early on, but I had absolute confidence that we could bounce back, so I wasn't particularly concerned. Today, we were able to demonstrate that we can have good attacks if we have a solid defense. (It's a bit disappointing that the league season is ending), but we still have the Emperor's Cup, so we'll continue to give our best."　

　[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "I thought G Osaka was a team with scoring ability and attacking style, and I also thought they had more scoring power than Urawa. However, on the other hand, they tend to send everyone forward, so I told the players that if we can exploit the space behind the sides, we might have a chance. When G Osaka played against us, they changed from a 3-back to a 4-back, and we had lost the previous two matches against them with that formation, so I wondered which formation they would use this time. But when the match started, they were using a 3-back. However, we used Ishikawa and Suzuki on both sides and emphasized switching the play to the sides as much as possible and attacking from the sides. We conceded a goal from a set piece early in the game, and Jean and Shigeki Mogi were absent, so we had to use Masuzaki as a center-back against their DF Clayson, and we were immediately beaten cleanly. I was a bit worried about what would happen, but we held our ground from there, the ball started moving, and although we couldn't score in the first half, we were able to attack well with Baba, Suzuki, and Ishikawa leading the way. At halftime, I told them to keep moving the ball as it is and attack the flanks more. Then, right after the start of the second half, Norio (Suzuki) scored from a free kick, and I think that put us back in a good rhythm. We won the Nabisco Cup, but to be honest, we still don't have the power and strength to compete in both the league and cup matches, and it's not like we were taking it easy after the Nabisco Cup. On the contrary, it might have been better for the team if we had lost a few matches. We had been playing good matches but had been drawing or unable to win. We conceded two goals first in the previous match against Ichihara, but once everyone started showing the determination to go and get the win, it reminded us of what we had forgotten. Kajiyama, who was excellent in the previous match, needs to undergo meniscus surgery, so in his place, I decided to use Miyazawa, who hasn't been able to perform well this season but whose abilities I know. I also included Masuzaki, who replaced the suspended Jean. I am very pleased that these players, including Masuzaki, have performed freely, and although Masuzaki still has many challenges, I think he did well against strong opponents like G Osaka's Okubo and Yoshihara without being afraid, and the team was able to finish the final match with a win, so I think we can welcome the Emperor's Cup in a good shape."

　[G Osaka Nishino's press conference summary] "It's the last game of the league, so I think all the players and staff probably had the desire to secure second place on their own by being able to fight at home. However, in reality, we were lacking on the field. I think we couldn't take advantage of the momentum from the previous match and couldn't control the game. Not only today's match, but also in the final stages, we couldn't play a unified game in the midfield like Gamba usually does. When it comes to that, we are not a team that can defend until the end, and we don't have the ability to play a good game, so our style is not to stay back. Today, we couldn't control the midfield and the game was passive. There were also many injuries towards the end, and the integration with the backup members didn't go well. In the end, it comes down to the team's strength, but it's particularly disappointing that the team's strength didn't come out today. I still feel like there's a long way to go."