Fight together as a team to break the losing streak

　In the 7th round of the J1 League, we will face Gamba Osaka away. In the previous round, we suffered our first victory in the league to Urawa, resulting in 2 consecutive losses and a record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, placing us in 4th position. In the past 2 matches, our proud defense has not been functioning well, allowing the opponent to score first and ending the game in their pace. Additionally, our attacking line has been a concern as we have not scored in the past 2 matches, which is more worrying than the results.

　G Osaka is not in full throttle. Currently in 7th place with 1 win, 4 draws, and 1 loss. They have been drawing their last 3 matches consecutively and are unable to secure a win. However, the attacking trio of FW Okubo, Fernandinho, and MF Araujo should be noted. These three players move freely, can create finishes from dribbles and one-twos, and it will be difficult to contain them if they get into a rhythm. Additionally, if it comes to set pieces, the Japanese national team's MF Endo is present and must be fully guarded against.

　Tokyo, on the other hand, is in a difficult situation with a series of injuries. Following Fujita, Moniwa, Fujiyama, and Kaji, Kajiyama is now out for about 3 weeks with left knee inflammation. However, in the previous match, Mashima, who replaced Moniwa, showed that he can perform well as a substitute, conceding a goal but putting up a good fight against the Urawa attack, even in one-on-one situations and aerial duels. In addition, Baba, who was delayed due to injury, is on the bench and it will be exciting to see what kind of play he will bring in crucial moments. Furthermore, considering that last season Tokyo had a good record of 3 wins in 3 matches against Gamba Osaka, including the Nabisco Cup, their compatibility is also a positive factor to consider.

　As a team aiming for the top and the championship in the future, it is unacceptable to have any more consecutive losses. The match started at 3:04pm with a kickoff in Tokyo.

TOKYO Unite To Beat The Slump

F.C. TOKYO traveled to Osaka to take on Gamba in the 7th league game of the season. The loss to Reds in the previous game had dropped the club to 4th in the standings with a W3 D1 L2 record; more worrying was the defensive frailty exposed in two consecutive defeats and the sudden lack of offensive capability.
Gamba were far from peak form as the W1 D4 L1 record showed and had drawn their previous three games. However, forwards Oguro and Fernandinho, together with attacking midfielder Araujo, posed a threat with their dribbling ability and one-twos around the box. Japan National Team midfielder Endo added aerial power at set plays and the TOKYO defense would need to maintain a high level of concentration to deal with the Gamba attack.
The injury woes continued to pile up for TOKYO; in addition to missing Fujita, Kaji, Moniwa, and Fujiyama, a knee injury had sidelined Kajiyama for 3 weeks. The one bright point had been the performance of Masushima in the Reds game; despite the loss, the young center back had dealt with the threat of Emerson extremely well and the TOKYO management kept faith with the same back line that started that game. Baba made a welcome return from injury to the bench. TOKYO had beaten Gamba three times in 2004 in all competitions and were looking forward to ending the mini slump in emphatic fashion. The visitors kicked off just after 3pm.

Take the lead with Toda's first goal of the season!

　G Osaka played with a 3-back formation, with DF Miyamoto in the back and MF Shijikurei in the midfield, as expected. From the kickoff, G Osaka immediately created chances and took shots, showing an attacking attitude. However, Tokyo quickly took the lead with a counterattack. In the 2nd minute, Maeda passed to Ishikawa on the right side, who then made a long feed to the left side from near the halfway line. Toda, who was running into the box, took a direct and decisive shot, with a low trajectory that pierced the right side of the goal. By the way, this was Tokyo's 100th away goal in total. After that, Tokyo continued to dominate the game. In the 6th minute, Miyazawa passed to Konno, who took a shot but was blocked by the opponent's defender. In the 10th minute, Kurisawa took a shot from the center after Lucas' post-play, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 12th minute, Miyazawa aimed for a direct goal from a free kick near the 25m mark, but it was nicely saved by the opponent's goalkeeper, Matsushiro. So far, the game has been progressing without any danger.

　However, after 15 minutes, G Osaka quickly took control. In particular, they dominated the midfield and used their speed to create opportunities for FW Okubo to receive the ball behind the defense line. In the 22nd minute, Okubo dribbled from the left side to the center and took a shot. In the 24th minute, he received a long feed from DF Yamaguchi and had another shot on goal, but Doi made a superb save to prevent it. In addition, in the 31st minute, MF Endo and FW Fernandinho connected on the right side and crossed the ball to Okubo in the center, but he missed the goal.

　Tokyo also looks for a chance from the counterattack. In the 38th minute, they stole the ball from the opponent's corner kick in their own half, and Miyazawa quickly made a long feed to Ishikawa, who had stayed up front. Ishikawa dribbled into the penalty area but couldn't take a shot. In the 40th minute, Kanazawa passed to Toda on the left side, who broke through and crossed to the center, but Ishikawa's shot was blocked by the opponent's defender. They struggled to create clear chances, and the difficult situation continued. G Osaka continued to attack. In the 43rd minute, Miyamoto headed a shot from a right corner kick, but it hit the post and Doi caught it. In the 44th minute, Okubo took a shot from outside the box in the center, but the defense held firm in front of Doi, and the first half ended 1-0.

Season First Goal For Toda Opens The Scoring

Gamba started the game in their usual 3-5-2 formation with Miyamoto in defense and Sidiclei as defensive midfielder. The home side began in aggressive fashion but it was TOKYO who took the lead with a swift counter attack. In the 2nd minute, Maeda fed Ishikawa on the right and from near the halfway line, Ishikawa swept a long ball out to the left. Toda outpaced a defender and cracked a low first-time shot inside the far post for his first goal of the season and TOKYO's 100th away goal. TOKYO continued to dominate after the goal: the home defense blocked Konno's shot in the 6th minute, Kurisawa fired straight at the keeper in the 10th minute following good work from Lucas, and Miyazawa drew a fine save from Matsuyo with a well-struck free kick in the 12th minute.
From around the 15-minute mark, the balance slowly shifted back to Gamba as the midfield imposed itself and Oguro threatened with darting runs through the TOKYO defense. In the 22nd minute, Oguro dribbled inside from the left and shot; in the 24th minute, he latched onto a long ball from Yamaguchi and only a breathtaking save from Doi prevented the home side from tying the score. In the 31st minute, he headed a cross from Fernandinho over the bar.
TOKYO threatened on the counter attack with a couple of half chances falling to Ishikawa as half time approached. Miyamoto hit the post with a header from a corner in the 43rd minute and Oguro fired a shot straight at Doi on the stroke of half time. The TOKYO defense held firm and the first period ended 1-0.

Defense collapsed in the second half, resulting in a comeback loss with 5 goals conceded

　At halftime, Manager Hara instructed the players to "go forward without being afraid and without pulling back." However, shortly after the start of the second half, G Osaka midfielder Hashimoto took a shot that was saved by Toi, but the loose ball was cleared by Toda. Unfortunately, the ball hit Masushima and went into the goal, resulting in an own goal and allowing the opposing team to equalize. After that, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle for goals, which was completely different from the first half.

　First, in the 51st minute, Tokyo lifted a left-side free kick into the goal area, and Ishikawa scored a perfect header to make it 2-0. However, in the 52nd and 53rd minutes, Okubo scored two goals in quick succession, turning the game around in an instant. In the 56th minute, Tokyo substituted Baba for Miyazawa, which helped the team settle the ball in the midfield and launch rhythmic attacks using both sides of the field. In the 60th minute, Suzuki Nori was substituted for Toda, who showed signs of fatigue, instantly increasing the speed of the attack. Then, in the 64th minute, Ishikawa kept the ball on the right side, crossed it to the near post before bypassing the opponent's defender, and Lucas, who had made a run, scored a header that was sucked into the bottom left corner of the goal, equalizing the score at 3-3.

　However, the joy was short-lived as Daiki Okubo scored a hat-trick just one minute later, pushing us behind. All three goals were scored with the Tokyo defense in place, but they couldn't keep up with Okubo's quick movements and all three shots were taken freely, breaking our previously solid defense of only 4 goals conceded in 6 matches. In the 72nd minute, G Osaka midfielder Araujo intercepted Jean's pass to Maeda, dribbled the ball and took a shot, which was sucked into the goal, widening the gap to 2 points.

　Tokyo substituted Kondo Yu for Mashima in the 73rd minute and moved Imakano to defense to go for a goal until the end. Kondo Yu took shots in the 75th and 76th minutes, Ishikawa in the 77th minute, and Lucas in the 88th minute, but they were unable to score and the game ended. It was a good performance with three goals after a long time, but they were unable to stop Osaka G's Okuro until the end, leaving room for improvement in future games.

　【Player Comments】《Maeda》"Right after the game started, when the ball was passed to Fukagawa, I slipped, but ended up sliding and taking the ball. That made me more determined to not be easily beaten. Compared to the previous match, I think I had good coordination with Nao-san in both offense and defense. We should have been more focused after scoring a goal. It was because of what happened there that we ended up with this result..."《Imano》"It was a complete defeat. It's not that Tokyo's backline was bad, but Gamba's movement was better and they started moving faster. They were able to pass the ball around well because of that. I think that was the reason for our loss. We wanted to put more pressure as a team, but we ended up being reactive. We want to make adjustments and do our best."《Baba》"It's been a while since I returned to the pitch, and I think I was able to play freely. I was thinking of giving more than 80% of my strength right from the start, and I was able to smoothly get into the game. I think I found my rhythm. Although I couldn't shoot a shot that would go into the goal because the area was crowded, we were able to break through on the sides. It's disappointing that we conceded right after scoring a goal and that we lost three games in a row. We want to win the next one."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "In these two matches, we couldn't score goals and had many injured players in the backline, which slightly disrupted the balance. Despite that, the whole team tried to defend and score goals. Toda, who hadn't scored a goal for a long time, scored in a fantastic way at the beginning, and it felt good. However, Gamba gradually gained possession of the ball, especially with the quick movements of forward Ohguro. As a result, Masushima couldn't keep up with Ohguro's movements. Although Masushima could compete with him in aerial duels, he struggled with other movements of Ohguro, such as running away from crosses or stepping back when the ball came to his feet. He was clearly scared. There were some dangerous scenes in the first half, but we managed to defend somehow, so at halftime, I told the players not to be scared and to defend properly. However, we made mistakes again with an own goal and became chaotic. We scored a good goal from a set piece and took the lead, but then we were beaten by Ohguro again. The period after scoring goals was not good. However, it was not so much a tactical game, but rather Masushima being scared and retreating, which led to Jahn being influenced as well, and ultimately, we were defeated in Ohguro's favorite space. The backline was scared of Gamba's favorite style of play. I think we also scored some fantastic goals. All three goals, including set pieces, were exactly what we aimed for. However, we conceded more goals than we should have. Shigetaka is also close to returning, but we need to stabilize the backline a bit more. Masushima is still young. I hope he can fight without fear and become a true defender. Everything depends on the attitude we take in the future, but it's just the beginning. Baba, who came on as a substitute, is also regaining his condition, and Suzuki, Nori, and Ishikawa are in good form, so we want to prepare well for the next match. We want to become a team that can both score goals and reduce conceding, while playing our own style of attacking football."

　[Summary of G Osaka Manager Nishino's Press Conference] "Today, we approached the game with the desire to settle it together, so we entered with that attitude from the kickoff. The first half was unlucky, and it was a close game where we couldn't score despite attacking, but the performance was not bad. At halftime, I told them that if we score one goal in the second half, we will definitely score three goals. The own goal ignited that, and I predicted that the game would turn out like this if we scored one goal. Especially in the second half, we were able to play an aggressive game, constantly moving forward, with everyone. With Daiki's good form, the attitude of everyone towards the opponent's goal was very strong. In terms of defense, the first goal was like entering an air pocket, and there was a lack of coordination in the response, including free kicks. We have lost three goals cleanly, so we need to find a better balance. There are many things to fix for the future. However, it was a game where we wanted to take three points more than anything, so in that sense, it was very good. I hope we can make adjustments and show more attacking qualities that are characteristic of Gamba in the future."

Defensive Collapse Dooms TOKYO

At half time TOKYO manager Hara's instructions were, "Don't play too deeply and don't be afraid. Play from the front." In the first minute of the second half Gamba midfielder Hashimoto fired in a shot that Doi parried away; Toda's attempted clearance struck Masushima and looped into the goal to tie the score. The goal triggered a remarkable scoring sequence.
In the 51st minute Miyazawa curled a free kick in from the left and Ishikawa met the ball to perfection, sending an unstoppable header past Matsuyo to regain the lead for TOKYO. However, a burst of two goals in two minutes from Oguro gave Gamba a 3-2 lead. TOKYO then sent on Baba for Miyazawa with a brief to control the ball in midfield and bring the wings into play. In the 60th minute Suzuki replaced the tiring Toda to lend some impetus to the attack. The changes reaped a reward in the 64th minute when Lucas met Ishikawa's cross at the near post to glance a header past Matsuyo and tie the score at 3-3.
TOKYO'S joy lasted only a minute as Oguro struck again to notch his hat trick and give his side the lead. The TOKYO backline was present in numbers but was unable to deal with Oguro's speed or movement and the defence that had conceded only 4 goals in 6 games had allowed another 4 in only 19 minutes. In the 72nd minute Araujo intercepted a pass from Jean to Maeda, raced forward and floated a shot past Doi to extend the lead to two.
TOKYO replaced Masushima with Yusuke Kondo in the 73rd minute, pulling Konno back into defence and going forward in numbers. Chances fell to Kondo in the 75th and 76th minutes, Ishikawa in the 77th and Lucas in the 88th but a further goal was unforthcoming and the final whistle blew on a 3-5 loss. The return to scoring of the attack was encouraging but the inability to deal with Oguro was what the match would be remembered for.


Players' comments
Maeda:
"Early in the game I had a match up with Futagawa, slipped and lost the ball. Losing the ball so easily made me tighten up a little. I thought I combined with Ishikawa better than in the last game. We should have concentrated better after scoring; we didn't though and that led to today's result".

Konno:
"A complete defeat. It wasn't that our defence was poor, Gamba's front line was very quick. Their movement was very good and that's why we lost today. We wanted to pressure them more but we lost the initiative. We want to put that right in the next game".

Baba:
"I was pleased to get back on the pitch after such a long time and thought I'd be able to play at about 80% but I fitted in well and could find some rhythm, I felt. I froze up a little in front of goal and couldn't manage a shot but I was able to create some chances down the wings. It was disappointing to concede so soon after scoring and we want to win the next game".


F.C. TOKYO manager Hara:
" In the last two games we had failed to score, had a lot of injuries in defense and lost some of our balance at the back. We decided to defend in depth and try to grab a goal. Toda hasn't been on the score sheet at all but got a great goal early on and we were looking good. But after that we allowed Gamba too much possession and Oguro threatened with his speed and movement. Masushima did well in the air but when the ball was played into Oguro's feet he stood off him and was clearly worried about his pace. There were a few dicey moments but we finished the first half ahead. At half time I told him to stick close to Oguro and not to be afraid but we conceded the own goal and started flapping. We took the lead from a fine set play but Oguro scored soon after. The few minutes after we scored were very bad. Masushima lost his nerve and played too deeply and that pulled Jean out of position allowing Oguro the space he thrives in. We scored some good goals though; unfortunately we conceded more. Moniwa will be returning soon and that should provide more stability at the back. Masushima is still young but has to learn to play without fear if he wants to become a complete player. Baba is returning to match fitness, Suzuki and Ishikawa are in good form at the moment so we'll be making a few adjustments for the next game. We're making progress with our style of attacking football but have to reduce the number of goals we're conceding."

Gamba manager Nishino:
" We wanted a real team performance today and we made a positive start but were unlucky in the first half. We were competitive but just couldn't score. At half time I told the players that if we could get one we could get three, it was that sort of game. The own goal provided the spark and the game developed as we had foreseen. Oguro is in good form but the whole team was so positive in going forward. For the goals we conceded the first one seemed to strike an air pocket, our communication was poor at the free kick and the third exposed our need for better balance. We have many things to work on. But more than anything we wanted the win and the three points today so we're very happy. We'll work hard and see more of our style of attacking football from now, I believe".