Get 3 points at home!

　In the previous match against Kawasaki, we missed out on 3 points by just a step. However, Coach Garo said, "It was a game with good passing, tough marking, and a fighting spirit," and we are regaining our confidence. With this momentum, we want to grab 3 points at home in this match.

　Rychely injured his left foot in the Kawasaki match and left the team. In the forward position, Kawaguchi, who made his first start of the season, was selected. On the other hand, Kajiyama, who missed the previous match due to a right foot injury, returned to the starting lineup in a lively manner, although he still feels pain when twisting his foot.

　Kyoto, on the other hand, currently has 2 losses and 2 draws with no victories yet. However, in the last 2 matches, they have managed to come back and hold on for a draw after conceding the lead. We should be cautious of FW Paulinho (who scored 22 goals in J2 last season) and FW Lemon (who scored 15 goals) as their top two attackers. Paulinho has already scored 3 goals this season, so Inoha will mark him closely. The match started at 16:04 with Kyoto's kickoff at the partially cloudy Nippatsu Stadium.

Jean's goal gave them the lead, but they dominated Kyoto...

　The game started off with a bang. In the 2nd minute, Kawaguchi, who received a vertical pass from Tokunaga, challenged the opponent's defender and won a corner kick on the right side. Kajiyama's kick found Jean's well-placed header, scoring the opening goal. In the 6th minute, a similar scene occurred again. This time, Tokunaga challenged the opponent's defender on the right side and won a corner kick. Once again, Jean attempted a header shot from the right corner kick, but the opponent's defender cleared it with his head. In the 8th minute, Jean once again met Baba's free kick, but this time it went over the crossbar.

　Tokyo grasps the rhythm and dominates the ball. They continue to advance the game advantageously. The opponent FW PAULINHO is closely marked by Inaba and is not allowed to shoot easily. In the 19th minute, FW ALEMON's shot from outside the area became Kyoto's first shot. In the 20th minute, Suzuki drops Lucas' left cross and Imano runs into the area for a shot. They create a good opportunity but are blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 23rd minute, Kajiyama sends a long pass to the space on the left front line, and Suzuki catches up and crosses. In the 26th minute, a pass is made to Imano, who is free in the left area, and from the shooting motion, a last pass is made to Lucas in front of the goal. They connect passes and create an attacking shape by using the width of the pitch.

　After 30 minutes, Kyoto invited danger from a counterattack, but Shigeki and Inoha made the cut. In the 36th minute, FW Paulinho aimed directly at the goal with a powerful shot from about 30 meters in front of the goal, but the ball was saved by Doi and the subsequent wave attack was defended well. In the 39th minute, Tokunaga flew out to meet Baba's pass and crossed from the right. Suzuki, who received the ball far from the goal, crossed from the left. They showed another wide attack, but no one was able to follow up after Kajiyama dropped the ball in the center.

　Kawaguchi became the starting point on the front line, with Tokunaga from the right and Suzuki from the left continuously crossing, but the accuracy was not enough. The finishing was also not decisive, and they couldn't score an additional point. In the midst of that, in the 43rd minute, Jean marked against Kyoto FW Alémon's move, the ball spilled and gave Kyoto a corner kick. The left corner kick taken by MF Hoshi was cleared by Jean. The ball that went up high landed on top of FW Alémon in the right area. Alémon's header grazed the head of Baba, who was competing to clear it, and ended up in the top left corner of the goal. They conceded a goal at an unfavorable time and went into the second half with a score of 1-1.

In the closing moments, snatch victory with a valuable goal by Tokunaga!

　The second half was expected to be promising, but it was Kyoto that managed to recover. Early in the second half, MF Mio boldly aimed for a goal with a middle shot. Shortly after, in the 46th minute, Tokyo made a side change from Kawaguchi, and Suzuki crossed directly to the center. Lucas, who was trying to receive it, and Baba, who jumped in, collided, and couldn't take a shot. In the 48th minute, Tokunaga snatched the loose ball on the right side and rushed towards the area. He sent a last pass to Baba in the middle, but the shot was blocked by the opponent's DF. After that, Kyoto gradually launched a counterattack. They picked up second balls and sent fast passes to the front line.

　In the 56th minute, Sasa was substituted for Lucas, and Kurisawa was substituted for Baba in an attempt to quickly change the situation. However, in the 61st minute, a pass was made to Kyoto's right area midfielder Hoshi, who cut inside the Tokyo defense and took a shot. Doi made a save in the lower right corner of the goal, avoiding a crisis. In the 63rd minute, Sasa headed Kurisawa's right corner kick, but missed the target. Ino picked up the loose ball and switched sides. From Jean's drop, Kawaguchi took a shot, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 65th minute, Abe was substituted for Kawaguchi. However, Tokyo struggled against Kyoto's defense, which quickly transitioned from attack to defense and crowded the goal area.

　75 minutes, Suzuki steals the ball from the opponent's DF and advances to the left area, passing to Abe in the middle who takes a shot, but fails to hit the target. In the 82nd minute, Tokunaga passes to Abe in the left area from Kurizawa. Abe drops it directly and Konno makes a run and takes a shot... showing good teamwork, but Abe is offside. In the fast-paced exchange of offense and defense, Kyoto also threatens the goal from FW Alermon's keep in the 77th minute, and midfielder Saito takes a shot. The rebound is picked up and another chance is created. In the 80th minute, MF Nakaharai jumps into a right cross, but misses the target.

　Unable to take advantage of each other's chances, it seemed like a draw... until the 89th minute, when Suzuki's left corner kick was contested by the opposing defender in the center, and the ball went to the right area. Tokunaga, who had run into this area, took a one-touch and invaded near the end line. From an angleless position, he forcefully shot with his right foot, curving it to the outside. The ball passed through the narrow gap between the goalkeeper and the goalpost with tremendous force, hitting the far-side post and bouncing in! Finally, Kyoto, who had been clinging on with Tokunaga's valuable go-ahead goal, pulled away. The attitude of aiming for victory until the end resulted in a goal, and they achieved their second victory of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Tokunaga》"We couldn't score in the flow of the game, but we were able to play our own soccer in the first half. However, we couldn't score and it became a tough match. (My first goal) The middle was chaotic, so I just hit it with all my might. I think the strong desire to win ultimately led to the goal. I want to build on today's victory and accumulate points in the next matches."《Inoha》"Today, we played in a 3-5-2 formation, and when attacking, I moved up to the midfield. It was easy for me personally. Coach Garo instructed me not to let Paulinho do his job. I studied it on video and focused on not letting him dribble and not letting him face forward. We didn't have many situations where we were pushed back, so we just had to be cautious of the counterattacks. I was able to focus on cutting off the passing lanes."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "Today's game was intense and competitive, with everyone staying focused and giving their all. I think the players did well and I want to commend them for the final goal, which was a collective effort. (What about Kajiyama?) He played in the defensive midfield position today, but in the first half, there was a big gap between the defensive line and the midfield, so I instructed him to fix that. In the second half, he played well, including his positioning. (What about Inonami?) Following his marking of Juninho in the Kawasaki game, this time he marked Paulinho, and both of them did a great job. His marking is an important role for us. (What instructions did you give to Tokunaga?) Today, our ball circulation and switching of play were working well, so I instructed him and Suzuki to go for one-on-one situations when they arise. There were opportunities for them to push forward quite far, so I told them to enter the box and make plays. They are both fast and strong players, and they performed well. (Could you have scored more goals?) There were certainly many chances. What's important is that we created a lot of those opportunities. We couldn't score due to the opponent's good defense. Tactics change depending on the opponent, so today we adapted to Kyoto as our opponent, but in the next Nabisco game, we will study the opponent and respond accordingly."

　[Summary of Kyoto - Hashitani's Press Conference] "The players worked very hard. It was a flow where we could have gotten not only 1 point but also 3 points, so it's disappointing that we couldn't. It's been tough not being able to get 3 points since the opening, and I'm very grateful to the supporters who came all the way to Tokyo. We have the Nabisco Cup in 2 days, so we want to prepare well for that and then aim to earn solid points in the league matches afterwards. (Substitutions) Both Tokunaga and Suzuki on Tokyo's sides were running quite a distance, and our side players were also tired, so I wanted to bring in fresh players to create an advantageous situation on the sides. We were being pushed back a bit, so I thought that by stabilizing our defense and having the midfield players who came on in place of the front two push forward, we could take the initiative and have a good attack. In the first half, the opponents were in a 3-5-2 formation and dominated the midfield, so in the second half, we changed to a formation that would close that down and our defense became stable. In the end, we were in a situation where we were being pushed back in a 1-on-1 situation, so we prioritized stabilizing our defense. If Yoneda hadn't cramped up, we could have substituted a forward player. Alémão, who returned from injury, had some good combinations with Paulinho, so if the two of them can improve their condition even more, they should be able to pose a threat to the opponents. The cause of today's loss is that we need to push the line up more. If we keep staying inside the penalty box, the second ball will also be picked up and we don't know what will happen. Once we clear the ball, everyone needs to come out of the box and the goalkeeper needs to cover the space behind. Today, Inoha was assigned to mark Paulinho, but the better the player becomes, the more they will be marked. Tokyo changed to a 3-5-2 formation just to close down Paulinho, which proves how good of a player he is. I think that by trying to nullify Kyoto's strengths, Tokyo's strengths were also nullified."