United as one team, aiming for 3 points only!

　Sec. 15 of the J1 League was a match against Cerezo Osaka away. Although they suffered a defeat in the previous match against Kashima with 4 goals conceded, the players are not looking down, saying, "All of them were due to our own mistakes. We can make sufficient corrections." In fact, they took the initiative from the first half, controlled the ball, attacked rhythmically, and had an ideal development with Lucas scoring the opening goal at a good time. Despite the defeat against a team skilled at capitalizing on the opponent's mistakes, it was not a pessimistic performance as they surpassed the number of shots. However, what is important for the team now is to aim for 3 points. They have no choice but to strive for victory in any form.

　C Osaka, on the other hand, is currently in last place with 1 win, 3 draws, and 10 losses. They have suffered consecutive defeats in the two matches played after the restart, and their form has yet to improve. However, as Coach Garo says, "Last season, they were a team competing for the championship. Not only C Osaka, but the strength of every team in the J League is evenly matched, so there is a possibility that they will quickly get into form." They are not an easy opponent to beat. In particular, C Osaka's attacking lineup is a threat. FW Okubo, who has returned from the Spanish league, and MF Morishima, who has recovered from injury, will start alongside MF Furuhashi. They will undoubtedly move fluidly in the front line and launch attacks.

　Tokyo, Suzuki injured his right shoulder and left the front line. As a result, Inoha entered the left side, and Miura started as a defensive midfielder for the first time since the Iwata match on August 27th last year. By forming a double defensive midfield with Imamura, the team can expect defensive stability and increase the number of times Lucas and Kajiyama move forward in the midfield. Kajiyama himself also said, "I want to focus more on the attack as the burden of defense decreases," and along with Baba and Lucas, they want to run and create chances in coordination. In addition, Abe, Toda, and Miyazawa, who have been injured, are on the bench, and they are players who can greatly change the rhythm of the game, so we can expect them.

　Ishikawa said, "It is important to keep trying even if it fails once, twice, or three times," and it is necessary to persistently launch side attacks and break down the C Osaka defense instead of just receiving. The game started at 7:05 pm with a kickoff in Tokyo at Nagai Stadium, which was still humid despite the darkening sky.

Despite conceding the first goal, they calmly played the game and turned the tables to end the first half in the lead

　From the start of the match, Tokyo was unable to mark against C Osaka's intense press and quick transitions, and instead resorted to a passive approach. In the 2nd minute, MF Furuhashi took a direct shot from a right free kick, and in the 4th minute, FW Okubo broke through the front line and took a shot, putting Tokyo under continuous pressure. Then, in the 11th minute, C Osaka's MF Furuhashi's right corner kick was initially cleared, but Furuhashi picked up the ball again and kicked it from an angleless position, flying into the top right corner of the near post, grazing the fingertips of Doi and scoring a goal. Tokyo conceded the opening goal to C Osaka.

　However, as Tokyo started to actively receive the ball and move as a team, the shape of their attack gradually started to form. In the 15th minute, Inoha broke free from the combination of Baba and Konno on the left side and won a left corner kick. In the 17th minute, the opponent's defender cleared Inoha's early cross, but Miura ran in for the loose ball and attempted a shot, which went wide. In the 22nd minute, Lucas was fouled, resulting in a free kick opportunity from the right side near the goal. Baba passed to Ishikawa for a shot, but it was blocked by the opponent's defender.

　Then, in the 26th minute, a pass from Kajiyama to the left area found Imakano, who cleverly exchanged positions with the opposing defender. Imakano dribbled the ball to the end line and sent a final pass into the middle, where Lucas jumped in with his whole body and pushed it in to equalize! After that, Tokyo did not let up in their attack. In the 27th minute, Baba broke through the opposing defense from a clearance and carried the ball to the front of the goal, where Ishikawa, who had come up to support, picked up the loose ball and took a shot. It missed the target. In the 30th minute, Kajiyama → Ishikawa charged forward with the ball, but was closed down by the defenders. However, he cut back inside and took a shot, which was caught by the opposing goalkeeper.

　In the 33rd minute, Jean → Inaba from the counter. Running up the left side, he sends a cross, but Jean, who was free in front of the goal, traps it with his chest and shoots directly, but it goes over the bar. In the 34th minute, Tokunaga dribbles from his own half to the right area. Surrounded by defenders, Bababa shoots the loose ball. However, the opponent's goalkeeper saves it. Despite completely dominating the game, there is a frustrating mood as they struggle to find a decisive blow, but they finally score a comeback goal.

　42 minutes, from a quick restart, Baba attracts the DF and keeps it, passes it to Inoha on the left while breaking his posture, and rushes into the left area as it is. He sends a last pass in front of the goal, and Kajiyama, who ran in, traps it and calmly scores the second goal with his left foot. After that, although they continue to attack the C Osaka goal, the game ends 2-1 and they turn to the second half.

Secured 3 points with a furious goal rush!

　In the 2nd minute of the second half, C Osaka MF Furuhashi received his second warning and was sent off, allowing Tokyo to completely dominate the game. In the 49th minute, from a right free kick, Tokunaga crossed and Lucas headed the ball, but it went straight to the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 50th minute, Kajiyama → Imano sharply entered the area and crossed in front of the goal. Baba stole the left corner kick from the shot by Baba. In the 53rd minute, from Baba → Lucas, the ball was passed to Imano who had come up at the right time and fiercely entered the left area. The shot from an impossible angle pierced the far net and scored the 3rd goal.

　After scoring, Tokyo substituted Miura with Miyazawa. Miyazawa's unique rhythm further accelerates Tokyo's attack. In the 55th minute, Lucas cuts back and charges towards the opponent's defense on the right side. He feints a shot, sends the ball to Baba in the center, traps it, and shoots. Unfortunately, it goes straight to the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 60th minute, Ishikawa steals a right corner kick from Tokunaga on the right side. Kajiyama kicks the ball, but the opponent's goalkeeper catches it directly. However, Imamura intercepts it in the opponent's territory. He rushes towards the goal and prepares to shoot, but is blocked by the opponent's defense.

　65 minutes, Ishikawa quickly throws in from the right side. Kajiyama advances to the goal area and sends a fast minus ground pass to the center. Baba neatly connects to it and scores the fourth goal. This is Baba's first goal of the season. In the 69th minute, Ishikawa breaks through the right side and sends a fast pass to the goal, but no one can connect in the middle. However, Inoha on the opposite side receives it, cuts inside, and shoots. They show a thick attack from both sides. In the 70th minute, Kajiyama -> Inoha carves out the left side and sends a ground cross between the defenders and the goalkeeper. Baba acts as a decoy near the goal, and Ishikawa taps in the ball that rolled to the far side, scoring the fifth goal. Ishikawa scores his happy first goal of the season in his third game since returning.

　74, 76 minutes, Toda and Abe were substituted for Kajiyama and Lucas. Fresh players were brought in to launch further attacks. In the 78th minute, Abe received the ball in the midfield and dribbled towards the opponent's goal. Although he was eventually blocked by the defender, he showed great determination to score. In the 83rd minute, Miyazawa advanced into the penalty area and received a pass from the right, but his shot went slightly over.

　86 minutes, Abe, who received a vertical pass on the right side, dribbled past the opponent's DF and rushed towards the goal. He sent a last pass to Toda on the left and took a shot, but it was blocked by the GK. Picking up the loose ball, they launched a wave attack, and in the end, Baba's shot was also saved, and they couldn't score an additional point. The game ended as it was. Taking advantage of the numerical advantage in the second half, they scored a large number of points and won convincingly. It was their first victory since the 11th round of the league against Kofu.

　【Player Comments】《Imano》"At the beginning, the opponent defended well and there were moments when our movement stopped. But since we were playing with a double pivot, I thought it would be fine if one of us pushed forward, so I tried to move up. I realized that it's important to make runs into space because it's difficult for the opponent to mark us. We ended up scoring 5 goals, but there's still more we can do. I believe everyone has the fitness to do it. Scoring a goal made me realize the importance of being bold."《Inoha》"It's been a while since I played on the left side, but I didn't feel uncomfortable because I had been practicing it. We conceded a goal and the atmosphere started to turn negative, but Lucas' goal changed the momentum of the game. I wanted to score another goal in the first half, but I'm happy that I could assist in that situation. Osaka is where I spent my university days. The coach from my university also came to watch, and I wanted to show him how I've grown. Being called up to the U-21 Japan national team is also motivating me. I want to work hard to play at a higher level in any position."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "We had a very good game today. The start of the first half was weak in terms of marking, but around the 10th minute, Tokunaga, Shigeki, Imakano, Miura, and others started to mark well and we found our rhythm. From there, we were able to attack the sides with Ishikawa and Inoha and turn the game around in a good way. In the second half, we knew that the opponent would come at us aggressively from the start, so at halftime, I told the players to 'mark tightly, especially in the first 10 minutes.' They were able to mark well, just like in the first half. With the opponent being one player down, we were able to pass the ball even more and create opportunities. Of course, it became easier to play with one less opponent, but we still connected our passes well and took advantage of the situation. Despite it being a weekday, we want to express our gratitude as a team, staff, and players to the many supporters who came all the way to Osaka and cheered for us."

　[Summary of Coach Tsukada's press conference at C Osaka] "As you can see from the results, we are currently unable to win, and we have not been able to challenge something and overcome it with courage. As you can see from our attacking efforts at the start of the first half, there is no problem with the penetration of our tactics. However, when things didn't go well, we couldn't forcefully break through or challenge by opening up holes, and we lost our rhythm. In defense, we became ball watchers on the sides, our response to the opponents was poor, and we were beaten. As for FW Okubo, his condition has returned as he was able to play for the full 90 minutes. However, in terms of combination play, there is still a long way to go. Although the results are not coming, it is not just his problem, but a challenge for the entire team. Anyway, we must continue with what we are working on now and convey the importance of playing with courage."