Fixing the issues and aiming for 3 points away!

　Matchday 2 will be held at Saitama Stadium 2002, where Omiya Ardija will face off. Unfortunately, they lost the opening match 2-4, but in this match, they will make defensive adjustments and adopt a more aggressive attitude to aim for victory, even though it is an away game! However, Lucas, who scored 2 goals in the previous match, will be absent this match due to a cold. Kajiyama is also not in optimal condition and will be on the bench. Suzuki Nori will play on the left side of the front line, Kurisawa will play as the attacking midfielder, and Fujiyama, who is in good form, will start as the center-back.

　Omiya, who is also facing the match, started the season with a loss. In the opening match, they stubbornly defended against G Osaka with a 4-4-1-1 formation, but unfortunately conceded a goal from a mistake in the 88th minute and lost. However, they maintain a compact formation and have a strong defense that defends in zones. The key to this match will be how to break down their defensive line.

　On the other hand, Omiya seems to be struggling to coordinate their attacks, but "FW Eniuton is a left-handed player with a momentary speed. He is a player who can break through on his own (Manager Hara)" and we need to be cautious. Additionally, FW Ohashi, MF Hashimoto, and other players who can kick with high precision are also present, and in past matches, the outcome has often been determined by set plays. Tokyo also wants to utilize the height of players like Hirayama to compete.

Imano scores the opening goal! The defense also shows stable play.

　The match started at 16:05 with a kickoff from Omiya. From the beginning, Tokyo launched attacks through Suzuki Nori and Ishikawa on the sides. In the 1st minute, Fukunishi crossed to Suzuki Nori from the left. In the 4th minute, Kurisawa stole the ball from the opposing forward Eniuton and launched an attack on the right. Ishikawa broke through on the right side and crossed the ball. Although the timing was slightly off, Hirayama and Suzuki Nori showed a promising attacking form. In the 11th minute, Fujiyama picked up a cleared ball from a free kick and fed it to the front line. Hirayama connected with a header and Fukunishi, who was left in front of the goal, took a shot. In the 14th minute, Ishikawa attempted a vertical breakthrough and passed to Kurisawa in the middle while attracting the attention of the defenders. Kurisawa dribbled and passed to Fukunishi, who had broken free in front of the goal. They had a great chance, but unfortunately, the goalkeeper blocked the shot and they couldn't score the opening goal.

　After 20 minutes, Omiya gradually started to launch counterattacks. However, Tokyo today showed a high defensive awareness, with Doi leading a concentrated defense. In the 21st minute, Omiya's midfielder Hashimoto crossed the ball, and midfielder Fujimoto made a diving header, but Doi made a great save! In the 23rd minute, Omiya's long ball found forward Kobayashi Daichi on the left side of Tokyo's defense. He crossed the ball, and forward Eniuton was ready to strike in front of the goal, but Tokunaga jumped in and cleared the ball. In the midfield, Imamura and Fukunishi, with Kurisawa also actively involved, successfully regained possession and quickly switched to attacking. Then, in the 26th minute, Suzuki Nori quickly moved forward to seize the ball that had spilled inside Omiya's defense. Ishikawa also made a run, winning a left corner kick. Imamura from the far post connected with a powerful header from Ishikawa's kick, scoring the long-awaited opening goal!

　In the 34th minute, Suzuki Nori kept the ball in the right area from Kurisawa's feed. Fukunishi from afar connected, and Kanazawa, who had moved up on the left side, crossed the ball. Hirayama jumped in from the front and attempted a header shot, but the ball missed the target. On the contrary, in the 39th minute, they lost the loose ball on the right side of their own field, allowing Omiya's left SB Namiho to enter the area. The cross passed perfectly to the FW Eniuton in front of the goal, who shook off his head, but the shot was caught by Doi in front of his body. There were also moments when Omiya created chances to counterattack, but the defense held firm, and they went into the second half with a one-goal lead.

Takashi FUKUNISHI's goal grabs the momentum and secures the first victory of the season!

　In the second half, Omiya gains momentum from a set piece. In the 48th minute, they earn a free kick just outside the box, and midfielder Hashimoto directly aims for forward Euan SHOESMITH as a decoy. This shot hits the right post and bounces off to the left, narrowly missing the target. In the 53rd minute, midfielder Fujimoto breaks through the space on the right front line of Omiya and boldly enters the box to take a shot. In response, Fujiyama persists and ultimately escapes the danger with a diving save by Toi.

　In the 57th minute, Hirayama persevered on the right front line and won a corner kick. Ishikawa's kick was blocked by the defender, and they earned another corner kick on the right. This time, Kurizawa served as the kicker, and although it was initially blocked by the defender, the ball ended up at the feet of Ishikawa and Omiya MF Fujimoto, who were competing in the penalty area. From there, Fukunishi ran towards the ball that had spilled in front of the goal and unleashed a right-footed shot from an angleless position in the right area. The shot pierced the net on the opposite side of the goal!

　After taking a 2-point lead with Fukunishi's first goal since his transfer, they began to gain momentum. In the 68th minute, Kawaguchi was substituted for Ishikawa. Immediately after, Kawaguchi broke free in response to Doi's long pass to the front line, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it a step ahead. In the 72nd minute, Kajiyama was substituted for Fukunishi, who had injured his ankle and took precautions. In the 76th minute, Wanchope, who made his first appearance in the J-League, was substituted for Hirayama. They went for another goal.

　87 minutes, Wanchope dropped Suzuki Nori's left cross and Inonami picked up the loose ball from the opponent's defender, crossing it to the right. Kajiyama in the area jumped out between the opponent's defender and defender and took a free header shot, but it went wide to the right. In injury time, Omiya came to score a goal and passed the ball in front of the goal, and FW Yoshihara took a shot from a close distance. However, Doi made a sharp save! Fujimoto in the left area took another shot from the loose ball, but Doi quickly returned and caught it again! They defended without losing concentration and the time was up. They efficiently scored 2 points from set plays in the attack and kept Omiya's attack goalless, getting 3 points away. They achieved their first victory of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Fukunishi》"I felt responsible because I missed chances in the early stages. I wanted to score if another chance came, so honestly, I'm relieved. I wanted a victory more than anything, so I'm most happy that the team won. We were able to proceed at our own pace by taking the lead. From now on, I want to score when we can and win the game in our own rhythm. (It's a big win for me after transferring), but the league is long. I want to build up one by one."《Imano》"I feel relieved to have achieved our first victory. I've been wanting to score the opening goal for a long time. It happened to be me, but I was happy because it was a form that I'm good at. Although there was some distance, I was able to hit it strongly and score, which felt good. Today, I focused on nullifying the opponent's strengths and marked Yu Kobayashi Daigo as the attacking midfielder. I was most cautious of Daigo, so I played a bit defensively and prevented him from running behind the defense. In the back, Fuji-san and Yuhei covered each other well. I think our way of playing will change depending on the opponent's characteristics, but I want to continue winning by nullifying the opponent's strengths and showcasing our own strengths."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Over the past week, we have been utilizing Lucas and Hirayama effectively while monitoring the condition of the Olympic representative players. However, Lucas caught a cold the day before yesterday, and Kajiyama's condition did not improve. In the absence of Lucas, we decided to use Ishikawa and Suzuki Norio as a combination on the sides, using fast players to play a simple style. We corrected the positioning mistake that led to conceding a goal in the opening match and made the relationship between Imano and Fukunishi easier to understand. Kurizawa has been in good shape since the practice matches, but he couldn't play in the opening match because we were three goals behind. I thought that if we could involve him well in the midfield, it would create a good balance, and he performed as planned in today's match. There were some dangerous moments in the first half, but it was good that we ended it with a 1-0 lead. Omiya came out strong in the second half, and if MF Hashimoto's free kick had gone in, I don't know what would have happened. However, Fukunishi's second goal made it easier for us. We actually wanted to be more aggressive, but everyone had the previous match where we conceded four goals in their minds. We knew that Omiya would kick the ball forward, so I told the players to focus on their positioning in the final line. There were some dangerous moments, but we put our bodies on the line and stayed focused until the end. With this one win, the players should gain confidence, so we want to continue like this. However, starting tomorrow, the Olympic representative players will embark on a Malaysia expedition, so we have to create a team without them."

　[Summary of Omiya Robert's press conference] "Tokyo started well in the first half. I think the players became tight and shrunk. After 15 minutes, Omiya's right side improved, and MF Fujimoto and DF Nishimura were able to actively participate in the attack. Several times, FW Eniuton, MF Fujimoto, and Hashimoto had chances but couldn't score, and we conceded a goal in an unlucky way. I kept saying which player should mark whom, but we completely left him free in that corner kick situation. However, the start of the second half was very good. Especially Hashimoto's left-footed free kick hit the post, which was unfortunate. (Regarding the second goal) I told the players to play easily without taking risks in our own deep area, but MF Fujimoto couldn't clear the loose ball, leading to a goal. After conceding two goals, the players lost their tension. It was difficult to bring the game back after being 0-2 down. After scoring two goals, FC Tokyo controlled the game well and even came to score the third goal. It is certainly not a good start to have consecutive losses, but there is no need to panic and the way we practice will not change. We haven't scored in two games, but we have no choice but to continue practicing shooting and crossing every day, and we hope it will bear fruit."