Bring victory away in a close match against the top team

　Sec. 17 will face Gamba Osaka and invade the away Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium. This round marks the completion of one full cycle of matches, but with a current record of 6 wins, 2 draws, and 8 losses, it is crucial to secure points and build momentum. Despite facing the top team, Coach Hara expressed his determination to "maintain our direction of moving and running more than the opponent and challenge them with the soccer we have been able to play recently."

　G Osaka is currently in first place with 35 points. This season, they have not lost a single game since the 7th round on April 22nd. In addition, they have remained undefeated for 22 consecutive matches at home in Expo'70. However, in the previous round against Yokohama FM, they ended with a scoreless draw, marking their first goalless game in 40 matches. In this round, key defender Yamaguchi will be suspended, and instead, they will field Nakazawa, who will make his debut in the league. There should be opportunities for the opponents to take advantage of the unfamiliar coordination.

　However, G Osaka will fill the hole left by DF Yamaguchi with a more attacking play by gathering talent in the attacking line. Considering the data so far, Tokyo cannot win by scoring only one goal, considering that G Osaka always scores. It is expected to be a tough battle away, but "G Osaka has many skilled players, so if we take the lead, we can play energy-saving soccer and escape. Ideally, we would like to score first and make the opponent come forward. And we want to bring it to a close game," said Coach Hara.

　Even if we are pushed back by G Osaka, it is necessary to fight without panicking. We should stay focused and shut down G Osaka's FW Magnao Alves and Valdo, the two top players, and then we should be able to launch fast counterattacks. We must not lose to G Osaka's momentum and quickly switch from defense to offense in order to break open G Osaka's goal.

　Tokyo will face the match with the same starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game. Ishikawa, who has been on the bench since Sec. 13, is also on the bench. As the sun sets and a slight breeze blows, the game started with Tokyo's kickoff at 19:01 at the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium.

Leading with 2 points from the intended formation, the defense also struggles, but...

　Against a cautious start by G Osaka, Tokyo launched a counterattack as planned. They initiated quick attacks after solid defense. In the 4th and 6th minutes, Inomata intercepted through passes to the G Osaka front line. In the 10th minute, G Osaka FW Magnou Alves cut inside deep into the right area and sent a negative pass into the goalmouth. FW Vale's powerful shot hit the target, but the Tokyo DF blocked it. They defended with concentration, and it happened right after that.

　Konno steals the opponent's loose ball and changes the side to the left. Kanazawa → Lucas passes a vertical pass to Suzuki Nori, who has moved up to the left front line. Suzuki Nori enters the area, attracts the defender, and instead of shooting, he sends a last pass to Fukunishi, who has come up from the right. Unmarked Fukunishi neatly slots the ball into the goal, taking the lead from the intended development!

　15 minutes after the opening goal, which was scored 5 minutes earlier, Kajiyama earned a free kick on the left side. From Kajiyama's kick, Imano from the far side took a shot! The ball was blocked by the goalkeeper and the post, but Noriyuki Suzuki managed to push it in while being pulled by the G Osaka defender. Goal! From the flow of the set play, they already scored their second goal.

　However, G Osaka, who conceded two goals, also calmly attacked. In the 18th minute, G Osaka's FW Vale dribbled and advanced to the right area. Tokyo couldn't keep up with the marking and allowed a free shot, but Doi made a save. In the 20th minute, MF Endo took a sharp free kick, but Doi saved it and escaped the pinch. In the 22nd minute, Lucas was fouled and Tokyo obtained a free kick from just outside the area. Norio Suzuki swung his left foot, but unfortunately it went over the bar.

　In the 29th minute, G Osaka MF Endo dribbled into the right area, but Inoha's sliding tackle saved it as a corner kick. They were unable to pick up second balls in the midfield and gradually fell into a disadvantage, but they defended well in the final line. However, in the 34th minute, G Osaka MF Nikawa attacked and when Tokyo's press was absent, he aimed and struck a precise shot into the bottom left corner. It was a regrettable goal as the defense was well organized.

　At 35 minutes, from Kanazawa's left cross, Lucas quickly turned around and took a shot. There was momentum, but he couldn't score. After conceding a goal, Tokyo gradually began to make more mistakes and was countered after losing the ball in the midfield. At 36 minutes, from G Osaka's sharp counterattack, FW Valley cut into the left area and took a shot, but Doi saved it! The end of the game became a fierce exchange between offense and defense, but Doi made several great saves and maintained a one-goal lead going into the second half.

Consecutive goals conceded after a mistake give G Osaka momentum and result in a crushing defeat

　In the second half, we tried to recover from the reflection of the first half and aim for another goal. In the 2nd minute, Kawaguchi showed persistence as he competed with G Osaka DF Yasuda and broke through to the sideline, crossing the ball. The ball flowed to the far side and was connected, and in the end, Kajiyama aimed for a shot from the middle, but it went high. Just 4 minutes later, G Osaka passed the ball to DF Kaji, who overlapped on the right side, and DF Kaji took a bold shot. Doi deflected it with one hand, and Tokyo DF tried to clear it, but FW Magnouves quickly closed in on the left area and scored a goal. We conceded an equalizer early in the second half and lost momentum.

　G Osaka, who is gaining momentum, made a strong shot in the 50th minute when FW Vale ran into the area. Doi managed to save it with one foot and tried to prevent further goals. However, in the 53rd minute, G Osaka was stolen from a mistake in the opponent's territory, and FW Magnowa Alves rushed into the area from a quick pass. Tokyo DF tried to steal the ball with three people, but it was kept well using the body and passed to the left, taking advantage of the opening. MF Hashimoto was running freely here and easily scored, allowing the game to be reversed.

　Still, there was a one-point difference and there was time. In the 56th minute, Ishikawa was substituted for Kawaguchi. He tried to create chances from the side. However, in the 61st minute, Inoha injured his right knee and went off the pitch. In the 63rd minute, Kurisawa was brought on as a defensive midfielder, but immediately made mistakes and received a counterattack from G Osaka. In the 60th minute, Ishikawa, who had drifted to the left side, persisted and ran to the loose ball, shooting. It was a well-controlled shot with momentum, but the goalkeeper caught it.

　In the 72nd minute, Lucas → Ishikawa picked up speed and crossed. He sent a good ball, but the jumping goalkeeper caught it. From here, Tokyo received a quick counterattack and couldn't get back in time, resulting in a 2-2 situation. G Osaka FW Hayato Haji advanced cautiously. As soon as he saw no press from Fujiyama, he took a powerful shot. The ball bounced off Doi's hand and went into the goal. It was scored by G Osaka FW Hayato Haji, who had just come on as a substitute in the 71st minute. Tokyo, whose concentration was broken, stopped moving and completely lost their rhythm, unable to stop G Osaka's attacks.

　In the 73rd minute, BABA was substituted for KAJIYAMA. However, they couldn't create any decisive opportunities, and in the 79th minute, they allowed the 5th goal as HATODO broke through the defense line from G Osaka's right cross. In the 83rd minute, MAGNO ALVES, who was completely unmarked in front of the goal, scored the 6th goal from HATODO's right cross... In injury time, ISHIKAWA tried to retaliate by cutting inside and taking a left-footed shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. They conceded consecutive goals in the final 10 minutes and were overwhelmed. They suffered a heavy defeat with 6 goals conceded, the first time since the match against Iwata in September 2002.

　【Player Comments】《Dohi》"The problem was how we started the second half. We made some passing mistakes and got punished for them. In the end, we had to go forward and try to recover, so there was no other choice, but all the goals we conceded were our own mistakes. Even though we were attacking, we were caught on the counter by crucial passes at key moments. However, I don't think we completely fell apart. We have another game coming up soon, so we need to switch our focus."《Fukunishi》"Regarding the goal, I was anticipating that Norio Suzuki might break through the moment he received the ball, so I was trying to close him down. We were able to create opportunities and even score from there. I think we had a good start to the game. In hindsight, there is a feeling that if we had managed to keep a clean sheet in the first half... Osaka had shown their strength, but if we had held on and scored a third goal, we could have nullified their momentum. In the second half, the distance between the players became too large, and Osaka's third goal was crucial. The fourth, fifth, and sixth goals were a matter of our mentality."

　[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "In the beginning of the first half, we used the sides well and scored in a good way. However, the pace slowed down afterwards and we started to lose loose balls. The scene where MF Nikawa scored a goal, despite having players around, was because we were slow to close in. At halftime, I instructed the team to be more careful in using the sides and to address these issues. However, we lost the ball in the midfield and conceded the second goal from DF Kaji's shot, which seemed to break our tension. We immediately conceded a third goal, and that was painful. Inoha got injured and we were trailing, so I tried to bring in Kurisawa and spread the play to the sides. However, he also made mistakes, which led to more goals against us. In the end, it's disappointing. I don't intend to blame individual mistakes, but the loss of focus led to errors. We cannot continue playing like we did in the first half and expect to beat teams like G Osaka. Even small mistakes or lack of concentration can result in games like today's. In the midst of a tough schedule, we couldn't stop the team from falling apart after being in the lead. I feel truly sorry for the supporters who sang for us even after the game. Despite being tired, our concentration wavered. For the sake of the supporters who cheered for us until the end, we need to quickly regroup."

　[Summary of G Osaka Coach Nishino's Press Conference] "Considering the goals conceded in the 10th and 14th minutes, it was not DF Nakazawa's fault, but rather the overall balance at the start was poor. After that, we adjusted the distance between DF Nakazawa and DF Clayson and made smooth adjustments within the overall balance, gradually calming down and progressing. With MF Futagawa's goal in the first half, I thought we could recover. The second half became an easier development. Tokyo's defensive system makes it easier for us to bring out the strengths of our two top players. That's why there was a goal rush. FC Tokyo lost their way of playing and the midfield press disappeared. This situation was an easy development for us to demonstrate our strengths. I think this result was achieved through the awareness of adjustments after conceding and a high focus on scoring goals. Recent games have often been turned around, but I want to have a style that can go from the beginning. It was the last game of consecutive matches, but we were able to maintain a high level of physical and conditioning. FW Vale's injury seems to take a long time to recover, but we have another game this month. I want to prepare well and fight together with everyone."