Restart the league, maintain focus, and launch quick attacks to secure a home victory

　Sec. 3 will welcome Kyoto Sanga F.C. at home. With the Nabisco Cup in between, it will be the first league match in two weeks. During this time, there have been activities for the national team and the Olympic team, and there was little time for Kono, Hanyu, and Nagatomo to join the team. In addition, there have been a series of injuries recently. Kajiyama, Emerson, and Ishikawa have left the team. Coach Shirofuku said, "The team situation is not perfect, including the condition of the national team players," but he also expressed his determination, saying, "Every team is in the same situation. From this match, we will have three consecutive games, but we will give our all to win the upcoming match."

　On the other hand, Tokunaga, who had been injured, returned. In addition, Imano, Hanyu, and Nagatomo also adjusted and started. In the midfield, which has many injured players, Kanazawa was appointed and formed a double defensive midfield with Imano. Yoshimoto, who started for the first time in two games since the Nabisco Shizuoka match, was the center back, and Cabore and Akamine were the two top players, with Otake on the right MF and Hanyu on the left, forming a 4-4-2 formation.

　Kyoto, who will fight in J1 from this season, has a record of 1 win and 1 draw in the league, which is equal to Tokyo. They have not lost a single game this season, including the Nabisco Cup. They use the system flexibly, snatch the ball from a compact formation, and their attacking play, involving Sato in the midfield and Watanabe on the left side-back, is powerful. In addition, FW Yanagisawa, FW Paulinho, and Tokushige have abundant physicality and high scoring ability. Furthermore, there are unique players on the bench, such as FW Tahara, who combines height and strength, and FW Hayashi, who has speed.

　There is a possibility of being defeated if you lose concentration for even a moment against the strong Kyoto. Speed will be required in all aspects such as switching between offense and defense and restarts. This is an important match to gain momentum in the three consecutive matches starting from this section. We want to grab a victory at home without losing in the battle for the ball in the early stages and midfield. The match started at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo at 2:04 pm under cloudy and cold weather.

Kazunori YOSHIMOTO's first goal takes the lead, equalized but regained the lead with Akamine's header

　The match started off lively. In the 2nd minute, Cabore didn't miss the opponent's goalkeeper's clearance mistake, stole the ball near the right area, evaded the Kyoto DF, and took a shot. It was blocked by the goalkeeper, but they won a corner kick. Daichi kicked this right corner kick, and Cabore competed for it, causing the ball to spill from the Kyoto DF to the front of Yoshimoto in the left area. Yoshimoto skillfully controlled it and took a shot. He scored his first professional goal and took the lead early in the game.

　However, Kyoto also quickly launches an attack and takes it to the finish. In the 7th minute, they stole the ball from Tokyo in the midfield and launched a quick counterattack. MF Sato carried the ball and passed it to FW Yanagisawa in the left area. Yanagisawa acted as a decoy and FW PAULINHO, who provided support, took a shot that hit the right post, allowing Tokyo to escape the danger. In the 13th minute, Tokyo stole the ball this time and Inamoto dribbled up the field. The attacking line also had numbers, but Kyoto quickly returned and couldn't create a chance. In the end, Kabore headed the ball from Tokunaga's cross, but the timing was off.

　In the 17th minute, Kyoto's FK in the center of Tokyo's field. Although there was distance, FW PAULINHO aimed directly. The ball changed course after hitting Tokyo's DF and was saved by Shibata, escaping to a CK. However, MF Kakuta scored from this left CK, and the game was tied.

　Both teams continued to attack each other, with a back-and-forth battle. Tokyo gained momentum from the sides. In the 25th minute, Tokunaga fought hard to earn a right corner kick, and Imano perfectly timed his header from Otake's kick, but it slightly veered to the left. In the 29th minute, Hayashi passed the ball into the area from the left side. Imano, who had moved up, connected with a one-touch pass, and Otake in the left area controlled the floated ball and attempted a looping shot. Although they couldn't score a goal, Akamine tenaciously picked up the ball that drifted to the far side and crossed it from the right. Cabore unleashed a header, but it went to the left.

　In the 36th minute, Shioda connected with Cabore from Kyoto's corner kick, and Hayu, who went up the left side, crossed the ball. Kanazawa, who advanced to attack, connected with the loose ball, but in the end, it was defended. In the 44th minute just before the end of the first half, Hayu connected with Nagatomo from a quick restart by Motonii, and Nagatomo crossed from the left. It didn't reach Cabore in front of the goal, but it resulted in a corner kick. At this point, Akamine struck the ball with a header from Otake's kick, and it went into the goal. Both teams scored from set plays, and Akamine took the lead with a goal in the second consecutive game following the Nabisco Cup, heading into the second half.

Conceding a comeback under the pressure of Kyoto's momentum, but a determined draw with Imano's equalizer

　Kyoto introduced FW Tahara from the second half and aimed to counterattack as a target in the front line. Immediately after the 46th minute, CK from the breakthrough of this FW Tahara. Kyoto MF Sato shoots from the loose ball of CK, but Tokyo DF blocks it. In the 48th minute, Tokyo seizes the chance for an additional goal, and Tokunaga advances to the right area and passes the ball outside the area. There, Otake, who had risen freely, took a left-footed shot, but it went over the bar.

　In the 56th minute, Kyoto introduced MF Atariba as a defensive midfielder and moved MF Shijikurei to defense, forming a 3-back system. Tokyo took advantage of this momentary gap. In the 57th minute, they passed the ball inside Tokyo's territory, MF Atariba passed it to the right, and FW Tokushige's shot was blocked by Kanazawa. The ball floated to the left and reached DF Watanabe who was moving up. Otake marked him, but the pressure was weak and he was cut inside, allowing a mid-range shot. It spectacularly hit the net, equalizing the score once again.

　Kyoto, who gained momentum with this, sent a long ball to the forward FW Tahara on the front line and pushed Tokyo DF. Tokyo also did not become a one-sided defense, and in the 74th minute, Asari was thrown in and Inomoto was moved up one row to aim for a lead. However, Kyoto's momentum continued, and in the 78th minute, FW Hayashi, who came on as a substitute, crossed behind Tokyo DF from the left side. FW Tahara, who jumped out here, was hit with a free header, but Shioda saved it with one hand. In the following 80th minute, Yoshimoto's clearance was at the feet of MF Atariba, who was waiting in the midfield. MF Atariba floated a pass behind Tokyo DF with one touch. Tahara, who ran in here, shot while sliding. He allowed a comeback goal from a difficult position.

　Still not giving up, in the 82nd minute, Kawaguchi replaced Otake, and in the 84th minute, Hirayama replaced Akamine. They launched a counterattack, utilizing Hirayama's height. Then, in the 87th minute, Tokunaga, who had moved up the right side, floated a cross into the goal area. The ball skimmed past the Kyoto defenders and headed towards the top left corner of the goal, but the opposing goalkeeper managed to save it with one hand. In the scramble that followed, Konno cleverly closed in and headed the ball into the goal. With Konno's goal, his third consecutive goal in the league, they managed to equalize with determination.

　In stoppage time, starting from Kawaguchi, they attacked the area and won a right corner kick. They connected passes from Hanyu's kick, but were blocked by Kyoto's desperate defense. Immediately after, Nagatomo crossed to the left. Imakawa hit a header, but missed the target. In the first half, Tokyo took the initiative, while Kyoto took control in the second half, creating chances and scoring goals in an intense game that ended in a 3-3 draw.

　【Player Comments】《Imano》"We ended the first half in a good shape, but in the second half, we started to focus on defense and ended up being chaotic. As a result, we let the opponent have the ball and felt like we were being dominated. It was a shame to concede a goal in that situation. We want to develop the ability to bounce back and control the game well. Also, it is a challenge to maintain our pace when we are in the lead."《Hayu》"I think it was an interesting game for the spectators. However, it was a game that we could have won. We had a good start in the first half with a score of 2-1. In the second half, we were reversed from a tie, and in the end, we caught up, but there were also aspects that were fortunate and lucky. The direction of soccer that Tokyo aims for has permeated everyone. However, to actually embody it, we need both technical skills and decision-making abilities. We have little time to do it as we want. I think confidence is also necessary, so I want to gain confidence through practice and games, both individually and as a team."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "This season, we entered the game with the most injured players. Especially in the midfield, there were many injuries. Among the players who could stand on the pitch now, we selected those who were well prepared. In the beginning, we focused on Kyoto's defense and their subsequent counterattacks, and we were cautious about our approach and played with that awareness. However, that awareness was too strong and our midfield became a bit rough. I think there were too few scenes where we carried the ball to the attacking third using the passing work that we have been doing all along. It couldn't be helped at the start of the game, but even during the game, there were scenes where the midfield passed the ball backward instead of facing forward, or passed the ball backward when they could have carried it forward. I think if we could play more aggressively, we would have had more scenes of connecting passes and heading towards the goal. In the end, we managed to equalize. I think it was the result of the players' strong desire to win and their efforts towards the goal, but there are still areas where we need to address and make improvements in terms of the content. Fortunately, injured players will be returning soon. We want to review our soccer and use players who are well prepared as our foundation."

　[Summary of Kyoto Kato's press conference] "We played a game where we scored 6 goals in Kyoto again. Even in close matches, there are chances to win and take one point. In that situation, we turned the game around and caught up at the end. Regarding that, we could feel the determination of FC Tokyo players, the feeling that they absolutely cannot lose at home, was transmitted to us. We wanted to bounce back from that and win. Today, we first conceded an easy goal from a set piece in the first half, but I want to commend the team for turning the tide from there. I think the players' motivation was not inferior to FC Tokyo. If we had been playing in J1 last year, we could easily predict that this kind of game would happen. However, as a team that has just returned this season, there are still areas where we are feeling our way. We want to continue these kinds of games with perseverance, steadily accumulate points, and gradually improve our strength."