Break through the opponent's solid defense with persistent play and secure a victory away from home!

　In the 19th round of the league, we played against Cerezo Osaka away. In the previous match against Kashima, we struggled in the first half but made adjustments in the second half and secured a valuable 1 point with a goal from Imakuno. Although there is still room for improvement in terms of conceding goals from set pieces, our energy level remained high throughout the 90 minutes. With the confidence and momentum gained from the match against Kashima, we aim to secure 3 points today. On the other hand, C Osaka is currently in 5th place. Despite the transfer of MF Shinji Kagawa to Germany during the break, they have achieved 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in the 7 matches since July. Although they lost 2-3 to Shimizu in the 15th round, they have maintained good form. They have scored a total of 28 goals so far, while conceding only 17, which is the fewest in the league. In particular, they have kept clean sheets in the last 3 matches. They are known for their solid defense, but they also have attacking players such as FW Ienaga, Adriano, and MF Kiyotake, and they have a high ball possession rate. Although MF Amaral will be suspended for this match, the key will be how well we can concentrate and defend against C Osaka's ball possession and turn it into a counterattack. For Tokyo, Gonda and Kajiyama have returned to the starting lineup after recovering their condition. On the other hand, Hayabusa is absent again due to a left foot injury, and Tokunaga will play as the left midfielder. The two forwards will be Okubo and Ricardinho. In terms of attack, we want to break through the space behind C Osaka's full-backs who play in high positions and create opportunities from the sides. If Ricardinho and Ishikawa can exploit the space, it will be possible to take advantage of Okubo's sharp movements. We want to break through C Osaka's strong defense, both individually and collectively, and score the first goal. Tokunaga expressed his determination, saying, "I want to be involved in the build-up play and contribute more to scoring by moving forward. If our attacks become predictable, we won't be able to break through C Osaka's defense. Their defenders, especially Moni (Mochizuki), mark tightly, so we want to use the space. Once we regain possession, we also want to actively aim for counterattacks." Like in the previous match where we found our rhythm through player substitutions and formation changes, we will unite as a team and never give up in the match against C Osaka! The match started at 19:05 at Kincho Stadium with C Osaka's kickoff.

They were forced to make substitutions and faced a difficult situation, allowing the opponent to take the lead and ending the first half.

　In the 4th minute of the start, Tokyo lost the ball on the left side and C Osaka FW Ienaga attempted to break through and crossed the ball. It reached FW Adriano perfectly and he scored with a header, giving up an early lead. Although it was a goal that should not have been conceded, they remained calm and continued to attack. In the 10th and 17th minutes, chances were created from Ishikawa's sharp crosses, but they did not result in shots. In the 12th minute, Okubo broke through the opponent's defense with a pass to the front line, but his shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. In the 20th minute, Ishikawa dribbled up and unleashed a powerful shot with a drive, but it went off target. The opponent's goalkeeper fumbled the ball, but quickly caught it. In the 21st minute, Ricardinho bypassed the opponent's defense from the left side and took a shot, but it went wide. On the other hand, C Osaka also took the ball and their forward line took fluid positions, threatening Tokyo's goal sharply. Tokyo struggled against this and made adjustments by moving Imakawa to defensive midfield and Morishige to center-back, before the 30th minute. However, in the 37th minute, Morishige received his second yellow card of the match and was sent off. From here, they had to play with 10 men, with Imakawa dropping back to center-back and Tokunaga and Kajiyama in defensive midfield. Okubo played as the lone striker, with Ishikawa and Ricardinho on the sides. Despite the difficult situation, Tokyo controlled the game towards the end of the first half. In the 44th minute, Kajiyama shifted to the left and Matsumoto aimed for a middle shot from the ball dropped by Tokunaga. It grazed the opponent's defender and hit the crossbar... Immediately after, Ricardinho attempted a central breakthrough and Ishikawa seized the loose ball, aiming for a middle shot, but it went wide. In the end, they went into halftime trailing.

Despite Ōtake's determined goal, the team suffered multiple setbacks and was defeated.

　後半に入り、またしても立ち上がりの50分、C大阪のクロスを一度はクリアするが、再びC大阪に奪われる。そこから途中出場のFW小松に右エリアで勝負を仕掛けられ、権田のクリアのこぼれにC大阪・右SB高橋に飛び込まれて、2失点目を喫してしまった…。流れを変えようと56分には大黒とリカルジーニョに代えて平山と大竹を投入する。しかし数的不利の中でなかなかチャンスにつなげることはできず。 　66分には重松を投入し、DFラインは右に中村、中央に今野とキム ヨングン。左サイドを徳永がカバーし、ボランチに梶山と大竹。右MFに松下。平山と重松が前線に入る布陣で打開を図ろうとした。特に右サイドの中村と松下を起点に何度かゴール前にクロスを入れるも、相手GKを中心にはね返されてしまう。逆に80分、C大阪のカウンターから、途中出場のFW黒木に豪快なミドルを決められてしまう。 　それでも諦めず、86分にはキム ヨングンの攻め上がりから、大竹がワンツーをかわして中央突破を図り、こぼれたボールを平山がつなぎ、再び大竹がエリア内に進入。相手DFを冷静にかわして一矢を報いる。しかし直後の87分には、C大阪MF石神のサイドからのミドルが、権田の手からこぼれ…。数的不利を跳ね返せず、終始C大阪に攻め込まれた一戦。終盤に大竹の意地のゴールをマークするも、4点を失い、力負けを喫した。 　【選手コメント】《大竹》「(ゴールシーンを振り返って)キム ヨングンが上がっていたので、ワンツーをかわして前に上がった。ガチャガチャしたところからのこぼれを相太くんがうまく出してくれて、落ち着いてDFをかわした。劣勢ではあったが、C大阪は僕たちの2列目からの飛び出しに付いてきていなかったので、なんとか前に当てて危険なエリアに入って、1点を取りたいと思っていた。今日は、10人になったこともあり苦しかったが、そこで踏ん張って、0対2のままで1点返すことができれば、まだチャンスがあったと思う。僕は、3点目を取られたことが痛かったと思う」《大黒》「立ち上がりに失点したが、そのすぐ後に僕のチャンスがあった。相手GKの頭に当たってしまったが、そこで決めていれば、展開も変わったと思う。1対1にできれば、退場になることもなかったと思うし、そういうところで決められないことが自分自身の反省点。チームとしてのチャンスは多いとは言えないが、少ない中でも決めること。それがFWの仕事。できるように頑張りたい。(順位も14位に下がったが)チームとしてやろうとしていることが、なかなか噛み合っていないのかもしれない。相手の対策も必要だが、落ち着いて自分たちのサッカーを整理して、もう一度意思統一を図ることが大事なのかもしれない」 　【城福監督の会見要旨】「非常に残念です。アウェイに来てくれたサポーター・ファンと一緒に喜べなかったことを残念に思います。(森重選手が退場になりましたが、チームに与えた影響は？)この気候で前半から一人選手が減ってしまうことの大変さは、選手自身が良く分かっていると思います」 　【C大阪・レヴィー クルピ監督の会見要旨】「こんばんは。本当にいいゲームだったと思います。特にキンチョウスタジアムの初ゴールを取れたし、また今日をしめるゴールもセレッソだった。これはもう我々にとっては本当に幸運のスタジアムと呼べる気がします。サポーターの方がすぐ近くにいる。だから選手たちは持てるもの以上の力を出せる。これからもサポーターの方々に来ていただくためにも、この勝利は本当に重要だった。このサポーターがキンチョウスタジアムに来ることで、セレッソの大きな武器となることが今日のゲームではっきり分かったと思います」