The 2013 season has begun! A crucial match to start with a victory and build momentum.

The long-awaited 2013 J-League season has begun. In the away game, Oita Trinita faced off against the team in the second season under coach Popovic. This season, Chun Son LEE, Keigo HIGASHI, Hirotaka MITA, and Hideyuki NOZAWA have joined the team. They have been preparing by starting on January 20th, conducting camps in Okinawa and Miyazaki, and participating in practice matches and preseason matches. They aim to build on what they cultivated last season, further improve the quality and precision, and achieve "results" by playing attractive soccer and aiming for a title.

Oita, who finished 6th in J2 last season, secured promotion to J1 dramatically in the playoffs that followed. Manager Tabata, who took charge from last season, aims for "all-out attack, all-out defense" through hard work. This season, that mindset has permeated the team, and with a formation of 3-1-4-2, quick transitions between offense and defense, and solid defense and sharp counterattacks, they have a significant weapon. For Oita, this is their first J1 stage in 4 seasons, which they have overcome various hardships to grasp. Starting this journey at home should be a great advantage.

Tokyo, who had been without Shioda and Lucas, has now joined and the team is complete. Today, Morishige and Kaga are in the center back position, with Yonemoto and Takahashi as the double pivot. Hasegawa and Lucas are placed as the left and right midfielders, with Azuma as the attacking midfielder and Watanabe as the lone striker. Morishige, who has been appointed as the game captain this season, declared, "A good start is important for winning titles. We will care for Oita's counterattacks, connect with good ball circulation and attacks, and fight with determination."

The East has a lot of excitement as it is the opening match and also a match against their former team, RESONAC DOME OITA. In the midst of that, it is important to not do things halfway and to attack relentlessly. Even if they lose the ball, they promise to quickly switch and continue the play they aim for throughout the 90 minutes. If they do that, the results will definitely come. They aim to fully demonstrate Tokyo's style and bring back 3 points in a tenacious and determined battle! The match started at 19:04 with Oita's kickoff at RESONAC DOME OITA.

Watanabe's skillful shot is successful, and the first half ends with a tie

From the start of the first half, we calmly passed the ball and took control. In the 9th minute, the opponent's defender cleared a long feed from Tokunaga. Hasegawa picked up the ball in the center of the area, advanced forward, and attracted the defender, creating space for Higashi on the left side. Hasegawa cut back against the approaching defender and took a shot, but it hit the crossbar. In the 13th minute, Tokunaga passed to Hasegawa on the right side, who then exchanged passes with Higashi and advanced to the center, where he made a vertical pass to Watanabe. Watanabe controlled the ball perfectly and immediately turned to take a shot, but it went over the crossbar.

Tokyo continued to create scoring opportunities and maintain their pace, but they conceded the first goal in an instant. In the 17th minute, Oita's left corner kick was connected by midfielder Kimura with a short pass, and midfielder Chehyonghan delivered a cross with a shooting intent from outside the left area corner. The ball slipped through without touching anyone and went into the goal. Tokyo allowed Oita to capitalize on one chance. However, Tokyo continued to attack with their passing game without rushing. In the 25th minute, Lucas broke through on the right front line and passed a lofted ball to Takahashi in front of the goal. Hasegawa tried to connect with it but couldn't finish the shot.

And in the 26th minute, Watanabe, who dropped back to receive Takahashi's cross that drifted to the right, slid from right to left in front of the area and passed it to Hasegawa, who returned it. He then shot directly and brilliantly pierced the lower left corner to equalize. In the 35th minute, Lucas on the right front line crossed the ball. Watanabe in the center timed his header perfectly, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. Despite creating more scoring opportunities, they couldn't shake the net and the first half ended as it was.

Hasegawa's comeback goal is born, decorating the opening match with a victory

The flow is still in Tokyo in the second half. In the 51st minute, Hasegawa sprinted down the left side. He made a minus last pass to the open space in the center of the area. Lukon ran in from the opposite side, but narrowly missed. In the 56th minute, Tokunaga broke through the right side and won a corner kick. From the kick by Higashi, Takahashi headed the ball but it was saved by the goalkeeper. However, Hasegawa intercepted the ball that the opposing goalkeeper threw and floated it over the goalkeeper who was out of position into the unguarded goal. They unexpectedly scored an additional point in this way.

Then, after that, they were pushed back by Oita's strong attack. In the 62nd minute, Oita had a free kick from the right side. MF Kimura kicked the ball in front of the goal. DF Takagi headed the ball with a high trajectory, but... it missed the target and they escaped from the danger. In the 70th minute, MF Che Jong-Hwan utilized his ball control skills in the left area of Oita, and FW Nishi crossed from the left. However, it didn't connect in the center. Tokyo tried to change the flow in the 72nd minute by substituting Lee for Watanabe. Then, immediately after, Lucas broke through the right area and made a minus last pass to the center. Lee followed up with a decisive shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's excellent save and resulted in a corner kick.

Towards the end, Tokyo substituted Ishikawa for Higashi to launch attacks against Oita without hesitation. They created scoring opportunities from counterattacks. In the 90th minute, Ishikawa intercepted the ball in their own half and played a through pass behind the opposition's defense. Lee caught up with the long pass and faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, but his shot was saved. Then, Lee dribbled past a defender from the right side, cut inside, and took a shot, but it went wide to the left. Furthermore, Ishikawa's sharp dribbling created chances, but they couldn't capitalize on them. The match ended as it was, and Tokyo decorated the opening game with a come-from-behind victory, fighting without panic despite the difficulties.

[Player Comment]
《Watanabe》"We were able to create a coordinated attack where everyone was involved with the ball. The opening match is always difficult as every team comes in with high motivation. Under those circumstances, it was good that we were able to earn 3 points away from home, and in the midst of the difficulty, it's the responsibility of the forwards to score... If the forwards can score, the team can ride the momentum. It was also good that we were able to play offensively as a whole. (About the goal) I received the ball outside the penalty area and turned forward. I saw Aria, so I passed the ball to him, and when it came back, I tried to stop it once. But then I saw the opening, so I took a bold shot. I think it was the best decision in that situation. (About myself this season) There are many good forwards in the team, and there has been intense competition since I joined last season. So I have the feeling that I can't afford to lose, and I wanted to leave a result today as well."

"Hasegawa: "In addition to the goal scene, I think we were able to create good attacks from good passing and the movement of the third person, using post-play and including shots from the middle. Personally, if I play in a more forward position than the central midfielder, I was thinking of focusing on scoring goals and assisting. I think it was good that we were able to do that in the opening game. However, we knew that Oita would come up with trick plays and sign plays. Last season, we conceded many unfortunate goals in the form of set plays, so that is today's reflection and challenge. We need to increase our concentration and sustain it. Personally, I feel that my mind and body are in sync when I am in good condition. However, while I think it's okay to be happy today, I want to strive to win with better content for the long season without being satisfied with this result."

[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference]
"I think it was a very good game. The only disappointing thing was conceding a goal by being caught off guard for a moment. We knew that Oita's set plays were accurate from the beginning, and I feel that we need to address the issue of losing concentration and conceding goals. However, I believe that the game content and the way we played deserve a comeback. I think we calmly and intelligently managed the game and were able to execute what we have been doing on the pitch. We created many decisive chances from the flow of the game. It's a shame that we couldn't convert those chances into goals. Considering the number of chances, I think we could have scored more goals."

Oita is a dangerous team that has been defensively organized and launches accurate counterattacks from there. I think teams that will face Oita from now on will experience the fear of facing those counterattacks. There was an unexpected injury substitution for Kaga, but Chang Hyun Soo, who came in as a replacement, played well. It is something that I always demand from the players, to be prepared to give their best performance no matter the situation. I think they showed that not only the starting lineup of 11 players, but all the players fought together. Ishikawa and Lee, who came on as substitutes, were also the same. I believe they sharpened their focus to the level of starting from the beginning and demonstrated their strength."

[Summary of Oita-Tanaka Coach's Press Conference]
"I wanted to win, but I think it was a game where a draw wouldn't be strange. Of course, we knew we would be pushed back, and we have to fight this season. It is commendable that we tried to defend ourselves until the end of the first and second halves. We were able to approach the goal firmly with counterattacks, and after conceding the second goal, we were able to show our attacking width. We need to make it a challenge to improve the number of times. In this season's J1, we have to challenge every opponent. It was a game where we could recognize it again. I think the players also realized that it is not easy. I told the players, 'Never look down. We have to look up firmly and improve the quality more than ever because we are fighting on this stage this season.'"