The final battle, also featuring the match between Japanese national team players, is a highlight.

Sec. 31 of the league will be held after a break of about 2 weeks. We will face Cerezo Osaka at home. In the previous match against Kofu, it ended in a draw, but we fought with a determination to the end. Taking that attitude as a minimum base, we will further enhance our common awareness and unity to fight through the season.

C Osaka, who they are up against, is currently in 5th place with 50 points. Although they lost to Tosu in the previous match, they had been undefeated in 10 matches since 8/10. They are in good form. FW Kakitani and MF Yamaguchi, who have also made a name for themselves in the Japan national team, along with other young and energetic players, have a strong attacking style. However, the characteristic of this season is the low number of goals conceded. They have only conceded a total of 27 goals (tied for 1st place in the league with Hiroshima). Attention is focused on how they will break through this solid defense.

The point difference with C Osaka is 2, and the ranking will be reversed depending on the result of this round, making it an important match that can be called a big game. Not only the Japan national team players, but also members who have played against each other in the Olympics and U-17 age group in the past are enrolled, so there is no shortage of highlights. However, in the away game in the first half and in the Nabisco Cup, we were defeated by a one-point difference by taking advantage of a slight gap, so we must not repeat the same way of losing. We want to continue to show Tokyo's soccer persistently and aggressively and seize victory.

This week, Takahashi is suspended from playing. Therefore, Hyun Soo JANG is deployed as a defensive midfielder. Mori Shige and Kaga will serve as center-backs. The wind is strong, but the cold is not so severe. Ajinomoto Stadium, where the sun shines brightly just before the game, started at 13:05 with a kickoff in Tokyo, with a record-breaking 40,371 spectators in attendance this season.

Despite grasping the rhythm, they conceded the first goal.

Tokyo dominated the ball from the beginning and actively attacked. In the 3rd minute, Lucas broke through the front line from Morishige's feed. In the 7th minute, Jang Hyun Soo persistently picked up the loose ball in front of the opponent's goal and expanded to the left, and Higashi aimed for a shot from outside the area. C Osaka also launched a quick counterattack after winning the ball, but Tokyo's quick defensive transition continued to prevent them from finishing.

However, in the 20th minute, Yonemoto was fouled by C Osaka and temporarily went out of the pitch after twisting his ankle upon landing. Tokyo was pushing forward, but their rhythm was disrupted by C Osaka's tough defense. In the 28th minute, Yonemoto intercepted a loose ball and passed it to the left, where Lucas crossed. The cross was cleared, but Tokyo continued their attack. Watanabe, who had moved from the center to the right area, broke free and took a shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.

If you miss this chance, in the 31st minute, the ball will be passed to C Osaka and the right back DF Sakamoto will cross. The Tokyo DF also had enough players, but the ball was headed into the area by FW Sugimoto -> FW Kashiwagi in the center just before the area. MF Simplício tried to control it, but the ball spilled to the right in the midst of the melee, and FW Minamino scored a spectacular shot... We allowed C Osaka to take advantage of their first chance and conceded the opening goal.

In the 38th minute, Lucas near the left corner kick took a shot. In the 42nd minute, Watanabe received a vertical pass from Yonemoto and took a shot after turning around. In the 43rd minute, Higashi in the left area aimed for a shot from Watanabe's middle pass, but was blocked by the C Osaka DF. Hasegawa followed up with a shot from the ball that spilled into the right area, but none of them were able to score. They turned around to the second half, folding the deficit.

Aria scores a spectacular equalizer! However, they were caught off guard in the closing moments...

In the second half, Ishikawa was substituted for Yonemoto, who injured his leg. They immediately had a big chance. In the 48th minute, they stole the ball in their own half and launched a counterattack. Hasegawa passed the ball to Ishikawa, who was running up the right side. Ishikawa dribbled up and passed to the center, evading the defenders. Watanabe, who received the ball just outside the penalty area, took a shot but it went wide to the right. After that, both teams continued to launch strong attacks.

In the 51st minute, a direct pass from C Osaka led to MF Yamaguchi breaking through the right area and delivering a direct pass to the center, where FW Kakitani took a decisive shot, but it was saved by Gonda! In the 56th minute, Tokyo created another scoring opportunity. Hasegawa in the center sent a long through pass to the left area, which was received by Higashi who broke through and took a shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.

The time continued when I couldn't decide, but in the 70th minute, from a pass in the midfield, Lucas on the left and Hasegawa in the center boldly aimed for a shot. The well-aimed shot hit the underside of the bar and bounced inside the goal. They caught up with the tie and heated up even more. Both teams fiercely exchanged shots, aiming for additional points. In the 77th minute, Ishikawa near the goal sent a header from Ota's cross, and Higashi pushed it into the net with his whole body, but it was judged offside.

In the 79th minute, Kawano was substituted. In the 82nd minute, Tokunaga, who entered the central→right area after a quick pass from Kawano on the left front line, aimed slightly above the bar. In the 87th minute, Watanabe received a pass from the left in the center and attempted a shot after turning around, but it went wide. With this, C Osaka was awarded a goal kick, and C Osaka GK Jin Hyeon KIM quickly moved to the front line. The ball went over the heads of Morishige and Kaga and was taken away by FW Kakitani in the area, resulting in a goal against Gonda in a one-on-one situation.

Afterwards, Shun Hirayama was brought in, but they were unable to stop the momentum of C Osaka and suffered a bitter defeat. As a result, they are now 10 points behind the second place in terms of numbers, and since there are remaining matches between the top teams, their chances of finishing in the top 3 have disappeared.


[Player Comments]
《Ishikawa》
"I think it was a game where both teams were focused from the first half. The quality of movement was also good. However, I wanted to increase the 'quantity' of that and stepped onto the pitch. There was a feeling that the C Osaka defenders were a bit flustered when I made runs behind them. The central space opened up, and we were able to create opportunities. We started to see a little bit of a shape where everyone could bring it to a finish. When we caught up to a tie, everyone had a sense of 'we can do this'. But as we couldn't convert our chances, we started to get frustrated and ended up creating openings ourselves."

Personally, today I felt the burden of the supporters' thoughts and fought. I haven't been able to do anything this year, and I also have the desire to play with Lucas for as long as possible. In the remaining short time, I want to show my determination and pride while embodying the soccer that Tokyo should aim for, and make it a fight that leads to the next.

"Morishige"
"Both goals were due to a lack of concentration. We were aware that C Osaka also had long kicks from the goalkeeper... It's disappointing that we couldn't win despite the support of so many people, but we won't give up and will continue to fight for victory. Even though it's becoming tougher to secure a spot in the ACL, it's important for us to set new goals and keep fighting. We want to give the people who come to watch every game a gift of victory."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"I feel like we only lacked the result. The atmosphere in the stadium was amazing, and I wanted to achieve a result amidst such support, but that was the only thing lacking. Of course, C Osaka is also a fantastic team. They play an attractive and attacking style of soccer, and I think they are one of the teams that make the J-League interesting. We also performed well, but we lacked concentration in small details. We allowed the opponent to score with their first shot, and the way we conceded the second goal was not good. However, the players fought with a high level of awareness and strong determination, creating many chances within the flow of the game. We should not hang our heads."


[Summary of C Osaka Krupi's Press Conference]
"After the last game, I said, 'I have been working in Japan for about 6 years, but I don't really understand Japanese soccer.' In short, it's strange that we can lose at any time and win at any time. I felt that it was all due to the players' concentration. Today, they showed a really high level of concentration and fought tough until the end. Tokyo also played a very good game, but I felt that it was thanks to the players' concentration that we were able to win such a close game today."