Aiming for victory with dynamic soccer in the first battle at Suita Stadium

Entering the 13th round of the 2nd stage, we will face G Osaka away. We will confront them in the first battle at the Suita Stadium.
In the previous match against Urawa, we suffered a regrettable come-from-behind loss. However, Morishige said, "There were challenges and points of reflection in the way we played for the full 90 minutes, but there were also parts where we felt the potential against Urawa. That's why we feel frustrated, but as a team, we came together and made bold challenges, and there were times when we were able to overwhelm the opponent. Taking that as a great confidence, we want to continue to play aggressively in both offense and defense in this match."

Furthermore, although we only accumulated 39 points in the previous round, we have secured our place in J1 for the next season due to the results of other matches.
Regarding that, Coach Shinoda said, "The fact that we were able to secure our stay without sinking is the result of everyone's efforts. However, our attitude towards daily practice and matches will not change. We will prioritize continuity and aim for victory with dynamic soccer," and he emphasized the importance of building up each game and giving our all to win the upcoming match.

This round, Tanabe from Tokyo will return from suspension due to accumulated warnings. The center-back combination will be Morishige and Maruyama, facing the strong attacking lineup of G Osaka.

G Osaka's 2nd stage is currently on a 3-game winning streak and is in 2nd place. It can be said that they are fighting back without feeling the impact of Takashi Usami's transfer and the absence of FW Patric. In particular, FW Nagasawa is in good form, "a troublesome presence as a target. Not only that, MF Edmilson who supports the surroundings, MF Kurata on the side, and MF Omori are also players who can break through individually."
"The front line talent is all here," said Coach Shinoda.

We want to face G Osaka, who is in the top position, with confidence and stick to our own style, showing a fighting spirit and aiming for victory.
The sunny autumn Suita Stadium was dyed blue and red by many fans and supporters, and it started with a kick-off in Tokyo at 16:00.

The score moves rapidly and it's tied 2-2 at halftime

3 minutes: A lofted pass to FW Nagasawa inside the G Osaka area. He narrowly escapes offside and almost finds himself in a 1-on-1 situation with the goalkeeper, but Tokunaga puts his body on the line and clears the ball.

12 minutes: Nakajima receives a pass near the area. He dribbles past the opponent's defender and tries to score in the top right corner of the goal while turning around, but narrowly misses the target.
13 minutes: Tanabe, who intercepted a pass inside the opponent's territory, dribbles into the right area. He takes a shot with his right foot and scores a goal in the bottom right corner. Tokyo takes the lead.
15 minutes: G Osaka MF Omori shoots with his right foot from a position about 20 meters from the goal. The ground shot finds the bottom left corner of the goal, and the game is tied 1-1.
After that, Tokyo takes control of the ball. The second row of Higashi, Nakajima, and Kawano actively initiate.

18 minutes: G Osaka - DF Fujiharu runs up the left side with a quick counterattack. The pass that bypasses Akimoto, who was trying to intercept the through pass, reaches FW Nagasawa and he shoots into the unguarded goal. We concede a goal and it's 1-2.
22 minutes: Kawano, who received a pass on the right side of the area, flashes his left foot. The ball beautifully curves and finds the left side of the goal. It's a tie now. The score is 2-2.

34 minutes: A through pass to Maeda, who is engaging in a battle with the DF line from the east of the central pitch. Maeda advances to the right side of the area and swings his right foot, but the opposing goalkeeper Higashiguchi catches it, and it's not a goal.
40 minutes: Maeda competes for Akimoto's long feed, and the ball is headed down to Higashi. Higashi controls the ball without slowing down his speed towards the goal and takes a left-footed shot near the area. However, it is saved by the opposing goalkeeper Higashiguchi and does not result in a goal.
The first half, in which the score rapidly changes, ends with a 2-2 tie going into the second half.

The match ended in a draw with a late equalizer, resulting in a 3-3 tie.

Second half begins: G Osaka makes their first substitution. MF Makoto IMANO is replaced by MF Hikaru ENDO.
In the second half, both teams are trying to take control from the beginning and are competing for the ball in the midfield.
51 minutes: G Osaka MF Hiroshi OMORI runs up the left side and crosses. The loose ball is picked up and MF Shu KURATA approaches the goal from the right side with a cross, but fails to connect with a teammate and nothing comes of it.
53 minutes: The right side is broken through by MF Edmilson, and he attempts to score with a negative cross, but Tokyo's DF clears it tenaciously.

57 minutes: Nakajima shoots from inside the area in quick succession, but it is blocked by GK Higashiguchi.
62 minutes: Kajiyama → Kawano, a middle shot with the left foot from outside the area center. This one goes wide to the right of the goal.
63 minutes: Tokyo further intensifies their attack. Nakajima and Higashi exploit the left side. The ball is passed to Tokunaga, who came up from the defense, and he sends a cross into the goal area, but it is caught by the opposing goalkeeper Higashiguchi.
68 minutes: MF Endo steals the ball blocked by MF Edmilson and dribbles from his own half. Ademilson allows entry to the left of the area, but Akimoto and Maruyama apply pressure and save. They prevent a goal with a brave play.

72 minutes: Toyo -> Maeda -> Nakajima, Nakajima shoots with his right foot inside the area, but the opponent's defender blocks it.
74 minutes: G Osaka makes their second substitution. MF Fujimoto replaces MF Omori.
74 minutes: Tokyo makes its first substitution. Hashimoto replaces Kawano.
76 minutes: Kajiyama, who stole the opponent's pass miss, passes to Higashi in front of the area. Higashi drops it and Nakajima takes it with his right foot and shoots. This is deflected by the opponent's goalkeeper Higashiguchi.

79 minutes: MF Fujimoto collects the ball in the center and sends a through pass to FW Nagasawa running towards the goal. Nagasawa goes one-on-one with Akimoto, but Akimoto makes a fine save!
81 minutes: G Osaka makes their final substitution. Edmilson, MF, is replaced by Koya, FW.
81 minutes: Tokyo makes their second substitution. Hayabusa is brought on to replace Kajiyama.
Hanyu moves to the right side, Hashimoto moves from the right side to the position of defensive midfielder.

86 minutes: Tokyo also makes its final substitution. Shun HIRAYAMA is brought on to replace Atsushi MAEDA.
90 minutes: Tokunaga dribbles to the left side of the area. He brings it vertically and crosses it, and Hirayama finishes with a goal. Tokyo successfully turns the game around.
90 minutes + 1: G Osaka attacks from the right side and DF Yonekura scores a goal in the crowded area in front of the goal. The game is now tied again. The score is now 3-3.
The back-and-forth game, where both teams scored goals against each other, ended in a 3-3 draw.

[Player Comments]
《East》
"It was a game we could have won. In terms of content, it was a good game, and the parts where we couldn't secure the win became a challenge for the next game. We need to organize it properly, and there is always a reason for conceding goals. There are individual aspects and things that need to be corrected as a team, so I want to prepare well for the next game. The attacking unit scored three goals, but that was also the effort of everyone, and we need to defend together as a team. Today, I played for the first time in this stadium and felt a great atmosphere. I thought that playing J-League matches in stadiums like this would create even more excitement."

《Tanabe》
"The ball rolled to me due to the opponent's mistake. There was space in front of me, so I aimed for a shot. I think we were able to progress as we wanted because we had a lot of time keeping the ball. Kajiyama and I were conscious of removing the opponent's two forwards, and the players in the second row wanted to receive the ball at their feet, so we were giving them passes to make it easier for them. The opponent is strong in counterattacks, so I think it was a game where both our strengths and the opponent's strengths were displayed."

《Shun HIRAYAMA》
"I believed that Tokunaga would make a vertical breakthrough in that scene and jumped in because I had been consciously working on moving between the goalkeeper and the defense line during practice. I think that his vertical breakthrough at that time became the decisive factor for the goal."

[Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference]
"I am reflecting on the very disappointing game we played. It was a very good game and I think we were able to show what we wanted to do. The start of the game was good, but it is unacceptable to concede a goal immediately after scoring, so we need to reflect on that. As a team, we are still immature in terms of how to win this game, so I want to watch the video again, organize it properly, and continue training. In terms of attack, we were able to show good ball control and a few good breakthroughs. We were able to score goals, but if we don't challenge G Osaka more and show a higher quality, the game will turn out like this. However, I want to continue playing this style of soccer and prepare well for the next game."

[G Osaka Manager Kenta HASEGAWA Press Conference Summary]
"It was a tough game, but I want to take this 1 point positively and continue to fight. Many fans and supporters gave us really passionate support, and if we can win somehow and finish the game, it would be a great feeling. Although we were conceded first, there were times in the second half when we were pushed back a bit, but there were also several big chances for us, and there were situations where it wouldn't be strange for us to score the third goal first. However, we couldn't convert those chances and as the remaining time became shorter, we ended up conceding the third goal in that way, and it became a difficult situation. I really think that we showed our spirit and managed to bring it to a draw in the end. We have 4 more games left, so I want to spend the week preparing well and finish in a good way. Although we have less time to prepare than usual, I want to recover both mentally and physically and prepare for the Urawa game."