3戦未勝利を乗り越え、味スタではずみをつけたい一戦

　10日(土)、熊谷に続き2試合連続のホーム戦として第27節が開催。味スタにて京都サンガF.C.を迎え撃つ。前節はスコアレスドローに終わり、ここ3試合をとおして勝ち点1を得るにとどまった。ただし選手たちは、「対戦二巡目を迎え、相手に研究される中でも、試合の立ち上がりはシンプルに入り、落ち着いて戦うことでリズムをつかめるようになった」と収穫を話す。

　得点力不足という課題は残るが、狙うサッカーを粘り強く続け、打ち破っていくしかない。今季無敗のホーム味スタに戻り、勝利のきっかけをつかみ、はずみをつけたい一戦になる。

　対する京都は、現在勝ち点27で16位に。前半の戦いでは東京が4対1で勝利したが、選手たちは「あのときとは、チーム状況が変わっている」と京都の印象を話す。FW宮吉、伊東ら、若い選手が3トップを務め、高橋は「彼らを中心にのびのびとプレーし、前線が活性化している。3-4-3のフォーメーションでは、相手を捕まえづらいし、リスク管理も難しい」と。

　大熊監督も「細かくつなぐ自分たちのサッカーを貫こうとしている。前線の特長を活かしてくる」と警戒。互いにパスサッカーを志向し、攻め合う展開になりそうだが、京都に勢いに乗らせないためにも、先制点を与えないことが大事になるはず。スペースの使い方やケアという点で京都を上回り、勝利をつかみたい。

　東京は、日本代表の活動でチームを離れていた今野もスタメンに復帰。権田もサブに控える。中村が出場停止のため、左サイドバックには椋原を起用。対する京都はFW久保がベンチスタートに。蒸し暑く、真夏を思わせる天候のもと、試合は18時34分に京都のキックオフでスタートした。

Tokyo Seek Return To Winning Ways At Ajinomoto Stadium 

Following the home game in Kumagaya F.C.Tokyo returned to Ajinomoto Stadium to take on Kyoto Sanga F.C. in the 27th.game of the season. Including the goalless draw against Tochigi in the previous outing Tokyo had earned only a single point from the last three games, yet the players remained upbeat, "We're playing teams for the second time this season now and although they've done their homework on us we're starting matches with a simple approach, keeping calm and finding a rhythm". 
The shortage of goals remained an issue but there was no alternative than to forge ahead with the style of football the team aspired to and hope to break the deadlock. With the side unbeaten at Ajinomoto Stadium this year the visit of Kyoto seemed an ideal opportunity to regain the momentum. 
Opponents Kyoto lay in 16th.place with 27 points at kick off. Tokyo had recorded a 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture earlier in the year but, as the Tokyo players noted, "The team has changed drastically since then". According to Takahashi, youngsters such as Miyayoshi and Ito who constituted the 3-man strike-force were, "Looking at ease in a revitalised attack. They play a 3-4-3 formation, are difficult to pick up and risk management is tricky". 
Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma also issued a warning, "They'll be looking to play through us with intricate passing and play to their strengths in attack". With both sides committed to passing football an attacking encounter was envisaged; Tokyo would need to prevent the visitors from gaining any momentum and deny them space, while not conceding the first goal would be vital. 
Konno returned to the Tokyo starting eleven following his exertions with the Japan National Team while Sakata took a spot on the bench. Mukuhara switched to left back in place of the suspended Nakamura. Kyoto's young striker Kubo also started on the bench. 
Tokyo kicked off shortly after 6:30 pm on a hot and humid evening more akin to midsummer than early autumn. 

先制を許すもルーカスが同点弾、椋原の初ゴールで勝ち越し

　立ち上がりは、中盤に人数をかけた京都にボールを支配された。細かくパスをつながれ、前に出られた。東京もしっかりとした守備から攻撃に転じようとし、奪い合いが続く中、11分には自陣から攻め上がり、梶山が右サイドの谷澤にパスを送る。これを京都DF森下に狙われ、すぐさま前線にパスを送られる。ボールは絶妙のタイミングで飛び出した京都FW宮吉に渡り、ワントラップから確実にシュートをネットに突き刺され……。警戒していたはずの中でミス絡みで先制を許した。

　今季まだ一度も逆転勝利のない東京。嫌な雰囲気も漂ったが、ここで動揺することなく、サイドを起点に反撃に出ようとした。23分には京都・右MF駒井が勢いのあるドリブルで仕掛けられるが森重が抑えきる。25分には前線へのボールを確実に収められ、DF酒井にシュートを打たれが、塩田のセーブでしのぐ。すると迎えた31分、梶山がドリブルで抜け出し、右に流れた田邉にパス。田邉が上げたクロスから、ゴール前のルーカスが倒れこみながらも足元で合わせてシュート。バウンドしたボールは浮いてネットに吸い込まれ、気迫のこもったゴールで同点に追いついた。

　続く36分には、自陣からカウンターを仕掛け、谷澤→田邉が、長い距離を走って左サイドから抜け出した椋原にパスをつなぐ。椋原はスピードを活かして相手DFを中にかわし、果敢に右足を振り抜き、豪快なミドルが決まる！　椋原のプロ初得点が勝ち越し弾となり、逆転を果たして前半を終了した。

Lucas, Mukuhara Overturn Early Deficit 

Kyoto flooded the midfield and dominated possession in the opening minutes, exchanging neat passes and looking dangerous going forward. Tokyo defended stoutly and attempted to turn defence into attack. Possession changed hands frequently including an attempted feed down the left wing from Kajiyama to Yazawa in the 11th.minute. Kyoto midfielder Morishita read the move and intercepted the ball, then stroked a perfectly-weighted pass forward into the Tokyo area. Forward Miyayoshi outpaced the wrong-footed Tokyo defence, took a deft touch and drove the ball through Shiota to give his side an early lead. Despite all the warnings a mistake had led to the worst possible start. 
Tokyo had yet to post a come from behind victory this season and although the atmosphere hung heavy in the stadium, on the pitch the side set about launching a fightback. In the 23rd.minute Kyoto midfielder Komai embarked on a surging run until expertly stopped by Mukuhara and two minutes later Shiota was forced into a smart save at his near post to parry away a stinging drive from defender Sakai. Then, in the 31st.minute, Kajiyama drove forward from midfield and picked out Tanabe in space on the right. Tanabe curled a tempting cross into the danger area and Lucas met the ball with a jumping volley. The ball struck the bottom of Lucas' boot, hit the ground and ballooned over Mizutani's despairing dive to nestle into the back of the net. A sweeping, powerful move had brought the equaliser. 
In the 36th.minute a Kyoto move broke down and Tokyo launched a counter attack, with Yazawa finding Tanabe inside the Tokyo half. Mukuhara had made a break down the left through the Kyoto backline and raced forward half the length of the field to latch onto Tanabe's through ball. Mukuhara cut inside a defender some 25m from goal before unleashing a sumptuous right-footed drive that curled above and beyond Mizutani and inside the far post. Mukuhara's goal, the first of his professional career, gave Tokyo the lead at half time. 

ルーカスがハットトリック、チーム最多得点で大勝を果たす！

　後半開始早々の47分、羽生の右前線での仕掛けから右CKを得る。谷澤のキックに、森重がどんぴしゃのヘッドで合わせて3点目をゲット。2点差にすると、その後は東京がほぼ主導権を握って試合を進めた。ラインを上げて攻めようとする京都に対して、守備から攻撃への切り替えを早くし、スピーディで迫力のある攻めを仕掛けた。

　57分には、DFラインでつなぎながら押し上げ、森重がゴール前のルーカスにグラウンダーの縦パスを送る。受けたルーカスは、エリア手前で対面するDFをフェイントで巧みに切り返して左上に決め、4点目をマークした。

　その後もラインを上げて攻めようとする京都に対して、スペースを有効に使い、勢いをみせた。71分には羽生に代えて石川を、84分には田邉に代えて坂田を投入。直後の85分には、前線に抜け出そうとした石川がファールを受け、エリア手前やや左からのFKを得る。これをルーカスが見事に決めて、ハットトリックを達成！

　ロスタイムには今野、高橋とつなぎ、右前線に抜け出した石川がスピードでぶっちぎり、右エリアで相手DFを引き付けて中央へラストパス。これを坂田が難なく流し込んでゴール！　京都に先制こそ許したものの、結果的にルーカスのハットトリック、椋原のプロ初ゴールに加え、坂田も東京での初得点をマーク。リーグ戦では最多(天皇杯では99年12月5日以来)となる6得点を挙げ、今季初の逆転勝利を果たした。

　【選手コメント】《椋原》「(ゴールは)スムーズにシュートまで持ち込めた。今日は守備で相手を抑えることを目的に左で起用されたと思っていたが、いい形で受けることができればシュートを打とうと思っていた。逆転弾でもあり、あれで自分自身もリズムに乗ることができた。先制はされたが、対面する相手にはそれほどやらせなかったし、自分が前へ前へと行くことで疲れさせることもできたと思う。狙いとしては最低限はこなせた。味スタで大量得点ができたことが今後につながると思うが、ここからさらに一戦一戦が大事になっていく。目の前の1試合だけを考え、個人としてもチームが勝つために全力を尽くしていきたい」

　《ルーカス》「ここ何試合かは先発だったが、勝てないゲームが続いていた。そこでチームが勝てて、なおかつ自分がゴールを取れたことはすごくうれしい。得点は自然の流れで取れたもの。これからもチームの勝利を第一に考え、貢献していきたい。ハットトリックは、東京では2004年のナビスコ・ヴェルディ戦以来。1得点でもうれしいので、喜びは倍増。FKも本来なら森重や中村が蹴るのだが、ケガや出場停止もあって、昨日から練習をしていた。いい感触があったので、自信はあった。どの試合も簡単には勝てないし、今後もまた難しい試合になるはず。だからこそ応援が必要になる。一緒に力を合わせて勝っていきたい」

　【大熊監督の会見要旨】「京都は絶対に開始15分までに激しく来るだろうという中で、取られてはいけない取られ方。非常に残念。自分たちで点を取り返そうとして目を覚ましたことはいいが、これまでも先に1点を取られてかなり苦労をしてきたし、勝負という意味では分からない部分も何パーセントかはあったと思う。ただ、ルーカスを起点としてボールを越える動きが、これまでよりも増えた。左サイドバックをやったことがない椋原が人を越えて行き、相手の裏を突けたという意味では今後も続けるべきことはあった。反省すべき点と新たな収穫があった試合だった。椋原については、左サイドをえぐったクロスやアーリークロスもあった。初めてのポジションにしては思い切りがよかった。中村を含めていい競争相手ができた。チーム内に競争が発生するのは非常にポジティブなことだと思う」

　【京都・大木監督の会見要旨】「京都から応援に来てくださったサポーターのみなさんに申し訳なく思う。立ち上がりから前半20分までは悪くなかったし、先制点も取った。だが取ったあとは、少し受けに回り、失点するまではずっと相手にボールを回されているような感じだった。そして2点目を取られて、自分たちのディフェンスというより、ボールを取ってからしっかりとボールを繋ぐことができなくなった。まだ2対1なのでこれからだという気持ちで後半に入ったが、コーナーキックからヘディングシュートを決められた。その後は、前回ホームで戦ったときと同じような感じになってしまった。ただ最後まで攻めるという気持ちはあった。特にMF安藤はかなり頑張っていたと思う。退場もあり、大量失点になってしまったが、次に向かうしかない。たった20分間かもしれないが、前半開始からのゲームをどれくらい続けられるか。もう少しやれるという自信はあったが、残念ながらそうはいかなかった」

Lucas Hat Trick Earns Biggest Ever League Win 

The second half began with Tokyo on the front foot again and Hanyu earned a corner as he pushed forward down the right in the 47th.minute. Yazawa stroked the ball into the centre where Morishige, entirely unmarked on the six-yard line, thumped a header past Mizutani to double the lead. With the two-goal cushion Tokyo began to dominate the game, forcing Kyoto to play a higher line and push forward in an attempt to salvage the game. 
In the 57th.minute, after playing the ball around in defence, Tokyo suddenly broke forward with Morishige clipping the ball up to Lucas on the edge of the Kyoto area. Lucas showed fast feet to feint past a defender, creating the half a yard of space he needed to fire off a left-footed shot. The ball took a slight deflection off a lunging defender's boot and beat Mizutani high to his right, stretching Tokyo's lead to three. 
Kyoto continued to push forward, leaving vast swathes of open space that Tokyo exploited ruthlessly. Ishikawa replaced Hanyu in the 71st.minute while Sakata went on for Tanabe with five minutes remaining. Ishikawa darted through the Kyoto defence in the 85th.minute before being flattened from behind some 25 yards from goal and slightly to the left. Lucas stepped up and drove a glorious free kick over the wall and under the bar to earn himself a hat-trick and Tokyo's fifth goal of the game. 
As the game moved into additional time Konno and Takahashi combined down the right, setting Ishikawa free behind the Kyoto defence once again. Ishikawa swerved into the penalty area and poked the ball through a defender's legs, presenting Sakata with a tap-in from the edge of the six-yard box with Mizutani completely stranded. Despite falling behind Tokyo had rallied with Lucas' hat trick, Mukuhara's first professional goal and Sakata's first for his new club. The six-goal haul was the first-ever in a league game ( although the team had scored six in an Emperor's Cup tie on December 12th.1999 ) and marked the first come from behind win of the season. 


Players' comments 
Mukuhara 
"For the goal I got the ball under control smoothly before I shot. Our objective in defence was to keep the opposition out today, I was played on the left and thought about trying to shoot if I got the ball in a good position. The goal gave us the lead and helped me find my own rhythm. They took the lead but didn't really break us down all that much and I was continually pushing forward to try and tire them out. We achieved what we were aiming to do in that respect. I think that running up such a massive score at Ajinomoto Stadium will have a good effect on future performances although we have to focus on each game as it comes even more than before. On a personal level I want to give everything I can to contribute to winning games". 

Lucas 
"I've been starting games recently but we haven't been winning so I'm thrilled that we won today and that I got on the scoresheet. We scored freely from the flow of play. Winning is the most important thing and I just want to make a contribution. That's the first hat trick I've scored since the Nabisco Cup game against Verdy back in 2004. I'd be happy to score even one goal so to score three is trebly satisfying. Usually Morishige or Nakamura would take the free-kicks but one had a slight knock and the other is suspended so I was practicing taking them in training yesterday. I had a good touch and felt confident. No games are easy to win and from now on they're only going to get more difficult so we really need strong support from the fans. We want to be united and go on to victory together". 


F.C.Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma 
"Even though we knew that Kyoto would come out strongly for the first 15 minutes we still conceded in a way we never should have done. It was very disappointing. Having to recover really forced us to wake up but so far we've made hard work of pulling it back when we've gone a goal down so the outcome wasn't entirely easy to predict. However, with Lucas as the focus, we got players ahead of the ball far more than we have recently. Mukuhara had never played at left back before yet he beat his man and got behind their defence and that's something we have to carry on doing in the future. It was a game that presented us with both points to reflect on and new things to be pleased with. Mukuhara took to the position very well, getting in crosses and playing early balls and he's going to give Nakamura some competition for the place. It's very positive for the team that we have such competition for places". 

Kyoto manager Takeshi Oki 
"I feel like I have to apologize to all the fans who came to support the team today. For the first 20 minutes we didn't play badly at all and took the lead. However, after we got our noses in front I felt we became far too passive and allowed our opponents to play the ball around. And then, after we conceded the second goal we simply couldn't string our passes together. Even so, it was only 2-1 at half time and we felt we were still in the game but then we conceded from a corner soon after the restart. The remainder of the game was like watching a replay of the last time we met. We still attacked to the bitter end, though. In particular I felt that midfielder Ando fought very hard. We had a player sent off and suffered a heavy defeat but there's nothing to do except look forward to the next game. It was only a 20-minute spell but if we could have continued playing the way we did at the start then who knows. We had the confidence but couldn't keep it up, unfortunately".