Match Review
The ultimate showdown of the J-League's strongest "spear" and "shield." Tokyo, which has scored the most goals in the league with 26, faced off against Gamba Osaka, known for its solid defense with only 11 goals conceded, at Ajinomoto.
After a five-match series that continued with two days and three days in between starting from May 11, Tokyo, which had begun to aim for a higher position in the league, was unable to accumulate points as desired with two draws and one loss. However, in the J.League YBC Levain Cup 3rd Round, they secured advancement with a win at the challenging away match against Tosu and returned home to Ajinomoto Stadium.
G Osaka, our opponent for this match, is currently in 4th place in the league. In order to re-enter the competition for the top spots and to turn our performance into results for a resurgence, this match is crucial to secure a victory at all costs.
Tokyo has the same lineup for the goalkeeper, defense line, holding midfielders, and both wings as in the previous match against Yokohama F. Marinos. Ryotaro ARAKI is positioned as an attacking midfielder, and Diego OLIVEIRA is placed at the forefront. The match was approached with both ARAKI and OLIVEIRA in a vertical arrangement, marking their first appearance together since the match against Vissel Kobe in Sec. 3.
1st HALF - Both teams failed to capitalize on big chances
From the beginning, Tokyo will create a block to defend against G Osaka, who will hold the ball and push forward, while aiming for sharp counterattacks.
The first big chance came for Tokyo. In the 9th minute of the first half, Soma ANZAI made a through pass into the space on the right front, and Diego TABA won the race against the opposing defender while keeping possession near the goal. From there, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA aimed with his right foot at a precise cross, but his shot from close range was met with a fine save by the goalkeeper, preventing the opening goal.
In the 19th minute of the first half, Yuto NAGATOMO, who became the starting point in the center of the pitch, moved towards the goal. There, he received a vertical pass and connected it to the left, where Araki received the ball near the corner of the penalty area and cut in. From here, Diego TABA, who had made a run from behind, aimed with a direct shot using his left foot, but unfortunately, the shot went straight to the goalkeeper.
Against G Osaka, who set up a compact formation, Tokyo will not only aim for counterattacks targeting behind the high line but will also engage in a solid ball possession game.
In the 42nd minute of the first half, after a left corner kick, a powerful mid-range shot by player Nagatomo was blocked by the opponent, leading to a long counterattack as the loose ball was picked up. Player Yamashita was allowed to break away near the halfway line, but standing in his way was Taishi Brandon NOZAWA. With a super save, he deflected the opponent's fierce shot with just his left hand, protecting the goal.
Both teams created big chances but couldn't shake the net. The first half ended scoreless.
2nd HALF - Taishi makes a series of fine saves but cries over the late goal conceded
Shortly after the start of the second half, Nozawa made a fine save to block Usami's long-range shot, and from here, Tokyo's left side quickly became more active.
In the 6th minute of the second half, a through pass from Kei KOIZUMI, who connected in a narrow area on the left side, allowed Takaaki TAWARAMIZU to break free and make a cross near the goal line. Then, in the 8th minute of the second half, Takaaki TAWARAMIZU dribbled and made a cutback, but Yuto NAGATOMO jumped in only to have the cross deflected by the opposing goalkeeper. Furthermore, in the 9th minute of the second half, Kashif BANGNAGANDE delivered a sharp cross, but it just missed Anzai. Continuously creating chances from the left side, the blue-red eleven pressed towards the goal in pursuit of victory.
Tokyo, wanting to take the initiative, brought in both players Keita ENDO and Teruhito NAKAGAWA in the 18th minute of the second half. For ENDO, who had made his comeback in the Levain Cup 3rd Round against Tosu, this marked his first league appearance in about a month since the match against FC Machida Zelvia in Round 9.
As numerous chances were created, the guardian's save shone once again. In the 67th minute of the second half, a left corner kick from the opponent was met at the near post, but Nozawa made a fine save from Dawhan's close-range header. He quickly deflected it with his right hand and escaped danger.
Tokyo makes two substitutions in the 32nd minute of the second half. Kuryu MATSUKI is brought in as an attacking midfielder, and Jája Silva is brought in on the left side, moving Nakagawa to the front line and Anzai to left back in an attempt to break through.
However, in the 40th minute of the second half, we allowed the opponent to take the lead. From a significant switch to the side, Ewerton kept the ball on the right side. It was then passed to Yamada, who had just been brought on.
In the final stages, Tokyo aimed for a comeback, threatening the goal with Nakagawa's bold dribbling breakthrough into the penalty area and Takahiro KO's shot. During the second half's added time, it seemed that Henrique TREVISAN had equalized with a left corner kick, but the preceding play was ruled offside, and the goal was disallowed. Unable to catch up after conceding in the final stages, it resulted in their second scoreless defeat of the season.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Yuto NAGATOMO/Yasuki KIMOTO/Henrique Trevisan/Kashif BANGNAGANDE (substituted at 33 minutes: Jaja Silva)
MF Takuto UHIRO/Kei KOIZUMI/Ryota ARAKI (substituted at 18 minutes: Teruhito NAKAGAWA)
FW Diego Oliveira (substituted at 33 minutes: Kuryu MATSUKI)/Kota TAWARATSUMITA (substituted at 18 minutes: Keita ENDO)/Soma ANZAI
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Masato MORISHIGE/Shuhei TOKUMOTO
GOAL
―
<Gamba Osaka>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Jun IIMORI
DF Shota FUKUOKA/Riku HANDA/Keisuke KUROKAWA/Shinnosuke NAKATANI
MF Tokuma SUZUKI/Ryoya YAMASHITA (39th minute: Aki KURATA)/Dawan (27th minute: Netta RAVI)/Welton (45+2 minute: Shoji TOYAMA)
FW Takashi USAMI (45+2 minute: Riku MATSUDA)/Isa SAKAMOTO (39th minute: Kota YAMADA)
SUBS
GK Masaaki HIGASHIGUCHI
FW Issam JEBALI
GOAL
40 minutes into the second half: Kota YAMADA
[Peter CKLAMOVSKI Coach Interview]
Q, please review the game.
I think both teams gave their all in the match, and from a football perspective, it was a game with various challenges. However, I don't think that many significant things happened. As for the result, the club, fans, supporters, and all of us ended up hurt by the outcome.
While we may not have been able to fight our best today, I believe we created opportunities to earn 3 points or at least 1 point in a tight match. From here, we will reflect on ourselves, analyze our performance, and aim to become stronger with this pain. There were times when things did not go well for us, but I think the players have overcome such situations many times this season. Today, we ran out of time in the challenge to overcome those difficulties.
Q, please review the offside situation of Henrique TREVISAN during the additional time.
It was a disappointing moment, and I thought it was a goal. However, the decision did not go our way, and that is also football. The important thing is that we were able to create chances during such moments.Regarding the opponent's scoring scene, it may not have been a good decision for us, but that is also football. It is necessary to overcome that. I believe there are things we cannot control. The players have been fighting this season while overcoming those challenges. I think the players showed today that they are moving forward and heading in the direction they believe in, and I believe they have been fighting through difficult situations.
Today's results are not what we hoped for, but the important thing is to turn this pain into something that fuels us and to make ourselves stronger.
[Player Interview]
＜Takahiro KO＞
Q, please review the game.
A, there were many well-coordinated scenes, such as the center back stepping forward to steal the ball. Also, I myself was conscious of moving forward after winning the ball, but I think there were few opportunities that led to chances from there. I believe it was necessary to distinguish between sending the ball behind the opponent or holding the ball and pushing forward in play.
Q: I think the pace picked up more in the second half. How were you trying to break through Gamba Osaka's solid defense?
A, there were chances until the middle of the second half, and there were also scenes where we broke behind the defense, but if we had been able to score during that period, I think the result of the match would have been different. Conceding a goal at the end shows our own weakness.
Q, it was a goal that seemed to catch us off guard for a moment.
A, I think the team paused for a moment, wondering whether it was a foul or not at that moment. Even in such scenes, I believe we had to maintain our concentration and defend thoroughly.
Q: I think we were able to showcase our strengths even in a difficult match.
A, I had many scenes where I recovered the ball, and I felt confident. Personally, I want to continue recovering the ball and increase the number of scenes where I connect the ball to the forward players. Tokyo has energetic players in the front line, so my priority when regaining possession is to first pass the ball forward. There were many scenes where I passed to Ryotaro ARAKI and Diego OLIVEIRA, but I want to improve the coordination after that.
<Soma ANZAI>
Q, please review the game.
Since we had not been able to win in the league matches, it is very frustrating that we could not win a match we had to win in terms of standings. There is no time to be down, so I think the most important thing is to switch gears and definitely win the next match.
Q: You changed positions during the match. What was your mindset while playing?
A, since I am playing on the front line, I have not been able to deliver the most demanded numbers, and I myself am aware of this with a sense of urgency. Since the results have not come, I believe the team cannot win unless the wing players get involved in scoring, so first of all, I have to produce results. As a side back, I was focused on not conceding goals at all costs. It was unfortunate that we conceded and lost despite that.
Q: The team has been conceding goals continuously.
A. Overall, regarding defense, we never fall back to defend but always try to apply pressure while pushing the opponent back. Since the matches are ongoing, there is no time to coordinate during practice, but the players discuss among themselves during the game and have been able to make improvements on the fly. However, I want to be more conscious about the start of the matches. The wing positions tend to be a bit low, so I believe I need to push them up more. Even if we concede many goals, we want to avoid falling back and instead apply pressure from the front line, playing aggressive defense from the start of the match.
It is true that the entire team's movement stopped during today's conceding scene, and I believe it is the result of neglecting what we should do as a team. When we concede goals like that, we can lose matches that we should win, so I think we need to sharpen our focus and eliminate any instances of the team stopping during the match.
Q: How will you prepare for the next match?
A, we have not won any of the 4 league matches, but there is no point in dwelling on those games, so we are only thinking about "winning" the next match. It will be a tough away game, but we want to fight as a united team.
