Match Review
The side hungrier for victory will win──. Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHIspoke about the key to the match ahead of the Kashiwa Reysol game, which comes after a 3-game winning streak.
OpeningAfter winning the first two matches in penalty shootouts, Kawasaki Frontale showed excellent performance in both offense and defense in the previous match, securing a victory within 90 minutes. They got off to a great start with three consecutive wins. On the other hand, Kashiwa, who advanced to second place last season, has suffered three consecutive losses in this special tournament and has yet to earn any points. Will it be Tokyo, aiming high with a clear goal of winning the championship, or Kashiwa, determined to make a comeback? The coach's words revealed a determination to show even greater hunger than the opponent despite the results, and an attitude of constantly pursuing quality through challenging soccer.
The starting eleven of Tokyo, who want to show passionate soccer both offensively and defensively this match as well, features Kim Seung-gyu as goalkeeper, with Sei MUROYA, Alexander SCHOLZ, Hayato INAMURA, and Yuto NAGATOMO in the back line. In midfield, Kento HASHIMOTO and Kota TOKIWA lined up again following the previous match. The attackers are Keito SATO on the right and Ryunosuke SATO, making his first start since returning to the team, on the left. Up front, Marcelo RYAN and Motoki NAGAKURA formed a partnership for the fourth consecutive match.
Also, Keigo HIGASHI was included in the squad for the first time this season on the bench. Divine OTANI, who made his professional debut in the previous match, was also listed consecutively. The biggest focus this match is definitely Ryuu Sato. On the day before the match, he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I am ready to play for 90 minutes. When my turn comes, I want to show everything I have, everything I demonstrated last season (while on a developmental loan at Fagiano Okayama)." Now that he finally has the chance to start, we can expect a passionate performance from him.
A must-win match, the game against Kashiwa to steadily build up towards the top, kicked off at 15:03 at the clear sunny Ajinomoto Stadium.15:03 kick-off.
1stHALF—Fierce in offense and defenseCreating good chances but unable to shake the net
Both teams clashed fiercely around the ball from the start. The first big chance was created by Tokyo. In the 4th minute of the first half, Lukian advanced and delivered the final pass, and inside the penalty area, Ryu Sato took a shot with his left foot. It was a decisive moment, but the shot flew straight to the goalkeeper.
Tokyo quickly switches between offense and defense across the entire pitch, aggressively pressing high to immediately regain possession even after losing the ball deep in the opponent's territory. The moment they win the ball in midfield, they sharply break forward vertically, demonstrating a high-intensity style of soccer.
First HalfAt the 12th minute, they lost the ball due to a buildup misalignment and conceded a goal, but were saved by an offside call and escaped the danger.
There were some tense moments, but Tokyo's aggressive soccer did not change afterwards.
First HalfAt the 17th minute, the forward players limited the passing lanes high up the field, and the defensive midfielder Kento HASHIMOTO made a fierce dash to close down and sharply intercepted the ball. From here, multiple players launched a swift attack on the opponent's goal. The ball from Keisuke Sato's cross, which Nagakura tried to finish, was deflected off the left post. Ryuu Sato then attempted a middle-range shot on the rebound, but it just missed to the left of the goal. Having created several close chances in quick succession,they want to score the opening goal during this good flow of play.
Gradually, Kashiwa started to have more time attacking with the ball, but the Red and Blue eleven stayed focused and solidly defended the center even when pressed. They blocked the opponent's attacks with fierce challenges and quick anticipation, preventing any clear scoring chances. Conversely, in the 28th minute of the first half, Keisuke Sato on the right side advanced on a counterattack and delivered a grounded early cross. Nagakura jumped in here, but just missed. Although they couldn't shake the net, they showed plays that went beyond the opponent's countermeasures, adapting flexibly while assessing the situation.
Both teams are capable of high pressing and blocking in defense, and can use both possession and counterattacks in offense, resulting in a tense period of intense battles for the ball and opportunities.At the 43rd minute of the first half, a middle-range shot was allowed from near the penalty arc, but Min Gyu JANG made a flying save to protect the goal.
In the 2 minutes of first-half additional time, the ball was connected on the left side and Nagatomo made a cross. Muroya then flicked it back with his right foot, and Sato Kei quickly changed the course with his head aiming for the opposite side, but this time the opposing goalkeeper Kojima stretched out his right arm desperately and the net did not shake. Fierce battles unfolded across the pitch. Both teams showcased their strengths, and the first half ended goalless. The thrilling decisive battle was left to the second half.
2nd HALF—Created scoring chances while chasing the score but failed to convert
The second half kicked off with no substitutions for either team. After playing against a strong headwind in the first half, Tokyo was able to attack with a powerful tailwind in the second half. With the loud cheers of the blue and red family in sight, they are eager to deliver the opening strike by any means.
However, in the second half, Kashiwa increased the pressure from the start and pushed forward.At the 9th minute, from a left cross by player Komi, player Kakita dived in near the goal and scored the opening goal with a header. In the second half, we conceded a frustrating goal after being slightly on the defensive.
They want to respond better than their opponents, but Kashiwa also uses a compact formation to eliminate space and prevent Tokyo from attacking. The bench makes a move to break the situation where it is difficult to insert effective passes. In the second half18 minutes, Nagatomo is replaced by Kento HASHIMOTO and Keita ENDO replaces RIAN. ENDO moves to the left attacker position, Ryu Sato moves to the attacking midfielder, and Nagakura moves to the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 system aiming for a comeback.
Kashiwa also made three simultaneous substitutions to refresh the forward line. In the 24th minute of the second half, Yamanouchi, who had just been brought on, broke free one-on-one, but1on1Sungyu calmly responded and made the save. It was a fine play that prevented a goal at the last moment and supported his team's counterattack.
Kashiwa dominated for a long period, and Tokyo, wanting to change the flow somehow, made a switch in the 29th minute of the second halfbringing on Tokiwa and Ryu Sato for Fuki YAMADA and Kei KOIZUMI. KOIZUMI moved to defensive midfield, YAMADA took the right attacker position, and Kei Sato shifted to the center to form a vertical partnership with Nagakura, aiming to counterattack.
Tokyo struggled to break through Kashiwa's solid central defense and could hardly create any clear scoring chances. From behind the goal, a chant of "Today is a day we cannot lose" echoed, and Coach Matsuhashi made his final substitution in the 36th minute of the second half.He sent Teruhito NAKAGAWA onto the pitch in place of Kei Sato, entrusting the players on the field with the comeback.
However, immediately after, at the same38th minute, allowed an attack from Kashiwa's right sideand conceded a goal. The painful second goal was taken.
They want to somehow score a counterattack goal, but Kashiwa, who has increased their defensive awareness by committing more players, does not give Tokyo any freedom with their fierce defense in close contests.In the 5 minutes of added time in the second half,players Nakagawa and Nagakura consecutively had decisive chances in front of the goal but failed to convert, and the time was up. This resulted in their first defeat in the special tournament.
MATCH DETAILS
Match detailed data is here
Interview with Manager Rikizo MATSUHASHI
Q, Please summarize today's match.
A, It was a very frustrating defeat, but even though the overall performance was not good, we had several chances to finish and score. I think if even one of those had gone in, it would have made a difference. In the early part of the first half, there were some very good periods, and although we did not take excessive risks, I felt the balance gradually shifted. I think it was that kind of game. We want to prepare thoroughly and move forward to the next match.
Q,I think the first half was particularly good in terms of content, but when the opponent applied pressure at the start of the second half, even though we took a defensive stance, we conceded a goal there and it seemed like our pace was disrupted. How do you see this, coach?
A, It was never our intention to start like that, but it ended up looking that way. At halftime, we made some adjustments regarding defense in the middle block, and the players responded accordingly, but the poor positioning when losing the ball and the way we dealt with that did not work well at the start of the second half. I think that is a point for reflection, and from there, the opponent took control of the rhythm, which is the impression I have.
Q, Ryunosuke SATO was selected as a starting member for the first time. What was the reason for this and what kind of play did you expect from him? Also, please evaluate his performance today.
A, Since the opponent was Kashiwa Reysol, they are a team that can hold the ball for a long time, and we had to challenge ourselves to overturn that. We anticipated that the defensive time would be long, so we thought the role of the wide players would be very important. In that sense, he fully demonstrated his dedication, and even when he was beaten, he properly returned and regained the ball again, and it was very good that he came back to the defensive line to fully recover the ball.
In terms of offense, I thought that if he could capitalize on the first chance, his rhythm and condition would gradually improve, but unfortunately, he was unable to convert the pass filled with a message from Marcelo RYAN into a goal. Also, in the first half, he missed several opportunities to participate in potential counterattacks. This was partly because the position where the ball was won became lower, preventing the creation of a counterattack starting point, which caused his playing position to drop slightly. However, I believe he performed very well both offensively and defensively.
Player Interview
Kento HASHIMOTO
Q,Our winning streak was stopped, and it was a frustrating result.
A,There were several clear scoring opportunities throughout the match. We knew it would be a tough game, but I think whether or not we could convert those chances greatly influenced how the match unfolded.
Q,The team was able to launch good attacks from the start, but it seemed like the opponent gradually took control of the pace. How did you feel on the pitch?
A,If we had connected one or two solid passes after winning the ball, we could have executed good counterattacks, but the passes after winning the ball became sloppy and lacked accuracy, leading to a first half where we were pushed back.
Q,I think you tried various ways to regain momentum from there, but what made it difficult?
A,First, we wanted to push back defensively, but I think our attacking accuracy after winning the ball was low today. On the other hand, the opponent had good build-up play, and their speed in pressing to regain possession was faster than ours. This made us realize that we still need to improve a lot in that area.
Q,I strongly felt your intention to move forward and push forward.
A,Not yet. The number of times I win the ball is still low, and today I couldn't create many chances, so I want to improve my accuracy more in practice.
Q,What kind of conversation did you have in the locker room after the match?
A,We talked among the players about how it was a tough match. The coach said, "There's no point in looking down. Let's properly prepare well for the next game." We've only lost one match so far, so we want to switch our focus to the next one and prepare thoroughly.
Ryunosuke SATO
Q, How do you reflect on your play today?
A, I wanted to finish it off in the first chance.I spent a long time on defense, so I couldn't really show my strength in attack.
Q. It looked like the team was playing good football in the first half.
A. I don't think it was bad. Although we aimed for short counters, I don't think we were able to do many of the things we wanted to do.
Q. What was difficult about regaining control when the momentum shifted to the opponent?
A. Since the opponent dominated and we had to react more, it became difficult to create our own flow in those situations.They outperformed us in terms of the quality of play, such as positioning themselves in uncomfortable spots for us.
Q. In the second half, you moved your position from the side to the center. What was your mindset while playing there? Also, since you seem to be good at playing in the center, was it easier for you?
A. Since the distance was far, I focused on touching the ball, creating rhythm, and advancing forward. Today, there were few coordinated plays, so I felt it was difficult to receive the ball in a good position.
Q. Even in strong winds, you seemed determined to firmly control the ball and become the starting point of the attack. What were you thinking about?
A. I was focused on touching the ball a lot and creating attacking opportunities, but I think today was one of those days when things didn’t go very well.
Q. How do you want to consistently bring out your strengths from now on?
A. I just want to focus on showing my own play.
Q. Today was the match where you earned your first start. How do you look back on the season so far?
A. Since it's only been 4 matches, there's no need to look back yet, and I was able to perform well with the U-23 Japan national team,and I returned in good condition, so I hope to continue performing well here in Tokyo from now on.
Q. This is your first start since returning to FC Tokyo, and your first league start at Ajinomoto Stadium. How did you feel about the atmosphere in the stadium?
A. I was a bit nervous, and I believe I have to perform well here, so I want to do my best next time.
