<Match Review>
Tokyo, who will play three games in three days, will face Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, who are in 10th place with a 3-point difference, at home at Ajinomoto Stadium for the second consecutive week. This match will be held as a "voice support operation verification match", and it will be the first time for fans and supporters to return to Ajinomoto Stadium since the match against Perth Glory FC in the AFC Champions League group stage in the 2020 season. With the big support of "voice" returning after two and a half seasons, Tokyo aims for their first victory in four league matches.
1st HALF - Leading with 2 goals from penalty kicks
At the start, Tokyo immediately faces a scoring opportunity. Leandro, player for Sapporo, controls the ball in front of the right side of the goal. Before the opponent can apply pressure, he swings his left foot but the ball hits the right post and bounces back. After that, the opponent focuses on filling spaces rather than chasing from the front, so the players take positions to advance the ball and enter the opponent's penalty area. Although they struggle to make the final play and take a shot, they continue to collect second balls and launch a strong attack.
When the opponent launches a counterattack, the first marker delays the attack and then presses back from behind to regain possession of the ball with a numerical advantage. In the 19th minute, Kuryu Matsuki reacted to a looping pass in the middle range and broke through the space between Sapporo's defenders. Matsuki controlled the ball, turned around, and took a powerful volley shot, but it was blocked by a desperate defender who had rushed back.
Although he was unable to create a decisive situation to hold the ball, he created a chance while pushing the opponent into the goal in the 34th minute of the first half. Kazuya KONNO, who received the ball at the right corner of the penalty area, took a shot from the cut-in and got a penalty kick as it hit the opponent defender's hand. In the 35th minute of the first half, Leandro scored a penalty kick to the left corner of the goal, leading Tokyo to a successful first goal.
Tokyo, who continued to attack with momentum, earned a free kick chance just outside the penalty area in the 45+3 minute. Leandro took a direct shot that hit the opponent player's arm, resulting in their second penalty kick chance of the day. In the 45+4 minute, Adailton took the kick and although it hit the left post, it was still sucked into the goal, extending their lead to 2 points and ending the first half.
2nd HALF - "The city that never sleeps" echoes at Ajinomoto Stadium with a victory
The start of the second half was a chance to see how Sapporo would come out, but in the 6th minute, Adailton intercepted the opponent defender's pass and broke through the center. The opponent goalkeeper came out, but Adailton's looping shot widened the lead. As the opponent pushed forward, Tokyo took advantage of the space behind to create chances. In the 7th minute, Konno took advantage of Matsuki's diagonal pass and aimed for the top of the goalkeeper's head, but the shot was caught by the goalkeeper who had returned to the goal.
After expanding the lead, there were times when Sapporo held onto the ball, but we did not panic and continued to slide towards the ball side and check the ball at the edge to prevent them from taking a shot. On the other hand, when we had possession of the ball, we avoided losing it easily and built up the play securely, progressing the game in the opponent's half.
In the 26th minute of the second half, a substitute player who came on in the middle of the second half was involved in a chance. Leandro's through pass found Diego Oliveira, who then connected with a heel pass to Kensuke Nagai. Nagai received the ball near the goal and attempted a one-fake before taking a shot, but was unable to find the back of the net.
As the game approached the end, Sapporo held onto the ball for longer periods of time. They kept their formation compact, filled the spaces without getting frustrated, and pushed towards the ball side. When it came to finishing, they threw themselves into the shot to respond.
After about two and a half seasons, I was pushed by the "voice" and won the league match for the first time in four games.
MATCH DETAILS
＜F.C.Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Jakub SLOWIK
DF Yuto NAGATOMO/Yasuki KIMOTO/Masato MORISHIGE/Kashif BANGNAGANDE (42nd minute: Junya SUZUKI)
MF Kuryu MATSUKI/Keigo HIGASHI (42nd minute: Manato SHINADA)/Yuki KAJIURA
FW Kazuya KONNO (13th minute: Diego OLIVEIRA)/Adailton (13th minute: Kensuke NAGAI)/Leandro (26th minute: Ryo WATANABE)
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Makoto OKAZAKI
GOAL
35' 1st half: Leandro (PK) / 45+4' 1st half: Adailton (PK) / 6' 2nd half: Adailton
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo
STARTING XI
GK Koki OTANI
DF Shunta TANAKA/Daihachi OKAMURA/Kota FUKUMORI (46': Hiroki MIYAZAWA)
MF Takuro KANEKO/Takuma ARANO (54': Kazuki FUKAI)/Tomoki TAKAMINE/Taiki SUGA (77': Daigo NISHI)/Ryota AOKI/Yoshiaki KOMAI
FW Gabriel XAVIER (15': Shinzo KOROKI) (77': Milantucic)<br/>
SUBS
GK Kojiro NAKANO
DF Toya NAKAMURA
GOAL
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[Interview with Coach Albert]
Q, please review the game.
First of all, I would like to praise our opponent Sapporo. It is a great honor for me to be able to compete against a great coach. I am happy to be able to play against a team with an attacking game plan. We may win, and they may win. However, a match between two attacking teams is very attractive for the viewers. In that sense, I am happy and proud to have been able to play against Sapporo with their attacking game plan.
There is no need to divide and reflect on the first and second halves. I think the flow was the same throughout the 90 minutes. We had a game plan and aimed to press the opponent in a solid manner. The front three also contributed to the team by pressing. If we give Sapporo space and the ball, they will make good plays. Therefore, I think it was the solid defense that led to the victory. And the team was also able to defend compactly, not giving the opponent space between the lines.
When we had the ball, we expected Sapporo to play a man-to-man defense, so we aimed to create space and take advantage of it by having players make runs from the second row. Today, we were able to execute the plays we had hoped for and secure a victory.
Today, 18-year-old Kajiwara made his league debut, and I am delighted that he played a great game along with the victory. Today, there were 18 and 19-year-old players in the midfield, and they will surely carry the future of this club.
Finally, I thought it was beautiful and wonderful to have cheers at the stadium.
Q, it was a verification match for vocal support, but how did you feel about receiving cheers again?
A, 2 and a half years ago, when I took command of Niigata in the opening game of the 2020 season, I played only one game against Gunma with cheers in the away game. I hope that there will continue to be cheers in the future. I believe that cheers are what make soccer and entertainment, so I hope they will continue.
I am very happy to be able to hear their cheers directly, and I hope that this will be an opportunity for our daily lives to return. I think my name was also being shouted, and it reached my ears clearly. I am very happy about that.
Q, it was our first victory in a month today. There are many injuries among our defensive players, do you have any thoughts about the team's formation?
I believe that a team is like a living creature. Regardless of whether there are injured players or not, I think it is essential to reinforce the team in order to activate it, not only in summer or winter. Naturally, I believe that the better the reinforcement, the higher the chances of winning. I hope that the strengthening department will do a good job in that regard.
[Player Interview]
＜Yuki KAJIURA＞
Q, How was your first starting lineup at Ajinomoto Stadium?
A, I am happy to be able to leave a result of 3-0 as the game where the first starting lineup was restarted by the supporters' voice.
Q, How did you feel when your name was called before the game?
When I was in A, U-15, and U-18, I watched games at Ajinomoto Stadium and I think Tokyo has the best support in Japan. When I received that support, it made me even more determined to do my best and I am grateful for that.
Q, how was it when you were called to the supporters and did the "Shah"?
A, I will now try my best to score and make a true "Shah" from now on.
Q, I think it was effective to invade the opponent's box as an inside half.
I think it's a play that is required as an inside half, and in addition, I was asked to be involved with the ball behind. There are still some issues with the part of being involved with the ball, but I think I was able to do the part of being an inside half, including the defensive intensity required.
Q, East player and Matsuki player played together in the midfield for almost 90 minutes. How was the relationship between the three of you?
A, During the discussion of filling the defense by sliding with the three midfielders today, we were able to do it well and deepen communication with the fullbacks Nagatomo and Kashiwagi, and in particular, we had a sense of accomplishment in being able to almost completely shut out the opponent in the first half.
Q, I don't think there were any scenes where all three midfielders were caught by the opposing players and stripped of the ball.
When one person left, I think we were able to continue the relationship of two people covering behind, and when one person left, we made sure not to replace them. It may be a simple task, but I think it is the most important, so I think it was a big deal that we were able to do it well.
I felt like I was really focused, even though it was my first time starting in a league game.
A, I didn't think about saving my strength and went full out from the beginning, so it was about how far I could go. The last 10 minutes were tough in terms of physical fitness, but I want to get more involved in the game and clear one thing at a time.
I still think it was a game where I was helped by the players around me. It was very easy to play because everyone gave me encouragement and support.
Adailton Player
Q, Did Leandro give you the first goal's PK?
A, Leandro, Diego and I practice PKs together during our regular training sessions. In today's match, Leandro took the first one, so I took the second one. It wasn't so much that he gave it to me, but it was more like we always practice this way and I was able to take it. I'm glad I was able to score.
Q, I think we were able to connect from good defense to attack throughout the game.
A, Recently, we have been unable to win games and there have been times when we couldn't play the football we wanted to. Since the pre-season before the opening, there have been games where we couldn't express ourselves in our own play, but I think we were able to show a little bit today and it was good that we were able to win with multiple goals.
Q: How was the cheer when the point was decided?
In previous games, even though fans and supporters were unable to make noise, they still came to the stadium. Today, I really felt that their cheers pushed us forward. Also, the cheers after scoring a point were really exciting.
Q, what kind of dance is performed after scoring points?
When I was watching videos at home, my son asked me to do that dance if he scored a goal, so I did that dance.
Q, where is the origin of that dance?
A, a dance that is popular in Brazil.
Q, I think Adailton's chant has been sung since the 2020 ACL, but how was it sung again in today's match?
A, It has been quite a while since the last time we heard your voices, but I feel that being called by my name again with the support and cheers from the fans and supporters will be a great source of strength. We want to do our best and share the joy with everyone, and today's support was a great help for us. It also became a motivation for us to move forward, so it was really good.
<Kuryu MATSUKI>
Q, how was the feeling of connecting a good attack from defense?
A, I felt that the way we defended was good throughout the first and second half. Also, the intensity of players like Higashi and Kajiwara in the midfield was high, and I think that led to good attacks.
Q, when Leandro came down, I could see the intention of using him well as an inside half player.
As a team tactic, Leandro anticipated that the opponent would come after him when he received the ball, so he was thinking that if he could shake off one person, it would become a chance, and he was aiming for many through balls.
Q, there were also scenes where we could aim for points.
There was a scene where you could hit it directly.
Q, Do you want to continue to make going fiercely to the ball your own characteristic from now on?
A, there were several scenes where we changed places several times today, so I felt that we needed to take them all and connect them to our attack.
Q, the match against Urawa will be in three days on Wednesday.
A, I want to fight for better results than today because it is definitely not an easy game.
Kashif BANGNAGANDE
Q, please review the game.
A, as a team, we had good results, but personally, I couldn't perform well. In the first half, I was busy defending and didn't have much time to go forward, so I wanted to go forward more.
Q, In the first half against Sapporo, we scored two goals, but both were PKs. How do you feel about the overall performance being even?
A, in the first half, we were able to score 2 goals in a lucky way, which allowed us to gain a good momentum and press forward in the second half. It was great.
Q: How was it to play with the support of fans and supporters?
It was my first experience to have an atmosphere after scoring a goal, so with the support of the fans, I was able to get pumped up on the pitch and there were also calls from within the team to go for it even more. It was a fresh feeling to be pushed forward like that.
Q, it seemed like we were struggling against the opposing team's attacks at the beginning.
A, I knew that they would come up with something during the pre-match scouting, so I was prepared for it, and although we didn't concede any goals as a result, I personally feel that I didn't handle the early stages of the first half well enough. I was able to recover a bit in the second half, but I regret that I was too lax. If we can't start off with the same defense in the second half, we rely on our teammates a lot and it could have easily led to conceding a goal. We need to improve our start to the match.
