<Match Review>
After the international break, the league resumed, and Tokyo had been struggling to secure victories. However, in the previous match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, they achieved a 3-0 victory, marking their first win in four league matches and showing promising performance. In the third match of this consecutive series, played just three days later, they will face Urawa Reds in an away game. In their previous encounter in the first half of the season, both teams failed to score, ending in a 0-0 draw, making this match crucial for securing consecutive wins.
Diego OLIVEIRA, who came on as a substitute in the last match, was used as a starter, with Ryoma WATANABE on the right wing and Leandro on the left wing. Additionally, Yuki KAJIURA made his second consecutive start following his league debut in the last match. The young inside half combination of Kuryu MATSUKI and KAJIURA was supported by anchor player Keigo HIGASHI.
1st HALF - Matsuki's powerful free kick hits the post
At the start, Urawa had a long possession of the ball, and Tokyo quickly switched between offense and defense after gaining possession, launching fast attacks towards the Urawa goal. Diego's chase from the front line was effective, and in the 3rd and 8th minutes of the first half, they stole the ball in high positions and attempted short counters, but could not bring it to a finish. In the 11th minute of the first half, a back pass went wrong, leading to a counterattack, and from a position diagonally in front of the right side of the goal, Atsuki ITO took a powerful shot, but Jakub SLOWIK reacted sharply and deflected the ball.
As time passes, the situation becomes clearer. Urawa maintains possession of the ball and builds up into Tokyo's territory, while Tokyo briefly organizes their formation to establish defense. Once they regain possession, they quickly launch counterattacks using Diego TABA and Leandro.
There was no significant change in the match development, but in the 31st minute of the first half, the score changed unexpectedly. During the buildup in a vertical relationship between Yasuki KIMOTO and Kajiura, they failed to coordinate, allowing Yusuke MATSUO to steal the ball and invade the penalty area. Near the goal line, a grounded cross was sent into the goal area, and David MOBERG, who was free on the far side, capitalized on it to score the opening goal.
Tokyo struggled to create chances during the flow of the game, but they created an opportunity from a set piece. In the 40th minute of the first half, Leandro was fouled and earned a free kick about 25 meters in front of the goal. After a kick feint by Leandro, Matsuki took a shot with the outside of his left foot, curving sharply to the left. It was a powerful strike that left the opposing goalkeeper unable to move, but it hit the left post and could not shake the net.
2nd HALF - Counterattack Fails, 2 Goals Conceded
Tokyo made a substitution at halftime. Kazuya KONNO was brought in for Kajihira, and Watanabe was moved to the inside half.
Tokyo wants to change the flow of the game, but from the start of the second half, they are pressured by Urawa, who take possession of the ball and push them back into their own half. In the 5th minute of the second half, after being pushed back in formation, they fail to apply pressure quickly when the ball is carried in a negative direction, allowing Ito to score a mid-range shot into the bottom left corner of the goal, widening the deficit.
In the 9th minute of the second half, an accident occurred. Diego TABA, who was chasing a pass into space, got caught on the grass and fell, unable to get up, and was substituted by Keita YAMASHITA. In the 20th minute of the second half, YAMASHITA left the ball for a forward play, and Leandro took a powerful mid-range shot, but it was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper's defense.
The time spent with the ball increased, and just when it seemed like a counterattack was about to begin, the defense was broken. In the 25th minute of the second half, when David MOBERG slipped into the space behind the left side, he utilized Nori ESAKA, who had come in to support inside the penalty area. Instead of shooting, ESAKA chose to pass, and Tomoaki OKUBO connected at the near side, allowing Urawa to score their third goal. As they pushed forward for a counterattack, they were targeted for space behind them, creating a decisive opportunity in the latter part of the second half. In the 40th minute of the second half, Kazuaki MAWATARI reacted to ESAKA's middle-range pass, creating a one-on-one situation with Jakub SLOWIK, but the shot went wide to the left of the goal, escaping without incident.
Tokyo, refusing to give up on their counterattack, aimed for the goal with Leandro's long-range shot and Kono's cut-in shot even after entering stoppage time, but both were blocked by the opposing goalkeeper resulting in no goals. In the open play towards the end of the match, there were moments when they approached the Urawa goal, but they couldn't break through the defense, ending the match with no goals.
MATCH DETAILS
＜F.C.Tokyo＞
STARTING XI
GK Jakub SLOWIK
DF Yuto NAGATOMO (21st minute: Junya SUZUKI)/Yasuki KIMOTO/Masato MORISHIGE/Kashif BANGNAGANDE (40th minute: Shin OKAZAKI)
MF Kuryu MATSUKI/Keigo HIGASHI (21st minute: Manato SHINADA)/Yuki KAJIURA (0th minute: Kazuya KONNO)
FW Ryo WATANABE/Diego OLIVEIRA (11th minute: Keita YAMASHITA)/Leandro
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
MF Kojiro YASUDA
GOAL
―
<Urawa Reds>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Shusaku NISHIKAWA
DF Hiroki SAKAI/Takuya IWANAMI (32nd minute: Tetsuya CHINEN)/Alexander SCHOLZ/Ayumu OHATA (21st minute: Kazuaki MAWATARI)
MF David MOBERG/Ken IWAO/Atsuki ITO/Tomoaki OKUBO (40th minute: Takahiro SEKINE)
FW Yoshio KOIZUMI (21st minute: Nori ESBAKA)/Yusuke MATSUO (21st minute: Takahiro AKIMOTO)
SUBS
GK Zion SUZUKI
MF Yuichi HIRANO
GOAL
31st minute of the first half: Moberu / 5th minute of the second half: Ito / 25th minute of the second half: Yu OKUBO
[Interview with Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA]
Q, please review the game.
A. Currently, the team is in a difficult situation due to many injuries. We faced today's match under such circumstances. I believe we controlled the game for a long time in the first half. However, there were mistakes among the young players whom we gave opportunities to. While it's natural for young players to make mistakes, I am very disappointed that we conceded a goal due to our own mistakes.
I believe that allowing the opening goal had a significant impact on the subsequent flow of the match. In the second half, we aimed to start with more courage and to actively approach the opponent's goal with bold plays. However, as you know, Urawa has a number of high-quality players. Unfortunately, we lost the match today, but I think the players gave their all. In that sense, I am proud of the young players.
I highly appreciate the attitude of the players who fought for victory even when they were losing the match, and I conveyed this to the players as well. Although we have more injured players and the team's situation is not as expected, the players fought hard. Next week, we have a home game. I believe it will be important to continue accumulating points in home games moving forward.
Q: I think Urawa lined up four players in the front, which limited Tokyo's passing. What instructions did you give to break through that?
A, I never felt that we were under good pressure. There may have been situations where we faced more difficult pressure, but more than that, we lost the ball due to our own mistakes. I think we made very simple mistakes ourselves.
Q: I believe you started the match in a 4-4-2 formation in the first half, but was placing Matsuki as a left-sided half intended as a countermeasure against Hiroki SAKAI? Also, I think it would have been difficult to change the system with only three days in between, but was this a strategy you had prepared for?
I did not take that position with a focus on player Sakai. I thought that by taking that position based on the players who can currently play, the team could bring out a better performance, so I had them take that position. We started the match with a position similar to 4-4-1-1 in defense. I never create a game plan with a specific opponent in mind.
Today, I am very proud that Kuryu MATSUKI, who has just graduated from high school, has shown a wonderful performance against high-quality players.
[Player Interview]
<Keita YAMASHITA>
Q, please review the game, considering that you participated due to an accident.
It was an away game, but it was a match I wanted to win. The score difference was significant, but I personally wanted to score.
Q: I think there were not many chances in the game.
A, I think it will change depending on the match. In a tough situation like today, I always feel that we must take advantage of even the few chances we get.
Q: There was a chance from Suzuki's early cross, but was that intentional?
A, I usually train together with Suzuki, and before today's match, we were aligning our images from when we played together. While progressing within the team concept, I believe that if we can create those kinds of situations when things don't go well, it will broaden our attacking options as a team.
Q: It has been a while since your last appearance, but it seems like your condition was good.
A, whether starting or coming on as a substitute, I believe we must deliver results. Especially in cases like today when coming on as a substitute, I think we need to have our eyes shining and change the team.
Q: Please share your enthusiasm for the upcoming home match against Jubilo Iwata.
A, it is a period where the team is not getting results, but I want to prepare well to win.
<Junya SUZUKI>
Q: It was a difficult situation coming on as a substitute while chasing a deficit, but how was it for you?
While there were instances where we pressed from the front and intentionally stole the ball to launch an attack, I believe we could have created chances in our usual short counter style if we had executed better. It wasn't that we couldn't do it, but rather that we struggled to find the right rhythm, and it's not about blaming anyone; it's about the small misalignments.
I came on midway through the match, and the flow was in Tokyo's favor at that time. I believe that if I had been able to score even one goal, the momentum could have changed. In terms of defense, while no one was slacking off individually, as a team we need to improve how we win the ball back and enhance the quality in the final moments, particularly in making the last pass and taking shots.
Q: While there is a style of breaking down the opponent by connecting plays as a team, I believe that simple plays, like the early cross from Suzuki leading to a header shot by Yamashita, can also be an option for our attack.
A, I have strengths in kicking and crossing, so since we were particularly behind in today's match, I thought we needed to score at least one goal somewhere. There was also player Yamashita inside, and he is strong in crosses, so I wanted to actively put them in. I think it would have been good if that had connected, so I want to continue improving the quality and aligning with the center.
Q: Next match will be back at home.
A, we couldn't win today despite many fans and supporters coming out, so I believe that the fans and supporters have a strong desire to win even more than we do. We want to harness that power and do our best to share the joy of victory at Ajinomoto.
