＜Match Review＞
Meiji Yasuda J1 Sec. 3, welcoming last season's J1 league champions Vissel Kobe. Tokyo has shown resilience in catching up from behind in the first 2 matches, but has only managed to secure consecutive draws. Therefore, they will be looking to grab their first home victory of the season.
10 players, including Hotaka NAKAMURA, who returned to Ajinomoto Stadium for the first time in about 10 months since his right Achilles tendon rupture in April last year, started in the same lineup as the previous match. Kei KOIZUMI, who made his first start of the season, formed a partnership with Kuryu MATSUKI in the defensive midfield. Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA, who joined the team this season, also made his first appearance in the matchday squad.
1stHALF—Back and forth battle of attack and defense
Tokyo, aiming for a win at home, suddenly faces a pinch. In the 5th minute of the first half, Masato MORISHIGE, who blocked the opponent's shot, was hit by the ball on his elbow. As a result, after VAR support and an on-field review, a penalty kick was given to Kobe. However, the opponent's kick missed the goal by a large margin, allowing Tokyo to escape unscathed.
In the 13th minute of the first half, Tokyo, who wants to open up the game, saw Ryotaro ARAKI, who picked up the clear from a left corner kick, supply a cross ball with his left foot. In the center, Diego OLIVEIRA and Morishige competed for the loose ball, but Teruhito NAKAGAWA, who was in the penalty area, took it out and shot with his right foot, only to be blocked by the opposing defender and unable to score.
In the 16th minute of the first half, Keita ENDO, who started two consecutive games, cut in from the left side and launched a powerful ground middle shot with his right foot. Unfortunately, it was caught by the goalkeeper, but the blue and red army continued to aggressively attack the enemy's territory.
In defense, Henrique TREVISAN and Morishige show tough defense in the center against Kobe, who attacks targeting Yuya OSAKO using long balls, and they also work closely with the defensive midfielder to not give the opponent any freedom.
Tokyo also tries to launch attacks from Diego TABA in the center, but the opponent has also increased their level of caution towards number 9, making it difficult to create decisive chances.
The first half, which turned into a battle of erasing each other's strengths, ended in a scoreless draw after a back-and-forth offensive and defensive struggle.
2ndHALF - Koizumi's opening goal was not enough to overcome the numerical disadvantage and only one point was scored.
In the second half, the game quickly starts to move. The trigger was a sharp interception by Kashif BANGNAGANDE.
In the 5th minute of the second half, number 49, who stole the ball on the left side with a sharp start, dribbled and ran alone. Matsuki, who received this return near the penalty area, aimed with his left foot, but it was blocked by the opponent defender.
After Keishi FU player kicked the right corner kick obtained here, Kei KOIZUMI, who ran into the far side, swung his right foot directly and scored the first goal, touching the ball that was dropped by Henrique TREVISAN near the goal. With a powerful shot from number 37, who responded to being selected as a starter, Tokyo successfully scored the first goal of the season for the first time.
Kobe, on the other hand, is also stepping up their attack. In the 12th minute of the second half, they concede an equalizer from a dribble and cross from the left side.
In the 24th minute of the second half, Henrique, who had been about to be beaten by a long ball, was shown a red card for stopping the opponent with a decisive decision to prevent a scoring opportunity. This resulted in a direct free kick, which was scored by player Kelly, leading to a reversal.
Tokyo, who was burdened with a numerical disadvantage and one point behind, tried to find a way out through the breakthrough power of Jája Silva, who was brought in on the left side.
33 minutes into the second half, Jaja takes a right-footed shot near the penalty arc. Matsuki powerfully aims for the loose ball blocked by the opponent with his right foot, but it is saved by the opposing goalkeeper.
Tokyo, who wants to counterattack, made three substitutions in one go in the 37th minute of the second half to break the deadlock. Kota TAWARATSUMIDA was placed as the left attacker, and Jája SILVA was placed on the right. Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA, who entered the front line, made his debut in blue and red. In addition, Hotaka NAKAMURA, who was appointed as the right side back, made a long-awaited comeback after about 10 months from a serious injury.
In the 43rd minute of the second half, player Kashiwa was fouled while dribbling and earned a free kick. Matsuki took the kick with his precise left foot, but unfortunately the ball narrowly missed the top right corner of the goal.
In the 7th minute of additional time, Tawarazumida player showed a dribble that cut through the center from the left side and sent a last pass vertically, but it didn't go through. Furthermore, Koizumi player strongly moved up from the center to the right side. Jaja player aimed fiercely with his right foot, but the shot that hit the near side was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper and they couldn't break the goal.
Tokyo, who bravely attacked despite being outnumbered and behind in score, was unable to catch up. They suffered a bitter defeat of 1-2 against Kobe, resulting in their first loss of the season.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING XI
GK Go HATANO
DF Yuto NAGATOMO (38th minute of the second half: Hotaka NAKAMURA)/Masato MORISHIGE/Henrique TREVISAN/Kashif BANGNAGANDE
MF Kusei MATSUKI/Kei KOIZUMI/Ryotaro ARAKI (38th minute of the second half: Takashi KOBAYASHI)
FW Keita ENDO (17th minute of the second half: Jajá SILVA)/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (38th minute of the second half: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA)/Diego OLIVEIRA (28th minute of the second half: Yasuki KIMOTO)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
MF Keigo HIGASHI
GOAL
5 minutes into the second half: Kei KOIZUMI
Vissel Kobe
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Daiya MAEKAWA
DF Takahiro OHGIHARA/Tetsushi YAMAKAWA/Mateus TUREL/ Yuki HONDA (29th minute of the second half: Ryo HATSUSE)
MF Takahiro OHGIHARA/Keisuke YAMAGUCHI/Rikuto HIROSE (29th minute of the second half: Jean-Patrick)/Yoshinori MUTO (45+7th minute of the second half: Nanasei IINO)
FW Taisei MIYASHIRO (37th minute of the second half: Yosuke IDEGUCHI)/Yuya OSACO
SUBS
GK Powell Obinna OBI
DF Takuya IWANAMI/Ryuho KIKUCHI
GOAL
12 minutes into the second half: Taisei MIYASHIRO/29 minutes into the second half: Yuya OSAKO
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI]
Q, please give us an overview of today's match.
A, First of all, I am deeply disappointed and regretful that we were unable to produce results. One thing I can be proud of is that the players fought until the end and gave their all to challenge for victory in a difficult situation. With this disappointment, I want to thoroughly analyze our performance today. Vissel Kobe showed how to win as a champion team in this match. I think the red card incident was a turning point, but we want to look back on this match and become even stronger. And I want to thank all the fans and supporters who passionately supported the players. Their energy pushed us forward and thanks to them, the players were able to fight until the end even with 10 players. I am truly grateful for their amazing support.
Q, Is it because of the red card that the option to move the player's position up and make it more offensive is no longer available?
We were considering a substitution strategy to attack in an 11 vs 11 situation, but unfortunately, a red card made the situation difficult. We knew that it would be a challenging situation with one less player, but the goal scored from the free kick made it even more advantageous for the opponent. We fought with a strong mentality to score the next goal, using substitution players and aiming to equalize and turn the game around. All the substitute players gave their all until the end, but unfortunately, today was not our day.
[Player Interview]
＜Kei KOIZUMI＞
Q, please review the 90 minutes first.
A, we were able to take the lead, but unfortunately we conceded at a time when we didn't want to. There was still time left and we were overwhelmed by the momentum of the opponent's second goal.
Q, What were you asked for in the starting lineup and how did you approach the game on the actual pitch?
A, I knew that the number of long balls would increase, so I was thinking about contributing firmly in the recovery of second balls as a defensive midfielder. As a team, I think we had a strong awareness of not losing in second balls and aerial battles, but we need to continue to move forward after picking up the second ball. In order for the whole team to share the same image and be able to attack, we have to keep working on it in practice, so I want to work on it firmly.
Q, After the second goal, what kind of communication was there on the pitch?
A, I was encouraging them to move forward even if they had to take risks, and there was no option to withdraw here. Take risks and bring it to a tie first. As we go through the long battle of the league, I think there will be situations like the second half, so I hope to be able to respond flexibly when that happens, and I will continue to encourage the players on the pitch like today.
<Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA>
Q, this was my first game appearance in Tokyo. Please review the game.
A, since it was a difficult game, I just chased the ball with all my might and thought I had to go towards the goal. It was difficult with only 10 players and there were challenges with balance, but I was conscious of going for that one point.
Q, It was a difficult time to play. What were you conscious of?
A, since it was a situation where we were losing due to numerical disadvantage, I was conscious of going into the goal and breaking through the back. I think I was able to show my strengths in defense, such as chasing the ball from the front line, but I want the fans and supporters to see me breaking through the back and taking shots in the attacking aspect, so I want to further improve my coordination with my teammates.
Q, After joining Tokyo, there was a period of adjustment. What kind of preparations did you make?
I have been carefully adjusting to avoid injuries. I am glad that I was able to play soccer in front of Tokyo fans and supporters today. I have always been carried off the pitch on a stretcher at Ajinomoto Stadium, so I am glad I was able to play without any injuries until the end. From here on, I want to continue to improve my condition.
Q, please give us your enthusiasm for the next match against Avispa Fukuoka.
I've heard that we have a bad compatibility with the Kyushu teams. However, I, as a new member, along with Ryotaro ARAKI and Keita ENDO, have nothing to do with that, so I want to create a different flow from before. And I want to share the joy with the fans and supporters.
<Kuryu MATSUKI>
Q, please review the game.
It was a game where we scored the opening goal in the third quarter, but before we could get into the flow, we allowed the opponent to score. I think one of the reasons for the two goals was that the players on the pitch were not able to make adjustments. In the first half, there were moments where we were under pressure, but we were able to defend well. On the other hand, in the second half, it seemed like we didn't have enough buildup as a team in terms of how to proceed after scoring a goal.
Q, today I played as a double pivot with Kei KOIZUMI, who was also appointed as team captain.
A, We were able to play with a good sense of distance with player Koizumi. In the first half, there were several scenes where I could receive the ball when Koizumi was carrying it. It will be important for us to advance through the midfield as a team, to be aware of building the game together, and to share it in the future.
Q: Did the game change significantly due to the player being sent off?
A, it was a tactical game centered around long balls, so regardless of the timing of the ejection, we were conscious of Kobe's style of play throughout the 90 minutes. First, we need to analyze as a team why the ejection happened and work on improving it.
