＜Match Review＞
In the previous match, the Albirex Niigata achieved a great victory in their away game, and this week, the blue and red players have returned home to the Ajinomoto Stadium in search of their first victory of the season. Two players have been changed from the starting lineup in the Niigata match, with reliable center back Masato MORISHIGE returning to the starting lineup after 6 games. Diego OLIVEIRA, who scored his first goal of the season in the Niigata match, also started on the pitch for the first time in 8 games.
Fans and supporters filled the home Ajinomoto Stadium with blue and red, and brought victory. In order to bring the joy of victory to their "home", the team pushed forward with Tokyo colors from the beginning and approached the Kyoto Sanga F.C. goal.
1stHALF - Kashiwa scores first goal at Ajinomoto and leads with 2 points from Diego's goal
It was a lightning-fast opening goal.
Diego TABA collected the loose ball in the midfield and simply dropped it to Teruhito NAKAGAWA. NAKAGAWA then spread the ball to right side to Soma ANZAI. ANZAI, who was on a high speed, chose a direct cross, but it didn't connect with Kota TAWARATSUMIDA who was running up. However, Kashif BANGNAGANDE, who had been running at full speed from behind, took a shot with his left foot. The shot hit the opponent defender, but still went into the goal net.
The voltage of the stadium quickly rises with the opening goal in the 4th minute, and Kyoto continues to threaten with consecutive goals. However, as they struggle to score another goal, Kyoto regains their composure and takes back control of the pace.
However, in the 15th minute of the first half, Mori Shige player did not let the ball go into the goal by concentrating on defense in the penalty area, such as dealing with the situation of the pinch of Toyokawa player's cross with his head and preventing the shot from flying into the frame.
Then, in the 21st minute of the first half, an additional goal was born. Tawara Tsumita player pushed in from the left side, and supplied a cross ball while cutting into the center with a dribble. Diego TABA, who was unmarked, headed the ball into the goal.
Tokyo, who efficiently piled up goals, does not let up their attack. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Nakagawa couldn't finish a big chance, and in the scene where Morishige player scored a free kick in the 39th minute, the goal was disallowed due to offside.
Although we were unable to secure a decisive third goal in the first half, we put on a fantastic performance and headed into halftime.
2ndHALF - Despite switching to a defensive stance, they managed to limit the opponent to only one goal, securing their second consecutive victory of the season.
Substituting Kanta DOI, who had injured his leg towards the end of the first half, with Teppei OKA, who will make his J1 debut before the start of the second half. Despite being a last-minute replacement, the rookie takes the field as Tokyo continues to dominate and push the game forward in the second half.
However, we were not able to create many chances to score the third goal, and in the 16th minute of the second half, Kei Koizumi and Teruhito Nakagawa were substituted for Riki Harakawa and Jája Silva. The fresh players were brought in to seal the game.
In the 30th minute of the second half, Diego's skillful ball control and turn turned the situation around and led to a counter attack. However, the cross from substitute player Leon Nozawa was cleared by a defender, and the follow-up shot from Takahiro KO was blocked by another defender.
In such a development, the next point is born in Kyoto. In the 34th minute of the second half, from the right corner kick, player Taiki HIRATO's accurate kick was headed by player Sora HIRAGA on the near side, narrowing the gap to one point.
A big chance comes to Tokyo right after that. NAWAZA player broke through the space behind the opponent, but the shot was blocked by the opponent goalkeeper who closed the gap at the perfect timing. In additional time, MORISHIGE player was judged to have committed a handball in the penalty area and a penalty kick was awarded. The stadium fell silent in the face of a big pinch given just before the end of the game, but the decision was overturned thanks to VAR support. In the very end, they avoided the biggest pinch and achieved their second consecutive victory of the season.
After a perfect first half, the end of the second half was a hectic time, but in the end we were able to defend our own space with all our members and secure a 2-1 victory. We grabbed our first win at Ajinomoto Stadium and achieved our second consecutive victory.
This marks the 5th win of the season and brings the total points to 18. The top teams are now clearly in sight.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Go HATANO
DF Kosuke SHIRAI/Masato MORISHIGE/Kanta DOI (46': Tetsuhei OKA)/Kashif BANGNAGANDE
MF Takayuki TAKAU/Kei KOIZUMI (61': Chikara HARAKAWA)/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (61': Jaja SILVA)
FW Diego OLIVEIRA (80': Yuto NAGATOMO)/Kota TAWARATSUMIDA (72': Leon NOZAWA)/Soma ANZAI
SUBS
GK Tsuyoshi KODAMA
DF Shuhei TOKUMOTO
GOAL
4 minutes into the first half: Kashif BANGNAGANDE / 21 minutes into the first half: Diego OLIVEIRA
＜Kyoto Sanga F.C.＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK KSONG Yoon
DF Shinnosuke FUKUDA (31st minute of the second half: Yuta MIYAMOTO)/Shogo ASADA/Keita MATSUDA (0th minute of the second half: Fuyuichi SUZUKI)/Hisashi APPIAH TAWIAH
MF Shohei TAKEDA (0th minute of the second half: Taiki HIRATO)/Temma MATSUDA (14th minute of the second half: Sora HIRAGA)/Daiki KANEKO/Kyosuke SATO
FW Daichi HARA/Yuta TOYOKAWA (14th minute of the second half: Kazunari ICHIMI)
SUBS
GK Gakuji OTA
DF Yoshinori SUZUKI
GOAL
34' Second Half: Sora HIRAGA
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI]
Q, please review the game.
A, I think there were a lot of things in today's match. Especially in the first half, we were able to play strong football, make exciting plays, and create situations where we could score several points. On the other hand, in the second half, there were parts where we struggled because we deviated from our way of playing. I think we made it difficult for ourselves. In the midst of that, the players had a great mentality and fought desperately. I also think they fought until the end to win 3 points for the club and for the fans and supporters. I am very happy to see them work hard to win 3 points.
The players gave a performance worthy of victory. I am happy that the fans and supporters are pleased. Today's victory is because they supported the team strongly. Today, there were many positive aspects in our football and many good points for us to grow. In order to become a stronger team, I want to learn from the lessons and improve on the areas where we can do better. Today, we will celebrate the victory and the players will work hard to recover and prepare well for Monday's game.
Q, Masato MORISHIGE and Diego OLIVEIRA started the game as players were absent for various reasons.
A, I think their performance was great. I think they contributed a lot to the performance to get 3 points, and they showed strong leadership and character in the fight. It's a difficult situation with several players missing, but all the members who are able to practice are working hard with the mentality of wanting to grow every day. The results were shown by players like Morishige and Diego, but I think that can be said for all players.
Mori Shige player has been preparing to contribute to the team in a hungry manner. He showed that in today's performance. There were times when he couldn't practice due to his condition, but it's great that Diego player has come back. I think today's performance is the result of their daily efforts.
To fight through the season, all players are necessary. This is a situation where everyone's strength is needed. I think both the football aspect and the mentality aspect have been growing, and this is an important part. I think we were able to fight as a really strong team today, but there is still a lot of potential. We must continue to work hard and continue to grow as a team in order to become the team we dream of. We want to continue to move forward humbly. We will continue to work hard and improve what we are doing.
[Player Interview]
Kashif BANGNAGANDE
Q, please review the opening goal.
A, this season, as a team, we have been working on having the opposite side back enter against crosses from the opposite side, and there have been several close scenes so far. We were able to score the first goal of the season in the way we were aiming for as a team, and it was great to see our hard work pay off.
Q, I felt that the positioning of the side back was also organized as a team.
A, I am working with the team on various patterns such as when to enter the position when breaking the opponent, patterns where crosses come up from the opposite side as well as my own side, and other patterns from our regular practice. Not only the positioning of the side back, but also what to do including the wing and other positions are organized and understood, so I feel like I can make bold plays.
Q, On the other hand, I think there is also a demand for risk management in defense, how are you dealing with it?
A, since we are aggressively pushing forward, we need to focus more on managing defensive risks. There were a few dangerous scenes where we were caught off guard, so as a team and individually, we want to focus on improving in that area.
Q, The defense time became longer around the 15-minute mark in the second half, resulting in conceding a goal towards the end. What are the challenges we face?
A, although we had a good start in the second half, we were unable to score additional points at a good time and gradually fell into the opponent's pace, eventually being pushed back little by little. As a team, I think we have some issues with how we finished the game, so we want to make immediate adjustments for the upcoming consecutive matches.
<Diego OLIVEIRA>
Q, please review the game.
A, it was a very tough game. The opponent had a lot of power and pressure, but I think we were able to win because we fought hard until the end. The support from our fans and supporters was a great help for us players. I was able to play in the early part of the season, but my condition wasn't good and I was able to return to the game from the Albirex Niigata match in the previous round. During that time, I want to express my gratitude to my teammates, the team staff who supported me to be able to play in the game, and the fans and supporters.
Q, Please take a look back at the goal scene that led to the first victory at Ajinomoto Stadium this season.
A, Today's game started off well from the first half. We created many chances and Kashif BANGNAGANDE scored the opening goal early on, which allowed us to gain a good momentum. At a time when we were increasing our play in the opponent's area, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA sent a wonderful cross with his right foot. It was a perfect header shot and I want to thank TAWARATSUMIDA for the assist. Today, we want to share the joy of our first victory at Ajinomoto Stadium this season with all the players, fans, and supporters.
Q, we have entered an 8-game streak in May, including today's match. How will you approach it?
We need to overcome the tough schedule with back-to-back games in a short period of time. The next match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo is only two days away. The away game against Sapporo is always a difficult and challenging match, so we want to prepare for the game and grab a victory together like we did today. Our players have the quality to perform well no matter who is on the field. We will rest today and then work hard from tomorrow to play our own style of soccer.
<Teppei OKA>
Q, I made my professional debut in the Levain Cup, but suddenly I was given a chance to play in the J1 League, and at home in Ajinomoto Stadium.
A, I was always ready to play, and I'm glad we were able to end with a win at home, but unfortunately we conceded a goal after I was subbed in at 2-0. We need to create an atmosphere where we don't allow that to happen, and individually we need to be more aware of our surroundings and not rely on others for defensive positioning. There are many things we need to fix.
Q, I didn't get the impression that you were in such a hurry.
I was conscious of creating an atmosphere and behavior that would make people think that we were not in a hurry and that we were doing things in a dignified manner.
Q, How was it to play in front of the home crowd at Ajinomoto Stadium, which is different from your debut match at NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium away?
Since my academy days, I have always wanted to play here and my goal of winning at Ajinomoto Stadium has been achieved, so I think this is just the beginning. Standing on this pitch, I realized that I need to keep improving my skills.
Q, please tell me about the gains and challenges in today's game.
A, I think it was a good thing that I was able to get into the atmosphere of the game and win even though I came on as a substitute. As for areas to improve, I still need to work on my positioning, especially as a center back, to not get pulled out wide and to better control the line. In terms of build-up play, I tend to only look for close options and am unable to utilize my strength of long passes.
Q, Are there any areas you want to change during the game for the next match?
A, I want to try to create a chance with one play by seeing a distant front line player and feeding with both feet, which is my specialty. I want to create an atmosphere where I won't let them play defense and I want to put up antennas to pick off the opponent's attack at my place and become the starting point of the attack.
Q, please give a message to all the fans and supporters.
First of all, I want to say "I'm home". I want to continue from here without missing a day of building up, in order to show my growth when I come back.
