＜Match Review＞
The second half of the 2024 season welcomed Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo to Ajinomoto Stadium. Tokyo, who finished the first half of the season with a record of 8 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses, ranking 6th with 30 points, has been struggling with their poor performance at home at Ajinomoto Stadium, with only 1 win, 4 draws, and 3 losses in 8 home games this season. They hope to start the second half of the season with a strong performance and gain momentum for the future.
In the previous match, Tokyo achieved a hard-fought victory away against Shonan Bellmare. For this midweek match, they made four changes to the starting lineup. Taishi Brandon NOZAWA will be in goal, with Kosuke SHIRAI returning from injury to play as right back. Yasuki KIMOTO, who has recovered from injury, will play as center back alongside Teppei OKA, who has started in the last two matches.
In addition, Shuhei TOKUMOTO, who scored a brilliant winning goal in the Shonan game, was listed as the left back. Takahiro KO and Riki HARAKAWA were selected as defensive midfielders, with Kuryu MATSUKI playing as an attacking midfielder. Soma ANZAI was placed on the right wing, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA on the left, and Ryotaro ARAKI as the lone striker. Furthermore, players such as Keita ENDO, who have recovered from injury, were on the bench, ready to support the team and secure a victory at home as they kicked off the game.
1stHALF - Gradually creating opportunities and approaching the goal
Sapporo, which has adopted an unconventional system of forming a 4-back while using 3-6-1 as its base, has been responding to Tokyo's front three with a man-marking approach while creating a numerical advantage. Tokyo has been connecting passes and searching for attacking options while pressing from the front line.
In the early stages, both teams set their lines high, but Sapporo quickly dropped back to a 4-back or even a 6-back with both wide players returning, making it difficult to create chances. On the other hand, the defense, which adopted a high-risk high-line defense, responded firmly to the opponent's quick attacks. In scenes where they were in danger of being countered, Okada made sharp tackles to prevent any potential danger.
In the 27th minute of the first half, the goalkeeper once again saves the team, just like in the previous match. Despite allowing a powerful left-footed shot from player Suga after a long ball was dropped in the front line, player Nozawa makes a super save by diving to the right corner. This play reminds us of the previous match where the team endured defensively and secured a victory, giving the team momentum.
Tokyo has been struggling to create scoring opportunities, but as time goes by, they are gradually creating chances.
35 minutes into the first half, White player on the right side breaks away from the final line with a feed from Matsuki player and crosses it on the ground. Araki player in the center takes a precise shot with his left foot, but unfortunately it is cleared by the opponent defender.
This play will be the starting point for Tokyo's fierce attack. In the 40th minute of the first half, player Anzai in the center of the pitch supplied a through pass that tore through the opponent's defense. Matsuki was able to break away and approach the goal, but was unable to shoot as the opponent closed in at the last moment.
In the 43rd minute of the first half, Nogizawa made a quick start against the opponent's counterattack and made a beautiful long pass to the right side with one touch. Matsuki received the pass and Araki attempted a volley shot from a chest trap in the area, but it was blocked by the opponent.
Just before the end of the first half, there was a chance for a direct free kick from the left 45 degree position. Hirokawa tried to aim for the top left corner with his strong right foot, but his shot was blocked by Sugano's sharp reaction and could not shake the goal net.
Tokyo gradually became able to create opportunities, but struggled against the solid Sapporo defense. The goal that led to a home victory was carried over to the second half.
2ndHALF - Yasuaki scores the final goal! Long-awaited victory at Ajinomoto Stadium!
The second half, where the blue and red army increases the pressure towards the goal, while being passionately supported by the fans behind the goal.
In the 2nd minute of the second half, player Tawara Tsumita dribbled in from the left side and took a shot from a cut-in. They continued to attack with corner kicks, long throws, and crosses, but the opponent's counter was firmly blocked by player Nozawa's sharp reaction. They raised their awareness towards the goal and supported the team in defense, working together towards 3 points at home.
In the 15th minute of the second half, a big chance was created from the left side. Matsuki made a sharp through pass with his left foot, which Araki reacted to quickly and broke through. However, his sliding attempt to push the ball in just fell short.
Tokyo, who wants to score the first goal at home, moves the bench in the 18th minute of the second half. Diego OLIVEIRA is substituted for Araki and Tawara, and both Teruhito NAKAGAWA and Diego OLIVEIRA are put in as the top and right wing. Yasuzaki is moved to the left wing to launch an attack.
Here, Morimoto was injured and Morishige Masato was substituted in the 27th minute of the second half. Immediately after, Morishige made a powerful header to deflect the opponent's feed, which went to Matsuki in front. Captain's through pass to Anzai who made a sliding shot. Diego followed up on the rebound from the opponent's goalkeeper, but couldn't react in time due to his top speed and the ball unfortunately missed the right side of the goal.
In the 33rd minute of the second half, once again, a shot was taken by player Suga from the left side on a counter attack, but standing in the way of the ball aimed at the near post was once again player Nozawa. With precise positioning and quick reactions, he defended the goal and the entire team supported the attackers as they aimed for a goal.
Victory at Ajinomoto Stadium. The team's strong determination and the stadium's overall energy finally resulted in a goal in the 39th minute of the second half.
When attacking from the right side, player Haragawa makes a one-touch pass to the far side with a lofted ball. Here, player Yasuzaki breaks away from behind the opponent's defender and extends his left foot. The shot, which was directly hit at the moment the ball dropped, hit the crossbar and was sucked into the goal.
Player Yasuzaki, who ran straight to the goal-side fans and supporters. In the 18th round against Júbilo Iwata, he scored his first professional goal, saying, "I want to keep seeking goals that lead to victory. If I am used in the front line, I want to live up to expectations with results," number 38, who had said, did a great job of scoring consecutive goals at Ajinomoto Stadium.
After 6 minutes of second half additional time, with the chant "Let's go Tobitakyu! We won't lose!" pushing us forward, we finally marked our second league victory of the season at Ajinomoto Stadium. We were determined to win at Ajinomoto Stadium, with the support of our fans and supporters, and we achieved the best result to kick off the second half of the season.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Kosuke SHIRAI (45+3' Hotaka NAKAMURA)/Yasuki KIMOTO (27' Masato MORISHIGE)/Tetsuhiro OKA/Shuhei TOKUMOTO
MF Kusei MATSUKI/Yuhi TAKA/Chikara HARAKAWA (45+3' Kei KOIZUMI)
FW Kota TAWARATSUMIDA (18' Teruhito NAKAGAWA)/Soma ANZAI/Ryotaro ARAKI (18' Diego OLIVEIRA)
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
FW Keita ENDO
GOAL
39' of the second half: Soma ANZAI
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo
STARTING XI
GK Takanori SUGENO
DF Ru TAKAO (44th minute of the second half: Rei IEIZUMI)/Daihachi OKAMURA/Toya NAKAMURA
MF Hiromu TANAKA (44th minute of the second half: Kosuke HARA)/Katsuyuki TANAKA (27th minute of the second half: Shota NISHINO)/Seiya BABA/Taiki SUGA/Yoshiaki KOMAI/Tatsuya HASEGAWA
FW Takeshi SUZUKI (38th minute of the second half: Shingo OHMORI)
SUBS
GK Jun KODAMA
DF Yamato OKADA
FW Shido IZUMA
GOAL
―
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI]
Q, please review the game.
A, it was a good football match. I think Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo had a very good fight, but overall, I think our performance was very good. It was an even match until about 30 minutes into the first half. We were able to grab the flow without rushing and endure to grab a good flow towards the end of the first half, and we were able to end the first half in a good shape. I think the players felt the same way and we were able to continue that into the second half.
What was important was for us to concentrate firmly, play at a good tempo, and fight patiently. If we could do that, I thought we could score. We were able to control the game well on the pitch and respond well to the opponent's counterattacks. I thought we could score and if we had scored a little earlier, we might have been able to score a few more points. With these 3 points, we want to recover well and prepare for the next game.
Q, There have been many late goals in recent matches, what do you think is the reason for the timing of these goals?
First of all, there are various challenges in football, and we must grasp the flow ourselves and play our own way without rushing. We were able to do that in some games, and at that time, I think we were able to control the game ourselves. However, in the battles we have had so far, we have sometimes conceded easily and ended up with a 0-1 score in situations where the score was 0-0. Today, we were able to fight patiently and without losing our concentration, and I think that led to a wonderful goal by Soma ANZAI from a great ball by Riki HARAKAWA. I'm sure the players are happy to bring victory to the fans and supporters.
Q, Please tell us the intention of Teruhito NAKAGAWA and Diego OLIVEIRA's entry.
A, I was thinking about a lot of things in my head. I was thinking about putting Diego Taba on the field at the right time, and I think the substituted players fought very well. What we want to create is a team that is difficult for the opponent to play against for 90 minutes. The substitute players need to come in at the end and continue their game, and we need to increase the intensity of the game so that we can fight until the end. I think the players did a good job of that today.
I was thinking of refreshing the team by replacing Matsuki Kuryu and Ryotaro Araki, but Matsuki was able to show good mobility during that time, and Araki seemed a little physically tired, so I decided to bring in Diego Taba. I also used Nakagawa because Anzai was able to create opportunities and Tawaratsumida Kota has played a lot of minutes so I was considering how much time to use him. That was the reason for the substitutions today. The players who came on as substitutes also made a great contribution. I believe their performance was worth 3 points.
[Player Interview]
＜Soma ANZAI＞
Q, please review the goal that led the team to victory.
As soon as player Riki HARAKAWA entered the kicking motion, I thought the ball would come there. Rather than me adjusting, the ball came to my foot, so all I had to do was hit it. I think we were able to score thanks to player HARAKAWA.
Q, this was the second consecutive goal in a home game.
After being able to score one point, I felt a little relieved and my way of thinking changed. I was always thinking that I had to "get results", but now I think I can play more freely compared to that time. However, the numbers are still not satisfactory. First and foremost, the team's victory is the most important, but I also want to focus on my own results within that.
Q, the game has been intense with a lot of back and forth between offense and defense since the first half.
A, Today, we talked about coming together as a team and deciding the game in the first half. Kuryu MATSUKI and Ryotaro ARAKI were the main players on the attack, putting pressure on the opponent, while Yasuki KIMOTO and Teppei OKA were the main players on defense, not allowing the opponent's forward players to play. There weren't many dangerous scenes, so that was good. Tokyo now has the ability to score 1-2 points in one game. We believe that if we don't concede, we can play our own game, so I think we were able to play without getting impatient even if the 0-0 time was long.
Q, we worked hard until the end of the game. We can also see the good condition.
A, My greatest weapon is hard work, and I believe that if I lose that, there will be nothing left. Whether I score or not, whether we win or lose, I believe it is important to keep fighting until the very last second for Tokyo. I know that there will be even tougher battles ahead, but I want to use my strengths to help the team.
Q, we will welcome Avispa Fukuoka to Ajinomoto Stadium in 3 days.
If we can start the second half of the season with consecutive wins at Ajinomoto Stadium, I think we can build momentum as a team. We have back-to-back games, so we will prepare well while recovering and address the issues we faced in the match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. We want to approach the match against Avispa Fukuoka with the goal of achieving consecutive wins.
Riki HARAKAWA
Q, this was my first start in a while. Please review the game.
A, as always, I prepared for the game by doing what I needed to do. I think I can improve even more if I can play while watching the opponent more in the attacking scenes. Also, if I can recognize what role I should play in the attack while watching the movements of my teammates and fulfill that role, I think we can create attacking opportunities in the future.
Q, I think risk management was also necessary for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo's counter.
A, Since the opponent was able to play man-to-man, there were scenes where the ball was taken away due to mistakes when trying to pass vertically. In those situations, I made sure to speed up and not panic when losing the ball. There were also scenes where even if the ball was taken away, the players in the defensive midfield and center back positions were able to take care of it well, so I want to continue improving the quality even more.
Q, What kind of communication did you have with Takahiro KO during the game?
Both Takahiro KO and I are players who actively go forward, so we took positions to function as relay players. If one of us went forward, the other would make the necessary play, and if one of us stayed back, we would fulfill our duties in that position. I think we were able to work together well in that regard.
Q, How will you approach the Avispa Fukuoka match with only 3 days of rest?
A, I think it will be a completely different game from today because the opponent's approach is completely different. Since Fukuoka is close in rank, it will be a very important game even when considering the rank. I want to prepare well and face the game.
<Yasuki KIMOTO>
Q, returned from a facial fracture and made a significant contribution to the clean sheet victory.
A, there was difficulty in playing with a face guard. There were times when I couldn't secure my field of vision, but I think I was able to play at least minimally. The opponent was on a losing streak and I was only focused on winning against Sapporo without worrying about that. In the recent games, I felt that we were not able to defend well as a team, so I was conscious of being aggressive and going forward, although it was not a risky move. It was a man-to-man defense, but in the first half, there were no major flaws and I felt that we were able to defend well.
Q, It was the first game to form a center back combination with Teppei OKA.
A, it was my first time, but I think I was able to have a stable defense. I was helped by Okas player's aggressive play and energetic play that took advantage of his youth. In the combination, Okas player's confidence was a push for me. There is a good competition in any position, and I think it has a good influence on the team. I think it was a good game for both Okas player and myself, and it was a good opportunity.
Q, Ajinomoto Stadium was the site of our long-awaited victory.
A, the players all wanted to deliver a victory to the fans and supporters at home, and I am happy that we were able to win today's match. We have a match against Avispa Fukuoka at home this weekend, and if we can win here, I think we can aim for the top. While using the goal of breaking into the top ranks as motivation, I want to tighten our focus and approach the match once again.
