＜Match Review＞
In the previous match, Tokyo won against Albirex Niigata at the Japan National Stadium. Before the summer break, they faced Kashima Antlers in an away game, aiming for a consecutive victory.
This season, Kuryu MATSUKI, who has been leading the team as captain, left the team to prepare for a transfer overseas, and Taishi Brandon NOZAWA and Ryotaro ARAKI of the U-23 Japan national team also joined the national team. The team faced a tough match in the middle of summer, testing their overall strength.
Go HATANO was appointed as the goalkeeper in place of Leon NOZAWA, who is out due to injury, and made his first appearance in the league since the Kashiwa Reysol match in Sec. 13. The 10 field players remain the same as the previous match against Niigata. Keita ENDO, who is expected to score for the second consecutive game, starts on the left wing, while Leon NOZAWA, who scored the winning goal in the Niigata match, starts on the bench. In addition, Keigo HIGASHI also made his first appearance in the league in about 4 months since the Avispa Fukuoka match in Sec. 4.
1st HALF - Keita scores for the second consecutive game to equalize
As Kashima did not put pressure on the front line, Tokyo had more possession time from the beginning. In the 5th minute of the first half, they broke through the right side and created their first chance. Yasuki KIMOTO passed the ball to the right side, and Soma ANZAI and Kosuke SHIRAI opened up the side. Although Teruhito NAKAGAWA's shot did not meet its target, it was a moment where their intended attack took shape.
In addition, in the 18th minute of the first half, they approached the goal from the final line build-up. Shuhei TOKUMOTO carried the ball up and passed it to Takahiro KO in the center, who then passed it directly to Diego OLIVEIRA. However, Diego chose to pass to teammate Nakagawa on the right side instead of taking a shot, and was unable to make it to the shot.
After that, the time when Kashima had the ball gradually increased. In that time, the fortunes of both teams were decided in about one minute between the 29th and 30th minutes of the first half.
When Toku Moto player responded to Diego TABA's long throw on the left side and broke through behind the opponent, he calmly assessed the situation near the goal line and turned back. Diego TABA, who had jumped in, directly hit the ball, but the shot was blocked by a defender who threw his body out.
Kashima, who picked up the loose ball, was countered and turned around to face a pinch. When the ball was shot by Shigehiro Morioka with momentum in front of the goal, Teppei Oka blocked it once, but Nagoya player picked up the loose ball in a position diagonally to the left of the goal and scored a powerful shot, taking the lead.
The players' mental state was a concern after the scoring opportunity turned into a goal against Tokyo, but they regained their composure towards the end of the first half.
In the 41st minute of the first half, the double midfielders moved the ball on the left side while involved in the build-up, and Tokumoto player fed the ball to the front line at the right time. Endo player, who took advantage of the opponent's back, entered the penalty area and switched the angle of the shot from near the goal line, swinging his right foot and piercing the ball into the right corner of the goal. With two consecutive starts and two consecutive goals, Tokyo returned to the game and ended the first half.
2ndHALF - Unable to overturn the early goal
Tokyo, who wants to take control of the game with the momentum of catching up, is suddenly frustrated at the start. In the 2nd minute of the second half, Anzai player kicks a diagonal feed to Shioka player on the left side, and although the cross ball from Nono player who came to support is cut off, the loose ball is kicked back by Nono player again, resulting in a goal for the opponent.
In a hot and humid environment, being down by one point has a heavy impact on both mind and body, allowing Kashima to control the game. However, in the 14th minute of the second half, player Yasuaki Anzai runs up the right side and connects with Endo's shot, showing a determined fighting spirit as they continue to aim for Kashima's goal.
In the 17th minute of the second half, Tawaratsumida Kota was substituted for Yasuzaki, aiming to break through Kashima's solid defense by placing a dribbler on both the left and right wings.
In the final stages of the match, Yuto NAGATOMO, Masato MORISHIGE, and Leon NOZAWA were all simultaneously brought on as fresh reinforcements in an attempt to break through Kashima's compact defensive block, but they were unable to find a way through.
The team tried various attacking strategies such as putting Morishige on the front line and utilizing Tokumoto's long throws to threaten the goal, but they were unable to catch up to the one-point difference and lost 1-2.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Go HATANO
DF Kosuke SHIRAI (41st minute of the second half: Yuto NAGATOMO)/Yasuki KIMOTO/Tetsuhiro OKA (41st minute of the second half: Masato MORISHIGE)/Shuhei TOKUMOTO
MF Takuya TAKAYANGI (33rd minute of the second half: Riki HARAKAWA)/Kei KOIZUMI/Teruhito NAKAGAWA
FW Diego OLIVEIRA/Keita ENDO (41st minute of the second half: Leon NOZAWA)/Soma ANZAI (17th minute of the second half: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA)
SUBS
GK Tsuyoshi KODAMA
MF Keigo HIGASHI
GOAL
41' Keita ENDO
＜Kashima Antlers＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Tomoki Hayakawa
DF Koji Ono/Naomichi Ueda/Ikuma Sekigawa/Koki Anzai
MF Gaku Shibasaki (29th minute of the second half: Kento Mitsunaga)/Kei Chinen/Shintaro Nago (37th minute of the second half: Homare Tokuda)/Shu Morooka (29th minute of the second half: Yuta Higuchi)
FW Leandro (11th minute of the first half: Hayato Nakama) (37th minute of the second half: Tomoya Fujii)/Yuma Suzuki
SUBS
GK Taiki YAMADA
DF Hidehiro SUGAI
GOAL
30' 1st half: Shintaro NAGO / 2' 2nd half: Kimito NONO
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI]
Q, please review the game.
A, it was a good football battle. We were able to play well within ourselves, but the small difference led to the result. Of course, we are disappointed, but we were able to show many good things ourselves. We want to continue building on that and grow as a team, while carrying the pain of this defeat.
In the first half, we were able to fight evenly and even at halftime, we felt that it was a game where we could grab 3 points. However, in the beginning of the second half, the ball fell to the opponent in the box and they were able to score. Before the game, we talked about how a small difference could decide this match, but they were able to score in those two situations. We were able to do a lot of things we wanted to do in the game and we were able to use the good areas we wanted to attack. On another day, we might have been able to score more than one goal.
We are grateful to the fans and supporters who have come this far to support us. They have truly pushed the players until the very end of the game. We are sorry that we couldn't get 3 points for them.
Q, after this, the J1 League will enter a break period. What are the things you want to build and progress during this time?
First, it is important to properly recover the players who participated in today's match, and to have the players who did not play today participate in tomorrow's practice match. And, it is important to continue creating what we are doing. We believe that we are a growing team, and we will continue to grow all the elements that we are currently doing. We believe that we are moving in the right direction. Today, a small difference made the difference in the outcome of the match. However, in order to do that, we must focus and be conscious, and continue to grow with hunger. By continuing to grow, we want to finish the end of the season in a better shape than when we started. We will work towards that goal.
[Player Interview]
＜Keita ENDO Player＞
Q, please review the goal scene.
A, Shuhei TOKUMOTO had the ball, so I believed that if I started moving, he would pass it to me. Today, my ball control was really good and I thought that the space behind the opponent was a chance, so I was able to score from there and I think that was good.
I feel like my condition is improving as I have scored in two consecutive games.
A, I feel that my condition has improved. However, I think that the overall atmosphere of today's game, which was a very important game for advancing to the top, was lacking. Looking back, I think it was a wasted game to regret not being able to win here.
Q: How do you plan to move on from today's defeat?
A, If we play like we did today, we will become a team that cannot win in important moments. I also couldn't return to where I should have returned in the scene of the second goal, but I want to talk and pursue with the team about the dedication to one play and the desire to win.
Teruhito NAKAGAWA
Q, please review the game.
A, it was a really important game to close the gap with the top teams, but unfortunately we lost and missed out on valuable points due to small mistakes leading to goals. We are feeling a sense of crisis that if we don't improve our performance, we will end up in the middle of the league. We need to focus on our marking, pay attention to the details, and fix the small things that are affecting the outcome of the game. It was a game that showed our weaknesses.
Q, the early second half goal completely changed the flow of the game.
In games against Albirex Niigata, as well as in other games this season, we have been too passive and have succumbed to the opponent's pressure in the second half. Our poor start to the game often leads to conceding goals, and in away games like today, we can get caught up in the atmosphere and momentum of the home team. We have talked about the importance of starting the first 10 minutes of each half strong and maintaining our focus, but there is still room for improvement. We want to work on improving our weakness and lack of concentration that can lead to momentary lapses.
Q, when focusing on player Nakagawa individually, it seemed like he was conscious of playing in the midfield position and being involved in both offense and defense in today's match.
A, it's still not enough and it's not helping. I want to demand more hard work from myself. For the players on the front line, everything is shown by results and numbers. It's my responsibility that we haven't been able to produce results. The reason we couldn't get points in today's match is because we lacked the ability to make decisions. I want to focus on myself and play with more responsibility.
<Teppei OKA>
Q, it was a disappointing result, but how do you look back on today's game?
A, We confirmed what we should do as a team, had a meeting yesterday, and were conscious of how to defend and align, but maybe we didn't have enough practice against the opponent. We need to focus more on that and as a team, we need to do more to counter the opponent's measures. The opponent has been doing things that we don't like and we couldn't do that. As an individual, there were scenes where we had to crush the player who is the starting point for the opponent. I think we need to be more greedy for victory. I think I'm doing it greedily, but I need to spread it more to those around me, and the part where I don't have that influence is still my lack of power. To have influence, I think we need to show more leadership from practice and send out messages. I want to spread what I have sent out to everyone.
Q, how was Okas player's strength in terms of feed?
A, I think there are still not enough effective passes. The distance between me and my teammates is far, so when I am free and other players are in close positions with the opponent, I want to attract the opponent and then expand with one touch or two touches, or I think Tokyo doesn't do enough side changes, so I want to increase those situations more from my position or the central midfielder.
Q, we will now enter the break period.
A, I will watch the video carefully, recognize the strong points and challenges, and focus on them after the break to work on them thoroughly.
