8/31 Hiroshima Match Match Review & Interview

INTERVIEW2024.8.31

8/31 Hiroshima Match Match Review & Interview

<Match Review>

A battle to overcome many hardships and reach the goal, aiming for victory. It is truly a show of determination as a team.

Away to Hiroshima, the 29th round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. The team, preparing for the match, was hit directly by Typhoon No. 10. The players left for Hiroshima a day earlier on Thursday, but the Tokaido Shinkansen stopped on the way. They were stranded for over 7 hours in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, and finally arrived at their accommodation within the prefecture when the date changed. However, the next day, it was difficult to travel west due to the closure of highways and heavy traffic on local roads caused by the typhoon and heavy rain. Therefore, they took a bus to Tokyo in the afternoon. Today, they flew to Yamaguchi Ube Airport in the morning and then took a bus for about 3 hours to finally arrive in Hiroshima city, just 6 hours before kick-off.

The opponent is Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who is currently on a 6-game winning streak and is only 2 points behind the top spot in the league. Tokyo is in a tough situation with 2 draws and 2 losses without scoring in the 4 games after the break, but we want to respond to the passion of the fans and supporters who have come to the venue and those who are sending their thoughts through the DAZN broadcast. Although we were unable to hold the pre-match training that was originally scheduled at the venue, the team is prepared to fight with all their might to overcome the hurdles in terms of condition and seize the opportunity to rise up.

The starting eleven of the blue and red team, who want to fight as one, will face the game with goalkeeper Taishi Brandon NOZAWA. The final line is made up of players from right to left: Hota Nakamura, Kanta Doi, Masato Morishige, and Kosuke Shirai. Morishige, who was substituted in the previous match against Tokyo Verdy due to a concussion, has returned. The bottom of the midfield is a combination of Takahiro KO and Kei KOIZUMI. Ewerton Gaudino, who is making his first start for the blue and red team, is on the right wing, with Teruhito NAKAGAWA on the left wing. In the center, Ryotaro ARAKI and Diego OLIVEIRA are lined up in a vertical relationship.

In addition, Yuto NAGATOMO, who was selected for the Japan national team, and Henrique TREVISAN, who had been out due to injury, also joined the team as members. Teppei OKA and Tsuyoshi KODAMA also accompanied the team and participated in practice, taking into account the physical burden of travel, and they all came together as one to aim for victory and kick off.

1st HALF - Missed 2 chances at the start

Tokyo created the first big chance. In the 2nd minute of the first half, Ewerton did not miss the opportunity when the opponent's build-up was off and pressed to steal the ball in the center. Diego then took a left-footed shot from the left side. Although it was caught by the opponent's goalkeeper, they immediately created a close scene. After that, they continued to press together from the start and looked for attacking opportunities by connecting the ball to Diego up front.

However, it was the first 5 minutes of the first half when they gradually pushed forward. They allowed a header shot from the far side from the opponent's left cross. They managed to deflect it somehow, but the loose ball was quickly picked up by Hiroshima in the penalty area and calmly kicked in by player Torgaialslan, resulting in an early goal being taken away.

Tokyo wants to build momentum. Diego TABA and Koizumi players showed a fierce press back that was linked together and pulled from behind, and in the 20th minute, Nozawa player caught a perfect header from the opponent's corner kick. He continues to fight hard to rebuild from defense.

However, as the opponent continued to struggle with their quick predictions and footwork, they were pushed into the penalty area in the 32nd minute of the first half and conceded another goal from a loose ball by player Torgaialslan. This put them two points behind.

In the 35th minute of the first half, there was an accident where Araki injured his right ankle in a contact play with the opponent. Although his condition was a concern, he was able to return to the pitch without any serious consequences.

Araki creates a good opportunity with his skilled technique. In the 42nd minute of the first half, he receives the ball in the center after moving up from the left side, turns while avoiding the opponent's pressure. Ewerton, who received this pass, takes a powerful left-footed shot from outside the penalty area. Although it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper, he showed his strength with a shot that the opponent couldn't catch.

Tokyo gradually strengthened their attack, but in the first half they were unable to shake the goal net. After two minutes of additional time, they reached halftime with a score of 0-2.

2ndHALF - Kashiwa's goal and Teru's dynamic play lead to a fierce comeback, but falls just short.

In the second half, which was approached without changing the members, Takahashi and Diego players were at the center of the vertical pass while looking for a breakthrough strategy, and they competed with each other in intense pressing in the midfield, showing a focused start such as Nakagawa player's sliding cut in the penalty area.

This posture attracts the flow to Tokyo. In the 9th minute of the second half, Ewerton made a sharp attack from the left side and created a chance with his left foot. In the 11th minute, Araki aimed with his right foot. Two minutes later, Morishige headed Ewerton's left corner kick. Nakauchi tried to change the course in front of the opponent's goalkeeper, but the ball narrowly missed the top of the frame.

It seemed like the game was completely in Tokyo's pace, but they unexpectedly conceded a third goal here. Right after creating a big chance, they allowed Hiroshima to enter the penalty area and a collision with the opponent resulted in a foul, giving away a penalty kick. Torgaialslan scored a hat-trick with the kick.

Tokyo, who is chasing 3 points, moves immediately after conceding a goal. Replacing players Aoki and Ewerton, they have decided to try a counterattack by bringing in Keita ENDO on the right wing and Kota TAWARATSUMIDA on the left wing.

In addition, in the 18th minute of the second half, Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA and Keigo HIGASHI were substituted for Takashi and Diego TABA, respectively, to activate the pitch in the central midfield.

And in the 34th minute of the second half, a long-awaited goal is born for the blue and red army that cannot end like this. Tawara Tsumita, who received a throw from goalkeeper Nozawa, breaks through the left side with a high-speed dribble from his own territory. He powerfully carries the ball up to the penalty area and softly crosses it to the center, where Kobayashi runs in. He slides in and shakes the net with a powerful shot, starting the counterattack with a goal of determination, the first in 5 games.


This one hit will make the players' movements much lighter. The pressure to move forward continues in the opponent's territory, and not only the substitute players but also the starting lineup are able to predict and outpace the second ball, taking away the opponent's freedom despite the physically demanding time. After that, there are also long through passes from Azuma's floating ball and shots from Tawara Takada's cut-ins on the left side, making it a completely Tokyo-paced game.

And it was just after the start of the 6-minute second half additional time. A corner kick from the right. Nakagawa takes advantage of the opponent's gap and quickly receives the ball from a short corner, then makes a sharp cross towards the goal line, causing an own goal from the opponent. A true comeback effort, closing the gap to just one point.

Tokyo continues their powerful attacks. Player Nozawa also supports the team with a big save to stop the one-on-one with the opponent.

However, the game ended here. The away game against Hiroshima, which was faced with a tough battle due to the impact of Typhoon No. 10, ended in a 2-3 defeat. However, we were able to show our determination, including the performance of substitute players.

The desire for victory and the frustration of not reaching it could be seen from the players' expressions. Some players even had red eyes.

After the game, the goal end stand continued to sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the chant "We're always with you. If you believe in yourself, victory will come."

The league will now enter a break period due to the international match week, but we must move forward as one club with this determination and achieve victory against Nagoya Grampus at the Japan National Stadium. The game we fought through in adversity will surely become a turning point.

MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Hotaka NAKAMURA/Kanta DOI/Masato MORISHIGE/Kosuke SHIRAI
MF Takahiro TAKAU/Kei KOIZUMI/Ryotaro ARAKI
FW Diego OLIVEIRA/Teruhito NAKAGAWA/Ewerton GAUDINO/Kota TAWARATSUMIDA

SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Henrique TREVISAN/Yuto NAGATOMO

GOAL
34' 2nd Half: Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA / 45+1' 2nd Half: Own Goal

Sanfrecce Hiroshima
STARTING XI
GK Keisuke OSAKO
DF Shuto NAKANO/Hayato ARAKI/Sho SASAKI
MF Naoto ARAI (22nd minute of the second half: Sota KOSHIMICHI)/Torgai ARSLAN (22nd minute of the second half: DOUGLAS VIEIRA)/Shun KAWABE (11th minute of the second half: Tsukasa SHIOTANI)/Toshiaki HIGASHI
FW Taishi MATSUMOTO/Makoto MANDA (22nd minute of the second half: Yotaro NAKAJIMA)/Mutsuki KATO

SUBS
GK Goro KAWANAMI
DF Osamu Henry IYOHA
MF Yusuke CHAJIMA

GOAL
5 minutes into the first half: Torgai Arslan / 32 minutes into the first half: Torgai Arslan / 18 minutes into the second half: Torgai Arslan


[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI]


Q, please review the game.
First of all, I am proud of the players who gave their all to show their performance and win. For us, it was a big challenge to have to travel on the day of the match. We couldn't quite overcome this challenge. And I think there were key moments in the game where we were able to show the quality to become the team we want to be. Sanfrecce Hiroshima was able to score in important moments. I think the goal will change the game and Hiroshima was able to score that goal. We need to create those moments ourselves and not give them to the opponent.

We were able to fight strongly until the end of the match and score a good goal ourselves. And we were able to create the flow of the end of the game while playing our own football. Of course, we are disappointed with the result. However, the dedication and efforts of the players were something to be proud of. And we are grateful to all the fans and supporters who have come to support the team until the end. There may have been some who wanted to come but couldn't, and some who tried to come but gave up. We are grateful to everyone who supports the team. Today's match was a battle that required a lot of travel to get here. It was a big challenge. However, I am very proud of the fight that the players showed today. We fell just a little short of the result.

Q, in the match where we arrived on the day after a two-day trip, we showed our determination in the end. What kind of encouragement did you give to the players?
A, I talked about how proud I am of today's dedicated battle after the game. It took us three days to get to this game. We left earlier than usual, but we got stuck on the way. As I mentioned earlier, it was a big challenge with many things happening. The best part was the battle at the end of the game. They fought dedicatedly for our football. We were able to score a goal by grasping the flow while fighting with conviction.

(After seeing the players regretting after the game) There is frustration in not getting results. What is important for us is to thoroughly analyze our performance. In the match against the top team in the league, I think we were able to show what kind of fight we can put up and what kind of team we want to be. It was also a tough lesson for us to learn the areas where we need to improve ourselves.


[Player Interview]
Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA


Q, it was a goal with a determined effort to change the flow.
A, I was able to enter the pitch calmly as usual. It was a situation where we had to chase after 0-3 and return one point at a time, but I think my goal led to the second goal and created a good atmosphere. It was good that we were able to score two goals as a team, but we came to Hiroshima to win and we wanted to at least bring it to a 3-3 draw. No one is satisfied with today's result or performance, and many issues have arisen.

Q, it became a game in the midst of many irregularities such as travel to Hiroshima.
A, we came here to win the game, and as a professional soccer player, I believe there are no excuses on the pitch. Today was also a game that we had to win, and I think our abilities were reflected in the result.

Q, don't you think that Kashiwa's goal today will lead to the next one?
A, a good ball came from Kota TAWARATSUMIDA, and I thought I could get on a good flow by scoring myself. In recent games, I haven't been able to score, so it was good that we were able to score one or two goals as a team, but I want to contribute to the team with goals that lead to points.


<Hotaka NAKAMURA>


Q, it was a difficult game. Please review the game.
A, If we decide to play the game no matter what happens, as professionals, we have no choice but to play. The fact that we lost is undeniable, so there is no excuse. To the fans and supporters who came to cheer us on, I am truly sorry.

It was a situation where we allowed a 3-point lead, but we also showed determination in our final attack.
In a situation where we had no choice but to do it, the substitute players came in and the momentum increased. Keigo HIGASHI talked to me a lot and I was able to hold the ball more. From there, we were able to compete vertically and create a good time, which led to a determined goal. While we had been unable to score for a long time, I don't know if we were able to take a step forward in today's game by scoring two points, but I definitely think it will lead to the next one.

Q, I have the impression that I have been able to play boldly in the last few games.
A, Although it's not like myself, I was in a mentally difficult situation and was able to take a step forward in my feelings with the support of many people. It may be a small thing, but I think I have to express myself and just keep going.