Match Review
This is truly a restart match. The winning streak in the league stopped last weekend, and midweek saw elimination from the 2025 J.League YBC Levain Cup. There are only two league matches left in the first half of the season, including today's match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and this game is one where we absolutely want to secure a victory to gain momentum for the second half comeback.
The team, facing the match against Shonan Bellmare in the Levain Cup with only three days in between, changed eight starters from the previous game. The goalkeeper, Taishi Brandon NOZAWA, who was also used in the Shonan match, started for the first time in three league games. The back line from the right consisted of Kanta DOHI, Seiji KIMURA, and Enrique Trevisan. The wing backs were Kosuke SHIRAI on the right and Soma ANZAI on the left. In midfield, the defensive midfielders were Takahiro KO and Keisuke KOIZUMI, with Keita ENDO on the right inside half and Kota TAWARATSUMIDA, who attracted attention with his first call-up to the Japan national team, on the left. The formation chosen was a 3-4-2-1 with Keito SATO as the lone striker.
The venue is the Japan National Stadium, boasting an undefeated home record since its renovation. This day was "New Balance Day," and the red and blue eleven wore a surprise gray Special kit. During the players' entrance, a giant jersey was spread out at the center circle, leading up to kickoff.
1st HALF—Both teams show high concentration in switching between offense and defense and in ball contests
A "mirror game" where both teams adopt the same system. In the early stages, both sides cautiously probe each other's moves while searching for attacking opportunities. In the 8th minute of the first half, the opponent's right free kick was played to the opposite side, and it seemed they scored first by finishing a cross at the far post, but with VAR support, it was ruled offside, avoiding an early concession.
Tokyo tries to gradually push forward while keeping possession of the ball. At the 25th minute of the first half, they launched a long counterattack from their own half, and when player Sato powerfully carried the ball into the penalty area, he took a decisive right-footed shot, but it narrowly missed to the left of the goal.
A game where both teams show high concentration in switching between offense and defense and in ball contests. Each side uses a mix of long and short passes to launch attacks, but due to the system of shifting to a five-back formation during defense to close down space, they are unable to create clear scoring opportunities as they would like.
Tokyo tries to break through with sharp attacks. In the 44th minute of the first half, player Sato attempted to penetrate the center with dribbling involving precise touches, but was unable to bring it to a finish by just a step.
The match remained unchanged during the 3 minutes of additional time, and the first half ended. The outcome of the game was left to the second half.
2nd HALF—Unable to find a way to attack, lost control and suffered a 0-3 defeat
After halftime, Hiroshima replaced player Maeda with player Nakamura. Tokyo, on the other hand, entered the second half without any substitutions.
Tokyo tried once again to find an attacking strategy, but their momentum was disrupted early in the match. Four minutes into the second half, after clearing the opponent's left corner kick, a throw-in allowed the opposition to advance deep down the right side. A cross from player Arai was headed in by player Araki, resulting in a goal conceded. They fell behind by one goal.
Tokyo, chasing the game, tried to advance into the opponent's territory with Shirai's dribbling across the pitch, Endo's left-footed middle shot, and Tawara Tsukida's dribbling, but in the 14th minute of the second half, they were broken down on the left side by a short counterattack. Koizumi desperately tracked back to cut the play, but the coordination of the back line was disrupted, and Ryo GERMAIN pushed in to score the second goal.
Tokyo, having fallen further behind, replaced Shirai and Takashi with Marcelo RYAN, who has scored in three consecutive league matches, and Keigo HIGASHI, making his 400th J1 League appearance. With this substitution, RYAN moved to the lone striker position, Sato shifted to inside half, and Endo changed to right wing-back. Higashi remained in the defensive midfield position.
Furthermore, at the 28th minute of the second half, Henrique, Sato, Masato MORISHIGE, and Teruhito NAKAGAWA were switched. The formation was changed to place MORISHIGE in the center of the three-back and NAKAGAWA as the right inside half.
Tokyo aimed to counterattack, but an accident occurred when newly substituted Lucas RIAN was injured and forced to be replaced. At the 32nd minute of the second half, Teppei OKA was rushed onto the pitch. The team adopted a scramble formation for the remaining time, placing OKA as the left wing-back, Anzai as the inside half, and pushing Nakagawa to the front line.
However, they struggled to create attacking opportunities and were unable to connect the ball and carry it into the attacking third.
At the 41st minute of the second half, a handball was called during a defensive set-piece duel, resulting in a penalty kick, but the opponent missed the shot. However, immediately after, at the 43rd minute, Nakamura broke through on the left side of our defense, and Kawabe scored from the rebound, conceding a regrettable third goal.
6 minutes of additional time, Tawara Tsukida cut inside and made a vertical pass to Nakagawa, Kimura headed from Endo's free kick, and Tawara Tsukida broke through from Endo's through pass, mounting a counterattack, but they could not create a decisive chance and time was up. They lost with a score of 0-3, marking their third consecutive defeat in official matches, and the unbeaten home record at Japan National Stadium was unfortunately stopped at 10.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING XI
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Kanta DOI/Henrique Trevisan (28th minute second half: Masato Morishige)/Seiji KIMURA/Kosuke SHIRAI (17th minute second half: Marcelo Jian) (32nd minute second half: Teppei Oka)
MF Soma ANZAI/Hiroshi Gao/(17th minute second half: Keigo Higashi) Keita ENDO/Kei Koizumi
FW Megumi Sato (28th minute second half: Teruhito NAKAGAWA)/Kota TAWARATSUMIDA
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Yasuki KIMOTO
MF Kota TOKIWA
FW Leon NOZAWA
MANAGER
Rikizo MATSUHASHI
GOAL
―
<Sanfrecce Hiroshima>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Keisuke OSAKO
DF Tsukasa SHIOYA (45th minute 2nd half: Sota KOSHIMICHI) / Hayato ARAKI (45th minute 2nd half: Taichi YAMASAKI) / Sho SASAKI
MF Shuto NAKANO / Shun KAWABE / Toshiki AZUMA / Naoto ARAI
FW Naoki MAEDA (0 minute 2nd half: Sota NAKAMURA) / Mutsuki KATO (45th minute 2nd half: Valere GERMAIN) / Ryo GERMAIN (49th minute 2nd half: Hiroya MATSUMOTO)
SUBS
GK Cheong Mingi
MF Daiki SUGA/Shion INOUE/Motoki OHARA
MANAGER
Michael SKIBBE
GOAL
Second half 4 min: Hayato ARAKI / Second half 14 min: Ryo GERMAIN / Second half 43 min: Shun KAWANABE
[Interview with Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI]
Q, please review today's game.
A, I take responsibility for this disappointing result myself, and recently, not only in the league matches but also in the cup competitions, we have been facing consecutive defeats, which I feel deeply responsible for. Rather than summarizing the game, my focus is on how we move forward from here.
Q. How are you thinking of breaking through the current situation?
A. At this point, the formation is also something on my mind. This has been the case for some time. Before that, rather than focusing on the formation itself, I believe that the position or role is about how to maximize the players' strengths, so in that sense, it has been constantly on my mind.
Q. There were many scenes where players were slipping; was this due to the condition of the field or an issue with adapting to the turf?
A, I’m not quite sure, but regardless of the reason or conditions, I believe it should never happen. Of course, accidents and slips are inevitable, but in terms of preparation for the game, I think that aspect is somewhat immature.
Q. There wasn't anything decisively wrong with the overall match or any obvious reason for the loss, but it seemed like the team gradually fell behind and the point difference widened. From the coach's perspective, how did it look?
A, I think there is that way of looking at it, but even so, we have to win. We must defend firmly. We have to score. Leaving vague parts vague will always be a reason for defeat, so we need to see how we can tighten those areas that appeared that way. I wouldn’t say the players have no awareness of this at all, but it really comes down to maintaining high concentration, anticipation, and game-reading ability throughout the 90 minutes. Including all of that, if we don’t build it properly ourselves, the game will just proceed vaguely and we’ll get caught off guard.
Regarding the cause, even I don't always have a clear and timely understanding of why the current goals conceded happened. In such situations, whether or not we can make the optimal substitution is also an important factor. In recent games, there have been more cases where substitutions are necessary due to physical issues, not because of injuries per se, but rather concerns about the training load and other details. Unless we thoroughly address these specifics, I believe we won't be able to identify what exactly is causing this vague problem.
[Player Interview]
<Kota TAWARATSUMIDA>
Q, please review the game.
A, it was a disappointing game. We need to increase the moments and periods where we press forward and create chances. In today's match, there were occasions where individual skill brought us to shooting opportunities, but we want to deepen our teamwork, combinations, and mutual understanding even more. We want to carefully align the small gaps and play with creativity. It starts with set pieces and focusing on the details of play to not lose to the opponent right in front of us. Otherwise, we cannot surpass the opponent. I believe such differences were reflected in today's match.
Q, It was a league match immediately after being selected for the Japan national team.
A, I feel pressure and tension not only in today's match but at all times. Regardless of the situation, I believe I must lead the team. Even in difficult matches, I think it is required of me to give my best and contribute to the team. There are still many challenges ahead.
Q. Against Hiroshima's solid defense, what aspects do you feel were lacking in your attack?
A, there were not enough off-the-ball movements before receiving the ball and not enough chances created. I want to coordinate more with my teammates, increase the number of times I receive the ball, and turn those moments into opportunities and goals. Also, after conceding a goal, the overall atmosphere became too down. We needed to stay positive and lift the mood. Including myself, I think the time spent feeling down was wasted, and it was not enough to pull the win closer.
<Keigo HIGASHI>
Q, It ended with a frustrating result.
A, this is our current situation, and this is the reality. How we accept this and work to improve it depends on us, so I think that's all there is to it.
Q: While watching the first half, what difficulties did you mention before you entered the game?
A, I felt there was a lack of initiative from our side. Since it was a home game, we needed a much stronger attitude towards attacking the goal, scoring, and winning. From the first half, it seemed like that was somewhat lacking, and I think we weren't much of a threat to the opponent.
Q. Is that an individual issue for each player, or is it something the entire team should unify more on?
A, of course, I think it's both. Since it's soccer, it's not just one or the other. Naturally, the players who played in the match are responsible, including myself, and we need to do more. Also, as a team, we need to discuss more together about how to move forward. I believe this is why we are at this ranking, and this is probably the difference between us and Hiroshima right now.
Q. Although this many customers came, it seemed that the content was not good.
A, it's no good. I think it's completely no good. Of course, including myself, we need to do more, and if I come on midway, I have to change the flow. I truly feel sorry.
Q. How do you plan to improve from here?
A, it's not easy. But there's no point in running away or just getting by for now, so I think it's more necessary for everyone to share their opinions and realistically say things like "let's do this" or "let's do that."
Q, It was a milestone match marking 400 appearances in the J1 League.
A, It would have been ideal to celebrate winning 400 matches, but life doesn't go that smoothly. I take pride in having grown stronger not only through good times but also through hardships, and that won't change going forward; I believe it's a continuous cycle. That's why we must face the current situation head-on, and the entire team, including myself, must firmly accept it and move forward. No matter how much we talk, as professional football players, we believe that expressing ourselves on the pitch is what truly matters. From the next training session onward, we will steadily build up and aim to clear these feelings in the next match.
<Takahiro KO>
Q, Today's match ended in a disappointing result.
A, We are weak. That’s all there is to it.
Q. I believe you had various discussions after the match; what were they about?
A, since there is no choice but to do it, we firmly accepted it, and instead of staying down here forever, we talked about standing up properly and moving forward to the next challenge.
Q, this is your 9th year as a professional and your 6th year in the J1 League. Today marks the milestone of your 100th match.
A, first of all, I am filled with deep regret about today's match, but I am grateful for the many people who have supported us up to this point, and I want to continue to steadily move forward and strive every day without stopping.
Q, I think 100 matches is just a milestone, but how do you see yourself moving forward from here?
I want to improve more and win many things, so I hope to reflect on myself and move forward.
