<Match Review>
A match where pride must be shown. Tokyo, who have been on the rise with 6 wins and 1 loss in recent official matches, faced the second-placed Kashima Antlers at home. In the away game held in March, despite creating many chances, they kept missing decisive opportunities and lost. Since that became a turning point leading to a difficult period, they want to demonstrate their fighting spirit here, prove their ability, and use this as a chance to rise further.
Tokyo made seven changes to the starting lineup due to only three days between the Emperor's Cup Round of 16 match held on Wednesday. The goalkeeper was Kim Seung-gyu, and the back four from right to left were Yuto NAGATOMO, Alexander Scholz, Teppei Oka, and Sei MUROYA. The defensive midfielders were Takahiro Ko and Kento HASHIMOTO, while the attackers were Keito Sato on the right and Kota Tawara on the left. Marcelo Jian and Motoki NAGAKURA formed the two forwards. Additionally, the academy graduate rookie Taiyo YAMAGUCHI was named to the bench for the first time, and Ewerton Gaudino was included in the squad for the first time since the J1 League Sec. 25 match against Yokohama F. Marinos on June 25.
The opposing Kashima Antlers featured former Tokyo players Ogawa and Araki in the starting lineup, with Tagawa on the bench. Before the match, the three players received a big round of applause from the stadium during the player introductions.
1st HALF—A first half focused on offense and defense. The match remains unchanged going into the second half.
The red and blue eleven, welcomed by the fireworks and light show of 'FIREWORKS NIGHT supported by Paidy,' immediately attacked the Kashima goal.
At 2 minutes into the game, Lukian broke away on a counterattack, carried the ball forward vertically, and took a shot. It hit the opposing defender and struck the right post. Then, at 4 minutes, Lukian fiercely swung his left foot inside the penalty area after chest-trapping a left cross from Muroya, but this was also stopped by the sharp reaction of the opposing goalkeeper, preventing the ball from hitting the net.
Tokyo continued to take control of the game with aggressive play. In the 15th minute of the first half, from Ogawa's left cross, Leo CEARA connected in the center, but Kim Seung-gyu showed an outstanding reaction to the close-range header shot. Then, in the 18th minute, he also made a flying save to block a powerful long shot, with the defense firmly supporting the team.
Both teams created chances for each other, and amid the tense atmosphere, Tokyo was the next to create a significant opportunity. In the 25th minute of the first half, Nagatomo broke through the right side and delivered a pinpoint cross to the near side while being marked by two defenders. Nagakura connected with the inside of his right foot, but once again, the opposing goalkeeper made a great save to deny the attempt.
Tokyo launches a robust attack from the sides and the center. In the 39th minute of the first half, from a cross by player Tawara Tsukida, both Nagakura and Sato rushed into the goal area, but they just missed connecting.
In the first half, the 11 players on the pitch showed focused play, surpassing the opponent in battles for the ball, quick anticipation, and transitions between offense and defense, but they could not change the game even during the 2 minutes of additional time. The outcome of this closely contested match, with neither side yielding, was left to be decided in the second half.
2nd HALF—Despite mounting a counterattack, unable to avenge the previous match
Tokyo, carrying the lessons learned from the away game five months ago, aimed to capitalize on their chances firmly. There were no player substitutions at halftime as they headed into the second half. Meanwhile, Kashima had switched their system from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 during the first half, but at the start of the second half, they made two player changes to reinforce the team, reverting back to 4-4-2 and going all out to win.
Tokyo wanted to take the offensive, but an accident struck early in the second half. Muroya, who passed on the left side, injured his leg and sat down, forcing a substitution with Kashif BANGNAGANDE in the 8th minute of the second half.
From a development where both sides were looking for an opening, Tokyo created chances by utilizing Lukian's speed. In the 14th minute of the second half, Sato quickly turned and made a through pass from the ball connected on the right side. Lukian broke free here, advanced with a dribble, and aimed with his right foot, but the opponent's goalkeeper saved it, preventing a goal. Furthermore, in the 21st minute, Sato aimed a direct half-volley at the rebound ball that came off the opponent from Tawara Tsukida's shot, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal.
In the pouring rain, wanting to meet the expectations of the passionate blue-red family who continue to cheer, at the 33rd minute of the second half, Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI makes a move. He substitutes Lucas RIAN and Tawara Tsukida with Teruhito NAKAGAWA and Leon NOZAWA. Sending fresh attackers to the front line, he entrusted them with breaking through the situation. Then, immediately at the 34th minute, a right cross from Nagatomo was cleared and the loose ball flowed to the far side, where Leon NOZAWA took a direct shot as the ball was falling. He showed an aggressive attack right away.
However, the inability to capitalize on chances once again led to a difficult situation, just like in the away game. In the 36th minute of the second half, a momentary lapse allowed the opponent to break through the left side of our defense, and from a grounded cross, Tagawa was precisely matched near the goal, resulting in a conceded goal. The match entered its final stages with a one-goal deficit.
The final substitution came in the 44th minute of the second half, with Ewerton and Keigo HIGASHI coming onto the pitch, replacing Sato and Hashimoto.
After 6 minutes of displayed second-half additional time, the excitement behind the goal rises even more under the heavy rain. Boosted by the loud cheers of "Today is a day we cannot lose," the blue and red eleven, chasing one goal, attack the Kashima goal with counters and set plays.
However, the counterattack fell short. Despite showing a heartfelt fight, the fierce battle in the rain unfortunately ended in a 0-1 defeat.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING XI
GK Kim Seung-gyu
DF Muroya Sei (8th minute second half: Kashif BANGNAGANDE)/Yuto NAGATOMO/Alexander Scholz/Teppei OKA
MF Takahiro KO/Kei Sato (44th minute second half: Ewerton Gaudino)/Kento HASHIMOTO (44th minute second half: Keigo Higashi)/Kota Tawara (33rd minute second half: Leon NOZAWA)
FW Marcelo Hyan (33rd minute second half: Teruhito NAKAGAWA)/Motoki NAGAKURA
SUBS
GK Masataka KOBAYASHI
DF Henrique TREVISAN
MF Kei KOIZUMI
FW Taiyo YAMAGUCHI
MANAGER
Rikizo MATSUHASHI
GOAL
―
<Kashima Antlers>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Tomoki HAYAKAWA
DF Ryuta KOIKE/Naomichi UEDA/Kim Tae-hyun/Ryo Ogawa
MF Yuu Funabashi (Second half 0 min: Kei Chinen)/Kento Misao (Second half 34 min: Shuhei MIZOGUCHI)/Ryotaro ARAKI (Second half 0 min: Yuta MATSUMURA)/Chavrich (Second half 16 min: Kyosuke TAGAWA)
FW Leo Ceara (Second half 30 min: Yuta HIGUCHI)/Yuma SUZUKI
SUBS
GK Yuji KAJIKAWA
DF Keisuke TSUKUI/Kaito CHIDA
MF Gaku SHIBASAKI
MANAGER
Toru ONIKI
GOAL
36th minute of the second half: Kyosuke TAGAWA
[Interview with Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI]
Q, please summarize today's match.
A, I am very frustrated that we had to yield before the truly outstanding strength of Kashima Antlers. It's not about the content, but we have no choice but to accept the result. There are still many things we need to build up. Things we need to deeply instill. The accumulation of small things. Unless these come out a bit more, we probably can't win against teams like this, and I think it will be difficult to rise higher. Today, despite many fans and supporters gathering even in such weather, I am very frustrated that we could not deliver a victory.
Q. I think the result is disappointing, but I believe the content was very good. How do you evaluate that aspect?
A. Regarding the content, I think we were able to properly respond to various situations both offensively and defensively, and we were able to create chances. However, in the first phase of defense, everyone could somewhat sense the danger, which is of course important. But in the second and third phases, such as when the opponent picks up the second ball or when we carelessly lose possession ourselves, the awareness or sensitivity to the danger in the subsequent actions—the moments when it really becomes risky—was unfortunately not very high. Of course, there were times when it was high, but in terms of how we were beaten, I have to say this is the case.
Once such mistakes occur, no matter how good the game is, no matter how favorable the development of the game may be, even if it seems like a game that should probably be won, conceding goals like that will hardly lead to a good evaluation. You have to approach it with that mindset; it's not about just accepting this one thing, but I believe the reason we couldn't secure the 3 points lies in both offense and defense. We need to properly organize those aspects and thoroughly refine the content as well.
Q. It seemed like the timing of the player substitutions was delayed. Could you please explain the strategy behind that?
A. Regarding substitutions, there were still parts where it didn't seem like the players were completely exhausted, so the plan was to push as far as possible and then make substitutions all at once to boost power. However, since some players were gradually showing signs of fatigue and the rain had an impact, the substitutions in those situations may have appeared delayed. Our intention was to overwhelm the opponent towards the end by making substitutions together, but unfortunately, we couldn't achieve that today. During that time, prioritizing dropping the ball and having fewer challenges meant we couldn't perform well in receiving the ball in the most dangerous areas.
Q. After a match where the performance was good but the result was not favorable, what kind of words did you say to the players?
A, I also talked to the players about what we are discussing here now. However, even before entering this game, recently there have been more opportunities to accumulate victories, and precisely because of that, I think it is important to have the feeling that we can do something and to have confidence. But I also told them that it is not good if those feelings become too inflated. At times like that, you can get caught off guard. We must keep a close eye on the small things. We need to thoroughly carry out the basics, and focus on how many times we can repeat those actions. We must pay close attention to those things. Suddenly stopping what we have been doing until now is not acceptable. Just like human growth, it is not good to become too big too quickly. That is what I believe, so I conveyed this while approaching this game, but if we cannot do that, the game turns out like this. Unfortunately, it happened exactly as I said. But now, we have no choice but to wake up again together and take another look at ourselves. It's not that we haven't been doing it, but we still have a long way to go.
Also, we need to engage in repetition to further enhance our own sensitivity. While discussing with the coaches, we focus on how much we can repeat and instill these elements during training. Unless we stimulate the players' sensibility and essence, it can be difficult to fully draw out their performance and inherent abilities. This is not solely their responsibility; such factors exist in everyday life as well, so I want to take another look at this and work on it.
[Player Interview]
<Takahiro KO>
Q: Please reflect on the match.
A, the gameplay was good from the first half and there were many chances, but failing to finish them off allowed the opponent to exploit a brief lapse, resulting in a very frustrating match.
Q, while the team was able to show its strengths, the match ended up with a gap at the crucial moments.
A, we were able to create chances from the first half, and we communicated on the pitch, including during halftime, about finishing those chances, continuously aiming at the opponent's goal, and maintaining focus without losing concentration, including risk management. It is truly frustrating.
Q, the aspect of finishing ability greatly influenced the outcome of the match.
A, the opposing goalkeeper Hayakawa was also an excellent keeper, and he saved many big chances. While we were able to create many opportunities from the sides, there were many moments where I thought we could have connected better with the crosses. We want the whole team to strive for that final "quality".
<Player Kei Sato>
Q. In the first half, you created decisive opportunities right from the start and controlled the flow of the game. How did you feel about your performance on the pitch?
A, not only at the start of the match but also throughout the game, there were moments when we could take control, and because we played our own style of football without adjusting to the opponent, we failed to finish our chances and instead conceded from the opponent's few opportunities. The opponent was stronger in terms of composure in crucial moments, and I truly think that was the difference. I don't believe there was any difference in overall strength; on the contrary, I can confidently say we were stronger, which is why losing this way is incredibly frustrating.
Q. Until about 30 minutes into the first half, it was almost like a half-court game as we kept pressing the opponent. What do you think were the factors that allowed you to take control?
A, the main factor was taking positions that the opponents disliked, including myself, putting the opposing fullbacks in difficult situations. The relationship on the sides was good, and we overwhelmed the opponents. Conversely, good vertical passes were made through the center, with movements involved in those plays, allowing us to control both the sides and the center. Because of this, we were able to draw the opponents in and recover their forced clearances, creating a positive cycle.
If we had kept that up for the full 90 minutes, I think we could have scored. Because there were many good scenes in the first half, when we couldn't finish, the momentum gradually shifted to the opponent. It's not like the previous Kashima match, but even though we played good football, we ended up conceding and losing. In terms of the game's content, Tokyo really played better football, and that's why it's frustrating.
Q, Player Megumi Sato also felt that his performance was in good condition.
A, today I was able to play with quite a bit of composure, I was aware of my surroundings, and the relationship on the sides was good. Not just positioning, but if I can make plays that threaten the opponent's goal more and plays that the opponent dislikes, the attack will become more substantial, my range of play will expand, and I believe it will lead to scoring goals. So, I think that's the only thing left.
Q. Even if the content is superior in the future, there may be matches where the outcome changes by a narrow margin. What do you think makes the difference?
As Coach Matsuhashi also said, it is precisely at times like these that we need to focus on the small things and details, and if we can win in each phase of the game, naturally we will win matches and create goals. We want to continue without neglecting those aspects. Our defense has also improved, and I believe we just need to keep it up. Things are gradually getting better, so we just need to switch our mindset quickly and move forward without looking down, aiming for the next challenge.
