ACL 2nd match to be held 2 days after the league match

In March, the second round of the ACL group stage will be held. They will face Vietnam's Bin Zoun just two days after the league match.
In the midst of a tough schedule, Tokyo has changed its lineup, with Sandaza leading the front line, Mizunuma on the right, and Nathan BURNS on the left. In the midfield, Takahashi will anchor, with Hanyu and Tanabe playing as inside halves. Tokunaga will be on the right side back, and Ogawa, making his first appearance as a professional, will be on the left, in a 4-3-3 formation.
Bin Zoun is the 30 Hansunyop registered as DF, and 11 Nguyen Ainduk is the 2 top in charge of 4-4-2.

The match started at 7:30 PM with a kickoff by Bin Zuong, despite the harsh cold still being felt in March.

ACL Home Opener Just Two Days After J.League Begins

Becamex Binh Duong of Vietnam were the visitors for the second match of the 2016 Asia Champions League group stage. With the fixture coming just two days after the J.League opening game Tokyo made wholesale changes to their line up: Sandaza played in the middle of a front three with Mizunuma on his right and Nathan Burns on the left. In midfield Takahashi played as the anchor with Hanyu and Tanabe as inside halves. Tokunaga played at right back while Ogawa made his professional debut on the left of the defense in a 4-3-3 formation. Despite being the first day of March it was bitterly cold inside the stadium as Binh Duong kicked off at 7:30 pm.

Take control from the start, but...allow the first goal

1 minute: Tokyo dominated the ball from the start. They quickly moved forward with a fast tempo, and from Sandaza's development, Barnes dribbled forward and crossed the ball on the ground in front of the goal. Tanabe made a run into the box, but was stopped by the opposing DF.

6 minutes: From Takahashi's feed, Barnes advances to the left area. The shot is blocked and the ball falls to Tanabe in front of the area, but it also hits the opposing DF. After that, Ogawa also creates a set-piece chance from his cross and threatens the goal, while Mizunuma actively aims for a middle shot. However, Bin Zong also firmly organizes the line in a 4-4-2 formation to respond. Without being able to create a clear chance, time passed.

23 minutes: A CK clearance leads to a central FK. The ball is bounced back and Mizunuma on the right tries to bring it to a counter, but it is taken by Bin Zong and Hansunyop attempts to dribble through the center. Takahashi was marking him, but he is passed to the left and Henry Kisekka brings it into the left area and takes a powerful shot. Akimoto makes the save, but Hansunyop reacts to the rebound. The Tokyo DF fails to clear and the ball heads towards the goal. Akimoto manages to swipe it out with his right hand, but it falls to the right and Nguyen Anh Duc heads it in... giving up the first goal. Despite pushing forward, they concede a goal and the situation becomes difficult.

27 minutes: Tanabe reacts to Ogawa's left cross clearance. He controls it with one touch and takes a direct shot, but it hits the left post.
34 minutes: The ball is passed around in the opponent's area, and Mizunuma on the right side assesses the situation and sends a lob pass to the left area. Tanabe, who was left unmarked, takes a powerful volley shot but... it is saved by the GK.

36 minutes: Hayashi → Sandaza carries the ball forward and dribbles past the opposing DF, shooting from the left area, but the ball hits the GK's hand and hits the post.
Ogawa, Hanyu, Tanabe, and others aggressively pushed forward and gradually increased the number of decisive moments, but still could not score, ending the first half with a one-point deficit.

Tokyo Seize Initiative But Fall Behind

1st.minute: Tokyo dominated possession from the kick off. They moved the ball forward quickly, Sandaza developed the play and Nathan Burns dribbled down the channel before sliding a low cross into the danger area. Tanabe attempted to make contact at the near post but a defender blocked the effort. 6th.minute: Takahashi fed the ball to Burns down the left. Burns dribbled into the area and shot but his effort struck a defender and rebounded to Tanabe on the edge of the penalty box. Tanabe's shot also hit a defender and rolled harmlessly through to the goalkeeper. After that an Ogawa cross led to a chance from a set play and Mizunuma also struck a powerful drive from middle range. Binh Duong maintained their compact 4-4-2 formation and denied Tokyo a clear sight of goal. 23rd.minute: Binh Duong cleared a Tokyo corner from the right and attempted to break. Tokyo conceded a free kick in the middle of their half but cleared the ball comfortably when it was played into the box. Mizunuma raced forward down the right in an attempt to counter attack but overran the ball and lost possession near the halfway line. Midfielder Han Seungyop dribbled forward, shoulder to shoulder with Takahashi, before slipping a pass to Henry Kisekka on his right, on the edge of the penalty box. Kisekka took the ball neatly then lashed a fierce drive across goal. Akimoto saved, pushing the ball out straight into the path of an onrushing opposition player who attempted to flick it over the keeper. Akimoto palmed the ball away to the right as he fell, where Nguyen Anh Duc was on hand to nod it into the empty goal. Tokyo found themselves behind, very much against the run of play. 27th.minute: Binh Duong cleared an Ogawa cross from the left towards Tanabe just outside the penalty area. He took a touch to control the ball then fired a volley that clipped the left post. 34th.minute: Mizunuma held the ball just outside the Binh Duong area on the right, spotted Tanabe free on the left inside the area and lifted a delicate ball over the crowd of players in the centre. Tanabe watched the ball all the way and connected with a sweet volley that drew a fine save from Bui Tan Truong. 36th.minute: Hanyu won the ball in midfield and moved it on to Sandaza who stormed forward into the Binh Duong area on the left. His pace took him past two defenders before he smashed a fierce drive towards the near post. Bui Tan Truong made another vital save, finger-tipping the ball onto the post. Ogawa, Hanyu and Tanabe all lent their weight to the attack as Tokyo steadily increased their pressure on the visitors' goal. Despite creating several good openings they failed to make a breakthrough and the first half finished 0-1.

Barnes scores the equalizer and gets 2 goals from Ogawa's assist!

Second half start: Tokyo substitutes Abe for Mizunuma. A goal was born from Abe's cross.
50 minutes: Takahashi advances and passes to Abe on the left. Abe crosses from outside the left area. Sandaza in the right area heads it down and Barnes in front of the goal strikes a right-footed volley, finally equalizing. We wanted to build momentum with this goal, but Bin Zoun also showed a fighting spirit after being equalized, resulting in a back-and-forth exchange of the ball.

62 minutes: East replaces Barnes. Sandaza and Takahashi form a 2-top with Tanabe in a 4-4-2 formation with a double pivot.
65 minutes: Sandaza in the area connects short and backwards, Abe receives with a skillful trap and tries to turn, but is fouled and earns a penalty. However, Sandaza's penalty is saved by the opponent's GK...
68 minutes: After continuously earning right corner kicks, the opponent GK, who was competing with Higashi, scored an own goal from Ogawa's kick. They took the lead from a set piece.

81 minutes: Maeda replaces Sandaza.
83 minutes: Hanyu tenaciously connects with the second, and finally earns a right corner kick.
84 minutes: Ogawa takes a corner kick, Maeda scores with a perfect header in front of the goal!
Scored again from a set play. Showed strong determination to win and defeated Bin Zoun 3-1, earning their first 3 points in the group stage.

Burns Breaks The Deadlock; Ogawa Grabs Two Assists

Tokyo replaced Mizunuma with Abe for the second half and it was a cross from the substitute that led to the equaliser. 50th.minute: Takahashi moved the ball forward to Abe down the left. Abe checked back then hoisted a deep cross to the far post where Sandaza outjumped a defender and nodded the ball back to Nathan Burns in the middle. Burns fired a bounding volley past the helpless goalkeeper and Tokyo were back on level terms. Although Tokyo had wanted to seize the momentum Binh Duong still carried an attacking threat and the play moved from end to end. 62nd.minute: Higashi replaced Burns and played alongside Sandaza in a 4-4-2 formation with Takahashi and Tanabe in central midfield. 65th.minute: Tokyo produced some neat short passing on the edge of the Binh Duong box and when Abe attempted to spin past a defender his quickness of movement drew a foul. The referee pointed to the spot. Sandaza drove the spot kick low to the goalkeeper's left; Bui Tan Truong guessed correctly and made the save. 68th.minute: Ogawa whipped in the resulting corner to the near post where Higashi and the goalkeeper both jumped for the ball. It struck Bui Tan Truong and went over the line for an own goal. Tokyo were ahead for the first time in the match. 81st.minute: Maeda replaced Sandaza. 83rd.minute: Hanyu battled hard to win the ball and earned a corner on the right. 84th.minute: Ogawa whipped the ball in to the near post and Maeda got in front of the Binh Duong defence to glance a header into the net. Tokyo had scored a second goal from a near-identical set play. The fight back was complete. Tokyo ran down the remaining time comfortably and earned a 3-1 win that brought their first points of the group stage.

[Player Comments]

《Nathan BURNS》
「I was conscious of getting into a position where I could finish when the cross from Abe player went up. As I imagined, the pass came from Sandaza there. I think I was able to score in a good way. It was difficult to play with a different lineup today, but in the future, no matter who plays, I want us to make use of each other's strengths and make our connections work. I want to make efforts to try little by little with everyone and improve with each game.」

"Ogawa"
"It was my first appearance, but I had the desire to make the most of the opportunity and leave a result, and connect to the next one. I am very happy to have achieved two assists. However, it is also thanks to Maeda, who scored the goal, and my teammates who entrusted me with the CK kicker. I still feel like I have some challenges, but I want to continue to appeal by demonstrating my play and connecting to the future."

Players' Comments

Nathan Burns:
"When Abe hit the cross I tried to get into a shooting position and, just as I had anticipated, Sandaza won the header and knocked the ball down to me. We scored from a really good move. Although the team was different than usual and some aspects were demanding, we have to develop our game to play to our strengths regardless of who is in the side. We all have to give it our best to improve the team game by game".

Ogawa:
"It was my first game and I was determined to take the opportunity offered. I hoped to make a mark and do something to build on in the future. I'm delighted that I could contribute two assists. That's thanks to Maeda, who put the ball in the net, and my teammates who allowed me to take the corners. Although there are many issues to deal with I want to show the best of my ability for the future".

[Summary of Manager Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference]

"Today was a game that we absolutely had to win. The start of the game was good, but the flow of the game became difficult. We conceded the first goal when the opponent entered our area for the first time, and there was a moment where we became a bit nervous. It was a difficult situation that we didn't expect. However, everyone continued to play our football without getting flustered, and after conceding, we didn't give the opponent any chances. We are not satisfied with the score, but we were able to come back from behind. We want to take this difficult situation and turn it into a positive, and move on to the next game. We want to continue this atmosphere of fighting together and carry it over to the J-League and ACL."

[Summary of Manager Bin Zuong Guentainson's Press Conference]
"Although it resulted in a defeat, I think we were able to play the game in a good way. Despite having some key players absent due to suspensions, the players gave their all."

F.C.TOKYO manager Hiroshi Jofuku

"This was a game we absolutely had to win. We started well but then it became tricky after the opposition scored the very first time they managed to get the ball into our box. We became a little nervous. We hadn't expected the game to develop along such difficult lines. However, we continued to play our own game and never gave them another chance after the goal. I'm not happy with the score but I'm pleased with the way that we fought back. We can take it as a positive. We want to connect this positive mood between the ACL and the J.League".

Becamex Binh Duong manager Nguyen Thanh Son

"We may have lost but I felt that we played a good game. Although we were missing some regular starters to suspension and so on the players gave it their best tonight".