Repay the debt from the away game and advance to the Round of 16

The 5th match of the ACL group stage will be held. We will face Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea) at home.
If Tokyo earns 3 points in this match, their advancement to the Final Round will be confirmed. They faced Jeonbuk in the first match of the group stage (February 23) and lost 1 to 2, but the players are determined to "repay the debt from the away game and secure advancement to the Final Round," showing their commitment to fight for victory.

This match will see Morishige suspended. Coach Jofuku revealed, "There are players who are always prepared. I have been thinking about when to give those players a chance," and has started Imai as goalkeeper, Yoshimoto as center-back, and Komano as left-back. This will be Imai and Komano's first starting lineup in Tokyo, including the J1 League. The forward combination has also been slightly changed, with Maeda and Azuma as the two strikers. Hayabusa and Mizunuma will serve as the wingers as they aim for victory.

With a cold wind, the match started at 19:30 with a kickoff in Tokyo at Tokyo Stadium.

Tokyo Aim For Payback And Progression

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea were the visitors to Tokyo Stadium for the 5th game of the 2016 AFC Champions League group stage. A win would see Tokyo qualify for the Round Of 16 knockout tournament. The Tokyo players were bullish in their pre-match comments about gaining revenge for the 2-1 away defeat suffered in the first game of the group stage on February 23rd, and thereby earning a place in the next round. Morishige was suspended. Manager Hiroshi Jofuku had commented, "There are some players who are always ready to go. I'm thinking about when to give them a chance," and then named goalkeeper Kakoi, centre back Yoshimoto and left back Komano to the starting eleven. Kakoi and Komano were both making their first starts for the club. The attack showed a small change with Higashi partnering Maeda, while Hanyu and Mizunuma played on the flanks. A cold wind was blowing on a chilly evening in Tokyo Stadium as the hosts kicked off at 7:30pm.

Hanyu has an accident, controlled the ball but couldn't create a chance

Jeonbuk has a defensive formation from the kickoff. In the early stages, there was a struggle for possession of the ball, but gradually Tokyo took control of the ball.

13 minutes: Creating a starting point on the right front line, YoneMoto entered the right area after a series of passes exchanged between Tokunaga, Mizunuma, and Azuma. He sent a negative pass to the east of the area, but it could not be completed here. However, continuing to connect the ball, YoneMoto advanced to Tokunaga. Hanyu, who was positioned centrally, headed the cross, but it was blocked and caught by the goalkeeper. However, Hanyu, who had injured his foot in the play just before, was forced to substitute, and Tanabe was brought in at the 17th minute. This resulted in the first substitution card being used early. Nevertheless, they did not lose their rhythm and pushed Jeonbuk back.

19 minutes: A long feed to Jeonbuk's front line was met by FW Ricardo Lopez, but Maruyama quickly returned to escape to a corner kick.

29 minutes: Jeonbuk sends a long pass from the left midfield to the goal front. As the forwards were waiting, MF Kim Bo-kyung broke through, almost leading to a finish, but Maruyama once again put his body on the line, and the ball was secured by Ue.
30 minutes: Mizunuma, who rose to the right of the penalty arc from Maeda's post, aimed for the goal but missed and shot to the left.

35 minutes: Until now, the opponent had not created any real chances, but Jeonbuk quickly initiated an attack, with FW Dong-gook Lee making a vertical pass to switch the offense. FW Ricardo Lopes, positioned towards the right just outside the area, brought the ball inside, exchanged a one-two with MF Leonardo, and delivered a through pass to MF Kim Bo-kyung inside the area. MF Kim Bo-kyung skillfully trapped the ball, brought it to his left foot, and precisely slotted a controlled shot into the goal... They allowed the first goal by failing to capitalize on the chance.

Tokyo tried to maintain possession of the ball and launch an attack, but they were unable to create any clear chances against the tough defense of Jeonbuk. They ended the first half trailing by one goal.

Hanyu Injured; Tokyo Dominate But Create Little

Jeonbuk began by sitting deeply inside their own half. The early minutes saw a battle for possession that Tokyo slowly began to win.

13th minute: Tokunaga, Mizunuma and Higashi combined down the right channel before Yonemoto took the ball into the Jeonbuk area. Higashi cut a cross back into the center but Tokyo were unable to finish the move with an attempt on goal. The home side continued to move the ball around with Yonemoto finding Tokunaga again. Tokunaga crossed, Hanyu made contact with a header but the Jeonbuk keeper smothered the danger. Hanyu had suffered a leg injury on a previous move and was unable to continue. He was replaced by Tanabe in the 17th minute. Although Tokyo had been forced into an early substitution they maintained an attacking rhythm and pushed the visitors back.

19th minute: Jeonbuk forward Ricardo Lopes raced down the right channel in pursuit of a long ball. Maruyama covered quickly and bundled the ball out for a corner.

29th minute: Jeonbuk launched another long ball into the Tokyo box where the attackers quickly changed positions. Kim Bo Kyung made a late run and seemed set to shoot until Maruyama again made a key interception and Kakoi fell on the ball.

30th minute: Maeda held the ball up and Mizunuma shot from the right of the penalty arc but failed to hit the target.

35th minute: Although Jeonbuk had barely created a chance until now, that changed with a quickly played straight through ball from forward Lee Dong Gook. Ricardo Lopes met the ball in front of the Tokyo area on the right, cut inside, then played a one-two with midfielder Leonardo, before rolling a ball through to Kim Bo Kyung. Kim took a neat touch on the half-turn, then stroked a low shot past Kakoi to give his side the lead.

Tokyo enjoyed plenty of possession and pushed forward yet created very little in the face of stern resistance from the Jeonbuk defence. The first period ended 0-1.

Suffered 3 goals and lost in strength... The match will be carried over to the final game.

Tokyo brought in Abe in the second half. They are making moves starting from the side.
48 minutes: Komano closes in on Tanabe's cleared cross and takes a shot from the center.

53 minutes: After a pass exchange with Ha DAESUNG, Yonemoto made a grounded middle shot. Next, Abe, who had dropped to the right, exchanged a one-two with Maeda and advanced. Furthermore, he received a return pass from Higashi and surged into the area. He attempted a shot but was challenged by the opposing defender and could not hit the target.

After 55 minutes: Mistakes occurred in the midfield and DF line, leading to a chance for Jeonbuk, but with a quick cover from the goalkeeper, no goals were conceded.

60 minutes: The pass in the midfield was intercepted by Jeonbuk, leading to a counterattack. Central MF Lee Jae-sung → left FW Lee Dong-gook crosses. In response, right area MF Kim Bo-kyung takes a shot, and the ball aimed at the goal was headed in by central MF Lee Jae-sung who had surged forward... Completely breaking down the defense, they conceded the second goal.

65 minutes: He replaced Maeda with Hirayama to launch a counterattack, but the coordination in both offense and defense did not mesh, and they were unable to seize the momentum.

80 minutes: Komano evades the opposing DF and breaks through on the left flank. From there, he delivers a cross, and near the goal, Hirayama acts as a decoy, while Abe dives in with his body to take a shot, but the opposing DF also puts in a strong effort, and the ball goes out of bounds. After missing this biggest chance, they struggled to attack as Jeonbuk closed down the spaces.

Additional Time: Just after entering 4 minutes of additional time, the goalkeeper of Jeonbuk allowed MF Han Kyowon to enter the right area from a free kick, and a pass was pushed in by the free MF Komuyol. They lost the third goal due to a lapse in concentration. They suffered a defeat in strength and fell back to 3rd place. Advancing past the group stage will be decided in the final match against Binh Duong.

Tokyo Concede Three; Progress Depends On Final Game

Tokyo sent on Abe for the second half and focused their attention on the flanks.

48th minute: Komano pounced on a clearance from Tanabe's cross and fired in a shot from middle range.

53rd minute: Ha Daesung exchanged passes with Yonemoto before the latter attempted a low shot on goal. Abe then dropped deep to receive the ball, played a one-two with Maeda and set off down the flank. He exchanged passes with Higashi and burst into the penalty area but the close attentions of a defender prevented his shot from hitting the target.

55th minute: Kakoi had to be alert in closing down sudden danger after a midfield mistake presented the visitors with a half chance.

60th minute: Tokyo lost possession in midfield and Jeonbuk countered. Midfielder Lee Jae Sung moved the ball on to Lee Dong Gook who crossed from the left corner of the Tokyo area towards Kim Bo Kyung on the right. Kim shot on the volley, hitting the ball down into the ground and sending it ballooning towards goal. Lee Jae Sung had continued his run and met the ball with a sharp header that flashed beyond Kakoi and into the net. The home defense had been torn apart and conceded a second goal.

65th minute: Tokyo responded by replacing Maeda with Hirayama. The move failed to spark the Tokyo attack as the side struggled to connect passes.

80th minute: Komano stormed down the left, skipped past a defender and lifted a cross into the near post. Hirayama played the battering ram and Abe, following up, shot on target only for a defender to block the goal-bound effort around the post. Having failed to make the most of that big chance, Tokyo seemed at a loss as to how best to prise open the tight Jeonbuk defense.

Additional time: Deep into four minutes of additional time the Jeonbuk goalkeeper launched a massive free kick into the Tokyo area on the right. Han Kyo Won took the ball down neatly, raced to the byline and cut it back for Go Moo Yul to side foot into the roof of the net from the edge of the six-yard box. Tokyo had suffered a total defeat and fell to third in the standings. Progression to the final 16 would depend on the outcome of the final group match against Becamex Binh Duong.

【Player Comments】
《Kuwata》
"If we win here... I thought it was my responsibility to be used in such an important match and to deliver results. The fans and supporters have been cheering for us all along, and I absolutely wanted to win. I couldn't do that, and I'm so frustrated that I don't think I can sleep tonight. Regarding the goals conceded, I want to delve into the details as a team. However, I also feel that we can grow more. I want to spend this time with the awareness that we, as players, need to change things ourselves, rather than relying on the coach and staff. I want to practice as soon as possible so that we can seize opportunities again by being more meticulous and focusing on the finer details. That's my honest feeling."

《Komano》
"We maintained possession of the ball, but we ended up just passing it around without any variation, failing to break down the opponent. Our passes became too predictable, and we couldn't create situations to draw the opponent in or compress their defensive line. In that situation, we conceded the first goal, and Jeonbuk focused on defending and launching counterattacks. The issue lies with us. The distance between players increased, and we gradually became disjointed. However, in the ACL, we are still in a position where we can win through our own efforts. To win next time, we want to make every possible effort."

Players' Comments

Morishige:
"If only we could have won...I feel I have to take responsibility as I was given the chance in such an important game. The fans and supporters have always supported me so I totally wanted to win to repay them. I'm so disappointed I won't be able to sleep tonight. Regarding the goals we let in, we have to analyse them in fine detail as a team. The main thing I felt is that we have to mature as a team. We can't just rely on the manager and staff, the players have to change it by ourselves and we need to spend time to do it. We have to be more conscientious and detailed in our analysis so we can seize the chance next time it comes; I feel like I want to go and practice right now. That's my honest feeling."

Komano:
"Although we had a lot of the ball there was no variation in the way we passed it around and we rarely troubled the opposition. Like a local train that stops at every station, we didn't lure their defence out or put them through the wringer. They took the lead and then they were happy to sit deeply and try to hit us on the counter attack. It's an issue we have to deal with ourselves. We were playing too far apart from each other and slowly became disconnected. Even so, we're not out of the ACL yet and are still in position to decide our own destiny. We want to make the greatest effort possible to win the next match."

[Summary of Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference]

"We wanted to secure three points and advance from the group stage today. I feel disappointed that we couldn't achieve this in front of the fans and supporters who came to the home game. We need to fundamentally reassess our defense, especially regarding how we lost the ball in the moments leading to the goals. Along with reflecting on each play, we want to focus on how to attack while keeping in mind not to concede as a team. The issue of conceding goals relates to how we defend when a misplaced pass occurs. Surprisingly, the opponent pulled back, allowing us to circulate the ball, but we couldn't fully execute what we had prepared for. Both teams had few shots in the match, but to break down a retreating opponent and create opportunities individually, we need to reconsider player positions and other factors. While we need to improve the quality of our final passes and crosses, we also need to develop the individual skills to create shooting opportunities."

[Press Conference Summary of Jeonbuk Hyundai Coach Choi Kang-hee]
"I knew it would be a difficult match away, but the players gave their all and were able to effectively contain the opponent tactically. In the previous match, I felt threatened by the movements of Tokyo's second-line players. Being able to contain that was one thing. Also, I believe that our defense, which prevented through passes, was a key to our victory. Players like Higashi and Abe were making good movements, cutting in from the sides. However, we did not let our desire to attack take over and instead filled the spaces properly. We were able to advance the match in our favor."

F.C. TOKYO manager Hiroshi Jofuku

"We had wanted to take the three points and clinch our place in the next round tonight. It's really disappointing that we couldn't manage it in front of our home crowd. Looking at the way we lost the ball in the moves leading up to the goals we conceded, I think we have to go back to basics in defence and start from scratch. Together with looking at each individual piece of play we have to always focus on not conceding, while thinking about the best way to organise the attack. Another issue is how to defend when we lose possession through a misplaced pass. My other thoughts are that we completely failed to do the things that are necessary when you play against a side that defends very deeply. It was a game of few chances for either side; we have to look again at our positioning and how to break the deadlock in such matches. The quality of our crossing and final ball needs to improve, as does our individual ability to end moves with an attempt on goal."

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors manager Choi Kang Hee

"We knew it was going to be a difficult match but the players gave everything and overcame the opposition tactically. In the first game between the sides we really felt the threat that Tokyo carry in the movement of their midfielders. Today we were able to nullify that threat. Also, in defence we managed to prevent them playing through passes and that contributed to us winning as well. Abe and Higashi like to cut in from outside and showed good movement. We controlled our desire to attack and instead successfully closed off the space. We were able to manage the game to our advantage."