Aiming for Round 16 advancement with a tough climate, victory!

In the scorching heat of 34 degrees, the 6th match of the AFC Champions League was played away against Bin Zoung. It was an important match with the chance to advance to the round of 16 if they won. To prepare for the heat, they arrived at the location on the night of May 1st. They will approach the match with full preparations.
 

In the previous day's press conference, Coach Shirofuku said, "In the J-League, we are currently facing a tough battle, but there is definitely a reason for this, and I believe it is a wall that we must overcome. By sharing this with the players and overcoming it, I am confident that the tide will turn."
In addition, Captain Morishige says, "Our main goal is to get 3 points and advance to the round of 16. Considering the climate and the strength of Bin Zoun's home, it won't be easy. However, even in the face of difficulty, we want to firmly achieve results as a team."

The starting lineup consists of GK Akimoto, right back Hashimoto, left back Ogawa, with Ha DAESUNG and Takahashi at the bottom of the midfield. On the right side is Mizunuma, and on the left is Higashi. The team will face the match with a formation of Maeda and Nathan BURNS as the top two.

As the kickoff time approaches and the sun sets, the heat has also eased a bit, and the game begins at Vin Zung Kickoff.

Tokyo Aim For Knock-out Tournament In Sauna-like Conditions

With the thermometer showing 34C, F.C.TOKYO faced the challenge of beating Becamex Binh Duong of Vietnam for a place in the final 16 of the AFC Champions League. To acclimatize to the fierce heat, Tokyo had flown in well ahead of the game on the evening of May 1st, and their preparations had been thorough. At the press conference held on the evening before the match, Tokyo manager Hiroshi Jofuku commented, "We've been having a difficult time in the J.League and there are reasons for that; of course, it's up to us to surmount the obstacles we face. I firmly believe that if we can overcome this hurdle, then things will change." Captain Morishige added, "Our objective is clearly to win the game, take the three points, and progress to the next round of the tournament. Given the weather and Binh Duong's strength at home, that's obviously going to be no easy task. Regardless of the difficult conditions, as a team, we want to achieve the result." Akimoto started in goal with Hashimoto at right side-back and Ogawa on the left. Ha Daesung partnered Takahashi in central midfield with Mizunuma on the right and Higashi on the left flank. Maeda and Nathan Burns started in attack. Kick-off coincided with sunset and the blazing heat diminished slightly after the hosts got the game underway at 5pm.

Maeda's header gives us the lead! We go into halftime with a score of 1-0.

5 minutes: The game is in the first 5 minutes. The ball is taken away in their own zone and connected to the left front line by Vin Zun, and then a middle shot is taken by 8MF Moses Oloya. However, it goes wide.
7 minutes: East takes a middle shot from the center of the opponent's field, but it goes straight to the GK.
10 minutes: Mizunuma crosses from the right. It goes over Barnes' head, who has moved to the center, but Maeda in the left area receives it and creates space with a dribble, then passes to the east, just in front of the right goal area. A scoring opportunity is created and East takes a shot, but it goes over the bar.
12 minutes: Mizunuma takes a middle shot from a far side position on the right. He aggressively attacks the opponent GK and although the ball slipped from his hands, it was quickly recovered.

21 minutes: Takahashi on the left → Mizunuma in the center creates space with a dribble, evades the opposing DF, and sends a vertical pass to the right area. Hashimoto, who overlaps, takes advantage of his speed to trap the ball and move one step forward, delivering a perfect cross in front of the goal. The ball is sent to the center, avoiding the jumping GK, and Maeda calmly heads it in for a goal. 1-0.
22 minutes: Bin Zuo receives the ball just in front of the penalty area and 28FW Rekonbin turns around and takes a powerful shot. Akimoto saves it in the bottom left corner and it goes out for a corner kick.

44 minutes: Maruyama tries to control the ball that entered Bin Zun's front line, but it is persistently returned and 28FW Rekonbin takes a powerful middle shot just in front of the penalty arc. It grazes the left post and goes out, avoiding a goal, but the shooting power makes us shudder.

Maeda Header Gives Tokyo Vital Lead

5th.minute: Binh Duong intercepted a pass in midfield and pushed forward down the left. The ball was played back to MF Moses Oloya in a central position; he tried his luck from distance but lashed the shot high over the bar.

7th.minute: Higashi feinted past an opponent in MF and drove in a low, bounding shot that the GK held comfortably.

10th minute: Mizunuma crossed from the right. The ball sailed over Nathan Burns' head in the center of the goal and reached Maeda at the far post. Maeda controlled the ball neatly and moved it inside onto his right foot but his path to goal was blocked. He rolled a short pass to Higashi on the right corner of the six-yard box. It was a decisive opening yet Higashi somehow scooped his shot over the bar.

12th minute: Tokyo pushed forward down the right and Mizunuma hammered a fierce effort from some 25 yards in an attempt to catch out the goalkeeper. He batted the ball away and then pounced on it before any Tokyo players could arrive in the box.

21st minute: From out on the left, Takahashi played the ball inside to Mizunuma who drifted across the field and slid a pass down the right channel. Hashimoto made a lung-bursting run to overlap, took a touch inside the box and chipped a delicate cross inside as the goalkeeper raced out. Maeda was perfectly placed and coolly nodded the ball into the unguarded net to give Tokyo the lead.

22nd minute: Binh Duong pushed forward and FW Le Cong Vinh unleashed a well-struck shot that was arrowing for the bottom left corner of the Tokyo goal until GK Akimoto got down quickly to turn the ball around the post.

44th minute: Binh Duong hoisted a ball forward that the Tokyo defence cleared from the edge of their box. The hosts regained possession and Le Cong Vinh unleashed a fierce drive from
midfield that clipped the outside of the right post. The power of the effort caused momentary palpitations but the visitors' goal remained intact and the first half ended 1-0.

Maeda scores the second goal! Defeating the chasing opponent, advancing to the round of 16!!

51 minutes: Barnes steals the ball from Bin Zun's throw-in in their own half and charges into the left area. He dribbles past the opposing defender and becomes free, but his shot goes well over the bar.

55 minutes: Maeda steals Bin Zoun's pass mistake in the opponent's zone, dribbles himself. He avoids the opponent's DF and carries it to the penalty arc, aiming for a precise left-footed middle shot! The shot that hit the course is sucked into the upper left corner of the goal. This makes it 2-0.

62 minutes: Nathan BURNS is replaced by Tanabe. Higashi moves up one row. Immediately after, Bin ZUON receives his third card and FW LEE Sang Ki comes in.
66 minutes: Tokyo substitutes Ha DAESUNG for Yonemoto.
67 minutes: Bin Zoun connects a quick vertical pass and 21FW Cristiano rushes into the area from between Tokyo DF. In response, Maruyama slides in from behind. This play is judged as a foul, giving Bin Zoun a PK.
68 minutes: Bin Zoun, PK kicker is FW Rekombin. A powerful kick was kicked in, and it was a goal for 2-1.

75 minutes: Here, Abe replaces Higashi.
76 minutes: Abe countered Bin Zun's set play. He dribbled a long distance and created time by bringing the ball to a shot, but the ball went straight to the GK.
77 minutes: From Tanabe's through pass, Abe moves to the left area. He breaks through the opponent's DF, but his shot is saved by the GK.

85 minutes: Bin Zuo FW Rekombin's middle shot from the left side narrowly hits the bar and avoids danger.
89 minutes: The DF line was momentarily broken and Bin Zoun was able to advance deep into the left area and send a minus cross to the front of the goal. However, the Bin Zoun player was unable to connect and the team escaped danger.

Maeda scores 2 goals and leads the team to victory against a fierce opponent. The team showed a united front and secured a spot in the Round of 16!!

Maeda Grabs Second As Tokyo Hold On For Victory

51st.minute: Burns pounced on a loose pass just outside the Binh Duong area on the left. He skated past a defender on the outside but skied his shot way over the bar from a promising position.

55th minute: Maeda seized onto another loose pass from Binh Duong in the 55th minute. He feinted around a defender inside the penalty arc and smashed a ferocious left-footed shot high into the net, giving the goalkeeper no chance. Tokyo had doubled their lead.

62nd minute: Tokyo replaced Nathan Burns with Tanabe and pushed Higashi forward into the attack. Immediately following that change Binh Duong made their third and final substitution, sending on forward Nguyen Tien Linh.

66th minute: Yonemoto replaced Ha Daesung for Tokyo.

67th minute: Binh Duong suddenly constructed a high-tempo passing move straight up the field. Substitute forward Christian Jose Nsi Amougou raced between two Tokyo defenders and into the box until Maruyama slid in to halt his progress from behind. The referee judged it to have been a foul and pointed to the spot.

68th minute: Le Cong Vinh stepped up and thrashed an unstoppable penalty high into the net to reduce Tokyo's lead to a single goal.

75th minute: Abe replaced Higashi.

76th minute: Tokyo cleared a Binh Duong set play and launched a counter attack down the right. Abe ran unchecked from inside the Tokyo half all the way into the penalty area, cut inside and drove a low shot straight at the goalkeeper.

77th minute: Tanabe slipped a pass through the Binh Duong defence near the left corner of the penalty area to meet Abe's well-timed darting run. Abe was suddenly in the clear but the goalkeeper raced smartly off his line to smother the snapshot.

85th minute: Binh Duong forward Le Cong Vinh received the ball out on the left, cut inside and struck a powerful shot that flew over Akimoto's fingertips and crashed against the crossbar.

89th minute: Tokyo lost concentration momentarily as a Binh Duong player was allowed to run deep into the box, along the byline and cut a cross back towards the penalty spot. Fortunately no opposition player was on hand and Tokyo cleared the threat.

Maeda scored twice and the whole team showed a remarkable fighting spirit to hold off the hosts' fierce late push for an equaliser. Tokyo had qualified for the Round Of 16!

[Player Comments]

"Mizunuma"
"Considering the team's situation, we had to win. Personally, as a member of the team, I always wanted to change the flow by playing in both the J-League and ACL. I think our desperate play led to the victory. I felt that the team's mindset had changed before the game, and we were able to approach the game with a positive atmosphere, thinking that we could win if we played like this. I am grateful to all the fans and supporters who have come this far."

"Akimoto"
"Today, I focused on the determination to win rather than the content, and I talked about it at the player meeting in Japan, which had a great impact on me. I also realized that I needed to change myself and expressed my feelings through my play. I want to continue to communicate and make the team even better."

Players' Comments

Mizunuma:
"This was a game we absolutely had to win. On a personal level, whether it's a J.League game or the ACL I'm only thinking about getting on the field and making an impact. It was death or glory tonight and the dire situation prompted us to get the result we needed. From before the match it felt as though something had changed in our mentality and the atmosphere was really good as we went out to play. I'm incredibly grateful to all our fans and supporters who made the long-distance trip here to support the team".

Akimoto:
"We were totally focused on winning today; the performance wasn't the thing, we just concentrated on winning the game. The things that were said at the players meeting back in Japan had a great influence on our performance. I felt I had to change as well and really put my heart into the game. We want to communicate better from here on and improve together as a team".

Ryoichi Maeda, MVP winner:
"We came to Vietnam with an intense desire to win and we're very relieved that we got the result. It was really hot and the environment was a challenge but we prepared very well. I think we got the result because we were prepared for playing in the heat".

[Summary of Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU and Maeda (MVP) Press Conference]

"Manager Hiroshi JOFUKU"
"We had to win in order to advance to the round of 16. We also had to win in order to change the team's momentum. I am really glad that we were able to grab the victory together with the players."
The temperature and humidity were high, and I think the players really struggled. But this is the battle of Asia. We were able to grab the victory by putting our determination and feelings to the forefront, and I am really happy about that. The Vietnamese players have good technique and impressive physical abilities. In contrast, I think we were able to win because we were able to concentrate well and defend well. "
《Maeda》
"We came to Vietnam with the absolute determination to win, and we were able to produce results. We were in a hot and tough environment, but we were well prepared. We were able to play well because we were prepared to fight in the heat."
 

[Summary of Manager Bin Zuong Guentainson's Press Conference]
"In today's match, we were able to create several chances with Le Cong Vin at the center. If we could have ended with a draw, it would have been a good game. Tokyo was just as strong as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Jiangsu Suning. Once again, we realized that we need to face them with a solid response."

F.C.TOKYO manager Hiroshi Jofuku

"In order to make the Round Of 16 we had to win. We also needed to win to change the direction the team was heading. I'm delighted that we managed to seize victory today. It was extremely hot and humid so I'm sure it must have been incredibly tough for the players. But that's playing in Asia for you. We were resolute and showed great spirit; I'm thrilled we won. My impression of Binh Duong is that the players have technique and great physical ability. In the face of that ability I think we did very well to maintain our concentration in defence and win the game".
 

Becamex Binh Duong manager Nguyen Thanh Son

"We created a load of chances today with Le Cong Vinh at the heart of everything. I think a draw would have been a fair result. Tokyo are a very strong team, like Jeonbuk and Jiangsu. Once again we saw how solid you have to be when you face them".