Seizing the one-shot opportunity, aiming to advance to the Round of 16 despite being completely away.

　In the ACL Round of 16, we will face Guangzhou Evergrande away. In the final group stage match against Ulsan Hyundai held away on May 16, we created more scoring opportunities than our opponent but could not capitalize on them. Conversely, we conceded a goal from a set piece and lost the match. Finishing second in the group stage forced us into this away match. Coach Ranko POPOVIC stated, "Both teams must go for the win in this match without any unnecessary tactics," suggesting that a more attacking game is expected as both teams showcase their strengths.

　Guangzhou topped Group H, where Kashiwa Reysol was placed. However, in mid-May after the group stage, coach Lee Jang-soo was unexpectedly dismissed. They hired Marcello Lippi, the coach who led Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup. Since the new coach's appointment, they have already played two matches, securing 1 win and 1 draw, maintaining the top position in the domestic league. The team's characteristic is the strong talent in the attacking line, emphasizing individual strength. The player to watch out for the most is Argentine MF Dario Conca. He orchestrates the frontline with FW Cléo as the lone striker and the dynamic MF Muriqui and MF Gao Lin on the sides.

　In Tokyo, the match against Urawa on 5/26 was a fierce back-and-forth battle, and in stoppage time, Morishige equalized with a header, bringing the game to a draw. With concerns about the players' conditions, some adjustments were made to the defensive line. Takahashi was placed as a center-back, and Tokunaga moved to the right side. The double pivot will consist of Masaru HASEGAWA and Yonemoto. Gonda stated, "Perhaps those around me think Guangzhou will win based on the pre-match expectations. Including that, I will take everything positively and confront them head-on as a challenger."

　Coach Ranko POPOVIC stated, "We will play the football we have been working on until now. And on such a big stage, we will express what kind of team we are and what kind of football we play on the pitch. Even in the Round of 16, we will not change anything about what we have been doing." Considering that it is a one-off match, there is a possibility of different situations such as extra time or penalty shootouts, but we want to win with our collective and attacking football and advance to the knockout stage (top 8). The match started at 20:00 with Guangzhou's kickoff at the completely away Guangzhou Tianhe Sports Center.

Tokyo Aim For Victory In Winner Takes All ACL Round Of 16

FC Tokyo traveled to China to take on Guangzhou Evergrande F.C. in the ACL Round Of 16. In the final group stage fixture on May 16th. Tokyo had created a series of chances away to Ulsan Hyundai but failed to capitalize and succumbed to a scrappy goal from a set play. That defeat meant a second place finish in the group and an away game in the winner takes all first knockout round. Manager Popovic commented, "Neither side has any room for any excess tactics. We just have to go and win the game". Given the one-off nature of the match an attacking spectacle was anticipated.

Opponents Guangzhou had finished top of Group H, which also included Kashiwa Reysol. However, manager Lee Jang-Soo was suddenly dismissed in the middle of May and the former manager of Italy, 2006 World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi was appointed in his place. Lippi had been at the helm for two matches, earning a win and a draw that maintained Guangzhou's lead in the Chinese Super League. A powerful, talented attack was the side's strong point with Argentine-born midfielder Dario Conca the main threat. Lone striker Cleo was supported by Muriqui from midfield while Gao Lin distributed the ball to the wide men from a position in the hole.

Tokyo entered the game following an intense 1-1 draw with Urawa Reds on the previous Saturday, when Morishige's header in added time had secured a hard-fought point. There were concerns over the players' conditioning following that demanding encounter and Takahashi moved into central defence, with Tokunaga shifting out to right back. Hasegawa and Yonemoto started as double defensive midfielders. Gonda commented, "Maybe people are expecting Guangzhou to win so we're aiming to turn everything to our advantage. We're going to be positive, we're ready for the challenge and we're going out to win".

Manager Popovic said, "We want to produce the kind of football we're striving to achieve. We aim to express ourselves on the pitch, to show what kind of team we are and how we want to play. This may be the big stage, the Round Of 16, but we're not going to change anything in the way we play". Tokyo were aiming for a win that would take them into the knockout quarter-final stage of the competition without changing the collective attacking style that had brought the side this far, despite the possibility of extra time and penalties.
The hosts kicked off at 8pm on a hot and humid evening in Guangzhou.

Allowed the opening goal and went into halftime trailing

　Right from the start, they quickly transitioned from defense to offense with good defending. In the 11th minute, Ishikawa passed to Watanabe in the center, who turned and took a shot from distance. He aimed from far away, but it went well over the goal. In the 14th minute, Watanabe was fouled, earning a free kick slightly left of the opponent's area. Due to the distance, Morishige cleverly passed a ground ball to Lucas, and the ball reached Kajiyama in the center of the area, but they couldn't develop the play from there. Lucas took a shot from the return pass, but it went over the bar.

　In the 16th minute, Mukuara's left throw-in was headed down by Kajiyama in the area, and Lucas took a shot. It was precisely aimed at the upper right corner of the goal but was caught by the goalkeeper. However, after 20 minutes, Guangzhou began to create rhythm from set plays. In the 21st and 26th minutes, midfielder Conca directly aimed for free kicks near the area, but the defense held firm and did not concede a goal. However, in the 31st minute, Guangzhou broke through from the right side to the center. Unable to stop this, a cross to the center was pushed in by forward Cleo, resulting in a goal conceded...

　Tokyo wanted to launch a counterattack, but they kept making mistakes, which instead led to a counter from FW Muriqui creating a crisis. In the 42nd minute, they were pushed back by Guangzhou and conceded a free kick just outside the penalty arc. MF Conca's shot grazed Lucas and resulted in a corner kick. In the 45th minute, after a clearance from Mukuhara's left throw-in, Ishikawa shot from just outside the right area but missed the target. Ultimately, after conceding a goal, Tokyo couldn't create any real chances in front of Guangzhou, who were buoyed by the atmosphere in the stadium, and ended the first half trailing.

Tokyo Behind At The Half

The visitors began brightly, quickly turning solid defence into attack. In the 11th minute, Ishikawa found Watanabe in a central position; the striker turned and shot, his middle-range effort drifting well wide of the goal. Tokyo won a free kick slightly to the left of the Guangzhou penalty area and some distance away in the 14th minute. Too far out for a serious attempt on goal, Morishige instead stroked the ball to Lucas, who in turn found Kajiyama just inside the penalty area in a central position. Kajiyama played the ball back to Lucas who then fired over the bar.

In the 16th minute, Tokyo won a throw-in down the left. Mukuhara hurled the ball into the Guangzhou area, Kajiyama knocked it down, and Lucas produced a shot that was heading for the top right corner until goalkeeper Yang plucked the ball out of the air. However, Guangzhou began to find their rhythm from around the 20th minute mark, aided by some set plays. In the 21st and 26th minutes, they won free kicks in threatening positions, and although midfielder Conca went directly for goal, the Tokyo defense held firm and repelled the danger. In the 31st minute, though, Guangzhou broke behind the Tokyo defense, and when the ball was squared into the center, forward Cleo swept it beyond Gonda.

The visitors sought to mount a fightback but suffered from misplaced passes that allowed Guangzhou to counter attack, with the increasingly dangerous Muriqui as the focal point. In the 42nd minute, Tokyo conceded a free kick just outside the penalty arc; Conca attempted to clear the wall, the ball skimmed off Lucas' head and flew narrowly past the left post. In the 45th minute, Ishikawa received the ball from Mukuhara's throw in, cut inside and shot wide. After falling behind, Tokyo had struggled to fashion a clear-cut opening and Guangzhou, roared on by the vocal home support, held a 1-0 lead at half time.

Despite launching a fierce attack in the second half, they could not break through the goal. Their first challenge in the ACL ended in the Round of 16.

　Even in the second half, the flow remains unchanged. In the 50th minute, a one-two allowed the opponents to enter the area one after another, and they managed to get a shot off from their combination play, but they were helped by a mistake. Tokyo, wanting to change the flow, brought in Tanizawa for Yonemoto in the 55th minute. Lucas was positioned as an attacking midfielder, and Kajiyama was placed as a defensive midfielder. Gradually, Tokyo began to launch attacks with their characteristic passing play. In the 56th minute, a cross from a high position by Mukuhara found Ishikawa on the right side, who crossed it. Watanabe in the left area aimed for a header, but it went over the bar.

　In the 73rd minute, from Kajiyama's long through pass, Watanabe maneuvered to the left, and Tanizawa attempted to enter the area but was fouled, resulting in a free kick. Morishige aimed directly at the goal, but it went wide. In the 73rd minute, Kajiyama connected from the left side and received the ball in the center, taking a well-aimed ground shot from the middle, but it veered to the left. In the 77th minute, Tokunaga cut in from the right side and took a shot, but it went off target. In the following 79th minute, Ishikawa received a right throw-in at the corner of the area, turned around, and attempted a looping shot, but this also failed to hit the target.

　Desperate for a goal, Tokyo brought on Kono in place of Ishikawa in the 84th minute. Immediately after, Lucas passed to Kono, who dribbled up the left side and crossed. Lucas headed the ball, but it was cruelly blocked by the post... In the 85th minute, Hayashi was brought on in place of Mukuhara. The system shifted to a three-back formation for a more aggressive setup. In stoppage time, Kono on the right side connected the play, and Masaru HASEGAWA drew the defense, passing to Hayashi in the left area for the final pass. He broke through the defensive line and took a shot, but it was deflected by the desperate blocks of the opposing defense and goalkeeper.

　A left corner kick just before the end. Kono's kick was connected by Morishige, and Kono crossed the ball again from the left side. Gonda, who had pushed forward, tried to connect with a determined header but couldn't make contact, sending the ball wide to the right... They launched a fierce attack in pursuit of a goal until the end but couldn't score, and the match ended. Their first challenge in the ACL ended in defeat in the Round of 16.

Tokyo Bow Out Despite Attacking Second Half Performance

The second period began as the first had ended. Guangzhou played a neat one two and burst into the Tokyo area in the 50th minute but the visitors were saved from falling further behind by some wayward shooting. Seeking to stem the tide Tokyo replaced Yonemoto with Yazawa in the 55th minute. Lucas played in the hole behind Watanabe while Kajiyama dropped deeper into midfield. Tokyo slowly began to find their passing game and started to threaten the Guangzhou goal.

In the 56th minute Mukuhara pushed deep into enemy territory and crossed, the ball eventually reaching Ishikawa on the right. Ishikawa crossed in turn and Watanabe headed narrowly over the bar.
In the 73rd minute Yazawa was brought down as he attempted to break into the Guangzhou area on the left, earning a free kick in a promising position. Morishige stroked the ball over the defensive wall but narrowly wide of the post. Kajiyama then drove a low, long range shot wide of the post. Tokunaga cut inside from the right in the 77th minute and fired a shot wide of the far post. Ishikawa attempted to lob Yang from the corner of the penalty area in the 79th minute but the ball sailed over the bar.

With the clock slowly ticking down Tokyo needed to find a goal and replaced Ishikawa with Kawano in the 84th minute. Kawano made an immediate impact, linking with Lucas down the left and hoisting a cross to the near post. Lucas beat a defender to the ball and made a firm contact but his header struck the post and rebounded to safety. Tokyo replaced Mukuhara with Hayashi in the 85th minute and switched to a three-back system. As the game entered added time Kawano sparked a move down the right, then found Hasegawa infield; Hasegawa drew a defender towards himself before slipping the ball to Hayashi on his left. Hayashi burst forward deep into the penalty area and shot but a combination of goalkeeper and a defender somehow kept the ball out of the net.

Tokyo won a corner on the left deep into stoppage time. Kawano crossed and the ball found Morishige; when it came back to Kawano he crossed again, aiming for Gonda who had added his weight to the attack in a last ditch attempt to conjure a goal to take the match into extra time. Gonda was unable to make a connection and the ball sailed out of play. Tokyo had fought feverishly until the bitter end but were unable to find a goal and their first appearance in the ACL ended in the Round Of 16.

【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"There was space and we were able to create chances. Today, the connection between the passer and receiver didn't go well. We are representing Japan on the pitch, but to be honest, I have doubts about whether we were able to fight with that mindset. It has been a dream to come to Tokyo and compete on this stage, so I am very disappointed that we couldn't achieve a good result."

　Gonda: "Today, the result is everything. If we lose, nothing remains. If we win, I think various possibilities will open up. For example, in the next stage, we could have home and away matches, which would be a good experience. I wish we could have continued fighting in the ACL a bit longer. In the first half, due to the atmosphere in the stadium, I think we probably couldn't play our soccer. I want to make sure we don't lose in terms of mentality in those situations. There is a little time until the J-League resumes, so I want to correct the areas we are lacking and approach it in good condition."

【Summary of Coach POPOVIC's Press Conference】 "I think both teams played a wonderful match and showed a game that would not be embarrassing to call the Final Round of the ACL. In the first half, I believe the opponent was playing better football. The first half was a game dominated by Guangzhou. However, in the second half, we took control and I think it was a game that we firmly dominated."
　While the result is disappointing, I am proud and happy about the attitude and play demonstrated by our players. What we have shown is that soccer is not just about money. And I believe we have illustrated what it means to be wealthy in soccer, what true wealth is. I think we were able to showcase the quality of our team's play, our potential, and the direction of soccer for the future... In that sense, I believe we have shown that we are the wealthier team.

Players' comments
Ishikawa
"There was some space and we created chances but overall we couldn't quite find the right connection between the passer and the receiver. We were here representing Japan and there have to be some doubts about our approach, to be honest. Since I moved to FC Tokyo I've dreamed of playing in games like this so the result is very disappointing".

Gonda
"It was all about the result today. There was nothing left if we lost. If we won then it would open up some possibilities as the next round is home and away, which would have been a great experience. It's too late now but we wanted to carry on playing in the ACL. In the first half there was a real atmosphere in the stadium and we didn't really play our own football, I felt. We want to be mentally strong enough to overcome that. We have some time now before the J.League starts again and we want to use it to put right what needs fixing so we can look forward positively."


FC Tokyo manager Popovic
"Both teams played well and it was an excellent game, I thought. It was a game fitting to have been the final, with both sides showing what they are capable of. I think our opponents played better in the first half; it was a game they won in the first half. In the second half though we seized the initiative and dominated, I felt.
The result is disappointing but I feel we can be proud of the way we performed and our approach to the match. I think we showed that football isn't only about money. I felt we showed the quality of our play, our future prospects and the course our game will take in the future. In that sense I feel we showed that we are the more affluent team."

[Guangzhou Evergrande Coach Marcello Lippi's Press Conference Summary] "I think it was a good match as expected. There were no tall players in Tokyo, but they excelled in individual skills. In the first half, we created many decisive chances and did not give the opponent any space. It was also very good that we could use the injured forward Muriqui. Over the next three months, I want to enhance our team tactics and individual skills even more. I am very satisfied with today's match.

　(Was today's victory the result of giving our all?) If we could have been more aggressive in our attacks, we could have scored more goals. MF Chen Ji is a very important player for us. I think it was good to place him in the holding midfield position today.

Guangzhou manager Lippi
"As we expected it was a good game. Tokyo don't have any particularly tall players but they have excellent technical ability. In the face of that in the first half we created several good chances and denied them space to play in. It was also very good that Muriqui was able to play even though he had had an injury. Over the next three months we aim to improve the technical level of the team and the individual players. I'm very satisfied with today's game.
I think that if we are even more positive in attack then we should be able to score more goals. Midfielder Zheng Zhi is a very big player for us. Playing him in defensive midfield today was a good move, I think."