ACL 4th match, grab 3 points at home and keep the top spot

　The 4th match of the 2012 AFC Champions League group stage will be held at home Tokyo Stadium against Chinese club Beijing Guoan. In the 3rd match on 4/4, which was played away, we conceded a goal from a penalty kick early on and ended up with a draw in a tough game. However, we are still at the top of the group and we want to use the home advantage to secure 3 points and make up for the disappointment of the away match, as well as to gain an advantage for future matches.

　This round, Takahashi will be suspended due to accumulated warnings in the ACL. GK Kaneda will be out due to injury, so GK Hasegawa, who was suspended in the previous league match, will form the team. Also, with only 2 days of rest since the Kashima match, the attacking lineup will feature fresh players, with Watanabe as the top, Tanabe and Ishikawa on the sides, and Otake starting for the first time this season as the attacking midfielder.

　A fierce battle against Beijing Guoan, aiming for victory with our own soccer. The rain that had been falling in the evening finally stopped at Tobitakyu Tokyo Stadium, and the match started at 7:30 pm with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Tokyo Aim To Retain Group Lead With Home Win

　Beijing Guoan of China were the visitors to Tokyo Stadium for the 4th game of the 2012 AFC Champions League group stage. In the reverse fixture on April 4th, played in a hostile environment in Beijing's Workers Stadium, Tokyo had conceded an early penalty yet emerged with a draw from the bruising encounter thanks to Hasegawa's first half goal. A home win would assuage some of the frustration remaining from the first encounter and give Tokyo some breathing space at the top of the group.

　Takahashi was suspended, Shiota continued in goal for the injured Gonda and Yonemoto was partnered in central midfield by Hasegawa. With the fixture coming only two days after the Kashima match Tokyo introduced some fresh legs in attack with Watanabe appearing as lone striker, Tanabe and Ishikawa on the flanks and Otake, making his first start of the season in the withdrawn forward's role.

　Tokyo were aiming to negate Beijing's physical approach, impose their style on the game and take the three points. The heavy afternoon rain had abated by the time Tokyo kicked off at 7:30pm.

Watanabe scores first from a set play! In the first half stoppage time, Otake scores his first goal!!

　Calmly entering the game, they pushed Beijing back from the start. In the 6th minute, Hyun Soo JANG was fouled in the opponent's half, earning a free kick in the midfield. In the following 7 minutes, Ishikawa sent a long free kick to the front line, where Watanabe headed it with a strong impact. The shot hit the post and bounced back inside, scoring a goal! They took advantage of an early set piece opportunity and took the lead.

　Immediately after the opening goal, Beijing tried to counterattack and had more possession of the ball, but we responded with a compact formation and did not let them gain momentum. Players like Otake, Masaru HASEGAWA, Tanabe, and Watanabe avoided Beijing's pressing from the front line by quickly passing the ball and created a rhythm.

　At 24 minutes, the opponent DF tries to clear the ball to the front line, but Otake, who was competing, skillfully took the ball and broke through to the front, and passed it through to Watanabe in the left area. Watanabe sent a cross with a shooting angle from an angleless position, and Ishikawa slid in at the far post, but couldn't quite hit the frame.

　In the 37th minute, Hasegawa received the ball on the right side and drew the opponent in with quick passes. Tanabe then made a run towards the center and passed it to Hasegawa. Hasegawa switched the play to the left side. Ota then made a long run and crossed the ball. In the center, Watanabe attempted a diving header...but it went wide of the goal, despite the powerful attack.

　The time when we couldn't take advantage of chances continued, but in the first half stoppage time, Ishikawa from the DF line on the right side of our own goal sent a long pass to the space behind the opponent's DF. Watanabe ran out to meet it and brought it to the right area, cutting back against the opponent and making a last pass in front of the goal. Otake ran in and headed in the floating ball that the opponent's DF was trying to clear, scoring a goal! Otake scored his first goal of the season in his first start, leading by two points and ending the first half.

First Half Goals From Watanabe And Otake Put Tokyo In Control

Tokyo set about attacking Beijing in a composed manner from the kick off. In the 6th.minute Jang pushed forward into the visitors' half and was fouled, earning a free kick some distance from the goal. Ishikawa stroked the ball into the penalty area, Watanabe outjumped the Beijing defence and powered a textbook header on target from around the penalty spot. The ball beat Hou Sen, the Beijing keeper, struck the inside of the post and bounced along the goal line before nestling inside the net on the opposite side. Tokyo had taken the lead from a set play with only 7 minutes on the clock.

　Beijing looked to fight back from conceding the early goal and enjoyed more possession but Tokyo's compact formation prevented them from taking control of the match. In response to Beijing pressing hard from the front Otake, Tanabe, Hasegawa and Watanabe all moved the ball around quickly, nullifying the visitors efforts and establishing a rhythm.

　In the 24th minute, Otake won the ball with a neat piece of skill and held off a defender before sliding a diagonal pass through the Beijing defense to Watanabe on the left of the penalty area. Watanabe drove a shot-cum-cross towards the far post where Ishikawa slid in and made contact but directed the ball narrowly to the wrong side of the post.

　In the 37th minute, Tokyo moved the ball down the right with some intricate passing. Tanabe drew the Beijing defense towards him before moving the ball in field to Hasegawa; Hasegawa quickly stroked the ball out into acres of open space on the left and Ota, running almost the full length of the field, drove a sumptuous first-time cross into the penalty area. It was a dynamic, expansive move. Watanabe flung himself at the ball and made contact with a firm header, but the ball flew narrowly wide of the post.

　Tokyo were unable to put away any of the further chances they created and the game had moved into added time when Ishikawa played the ball to Hasegawa and the Tokyo midfielder launched a pass behind the Beijing defense to meet Watanabe's perfectly-timed dart through the back line. Watanabe raced into the area on the right and held up the ball as he waited for support to arrive in the middle, then cut inside a defender and clipped the ball towards Otake at the far post. The ball flicked off a defender, looped up and Otake followed its course with admirable composure before planting a header between the keeper and the post. Otake had marked his first start of the year with his first goal of the season, one that had doubled Tokyo's lead on the stroke of half time.

Yonemoto substituted due to injury, but Tanizawa's third goal secures a comfortable victory

　It was the second half that we wanted to face without losing the flow, but in the 48th minute, Yonemoto injured his shoulder while competing with the opponent for a floating ball and went out of the pitch. He was forced to substitute and in the 51st minute, Tanizawa was brought in. Tanabe moved to the defensive midfield and we faced the game. In the 53rd minute, Beijing connected from the left side and 37FW Reynaldo dropped the ball to 39MF Piao, who was barely offside, but Shibata made a save.

　After surviving this pinch, in the 56th minute, Morishige cleared the opponent's FK with a header. From there, Ishikawa on the left side of the midfield calculated the timing and sent a pass to the space on the left front line. Here, Taniyama jumps out and dribbles towards the center. Although the first touch was too big, he was able to firmly push the ball into the net for the third goal as the opponent's DF failed to clear it in front of the goal!

　In the 60th minute, they quickly switched to an attacking strategy, with Otake moving to the right front line. Ishikawa ran and sent a right cross, which landed perfectly at the feet of Tanihara, who was waiting freely in front of the goal... but his header missed the target... They missed their fourth big chance.

　After that, Beijing brought in FW Kaljevic and launched a counterattack to retaliate. They continued to dominate the ball, making it difficult for Tokyo to connect passes, but they calmly defended and did not allow Beijing any real chances. They kept a clean sheet and won 3-0.

Yonemoto Injured; Substitute Yazawa Grabs A Third

　Tokyo began the second half keen to retain the momentum but were dealt a blow as Yonemoto suffered a shoulder injury as he battled an opponent for a high ball in the 48th minute and was forced to leave the field. Substitute Yazawa took up a position on the left of midfield with Tanabe dropping back into a defensive holding role. In the 53rd minute Beijing moved the ball down the left, forward Reinaldo knocked it down and midfielder Piao, narrowly onside, ran on to it and shot low and hard, drawing a good save from Shiota.

　In the 56th minute, Morishige made a strong header to clear a Beijing free kick from the Tokyo area. Ishikawa received the ball on the left side of midfield and played it forward with perfect timing for Yazawa to run onto. Yazawa cut inside, leaving tired defenders behind, but appeared to lose control of the ball as he ran across the Beijing area in front of the on-rushing keeper. However, Yazawa regained control of the ball as a defender failed to clear it and skillfully chipped it over Hou Sen and into the net. Tokyo had now extended their lead to three.

　Another sweeping move in the 60th minute saw Otake set up Ishikawa for a run and cross from the left wing. Yazawa met the ball with a powerful header but failed to hit the target from a promising position.

　Beijing introduced FW Kaluderovic and worked hard to fashion a comeback. Tokyo struggled to connect their passes, allowing the visitors to enjoy more possession. However, some solid defending prevented Beijing from turning that possession into chances and the clock slowly ran down with no further addition to the score. The final whistle blew on a comprehensive 3-0 win for Tokyo.

[Player Comments]《Otake》"I played as a number 10, but I understood the team's way of playing and my role didn't change. However, I was conscious of getting into the box, especially on the right side. My goal was also a result of a good play on the right side and me taking the risk to go up. It was my first goal with a header. However, after scoring three goals, we played a bit too safe. If we can play without fear of making mistakes and do things that the opponent doesn't like, we could have scored more goals. That's something we need to work on and improve for the next game."

　"Watanabe" "I've always wanted to use my strength for the team. Recently, we've been playing a lot of passes at our feet and I felt like we weren't using the space behind the defense enough. That's not scary and I wanted to use my strengths today. I think Hasegawa and Otake used me well. It was good to score an early goal from a set piece, but I wanted to create more chances. I wish I could have played a little further up... In the league, I don't have many opportunities to play, but I think it's important to make the most of the time given and get results."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference]"Today, we played a solid game of soccer. This was possible because the referee gave out cards early on and helped control the game. Our players showed what is right through their behavior and play on the pitch. I have always emphasized the importance of good judgement, and when it is given, the game becomes even more intense. Today's game was exactly like that, and I hope you can understand the significance of emphasizing good judgement."

　Beijing is a strong team, so I am satisfied that we were able to have such a game. Today, Tanabe, Watanabe, and Otake played in place of Kanda, Kaga, Takahashi, Kajiyama, Hanyu, and Taniyama, but they showed that they can play the same soccer no matter who is on the field. This also shows that there are still many players in Japan with hidden potential. We cannot let this potential go to waste, and we cannot be satisfied with just one good game. The important thing is to continue to grow. I think that is one of my jobs.

　Today, we had a big win in terms of both results and performance. It may have been a good propaganda for the Japanese soccer world. When we played away in China, a local journalist asked us, "What is good soccer? Is there anything other than results?" I think we showed them the answer. This is what good soccer is. However, we cannot be satisfied and stop here. We want to aim higher and approach with high goals and aspirations."

Players' comments
Otake
"Although I was playing in a position just behind the striker, I understand the team's style and my role hasn't changed. Also, I was aware that I needed to get into the area in front of the goal. For the goal, when we broke through on the right so well, I didn't think about it and just tried to get forward, which led to scoring. That was the first goal I ever scored with my head. After we scored the third goal, we seemed to play it safe; if we had been less concerned about making mistakes, we could have kept the pressure on the opposition and possibly scored more. That's something we need to consider going into the next game."

Watanabe
"I want to continue to give everything I have for the team. Recently we've been playing a passing game with the ball played in to feet and not really exploiting the space behind the opposition defence. That doesn't really carry a great threat and so today I was determined to make the best use of my own particular talent. Hasegawa and Otake brought me into the game very well, I thought. Taking the lead early from a set play was a great start but we really wanted to create more chances over the course of the match. Maybe it would have been better if we could have moved the ball around more across the front line. I haven't been able to get on the field much during the league games so I feel I have to take advantage of whatever playing time I get and make a mark".


FC Tokyo manager Popovic
"We played a very steady game today. The referee got his card out early as well, which helped to control the game. Our players showed what was correct in their behavior on the field and in their play. We've been picky about the refereeing but what the referee judges to be acceptable obviously has an influence on the game. I think the way the game went today shows that we were right.
Beijing are a strong team so I'm satisfied with the way we played. We started without Gonda, Kaga, Takahashi, Kajiyama, Hanyu, Yazawa and Lucas and instead had Tanabe, Otake and Watanabe but we showed that whoever is on the field we can play the same style of football. I think that shows there are many players with hidden potential here in Japan. While we can't let that potential go to waste, we also can't be satisfied with just one good performance. The most important thing is to keep playing well and to keep developing. That's one aspect of my job, I feel.
I also think today was a very good advertisement for Japanese football. When we were in Beijing a local reporter asked what I thought was the best type of football and if there was anything more to it than the result. I think we answered that question; the best type of football is what we played here tonight. Even so, we can't afford to be complacent and take our foot off the gas. We have to aim higher and keep working to achieve our goals".

[Beijing Guoan, Jaime Pacheco's press conference summary] "Today's game was very fair play and I am satisfied with the result. While FC Tokyo played well, we were unable to adapt to the field and made many passing mistakes. Our condition was also not very good. As a team participating in the ACL, we made many mistakes that should not have happened today and lost our aggressiveness. The first half did not go according to plan and although we tried to improve in the second half, it still did not go well. However, if MF Pi-Ao Chong had scored a goal in a chance, the result could have been different. Personally, I do not like losing, but considering FC Tokyo's strength today, I am satisfied with the result. We wasted the first 45 minutes. It was a very disappointing game."

Beijing Guoan manager Jaime Pacheco
"Today's game was played fairly and we can have no complaints about the result. FC Tokyo played very well but we failed to adapt to the pitch conditions and misplaced too many passes. We weren't in a particularly good physical condition, either. For a team playing in the ACL we made far too many mistakes and also lost our assertiveness. The first half didn't go according to plan and although we aimed to improve in the second that didn't come about either. If Piao Cheng had put that chance away then maybe the final result would have been different. Personally I don't like losing but considering how strong Tokyo were today we have to accept the result. We wasted the first half. It was a very disappointing game".