In the 4th match of the ACL, secure 3 points at home to maintain the top position

　The AFC Champions League 2012 Group Stage Match 4 will be held. We will face Beijing Guoan from China at our home, Nissan Stadium. In the away match on April 4, we conceded a penalty early in the game under completely away conditions. Although HASEGAWA scored the equalizer in a fierce match, it ended in a draw. However, we are still at the top of the group, and this match is crucial to take advantage of our home ground and secure 3 points to overcome the frustration of the away match and to advance favorably in future battles.

　In this match, Takahashi is suspended due to accumulated warnings in the ACL. GK Gonda is injured, so the GK will be Shiota, and the defensive midfielders will be Yonemoto and Hayato HASEGAWA, who was also suspended in the league match against Kashima. Additionally, with only two days since the Kashima match, fresh members will be used in the attack, with Watanabe at the top, and Tanabe and Ishikawa on both sides, while Ohtake will make his first start of the season in the attacking midfield position.

　Avoiding the intensity of Beijing Guoan, this match aims for victory with our own style of football. The rain that had been falling in the evening finally stopped at Tobitakyu Tokyo Stadium, and the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 19:30.

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appearing as lone striker, Tanabe and Ishikawa on the flanks and Otake, making his first start of the season in the withdrawn forward's role.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 piece! In first half stoppage time, Ohtake scores his first goal!!

　Calmly entered the match and pressed Beijing from the start. In the 6th minute, Hyun Soo JANG, who attacked into the opponent's territory, was fouled and earned a free kick in midfield. In the following 7th minute, Ishikawa sent a free kick from this distance to the front line, and Watanabe made a high header. The shot hit the post and bounced back inside! They took the lead by effectively utilizing the set-piece opportunity early in the match.

　Immediately after taking the lead, Beijing began to increase their possession of the ball in an attempt to counterattack, but we responded with a compact formation, preventing them from gaining momentum. Ohtake, Masaru HASEGAWA, Tanabe, and Watanabe evaded the pressure from Beijing's front line with a quick ball movement style, creating rhythm.

　In the 24th minute, the opposing defender tried to clear the ball to the front line, but Ohtake skillfully took possession and broke free, sending a through pass to Watanabe in the left area. Watanabe delivered a cross shot from a tight angle, and Ishikawa slid in at the far post but narrowly missed the target.

　In the 37th minute, they connected closely on the right side to draw the opponent in, and Tanabe passed to Hasegawa, who moved to the center. Hasegawa switched to the left space. Ota made a long run to deliver a cross. Watanabe in the center attempted a diving header... It was a powerful attack with a big development, but the header went wide of the goal...

　Although there were moments when chances were not capitalized on, during the first half stoppage time, a long pass was sent from the DF line by Ishikawa on the right side of their own half to Hayasegawa, who found space behind the opponent's defense. Watanabe, who made a run to meet the pass, brought the ball into the right area, turned the opponent, and delivered a final pass in front of the goal. Ohtake, who was making a run, headed the ball into the net after the opponent's defense attempted to clear the floating ball! Ohtake scored his first goal of the season in his first start, leading by two goals as the first half concluded.

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 defense 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 the wrong side of the post.

　In the 37th minute, Tokyo moved the ball down the right with some intricate passwork. Tanabe drew the Beijing defense towards him before moving the ball infield 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 defence 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.

Yasuhito was substituted due to injury, but Tanizawa's third goal secured a comfortable victory.

　It was a second half where we wanted to maintain our momentum, but in the 48th minute, Yonemoto injured his shoulder while competing for a high ball and had to leave the pitch. We were forced to make a substitution, bringing in Tanizawa in the 51st minute. This led to a formation change with Tanabe moving to the defensive midfield position. In the 53rd minute, a play developed from Beijing's left side, and after a drop from 37FW Reinaldo, 39MF Piao broke through just past the offside line and took a shot, but Shiota made the save.

　After overcoming this pinch, in the 56th minute, Morishige cleared the opponent's free kick with a header. From there, Ishikawa on the left side of the midfield timed his pass to the space on the left front line. Here, Tanizawa broke through and dribbled towards the center. Although his touch initially got too big, he confidently pierced the ball into the net after the opponent's defender failed to clear it in front of the goal, securing the third goal!

　In the 60th minute, a quick switch to attack was initiated, with Otake moving to the right flank. Ishikawa ran, and the right cross he delivered perfectly reached Tanizawa, who was completely free in front of the goal... but the header went wide... they missed a big chance for the fourth goal.

　After that, Beijing brought in forward Kaljerovic and attempted to fight back. They continued to dominate possession, and Tokyo struggled to connect their passes, but they remained calm in defense. They did not allow Beijing to create any real chances and kept the score at zero, winning comfortably 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 produced a towering header to clear a Beijing free kick out of the Tokyo area. Ishikawa collected the ball on the left of midfield, then played it forward with immaculate timing for Yazawa to run on to; Yazawa cut inside, leaving tiring defenders floundering in his wake but seemed to have lost control of the ball as he raced across the Beijing area in front of the on-rushing keeper. Yazawa regained control of the ball as a defender muffed his clearance and produced a deft touch to clip it over Hou Sen and into the net. Tokyo had 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 forward 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 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 in the position just behind the forwards, but I understood how the team needed to play, and what I needed to do didn't change. However, I was particularly conscious of getting into the area in front of the goal. I think my goal came from the right side, where we broke through well, and I boldly moved forward, which led to the result. It was my first goal with a header. However, after we scored three goals, we became a bit more cautious in our play. If we could play without fearing mistakes as a team and execute plays that the opponent dislikes, we could have scored even more. I want to take that as a lesson for the next time."

　Watanabe: "I have always wanted to utilize my abilities for the team. Recently, I felt that we have been making a lot of short passes as a team, and we haven't been using the space behind enough. Without that, there's no fear factor, and today I wanted to make the most of my strengths. I think Hasegawa and Otake did a great job utilizing that. It was good to score the opening goal early from a set piece, but I wanted to create more chances. I wish we could have moved the ball around a bit more up front... Although I have had few opportunities in league matches, I believe it's important to make a solid impact with the time I'm given."

　【Summary of Coach Popovic's Press Conference】 "Today we played solid football. This was possible because the referee issued cards early on and controlled the game. Our players demonstrated what is right through their behavior and play on the pitch. I have been particular about the officiating, but when fair judgments are made, the match becomes even more intense. Today was exactly that kind of game, and I hope you understood the importance of being particular about the officiating."

　Beijing is a strong team, so I am satisfied that we were able to have a match like this. Today, even though we were missing Gonda, Kaga, Takahashi, Kajiyama, Hanyu, Tanizawa, and Lucas, Tanabe, Watanabe, and Otake played, showing that anyone can play the same style of football. This also means that there are still many players in Japan with untapped potential. We cannot let this potential lie dormant, and at the same time, it is not good to be satisfied just because we played well in one match. The important thing is to continue to grow. I believe that is one of my jobs as well.

　Today, it was a significant victory in both results and content. I believe it was good propaganda for Japanese football as well. When we played away in China, a local journalist asked, 'What kind of football is good football? Is there anything beyond results?' I think we were able to show the answer to that. Good football is like this. However, we cannot be satisfied and stop here. We want to aim higher and approach our goals and aspirations with a strong determination.

Players' comments
Otake
"Although I was playing in a position just behind the striker I understand the team's style and what I had to do hasn't changed. Also, I was aware that I had to get into the area in front of goal. For the goal, when we broke them open on the right so well I didn't think about it and just tried to get forward and that led to scoring. That's the first goal I ever scored with my head. After we scored the third goal we seemed to take a safety-first approach; if we'd been less concerned about the possibility of making mistakes then maybe we could have kept the opposition under pressure and perhaps scored more. That's something we have to think about as we go 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 into feet and not really exploiting the space behind the opposition defense. 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 behaviour on the field and in their play. We've been fussy 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 allow that potential to remain dormant 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 kind of football and was there anything more to it than the result. I think we answered that question; the best kind of football is what we played here tonight. Even so, we can't afford to be self-satisfied and take our foot off the pedal. We have to raise our sights and keep working to achieve them".

[Beijing Guoan - Manager Jaime Pacheco's Press Conference Summary] "Today's match was very fair play, and I am satisfied with the result. While FC Tokyo played well, we struggled to adapt to the pitch and made many passing mistakes. Our condition was also not very good. As a team participating in the ACL, we made many mistakes today that should not have happened, and we lost our aggressiveness. The first half did not go according to plan, and we tried to improve in the second half, but it still did not go well. However, if midfielder Piao Chong had scored in that opportunity, the result might have been different. Personally, I do not like to lose, but considering FC Tokyo's strength today, I accept the result. We wasted the first 45 minutes. It was a very disappointing match."

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."