A crucial match where we desperately need 3 points even though we are playing away.

　The first match of the ACL will be against Brisbane Roar away. It's finally time to take the first step towards Asia and the world. Coach Ranko POPOVIC said, "Soccer is not something you do alone, you have to fight as a team. It's important to think about how to fight as a team, not just as individual players." He also expressed his determination to "fight as a representative of Japan and not be ashamed of the name of the ACL."

　Brisbane has a midfield that is close to a 4-3-3 formation with a single defensive midfielder. The key players to watch are MF22 Broich, FW7 Berisha, and FW10 Henrique. "Brisbane is a team with a similar style of play to ours. They are also physically strong and dynamic. As coach Popovic says, their recent results are truly commendable. Depending on who takes control, the game could change significantly," he said, referring to the in-form Brisbane team.

　Tokyo made some changes to the lineup for the Kashiwa match, with new additions DF Kaga, FW Watanabe, and GK Gonda, as well as MF Hayu starting. The formation also has Tokunaga at right SB, and Takahashi and Hasegawa forming a double pivot. Regarding the decision to not bring Lucas and Kajiyama on the trip, the coach stated, "They played the full 90 minutes in the previous match and we don't have much time until the J-League opener. We want to aim for 3 points as a team." The match started at 7:30 PM in Brisbane amidst heavy rain.

Tokyo Seek Away Win In Debut Game

FC Tokyo's long-awaited first step onto the stage of Asian and world football entailed a trip to Brisbane, Australia for the first match of the group stage. Manager Popovic commented, "Football's not an individual sport, it's a team game. How the team plays overall is what's important. We must not tarnish the reputation of the competition with our performances and we have to play as a representative of Japan should".

Brisbane lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with a single DF. The key men in the team were MF Broich and FWs Berisha and Henrique. "They play a lot like us," noted Popovic, "They're physically strong and dynamic. If you look at their recent results it's clear they're a team worthy of merit". Whichever side managed to seize the initiative, Tokyo or the in-form hosts, seemed certain to determine the outcome of the game.

Tokyo had made a few changes to the team that faced Reysol in the Xerox Cup: recent signings DF Kaga and FW Watanabe came in, with GK Gonda in goal and MF Hanyu in midfield. MF Tokunaga played at right back while MF Takahashi partnered MF Hasegawa in a double defensive midfield formation. Neither Lucas nor Kajiyama had made the trip as both had played the full 90 minutes against Reysol and were held back for the imminent start of the J.League season. Team spirit was high as the side went in search of the three points.
The game kicked off shortly after 7:30pm in the middle of a downpour on a warm evening in Brisbane.

Tanihara's opening goal in the first half stoppage time! A goal was scored at a good time and the second half began.

　In a slippery and bad pitch condition, they showed a calm game and launched an attack. In the 4th minute, Ishikawa sprinted down the right side from Hayashi's interception. They attacked with precise passing work and picked up the second ball, and Tokunaga crossed it. Ota from the opposite side got involved, and Watanabe in the left area turned around and took a first shot, but it lacked power and the GK caught it. In the 10th minute, Hayashi in the front line slid to steal the opponent's ball, and Tanizawa followed from the left and dribbled in the center. He boldly took a shot near the area.

　Unable to penetrate the opponent's defense, who had solidified the center. In the 34th minute, Tanihara connected from the left and Tanizawa attempted a direct shot from the right area, but it went wide. In the 39th minute, Hasegawa's through pass led to a free kick for Hayashi in the front line, but it was called offside. On the other hand, Brisbane was unable to bring the ball to the front line. Occasionally, they were able to counterattack, but Mori Shige was able to concentrate and prevent any shots.

　Then, in the first half stoppage time area, Watanabe received a vertical pass and passed it to Ishikawa with one touch. Ishikawa boldly made a move inside. Although he was caught by the opponent's DF, the ball spilled to the right front line, and Tokunaga, who ran in here, crossed parallel to the goal. Taniyama slid into the center and scored a goal! We took the lead at a good time and ended the first half. We continued to dominate and threatened Brisbane's goal with direct passes, but there were many offside situations and although we had few shots, we were able to score the desired opening goal.

Yazawa Gives Tokyo Lead In First Half Additional Time

　The slippy, rain-slick pitch was in poor condition yet Tokyo set about moving the ball around patiently and were soon on the attack. In the 4th minute Hanyu intercepted the ball in midfield and played it out down the right for Ishikawa to chase; following some intricate passing amongst the front line Tokunaga picked up the second ball and hoisted a cross into the danger area. The ball reached Ota on the far side and his return allowed Watanabe to turn and fire on goal, the first attempt of the match. Unfortunately his effort lacked pace and Brisbane keeper Theoklitos easily gathered the ball. In the 10th minute Hanyu dispossessed a dallying Brisbane defender with a sliding tackle and Yazawa pounced on the loose ball, dribbled forward then let fly from the edge of the area.

　The hosts tightened their central defence, preventing Tokyo from creating shooting opportunities. In the 34th minute, some neat one-touch passing saw Tokyo move the ball from the left flank to the right via Yazawa and Watanabe, but Tokunaga fired high and wide to end the move. In the 39th minute, Yazawa's through ball to Hanyu seemed to have split the Brisbane defence, but offside was given. At the other end, the Tokyo defence, with Morishige at the centre, coped comfortably with Brisbane's occasional counter attacks.

　Then, as the game moved into additional time at the end of the first half, Watanabe received an upfield pass just outside the Brisbane area and neatly played it first-time out to Ishikawa on the right. Ishikawa took on a defender and moved inside but lost control of the ball, which ran loose to Tokunaga on the right. Tokunaga drove a low, hard cross into the area and Yazawa slid in to force the ball over the line and give Tokyo the lead at a crucial time. The half time whistle blew almost immediately. Tokyo had generally dominated a first period of frequent offsides and few chances, and were rewarded for their direct pass work with a vital goal on the stroke of half time.

Hasegawa scored an additional point and then secured a victory with stable defense, keeping a clean sheet!

　Brisbane came out in the second half. In the 50th minute, Brisbane FW7 Berisha received the ball in the area and quickly turned to the right. He entered the shooting position from the right area, but Morishige made a quick cover and blocked it. In the 53rd minute, Brisbane's FK from the left side was punched by Gonda. The ball was taken away and brought to the left side, but the cross went out of bounds.

　In the 55th minute, a perfect feed pass from Mori Shige, who had drifted to the side, to Hayabusa, who was trying to break through the opponent's defense. Hayabusa took the ball forward in the left area and aimed for a shot, but the GK made a save... However, Hasegawa was there to follow up and firmly put the ball into the net, GOAL!!

　Brisbane, who can't end like this, will launch a fierce attack. In the 67th minute, FW10 Henrique tried to break through from the left side, and passed a one-two with MF6 Petrú in the left area, breaking through to the sideline and receiving a minus pass from a close distance to the goal. It seemed like a chance was about to be created, but Kanda held his ground and was called offside at the same time.

　As the game entered the final stages, there was a period where we couldn't seem to get the ball back, but in the 76th minute, Tanabe came on for Hayu, and in the 86th minute, Jang Hyun Soo came on for Kaga, shutting down the opponent's attacks. In the end, in stoppage time, Kono came on for Ishikawa and the final whistle blew. Despite being away, we were able to secure a valuable 3 points and also start off our first ACL match with a win!

Hasegawa Extends The Lead And Defence Holds Firm

　Brisbane came out fighting in the second half. In the 50th minute, forward Berisha received the ball inside the Tokyo area, quickly turned to his right and prepared to shoot. Morishige reacted quickly to close him down and blocked the attempt. Gonda punched away a lofted free kick in the 53rd minute and then watched as a returned cross sailed harmlessly out of play.

　In the 55th minute, Morishige advanced the ball down the flank before lofting it over the Brisbane defence. Hanyu perfectly timed his run forward and was onside as he approached the goal and took a shot from just outside the area on the left. The Brisbane keeper deflected the shot but was unable to stop Hasegawa from scoring and doubling Tokyo's lead.

　Brisbane were reeling but weren't about to relinquish the fight. In the 67th minute midfielder Paartalu played a neat one-two with Henrique and took the ball to the goalline deep inside the Tokyo area, before cutting a cross back into the box. It seemed a golden opportunity for the hosts until Gonda grabbed the ball and the referee simultaneously blew for offside.

　Tokyo struggled to retain possession as the game wore on, prompting Hanyu's replacement by Tanabe in the 76th minute. Kaga then went down with cramp in the 86th minute and Jang took his place in defence. In additional time Kawano replaced Ishikawa and Tokyo successfully kept Brisbane at bay until the final whistle. Tokyo had marked their first appearance in the ACL with a valuable away win.

[Player Comments]《Reis》"It was good to score in the first half. I felt like I was doing well today. In the second half, the opponent also came forward, but personally, I think I could have done a little more. In the first half, the coach warned me about playing too lightly, and I had forgotten about my good performance. (On the goal scene) When the ball went to Yuhei, I was thinking not to come to my place. When I saw that cross, I thought I had to score. I had the feeling of wanting to do it myself before the game. I was conscious of going aggressively into the goal area since the training camp."

　"Mori Shige" "The opponent didn't have many through passes from the midfield, so it was easy for me to defend. FW Berisha, the top scorer in the A-League, is fast, but the ball didn't go there, so I think I was able to defend well. We were able to take the lead and create our own time. Even if the opponent's pace was taken over, we were able to defend without conceding. We had confidence that we wouldn't lose because the opponent had a similar style of soccer. There are still areas to improve, so I want to fix them next time. I'm just happy to have won the first official game as a coach under Popovic."

[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]"Today was a good game, so I hope everyone enjoyed it. I am proud that the players fought well. I think Japanese people can also be proud of this result. It was a smart and intelligent game, but rather than the coach's influence, the players themselves played very well on the field. That was good. Today's game had various developments, but it was a really good stadium. It would have been nice if a few more (home Brisbane) fans had come in."

Players' comments
Yazawa
"It was great that we managed to score in the first half. We got the reward our play merited. On a personal level I felt I could have done a little more in the second half, given the way our opponents were forced to come out. At half time the manager told us to focus on undercooked play, as we seemed to have forgotten our good performances.
When I saw the ball was going to reach Yuhei I felt certain that his cross was going to come into the area where I was; then, when I saw him hit the ball I knew I had to get on the end of it. I was fired up before the game and felt that I was going to be able to do something today. During our training camp I'd been concentrating on getting into good positions in front of goal".

Morishige
"Our opponents played very few through balls from midfield so it felt easy to defend today. Berisha's the top scorer in the A league and he's fast but the way we prevented the ball getting through to him allowed us to defend comfortably. We seized the initiative and scored and we were also able to enjoy periods of sustained pressure. Even though our opponents controlled the pace in the later stages we were patient and succeeded in keeping a clean sheet. I think beating a team that plays a similar style to our own will be a big boost to our confidence. There are still aspects of our game that need correcting but I'm delighted that we could gain a first competitive game victory for the manager".


FC Tokyo manager Popovic
"That was a good game for us today and I'm sure everyone enjoyed it. The players can take pride in the way they performed. I think it's a result that all Japanese people can be proud of. Rather than the manager saying this and that, the team out on the field played a smart and intelligent game today, and that was very pleasing. They've got a fantastic stadium here in Brisbane so it would have been better if a few more home fans had turned out for the game".

[Brisbane Ange Postecoglou Press Conference Summary]"To be honest, I am disappointed with the result. However, I expected it to be a tough game and it was just as I predicted. It's understandable. In the second half, the players' condition improved and we were able to put up a better fight, but we couldn't quite turn things around. Nevertheless, I think it was a great challenge. It was a very valuable experience for us. (What did you try to do with the player substitutions?) I thought about various things to change the flow of the game. The players were nervous and under pressure from the start, so their movements were stiff. They were also getting nervous. That's why the second half was better than the first. We felt that it was important for us to gain more experience."

Brisbane manager Postecoglou
"To be honest, I'm disappointed at the result. We thought it was going to be a tough game and that's the way it turned out. It's something we have to come to terms with. Although we improved somewhat in the second half we still didn't really put any great moves together. Even so, I think we gave it a real go and it'll be a good experience for us.
Regarding the substitutions, we wanted to change the game and I thought about various possibilities. From the start the players seemed tense and froze up a bit. They felt the pressure and became nervous. I felt that it's important for us to gain more experience".