PK Shootout

Liga de Quito (First)/8×/4○/10○/20×/3○, FC Tokyo/39○/8○/24×/6○/10○

International title at stake, Riga de Kito and capital showdown!

　On Apr 4 (Wed), the Suruga Bank Championship 2010 TOKYO will be held at Ecopa. Tokyo will participate as the reigning Nabisco Cup champion. They will face LDU Quito from Ecuador, who won their first title last season in the South American cup tournament "Copa Sudamericana". Quito is the capital of Ecuador. It will be a "capital showdown" for the international title of "Cup Winner Champion".

　Despite the tough schedule in between league matches, coach Jofuku states, "We must clearly understand the significance of today's battle. Our ultimate goal is to connect to the J-League. We want to make this a game that sparks a comeback. We do not want to end with a loss and say 'we had a good experience'."

　Liga de Quito was founded in 1918 and officially established as a club in 1930. It is a historic club that won its first title as an Ecuadorian club in the Copa Libertadores in 2008. They also participated in the 2008 Club World Cup Japan, achieving a runner-up finish. Coach Jofuku says, "There will be travel involved and we will probably struggle with the hot and humid conditions in Japan. But if we can adapt to the game, we should be able to perform at the top level in the world. We need to show what kind of football we can play against such opponents."

　The current tournament is played in 45-minute halves, with 7 players on the bench. Up to 6 substitute players are allowed. In case the match is not decided after 90 minutes, a penalty shootout will take place. Tokyo aims for victory, but considering the schedule with the league matches, "player selection and substitutions will prioritize the players' condition (Coach Jofuku)," and starting lineup will have Murohara on the right side back, Nakamura on the left. Tanabe and Morishige as a double defensive midfield, with Ishikawa and Otake on the sides. Hirayama and Ricardinho will form the 2 top players. On the other hand, LIGA DE QUITO has 5 defenders and 2 forwards on the team sheet, but their ace forward, Hernan Barcos (top scorer in the Ecuadorian league), will lead the front line in a 3-4-2-1 formation.

　 The sun has set, and finally the "home" National Stadium has been released from the heat of the day. The match started at exactly 7:00 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Conceded the first goal, but each player showed their strengths and equalized with Hirayama's goal!

　Tokyo launched a spirited attack with a fresh lineup against Liga de Quito (hereinafter referred to as Quito), who entered the game cautiously. They took the ball and passed it around, threatening Quito's goal. In the 3rd minute, Otake → Nakamura crossed from the left and Morishige headed freely. In the 6th minute, they launched a counterattack from Quito's free kick, and Ishikawa on the right side boldly took a shot from Nakamura → Hirayama. Quito also connected several passes and sent in crosses in the 18th minute, but Imakono cleared it.

　From a vertical pass from Mokuhara to Ishikawa in the 20th minute, Nakamura overlaps on the right side, but it narrowly misses. They create chances from set pieces, and in the 23rd minute, Kim Yong-gun takes a direct free kick. In the 28th minute, Morishige heads in a left corner kick from Otake, winning the battle against the opponent. However, despite finding their rhythm, they are unable to score. On the contrary, in the 29th minute, from the DF line, Kito passes through the midfielder and finds the ace FW Barcos. Barcos takes one step, cuts inside against Konno, and takes a precise shot. This goes in, and they concede the first goal from a single chance.

　However, in the 34th minute, Tokyo created an opportunity on the left side, with Nakamura passing back from the back and Tanabe boldly aiming for a middle shot. The shot grazed the defender and took a big turn. Hayama quickly reacted to the rebound saved by the goalkeeper and pushed it in with his right foot! The first half ended with the game back to square one.

Daigo scores a spectacular goal just before the end!! They win the penalty shootout and claim victory in a fierce battle.

　Substituting Morishige and Otake with Kajiyama and Hanyu from the second half. They made a total of 6 player substitutions, and with their quick start and passing, they were expected to take the lead. In the 50th minute, Nakamura crossed from the right side after passing to Hanyu and then Ricardinho with a direct pass. Hirayama jumped in front of the goal, but was taken down and awarded a free kick. In the 52nd minute, Ishikawa stole the loose ball in the opponent's territory and cut inside, changing the side to Hanyu in the right area amidst the chaos. However, it was called offside.

　Substituted Ricardinho for Okubo in the 57th minute. In the 60th minute, Ishikawa intercepted the opponent's throw-in in his own half and passed it directly to Hirayama on the left side. Hirayama dribbled and tried to pass through the opponent's DF, but the pass was successful. However, the opponent's DF quickly closed in and prevented a shot. Despite dominating the game, in the 63rd minute, Mokuhara was judged to have committed a foul in a contest in front of the goal during Kito's FK, resulting in a PK for Kito. They scored it perfectly, putting us behind once again.

　In the 64th minute, Soyon Dokku, who made his debut in Tokyo, replaced Tanabe and played as a left midfielder. Hayabusa chased after one point with a formation that had Hayabusa playing as a defensive midfielder. Tokyo dominated the ball while Kitto, who was leading, strengthened their defense. They were able to create chances through Kajiyama's plays, Hirayama's post-play, and the attacking fullbacks. In the 69th minute, Okubo jumped in to meet Ishikawa's cross. In the 76th minute, Hirayama scored from Mokuhara's cross. In the 77th minute, Shigematsu replaced Ishikawa, followed by Matsushita replacing Mokuhara. However, the goal did not come and time passed.

　But just after entering the 4-minute stoppage time. Hirayama from the opponent's side competes with the opponent DF for the pass from Kim Yong-gun, and the ball spills behind the Kito DF. Okubo chases after it fiercely, breaks through behind and controls it with one touch, and shoots with his left foot out of his axis. This grazes the post on the opposite side and bounces back, scoring a goal. With a never-give-up attitude, they equalize again in the final minutes and the game ends at 90 minutes.

　The match went into a penalty shootout. First, Kitto's first kicker, Gonda, saved the PK! Tokyo's Daigo and Matsushita scored reliably. The third kick by Shigematsu was blocked by the GK, but Kitto's fourth PK went wide. Next, Tokyo's Konno and finally Kajiyama scored solidly, leading to a 4-3 victory in the penalty shootout! Tokyo's soccer was unleashed in a total team effort, and they claimed the title.

　【Player Comments】《Okuro》"The supporters were cheering for us and it was our home, so I definitely wanted to score a goal. Kito made a good attack when he took the ball in a good position, but I felt like he wasn't used to the weather, so I was thinking of actively aiming for the back. In the league match against Niigata, I couldn't hold my ground, so today I was imagining firmly holding my ground and shooting. It was good that we caught up in the end and won in the penalty shootout, so I want to approach the future league matches with confidence and make the supporters happy. I want to aim for a goal in every game by concentrating on each game."《Gonda》"Our time was long and we were able to move forward in a good flow, but we conceded a goal first and it became a situation where we were constantly chasing. I want to reflect on the scene of conceding a goal and use it in the league match. In the penalty shootout, we conceded two goals, so it was a bit complicated, but if I could stop it, I could become a hero as a GK. I didn't have the confidence to stop it, but I approached it with all my heart. I was able to save the first one, but I wanted to save more to contribute to the victory. After that, I realized that I still lack the strength. However, I think that fighting my best in every game will lead to growth. I want to work hard with this victory as a starting point for the team to go in a good direction."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "On a weekday, despite not being able to achieve the results we wanted in the J-League, we are deeply grateful to the nearly 20,000 fans and supporters who came to support us. We would also like to thank the Suruga Bank for giving us the opportunity to play against such a high-level team, as well as all those involved. In the midst of J-League matches, and in the hottest season in Japan, we played three matches in one week. It must have been tough for Liga de Quito as well, in this temperature and humidity. We had a great motivation to play against the top of the world, but we were not in the best condition to step onto the pitch. However, the players who did step onto the pitch will surely turn this valuable experience into blood and flesh, both individually and as a team. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who created this environment and to the players. Finally, the players went around the stadium to show their gratitude. I also have a sense of gratitude and feel that it is a wonderful title, but I do not count this title towards the goal I set at the beginning of the year to "win one title." That is why I did not participate myself."

　Regarding the match, the first goal was supposed to be the opponent's first chance. The second goal was also a mental blow as we were controlling the pace. However, that's where South American teams excel. Being able to catch up in that situation gave meaning to today's game. I think the strong desire of the players to "restart from here" was a factor in catching up. It's rare to have the opportunity to play against a team like Liga de Quito, with their track record and quality of players. We were able to turn things around in a positive way and enjoy the penalty shootout.

　[Summary of Riga de Kito / Edgardo Bauza Press Conference] "It was tough to get used to the flow in the first 10-15 minutes, but after that, our movements became smoother and we were able to compete evenly. Both teams were making good movements to try and get the ball. However, when we had chances, we were unable to fully capitalize on them. In the second half, our players were quite tired so we tried to change the flow with substitutions, but it may have been too late. After that, we were brought to a draw and lost in the penalty shootout. However, I believe the match was evenly contested. (Which FC Tokyo player left an impression on you?) Morishige was able to defend while also participating in the attack, and he did both movements well. We also struggled with Hirayama's height. When he was on the field, we were unable to control the game. (What is necessary for Japan to become a world powerhouse?) It is important to recognize that Japanese soccer has truly made great progress. This is thanks to the efforts of the Japan Football Association, coaches, and players, including foreign players. In the future, we must continue to bring in even more talented foreign players to improve our level and gain experience in various matches in order to compete evenly with the world. Through these experiences, we will continue to progress. I believe that with better matches, better players, and better coaches, we will become stronger."