Tokyo vs. Roma, Summer Night Capital Derby Held!

　Following last year, this year a preseason match will be held against an overseas team, facing the strong Serie A team AS Roma. Prior to today's match, Tokyo is embarking on a one-week expedition to Spain, where they will also compete against the strong La Liga team Deportivo La Coruña. Having already secured a 2-1 victory away, there is much anticipation for how they will perform against Roma today. This is a match where they want to showcase the results of their expedition.

　Roma finished last season in 2nd place in Serie A. This season, they have welcomed new coach Prandelli and are in the process of building a new team. Although they are missing key players such as FW Totti, FW Cassano, and midfield linchpin MF Tonnagi due to injuries, they have a lineup that includes representatives from Italy and France, and they have arrived in Japan after their tour in America.

　Tokyo's Kaji, who has just returned from the Asia Cup with the Japan national team, will not play, but Dohi is in the starting lineup. The defense consists of Maeda, Jean, Fujiyama, and Kanazawa from the right. In midfield, Miura and Kajiyama form a double pivot, with Toda on the right, Kelly in the center, and Baba on the left. The formation features Lucas at the forefront.

Attack boldly from the start and create chances one after another!

　"I want to make Roma serious. From the start, we will go all out to win," said Coach Hara. Just as he said, Tokyo aggressively attacked right after the kickoff. In the first 40 seconds, Baba passed to Kelly, who then passed to Lucas, allowing Lucas to enter the penalty area. Baba received the return pass, and Miura took the final shot. At 1 minute, Baba sprinted up the left side and delivered a cross. Although it didn't reach Lucas in the center, Maeda aimed for the goal from the far side. At 2 minutes, from a throw-in on the right side, Kajiyama connected with Lucas, and after receiving the return pass, Kajiyama took a bold shot. At 5 minutes, Lucas stole the ball from the opposing defender and dribbled straight into the penalty area. He entered the shooting motion, but was cut off by a determined sliding tackle from Roma's defender Mexes.

　Roma aimed directly at the goal from a left-sided free kick by DF Panucci in the 10th minute, but it was firmly caught by Doih. In the 12th minute, Tokyo had another chance. Toda sprinted into the space on the right side. As he cut inside, he sent a fast and strong ground cross. Although it couldn't be connected in the center, Baba picked it up on the left side and connected with Kanazawa to Kajiyama with a one-touch pass, and again Kanazawa sent a through ball to the front line. The opposing goalkeeper saved it just a step ahead of the rushing Lucas, and although the ball spilled, Mexes picked up the cleared ball and connected it, this time Maeda crossed from the right side. In the end, it was ruled offside, but they continuously picked up the loose balls and attacked in succession from both sides in front of the Roma goal.

　In the 16th minute, Kajiyama was fouled on the right side, and from a quick restart, the ball was advanced forward, leading to a shot by Lucas. It went wide of the left goal post, but Tokyo showed a strong awareness of quickly transitioning to attack after regaining possession, with sharp movements led by Kelly, Lucas, and Toda. On the other hand, Roma maintained a solid defense with a strong back line, carefully guarding and sending passes forward without taking risks. However, the forward line frequently found themselves offside, failing to create decisive chances.

Continuing to create chances from side attacks

　In the 29th minute, Roma launched a quick attack. Mexes surged forward and passed vertically to forward Delvecchio. Delvecchio shook off Fujiyama, who was marking him, and took a left-footed shot from just outside the area, but it went over the goal. In the 35th minute, Tokyo had a decisive chance. Kanazawa, who stole the ball on the left side of his own half, passed it forward, connecting Baba to Lucas, and then to Kelly, who advanced centrally. Kelly drew in the opposing DF with his dribbling and passed to the free Toda on the right side. Toda sent a fast cross back to the center, but the opposing DF desperately cleared the ball towards the Roma goal. However, the GK and DF, who had come back just in time, cleared it again. Kanazawa, who had surged forward, picked it up and shot, but was blocked by the opposing DF.

　Gradually, Roma started to pass the ball around, and in the 37th minute, from a free kick on the right side, Del Vecchio got into shooting position just in front of the goal, but Jean closed in and blocked it. Next, MF Dacour received a pass from FW Corbia and delivered a pinpoint pass to the front line. MF Candela then broke through from the left and took a shot from inside the area, but it went straight to Doih. In the 38th minute, Tokyo matched Baba's left cross, and Todai, who was free on the right side, took a direct volley, but unfortunately, the shot hit the crossbar. In the 39th minute, Baba sent a long free kick to the front line. Todai and Lucas connected with headers, but the opposing defender cleared it just in time. Todai, who injured his right ankle during this play, was substituted for Kondo. They were unable to break through Roma's solid defense, and the match would carry over into the second half.

　Tokyo was the first to take a shot in the second half as well. In the 46th minute, Kondo headed the ball down from a right corner kick, and Kajiyama took a shot from mid-range, but it went over the goal. In the 48th and 50th minutes, Roma had scenes where they advanced towards Tokyo's goal while connecting passes, but they did not allow a shot. In the 53rd minute, Maeda crossed from the right after a switch by Kajiyama. Lucas's volley shot in front of the goal just missed the target. In the 55th minute, Kondo connected with Baba's right free kick and headed the ball, but it went to the left of the goal. Tokyo, unable to break through the goal despite their efforts, substituted Abe for Kelly in the 59th minute. Abe moved to left MF, and Baba shifted to the center.

Substitutes also functioned, overwhelming Roma but...

　Roma, slowly connecting passes and looking for chances, earned a free kick in the 67th minute when Del Vecchio was fouled in front of the goal. D'Agostinho aimed directly from the right of the penalty arc, but the Tokyo defense blocked it. As a result, Roma only had this one shot in the second half. In the 69th minute, left-back Panucci's vertical pass was received by substitute forward Cerci at the front line, who entered the area. He sent a negative last pass to Del Vecchio, but the trap was too heavy, and Doih was brave enough to come out and make the save. All was well.

　However, Roma's activity gradually decreased, and Tokyo began to dominate the midfield and launch an offensive. In the 71st minute, Abe persisted on the left side, won a throw-in, and approached the Roma goal. In the 72nd minute, Abe received the throw-in himself, circled inside, and, seeing an open path ahead, made a good decision to shoot. However, it was caught by the opposing goalkeeper. In the 74th minute, Kajiyama and Kondo launched a quick attack to Lucas on the right side. Lucas advanced into the area, evaded the opposing defender, and crossed. Kondo, who had moved up in front of the goal, jumped in for a header shot, but the opposing goalkeeper made a fine save. Abe's follow-up shot on the loose ball also missed the target. Shortly after, Masushima came on for Miura, and Kobayashi replaced Baba. The formation was set with Lucas and Kondo as the two strikers, and Masushima as the holding midfielder. In the 76th minute, Abe was fouled just outside the left area, earning a free kick. Masushima and Jean jumped in for Kobayashi's free kick from the far side, but the ball hit Jean's foot and went outside the frame. In the 79th minute, Abe initiated a challenge in the left area and earned a corner kick. The left corner kick was connected short, and Kanazawa's cross was met by Lucas with a header shot! However, once again, it hit the crossbar and did not result in a goal.

　Tokyo launched a fierce attack, but perhaps thinking a draw would suffice, they could not break through the solid defense of Roma, who had eight players focused on defense. In the 87th minute, Lucas was fouled on the left side of the area, resulting in a free kick. Abe made a run to distract, and Kobayashi connected with Abe, who had moved into the center. From a tricky play, Abe took a well-aimed shot, but it was saved brilliantly by the opposing GK, resulting in a corner kick. This corner was again played short, and Kanazawa sent in a low cross, but unfortunately, they could not connect in front of the goal. In stoppage time, Kondo was fouled about 25 meters from the goal, resulting in another free kick. Kondo aimed for the goal using Jaan as a decoy, but his powerful shot struck the bottom left of the post! Tokyo moved aggressively and vibrantly, creating chances with their style of football, but they could not find the back of the net. The dream match on a midsummer night ended in a 0-0 draw, with Tokyo taking 17 shots compared to Roma's 4, as Tokyo consistently pressured Roma throughout the match.

【Player Comments】《Dohi》"My condition wasn't bad. I think I was able to enter the match well. Watching from the back, I felt that the talented young players were playing with confidence. I believe their true selves came out. I'm looking forward to the 2nd stage." 《Miura》"We had chances from the first half. If it ends in a draw, the opponent can make excuses saying 'we were in bad condition,' so I wanted to win decisively... To be honest, we also returned from Spain not long ago, and there were parts in the last moments of the first half and the second half where we got tired. I want to approach the 2nd stage in a way that allows us to convert the shots that were blocked by the post and crossbar." 《Jean》"Today, I was thinking about not conceding any goals. In that respect, I think we did well. The depth of our squad has increased, and the young players are playing wonderfully and producing good football. I believe it's essential to always learn in daily practice, and I learned things from the Deportivo match in Spain and today's match against Roma, which helped me gain confidence. I think we were able to play international matches in a good way that leads to the 2nd stage."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We wanted to score. We had several chances, and after the expedition to Spain, the young players gained confidence and created good opportunities several times. If we had scored there, I think Roma would have shown more of their strength. We hit the post and were denied by the goalkeeper, but I wanted to finish those chances properly. I am pleased that we were given a great opportunity to play against a traditional team like Roma in Tokyo. I think Roma was not in their best form as they have a month until their opening match, but we fought boldly against famous players without fear. I wanted to score in this kind of match and connect it to the second stage... During the expedition to Spain, we faced strong teams, and today, many players were able to play without fear against players from the Italy national team and the France national team. Specifically, we were able to move the ball simply and use the field widely to break down the sides several times. However, as expected from Italian defense, even if the sides were breached, they were excellent at clearing the dangerous areas in front of the goal. We also need to improve our shooting skills, but I believe that the fact that players other than the Japan national team and Olympic team players played boldly will become an asset for the team in the future."

【Summary of AS Roma Coach Brancelli's Press Conference】 "It was a very difficult match. FC Tokyo moved very well, had speed, and above all, their condition was good. It would have been better if we could have organized our movements a bit more. The defense was satisfactory. Playing this time revealed various issues, which is a good thing for the new season. Today's Roma really couldn't create chances, but this was not only due to condition; many players were not playing in their original positions, and above all, the opponent's condition was good. (In the first half, it seemed stretched out?) We couldn't focus on defense. However, I instructed on that point at halftime, so in the second half, we particularly didn't suffer from counterattacks. A team that has just adopted a new playing style and new tactics may not function well, so I want to make gradual adjustments to get into good shape for the new season. (Which player from FC Tokyo left an impression?) FC Tokyo is a very good team with excellent tactics. Unfortunately, I don't remember the names, but there are many talented players. I thought the coach also has a very good understanding of football. I believe this team will grow more with talented players and an excellent coach."

"Player Panucci" "It was a very difficult match. However, Roma is still in the preparation stage, and today we fought with all our might. Personally, I think it was a very good match." "Player Del Vecchio" "It was a high-tension match. And it was very hot. FC Tokyo also showed wonderful play, and we did our best, it was a good match."