Tokyo, who is in a state of disarray, challenges the Asian champions, Shimizu S-Pulse!

On April 15th of this year, Shimizu S-Pulse won the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and were crowned the champions of Asia. In the league as well, they have maintained their momentum from last year's 2nd stage victory, with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses so far this year, making them the top contender for the 1st stage victory.

Tokyo will face this "super powerhouse" without two ace attackers, TUTO (absent due to accumulated warnings) and Amaral (absent due to injury). In the two matches after Amaral's injury (4/22 against Hiroshima, 4/29 against Kyoto), TUTO's superhuman performance helped secure a victory, but he will also be absent on this day. Tokyo is at a disadvantage, but the key will be how well Kamiya, who will play as a forward, can do his job on the front line, and how well Yukihiko SATO, who will face his former team Shimizu S-Pulse, can create chances from the side. Kamiya is expected to create space on the front line with stable post play and score with limited chances in front of goal. Yukihiko is expected to exploit the space on the right side and create as many chances as possible.

An intense game in a packed stadium

Japan平 on this day was packed. The compact soccer-specific stadium, designed uniquely for the soccer kingdom of Shizuoka, was filled with an exciting atmosphere for those watching soccer. And the passionate support of the top one or two supporters in Japan. In terms of numbers, they may be inferior to the Reds, but their support, based on the rhythm of samba, is perfectly coordinated and continues almost without interruption. It made me realize that I was away for a long time.

On the other hand, the "goal end" in Tokyo was not losing. Although they were overwhelmingly outnumbered, about 300 people gathered together and jumped up and down like one living creature, repeating a loud chorus. In particular, the chant "Our Yuki Hiko!" resounded powerfully.

At 4 PM, with both teams' supporters cheering, the entire venue shook vigorously as the kickoff whistle sounded.

The match started with a fast-paced attack and defense from both teams. In the first minute, Tokyo's Toda beautifully trapped a cross from Naito on the right side and took a shot. However, they were soon met with a fierce attack from S-Pulse. In set pieces, Alex skillfully sent a ball from his left foot into the goal area, creating a dangerous situation. In the 4th minute, Alex took a shot from a set piece on the left side and Oeno shot with his left foot. The ball narrowly missed the left side of the goal.

The Espal's attack on this day was built around Ichikawa, who stretched out to the high right position, and Alex, who also started the attack from the left. From here, they shook the opponent by hitting the posts with Yasunaga and Kuboyama, or by relaying to Ito and expanding to the opposite side, and finally breaking through the side and delivering a sharp, accurate cross. The thorough attacking pattern was almost perfect, but Tokyo on this day bounced back with even higher concentration than usual. Fujiyama marked Ichikawa, and Naito and Yukihiko doubled up on Alex, and in the center, Komine and Sandro put their bodies on the line to clear. The two defensive midfielders also did not allow the opponent to move freely with intense marking.

Kamino's great performance! He scored the first goal!

Tokyo, which tends to be at a disadvantage, finds a way out through counters. In the 18th minute, Kamiya dribbles and shoots from a feint in a counterattack. In the 28th minute, Kamiya's post-play leads to a vertical pass to Yukihiko. Yukihiko's shot is caught by the goalkeeper, but Tokyo starts to create attacking opportunities from Kamiya's post-play.

As the first half ended in a 0-0 tie and the second half began, the pace of the game only increased. Shimizu boldly supplied long balls from their defenders to both sides, Ichikawa and Alex, who quickly pushed forward towards the goal. In the 3rd minute of the second half, Alex received the ball and charged towards the goal, unleashing a powerful shot. However, the ball hit the crossbar and did not go in. On the other hand, Tokyo immediately had a chance on the counterattack. The ball was passed to Yukihiro, who had run into space on the right side, and he sent a cross to the center. Kanno, who was waiting in front of the goal, fell to the ground and volleyed the ball with his right foot to score the first goal. It was a clean goal from a sharp counterattack, taking advantage of the space created by the opponent's aggressive play.

Tokyo continues to gather the ball to Rene and build their attack from there. Rene shows a stable and almost perfect post-play, creating chances from combinations with Yukihiko and Kaburagi.

Unexpected 2 goals conceded just before victory...

On the other hand, Shimizu S-Pulse did not stay silent. Libero Morioka dribbled up and distributed a pass. Kanno had no more energy to defend, and Enomoto, who came on as a substitute, couldn't keep up with Morioka, so Asari, who was balancing the defense in the position of the defensive midfielder, was pulled out to respond, and Tokyo's defensive balance was disrupted. In the second half, Shimizu S-Pulse collected the ball with Hirayama, who came on as a substitute, and Hirayama aggressively stirred up the area in front of Tokyo's goal. Alex on the side also showed no signs of fatigue, and when he saw space open up in Tokyo's midfield, he attempted sharp feints and dribbles to break through. Tokyo's goal area was still filled with dangerous crosses, and there were many close calls, but Tokyo was saved by Tsuchi's stable play, and time continued to pass. And in the 41st minute of the second half, Alex, who had been stopped by Naito and Yukihiro's double team, was beaten on the side and a low, sharp cross was sent in, and Hirayama jumped in and scored the equalizer. With only 4 minutes left, victory was in sight...but the nightmare was not over yet. With the support of the frenzied fans, Shimizu S-Pulse continued to attack. In the final minutes of the second half, once again Alex broke through on the left side with a feint and sent in a cross, and although Tsuchi deflected Kuboyama's shot, Hirayama was there to score the winning goal. They were so close to victory, but in the final moments, they conceded 2 goals and suffered a devastating comeback loss.

<Coach Okuma's Comment>

The difference in results between the team with active substitute players and the team without active players became apparent. Towards the end, Morioka came up and the midfield became thick, but Asari jumped out while Enomoto and Kanno were unable to return, causing the defensive balance to collapse. In the end, it was unfortunate that they were scored on by taking advantage of that.