Tokyo, battered and bruised, takes on the Asian champions, Shimizu S-Pulse!

On April 15th of this year, Shimizu S-Pulse won the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, shining as the Asian champion. In the league, they have maintained their momentum from last year's 2nd stage victory, achieving 6 wins and 2 losses so far this year, making them the top favorites for the 1st stage championship.

In this match against the "super strong team," Tokyo will face a tough lineup without two of their ace attackers, TUTO (suspended due to accumulated warnings) and Amaral (absent due to injury). After Amaral was injured and left the field, they managed to secure victories in the two matches (April 22 against Hiroshima, April 29 against Kyoto) thanks to TUTO's superhuman performance, but on this day, TUTO will also be absent. Tokyo's disadvantage is undeniable, but the key will be how much work Jinno, who will play as a forward, can do up front, and whether Yukihiko SATO can create chances from the side against his former club, Shimizu S-Pulse. Jinno is expected to create stability with his hold-up play and capitalize on the few chances in front of the goal to score. Meanwhile, Yukihiko is anticipated to exploit the space on the right side and create as many opportunities as possible.

A thrilling match in a packed Shiranami Stadium

On this day, Nihondaira was packed to capacity. The compact soccer-specific stadium, designed uniquely for the soccer kingdom of Shizuoka, was filled with an exhilarating atmosphere that delighted the spectators. Additionally, the passionate support from one of the hottest fan bases in Japan was evident. Although they may not match the Reds in numbers, their samba rhythm-based cheers were perfectly coordinated and continued almost without interruption. It truly reminded me that I was away from home after a long time.

On the other hand, the "goal area" in Tokyo was not to be outdone. Although they were overwhelmingly fewer in number, about 300 people gathered together, and that mass jumped up and down like a single living creature, repeating a great chorus. In particular, the call of "Our Yukihiko!" resonated powerfully.

At 4 PM, as the entire venue shook with the cheers of both teams, the kickoff whistle blew.

The match quickly developed into a fast-paced battle of offense and defense. In the first minute, Tokyo's Naito made a cross from the right side, which Toda beautifully trapped and shot. It was a greeting shot, but soon after, they faced a fierce attack from Shimizu S-Pulse. During a set piece, Alex sent a versatile ball from his left foot into the goal area, creating a dangerous situation. In the fourth minute, from a set piece on the left side, Alex kicked the ball, and Oenoku shot with his left foot. The ball narrowly missed to the left of the goal.

On this day, S-Pulse's attack was built around Ichikawa, who positioned himself high on the right, and Alex on the left. From there, they would either aim for the posts with Yasunaga and Kuboyama or use Ito to switch the play to the opposite side, creating pressure before finally breaking deep down the flank and delivering sharp, precise crosses. This thorough attacking pattern was nearly perfect, but on this day, Tokyo responded with an unusually high level of concentration. Fujiyama marked Ichikawa, while Alex was double-teamed by Naito and Yukihiko, and in the center, Komine and Sandro put their bodies on the line to clear the ball. The two defensive midfielders also marked fiercely, not allowing the opponents any freedom.

Okanosuke shines! Scores the opening goal!

Tokyo, which tends to be at a disadvantage, finds a way out through counterattacks. In the 18th minute, Kamino dribbles in from a counterattack and takes a shot after a feint. In the following 28th minute, a last pass from Kamino's hold-up play goes to Yukihiko, who breaks through vertically. Yukihiko's shot was caught by the goalkeeper, but Tokyo began to create attacking shapes starting from Kamino's hold-up play.

After a scoreless first half, the tempo of the match increased as the second half began. Shimizu seized the ball and delivered bold long passes from the defense to the flanks, supplying Ichikawa and Alex, quickly pushing towards the goal. In the 3rd minute of the second half, the ball reached Alex, who charged straight towards the goal and unleashed a powerful shot. The ball struck the crossbar and did not result in a goal. Conversely, shortly after, Tokyo had a chance from a counterattack. The ball was passed to Yukihiko, who had broken into space on the right side, and Yukihiko sent a cross to the center after a feint, where Kamino, waiting in front of the goal, connected with a volley using his right foot while falling. It was a clean goal from a sharp counterattack that exploited the space created by the opponent pushing forward.

Tokyo will continue to gather the ball to Kamino and build their attack from there. Kamino displayed stable, almost perfect, post play and created chances through combinations with Yukihiko and Kaburaki.

Two unexpected goals conceded just before victory...

Meanwhile, S-Pulse did not remain silent. Libero Morioka advanced with a dribble and distributed passes. Kamino no longer had the strength to defend, and Enomoto, who came on as a substitute, couldn't keep up with Morioka. Asari, who was maintaining defensive balance in the defensive midfield position, was pulled out to respond, causing Tokyo's defensive balance to collapse. S-Pulse focused the ball on Hiramatsu, who came on in the second half, and Hiramatsu stirred up the area in front of Tokyo's goal with sharp and aggressive movements. Alex on the side showed no drop in his work rate; seeing space open up in Tokyo's midfield, he launched a sharp feint dribble breakthrough. Dangerous crosses continued to fly in front of Tokyo's goal, creating many risky situations, but Tokyo was saved by Doi's steady play as time steadily passed. Then, in the 41st minute of the second half, Alex, who had been tightly marked by Naito and Yukihiko and had not allowed any decisive breakthroughs until then, broke through the side and delivered a low, sharp cross. Hiramatsu jumped in and scored the equalizer. With 4 minutes remaining, victory was almost in sight... but the nightmare was not over. Backed by a frenzied large crowd, S-Pulse pressed on. In the 44th minute of the second half, Alex once again broke through the left side with a feint and crossed. Doi saved Kuboyama's shot once, but Hiramatsu, who was following up, scored the go-ahead goal, sealing the outcome. With a victory within reach, Tokyo conceded two goals just before the end and suffered a heartbreaking come-from-behind loss.

Director Okuma's Comments

The difference in results was evident between the team that had players who performed well and the team that did not. In the final stages, Morioka came up and thickened the midfield, but Asari broke through when Enomoto and Kamino could not return, which disrupted the defensive balance. In the end, it was unfortunate that we conceded a goal because of that.