No friendly matches, final round challenge

　In the previous round, FC Tokyo secured their spot in the final tournament as the top team in Group B. In the final round of the qualifying league, they will face Shimizu S-Pulse. Shimizu also secured their spot in the final round in the previous round as the second place team, and the outcome of today's match will not affect their ranking. However, Shimizu's determination is strong as they have their DF candidate for the Japan national team, Morioka, returning from injury for his second match, and MF Ito also returning for today's match.

　Tokyo also wants to give chances to players who are working hard even if they don't have the opportunity to play in the previous match, as coach Hara said after the last match. However, there is no "second team" in Tokyo right now. The motivation of substitute players is also very high. We will continue to fight without changing our mindset and aim for an undefeated record in the qualifying league, going for the win.

　The starting lineup consisted of DF Maeda, Komine, Yamao, and Minoru KOBAYASHI on the right. In the midfield, there was a double pivot of Miyazawa and Marcelo, with MF Hoshi on the right and Toda on the left. Up top, Wu and Fukuda formed a 1-2 partnership. On the bench were GK Kondo, MF Suwaen, Sato, FW Amaral, and Matsuda, who all prepared for kickoff.

Fighting with determination, but conceding a PK and falling behind.

　The DF line is a first-time combination, but they quickly started with a well-coordinated play to catch Shimizu's attack offside. And Fukuda, Toda, and Wu put on a fierce press from the front line, and the game progresses at a high pace.

　Marcelo was fouled in the middle of the opponent's field in the first minute, and Miyazawa took a direct shot at this FK, but the shot was saved by the opponent's GK. Shimizu also responded with fast passing and tough tackles. In the 6th minute, left MF Ota dribbled into the center and passed to the right side with Ito's quick decision-making. Baron headed the cross, but the ball was caught by Doi.

　11 minutes into the game, Tokyo had a big chance. From the DF line, Komine passed the ball to the left side of the front line, and Miyazawa caught up and crossed from the goal line. Star, who was waiting in the center, took a shot, but it was unfortunately saved by the GK. However, an accident occurred for Tokyo after this. In the 14th minute, Wu collided with GK Sanada while jumping behind the DF to receive a long pass from Maeda. He hit his head and briefly fell into a "concussion" state. Wu quickly returned to the field, but coach Hara later reflected on how "Wu was unable to get involved with the ball" from this point on.

　After that, Shizuoka's defensive midfielder Itoh launched a pass, and Tokyo struggled. In the 17th minute, Koga flew out to the left side to receive Itoh's pass, but Maeda calmly intercepted. In the 18th minute, Koga attempted to break through with a dribble again, but Marcelo cleared it. Tokyo pushed forward with determination and defended well.

　However, in the 22nd minute, Shimizu's Koga once again dribbled into the center from the left side of the penalty area, and Yamao, who tried to stop him with his body, was called for a foul, resulting in a PK. This was converted by FW Kubo, and they ended up conceding the first goal.

Shimizu, who showed a variety of attacks, was robbed of an additional point...

　Shimizu, who is getting excited, is gradually becoming immune to Tokyo's press, with MF Hiramatsu and Ota's dribbles shining. From a free kick obtained from the opponent's fierce foul in the midfield, Marcelo and Hoshi aim for a goal in the 28th and 30th minutes, respectively, but neither can shake the net.

　On the contrary, in the 32nd minute, Baron became the relay point for a long pass from behind, and headed it to the front of the goal, where Kuboyama jumped out. DF Komine competed desperately, but the loop shot that was struck a moment earlier touched GK Doi's hand and went into the goal. Shizuoka was caught off guard by the attack, which was based on Baron's head, and fell behind by two points as they headed into the second half.

　Tokyo made substitutions in the second half, bringing in Amaral for Kure and Suwaen for Hoshi. They set up a counterattack with a top two of Fukuda and Amaral. With Amaral as the focal point of the front line, the ball settled down and in the first half, both fullbacks were unable to push up. However, in the second half, they actively joined in the attack. In the 51st minute, Maeda received a pass from Miyazawa and made his way to the goal line, crossing the ball. The ball was cleared by the defense between Toda and Amaral, but it was a good opportunity.

　However, Shimizu also showed a variety of attacks, connecting fast passes, dribbling, and long balls to quickly attack the Tokyo goal. In the 53rd minute, Kuboyama entrusted the ball to Ota on the right side, and ran freely into the goal area to create a decisive moment. Although the trap was not successful and the shot was missed, Tokyo was saved by a mistake.

Fukuda's goal gives us a chance and a harvest even in defeat!

　59 minutes, Shimizu replaced Ito with MF Suzuki and Tokyo replaced Toda with Sato at 60 minutes. Tokyo, who wants to retaliate somehow, sees that the final line centered around Shimizu's Morio is solid, and at 65 minutes, Maeda takes a middle shot. At 66 minutes, Miyazawa takes the ball with persistent defense in the midfield and passes it to the right for a side change. Sato receives the ball and dribbles up, crosses it, and Amaral heads it with a high point, but it narrowly misses the goal.

　However, in a difficult time, they struggled with the passes that effectively used Shimizu's space, as well as the speedy dribblers such as Suzuki, Hiramatsu, and Ota. In the 74th minute, Miyazawa made a strong attack by running into the loose ball in front of the goal from a left corner kick, but was stopped by GK Sanada's fine play.

　In the 83rd minute, Shimizu substituted DF Petzel and brought in FW Shiizawa, who showed his dribbling skills once again, intensifying the attack and defense. The game became a back-and-forth of counterattacks, but in the midst of it all, in the 84th minute, a ball was sent to the right side from an aerial battle in front of Shimizu's goal, and Sato passed it back on the ground. The ball reached Fukuda's feet, who calmly kicked it into the goal! Sato and Fukuda's combination showed their relentless play and eagerness to score, resulting in a shining goal.

　Tokyo, who desperately showed signs of scoring another goal, but in the 88th minute, Komine received his second yellow card and was sent off. Unable to make a comeback, they ended the game with a one-point difference. This was their first loss in the qualifying league.

　The fast-paced game continued, keeping the audience engaged. The players from Tokyo showed their fighting spirit and determination. However, there are still many areas for improvement, such as converting chances into goals, precision in play, and overall physicality.

　The official games before the World Cup have ended, and although there were challenges and achievements, it was a defeat that we want to take as a step towards the challenge.

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "In the previous match, we had to push ourselves despite injuries to players like Jean, Kelly, and Ito, who we decided to replace with Marcelo and Wu, in order to increase the energy of our young players. Unfortunately, Wu had an accident and couldn't get involved with the ball much in the first half. He has great abilities, so I thought he could do more if he recovered. However, it became difficult at halftime, so we decided to bring in Amaral and go for one goal. Although our entire backline changed, I think the players who don't usually play did a good job. It's understandable that they may lack match experience, but we didn't lose because of carelessness. We were able to score one goal back, and the presence of players like Fukuda and Amaral has been increasing. Sato also made an assist in this situation, and I think each player was able to grasp what was missing during the match."

[Summary of Shimizu Zemunovic's press conference] "Today's result may not directly affect our ranking, but it was a very important game where we approached the match with determination and fought hard. We demanded that our players be aggressive and combative from the start. As a result, I think it was a good game. In the first half, we were able to create good actions and score two goals. In the second half, we had many chances but couldn't capitalize on them, and ended up conceding a goal. However, I think it was a good experience for our young players. Despite missing our national team players, both the young and veteran players worked hard and fought together. After our first game against Tokyo where we lost 0-3 and were feeling down, our veteran players led the young players and turned their energy into a positive one. We were able to gain something from that."