Avoid consecutive losses and prove the growth of attacking football.

　Sec. 13 will face Shimizu S-Pulse. In the home game at Tokyo Stadium after a 3-week break, we aim to win with attacking football without being affected by the defeat in the previous away game. We also want to aim for a higher position with all our might, and as the 2nd stage reaches its climax, we want to show our growth this season. Toda will be absent from the team due to a sprained foot, and Ishikawa will also be absent due to injury, but rookie Baba will make his first league start as a FW. Sato will enter as the right MF, and Kaji will also return from injury. It has become a lineup that brings new expectations.

　On the other hand, Shimizu S-Pulse, on the team sheet, is a 4-4-2 formation, but in reality, it is a 3-5-2 system with the right back, Ichikawa, playing in a high position. With the strong header of Baron and Japan national team's Mitsuo as the two top players, and the addition of South Korean national team's An Jung-hwan (An Jong-fan) in the center of the midfield during the 2nd stage, they possess a constant and intimidating presence.

　The match kicked off under a chilly cloudy sky with a temperature of 11.6 degrees.

Proof Positive

F.C.TOKYO returned to Tokyo Stadium for the 13th game of the J.League second stage, against Shimizu S-Pulse, hoping to make amends for their last-gasp defeat by Grampus in the previous match. TOKYO were without the injured Ishikawa and Toda; Sato replaced the former while youngster Yuta Baba made his first appearance as striker. Kaji returned from injury to complete the starting line up.
S-Pulse presented a 4-4-2 formation on paper but on the field right side back Ichikawa was pushed forward, creating a 3-5-2 system. Towering centre forward Baron and fleet footed Japan striker Santos formed the strike force with Korean World Cup star Ahn Jung Hwan in the creative midfield role.
The game kicked off on a cold afternoon in suburban Tokyo.

Goal competition in the early hours

　The game, which started with both teams feeling each other out, quickly picked up pace. In the 3rd minute, Shimizu took advantage of a loose ball in midfield and connected with MF Ito, who then passed it to FW Mitsushu in the center of the penalty area. Mitsushu made a strong dash towards the goal and received the return pass, scoring in the blink of an eye. It was a brilliant one-two attack that gave Shimizu the lead.

　For Tokyo, it was a start with a goal that they couldn't keep up with, and they were "done" by Yasu, but they didn't get discouraged and put together a solid attack to fight back. In the 6th minute, they connected from the right side with Kaji to Baba in the center, and Miyazawa took the ball that the opponent DF cut off and took a shot. The GK saved it, but they showed a fast-paced attack. And right after that. In the 7th minute, Amaral aggressively joined in on the attack and Baba actively drew out the opponent DF. The ball was cut off just before the penalty area, but Miyazawa ran in on the loose ball and swung his left foot from behind the left corner of the penalty area, and the ball bounced once in front of the opponent GK and went into the right corner for a goal. They quickly returned the game to a tie.

Flying Start

Both teams soon generated some heat on the pitch, however, as the game began at a furious pace and S-Pulse needed only three minutes to take the lead.
Ahn latched on to a loose ball in midfield, played a one-two with Ito then played another one-two with Santos on the edge of the TOKYO area before coolly stroking the ball inside the left post for a sublime goal.
TOKYO, given an early and painful lesson on the danger posed by Ahn and Santos, refused to panic and attacked with purpose and commitment. In the 6th minute Miyazawa reacted fastest to a deflected pass from Baba and fired a low drive that the Shimizu keeper did well to save. A minute later, and in a similar position, another TOKYO attack was broken up with the ball again falling to Miyazawa; he produced a curling shot which bounced awkwardly in front of the keeper and buried itself in the right corner of the net. TOKYO needed only four minutes to restore parity.

Shimizu Baron receives a red card and is sent off...

　Both teams scored goals in pressure-free situations, but afterwards, they tried to connect passes and develop their play, but were unable to create space for each other, resulting in a midfield battle.

　Tokyo dominates the ball and shows an aggressive attitude towards the goal. In the 9th minute, Sato, who was waiting in front of the goal, takes a free volley shot from Kelly's cross from the right side, but it is blocked by the goalkeeper's great save. In the 19th minute, Baba sends a decisive ground pass to Amaral from the midfield. However, he is closed down by the opposing defender just before taking the shot. In the 22nd minute, Sato takes a shot from outside the right penalty area. In the 25th minute, Jahn aims for the goal from a free kick, and in the 26th minute, Sato runs in with speed to take a shot from the ball that Amaral connected in the front line. However, despite overwhelming attacks, they are unable to score a goal.

　At the 29th minute, Shimizu FW Baron received his second warning for rough play and was sent off. This left Shimizu to fight with 10 players for the rest of the game.

　Tokyo added accents to their rhythm with Kelly's keeping ability, Fujiyama's overlap, Miyazawa's side change, and Baba's dribbling, but they were unable to create decisive scenes. In the first half stoppage time, Kelly in the center connected with Baba on the left, then to Amaral, and Kelly took another shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper, leaving the score at 1-1 going into the second half.

Baron Off!

Shocked by their defensive profligacy both teams tightened up; space was at a premium and the game developed into a midfield battle. TOKYO nearly claimed the lead in the 9th minute when Kelly danced down the wing and centered at waist height; Sato fired his volley into the ground and Shimizu keeper Hada produced a superb save to turn the ball around the post. TOKYO slowly began to gain ascendancy in midfield and created a series of half-chances, repelled by some increasingly desperate defending from the visitors.
TOKYO seemed to receive a major boost in the 29th minute when Baron was red-carded for two consecutive fouls. The home side, paced by Kelly's ability to hold the ball up, Fujiyama's overlapping, Miyazawa's cross field passes and Baba's dribbling, were comfortably in the driver's seat but unable to fashion a clear-cut opening. In first half injury time Baba and Amaral worked an opening for Kelly but his shot was straight at the keeper. The half finished 1-1.

Unable to take advantage of numerical superiority, Shizuoka sinks into a counterattack.

　Tokyo continues to attack from the start of the second half. Shortly after the start, Miyazawa aims for a direct goal from a free kick from the right side of the penalty area. In the 48th minute, Baba drops a cross from Kaji in front of the goal, but it narrowly misses Amaral on the left side of the goal area.

　However, Shizuoka bared its fangs, taking advantage of Tokyo's aggressive play. In the 49th minute, Shizuoka intercepted Tokyo's pass in their own half and connected with two passes to Mitsumoto and Yasu, who then made a dribble and charged forward. If left unchecked, Mitsumoto would have made a final pass to Yasu, who aimed for the keeper Doi's position and made a looping shot. With this goal, Shizuoka's sharp attack by the Japanese-Korean duo resulted in another point being taken away. Shizuoka, now in the lead, had a solid strategy in place. They reinforced their defense line and focused on counterattacks led by Yasu and Mitsumoto. Tokyo struggled against this tactic.

　In the 58th minute, Sato broke through the DF line on a sharp cross from Miyazawa on the left, but his close-range shot from the right corner of the goal area was blocked by the opposing GK. In the 63rd minute, rookie lefty Suzuki was substituted for Fujiyama, aiming for a goal with a 3-5-2 formation. Despite making his league debut, Suzuki showed courage by creating opportunities with crosses from the left, and in the 64th minute, Shigeno took a corner kick from that cross. However, three consecutive corner kicks were unable to result in a shot due to the opposing DF's tough marking. In the 69th minute, Fukuda was substituted for Baba. With increased momentum and rhythm in their attack, Tokyo continued to attack while Shizuoka defended, creating an exciting battle. In the 74th minute, Suzuki followed up on a ball cleared by the opposing DF from a corner kick on the right, but the ball went over the goal.

　80 minutes, Kaji's early cross reached Fukuda, who was free in the penalty area, but the shot he took after trapping the ball was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 83rd minute, Suzuki crossed from the left and Fukuda headed the ball on the far side, but the goalkeeper caught it again. After that, Kaji continued to cross from the right and Suzuki from the left, but Tokyo's fierce attacks were met with a crowded defense in front of the goal, and they ended up conceding a counterattack to Shimizu. In stoppage time, Doi also showed his determination by going up for a corner kick, but Tokyo's lack of finishing ultimately led to a defeat despite having a numerical advantage. They were unable to break through Shimizu's resilient defense and sharp counterattacks, resulting in another loss.

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We talked about moving the ball quickly and creating 2-on-1 attacks from the sides during halftime, as the opponent was down to one player in the first half. However, there was some impatience in our crosses, passes, and shots, and we were unable to create good opportunities. The biggest reason for our defeat was not being able to convert our decisive chances. We had a lot of fans come to support us, and we all tried to play an attacking style of soccer, which was evident in the players' efforts. I think Baba and Suzuki were also trying to be more aggressive. We wanted to equalize faster, but our attacking rhythm became more like a "local train". We lacked strength and accuracy."

[Summary of Shimizu Zemunovic's press conference] "It was a difficult and tough game. We took the lead, but a few minutes later we conceded a goal, and we couldn't predict how the game would unfold. On top of that, we were missing Baron, which made it even harder. In the second half, Tokyo dominated for a longer period of time, but it was important to use counterattacks as a weapon. We managed to score another goal and then faced fierce attacks from FC Tokyo, but we didn't allow any more goals. I want to congratulate my team for not only fighting hard, but also leaving a mark in the numbers and results. I also want to praise the fighting spirit and fair play of FC Tokyo's players, and recognize them as true footballers."

One Break Breaks TOKYO

TOKYO began the second half on the attack. The Shimizu keeper held Miyazawa's free kick soon after the restart then Amaral went desperately close to connecting with Baba's knock down from a Kaji cross. In the 48th.minute another attack broke down and Santos pounced on the loose ball to feed Ahn; Ahn raced up field, drew the defence and slipped the ball to Santos who chipped the advancing Doi from just inside the penalty area. The ball described a perfect arc into the far corner of the goal and TOKYO had fallen behind to the smoothest of sucker punches.
From then on the game settled into a predictable pattern: TOKYO piling forward in search of an equaliser, S-Pulse content to defend en masse and strike on the break.
In the 58th.minute Sato raced through the S-Pulse back line to meet Miyazawa's powerfully struck cross with a leaping volley from point blank range that drew a stunning instinctive save from the keeper. Suzuki made his first J.League appearance when he replaced Fujiyama in the 63rd. minute as TOKYO switched to a 3-5-2 formation, and was soon involved as his cross to Moniwa earned a corner. TOKYO won a string of corners but the massed ranks of the visitors' defence proved an impenetrable wall. Fukuda replaced Baba in the 69th.minute and had a clear chance to tie the score in the 80th.minute as an early cross from Kaji found him unmarked in the penalty area.
The keeper spread himself and somehow blocked the shot. The keeper again foiled Fukuda in the 84th.minute, this time holding a far post header.
TOKYO keeper Doi joined the attack for a corner in injury time but to no avail; the home side had been undone by solid defending and the rapier-like counter-attacking prowess of Santos and Ahn.


TOKYO Manager Hara:
"With our opponents reduced to ten men so early in the game I instructed the team to move the ball around at speed and use our advantage to outnumber them down the wings. But the crossing, passing and shooting were not of sufficient quality to produce an equaliser. Not taking our chances was the reason we lost. We maintained our commitment to attacking football, and in that respect I feel Baba and Suzuki performed well, but we couldn't add enough speed or variety in attack. We were a stopping train today, not a bullet train".

S-Pulse manager Zemunovic:
"That was a tough game. It was impossible to predict what would happen next. After we lost Baron, TOKYO dominated the game and we knew we would have to find something on the counterattack if we wanted to salvage the game. We were able to do that and then held TOKYO in midfield and defense. I think all football fans would like to commend F.C.TOKYO for their fair play."