Shut down Shimizu's solid defense and win away!

　In Sec. 16, we will face Shimizu S-Pulse away. Since the league resumed, we have had 3 draws, just a step away from victory. In particular, the last two matches ended in scoreless draws, and we are struggling with a lack of scoring ability. However, we have only conceded goals from a penalty and a free kick in the match against Cerezo. Our defense is stable, and the overall balance has improved. The challenge lies in the precision of plays leading to finishes and slight misalignments in coordination. It was difficult to create attacking shapes in the rain against Verdy, but we want to increase our attacking variations,” said Coach Hara.

　Shimizu is currently in 10th place with 17 goals scored, 14 goals conceded, and 20 points. They are accumulating points through fast counters that utilize the solid defense, in-form forward Cho Je-jin, left midfielder Che Te-uk, and right player Yukihiko SATO. To have an advantageous game even away, it is crucial to score the first goal against Shimizu, who has a strong defensive awareness. Additionally, to suppress the opponent's counters, it is important to avoid losing the ball in a half-hearted manner and to ensure that the play is carried through to the finish. The focus will be on seizing control of the flanks and how to break through Shimizu's solid defense. They are determined to snatch a victory even away.

　The starting members are the same as the previous match, but this time they are using a 4-5-1 formation with Lucas as the lone striker. Shimizu also has the same setup as the last match (against Kobe), with Cho Je-jin at the top, FW Kuboyama just behind, and MF Ito and MF Toru TAKAGIWA forming a double pivot, using a 4-back formation like Tokyo. The temperature is 24 degrees, the wind has picked up, but at Japan's high humidity of 79 percent at Nissan Stadium, the match started with Shimizu's kickoff at 19:04.

Breaching The Wall

F.C.TOKYO traveled south to Shizuoka to take on Shimizu S-Pulse in the 16th league game of the season. Three consecutive draws, the last two 0-0, had been the return since the J.League restarted and the sudden scarcity of goals was proving problematic. "The goals we conceded against Cerezo came from a free kick and penalty. The defence has been solid and the team balance very good. The conditions were appalling for the Verdy game but we need to tighten up our attack and improve our accuracy in the final third of the pitch. We need more variation in attack", commented manager Hara.
S-Pulse lay in 10th place before kick off with 20 points, having scored 17 but only conceded 14 goals. The club's relative success this year has been based on solid defence and rapid counter attacks with midfielders Cho, on the right and Sato, on the left, supplying in-form striker Choi. Not conceding the first goal would be the main priority for the visitors; losing the ball with players committed to attack could prove fatal. Finding space along the flanks and finishing each move with an attempt on goal would be the game plan.
The starting eleven was the same as the Verdy game but Lucas played as lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation. S-Pulse also stayed with the same line up that started the previous match with Kuboyama playing in the withdrawn striker position behind Choi. Ito and Takagi played as double defensive midfielders with a four-man defence behind them. The game kicked off shortly after seven on a humid evening.

The first half expressed the feeling of betting on victory

　From the start, Tokyo's aggressive attitude shone through. 40 seconds in, Jean connected with Toda and Lucas, leading to Kurizawa's dribbling shot with speed. In the 7th minute, Tokyo launched a quick attack. Starting from Kajiyama, Kurizawa dribbled into the right space. Ishikawa made a run and sent a cross from a deep position. A clearance from the Shimizu defense spilled into the left area, where Konno rushed in for a shot. However, it was blocked by the goalkeeper, resulting in a left corner kick. In the 15th minute, Lucas intercepted in the Shimizu half, and the pass connected to Toda, who was trying to break forward, but he was just offside.

　In the 13th minute, Shimizu picked up a clearance from Tokyo's defense after a right corner kick, and midfielder Che Teuk shot from the left area. It was a dangerous moment, but it went over the bar. In the 16th minute, forward Kuboyama received a pass from the left side, turned towards the goal just outside the area, and shot. This also went over the goal. In the 21st minute, midfielder Takagi's long-range shot was caught by Doih. Following that, Che Teuk broke through on a through pass to the front line, facing the goalkeeper one-on-one while the Tokyo defense chased him. Doih bravely rushed out and secured the ball, averting a critical crisis. There were also scenes where Shimizu allowed sharp counterattacks, but with Doih and Shigeno at the center, they defended well. In the 17th minute, from a left throw-in, Kanazawa passed to Lucas, then to Toda, back to Kanazawa, and finally to Kurisawa with direct passes. Picking up a deflected ball from the defense, they shifted to the right, and Kaji crossed to Ishikawa, creating an attacking shape starting from the side for Tokyo.

　After that, both sides made mistakes, and the back-and-forth struggle for control continued. In the 31st minute, Kajiyama advanced into the left area, initially held back by the Shimizu DF, but from the rebound, Ishikawa took a well-controlled mid-range shot, which went to the left of the goal. In the 40th minute, a good sequence was created with right Lucas to central Kajiyama to right Ishikawa's cross, and Kaji picked up the rebound from the DF and earned a corner kick. From this corner kick, Toda aimed for a half-volley shot but was blocked by the opposing DF. In the 43rd minute, Kurizawa received a through pass from Kajiyama, evaded the opposing DF in the area, and shot. It was a decisive moment, but he couldn't make solid contact, and the opposing GK made the save. Both teams were fatigued, and it couldn't be said that the development was good, but in the latter stages, Kajiyama created rhythm with long and short passes, ending the first half with expectations for the second half.

TOKYO Gamble On Victory

TOKYO raced at S-Pulse from the whistle with Kurisawa dribbling forward and shooting. Kajiyama began a promising move in the 7th minute, finding Kurisawa advancing down the right. Kurisawa moved the ball on to Ishikawa whose cross from the byline was cleared out to Konno on the left of the area. Konno unleashed a firm drive but Kurokawa, in the S-Pulse goal, produced a good save to tip the ball around the post. In the 15th minute Lucas intercepted a loose pass in midfield and played the ball over the S-Pulse defense but Toda was given offside in a marginal decision.
In the 15th minute Choi fired just over the TOKYO bar following a corner. Kuboyama also failed to hit the target from a similar position a minute later. Midfielder Takagi tried his luck from long range in the 21st minute but Doi held his effort comfortably. A through ball split the TOKYO defense and Choi raced away with only Doi to beat; the TOKYO No.1 sprinted out of his goal and foiled a certain goal with a brave lunge at Choi's feet. The home side had some opportunities on fast breaks but Moniwa and Doi were in fine form. TOKYO began to dominate play along the flanks and enjoyed a period of possession that failed to produce a clear cut chance.
In the 31st minute Kajiyama powered to the edge of the area before the S-Pulse defense blocked his progress; the loose ball fell to Ishikawa but he shot wide. TOKYO won a corner in the 40th minute following a sweeping crossfield move. Toda hit the ball on the half volley but saw his effort deflect off a defender. As the first period drew to a close Kajiyama produced a fine through ball to Kurisawa whose pace took him away from the last defender. With only the keeper to beat Kurisawa mishit his shot and an excellent opportunity was wasted. Both sides were showing signs of fatigue and the half was far from a classic but Kajiyama's top quality passing sparked TOKYO to find their rhythm and the visitors looked forward to the second period.

Secured the match with Lucas's valuable goal, a long-awaited victory!!

　Shimizu substituted MF Sawato for MF Sawato at the start of the second half. Immediately after the start, they allowed an attack initiated by Sawato and right back Ichikawa, resulting in a right corner kick. This corner kick was well defended, and they transitioned to attack. In the 47th minute, Kanazawa, who moved to the left side from Kajiyama, took a shot. In the 48th minute, this time Kanazawa picked up a loose ball from Kaji's right cross, turned inside, and took a well-placed shot. However, both were saved by the goalkeeper. But in the 50th minute, Shimizu launched a counterattack, exploiting a gap left by Tokyo's advance.

　A sharp cross from Cho Teuk, who surged up the left side, was touched by Dohi as he came out, but the ball spilled to Sawatobi in the right area. However, the shot from there was literally blocked by Kanazawa, who put his body on the line. Then in the 51st and 52nd minutes, Shimizu launched a series of attacks. They were forced into a pinch as the ball was played wide, but they managed to prevent any decisive shots from being taken and somehow held on.

　After that, while competing for control on the side, the game continued to alternate between offense and defense. In the 62nd minute, Lucas received a pass from Kurizawa on the right side, initiated a challenge, and charged towards the goal. He feinted against the opposing DF in the right area and boldly took a shot. This went past the DF's feet and found the bottom left corner of the goal, scoring! Lucas's competitive spirit produced the long-awaited opening goal!!

　However, from here, Shimizu counterattacked using Sawatari's precise kick as a weapon. In the 68th minute, Sawatari's early cross flowed to the left, and Cho Je-jin made a perfect header at just the right timing. This was a nice save by Doi, who dove to the side! In the 69th minute, Shimizu substituted MF Ota for FW Kuboyama, and in the 75th minute, FW Nishino came in for the holding midfielder Ito. They strengthened the front line with two forwards to score a goal. However, Tokyo also brought in Miura for Kajiyama in the 73rd minute. In the 76th minute, Shimizu had a right corner kick. Nishino connected with a header at the near post from Sawatari's kick, but Doi saved it! In the 79th minute, from another left corner kick by Shimizu, MF Takagi connected with a high header, but Tokyo's DF cleared it.

　In the 81st minute, Baba was brought on for Lucas. By maintaining an attacking posture instead of falling back into defense, they stifled Shimizu's counterattacks and increased the number of scenes leading to finishes from quick transitions. In the 83rd minute, Toda surged up the left side from a fast break, cutting inside and taking a bold shot. In the 85th minute, Baba intercepted a pass error from Shimizu's defense in Shimizu's territory and aimed for the goal. In the closing stages of the match, they conceded consecutive corner kicks to Shimizu and gave away a free kick directly in front of the goal during stoppage time, but they remained focused and defended resolutely, aided by the opponent's mistakes, leading to the final whistle. They held on to Lucas's single goal, achieving three points with three consecutive matches without conceding! This marked their first victory in the league since Sec. 4 against Iwata, after 12 matches.

　[Player Comments]《Lucas》"It was a cross-like shot, but I thought that if I shot from there, the goalkeeper might spill it, and anything could happen, so I decided to take the shot. Today, the passes connected well, and there were chances. I think it was a good match. The reason we won today is that many fans supported us no matter what. There are challenges we need to think about moving forward, but I want to fight with confidence."《Kanazawa》"The two shots at the start of the second half were both with my right foot, but I was able to get into a good position for the loose ball, so I took the shot decisively. In the final stages, it was a tense time, and since the opponent pushed forward, we became somewhat defensive, but I never forgot the feeling of 'not pulling back.' I felt really sorry for not being able to win for a long time, so I am truly happy. However, how we approach the next match is important."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Although we had been playing well without winning, I felt that the overall balance of the team had improved significantly compared to the time when we were losing streaks due to many injuries. However, this time, we struggled to score. With Lucas's recovery progressing, we challenged with him in the center and Toda on the left, trying not to disrupt the balance. In the previous match, we played with a two-top of Toda and Lucas, but I thought it would be better for Toda to run from the left side, and if Lucas could regain his condition, he could hold the ball in the center. With the intention of using both sides from there, I believe we attacked with good balance. S-Pulse is quick on the counter. There were dangerous moments once in each half, but when the ball reached MF Che Teuk, it was quite fast, so while being careful of that counter, we aimed to utilize Lucas to break through the sides in our attack. We struggled to score in the first half, but everyone held on and defended well. We talked about 'chances will definitely come, so let's aim for the goal,' and Lucas scored solidly. It has never happened before that we couldn't win this much, both for the club and for myself. It's not that we are bad, yet we can't win. But I take that positively as 'we need to become stronger' and we are determined to overcome it, aiming for three points even away. I am very grateful that there are supporters who come to cheer for us even when we are losing, and we must respond to that. However, we must not become complacent, and from our usual practice and life, we want to aim higher and become a stronger team. With the Marinos match coming up soon, we cannot be happy about this. Next is at home, and I want to present a victory to our supporters at Ajinomoto Stadium. From here, I want to look up and play good soccer with more confidence to win."

　[Summary of Shimizu's Coach Hasegawa's Press Conference] "I felt a strong determination for victory from FC Tokyo, and I think that difference was reflected in the result. I thought we could move a bit more in the second half, but we couldn't circulate the ball well, and the players were unable to move, showing signs of fatigue from consecutive matches. There was also a sense of relief after winning away in the previous match. Looking at the content, I can't deny that. I substituted Sato in the first half due to an ankle injury, considering his condition. I also wanted to bring in Sawatari to stabilize the ball. In the second half, when he came in, the ball settled down, and we created good moments, but we couldn't break through from there, which was the cause of our defeat. It would have been better if we could have created more pauses in the midfield, but we made many mistakes from the first half, and the way we lost the ball was poor, which I think made the defense line panic. If we could have carried the ball a bit more calmly when it became our possession, we might have been able to fight more stably. However, I think there are games like this in the season. I want to make sure we don't carry this over. This is the first time this season that the overall movement has been so heavy. I want to quickly forget this kind of match and prepare for the next one. It's not about pinpointing what was bad today; the entire team couldn't perform well, and that simply reflected in the result. I want to properly prepare our condition for the next match."

Lucas' Goal Earns Valuable Win

S-Pulse replaced Sato with Sawanobori for the second half and the midfielder made an immediate impact, dribbling deep into the TOKYO half and earning a corner. The TOKYO defense held firm and launched a counter attack. In the 47th minute, Kajiyama set up Kanazawa for a shot and a minute later Kaji struck well from outside the area despite being under heavy pressure. The threat of over-extending themselves and being caught out remained and S-Pulse launched a rapid break in the 50th minute.
Cho hit an early cross into the box that Doi punched clear, but only as far as Sawanobori. Sawanobori struck firmly but Kanazawa flung himself into the path of the ball to deny the home side. The move signaled a period of intense pressure from S-Pulse that the TOKYO defense repelled somehow.
The see-saw battle for dominance on the wings continued until Lucas collected the ball from Kurisawa and burst through the middle in the 62nd minute. Lucas feinted to unbalance the last defender then struck a drive through his legs and inside the left post. Lucas' direct approach had given TOKYO a valuable lead.
S-Pulse struck back urgently, with Sawanobori the chief provider. In the 68th minute he curled a pinpoint cross onto Choi's head but Doi pulled off a stunning save, diving full length, to deny the equalizer. S-Pulse replaced forward Kuboyama with midfielder Ota and defensive midfielder Ito with forward Nishino, switching to a twin striker formation. TOKYO responded by replacing Kajiyama with Miura. In the 76th minute Sawanobori planted a corner onto Nishino's head at the near post but Doi again produced a fine save. The visitors' defense foiled another corner in the 79th minute.
Baba replaced Lucas in the 81st minute and instead of defending the slim lead, TOKYO took the game to their hosts. Toda cut inside after dribbling down the wing in the 83rd minute and shot. S-Pulse won a free kick in a good position as the game moved into injury time but the TOKYO defense held firm and saw out the tense, final few minutes until the whistle blew on a hard-fought 1-0 victory. Another clean sheet and the first league win since the 4th game of the season were the rewards for a fine performance.


Players' comments 
Lucas: 
"It felt like a cross-shot when I hit it but if you shoot from that position the goalkeeper might fumble the ball and you don't know what will happen. We played well today; the passing was smooth and we created chances. The support from our fans was terrific again. We still have many things to work on but this will give us confidence". 

Kanazawa:
"I had a couple of shooting chances at the start of the second half but they both fell to my right foot. I was pleased to get into shooting positions though. The final few minutes were tight but we were concentrating on not falling into a defensive mode. We hadn't won for a long time so I'm really thrilled with the win today. The way we play the next game will be very important".


F.C. TOKYO manager Hara:
"We've been playing well but not winning recently and the overall team balance is much better now than it has been for a while. We just don't seem able to score though. With Lucas fit again and playing centrally and Toda on the left we have a much better shape in attack. I played them as twin strikers in the last game but Toda is more valuable using his pace down the left while Lucas holds the ball up in the middle. Our plan was to use the flanks and we attacked with a good balance today, I felt. S-Pulse counter attack very quickly. The midfielder Cho is very fast on the ball and both sides had one good chance each in the first half. We felt it was very important to avoid being caught out and focused our attack on Lucas in the center and along the wings. I told the players at half time that chances would definitely come and to aim to hit the target. Lucas took the goal very well. This slump was a first for the club and a first for me; we didn't play badly but just couldn't win. We knew we would break out of it but to pick up three points away from home like this is great. Our supporters follow us away even when we're losing and we really wanted to repay them with a win. We still have a lot of hard work ahead of us, starting with the F Marinos game on Sunday. We want to present the fans with a win at Ajinomoto Stadium and move further up the table."

S-Pulse manager Hasegawa:
"TOKYO had more desire today and that showed in the result. Our players looked a little tired and the movement and passing in the first half wasn't good enough. We won away in the last game and our relief at that win showed in our play today. Sato wasn't in particularly good condition and picked up an ankle injury in the first half so we sent on Sawanobori to add some composure on the ball. That worked but we failed to score when we had the upper hand and that led to the defeat. We needed to create more from midfield. We made several mistakes, lost the ball in poor positions and that insecurity spread to the defence. We need to be calmer when we have possession. There are always going to be games like this though; we have to make sure it doesn't continue. It's the first time we have looked sluggish all season. We're going to forget this match and work hard in training to improve our condition for the next one."