Aiming for three consecutive wins by defeating the strong Shimizu

　In Sec. 20 of the J1 League, we will face Shimizu S-Pulse away. In the previous match against Fukuoka, although the opponent had a player sent off, we had a numerical advantage. Our defense from the front worked well, and our fast attacks after regaining possession were effective, including goals from set pieces, overwhelming Fukuoka with a score of 5-1. In addition to the previous match against Chiba, the entire team has shown a spirited and passionate performance.

　Shimizu is currently in 4th place with 11 wins, 2 draws, and 6 losses. In the last match against Oita, they ended in a 3-3 draw, missing out on a 5-game winning streak, but the fact that they equalized in the final moments should have minimized the psychological damage. Especially in home games, they have shown overwhelming strength with 7 wins and 2 losses so far, and they have won every match since the Sec. 7 game against Oita. Coach Kuramata stated, "Shimizu has scoring ability, but actually has a good defense with few goals conceded. We want to make sure we don't disrupt our rhythm and self-destruct, and we aim to take our chances when fatigue sets in."

　Tokyo's lineup remains unchanged from the previous match. Due to the back-to-back games with only two days in between, the team has been focusing on adjusting their condition during practice. "It would be a lie to say there is no fatigue, but there are no players whose form has dropped significantly," said Coach Kuramata, expressing no concerns at all. Against Shimizu's solid defense, Lucas and Akamine will act as the focal points in the front line by exploiting the space between the defenders and midfielders, and if they repeatedly challenge from the sides, chances should be created. Additionally, like in the previous match, we also want to aim for goals from set pieces.

　In the past, to find a three-game winning streak, we must go back to the 2002 2nd stage, but by valuing the current momentum and fighting together as a team without losing focus, there is a good chance of winning against the strong Shimizu. The match started at 7:04 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo at Nihondaira Stadium, where a pleasant breeze was blowing.

Gave a penalty kick just before the end, trailing by one goal at halftime

From the start of the first half, with support from the home crowd, Shimizu takes control of the match. In the 3rd minute, forward Cho Je-jin breaks free from a long pass from the left side, turns while holding off Jaan, and shoots, but it goes over the bar. In the 6th minute, Tokyo connects Lucas's interception to Akamine, then to Kajiyama, and finally to Ishikawa, leading to a right corner kick won by Tokunaga. Kajiyama's kick is met by Akamine's header, but it's too far from the goal, and the opposing defense clears it. Despite facing tight marking from the front line, they manage to fend off Shimizu's attacks while looking for opportunities, but Shimizu's offensive continues.

　In the 10th minute, from a throw-in, left MF Fujimoto's cross found MF Hyodo, who was free for a header in front of the goal. It went to the right. In the 12th minute, a foul by Tokunaga on MF Fujimoto in the penalty area was called, awarding a penalty kick to Shimizu, but FW Marquinhos's kick went high over the bar. After preventing this absolute crisis, Tokyo gradually took control of the pace.

In the 15th minute, Akamine connected from a play initiated by Kajiyama, managing to hold off a defender while passing, and Kawaguchi brought the ball forward. Kajiyama made a run for a central pass and took a shot, but unfortunately it went just left of the goal. In the 16th minute, Akamine received a pass from the right side. After a hold-up play, he turned to shoot at the goal, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 18th minute, Ishikawa drifted to the left side and delivered a cross, which Lucas connected with a header, and Akamine took a direct shot from the right area, but it went high over the goal.

　However, Shimizu repeatedly changed positions freely from the midfield to the front line, surpassing Tokyo in ball possession. In the 21st minute, FW Marquinhos received the ball directly in front of the goal. In the 26th minute, defensive midfielder Edamura took a shot from close range. In the 29th minute, FW Marquinhos received a through pass, turned towards the goal, and shot. It was a decisive moment, but they could not break through the goal.

　After that, Shimizu took control and launched an attack, while Tokyo capitalized on their few chances through concentrated defense, counterattacks, and set pieces. It seemed that the first half would end scoreless, but in stoppage time, they unexpectedly allowed a goal. From Shimizu's right corner kick, Tokunaga received a second warning and was sent off after a scramble in front of the goal. Shimizu was awarded their second penalty kick of the day, which FW Cho Je-jin converted, right before the time was up.

Despite attacking without giving up until the end, we were unable to score and lost the match.

　Tokyo substituted Inoha for Akamine in the second half. Lucas was positioned as the lone striker. Although they were at a numerical disadvantage, the plan was to stabilize the defense first, launch counterattacks when the opportunity arose, and if they were still losing, to go for broke in the final stages. As expected from the start, Shimizu controlled the ball, but they defended solidly at the back and did not allow any additional goals. Instead, they launched a counterattack in response.

　In the 51st minute, Kawaguchi broke through on the left side and won a right corner kick from a grounded cross. Jean headed in response to Kajiyama's kick but couldn't hit the target. In the 58th minute, a counterattack started with Lucas. Kawaguchi was fouled on the left side, resulting in a free kick. Lucas jumped in on Kajiyama's sharp kick but couldn't connect. In the 61st minute, Ishikawa, who tried to turn the ball over to attack, was fouled and earned a free kick from a position about 27-28 meters from the center. Ishikawa aimed directly at the goal, but it went high over the bar.

　The situation remained unchanged, and with 15 minutes left, Tokyo decided to take a risk. Miyazawa was brought in to replace Kawaguchi. Ishikawa was moved up front, leaving three in midfield. Just as it seemed like things were about to change, an accident allowed an additional goal. In the 77th minute, while Inoha was down after a collision with an opponent, Shimizu's forward Cho Je-jin scored powerfully, taking the second goal.

　In a back-to-back match with two days in between, despite being tired towards the end, all the players chased the ball from the front. They continued to attack without giving up until the end, and although Lucas and Ishikawa took shots, they were unable to break through the goal, resulting in the end of the match. Ultimately, they could not recover from the disadvantage against Shimizu's momentum and suffered a defeat.

　【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"We changed the system while being one player down, but that created space in the midfield, and the opponent had more possession. The coach told me, 'Make passes to get Nao running to score one goal!' but I was often chasing defensively and couldn't get much ball time. Shimizu's defense was solid from the first half, and I thought it was difficult to break them down while connecting passes, but since we could break through from Nao's side, I wanted to make plays that would lead to goals from there. At 0-1, the outcome was still uncertain, but conceding the second goal made it tough. Everyone was putting their bodies on the line and working hard, but at the moment of the second goal, we had to keep communicating and defending until the whistle. My substitution was to score goals. If it doesn't lead to victory, it means nothing. I was really shocked. I truly wanted to win." 《Masushima》"I was prepared to come on at any time. I was focused on not conceding goals, but it's disappointing that we lost. However, even with one player less, we had the spirit to attack, and I think the content was different from before. I haven't produced results personally, but I want to stay positive and not overthink."

　【Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference】 "From the beginning, we wanted to attack by exploiting the gaps behind the Shimizu defense, but it didn't go well. On the contrary, they were able to get the ball to the top early, and the second line picked up the loose ball, creating quite a few dangerous situations. In response, we tried to tighten the midfield somewhat to counter them, but due to an accident, we had one player sent off, which changed our overall game plan. Towards the end of the second half, we tried to challenge with two forwards, but immediately after that, when a foul stopped one of our players, we conceded another goal (we moved Ishikawa forward from the second half, right?). We switched to two forwards and changed the midfield from four to three to take on the challenge. With Lucas as the lone forward, the marking became strict, and we couldn't maintain possession, so we decided to go for two forwards. However, the moment we made that change, we conceded a goal, which backfired."

　[Summary of Shimizu and Coach HASEGAWA's Press Conference] "Today, I really want to praise the defense line. They managed to keep a clean sheet, which was the key to today's victory. From the start, despite having penalties and chances, we couldn't score, creating a tense atmosphere. Although forward Cho scored the penalty, we missed a big chance early in the second half as well. FC Tokyo formed a solid block, and we lost the ball in strange ways several times, allowing counterattacks. There were some nerve-wracking moments, but the defense stood firm until the final whistle, blocking Tokyo's attacks. I believe this was the biggest reason for our win. Matches like today’s can easily turn around and end in defeat even after scoring one goal, so I felt it was a tough flow, but everyone stayed focused until the end. Since the game after the draw, they have connected well to victory. Even during bad phases, we endured, trusted the players, and fought patiently. From around the 20th minute, we started controlling the ball at our own pace, and from then on, I could watch with peace of mind. We are playing soccer in a good atmosphere. Despite the fatigue from traveling, the players wanted to play an intense game in front of many home supporters, and their drive to push forward has grown stronger. This is the reason we are winning."