Aiming for 3 consecutive wins by defeating the strong Shimizu

　J1 League Sec. 20 will be an away game against Shimizu S-Pulse. In the previous game against Fukuoka, although the opponent had a player sent off and we had a numerical advantage, we were able to defend from the front and launch quick attacks after winning the ball, resulting in a dominant 5-1 victory. In addition to the previous game against Chiba, the entire team has shown a strong and passionate performance.

　Shimizu is currently in 4th place with 11 wins, 2 draws, and 6 losses. In the previous match against Oita, they ended in a 3-3 draw and were unable to achieve their 5th consecutive win. However, by equalizing in the final moments, they should have minimal psychological damage. Especially in home games, they have shown overwhelming strength with 7 wins and 2 losses so far, and have been undefeated since the 7th round against Oita. Manager Kuramata says, "Shimizu has scoring power, but they are actually a team with a strong defense and few goals conceded. We want to play for victory during the time when fatigue sets in, without disrupting our rhythm and self-destructing."

　Tokyo, the members are unchanged from the previous match. Due to the consecutive matches in 2 days, they have been focusing on adjusting their condition during practice. "It would be a lie to say that there is no fatigue, but there are no players who have drastically dropped their form," said manager Kuramata without any worries. Against Shimizu's solid defense, if they can exploit the space between the DF and MF and have Lucas and Akamine as the starting point in the front line, they should be able to create chances by repeatedly challenging from the sides. They also want to aim for goals from set pieces, just like in the previous match.

　In the past, we had to go back to the 2002 2nd stage to get 3 consecutive wins, but by valuing our 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 7:04pm with a pleasant breeze at the Nihondaira Stadium in Tokyo.

Awarded a penalty kick just before the end, they go into halftime trailing by one point.

Shimizu has been dominating the game with the support of the home team since the start of the first half. In the 3rd minute, FW Cho Jae-jin breaks through from the left side and shoots while carrying Jean on his back, but it goes over the bar. In the 6th minute, Tokyo intercepts Lucas and connects with Akamine, Kajiyama, and Ishikawa, and finally wins a right corner kick using Tokunaga. Akamine heads Kajiyama's kick, but the distance to the goal is too far and the opponent's defender clears it. They manage to defend against Shimizu's attacks with tough marking from the front line and look for a chance, but Shimizu's pressure continues.

　10 minutes, a cross from left MF Fujimoto to MF Hyodo who was closing in on the goal, with a free header. It goes to the right. In the 12th minute, it was judged that Tokunaga brought down MF Fujimoto in the area, giving a penalty to Shimizu, but FW Marquinhos' kick goes well over the bar. This absolute pinch is prevented and Tokyo gradually takes control of the game.

At 15 minutes, Akamine receives the ball from Kajiyama in the opponent's half, and despite being brought down by a defender, he manages to hold on and pass to Kawaguchi on the front line. Kajiyama runs into the center and takes a shot, but it narrowly misses to the left of the goal. At 16 minutes, Akamine receives a pass from the right side. He turns and takes a shot, but the goalkeeper catches it. At 18 minutes, Ishikawa drifts to the left side and crosses the ball. Lucas connects with a header in the box, and Akamine takes a direct shot from the right side, but it goes high.

　However, Shimizu freely changed positions from the midfield to the front line and dominated possession over Tokyo. In the 21st minute, FW Marquinhos received a pass in front of the goal. In the 26th minute, midfielder Edamura took a shot from close range. In the 29th minute, FW Marquinhos received a through pass and turned towards the goal for a shot. It was a crucial moment, but they were unable to score.

　After that, Shimizu took the lead and launched attacks, while Tokyo countered from a focused defense and took advantage of few chances through set pieces. The first half ended with both teams scoreless, but in stoppage time, an unexpected goal was conceded. From Shimizu's right corner kick, Tokunaga received his second yellow card and was sent off after a scuffle in front of the goal. This resulted in Shimizu being awarded their second penalty kick of the day, which was converted by FW Cho Jae-jin. Shortly after, the game ended.

Despite attacking until the end, we were unable to score and lost the game.

　Tokyo substituted Inaba for Akamine in the second half. Lucas as the lone striker. Despite being outnumbered, they first focused on stabilizing their defense, then looked for opportunities to counterattack. If they were still losing, they had a plan to make a final push in the end. As expected, Shimizu dominated possession from the start, but Tokyo's defense held strong and did not concede any additional goals. On the contrary, they looked to counterattack.

　51 minutes, Kawaguchi breaks through the left side and takes a ground cross, winning a right CK. Kajiyama kicks and Jean heads it, but misses the frame. In the 58th minute, a counterattack starts with Lucas. Kawaguchi is fouled on the left side, resulting in a FK. Lucas jumps in for Kajiyama's sharp kick, but misses the connection. In the 61st minute, Ishikawa tries to turn the attack around after stealing the opponent's ball, but is fouled at the center 27-8m position, earning a FK. Ishikawa takes the shot directly, but it goes over the bar.

　The situation remained unchanged and with 15 minutes left, both teams were still in a stalemate. Tokyo made a move by substituting Kawaguchi for Miyazawa and pushing Ishikawa up front, leaving only 3 players in midfield. Just when they thought things were about to change, an accident led to another goal for the opponent. In the 77th minute, Inonami was taken down after colliding with an opponent, leaving an opening for Shimizu's FW Cho Jae-jin to score a powerful goal, making it 2-0.

　Despite being tired towards the end of the two consecutive games, all players chased after the ball from the front. They continued to attack without giving up until the end, with Lucas and Ishikawa taking shots, but they were unable to break through the goal and the game ended. In the end, they were unable to recover from the momentum of Shimizu and suffered a defeat.

　【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"We changed our system while being one player short, which created more space in the midfield and allowed the opponent to have more possession. The coach told me to make runs and receive passes in order to score a goal, but I was mostly occupied with defending and couldn't touch the ball much. Shizuoka's defense was tight from the first half, making it difficult to break through while connecting passes. However, I was able to make some breakthroughs from Nao's position and wanted to contribute to a goal from there. Even at 0-1, the outcome was still uncertain, but when they scored their second goal, it became tougher. Everyone was giving their all, but in that moment of the second goal, we needed to communicate and defend until the whistle blew. I was subbed in to score a goal, and it's meaningless if we don't win. Personally, I'm very disappointed. I really wanted to win."《Mashima》"I was prepared to come in at any time. I was just focused on not conceding, but unfortunately we lost. However, even with one player short, I still had the desire to attack and I think our performance was different from before. Personally, I couldn't produce results, but I want to stay positive and move forward."

　[Summary of Manager Kuramata's Press Conference] "We wanted to attack the Shimizu defense from the beginning, but it didn't go well. On the contrary, we were put under pressure early on and they were able to create dangerous situations by picking up the loose balls in the second line. In response, we tried to squeeze the midfield and compete, but due to an accident, we were reduced to 10 players and the overall game plan changed. In the latter part of the second half, we tried to attack with two forwards, but right after that, our player's foot stopped due to a foul and we conceded another goal. (We brought Ishikawa forward in the second half, but?) We changed to two forwards and three midfielders to compete. With Lucas as the lone forward, it was difficult to mark and keep possession, so we took a gamble and switched to two forwards. However, we conceded a goal right after the change and it backfired."

　【Post-Match Interview with Shimizu Coach Masaru HASEGAWA】"Today, I really want to praise our defense. They did a great job keeping a clean sheet. That was the key to our victory. From the start, it was a heavy atmosphere with missed PKs and chances. Although FW Cho scored a PK, we couldn't convert on some big chances in the second half. FC Tokyo formed a solid block and we were caught on the counter a few times. There were some tense moments, but our defense held strong until the final whistle, preventing Tokyo's attacks. I think that was the biggest factor in our win. In a game like today's, even if we score one goal, we could easily be turned around and lose, but everyone stayed focused until the end. From the game after the draw, we were able to turn it into a win. Even during tough times, the players persevered and fought with patience, believing in each other. Around the 20-minute mark, we were able to control the ball at our own pace and from then on, I could watch with ease. We were able to play good football in a positive atmosphere. It was a game while we were tired from traveling, but the players wanted to put on a strong performance in front of our home supporters, and that drive to move forward is getting stronger. That's the reason we were able to win."