Break Shimizu's momentum and achieve victory at home Ajinomoto

　In League Sec. 26, we will face Shimizu S-Pulse on Sunday. We will welcome them at home. In the previous match, we struggled against Yokohama FC's defensive setup, but we secured victory with goals from Fukunishi and Hirayama. This match will be our first game at Ajinomoto Stadium since August 18 (Sec. 21 against Kashiwa). Taking advantage of our home ground, we aim for our fourth consecutive win with an energetic style of football.

　Shimizu, with 47 points, is in 3rd place. Since the league's break, they have not lost and are currently on a 6-game winning streak. Particularly in the last 4 matches, they have won without conceding any goals, showcasing their strong defensive capabilities. This match will focus on how to break down this solid defense. Tokyo aims to attack from the sides, exploiting the gaps behind Shimizu's full-backs, Ichikawa and Kodama, who take high positions. In recent matches, Tokunaga and Kanazawa have improved their coordination with the front line, functioning well in both attack and defense. They want to create many chances from the full-backs with effective forward movements.

　The center of Shimizu's attack will be MF FERNANDEZ, but it's important to pay attention not only to him but also to both sides that serve as the starting point for the attack. We want to win the midfield battles to prevent the decisive FW Cho Je-jin from receiving passes. By winning with quickness in both offense and defense, let's cut off Shimizu's momentum and achieve victory!

　Tokyo will approach the match with the same starting lineup as the previous game. Additionally, Noriyuki SUZUKI has improved his condition and made the bench for the first time in two matches. The harsh late summer heat has settled down, and the cloudy sky at Ajinomoto. Before kickoff, Amaral appeared on the pitch, kicking the ball energetically to encourage the team, and the match started at 14:03 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Attacking from the side, we took the lead with Ishikawa's cross, and Akamine added another goal!

　From the start of the match, both teams displayed an aggressive attitude. In the early stages, there was a continuous battle for the ball, but in the 10th minute, Shimizu MF Fujimoto moved to the center, received a return pass from MF Fernandinho in front of the goal, and aimed for a ground-level mid-range shot. Tokyo's Ishikawa attacked from the right, while Kanazawa advanced from the left, looking for chances from the sides. In the 14th minute, Lucas dropped a left cross, and Konno, who advanced through the center, took a shot. However, it was blocked by a Shimizu defender, and Ishikawa's follow-up shot went wide of the goal. In the 19th minute, Shimizu's right MF Hiyoshi utilized the space on Tokyo's left side, sending a through pass to MF Fernandinho, who was trying to break through on the right flank. A shot was taken from the right area, but Shioda made a great save to prevent a goal.

　In a back-and-forth development, in the 26th minute, a through pass from Fukunishi to Akamine was made, but it was offside. In the 29th minute, Shimizu launched a counterattack, and from a feed by MF FERNANDEZ, FW Yajima broke into the right area and took a decisive shot, but the Tokyo defense closed in well, causing the ball to veer left. Just after escaping a crisis thanks to a mistake, in the 31st minute, Fukunishi connected, and Konno sent a vertical pass to the front line. Ishikawa, who ran to match this, skillfully trapped the ball and broke free, delivering a sharp cross in front of the goal. This cross induced an own goal from the Shimizu defense, taking the lead! Although it came from the opponent's mistake, it was a goal obtained through a well-planned side attack.

　In the 32nd minute, from a free kick on the left side, Kurizawa persistently connected with a loose ball using his head, passing it to Fukunishi in front. Fukunishi's pass initially went to a Shimizu defender, but he made a fierce run back into the area to meet the floated clearance, bringing it down with his chest and one-touching it to Akamine. Despite being off balance, Akamine shot directly with his left foot. It was a difficult position, but he scored brilliantly, securing the second goal. In the previous match against Yokohama FC, Fukunishi had scored from a pass by Akamine, and they struck again with a quick succession of goals through their connection.

　After that, although they faced a counterattack from Shimizu, they maintained composure centered around Shiota and did not allow any goals. At the end of the first half, the number of shots was 6 for Shimizu and 4 for Tokyo. Although the number of chances was not many, they effectively capitalized on the few scoring opportunities and went into the second half with a 2-goal lead.

With everyone's focused defense, we suppressed Shimizu's counterattack and achieved four consecutive wins!

　In the second half, Shimizu made substitutions to become more aggressive. DF Ichikawa was replaced by DF Toda, who moved to the right side back, and MF Fujimoto was substituted for MF Edamura. However, it was Tokyo that created the first chance. In the 51st minute, Lucas, who stole the ball in the opponent's territory, charged toward the goal. He faced the goalkeeper one-on-one and took a shot, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal, and they couldn't score the third goal.

　Gradually, Shimizu began to dominate the midfield. They seized the ball from Tokyo, who had carelessly kicked it forward, and launched an attack. In the 64th, 65th, and 66th minutes, they threatened the Tokyo goal with consecutive corner kicks and throw-ins, but Shioda and Fujiyama held firm with their physical play. In the 66th minute, Tokyo substituted Noriyuki SUZUKI for Kurizawa. Shimizu also made their third substitution in the 67th minute, bringing in FW Nishizawa for FW Yajima.

　After that, Shimizu continued to press, but in the 74th minute, Iinoha was brought in to replace Fukunishi. Despite being pushed back, they maintained a concentrated defense that prevented Shimizu's forwards from making decisive plays. In the 78th minute, Hirayama was brought in. They continued to attack with determination until the end, and in the 83rd minute, they intercepted the ball from Shimizu, with Hirayama passing to the left to Noriyuki SUZUKI. Noriyuki SUZUKI did not force a shot on goal, instead making a through pass to the right flank. Lucas received the ball and drifted right, then made a backward pass to the center. Ishikawa made a run and took a shot. It was a powerful shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save.

　Although we couldn't score the third goal, we defended the two goals we scored in the first half and finished the match without conceding. We achieved our first victory at Ajinomoto since June 20 (Sec. 16 against Kofu) and secured our fourth consecutive win. While there was a five-game winning streak including extra time victories in 2000, this is the first time in J1 that we have achieved four consecutive wins in 90 minutes.

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"In the goal scene, I saw the opposing goalkeeper was close, but I was just focused on hitting it cleanly with my left foot. Fuku-san has good ball control, so when he makes a move, he passes at the right timing. I was paying attention to my movement. This was something I had been able to do in practice recently. I was able to show it in the match. Although it was an own goal, we took the lead and created a good flow, so it was good that we quickly scored an additional goal. Ending the first half 1-0 and 2-0 is different. However, in the first half, we pressed forward and created quite a few chances, but in the second half, Shimizu pushed forward. The defense held firm and we were able to win." 《Ishikawa》"Today was a home game, and I really didn’t want to just defend. I think the attitude of winning the ball high up, quickly scoring the third goal, and deciding the match was good. For me, I was thinking of challenging whenever the ball came. The image was to get past one player quickly and then deliver the ball, while also moving inside. In the own goal scene, I was only thinking about delivering a low and fast ball. I think the vertical runs and attacking moves have been improving. It was great to win at Ajinomoto Stadium after a long time, and the stands had a good atmosphere."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Shimizu is currently on a 6-game winning streak and has kept a clean sheet for 4 consecutive matches, but their performance did not seem that good. However, I thought they have the resilience to stubbornly secure victories. FW Cho Jae-jin may disappear for long periods, but he has the ability to score at the end, and the substitute players also make an impact. DF Toda, MF Edamura, and Jun Takagi came on and scored quickly. That was by no means a coincidence; even if it wasn’t intentional football, I felt their strong fighting spirit to snatch wins. What was scary was that MF FERNANDEZ had been playing comfortably without getting frustrated in previous matches. Because of that, we tried to prepare defensive measures in training to stop him, but it seems that doesn’t suit us very well, and when we tried it, our balance became a bit off. In the end, we decided to play our football without fear as usual. Konno and Fukunishi took turns marking MF FERNANDEZ, and we tried to bring out our own strengths. However, Shimizu’s front three—FW Yajima—have power and speed, and FW Cho Jae-jin also has finishing ability. MF FERNANDEZ has the skill to dribble past two or three players. We clearly assigned who would mark which of those three remaining players. Considering Shimizu’s formation, our fullbacks should face less pressure and have time to act, so I instructed to utilize that. At first, both sides applied intense pressure and it turned into a kicking battle, but as time passed, Kanazawa and Tokunaga inevitably found space. Also, as in the own goal situation, Ishikawa created good opportunities on the flank for the first time in a while. Regarding substitute DF Toda, if the score had been 0-0, I was thinking of bringing in Rychely, but considering balance, I put in Norio SUZUKI. At the same time, I was concerned about MF Edamura’s forward runs, so I brought in Inoha. The reason we have conceded few goals now is because we can defend from the front. Today, everyone put their bodies on the line until the end. Next, we face Chiba, who are also on a winning streak, so we want to prepare well."

　[Summary of Shimizu Coach Hasegawa's Press Conference] "We have managed to keep a clean sheet until now, and to concede a goal in that manner is frustrating. The second goal scene was also clever from player Akamine, but the DF was also marking him... I thought the second ball would be the key in today's game. From the start, the content was better than the previous matches, but I believe the inability to switch our mindset after the opponent's opening goal, which was disheartening, decided the outcome. In the second half, we brought in DF Toda and MF Edamura, and we had many opportunities to push forward, but we couldn't score a goal. This was a painful defeat in our pursuit of the top Reds. However, there are still 8 matches left, and I want us to switch our mindset and believe in ourselves until the very end."