2009 Season Opening! A New Challenge of Moving Football

　The 2009 season of the J League kicks off. Sec. 1 will see Albirex Niigata face off at Ajinomoto Stadium as the first game of this league. Based on the "Moving Football" developed last season, Tokyo aims for further evolution this season. With the regret of last year in their hearts, they have focused on a more aggressive style of play, centering their efforts on their own football through repeated training.

　Shioda's withdrawal, Cabore's temporary return to his home country, and injuries to players like Ishikawa and Nakamura have led to an unexpected situation. However, Coach Jofuku stated, "Accidents can happen at any time. I want to minimize the negative impacts and turn them into maximum positives as much as possible." The Tokyo squad features Gonda making his first professional start. New addition Hiramatsu is also in the starting lineup. The fullbacks are Nagatomo on the right and Tokunaga on the left. Konno and Kanazawa form a double pivot, with Kajiwara and Hanyu in front of them, and Akamine and Kondo forming a two-top formation.

　Niigata, on the other hand, finished 13th in the last league. In last year's matches, including the Emperor's Cup, Tokyo won all three encounters, but each was a closely contested battle. Coach Jun SUZUKI, entering his fourth year leading the team, has indicated that this season's theme is to "build on what has been established so far and add an extra layer of change," suggesting a greater emphasis on attacking play. They are trying a 4-3-3 formation with new forwards Oshima and Pedro JUNIOR, along with forward Yano as the front three, and how to contain their wide attack will be one of the key points to watch. There is also a need for great caution regarding the midfield, which shows fluid movement centered around midfielder Marcio Richardes. There is no doubt that they will be a formidable opponent for Tokyo.

　Coach Jofuku stated, "Regardless of whether we can play for 90 minutes, we will show a new style of football with whoever takes the field." He continued, "We are committed to winning without holding back," pledging to demonstrate a fighting spirit alongside new challenges. Although the wind was cold, it was a clear day, and the match started at 13:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Took control and aimed for the Niigata goal throughout, but...

　The match started with both teams vying for the ball, and a back-and-forth battle ensued. However, in the 3rd minute, Kondo took the first shot of the day from the right side, and gradually Tokyo began to find their rhythm. They connected passes quickly to dominate the ball, with Hanyu and Kajiyama moving fluidly, and Nagatomo repeatedly pushing forward to threaten the Niigata goal.

　In the 16th minute, Konno delivered an early cross from the right side of the midfield. Akamine broke free to meet the ball at the far post and attempted a diving header, but it went over the bar. In the 19th minute, Kajiyama maintained possession in the right area, and Nagatomo, who had moved up, sent a grounded cross from near the end line towards the goal. Kondo jumped in but only managed to earn a corner kick. In the 39th minute, a ball sent by Hanyu from the left corner of the area hit a Niigata defender and fell to Akamine in front of the goal. He got into shooting position but was cut off by the Niigata defender. After that, Kanazawa rushed in on the loose ball just outside the area and took a shot, but it went over the bar.

　While not allowing Niigata to create any real chances and maintaining constant pressure, we struggled to create decisive opportunities and could not convert them into goals. In the 44th minute, following a breakthrough by Niigata FW Pedro JUNIOR, we were attacked in the right area of Tokyo, leading to a corner kick. From this left corner, Niigata DF Jiuton scored a perfect header, resulting in a painful goal against us... Despite having control of the game, we allowed the lead and went into halftime trailing.

Kondo scores the team's first goal, but they lose 4-1 and miss the opening victory

　In the second half, we desperately wanted a goal. In the 51st minute, Gonda kicked a free kick from our own half. Konno intercepted the clearance from Niigata's defense with a header, and Hanyu immediately sent it forward. Kondo received the ball just before the right area, dribbled it out, and scored powerfully with his left foot! He scored the team's first goal, bringing us level!

　However, in the 53rd minute, from another right corner kick by Niigata, DF Chiyohanda headed the ball. It deflected off FW Oshima and spilled into the right area, where FW Pedro JUNIOR executed a direct volley... Unlucky circumstances allowed them to take the lead. After that, Tokyo pushed forward, chasing a goal. In the 62nd minute, Suzuki was brought on for Kanazawa on the side. In the 64th minute, Kondo and Hanyu were replaced by Cabore and Bruno QUADROS. Focusing on the right side with Suzuki, in the 67th minute, Suzuki surged up the left side, dribbled into the box, and took a shot, but it went high over the goal.

　However, the attacking posture became too strong, losing balance and allowing Niigata to counterattack, unable to stop the opponent's momentum. In the 68th minute, a pass from Hiramatsu was intercepted by Niigata FW Oshima at the defensive line. Shigeno marked him face-to-face, but a sharp shot fired from just outside the area pierced the net. In the 72nd minute, while pushing forward, Niigata MF Matsushita stole the ball, and MF Marcio Richardes made a through pass to the front line. FW Pedro JUNIOR sprinted into the left area. Gonda also rushed out, but the opponent kicked the ball a step earlier, sending it into the unguarded goal.

　Still trying to score a point, in the 80th minute, Cabore connected with a header from Nagatomo's right throw-in, and Hiramatsu headed the bouncing ball in front of the goal, but it just went over the bar. They pressed towards the Niigata goal until the end, but ended up conceding four goals due to mistakes, resulting in a bitter defeat in the opening match of the 2009 season.

　【Player Comments】《Gonda》"Losing 4-0 is simply frustrating. Almost every shot they took turned into a clear chance. Personally, I regret not stopping even one of those shots, and as a team, we need to reflect on allowing all of them to become scoring opportunities. The supporters cheering from behind gave me great strength, which helped me enter the game smoothly. I thought I would be more nervous, but I was able to stay calm and composed." 《Hiramatsu》"I was able to enter the match calmly... I was focusing on not letting Niigata FW Pedro JUNIOR easily face forward, but in the end, they created a chance at the end of the first half and earned a corner kick. We had been alert to set plays all along, but I think we lost concentration. That leaves a big point for reflection. Personally, I feel I handled one-on-one defense and headers to some extent, but I deeply felt the 'high finishing ability' of J1 players. Also, in the second half, when the whole team lost balance, not being able to reorganize was another issue."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "I am very sorry and disappointed that we could not meet the expectations of the fans and supporters who have been eagerly awaiting today's opening, as well as all the team sponsors. In the first half, things went almost according to our plan, and there were hardly any moments when we were broken down, but we conceded a goal from a set piece. The goal conceded immediately after equalizing was also from a set piece. Conceding two goals from corner kicks makes it quite difficult to win in the J.League, and we must deeply reflect on the timing of conceding goals and repeating the same mistakes. Personal errors were also involved, leading to the third and fourth goals. If we do not hold firm at those moments, we will quickly lose the right to use the phrase 'We will compete for the championship this year.' We need to properly organize ourselves, reset, and move forward. Since we have caused frustration to our supporters, we want to work hard to ensure they have a positive experience next time."

　[Summary of Niigata Coach Suzuki's Press Conference] "Many supporters came rushing from Niigata to cheer us on. This was Niigata's first opening match victory since being promoted to J1, and both the supporters and I are very happy. The game started tensely for both teams as it was the opening match. There were many long balls, but Tokyo was the first to regain composure and start controlling the game. We wanted to use our fullbacks as a starting point, but due to the opponent's pressure, we couldn't advance the ball forward, and losing possession in midfield led to counterattacks. However, defensively, although the ball was moved around, we did not collapse, so I was not too worried. We managed to score from a corner kick in the 44th minute, so I think the first half was decent. In the second half, regarding the conceded goal, we had been careful, but we struggled to win the second balls from Tokyo's goalkeeper's long kicks since the first half, and failing to secure those second balls led to the goal. We need to correct that in training. After that, we scored consecutively, and the attacking players were in very good form. Forwards Oshima and Pedro JUNIOR fit well into the team and scored goals, which will lead to future success."