No victory against Kyoto since 2006... Aiming for a victory at Ajinomoto since the league opening.

　On the 17th (Sat), Sec. 7 of the league will be held, facing Kyoto Sanga F.C. at Ajinomoto. In the Nabisco Omiya match, despite having a player sent off, the team secured victory with passionate play from all members. Following the previous league match against Kashima, they have shown a heartfelt fight, so this match aims to raise the quality further and earn 3 points at home, where they have yet to win since the season opener. It will be just two days after the Omiya match, but Ishikawa and Gonda return to the lineup, and Ricardinho starts for the second consecutive game. On the other hand, Mukuhara is suspended, so the left side back will be Kim Young-gun, Nagatomo on the right, and the midfield duo will be Tokunaga and Hanyu.Kyoto currently sits 11th in the league with 7 points. Based on their solid defense from last season, this year they "value build-up play, pride themselves on passing and coordinated plays, and can also exploit gaps individually and break through. They are also strong on restarts. Their squad depth is thick, and they have everything," says coach Jofuku. Although Kyoto has conceded 11 goals in the league, which is high, "if we do not fully understand Kyoto’s style of play, not only will they take control, but we must also prepare for defeat," he warns.For Tokyo’s victory, the key is how to break down Kyoto’s defense that tightly covers space. Kyoto’s defensive line, centered on center backs Mizumoto and Kaku, boasts strength, and in past matches, Tokyo has often struggled to break through this solid defense. Since March 2006, Tokyo has not won against Kyoto for two seasons, but this time they want to exploit the space behind Kyoto’s attacking fullbacks like Masushima and leverage Tokyo’s strengths from the flanks. Above all, Tokyo has earned only 1 point in the last two league matches. They want to express their strong desire to win through their play and secure 3 points.Although the unseasonal snow mixed rain that fell from last night to this morning has stopped, the cold remains in the shaded areas of Ajinomoto. The match kicked off at 17:04 with Kyoto starting.

We allowed the first goal after conceding a chance, and we couldn't mount a counterattack...

　The battle for the ball continued from the start. At 4 minutes, Ishikawa received a vertical pass from Hanyu, connected with Hirayama and then Matsushita on the left, and sent in a left cross, but it was blocked by the DF. At 8 minutes, Ricardinho tried to exploit the space behind the opposing DF but was caught offside. After that, neither side created chances, but at 11 minutes, from a Kyoto throw-in, FW Yanagisawa headed deep into the right area. Right MF Nishino ran in, and his grounded cross came in front of the goal. Left MF Nakayama, who rushed in from the far post, kicked the ball which hit Morishige at close range and spilled to the opposite side, but Kyoto MF Kakuda quickly closed in... Unluckily, they were caught off guard and conceded the opening goal.However, there was still plenty of time left, and they wanted to calmly play their own football and launch a counterattack, but even when they carried the ball into the opponent’s half, they couldn’t convert it into chances. At 14 minutes, they earned a free kick from the right side, and Matsushita aimed directly, but the GK caught it. At 27 minutes, Tokunaga to Morishige showed a dynamic forward run in their own half. Matsushita on the left followed up, passing to Ishikawa who ran inside from the right. However, Ishikawa’s shot from just outside the area was saved by the GK, resulting in a corner.In the end, Tokyo only had these two shots in the first half. After that, they lost the ball many times against Kyoto’s tough defense, gradually resorting to long balls. On the other hand, Kyoto also had only one shot that led to a goal. Neither side gained control, and time passed in a back-and-forth manner, ending the first half.

Shigematsu's strong presence after coming on as a substitute led to the equalizer, but it ended in a draw.

　From the second half, Nagatomo and Matsushita switched positions, trying to create chances starting from the sides. In the 52nd minute, Ricardinho crossed from the left side following a combination between Nagatomo and Young Gwon KIM. The rebound fell to Ishikawa in the right area, but he couldn't get a proper shot off. They tried to connect passes and attack again, but Ishikawa’s middle-range shot from a 45-degree angle on the right was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 60th minute, Shigematsu replaced Ricardinho, followed by Nakamura coming on for Matsushita in the 63rd minute. In the 65th minute, Young Gwon KIM sent a left free kick into the box, and Nagatomo aimed a middle-range shot from the rebound off a defender, but it was blocked again by the defense.At the 69th minute, Akamine came on for Hirayama. Using substitutions to increase energy and momentum, Tokyo spent more time advancing in Kyoto’s territory. Then at the 72nd minute, Akamine received a right throw-in at a high position and sent a backward pass into the box. Kyoto’s defender cleared it once, but the ball bounced off a Kyoto player back into the box to Shigematsu. As Shigematsu quickly tried to turn the attack, he was fouled by Kyoto defender Mizumoto, earning a penalty kick. At the 73rd minute, Shigematsu calmly converted the penalty to equalize. His strong determination to score led to the PK.From here, Tokyo aimed to take the lead and launched powerful attacks. Nagatomo, back at right side back, boldly overlapped, and Nakamura and Shigematsu used their stamina to get involved in chances. In the 75th minute, Akamine headed an early cross from Tokunaga on the right, but the goalkeeper saved it. In the 80th minute, Nakamura aimed a knuckleball shot from a free kick in the opponent’s central area, but it was also stopped by the goalkeeper. Kyoto launched quick counterattacks, and in the 83rd minute, starting from Kyoto forward Diego, midfielder Ando broke free and took a shot from just outside the box, but Gonda caught it.As the counterattacks exchanged, in the 90th minute, Nakamura sent a final pass to Ishikawa inside the left area. However, Ishikawa, with his back to goal, tried an overhead-style shot but was well defended by the defense. Chasing the goal until the end, in 4 minutes of stoppage time, Morishige’s long feed was headed down by Nakamura, and Akamine controlled the ball facing the goal and shot with his right foot! But the goalkeeper made a great save... From there, Shigematsu sent a cross from the ball that spilled to the right area, reaching Ishikawa on the left side, but the shot was blocked by the defense... They could not break through Kyoto’s strong defense until the end, scoring only one goal from the penalty, and the match ended in a home draw.Player CommentsShigematsu: “Since we had few shots in the first half, I thought about what I could do when coming on from the bench. I wanted to run around, get behind the defense, confuse the opponents, press from the front, and use my stamina to change the flow. I tried to express my feelings through my play so everyone would feel ‘Let’s go!’ I wanted to take the penalty, and when the other players told me ‘Go for it,’ I kicked it confidently. The opponents probably had no data on me, so I thought kicking to the center rather than the side would score. I didn’t try to outsmart anyone and kicked with a clear mind. Scoring from a penalty is great, but what I want most is 3 points. It’s disappointing that the team couldn’t win.”Nakamura: “I came on intending to contribute offensively while also defending. There was momentum, but both teams ended up exchanging counterattacks. I think if we had kept the ball a bit calmer, we could have attacked more effectively. Not being able to calm the team down is a big point of reflection.”Coach Jofuku’s Press Conference Summary“We only earned 1 point from the 5th and 6th league matches, so we really wanted 3 points today. I think the fans at home were expecting that, so it’s truly disappointing to finish with just 1 point. In the first half, I think it was the first time we allowed the opponent inside the box. They scored with just one shot, which shows we still have a lot to improve. Just running behind on a throw-in disrupted our game plan and many other things, which both the player involved and the team must realize. The start of the match wasn’t bad, but our mental rhythm broke there. Everyone rushed forward trying to connect, but we only managed two shots in the first half. It was a regrettable 45 minutes.In the second half, we changed players and tried to score, but only got one goal from the penalty. We need to review our build-up play and improve decision-making several steps before finishing. The fact that key players who frequently appear on the pitch only scored one penalty goal, including recent matches, must be fully recognized. ‘Close’ or ‘Near the goal’ is not enough. We must realize how much that makes the team struggle and prepare for the next match. It’s a time for reflection on team building and strong individual reflection. We wanted to play better football. We want to increase actual playing time, and it’s our responsibility that Kyoto’s players walked off the pitch and quickly returned. We want to reflect on many things and move forward.”Kyoto Coach Kato’s Press Conference Summary“Honestly, I think this was a game where we could have taken 3 points. Ending with 1 point is frustrating. Regarding the content, I think we played organized soccer both offensively and defensively. Of course, FC Tokyo pressed us, but we scored first and then dropped our block to create a second chance. Regarding the conceded goal, it wasn’t that the opponent created a chance but that we panicked in clearing. Ultimately, defender Mizumoto fouled, but it’s not his fault. It’s regrettable that we lacked a moment of composure. Recently, we have been focusing on defensive adjustments and balancing with offense. Although we conceded from a penalty today, the adjustments worked well and brought stability to our game. We want to prepare well for the next match and get 3 points with a good home performance.”