An important match to break the bad trend of being eliminated in the first round of the Emperor's Cup

　In Sec. 25 of the league, we will face Shimizu S-Pulse away. In the Emperor's Cup on 9/9, we suffered a defeat in the first match. Of course, reflection on that is necessary, but we must not lose confidence here. Ishikawa said, "We know what we need to do, and our direction is not wavering," emphasizing the importance of using the defeat as a stepping stone for the future. This match is crucial for breaking the bad flow, and we absolutely want to secure 3 points.

　Shimizu is currently in 7th place with 37 points. As you know, in the Nabisco Semifinal Round first match, FW Takagi was injured. However, in the subsequent Emperor's Cup, FW Ishige and FW Shirasaki, along with other younger and fresher members, have been utilized to achieve results. In this round, Australian national team FW Alex is returning. "Being young means having the most potential for growth. If they gain momentum, we will struggle," warned coach Ranko POPOVIC.

　Tokyo welcomed back Takahashi and Gonda, who had been away with the World Cup qualifiers, in good spirits. This match will see Hasegawa suspended due to accumulated warnings, but the midfield will be formed by Takahashi and Yonemoto, with Lucas at the top and Tanabe and Ishikawa on the flanks. The defense will consist of Maruyama and Tokunaga as the left and right backs, respectively, adopting a four-back formation. The key to the match will be which team can capitalize on opportunities from aggressive attacks on the flanks and maintain defensive resilience and quick transitions to seize control.

　Coach Popovic said, "We always have the desire to grow. Therefore, we want to show our evolved form, and we must always approach with new energy and new motivation," and Tokyo will aggressively strive for victory with a fresh battle. The match started at 19:04 with Shimizu's kickoff at IAI Stadium Nihondaira.　

Allowed the opening goal before halftime due to Shimizu's intense press.

　The match began with both teams fighting for the ball. Gradually, Shimizu started to find their rhythm and launched some vigorous attacks. In the 8th minute, Shimizu's forward Ishige took a powerful shot from the left side. It grazed the Tokyo defense and resulted in a left corner kick. In the 13th minute, while trying to advance from their own half, Tokyo lost the ball to Shimizu, and Ishige took a shot from inside the area, but it lacked power, and Gonda caught it easily. However, Tokyo remained calm in defense, quickly sending the ball to Ishikawa up front to look for opportunities.

　Then, in the 21st minute, Tokunaga made a sharp vertical pass from the right side. In the central area, Lucas received it directly and dropped it into the right area, where Ishikawa, who timed his run perfectly, took a shot! However, it grazed the defender and the crossbar, flowing to the opposite side... In the 27th minute, Ishikawa broke through the right front line. He persistently maneuvered past the opposing defender near the goal line, brought it inside, and made a negative last pass in front of the goal. Lucas connected with it directly, but it floated high over the goal.

　In a game with intense back-and-forth play, as the first half approached its end, we were pushed back by Shimizu, and there were several moments where we could only clear the ball from our defensive line. In the 41st minute, Kaga cleared a cross from Shimizu, and Yonemoto tried to bring the ball forward, but he was pressured by Shimizu's forward Omae and lost possession, allowing them to advance. A powerful shot taken from just outside the area grazed Kaga and went into the goal... We conceded the opening goal during a difficult period. Ultimately, we allowed them to maintain the lead as we headed into the second half.

Tied the game but couldn't take the lead, ending in a draw

　The second half saw a quick exchange of offense and defense, continuing the tense battle. In the 51st minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC was brought on to replace Tanabe, gradually shifting the momentum towards Tokyo. In the 56th minute, VUCICEVIC dribbled in and took a shot from outside the area, which went over the bar. However, in the following 59th minute, from a short corner kick, VUCICEVIC connected with Takahashi at the near post, received the return pass, and advanced into the left area. From there, his precise shot found the back of the net on the opposite side, equalizing the score.

　After that, Tokyo continued to control the ball and seize the initiative, while not missing any gaps from the opponent and effectively turning them into chances. In the 65th minute, they capitalized on a pass mistake from Shimizu and launched a counterattack. Kajiyama passed to Yonemoto, who took a shot from distance but missed the target. In the 76th minute, Hanyu came on for Ishikawa. In the 80th minute, Yonemoto stole the ball from the opponent's midfielder and launched an attack. From Lucas's dribble, Yonemoto ran into the left area and connected with Nemanja VUCICEVIC, who managed to take a shot, but there was no angle, and he could not hit the target.

　In the final stages, the game started to stretch out, and Tokyo calmly connected passes in an attempt to break through. Then, as stoppage time began, chances came one after another. Lucas, who had moved in from the left side, aimed from just outside the area but shot wide to the left. Furthermore, from VUCICEVIC's right cross, substitute Watanabe made a header, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the end, the match finished in a 1-1 draw. It was a frustrating draw given the multiple opportunities to take the lead.

　[Player Comment]《Nemanja VUCICEVIC》"I am happy to have scored a goal. I may have contributed a little to the team, but today was a match we could win. I am not satisfied with the result. The role of the players who came on as substitutes is to change the flow and regain the rhythm. In that sense, I believe that not only I, but also Chima and Hanyu did their jobs well. I think we all played in the way we should, as we should be. It was a very high-energy match. Therefore, I respect the players who stood on the pitch for 90 minutes."

　Ishikawa: "I don't think we started the match poorly... but we made mistakes and couldn't switch our mindset in those moments, and it seemed like we were dragging that along with us. Even though we weren't dominated to that extent, there was a negative atmosphere. We conceded the first goal in that situation, which was really unfortunate... (Did you have a close shot in the first half?) Yuhei sent a good pass from Lins, and I aimed for the near post without hesitation... The movement of the third player was something we had been practicing all along. In the second half, it felt like the whole team could create rhythm from anywhere, but in the first half, we were trying to exploit the space between the opponent's center backs and full backs to create chances."

　[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference] "I think it was a high-tempo match, and I believe it was content that everyone could enjoy. As expected, the opponent applied early pressure from a high position. We have been training daily to evade that early press with fewer touches and quick decisions to advance the ball, and if we could do that, we should have been able to control the match favorably. Unfortunately, in the first half, our decisions were slow, and we spent too much time on the ball at our feet, which allowed them to target us and take the ball away. Despite that, we created two decisive chances in the first half, but we lacked precision in the final pass and finish, which prevented us from scoring."

　In the second half, I believe we firmly took control and were able to manage the game. We didn't allow the opponent to create decisive chances, and we were able to keep attacking in their half for 45 minutes. After equalizing, we also created several opportunities to take the lead. I think we had a satisfying match in the second half. Many fans and supporters traveled to Shizuoka, and I believe we were able to show a good game. While I don't think we can say we are completely satisfied with the result, I want to ensure that in the next match, we can achieve a game that satisfies both the result and the content.

　[Summary of the press conference by Shimizu's coach Afshin GHOTBI] "The first half and the second half were completely different matches. In the first half, I think we were able to control the game and it wouldn't have been surprising if we had scored 2 or 3 goals. I believe we were able to discuss what needed to be done for the second half during halftime, but in the second half, I think we faced a series of bad situations. We lost our concentration and our ability to fight as a team. The goals we conceded came from set pieces, and some players were not facing the ball. After the equalizer, both teams had emotional moments, and I think there were chances for either team to win.

　I am disappointed with the performance in the second half and the result of the match. I believe that in order for us to win titles in the future, we must continue to grow. (What was the cause of losing pace in the second half?) I think this happens not only to us but also to other J-League teams; when we make mistakes, we get into a zone and disappear from the match. The psychological aspect is indeed important, and our players must have a strong mentality whether they succeed or fail. We have many young players, and they tend to drop when they make mistakes.