Without being passive, aiming for our first Final Round appearance in three years with our own style of football

　The Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round 2nd match will be against Shimizu S-Pulse away. In the previous league match against Kashima, we suffered a heavy defeat. Taking that result seriously, Ishikawa stated, "Especially focusing on the scenes of conceding goals, we will review and confirm our style of play once again. Right now, I feel refreshed instead. I want to connect our accumulated strength to results," expressing a desire to mentally switch to the Nabisco Cup and approach this crucial match.

　Shimizu, having defeated Sendai and Iwata, who are ranked high in the league, has risen to 4th place. It can be said that their form is improving. In the Emperor's Cup 3rd Round match against Verdy held on the 10th, they utilized an even younger lineup, indicating that there is no impact from the schedule on their condition. Today, DF Lee and MF Kawai are suspended due to accumulated warnings, but DF Yoshida returns from injury as the left side back. Similar to the Emperor's Cup, MF Ishige is positioned as the right side back in the formation.

　Tokyo will be without Gonda and Takahashi due to their activities with the Japan national team. Additionally, Tanabe is suspended due to accumulated warnings, and Hanyu, who was injured in the league match against Kashima, will also be absent. The starting lineup will feature Tokunaga as center-back, with Makuhara and Maruyama on the flanks, and Yonemoto and Masaru HASEGAWA in the double pivot. Furthermore, Hirayama, who has been improving his condition, has made the squad for the first time in about six months, contributing to a positive atmosphere within the team.

　In the Semifinal Round 1, Tokyo won 2 to 1, so today, a draw or better will secure their advancement to the Final Round. (Even if they lose during the 90 minutes, if the score is 1 to 2, there will be extra time. Additionally, if Tokyo scores 2 or more goals and loses by a margin of 1 goal, their advancement will be determined by the away goals rule). It can be said that Tokyo has an advantage, but against Shimizu, who will launch an aggressive attack at home, they want to seize their first Final Round appearance in three years without falling back and with an aggressive attitude.

　The match started at 14:00 with a kickoff in Tokyo at IAI Stadium Nihondaira.

Unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities, trailing by one goal at halftime

　In a unique atmosphere, both teams quickly transitioned from intense defense to offense. In the 9th minute, a play was initiated on the right flank, with Yonemoto making a significant switch to the side. Although the ball was initially taken by Shimizu, Hasegawa in the center intercepted the clearance and passed to Lucas. Furthermore, a through ball was sent to Edmilson, who had made a run just behind the offside line, creating a decisive opportunity, but Edmilson's shot was slightly deflected by the opponent and went just wide of the goal.

　Shimizu sends a long ball to the front line, trying to break through, but they are focused and contained, while Tokyo connects passes and launches an attack. In defense, they alternate between pressing from the front and compactly forming a block, showing calm situational judgment. However, in the 26th minute, from a free kick by Shimizu, the ball is spilled and connected to midfielder Sugiyama, who takes a shot from distance. Once again, the spill from this block is picked up, and Shimizu FW Takagi breaks through on the right front line, delivering a right cross. This is headed down by FW Omae at the far post, allowing the first goal to be conceded.

　However, without panicking here, they calmly take control and aim for the equalizer. In the 30th minute, Hasegawa applies pressure and wins the ball, leading to a good shot from Ishikawa, who entered the right area after a pass from Kajiyama, but it goes over the bar. In the 35th minute, from a left throw-in, Kajiyama drops the ball directly to Hasegawa, whose well-aimed shot goes over the target. Just before the end of the first half, Kajiyama, near the right area, skillfully controls the ball, allowing Hasegawa to break into the area and get into shooting position, but he is denied by a quick save from the Shimizu goalkeeper. In the end, the first half concludes with a one-goal deficit.

Despite attacking until the end, we fell short on goal difference. Did not advance to the Final Round.

　Tokyo created chances from the start of the second half. In the 46th minute, Kajiyama passed to Edmilson, who advanced on the left flank. The cross he sent slipped past the Shimizu DF and reached Ishikawa in the right area. From there, he sent a final pass to the center, and Kajiyama and Hayato Hasegawa both aimed for the goal from close range, but their attempts were blocked. Lucas's follow-up shot was also thwarted by the DF, resulting in a corner kick. Furthermore, from this right corner kick, Morishige in the left area attempted a volley, but it was blocked by the Shimizu DF, earning another corner kick on the left. In the 49th minute, Kajiyama evaded the opposing DF and took a shot. The GK fumbled, but they couldn't capitalize on the opportunity.

　In the 58th minute, Tokyo substituted Edmilson for Nemanja VUCICEVIC, further strengthening their offensive stance. However, in the 63rd minute, they were caught off guard, and a big switch to the right side allowed Shimizu FW Omae to receive the ball. It was a one-on-one situation with Maruyama, but he skillfully dribbled and scored, allowing a two-goal lead. Desperate to score at least one goal, Tokyo brought in Hirayama in the 69th minute, replacing Yonemoto, marking his first appearance since the Shimizu match on April 28. The formation was changed with Kajiyama moving to the defensive midfield position.

　Tokyo utilized Kajiyama's ball retention ability to control the ball in midfield. The left and right full-backs attempted bold overlaps to join the attack, but they were unable to break through Shimizu's block. They struggled to get to a shot. In the 83rd minute, Maruyama's grounded cross was aimed for by Lucas, but the opposing defender cut it off in front, resulting in a left corner kick. Nemanja's ball was ruled a foul in front of the goal, resulting in an opponent's ball.

　In stoppage time, Hasegawa jumped in with his body from Nemanja's right corner kick at the near post, but the Shimizu GK reacted and the ball spilled out. From there, Nemanja pushed again, but they couldn't get a shot off in the center. Then, in the 6th minute of stoppage time, Morishige got tangled with an opponent in the penalty area and was judged to have committed a foul, resulting in a penalty kick. After receiving a red card and being sent off, this penalty kick was converted, resulting in the third goal conceded. As a result, despite having one win and one loss, they were eliminated in the Semifinal Round due to goal difference.

　[Player Comments] {Shioda} "I can't really feel that it was a game with a three-goal difference... I think there are various reasons for the defeat... Overall, we were able to organize our defense and our transitions were quick. However, regarding Shimizu's opening goal, we cleared Omae's free kick once, but we allowed a shot from the rebound and lost track of Omae, who was the kicker, leaving him free. Our communication was lacking against the opponent's secondary and tertiary attacks. The second goal came from a long ball, but while we were pushing forward, my combination with Mar was poor."

　Even so, we tried to fight tenaciously, but Shimizu was also persistent. It would have been good if we could have scored one goal, but perhaps we became a bit too nervous about winning and scoring. Of course, we wanted to avoid conceding, but even if we did concede, we couldn't manage to play calmly and score a goal to finish the game. We may have lacked composure in front of the goal. We can only move forward and fight more actively and confidently.

　"Muku Hara" said, "Even after conceding the first goal, we didn't panic. Whether it was 0-1 or 0-2, everyone on the pitch thought, 'If we score one goal, everything will change.' So even after conceding two goals, we encouraged each other to 'stay calm.' I don't think there were many scenes where we were broken down by Shimizu, so when it comes to what the biggest difference is... I think it really comes down to whether we can finish when it matters."

　We may have been using too much energy overall, repeating easy mistakes in the midfield that led to losing possession and having to recover. I deeply understand the feelings of everyone who had high hopes for the Nabisco Cup after our defeat in the Emperor's Cup and our struggles in the league. I feel sorry for not being able to meet those expectations, and it's disappointing. However, I believe that reaching this point is also a testament to our abilities, and not advancing further is also a reflection of our capabilities.

　[Summary of Coach Popovic's Press Conference] "It's difficult to say anything after a match like this... We tried to do what we needed to do, but the opponent was a step ahead. We created decisive chances, but we couldn't finish them. On the other hand, the opponent was able to capitalize on their chances. There was a difference in finishing ability. I am also disappointed with this result. However, in order to grow, we must go through difficult paths like this, and if we want to grow even more, we must use this suffering as a stepping stone. The league matches are still ahead, so I want to use today's defeat to fight on."

　I am truly disappointed that we could not advance to the Final Round. I was hoping that many fans and supporters would gather at the National Stadium. I want to repay this defeat to all the fans and supporters in the league matches. I believe that our true worth is tested in difficult times, and our real strength is being challenged. Here, I want us to come together as a team and turn this defeat into strength.

　[Summary of the press conference by Shimizu S-Pulse coach Afshin GHOTBI] "I am very moved for the S-Pulse fans. It is a wonderful result, and I believe it reflects our performance as professionals. I am also happy that we can advance to the Final Round. (Did you expect the opponent to press so aggressively?) First of all, I think it was a very difficult game to enter. I believe it became a very tactical match. Of course, we cannot afford to concede any goals. We improved as the match progressed, especially in the second half."

　Normally, I think the opponent would try to score early. Therefore, I believe the opponent applied high pressure. If it were me, I would have done the same. (What was the turning point of today's match?) I think there were various points in this match. First, the opening goal. We scored from a free kick situation, but FW Oomae entered the area from a deep position to score. Both the first and second goals were connected through FW Oomae and FW Takagi. I believe there was a very good mutual understanding between those two.