Aiming for three consecutive league wins, seize three points away

In Sec. 18 of the league, we will face Shimizu S-Pulse away. The team had a temporary break due to national team activities, but during that time, they held a friendly match against CE Sabadell on July 23. There are no issues with conditioning adjustments for the match against Shimizu. Tokunaga, Morishige, Takahashi, Gonda, and Hyun Soo JANG, who participated in the East Asian Cup, have also joined the team in good spirits. Coach Ranko POPOVIC stated, "It is encouraging that they returned with high motivation. However, it is important to maintain this moving forward. To achieve that, we must not neglect our performance in Tokyo."

Shimizu is currently in 11th place with 22 points. During this break, FW Varey has left the team, while MF Honda has joined. Additionally, this round, MF Sugiyama and DF Yoshida are suspended. In the battle of Sec. 12, Tokyo won at Ajinomoto Stadium, but since then, Shimizu has made changes to their lineup, making it a different team from the last match. Special caution is needed for FW Ito, who has speed and technical skills. The holding midfielders, MF Muramatsu and Honda, not only have ball retention and defensive abilities but also make bold attacking runs. If they lose control from a solid defense and allow MF Rikuhei and MF Kawai to create rhythm with short passes and movements between the defenders, it could lead to a difficult situation.

Tokyo will be without Kaga due to his foot condition. The center backs will be Morishige and Hyun Soo JANG. Watanabe said, "If we can score the first goal, it should make things easier, but even if we concede first away, I want to fight without panicking. The match is decided over 90 minutes. Within that time, I want to showcase my individuality and score goals that lead to victory." Additionally, if the game becomes stagnant, set plays will be key. Ota expressed, "It's been two years, so I no longer feel like it's my old club, but I want to aim for opportunities for Tokyo's victory, and I want to fight actively not just in set plays."

With tenacity and aggressiveness, we want to focus on winning and seize the three points even in an away match. The match will kick off at 19:05 in Tokyo at IAI Stadium Nihondaira.

Both teams continue to have a speedy development, but the first half ends with no goals.

Tokyo showed a good start to the match from the beginning of the first half. In the 4th minute, Tokunaga's long pass found Lucas, who broke free and earned a right corner kick. Higashi connected with a short pass, and Yonemoto followed up, advancing deep into the right area, but Shimizu cleared the ball. In the 9th minute, Lucas received a long pass from the left side at the right front line, and after passing to Watanabe, who followed from the middle, he changed his body orientation and took a first shot from outside the area, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. Both teams pressed each other with compact formations, leading to a tight development.

In the 17th minute, Watanabe received a pass slightly to the left in the opponent's half and immediately spread the play to the left side. Ota broke free on the left front and delivered a ground pass to the center. Higashi received it in the central area and took a shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. Tokyo circulated the ball in the defensive line, trying to switch to an attack with vertical passes, but Shimizu's defense was tough, and they couldn't create a clear chance by entering the area. Additionally, during set plays, they were cleared by the opponent first, failing to seize good opportunities.

Then, in the 38th minute, Higashi intercepted Shimizu's pass in the center of the opponent's half. He immediately passed it forward, and Watanabe broke free to go one-on-one with the GK, but he was pressured from behind by a Shimizu defender, who slid in to cut it off, and the ball went straight to the GK. It was the first clear chance of the first half, but it could not be capitalized on. Both teams raised their lines and pressed each other, maintaining a speedy pace until the end, but neither could get a shot off. The first half ended with no goals.

The league match ended in the first scoreless draw.

In the second half, Shimizu takes control of the pace. In the 49th minute, from a right throw-in, central MF Kawai advances and takes a shot from distance. The shot aimed at the bottom right was saved by Gonda and resulted in a corner kick. In the 50th minute, a direct free kick from the left was aimed at MF Ishige, but Gonda caught it. Conversely, in the 55th minute, on a counterattack, Higashi matched Lucas's through pass and broke through the front line, appearing to be fouled just before the area by a Shimizu defender, but no foul was called. Tokyo continues to struggle without connecting passes. Shimizu dominates the ball and launches vigorous attacks.

In the 67th minute, Ishikawa was brought on to change the flow of the game, replacing Lucas. Then in the 69th minute, after a series of passes in the left area, Watanabe reacted to a loose ball in the center. He took a direct shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save. In the 72nd minute, an opponent's pass reached Hayato HASEGAWA. He dribbled forward and made a through pass behind the defense. Watanabe reacted to this, but just before he could catch up to the ball, the goalkeeper blocked it. In the 75th minute, Hirayama was brought on to replace Watanabe.

In the 80th minute, Hirayama passed to Ishikawa, who ran into the area as a decoy, creating space on the left flank. Takahashi made a run and delivered a cross from just inside the line. The ball flowed to the opposite side, and Hirayama, from the right area, took a looping shot, but it went over the bar. In the 85th minute, Shimizu's DF Ikje received a second warning and was sent off. In the 88th minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC was brought on for Higashi.

In the 90th minute, Tokunaga advanced up the right side and delivered a low cross to the center. VUCICEVIC's shot, taken just in front of the area, hit the left post and did not result in a goal. In the end, they could not break through Shimizu's resilient defense, which was down to 10 men. The match ended in a scoreless draw for the first time in the league, resulting in just one point earned.


[Player Comments]
《Tokunaga》
"Shimizu was targeting wedge passes and vertical passes, and we didn't have many chances to shoot, and perhaps we lacked the decision to try. Good defense means nothing if it can't lead to an attack. However, there were a few chances to score. If we had managed to score even one goal, I think the game would have developed differently."

《Watanabe》
"We defended from the front, and in the first half, we were able to create our own pace. We were also aiming for counterattacks, and we need to convert our chances when they arise. That's where I have regrets. However, while we did control the ball in the first half, I felt there weren't many openings to exploit against Shimizu's defensive block. We lost the ball when they targeted vertical passes and couldn't get a shot off. We needed to be more creative, such as cutting in from the sides or dribbling to bring the ball into the area. Still, I want to take the positive from not losing and work hard to ensure we can win next time and score goals for that purpose."


[Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference]
"It was a match where we lacked goals. We were able to take control from the first half, but I think we fell short in the final accuracy, our attitude towards scoring, and our decisiveness today. However, during the flow of the match, the opponent also made plays that were on the edge of fouls. There were several plays that could have resulted in cards, so if there had been a solid judgment there, I believe the opponent would not have been able to stop us with fouls."

There were times when things didn't go well and the opponent took control, but we were able to regain our footing afterward. I think Shimizu is a very tough and well-organized team. In matches like this, I believe we were able to show our strength, but we lacked goals. I want to improve and correct that aspect in the next match.

[Summary of the Press Conference by Shimizu's Afshin GHOTBI]
"I think our approach in the second half and the football itself was good. Of course, it was a tough battle without our key players. I expected it to be difficult. Also, today was MF Honda's first match. I felt that the sharpness I was looking for in the front line was still lacking. In the end, even in a difficult situation where we had only 10 players, I think the players did well. Of course, we wanted 3 points, but we were able to secure 1 point. I hope to recover from this going forward."