Ota's FK takes the lead! Lucas puts Niigata in the lead

The second half continued with a quick exchange of attacks and defenses. In the 50th minute, Niigata took a left cross from a loose ball in the midfield. They left FW Okamoto open in the center of the area and he took a header shot, but it missed the frame and they avoided danger. Immediately after in the 51st minute, Hasegawa attempted a central breakthrough with a dribble. Niigata's defense held him back with a foul, giving them a free kick from inside the penalty arc. In the 53rd minute, Higashi acted as a decoy and ran diagonally, while Ota took a shot! The ball was sucked into the top right corner, giving them the lead with Ota's left-footed shot.

The game will become intense from here. There are moments where Niigata tries to counterattack and take the ball, but Tokyo continues to defend tenaciously and looks to score from counterattacks. In the 65th minute, Lucas and Higashi intercepted the ball in the front line and launched a counterattack, but it did not result in a goal. On the contrary, in the 71st minute, Niigata's right back Kawaguchi attacked from the right and dribbled past Tokyo's DF to take a powerful left-footed shot. It was a close call, but the shot hit the crossbar. Next, Niigata's FW Kawamata dribbled up from the left side and took a strong shot, forcing Tokyo's DF to switch and defend.

In the 78th minute, Lucas received a free kick, and this time Higashi aimed for it but hit the left post and couldn't take advantage of the chance. However, in the 79th minute, Lucas on the right side dribbled towards the center. He skillfully passed through the gap between the opposing defenders, and with a one-two with Hasegawa in front, he went around the area and scored a goal from the center!

Niigata seemed to be caught in a rhythm of counterattack, but we got an additional point to push it away. Even after expanding the lead, substitute players Hirayama, Mita, and Vucicevic showed even more momentum and went on the attack. We couldn't get the third goal, but we calmly defended and held Niigata's attack scoreless, securing a 2-0 victory.


[Player Comments]
《Ota》
"(In the FK situation) East player took action first, and the opponent's wall collapsed a little, and GK Higashiguchi player could be seen moving. As planned. Until now, even if I scored, the team couldn't win, but today we won for the first time and that's the most happy. No player has given up on winning, and even when I hear the support of the supporters, I think everyone is the same. I want to continue winning and do my best."

"Hasegawa"
"Niigata was strong in the past. They targeted Tokyo's vertical passes and we struggled with that, but even in tough situations, we were able to create chances and even take shots. It would have been great if we could have scored, but it was also good that we were able to go into halftime with a 0-0 score."

(Regarding the FK that led to the first goal) Lucas and I exchanged passes in a good way and he dribbled up. I saw Chishin in front of me, so I was thinking whether to pass to him or go by myself, but then the opponent tripped me. (On Lucas' goal) We have practiced that play many times and I knew what Lucas wanted to do. He ended up scoring and that also puts me in the spotlight and leads to good evaluations. I am grateful for that."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"We gave our all to not disappoint the fans who came to this match among other interesting matches. We expected a tough game from the start and asked our players to be one step ahead of the opponent in both decision-making and physicality. Niigata's playing style is rare in the J-League. They are strong physically, aggressive, and have good ball control. We were able to maintain a stable game against such opponents. By continuing to play like this, we can get closer to the title. If we can have this kind of game every match, I believe we will always get results. We will patiently and persistently fight, wait for our chances, and make the most of them. It has been a while since we played at Ajinomoto Stadium, but we were able to achieve such a good result."

We suffered a big defeat in the Kashima game, and today we were supposed to be tested for our true worth. It was good that we were able to show our strength firmly. Also, the other day, a member of the FC Tokyo family passed away, but today we were able to fight together and present a good game and result. (Is it thought that the biggest challenge is to continue to exert our strength?) Stability in our mental state will also lead to results. On the other hand, that is the area that takes the most time. In fact, there is a history in Tokyo where we cannot win important games, but we must change that ourselves. We are challenging that very thing and trying to change history."


[Niigata - Coach Yanagishita's Press Conference Summary]
"I think it was a game where we didn't know which way it would go. I told the players at halftime, but Tokyo wasn't that good in the first half either. There were a few chances, so if we could score there, we could get 3 points. However, we were caught in the worst place and gave away a free kick. However, when comparing Tokyo's players to ours, the number of easy mistakes is quite different. Tokyo's players can still connect passes even in this kind of weather. Niigata's players make a lot of mistakes when they are about to create a chance. We have been able to find the cause recently. We can't fix it right away, but we will continue to make corrections and aim for plays where we can steal the ball and finish with a shot."