Always showing growth, surpassing Shonan in both offense and defense.

The league resumed and in the 32nd round, we will face Shonan Bellmare at home. The team came together and achieved a great victory in the Emperor's Cup. Based on the momentum gained there, we will continue to improve our unity and our style of play until the end of the season. National team members Mori Shige, Takahashi, Gonda, and Hyun Soo JANG will also join the team from Thursday, the 21st. Taking into account each player's condition, we have immediately focused on preparing for the league.

Shonan, on the other hand, is currently in 16th place with 25 points. In the middle of the season, GK Alex Santana and MF Otake (on loan from Tokyo / currently out due to injury) joined the team in an attempt to improve their position, but they have remained in 16th place since the 19th round. In addition, in the previous round, the gap between them and 15th place Kofu widened to 9 points, meaning that if they cannot win this round, they will be relegated to J2.

However, we cannot underestimate the pressing and movement from the front line, as well as the powerful attacks. Especially in the away game in May, we were scored on first and suffered a painful defeat due to our own mistakes. Shonan has the strength to exploit any gaps, so it is important to stay focused and fight from the beginning to the end.

Even if Shonan's weapons, "never give up" and "perseverance", are displayed, we want to respond calmly without panicking, and Tokyo also wants to show their decisiveness and play their own soccer to lead to victory. Tokyo will face the match with GK Kawata, center back Morishige and Jang Hyun Soo, and Mita will start in the midfield following the Emperor's Cup. Lucas will lead the team as an attacking midfielder. As the sun sets and it gets colder, the match started at 5:03 PM with Tokyo's kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium.

They continued to dominate the ball and take control, but were unable to break through Shonan's defense.

Controlled the ball from the start. Entered the game firmly and proceeded with an advantage. In the first minute, Ota and Higashi exchanged passes from the left side and Nakano took a shot in the center. In the 7th minute, Mita's development led to a shot by Nakano from the left front line to the near side. In the 10th minute, Tokunaga on the right passed to Mita who then ran up the right side to cross to Lucas in front of the goal, who headed it in from a low position.

However, they were unable to take advantage of these early chances and gradually struggled against Shonan's strong defensive awareness and thick block. In the 16th minute, Mita tenaciously won the ball from the opponent in the front line, and East followed from the left to aim for the goal, but was blocked by Shonan's DF. In the 25th minute, Ota followed up on his own cross, but the shot floated due to a competition with Shonan's DF.

Not only connecting short passes, but also aiming for goals from crosses and long feeds, in the 37th minute, Morishige → Higashi made a through pass to the front line. There, Watanabe jumped out, but the goalkeeper caught it a step early. In the 40th minute, Hyun Soo JANG carried the ball up and developed it to the left to Higashi. From there, Mita attempted a header from the cross, but was held back by the Shonan DF and couldn't finish. Tokyo showed various attacking patterns by utilizing their coordination, but Shonan's return was fast and they couldn't break through their thick block, and the score remained 0-0 going into the second half.

Conceded the first goal, but Hyons and VUCICEVIC's valuable goal turns the game around!

In the second half, Shonan created a big chance. In the 46th minute, Shonan FW Lins made a post-play and FW Kikuchi dribbled from the right to the center. Tokyo DF was repeatedly beaten and finally, MF Takayama, who had moved up to the left area, took a shot. In the 48th minute, Shonan MF Takayama crossed from the left and MF Furukawa jumped in from the far side. Tokyo managed to avoid danger as both attempts lacked precision, but Shonan was gaining momentum.

Then, in the 66th minute, Shonan connected the ball to Tokyo's DF Kamata and MF Kikuchi in front of the goal, and then to MF Hanggyon in the area from DF Kamata again. Tokyo's DF stopped their feet, and MF Hanggyon took the ball out with a trap and shot from a close distance. Although Gonda saved it, the ball fell to Shonan's MF Takayama in the center of the area... and they conceded a goal. They allowed the first goal.

In the 67th minute, Takahashi was substituted for Mita. In the immediate 68th minute, Ota received a free kick from the left side and sent it to the front line, but it was cleared. However, Tokunaga from the right side was able to bring it back to the goal. As he tried to move forward, Chang Hyun Soo intercepted the ball. He sent a vertical pass to Hasegawa in the penalty area, who then returned it with a one-two pass. He broke through to the left side of the area and took a shot with his left foot, grazing the opponent's defender and scoring! With Chang Hyun Soo's determined goal, they were able to equalize the score!

After that, both teams continued to attack each other, but Shonan, who needed a win, brought in two attacking players in the 79th minute. In response, Tokyo tried to counter by changing to a 3-back formation. However, Shonan, who couldn't afford to lose for their survival, continued to push forward and had several chances. In the 88th minute, Tokyo brought in Nemanja VUCICEVIC, which proved to be successful.

In stoppage time, Hasegawa sent a right throw-in from Tokunaga to Hirayama with a header, and Hasegawa, despite losing his balance, sent it to the front line. Vucicevic, who had moved forward in response, dribbled into the right area. He faked out the opposing DF and slipped past, kicking it perfectly into the far corner for a goal. In the final moments, Vucicevic scored a valuable goal in a dramatic fashion, securing a come-from-behind victory.


[Player Comments]
Hyun Soo JANG
"Although we couldn't score, I think our performance in the first half was very good. We tried to enter the game with the same momentum in the second half, but we conceded a goal and got a little flustered. We feel that scoring from within the flow of the game is a challenge, but we were able to quickly recover. In the scoring situation, I saw Hasegawa player when I intercepted and carried the ball, so I passed it to him and I also saw that the front was open."

With the basic play of pass and go, I went up into the area. A good pass came there, so all I had to do was shoot. Whether it's for the Korean national team or Tokyo, my attitude towards the game hasn't changed. I just wanted to play well as a representative player. I think I was able to show that attitude."

"Nemanja VUCICEVIC"
"The goal came from a great ball from Masaru HASEGAWA. The most important thing is that the team was able to win. We are approaching the end of the season, but we will do our best in each game to win. I truly believe that Tokyo is a really good team."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"There's nothing to complain about in the first half. Even if it's a student team, it's difficult to keep attacking without letting the opponent do anything. Especially against a J-League team, I'm satisfied that we were able to control the game. I expected to take the lead and play by moving the ball, but Shonan also has a high-precision counter, so we took enough care and entered the game. In the first half, we also took care of the counter and didn't let them create chances from the flow. The team knew exactly what they needed to do."

However, in the beginning of the second half, we made careless mistakes and gave away the momentum. The problem was that the opponent put pressure on us from the front and we panicked. We also dropped our defensive line too much. We conceded during a difficult period, but then the whole team showed the determination to go for a goal. We equalized and turned the game around. I feel the growth of the team and the strong determination of everyone to always take 3 points. In the end, it was a result worthy of that play.

Substitutes also fulfilled their respective roles. I always tell my players that "what they did when they played" is more important than "how many minutes they played". The substitutes who came on today showed that with their play. The atmosphere that everyone created was also fantastic. I am satisfied that we were able to get a good result with good football. I believe that this attacking style and attractive football that attracts people is necessary for Japanese football, and I want to continue it in the future."

[Shonan - Coach CHO Kwi Jae's Press Conference Summary]
"Today is the 32nd league match, but I haven't changed what I've been saying since before the season. 'Even if the result is good, it doesn't mean everything is good. Even if the result is bad, it doesn't mean everything is bad.' I've been saying that. There is the heavy reality of relegation, but I think the answer is shown by the supporters' cheers after the match. I sometimes think, 'If only that cross had been scored there...' but in my mind, it's not 'now' but 'at the moment'. I tried to value the feelings of that moment. I want to say 'well done' to everyone, including the decisions, judgments, and players who played and couldn't play, at that moment."

We have climbed up from J2 to J1 on our own, and now we are facing the reality of relegation. But we did not stop and get relegated. We always walked forward and tried to overcome that wall, but we fell short by one step. In fact, I feel that one step was not a small one, but a big difference. And when we face teams like Tokyo in the future, I want us to become a team that can be said, "Shonan has become stronger because of today's match, because of this season."

There are various elements such as technique, tactics, mental, and physical, and there is reflection on today's game. However, there is no regret, and I told the players, "Leave the stadium with your head held high and be proud of being a coach for you." I have no intention of blaming them, the players fought well enough. There is no point in hiding what is lacking, and it is all up to me. I want to work hard to become what is needed."