Conceded the first goal, but equalized with Edu's goal, only to give up more points...

In the early stages, both teams tried to attack and there was a battle for possession of the ball. In the 7th minute, Muto used his ball control skills to attempt a central breakthrough, and Tokyo's Higashi made a shot after circling around to the right area. In the 8th minute, Shimizu connected from the right side, and the ball was brought into Tokyo's territory, but Takahashi made a cut. However, the pass was stolen by Shimizu FW Omae, and in that moment, Shimizu FW Takagi appeared behind Tokyo's DF. A perfect through pass was sent, and Tokunaga, who tried to cover with a slide, couldn't make it in time. Shimizu FW Takagi was able to take advantage of the opportunity and score the first goal...

However, in the 18th minute, Ota from our team made an early cross from Shioda's kick. Edu, who had broken through the front line, carefully judged the position of the opposing GK and scored a GOAL with a skillful left-footed loop! We are now tied thanks to Edu's clever shot!

Thought we were gaining momentum, but we made too many mistakes even when holding onto the ball, leading to Shimizu's counterattack. In the 20th minute, they took the ball in midfield and Shimizu's FW Novakovic moved forward. It looked like an offside, but FW Takagi was allowed to enter the left area. Kaga managed to cut it off and escape with a corner kick, but in the 21st minute, they connected the short corner and FW Takagi crossed it. East was one step behind against central FW Omae and lost the header... Shimizu scored an additional goal from a set piece...

Tokyo's connections are not quite coming together. In the 28th minute, midfielder Kono created space with a dribble and sent a long through pass to the front line. East ran to the left area and sent a decisive final pass to the center, but it didn't reach Muto... No one was closing in on the far side. After that, Takahashi took care of the central defensive line and served as the starting point for build-up attacks, while the fullbacks took up high positions on both sides to try and counterattack, but the front line failed to coordinate. They ended the first half while trailing.

Edu scores consecutive goals! Despite closing the gap to one point, the comeback falls short.

In the second half, as they tried to recover, they faced a scoring opportunity at the start. In the 46th minute, Ota → Muto reversed the opponent's DF and broke through the left side line, rushing into the left area. He sent a decisive final pass in front of the goal, but Kono, who had run in close, was challenged by the opponent's DF and lost his balance... In the 50th minute, Muto broke through again and crossed from the left. Tokunaga, who had entered the right area, headed the ball but couldn't find the target. In the 54th minute, Hirayama was substituted. Immediately after, Muto stole the loose ball on the left front line and passed it through to the back of the opponent's DF. Hirayama broke through and sent a minus pass from the goal line, but no one was in the area and Shimizu took possession and launched a counterattack.

57 minutes, Shizuoka FW Omae and MF Kawai exchanged passes, and Kawai moved to the right front line from the inside, and FW Takagi went behind the Tokyo DF and to the right area. Yoshimoto was marking here, but a ground pass was sent to the center, and FW Novakovic easily pushed it in front of Kaga and lost the third goal. In the 64th minute, Kaga, who was competing with Shizuoka FW Novakovic, was in pain and was forced to substitute for Kakuhiju, who made his first appearance. Shizuoka's passing and speedy attack pushed them back, but in the 71st minute, Matsuda was substituted in to try to break the situation from the side.

Shimizu, who took the lead, did not let up on their attack and in the midst of a counter, in the 83rd minute, Takahashi on the left side of their own field aimed for a pass behind the opponent's DF. Muto broke through and charged freely into the left area. However, instead of taking a shot, he chose to pass to Hirayama who was following from the far side. However, this did not go through and they missed a chance to score.

Still not giving up, in the 86th minute, the left side of the home team, Yonemoto, changed the side with a long pass to the right front line. Edu, who received the pass, swung his left foot powerfully from just outside the penalty area in the center! The driven ball went over the stretched hand of the Shizuoka GK and into the net! Edu's passionate shot brought the score to within one, but... In the 89th minute, Matsuda from the right side aimed for a powerful middle shot, but it just went over the bar. In additional time, Ota broke through vertically and crossed. Although Hirayama in the left area tried to control it with his head, it floated up... The counterattack did not reach. They suffered their first loss in the Nabisco Cup and fell to third place in the group.

[Player Comments]
"Yoshimoto"
"Rather than the opponent... the impression is stronger that we played a wasteful game ourselves. There were also many mistakes when we had possession of the ball, and gradually the DF line became deeper. There is also a feeling that things that we have been able to do as a team in the past, we were not able to do today. Everyone lacked things like winning the ball and fighting spirit. However, we must continue to grow. We must remember what we have done when times were tough and continue to grow by not making bad plays."

《Kakuhiju》
"I have been away from the game, but I have been thinking about what kind of play I need to make and what I need to do to win when I do play. I think we have improved our defensive coordination through practice, so there were no problems, but I couldn't contribute to the victory and I still feel like there is something missing in myself. I also think it is my role to convey the plays and the desire to win. I want to continue to do my best for the team."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"Today, we haven't reached the level of performance we have been showing recently. Even in games like the G Osaka match where we couldn't secure a win, our performance was good, but sometimes we have games like today. Shizuoka played well, but after conceding the first goal and quickly equalizing, the distance between our players became worse and it didn't work out well for the team's quality. I don't think Mori Shige's absence was the only factor. As a team, we lacked stability and courage in our play. I'm not satisfied with that aspect. However, there are still two games left in the qualifiers, so there is a chance to move up. We can also think of today as just an unlucky day. Whether the team is doing well or not, it's important to calmly analyze and approach things rationally. We want to think with a clear mind. It's important to restart for the next game."

[Shimizu - Manager Afshin GHOTBI's Press Conference Summary]
"I think the quality of the 5 goals in the entertaining match was high. It was an interesting match for soccer fans. Of course, I am satisfied with the result. We were able to play great soccer for 15 minutes in the second half, scoring goals and hitting the post, and creating many chances. We want to be able to play that way for longer. There aren't many players like Tokyo FW Edu who can score goals, but during that time, we lacked concentration and made mistakes. There was a situation where MF Takeuchi went up to the front line and was about to face the GK one-on-one in the previous play, but other players needed to take good positions to prevent counterattacks or goals. In order for Asian soccer to develop, we need to be able to read where the ball is going, not just where it is. If we can do that, we can stop without using energy. It was still a great goal. It was an interesting way to end the match."