Entering the second half of the league, maintain a good flow

The second round of league matches begins, with Sec. 18 being held. We will face Shimizu S-Pulse. After the break, the team has managed to get through three consecutive matches with two wins and one draw, and is currently on a two-game winning streak. In particular, in the last match, the team showed a level of energy that belied the fatigue from the consecutive games, marking three goals for the first time since Sec. 14 (May 17 match against Gamba Osaka). We aim to build on this good momentum and achieve our first three consecutive wins of the season.

In this match, Edu, who has completed his suspension, returns to the starting lineup. The rest of the lineup is the same as the previous match against Sendai. Additionally, the newly signed Canini has made it to the bench. On the other hand, Shimizu is currently in 12th place with 21 points. They went winless for seven matches since Sec. 10, but finally secured a victory in the previous match against Kashiwa after eight games. However, after that, they welcomed a new coach, Oenoki, to replace Coach Gotou, making this match his first game in charge. Nevertheless, as Coach Massimo stated, "I want to play in a way that does not allow Shimizu's individual players to showcase their potential," it can be said that the attacking power of forwards Novakovich, Omae, and Takagi is their greatest strength.

In contrast, how to minimize conceding goals while exploiting the opponent's weaknesses will be the key to victory. This season, we have one win and one loss in matches including the Nabisco Cup, but this is also a match where we want to show our growth since the last encounter and achieve victory.

The severe heat wave continues at Ajinomoto, and the match started at 18:34 with Shimizu's kickoff.

Edu scores a powerful opening goal! Muto and Ota extend the lead

The match started with a back-and-forth battle. However, in the 6th minute, Takahashi's feed from the right midfield allowed Muto to break into the left area and take a shot. The ball crossed the goal line, but this play helped Tokyo find their rhythm. In the 8th minute, Muto, who held the ball on the left front line, sent a backward pass just before the area, and Takahashi took a grounded shot from the middle. However, it was barely touched by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. In the 12th minute, Shimizu quickly advanced the ball, and FW Omae took a shot from the middle, but Tokyo's defense quickly returned, escaping with a corner kick.

In the 15th minute, from a throw-in, Muto and Hanyu connected closely on the left flank, and Kono at the edge of the area aimed for the goal. The ball hit a DF inside the area and was cleared by Shimizu's DF, but Edu, coming back for the short rebound, volleyed with his left foot. A powerful shot found the net on the right side, scoring the opening goal early in the match!

After that, there were moments when they faced attacks from Shimizu, but with quick transitions and calm defense, they did not allow any decisive chances. In the 37th minute, Yoshimoto from their own half made a long feed to the front line. In response, Muto broke through the opponent's defense and took a shot with his left foot from the area, but it went just to the right... In the 43rd minute, from a right corner kick, Ota sent a ball in front of the goal, and Edu at the near post reacted but hit the left post... However, from this clearance picked up by Kono, Ota on the right side delivered a sharp early cross in front of the goal. Muto, who broke through between the opponent's defenders, headed it in, GOAL!

In the first half's added time, Muto utilized his speed to make a move and earned a free kick just in front of the left penalty arc. Ota aimed from a light run-up, and the shot grazed the right post and went in! He scored a brilliant free kick, quickly adding another goal towards the end of the first half, leading by three goals as they headed into the second half.

Concluded the match firmly, achieving the first league three consecutive wins of the season!

In the early part of the second half, Tokyo took the lead. In the 48th minute, Takahashi on the right side of midfield passed to Edu in front, who broke through on the right side after a one-two with Kono. He entered the area and took a shot, but it went wide. In the 51st minute, Higashi came on for Hanyu. In the 53rd minute, Tokunaga's cross was met by Edu with a header in the center, but it went off target. In the 57th minute, Shimizu attacked into the area, and FW Novakovich and MF Toshiyuki Takagi took consecutive shots, but both hit the post, avoiding a crisis of conceding a goal.

In the 58th minute right after this, Edu competed with the opposing DF on the right side of the area, and Muto reacted to the loose ball, dribbling into the right area. He cut back twice on the opposing DF from inside to outside and shot with his right foot! This found the near post, marking his second goal and extending the lead to four points.

Still, without losing their fighting spirit, there were moments when Shimizu faced counterattacks, but they were held back by a concentrated defense centered around Gonda. In the 61st minute, Mita was brought on for Kono, and in the 77th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Edu. They aimed to close out the match. In the 84th minute, Takahashi from the midfield spread the ball to the left side. Ota received it and passed it to Muto on the left front line, then advanced into the area. After receiving a return pass from Muto, he took a decisive shot, but it was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, preventing them from scoring the fifth goal. However, they shut out Shimizu's counterattacks, achieving three consecutive matches without conceding a goal. At the same time, they secured a victory with a season-high four goals, marking their first three consecutive wins in the league this season and rising to fifth place.

[Player Comments]
《Edu》
"If we can enter the match with a good rhythm and score first early on, it becomes easier. Of course, on the mental side, I think the fact that the team is able to play compactly is a factor in our good form. Our physical condition has improved since the training camp during the break, and our coordination has also been increasing. That is leading to a good shape."

《Muto》
"I missed two shots at the start of the match, but Edu scored the opening goal, which gave us a bit of breathing room. The scoring is something we've been working on in practice. For the first goal, I thought the ball would come to me if I got free. The second goal was also a shot aimed at the near post that we practiced. The movements behind the defense and shifting from the center to the side are things I've started to understand since I began playing as a forward. The players around me are also watching my movements, and I had confidence that if I could break through, I could win with my speed."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"In the first half, it was almost a perfect performance, just like the previous match against Sendai. We hardly gave the opponent any space, fought aggressively while maintaining compactness, and were able to press well even in this heat. It was also good that we showcased high-quality play in goal-scoring opportunities and scored three goals. In the second half, after scoring four goals, we faced a couple of dangerous counters and long-range shots, but in the end, we were able to play our game. I am satisfied that the players are playing with courage and confidence, and I want to continue this momentum."

[Summary of the Press Conference by Shimizu Coach Katsumi OENOKI]
"We approached the match with a focus on defense, but conceding three goals in the first half made it difficult to secure a victory. There may have been some bad luck, but I felt there was still a lack of sharpness in line control, ball handling, and closing down on opponents. We had very little time to prepare for our attack, and there were parts where we relied on the players. However, when we regained the ball in a low position, we couldn't advance. We ended up just passing it around at the back, and even when we switched to the sides, we couldn't pick up the pace from there. We had several opportunities to break through on the sides, but it was disappointing that we couldn't score due to a lack of precision in our entries into the box and crosses. However, the players fought until the end and played with the feeling that we had to do something. That makes me happy, and I think we saw a glimmer of hope there."