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

Entering the second half of the league matches, the 18th round will be held. They will face Shimizu S-Pulse. After the break, the team has won 2 out of 3 games and is currently on a 2-game winning streak. In particular, in the previous round, they showed a high level of physicality without showing signs of fatigue from the consecutive games, and scored 3 goals for the first time since the 14th round (May 17th, G Osaka match). They aim to continue this positive momentum and achieve their first 3-game winning streak of the season.

In this round, Edu, who has returned from a suspension, will start. The rest of the starting lineup will be the same as the previous match against Sendai. New signing Canini also made it to the bench. On the other hand, Shimizu is currently in 12th place with 21 points. They have been winless for 7 matches since the 10th round, but finally grabbed a victory in the previous match against Kashiwa after 8 games. However, after that, they welcomed coach Oeno as the new manager, replacing coach Gotobi, and this round will be his first game in charge. However, as coach Massimo says he wants to prevent Shizuoka from unleashing the potential of each individual player, it can be said that the attacking power of FW Novakovic, Omae, and Takagi Shun will be their biggest strength.

On the other hand, the key to victory will be how we can suppress the opponent's points while taking advantage of their weaknesses. This season, we have won one and lost one in our matches, including the Nabisco Cup, but we want to show our growth since our last match and achieve victory in this important game.

Ajinomoto Stadium, where the intense heat continues, the match started with Shimizu's kickoff at 6:34 PM.

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

The start of the game saw a back-and-forth battle. However, in the 6th minute, Muto broke through the left area from a feed by Takahashi on the right side of the midfield and took a shot. The ball went wide, but this play allowed Tokyo to find their rhythm. In the 8th minute, Muto kept the ball on the left front line and sent a minus pass to the front of the area, where Takahashi took a ground shot. However, it was slightly touched by the GK and resulted in a corner kick. In the 12th minute, Shimizu quickly moved forward and took a middle shot at FW Omae, but Tokyo's defense returned quickly and escaped with a corner kick.

At the 15-minute mark, from a throw-in, Muto and Hanyu connected with each other on the left side, with Kono aiming for the goal from the corner of the area. The ball hit the DF in the area and was cleared by the Shimizu DF, but Edu, who had dropped back, volleyed the ball with his left foot. The powerful shot flew into the right side of the net, giving them an early lead!

After that, there were also scenes where Shimizu was attacked, but they did not allow decisive moments to be created with their quick switching and calm defense. In the 37th minute, Yoshimoto from their own team made a long feed to the front line. Mutoh followed this and broke through the opponent's defense, shooting with his left foot from the area, but it went just to the right... In the 43rd minute, Ota sent a ball from the right corner kick to the goal, and Edu from near reacted, hitting the left post... However, from this clearance, Ota on the right side made a sharp early cross to the goal. Mutoh, who had broken through between the opponent's defenders, headed it in, GOAL!

In the first half additional time, Mutoh used his speed to make a move and earned a free kick from just in front of the left penalty arc. Ota aimed for it with a light run-up and the shot grazed the right post and went in! With a brilliant free kick, they scored two more goals in quick succession at the end of the first half and went into the second half with a 3-point lead.

Tightly close the game and achieve the first three consecutive wins of the season in the league!

Tokyo dominated the early stages of the second half. In the 48th minute, Takahashi from the midfield on the right passed to Edu in front, who then broke through the right side with a one-two with Kono. He entered the area and took a shot, but it missed widely. In the 51st minute, Hanyu was replaced by Higashi. In the 53rd minute, Edu in the center headed in a cross from Tokunaga, but it went wide. In the 57th minute, Shimizu attacked into the area, and both FW Novakovic and MF Toshiyuki Takagi took shots in succession, but both hit the post and Tokyo avoided conceding a goal.

In the 58th minute after this, Muto reacted to a loose ball after Edu and the opposing DF competed on the right side of the area, dribbled into the right area. He cut inside and then outside past the opposing DF twice and took a shot with his right foot! It went near and became his second goal, making it a 4-point difference.

Despite that, there were moments when Shimizu received counterattacks and did not lose their fighting spirit. However, they were able to hold off the attacks with a concentrated defense centered around Gonda. In the 61st minute, Mita was substituted for Kono, and in the 77th minute, Hiraoka was substituted for Edu. They were closing in on the game. In the 84th minute, Takahashi in the midfield spread out to the left side. Ota, who received the ball, entrusted it to Muto on the left front line and entered the area. He received a return pass from Muto and took a decisive shot, but it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper and they were unable to score a fifth goal. However, they shut out Shimizu's counterattacks and achieved their third consecutive clean sheet, scoring a season-high of four goals and winning the game. They also rose to 5th place in the rankings, achieving their first three consecutive wins of the season.

[Player Comments]
《Edu》
"Being able to enter the game with a good rhythm and scoring first in the early stages makes things easier. I think the key to our good form is not only our mentality, but also the fact that the team is playing compactly. Our physical condition has improved since the break and our teamwork has also improved. It's all coming together nicely."

"Muto"
"I missed two shots at the beginning of the game, but Edu scored the opening goal, which gave me a little more room. I've been working on scoring since practice. For the first goal, I thought the ball would come to me if I got free. I also practiced shooting near the goal for the second goal. I've started to understand the FW position by moving behind and from the center to the side. The players around me are also watching my movements, and I had confidence that I could use my speed if I could get past them."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"In the first half, the content was almost perfect, just like the previous Sendai match. We didn't give the opponent much space, maintained compactness, and played aggressively, even in this heat, we were able to press well. It was also good that we were able to show high-quality plays in goal scoring opportunities and scored 3 goals. In the second half, after scoring 4 goals, we were threatened twice with dangerous counterattacks and long-range shots, but in the end, we were able to play our own game. The players are satisfied with playing with courage and confidence, and we want to continue this momentum."

[Shimizu - Coach Katsumi OENOKI's Press Conference Summary]
"We approached the game with a focus on defense, but it was difficult to turn it into a victory after conceding 3 goals in the first half. There may have been some bad luck, but I still felt some weaknesses in controlling the line, the ball, and closing in on opponents. As for our attack, we didn't have much time to prepare and left it up to the players. However, we couldn't move forward after winning the ball in a low position. We ended up just passing the ball around in the back, and even when we switched to the sides, we couldn't increase our speed. We had a few chances to break through on the sides, but unfortunately we couldn't score due to our lack of precision in crossing and entering the box. However, the players fought until the end and played with a sense of needing to do something. That was encouraging and I think I saw a glimmer of hope there."