Show versatility in both defense and attack, surpassing the opponent and achieving victory!

Cloudy skies, with high humidity at Shimizu S-Pulse's IAI.S for the Sec. 9 match against Shimizu S-Pulse.
With the end of this round, Mori Shige's suspension will be lifted, and injured players will also return one after another, with Ota, Kajiyama, and Higashi joining the practice. Coach Massimo said, "Each returning player must carefully assess their condition," but explained that Ota's condition is "improving" and will make a starting comeback for the first time in four games since the Sendai match on July 29.

In addition, Hirayama, who has been absent from the front line since last August due to injury, has been enduring a difficult time for about 11 months, but the coach said, "He has endured well. His condition is very good now." He has returned to the squad for the first time since August 23 last year (Sec. 21) and will be on the bench. Ota will play as a left back, and Tokunaga will move to the right side, while the midfield and forward line will face the same lineup as the previous match.

Shimizu's 2nd stage is currently in 15th place with 6 points. Their overall ranking is 17th, but under the guidance of coach Kazuaki TASAKA, who took over in August after serving as head coach for about a month, they are aiming for a comeback. At the same time, FW Zheng and DF Tsunoda have joined the team for the 2nd stage, hoping to turn things around. In August, they have yet to win with 1 draw and 2 losses, but all three games have been close with only a one-point difference. Their defense has improved, and they have managed to keep the games close without any major collapses.

The team should be able to demonstrate a high attacking power if the gears are meshed together, including the newly joined players. The opponent's FW Omae is on the bench. The DF line has also been slightly changed since the last match, with DF Ryohei and Calvin Jong-a-Pin as full-backs. MF Honda and Edamura are paired in the defensive midfield, with MF Shirasaki and Mitchell Duke on both sides. FW Zheng and Peter Utaka form a 4-4-2 formation as the top two.

Tokyo aims to surpass Shizuoka, who aggressively seeks victory at home, with a solid defense and a variety of attacks.
The match started at 18:04 with Shizuoka's kickoff.

Both teams pressed each other and entered the second half with a scoreless tie.

The match was in the first 5 minutes. The opponent's left MF Mitchell DUKE advanced to a high position in the front line and crossed. FW Utaka jumped in with a header in the center, but the shot went out, grazing the post. The danger was avoided. In the following 9 minutes, Tokyo's left area, Barnes, made a bold move and won a left CK. The kicker was Ota. Barnes jumped in near the CK, but the ball went out of bounds in a fierce competition.

15 minutes have passed. Without missing the opponent's mistake, Barnes faces the GK one-on-one from a short counter. However, the GK jumps out just before the shot, and it seemed like he was fouled and fell down, but there was no foul from the opponent. In the 16th minute, Maeda takes a powerful middle shot while bringing the ball inside from the left area. The curved shot attacks the opponent's goal, but is saved by the GK.

19 minutes to go. Barnes runs up to the left front line and sends a minus grounder in front of the goal. It didn't reach the center's Yonemoto, but Takahashi stretched his leg and desperately dropped it, and Takahashi, who was crowded here, aimed from long range, but was blocked by the opponent and went to the right CK. This right CK was bounced back to the opponent and safely collected by Shimizu FW Utaka, who received a counterattack. However, here they were helped by the opponent's missed shot. In the 33rd minute, Ota sends a cross from the left side to the middle of the area. The opponent's DF cuts it with a sliding tackle and goes to the left CK. The CK was cleared, but it went back to Ota. From there, Barnes headed the cross that was put in almost parallel to the goal, but couldn't hit the frame.

At the 35-minute mark, Tokyo's possession time in their own half is gradually increasing, but they are struggling to create attacking opportunities against Shizuoka's tough defense. They have had chances when they won the ball in high positions, but they have also been pushed back by long balls to Shizuoka's FW Utaka and FW Zheng. Both teams are pressing each other, resulting in a fierce battle.

Shimizu's attack, led by FW Peter UTAKA, was met with strength and perseverance from players such as Morishige and Maruyama. On the other hand, they were able to steal the ball in high positions and create chances, but were unable to capitalize on them. The score remains tied as we head into the second half.

Ota scores a goal from a free kick! The intense battle ends in a draw.

50 minutes into the second half. Shimizu takes the ball to the left area and MF Mitchell DUKE makes a move. Although Morishige steals the ball once, Shimizu presses again and the ball falls to Shimizu FW Peter UTAKA between Tokunaga and Morishige. A decisive shot is taken from the left area, which GK Enomoto saves, but... FW Zheng easily pushes in the rebound... and we concede the first goal.

53 minutes after the first goal. Tokyo, who did not lose their spirit, quickly moved forward and earned a corner kick from Kono's left cross. Mori Shige's header from Ota's left cross hit the right post... He followed up on the rebound, but the Shizuoka defender reacted first and it resulted in a right corner kick.

Substitute Nakajima for Kono in the 57th minute. Then, in the 60th minute, Hashimoto takes the pitch in place of Hanyu. Hashimoto and Nakajima on the sides. And a double pivot of Takahashi and Yonemoto.

61 minutes, Shimizu quickly brought the ball to the front line and MF Mitchell DUKE went up the center, changing places with FW Zheng who entered the goal from the right, and shot to the right. However, GK Enomoto saved it with one foot and escaped to CK. In the following 64 minutes, Shimizu FW Utaka was forcibly taken out to the right area. The shot from there was slightly touched by Enomoto and escaped to CK. From this CK, Shimizu was repeatedly pushed in and faced a difficult situation, but did not allow an additional point. 65 minutes have passed. We conceded the first goal to the opponent and continued to be pushed in, facing a difficult situation. However, we did not lose concentration until the end and did not allow an additional point. We wanted to take advantage of the opponent's intensity and find their weaknesses...

In the 67th minute, Hirayama replaced Barnes and returned to the pitch after a year. In the 70th minute, Hirayama headed the ball down and Nakajima received a foul in the right area, earning a free kick. The free kick was about 20 meters from the right area. Morishige stood inside as a decoy, and immediately after, Ota's shot was beautifully placed in the upper right corner for a GOAL!! A magnificent free kick to equalize the score! However, after that, Shimizu's momentum and set plays pushed them back. While the defense held up well, they were unable to create a counterattack. They continued to play in their own half... In the 83rd minute, Hirayama tried to break through on the left side, but was brought down in a challenge with the opponent... The decision was in favor of Shimizu.

Using player substitutions, Tokyo brought back Hiraoka to the pitch after a year. In the midst of that, Nakajima scored a beautiful free kick, tying the game!! The opponent's attacks to take the lead were well defended, and in the end it became a back-and-forth counterattack, but they were unable to convert their chances. The intense game ended in a draw, and for the second consecutive away game, they only earned 1 point.

[Player Comments]
《Ota》
"I haven't been able to play in the team's matches for about a month, so I wanted to make up for the trouble I caused and get a win, but it would have been the best if we could have won. However, I will take the valuable 1 point away and give my all in the remaining 8 matches. As for the free kicks, I stayed after practice the day before yesterday and practiced as I did then, so I think it was good."

"Hirayama"
I am grateful to the coach who gave me a chance and the people who supported me. I want to return the gratitude through my play and show results in the remaining short season. It is a great honor to wear the number 9 for Tokyo, and I want to do my best to live up to the number that has been worn by good players before me.
(What are the instructions from the coach when you step onto the pitch?)
The instructions are to aim for a win and not to lose to the opponent's hard work in order to secure 3 points. Of course, we also focused on post-play, but we played with the consciousness of moving the ball firmly."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was a very intense game. Shimizu ran a lot and utilized the strength of their forwards to send the ball into the front line. In the first half, we had a few close chances with Barnes. If we had scored there, the flow of the game would have been completely different. But we couldn't finish and it became difficult. We conceded a goal from a counterattack after losing the ball, but the players remained calm and didn't become passive. They also responded well to the tactical changes. We brought in the technical Shoya NAKAJIMA and the physical Kento HASHIMOTO, and by playing with two strikers, we were able to find a formation that suited us and continue to try until the very end. We only got one point today, but I think it's an important one."
(Player Hirayama made a long-awaited return and was immediately used, what are your thoughts?)
"I think it was good. He has been struggling for over a year. I hope he can continue to improve his condition and play more and more. We have been lacking players with his characteristics in the team. As we approach the end of the season, we will need strong physical players like him. It was an important return."

[Post-match interview with Shimizu coach Kazuaki TASAKA]
"First of all, I would like to thank our supporters and sponsors. Once again, it is thanks to all of you that we are able to compete like this. It is unfortunate that we did not get the results we wanted, but we want to look forward and prepare for the next game. After the game, there will be many things that come up, but what we need to do is to look forward and win. That's all there is to it. Even if we say that the performance was good today, it means nothing if we don't win. In that sense, there are both good and bad aspects. We want to prepare from next week to secure 3 points."