GAME RESULTGame Result

Sec. 8 2020/8/01 (Sat)
Audience 4,760 people 
Weather: Clear, Light; Temperature: 26.9 degrees; Humidity: 64% 
Referee: Masaaki IEMOTO Assistant Referees: Akane YAGI / Osamu AKASAKA Fourth Official: Kazuyoshi ENOMOTO

J1 Sec. 8

Ajinomoto

HOME

FC Tokyo

2-3

Match Ended

First Half1-2

Second Half1-1

AWAY

Sagan Tosu

FC Tokyo Sagan Tosu
39' Leandro
86' Taichi HARA
Scorer 30' Kaisei ISHII
43' Ryoya MORISHITA
56' Zhao Dongjian
57' Yojiro TAKAHAGI → Adailton
57' Leandro → Takuya UCHIDA
69' Kensuke NAGAI → Daichi HARA
79' Hiroki MITA → Arthur SILVA
Player Substitution 60' Dong-kyun JANG → Yohei TOYODA
73' Yuta HIGUCHI → Yong-soo AN
79' Yuto UCHIDA → Shinya NAKANO
79' Kaisei ISHII → Daichi HAYASHI
79' Tomoya KOYAMATSU → Yong Gi RYANG
8 Shoot 9
4 CK 3
16 FK 12
33' Leandro
44' Diego OLIVEIRA
45'+3 Sei MUROYA
Warning
Ejection
FC Tokyo Starting Lineup
GK 33 Akihiro HAYASHI
DF 2 Sei MUROYA
DF 4 Tsuyoshi WATANABE
DF 3 Masato MORISHIGE
DF 6 Ryoya OGAWA
MF 7 Hirotaka MITA
MF 8 Yojiro Takahagi
MF 31 Shuto ABE
FW 9 Diego OLIVEIRA
FW 11 Kensuke NAGAI
FW 20 Leandro
FC Tokyo Bench
GK 13 Go HATANO
DF 32 Joan OUMARI
DF 49 Kashif BANGNAGANDE
MF 45 Arthur SILVA
FW 15 Adailton
FW 24 Taichi HARA
FW 28 Takuya UCHIDA
Sagan Tosu Starting Lineup
GK 18 Yohei Takakuwa
DF 28 Ryoya MORISHITA
DF 36 Hideto TAKAHASHI
DF 3 Eduardo
MF 30 Yuta HIGUCHI
MF 2 Hikari Hara
MF 41 Daiki Matsuoka
MF 6 Yuto UCHIDA
FW 33 Kaisei ISHII
FW 19 Zhao Dongjian
FW 22 Tomoya Koyamatsu
Sagan Tosu Bench
GK 1 Tatsuya MORITA
DF 47 Shinya NAKANO
MF 14 Yoshiki Takahashi
MF 25 An Yong-Soo
MF 50 Yong Gi RYANG
FW 16 Daichi Hayashi
FW 11 Yohei TOYODA

[Highlight Video]

[Player and Coach Comments]

Taichi HARA
(Looking back at the match)
"I came on as a substitute and we were two goals down.
I received instructions from the coach to first score one goal, and I fought with the determination to seize the goal.
Although we lost in a frustrating manner as a result, we want to be able to show the same fighting spirit in the first half as we did in the second half as a team.

(About the scoring scene)
"The ball that the opposing GK deflected had not crossed the goal line, so I thought it would be a chance."
By firmly putting my body on the line and preparing to respond to anything that might happen, I was able to achieve that outcome.
However, it doesn't mean anything unless it leads to a winning goal.
Next time, I want to score a genuine goal.

(Has the sense of achievement changed with each match?)
"Today was the first time playing J1 at home.
Playing in front of the fans and supporters gave me a lot of energy, and I want to work even harder from now on.

Tsuyoshi WATANABE
(Reflecting on the match)
"Our weaknesses were exposed.
It was a match where the opponent's strengths were evident, but we were unable to fully express our own.

(We have been unable to win in the last few matches)
I think it's due to our lack of ability.
We need to be more conscious in order to win more from now on, and the entire team has to start from scratch again.
We are not a strong team, so we want to support each other to improve.

(I felt there was a lack of sharpness in the attack)
"From the back, I honestly felt that the overall speed was heavy.
I believe it is my job to change that, and I want to improve from the next match onward.

《Tokyo - Summary of the Press Conference with Director Kenta HASEGAWA》
"It's just pathetic."
If we are to slightly defend the players, it does not serve as an excuse for losing, but I heard that a player from Tosu had a fever this afternoon before the match, and we were in a situation where we did not know if there were close contacts. We spoke with the J-League and decided to proceed with the match. I told the players that if they did not want to play, they did not have to, but we selected the members based on those who were determined to play. However, they stood on the pitch to show their fighting spirit.
While it may not be an excuse, the inability to fight in the first half was due to psychological factors, and as a coach responsible for the players' lives and health, it is a difficult choice to force them to push through. We couldn't catch up to a tie, but while it may not be something a coach should say to you, I felt it was important to share this.

(Such things may happen in the future. What kind of response do you want to advocate as a coach to the J-League and others?)
"I think it's better not to do it.
Although it has been determined that there were no close contacts, there was a player who developed a fever last night and traveled with the team. If everyone tests negative with a PCR test at that point, the players can play with peace of mind, but I would like to ask for some consideration regarding playing the match without that assurance, which is why I brought up this topic.

(In the first half, we couldn't play our usual game in the midfield.)
"I think there were various factors, but even after we equalized, there were spaces in the midfield, and if we keep giving away easy additional goals in those situations, we won't win at home. If we had gone into halftime at 1-1, I think the outcome would have been different."

(What about the restructuring in the second half?)
"Leandro has received one yellow card, and it was only a matter of time before he would be at risk, so I decided to use Uchida. Mita is very skilled as a kicker, so I wanted to keep him on the pitch."
Substituting Takahagi for Mita as a defensive midfielder, and Nagai on the right side. Nagai also did well, but after that, some younger players changed the flow to some extent. With the opponent's third goal, they were able to manage the game with some ease. There were big chances, such as Adailton's header, but overall, the performance was poor today.

《Tosu - Myung Hwi KIM Coach Press Conference Summary》
I think the players worked hard away from home and were able to express what we wanted to do.
It is significant that we were able to earn 3 points. We hadn't won until now, so we were able to deliver a victory to our fans and supporters. It's quite late, but we hope to use this as a turning point to win one by one.
I want to prepare for the next match without getting too excited or too discouraged, and do my best to win.

(Today's reason for victory)
"Even though we couldn't win, I had the impression that we were progressing step by step while learning.
It was the same in the last match, managing the game while in the lead.
Last time, after taking the lead, we ended up increasing long balls, which gave the opponent the rhythm.
This time, the players showed courage and, while assessing the opponent's moves against the Tokyo press, they made solid attempts.