GAME RESULTGame Result

Sec. 34 2020/12/19 (Sat)
Attendance 14,373 
Weather: Clear, Light; Temperature: 10.8 degrees; Humidity: 28% 
Referee: Yusuke ARAKI Assistant Referees: Hiroshi YAMAUCHI / Kota WATANABE Fourth Official: Reo TANAKA

J1 Sec. 34

Ajinomoto

HOME

FC Tokyo

1-0

Match Ended

First Half0-0

Second Half1-0

AWAY

Vissel Kobe

FC Tokyo Vissel Kobe
85' Joan OUMARI
Scorer
46' Kazuya KONNO → Yojiro TAKAHAGI
70' Keigo HIGASHI → Hirotaka MITA
70' Takumi NAKAMURA → Hotaka NAKAMURA
70' Adailton → Taichi HARA
90' Kensuke NAGAI → Takuya UCHIDA
Player Substitution 61' Keijiro OGAWA → Daiki SASAKI
61' Yutaro OKADA → Kyogo FURUHASHI
67' Junya TANAKA → Noriaki FUJIMOTO
75' Takuya YASUI → Yuya NAKASAKA
11 Shoot 7
8 CK 9
16 FK 9
Warning 62' Gotoku SAKAI
81' Ryuho KIKUCHI
Ejection
FC Tokyo Starting Lineup
GK 13 Go HATANO
DF 22 Takumi NAKAMURA
DF 4 Tsuyoshi WATANABE
DF 32 Joan OUMARI
DF 6 Ryoya OGAWA
MF 10 Keigo HIGASHI
MF 3 Masato MORISHIGE
MF 31 Shuto ABE
FW 38 Kazuya KONNO
FW 11 Kensuke NAGAI
FW 15 Adailton
FC Tokyo Bench
GK 1 Tsuyoshi KODAMA
DF 37 Hotaka NAKAMURA
MF 7 Hirotaka MITA
MF 8 Yojiro Takahagi
MF 28 Takuya UCHIDA
MF 44 Manato SHINADA
FW 24 Taichi HARA
Vissel Kobe Starting
GK 1 Daiya MAEKAWA
DF 23 Tetsushi YAMAKAWA
DF 25 Leo OSAKI
DF 17 Ryuho KIKUCHI
MF 13 Keijiro Ogawa
MF 27 Yuta GOKE
MF 5 Hotaru YAMAGUCHI
MF 24 Gotoku SAKAI
MF 14 Takuya YASUI
FW 41 Yutaro Oda
FW 21 Junya TANAKA
Vissel Kobe Bench
GK 28 Kenshin YOSHIMARU
DF 19 Ryo HATSUSE
DF 44 So FUJITANI
MF 31 Yuya NAKASAKA
MF 38 Daiki SASAKI
FW 9 Noriaki FUJIMOTO
FW 11 Kyogo Furuhashi

[Highlight Video]

[Player and Coach Comments]

《Joan OUMARI》
I am happy that I was able to score a goal and win. We were able to conclude the final match of the 2020 J1 League with a victory.
Also, since there is an important match coming up in the new year, the Levain Cup Final Round, I think this has become a match that leads to that.

(It was a wonderful performance throughout the 90 minutes)
"It's not just about my performance; I think the two matches we fought as a team after returning from the ACL (against Hiroshima and Kobe) were fantastic.
The ACL schedule was really tough, but I felt that the team needs to level up even more.
I think that frustration has led to these two matches, and I want to continue this momentum until the Levain Cup Final Round.

(Scored a goal against my former club Kobe)
"I had a hard time getting playing opportunities as a player in Kobe."
I am very happy to be able to score a goal against such opponents.
I am currently a player in Tokyo.
I always strive to play for the victory of Tokyo and give my all for this team.

《Yojiro TAKAHAGI》
(In the first half, I watched the match from the bench, and in the second half, I entered the pitch and changed the flow. I was thinking about how to play)
"In the first half, Hotaru YAMAGUCHI was free and playing freely, so it seemed that the defense was struggling to keep up. When I came in, I focused on shutting that down, and when I won the ball, I aimed to create opportunities in attack by being aware of receiving the ball between Nagai and the midfield players."
I was able to draw the ball out, but I couldn't make a decisive play, so next time I want to connect it to that point.

(Now that the league season is over, my honest feelings)
"It was a frustrating season.
Last season we reached 2nd place, and this season we started with the goal of winning the championship. Unfortunately, we ended up in 6th place.

(Thoughts on finishing today's match with a victory)
"I'm glad we won as a result, but I'm not satisfied at all. The opponent didn't have any foreign players, and I don't think this performance and result will carry over to next season. I want to level up further and face next season better prepared."

(How do you want to fight for the Levain Cup Final Round)
"I just want to win. I don't think the content matters, so I will focus solely on winning the championship. I want to play thinking only about winning as a team."

《Keigo HIGASHI》
As an individual, I was away from the team for almost four months due to injury and was unable to participate in most league matches.
I was able to return in the ACL, but I could not achieve the team's goals and returned home.
I felt really frustrated, but after coming back, we were able to win against Hiroshima and Kobe.
Since we have the Levain Cup Final Round on January 4th, I think today became a meaningful final home match leading up to that.

(I think today's victory was won by the entire team)
"I believe this season has been particularly like that.
You could say that almost all players, including the young ones, have had opportunities to play, and in the end, we were able to win two matches against Hiroshima and Kobe in a total team effort.
I think we are making progress, so I am positive, and I believe it will carry over to next season.

(The quality of the game has been improving significantly)
"The performance has been improving since the ACL."
We were able to win against Hiroshima in the last match and against Kobe today, but we couldn't win in the ACL despite having good matches.
A world where you are not evaluated at all if you can't win, even if you play a good game.
We have experienced that there is no meaning if we do not win, so we want to show a stronger commitment to winning.

《Tokyo - Summary of the Press Conference with Director Kenta HASEGAWA》
I'm glad we could finish with a win.
I am truly grateful for the many fans and supporters who have gathered.
Today, we were able to respond to the feelings of our fans and supporters with a victory.
I truly believe that the players showed their feelings for this match in what was really the final home game.
I was wondering what kind of members Kobe would bring after the ACL, but the members who played in Qatar came out, and they were truly a wonderful team. It is gratifying to have ended with a victory against such an opponent.
We couldn't reach our goal of winning the championship, but as we head into next season, we want to work hard together to build a strong team so that we can lift the trophy next time.

(It has been a tough year schedule-wise due to the ACL, but how do you view the result of 6th place?)
"I thought we were close to reaching the ACL qualification. This is my lack of ability."
The players have worked hard through a grueling schedule of 19 consecutive matches.

(What was the toughest period of this season?)
"In August, when Kento HASHIMOTO and Sei MUROYA left, we had to rebuild the team and during the time we were exploring which direction to take, we couldn't perform well in matches.
It was difficult as there were many players who were making their debut in matches while establishing a clear direction.
I think the players did well, and among the three teams that participated in the ACL, they achieved good results in the league. However, finishing in 6th place leaves nothing to show for it.
I don't think this is a commendable result, as we were unable to secure the right to participate in next season's ACL and missed out on the championship.
Even without Hashimoto and Sei MUROYA, there are other very talented players, so if we could utilize them better, I believe we could have achieved different results.
Regarding overcoming the consecutive matches, everyone, including the staff, worked hard. I could see the players' growth, and although it was a frustrating season, I feel happy because there have been many fulfilling matches towards the end.

(There was talk of winning the trophy next season, but where do we want to strengthen?)
"I think we need to increase our scoring a bit more to reach the championship."
In the first half of the season, we were scoring at a good pace, but in the second half, there were fewer matches where we could score multiple goals. I think it will be necessary to further improve our scoring ability for the next season.
We have come to a good point, so we just have to continue to make the final decision.

《Kobe - Summary of the Press Conference with Coach Atsuhiro MIURA》
"As this is the final match of the season, naturally, we are fully focused, and in the first half, we were able to play the football we wanted."
In the second half, after we had the ball a bit more, the number of ball losses increased, and there was also some fatigue, but we ended up having many unnecessary losses.
It is regrettable that it has become an open development.
However, I believe that we have definitely built something this season, so while improving further, I hope we can properly correct the areas that need improvement.

(Regarding the application of the athlete track after returning from the ACL and being able to play the match)
"Thanks to the country's cooperation, we were able to use the athlete track and compete in the final match, and I want to express my gratitude to the country.
I believe that being able to hold matches like this, while managing players and team staff with PCR tests and other measures throughout this season, including during the ACL period, is something we are very grateful for.

(Although we achieved results in the ACL, we were unable to maintain stable performance in the league. How do we want to improve for the next season?)
"There is no doubt that we are making progress in terms of raising the overall level of the team.
Of course, since it's a competition, if we don't win, it will be an excuse, but we aim to be a team that can win no matter who plays.
Although the results did not come out, I believe that the good points, bad points, and areas for improvement of each player, including their approach, became clear. I hope we can become a team that can achieve solid results for the next season.