Match Review
Meiji Yasuda J1 Sec. 3, welcoming Vissel Kobe, the reigning champions of last season's J1 League. Tokyo has shown resilience in catching up from behind in the first two matches of the season, but has only managed to secure consecutive draws. Therefore, they will be looking to grab their first home victory of the season.
10 players, including Kei Koizumi, who made his first start of the season as a defensive midfielder alongside Kuryu Matsuki, started in the same lineup as the previous match. Additionally, Hotaka Nakamura made the squad, returning to Ajinomoto Stadium for the first time in about 10 months since his right Achilles tendon rupture in April last year. New signing Tsuyoshi Ogashiwa also made his first appearance in the matchday squad since joining the team.
1stHALF—Back and forth battle of attacking and defending
Tokyo, who aimed for a win at home, suddenly faced a crisis. In the 5th minute of the first half, Masato MORISHIGE, who blocked the opponent's shot, was hit by the ball on his elbow. As a result, after VAR support and an on-field review, a penalty kick was given to Kobe. However, the opponent's kick missed the goal by a large margin and Tokyo escaped danger.
In the 13th minute of the first half, Tokyo, who wants to open up, picked up the clear from the left corner kick and Ryotaro ARAKI supplied a cross ball with his left foot. In the center, Diego OLIVEIRA and Morishige competed for the loose ball, but Teruhito NAKAGAWA took it out in the penalty area and shot with his right foot, but it was blocked by the opposing defender and did not result in a goal.
In the 16th minute of the first half, Keita ENDO, who has started two consecutive games, cut in from the left side and launched a powerful ground middle shot with his right foot. Unfortunately, it was caught by the goalkeeper, but the blue and red army continued to aggressively attack the enemy's territory.
In defense, Henrique TREVISAN and Morishige players show tough defense in the center against Kobe, who attacks targeting Yuya OSAKO using long balls, and do not give the opponent freedom by firmly coordinating with the defensive midfielder.
Tokyo also tries to launch attacks with Diego Taba, the central player, as the starting point, but the opponent has also increased their level of caution towards player number 9, making it difficult to create decisive chances.
The first half, which turned into a battle of canceling each other's strengths, ended in a scoreless draw after a back-and-forth offensive and defensive struggle.
2ndHALF - Koizumi's opening goal was not enough to overcome the numerical disadvantage and only one point was scored.
In the second half, the game quickly changed. The catalyst was Kashif BANGNAGANDE's sharp interception.
5 minutes into the second half, number 49, who had a sharp start, stole the ball on the left side and dribbled it down the field. Matsuki, who received the pass near the penalty area, aimed with his left foot but it was blocked by the opposing defender.
After Keishi FU player kicked the right corner kick obtained here, Kei KOIZUMI player ran into the far side and swung his right foot directly to score the first goal, as Henrique TREVISAN player touched the ball that spilled near. With a powerful shot from number 37, who responded to being selected as a starter, Tokyo succeeded in scoring the first goal of the season for the first time.
Kobe, on the other hand, is also stepping up their attack. In the 12th minute of the second half, they equalize with a cross from the left after a successful dribble.
In the 24th minute of the second half, Henrique, who had been about to be beaten by a long ball, was shown a red card for stopping the opponent with a decisive chance. This resulted in a direct free kick, which was scored by Osako, leading to a reversal.
Tokyo, who was burdened with a numerical disadvantage and one point behind, tried to find a way out through the breakthrough power of Jája Silva, who was brought in on the left side.
33 minutes into the second half, Jaja takes a right-footed shot near the penalty arc. Matsuki then attempts a powerful shot with his right foot on the rebound, but it is blocked by the opposing goalkeeper.
Tokyo, who wants to counterattack, made three substitutions in one go in the 37th minute of the second half to break the deadlock. Kota TAWARATSUMIDA was placed as the left attacker, and Jája Silva was placed on the right. Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA, who entered the front line, made his debut in blue and red. In addition, Hotaka NAKAMURA, who was used as the right side back, made a long-awaited comeback after about 10 months from a serious injury.
In the 43rd minute of the second half, player Kashiwa was fouled while dribbling and earned a free kick. Player Matsuki took the kick with his accurate left foot, but unfortunately the ball narrowly missed the top right corner of the goal.
In the 7th minute of additional time, Tawarazumida player showed a dribble that cut through the center from the left side and sent a last pass vertically, but it didn't go through. Furthermore, Koizumi player strongly moved up from the center to the right side. Jaja player aimed powerfully with his right foot, but the shot that hit the near side was saved by the opponent goalkeeper and couldn't break the goal.
Tokyo, who bravely attacked while being at a disadvantage in terms of number of players and score, was unable to catch up. They suffered a bitter defeat of 1-2 against Kobe, resulting in their first loss of the season.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Go HATANO
DF Yuto NAGATOMO (38th minute of the second half: Hotaka NAKAMURA)/Masato MORISHIGE/Henrique TREVISAN/Kashif BANGNAGANDE
MF Kuryu MATSUKI/Kei KOIZUMI/Ryotaro ARAKI (38th minute of the second half: Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA)
FW Keita ENDO (17th minute of the second half: Jája Silva)/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (38th minute of the second half: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA)/Diego OLIVEIRA (28th minute of the second half: Yasuki KIMOTO)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
MF Keigo HIGASHI
GOAL
5 minutes into the second half: Kei KOIZUMI
＜Vissel Kobe＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Daiya MAEKAWA
DF Gotoku SAKAI/Tetsushi YAMAKAWA/Matheus THULER/Yuki HONDA (29' Ryo HATSUSE)
MF Takahiro OHGIHARA/Hotaru YAMAGUCHI/Rikuto HIROSE (29' Jean PATRIC)/Yoshinori MUTO (45+7' Nanasei IINO)
FW Taisei MIYASHIRO (37' Yosuke IDEGUCHI)/Yuya OSAKO
SUBS
GK Powell Obinna OBI
DF Takuya IWANAMI/Ryuho KIKUCHI
GOAL
12 minutes into the second half: Taisei MIYASHIRO/29 minutes into the second half: Yuya OSAKO
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI, Manager]
Q. Please give us a summary of today’s match.
A. First of all, I am very frustrated and disappointed that we could not achieve a result. One thing I am proud of is that the players fought for victory until the very end and gave their all to challenge themselves even in difficult circumstances. With this frustration, I want to thoroughly analyze our performance today. Vissel Kobe showed how a champion team wins a match. I think the red card incident was a turning point today, but we will carefully review this match and aim to fight even stronger. Also, I am grateful to the fans and supporters who passionately supported the players. Their energy pushed us forward, and thanks to them, even with ten men, the players were able to fight until the very end. I sincerely thank them again for their wonderful support.
Q, Has the option to raise the player's position and make it more offensive become unavailable due to a dismissal?
A, we were considering a substitution strategy to become more offensive in an 11 vs 11 situation, but unfortunately, the red card made the situation difficult. From there, we knew it would always be challenging to play with one less player, and the goal scored from that free kick put the opponent in an even more advantageous position. We fought with a strong mentality to score the next goal, and with the use of substitutes, we intended to equalize and then turn the game around. All the substitute players gave their all and fought until the end, but unfortunately, today was not our day.
[Player Interview]
＜Kei KOIZUMI＞
Q, first of all, please look back on the 90 minutes.
A, We were able to score the opening goal, but we conceded during a time when we didn't want to. There was still time left, and it felt like we were overwhelmed by the opponent's momentum to score another goal.
Q, What were you asked for in the starting lineup and how did you approach the game on the actual pitch?
A, I knew there would be a lot of long balls, so as a defensive midfielder, I focused on contributing firmly to recovering second balls. As a team, I think we had a strong awareness not to lose second balls or aerial duels, but we still need to continue advancing forward after winning the second ball. For the whole team to share the same image and be able to attack, I believe the only way is through practice, so I want to work on that diligently.
Q, After the second goal, what kind of communication was there on the pitch?
A, I was encouraging the team to push forward even if it meant taking risks, and there was no option to pull back here. Even if we have to take risks, our first goal is to equalize. As we face a long league season ahead, there will be situations like the second half today, so I hope to keep communicating with the players on the pitch like today to adapt flexibly in such moments.
<Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA>
Q: This was my first game appearance in Tokyo. Please review the game.
A, Since it was a difficult situation to enter the match, I thought I just had to give my all to chase the ball and head towards the goal. Being down to 10 men made maintaining balance challenging, but I focused on trying to score at least one goal.
Q, it was a difficult time to play. What were you conscious of?
A, since we were at a numerical disadvantage and losing, I focused on getting into the area in front of the goal and making runs behind the defense. I believe I was able to show my strengths defensively by pressing from the front, but in attack, I want the fans and supporters to see me making runs behind the defense and taking shots, so I aim to further improve my coordination with my teammates.
Q, After joining Tokyo, there was a period of adjustment. What kind of preparations did you make?
A, I have been carefully adjusting to avoid injury. I wanted to play soccer in front of Tokyo's fans and supporters as soon as possible, so I’m glad I was able to make that happen today. Until now, at Ajinomoto Stadium, I had only ever left the pitch on a stretcher, so I’m happy to have been able to play without injury until the end. From here on, I want to steadily improve my condition.
Q, please share your enthusiasm for the upcoming Avispa Fukuoka match.
A, I have heard that we have a bad record against teams from Kyushu. However, I believe that this has nothing to do with me, Ryotaro ARAKI, or Keita ENDO, who are new additions, so I want to create a different momentum than before. And I want to celebrate together with the fans and supporters.
<Kuryu MATSUKI>
Q, please review the game.
A, it was the third match and we scored the opening goal, but before we could fully get into the flow, we conceded a goal to the opponent. I believe one of the reasons for conceding two goals was that the players on the pitch were unable to make adjustments among themselves. In the first half, there were moments when we were pressed, but we were able to defend solidly. On the other hand, in the second half, I felt the team lacked the buildup on how to proceed with the game after scoring.
Q, today was a double pivot with Kei KOIZUMI, who was also appointed as team captain.
A, I was able to play with Kei Koizumi while being mutually aware of maintaining a good distance between us. In the first half, there were several moments when I could receive the ball while Koizumi was carrying it forward. As a team, progressing through the double pivot, being conscious of everyone building up the play, and sharing this awareness will become increasingly important moving forward.
Q, Did a big change occur due to the player being sent off?
A, Since our tactic was mainly based on long balls, regardless of the sending-off, throughout the 90 minutes, the match unfolded with us being mindful of Kobe's style of play during defense. First, I think it is necessary for the entire team to review why the sending-off incident happened and work on improving it.
