<Match Review>
A game to overcome the lack of finishing ability that once again plagued us in the previous match against the Kashima Antlers and to strongly secure 3 points. Tokyo, facing Shonan Bellmare at the away Lemon Gas Stadium Hiratsuka, changed five starting players from the previous match.
In goal, Kim Seung-gyu, who has been in the starting lineup for six consecutive matches since his Tokyo debut, was selected. The back line from right to left consisted of Yuto Nagatomo, Alexander Scholz, Enrique Trevisan, and Kashif BANGNAGANDE. In midfield, 32-year-old Kento HASHIMOTO, celebrating his birthday today, partnered with team captain Kei KOIZUMI. The attackers featured academy graduates Leon NOZAWA on the right and Kota TAWARATSUMIDA on the left. The formation chosen was a 4-4-2 with Motoki NAGAKURA and Teruhito NAKAGAWA as the two forwards.
Also, Maki KITAHARA, who signed a professional contract in July, was on the bench wearing the number 77 jersey for the first time. Go HATANO was also named among the substitutes for the first time in about a month and a half.
1st HALF—Showing composure in both offense and defense, heading into the second half
The match moved immediately. The player wearing number 26, who said the day before, "We need to be threatening in front of goal. I want to deliver results with the quality of finishing," struck a powerful right-footed shot into the Shonan goal.
In the 6th minute, Nozawa, who made a sharp move on the right side, was fouled and earned a free kick opportunity. Tawara Tsukida then delivered the ball in front of the goal with his right foot. Although it was initially blocked by an opponent, Yoshifu, who picked up the rebound, sent it back in front of the goal. Henrique headed it down, and Mikiki Nagakura took aim, striking a precise direct shot with his right foot, allowing Tokyo to score the opening goal early in the game.
Tokyo continued to control the game while maintaining possession of the ball. The players added creativity to their attacks by carefully exchanging short passes to find openings between the back line and midfield, executing large side switches from player Koizumi, and delivering sharp ground passes from the right side by Nagatomo that penetrated the front line, all while observing the situation on the pitch.
A sharp counterattack was launched in the 20th minute of the first half. From a through pass by Kouta TAWARATSUKITA, who dribbled through the center of the pitch, Mikiki NAGAKURA took a direct shot, but unfortunately it went just over the top left of the goal.
The defense also showed focused play. As Rikizo MATSUHASHI, the coach, said regarding both offense and defense, "Play in front of the goal is the key to the battle," the players quickly closed down and limited the opponent’s options even in scenes that looked like potential danger, not giving them any freedom.
Tokyo continued to press while increasing their possession rate. Nakagawa, who moved to the left side, repeatedly tried to break down Shonan's defense through a variety of direct plays with Tawara Tsukida and Kashiwa, but they were unable to create a decisive chance.
Using both quick and slow attacks while concentrating numbers on the same side, even when losing the ball, they immediately regained possession high up the pitch, extending their playtime in Shonan's territory. When defending against the opponent's attacks, they formed solid blocks and showcased a flexible style of play by aiming for counters from there. They skillfully managed the game, closing out the first half while maintaining control and tightening up when necessary. While aiming for additional goals, they carefully managed risks and went into halftime with a one-goal lead.
2nd HALF—Unable to hold onto the 2-goal lead, a heartbreaking goal conceded near the end
Tokyo dominated the game both offensively and defensively in the first half. That’s why they wanted to score an additional goal early in the second half to bring the match into a more comfortable state.
Heading into the second half, Coach Matsuhashi made a move at halftime. He substituted Ewerton GAUDINO, a right attacker, for Tawara Tsukida, and moved Nozawa to the left side. The fans and supporters behind the goal warmly welcomed number 98 as he came out of the locker room with loud cheers of "Ewe."
Although Shonan came out with momentum for a counterattack at the start of the second half, Tokyo showed a solid attack on the left side and scored the next goal.
In the 7th minute of the second half, Nozawa sharply turned after receiving a pass from Yoshifu inside the penalty area, and was fouled as soon as he faced forward, earning a penalty kick. Scholz calmly converted it with his right foot, bringing Tokyo’s score to 2-0. For Scholz, this goal was a redemption for the penalty kick he missed in the match against Yokohama FC.
With the lead extended, Coach Matsuhashi made another move. In the 57th minute, Nakagawa was taken off and Hian was brought onto the pitch. Anticipating Shonan’s likely aggressive push to overcome the two-goal deficit, Hian was sent in to exploit the space behind their defense.
However, Shonan’s momentum in their counterattack broke through the goal. In the 67th minute, Sungyu saved a long-range shot from Matsumoto, but the rebound was kicked in by Suzuki, reducing the deficit to one goal.
Tokyo wants to manage risks while targeting the space behind the opponent. In the 27th minute of the second half, Kaua broke away on a counterattack, ran solo, cut inside to evade an opponent, and struck with his right foot, but unfortunately missed to the right of the goal. Then, in the 29th minute, from a sharp grounded cross by Kindai, Kaua charged into the far side but just missed reaching it. Although neither resulted in a goal, they consecutively created a sense of threat in attack as planned.
After that, Shonan gained momentum with substitutions and a counterattack mood. However, Tokyo endured despite creating dangerous situations, with Sungyu showing a fine save using only his right arm.
In the 42nd minute of the second half, Teppei OKA came on for Nozawa. To respond to Shonan's fierce attack, the system was changed to a three-back with Scholz and Henrique.
Shonan continued their fierce attack. As the 7 minutes of added time in the second half were about to expire, a heartbreaking goal was conceded from a corner kick. Unable to hold on until the very end, the team missed out on victory at the last moment and the match ended in a draw.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC TOKYO>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Kim Sung-gyu
DF Yuto Nagatomo / Kashif BANGNAGANDE / Alexander Scholz / Henrique Trevisan MF Kento HASHIMOTO / Leon NOZAWA (42nd minute 2nd half: Teppei Oka) / Kota TAWARATSUMIDA (0 minute 2nd half: Ewerton GAUDINO) / Kei Koizumi
FW Motoki NAGAKURA / Teruhito NAKAGAWA (12th minute 2nd half: Marcelo Hian)
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Kanta DOI
MF Keigo HIGASHI/Kouta TOKIWA/Maki KITAHARA
FW Keita YAMASHITA
MANAGER
Rikizo MATSUHASHI
GOAL
6th minute first half: Motoki NAGAKURA / 7th minute second half: Alexander SCHOLZ
<Shonan Bellmare>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Pope William
DF Koki TATE (40th minute second half: Kazuki OIWA) / Kazunari OHNO
MF Yuto SUZUKI / Akimi BARADA (0 minute second half: Kosuke ONOSE) / Kohei OKUNO / Taiyo HIRAOKA (31st minute second half: Hisatsugu ISHII) / Daiya MATSUMOTO
FW Akito SUZUKI / Yutaro ODA (31st minute second half: Rio FUTA) / Shusuke OTA (19th minute second half: Senagi ISHIBASHI)
SUBS
GK Shun YOSHIDA
MF Tomoya FUJII / Ze Ricardo
FW Luis Felippi
MANAGER
Satoshi YAMAGUCHI
GOAL
21st minute of the second half: Yuto SUZUKI / 45+7th minute of the second half: Akito SUZUKI
[Interview with Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI]
Q, Please give us a review of today's match.
A, It was truly a frustrating battle, but since we earned 1 point instead of 0, I want to build on that going forward.
Q, Please tell us the intention behind the halftime substitution and the reasons why the flow of the game changed significantly between the first and second halves.
A, The halftime substitution was made with consideration for the player's physical condition. This also applies to the second half, but from the first half when we were moving the ball, there was no sense of trying to lure the opponent out, and the way we moved the ball allowed the opponent to easily mark us, which made the match development difficult.
We had highlighted this as a key point during our preparations as well, but I believe the reason was that the coordinated pressing, which should have exceeded the opponent's pressure and the decisions of the players on the field, did not work well.
Q, You struggled with substitutions during the period when the players' legs stopped, and ultimately switched to three center backs.
A. One of the reasons we increased the back line to five players was to deal with the growing number of long balls and how to shut them down. Even when we had four players, the defensive midfielders were effectively holding back the opponents running from the sides in coordination with the center backs.
However, we anticipated long balls being played in during the final stages. Failing to clear them in the last moments led to the goal conceded just before the end.
[Player Interview]
＜Alexander SCHOLZ＞
Q, The ending of the match was very frustrating.
A, It’s our own fault. I feel the opposing team was better than us, and we ourselves need to improve further. Especially in defending corner kicks, we should have been able to respond better, and even in the scenes where we conceded corner kicks, we need to work on issues such as the defensive line dropping too deep.
We did not allow the opponent many clear-cut chances, but ultimately, we ourselves created situations that could have led to conceding goals.
Q: Please review your own performance.
A: I feel that my own performance was by no means good. The 2-0 scoreline should have been a sufficient result, but in terms of the match content and performance, I think previous games were better. Today, we were unable to take control and, rather, the opponent controlled the game.
Q. What factors do you think made the second half of the match more difficult?
A. I believe the main reason was that we failed to effectively evade the opponent's pressing in the low positions, resulting in many instances of losing the ball. There were also moments when we created chances from counterattacks, but we need to capitalize on those decisive opportunities and deliver attacks that can decide the outcome of the match.
Q: You missed the penalty kick last time, but this time you were able to score. Please look back on the penalty kick that became your first goal since coming to Tokyo.
A: Because of the failure on the previous penalty kick, I thought that if I missed this time, I wouldn't be able to take another penalty kick. This time, I changed my kicking style slightly and waited until I confirmed the goalkeeper dived in the opposite direction before striking the ball. I'm glad I was able to score.
It was good to be able to score my first goal in Tokyo, but it is disappointing that we could not secure the victory.
<Yuto NAGATOMO>
Q. I think your individual performance was good, but how does the team perceive this result?
A. Even if the individual performance was good, it hasn't translated into a team victory. It's a difficult situation, but we definitely want to connect it to a win. However, as an individual, I think I just have to continue this level of performance.
I felt there was a lack of sharpness in both attack and defense in the final stages. In attack, we need to improve the final quality more, and in defense, there were simple moments, such as failing to close down an opponent when we needed to put our bodies on the line, which may seem trivial but caused us to concede two goals today as well. I feel that if we cannot do the basics properly, it will be difficult to move up.
Q. In the final stages, we were increasingly pushed back, and there were many difficult moments. What do you feel was necessary?
A.I believe intensity changes based on mindset, and if you blame your body, the heat, or the environment,then there is no point in playing the match. It comes down to whether you have a strong will, and that applies to challenges for the ball as well as pressing back.Intensity changes through a continuous series of decisions, so that high level of awareness was needed from eachand every one of us.
Q, Turning to individual performance, I feel the quality in the last two matches has been excellent.
A, I am going to return to the playing intensity I had during my prime at Inter Milan (Serie A). I am still not satisfied, and when I reviewed my highlight reels from my Inter Milan days, I felt that my speed and intensity were still lacking. I will definitely raise them from here on.
Q, how do you want to build on this one point going forward?
A, today was a match where we could have taken 3 points. I don’t think we can connect anything from this. We really need to have a sense of crisis, and each individual must continue with strong will and high awareness. I want to keep demonstrating that through my play. There is still much more I need to show.
<Kento HASHIMOTO>
Q. I think we were playing a good game until we took a 2-0 lead, but looking back, how do you feel about it?
A. Regarding today’s match, we were unable to control the game as we intended throughout the full 90 minutes. Even so, there were some good moments on the counterattack after winning the ball, and it was very positive that we scored the first two goals. However, after that, we were continuously pressed. Besides the goals conceded, there were many dangerous situations, so it was a match with a lot to reflect on.
Q. Especially in the second half, it seemed that the defensive intensity from the front line dropped, which led to this kind of result. What was necessary?
A. We had talked about "holding firm," but including myself, gaps appeared in various situations. There was also a part where we thought, "If we just keep defending like this, we'll probably win." Being in this position, I was reminded once again that everyone must play with full effort aiming for all 3 points.
Q, We did not lose all the points and were able to take home 1 point. How will you work to build on this for the next match?
A, Not all matches are ones where we can play from a favorable position. We need to once again reflect as a team on how to hold on in tough situations and work on improving that.
