<Match Review>
In the previous match, Tokyo, who won in Sapporo for the first time in 12 seasons and achieved a 3-game winning streak, moved up to 4th place. With the top spot in sight, this match saw them return to their home, Ajinomoto Stadium, aiming for a 4-game winning streak for the first time in 3 seasons against Kashiwa Reysol.
After about a month of fierce battles in Qatar as a member of the U-23 Japan national team, Kuryu MATSUKI returned home with a spot in the Paris Olympics and was named as a starting member. Despite it being his first official J-League match in a while, he wore the captain's armband as a symbol of leadership in blue and red. In place of Kei KOIZUMI, who was suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, Takahiro KO formed a midfield partnership with Diego OLIVEIRA, who has scored in three consecutive matches. For Diego, it was a match against his former team.
1stHALF - Steadily adding goals, leading by 2 points despite conceding early
After conceding the opening goal early in the match against Sapporo in the previous round, we were once again caught off guard and had our own goal net shaken. Teruhito NAKAGAWA tried to keep the ball in our own penalty area, but was tripped by the opponent, resulting in a loose ball that was kicked into the goal by Matheus SAVIO.
However, Tokyo now does not look down on things lightly.
Matsumaki encouraged Nakagawa and the whole team switched gears, resulting in a tying goal in the 6th minute of the first half. Tawaratsumida Kota quickly started a short corner kick and dribbled to send a cross ball, but Henrique Trevisan's header was stopped by the goalkeeper. However, Nakagawa pushed in the rebound. Number 39, who quickly made up for his own ball loss and conceded goal, brought the score back to a tie.
After catching up, the build-up from the defense line worked and led to a push forward. On the left side, Tsumari Tatsuta and Kashif BANGNAGANDE combined to break through, and when a quick cross ball was sent in, Soma ANZAI, who had sprinted in from the far side, was brought down in the penalty area, earning a penalty kick. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Diego TABA scored this chance, successfully turning the game around with his fourth consecutive goal.
In addition, in the 37th minute of the first half, player Matsuki reacted to a loose ball from a left corner kick and kicked it powerfully with his left foot, causing the stadium's voltage to reach its peak in one go.
However, just after entering additional time, an accident strikes the team that was on a roll.
When the ball was lost on the defense line and the opponent forward broke through, Go HATANO, who had come out to cover, was judged to have brought down the opponent player and was shown a red card, resulting in his dismissal. In place of goalkeeper Tsuyoshi KODAMA, who made his first appearance in the J1 league this season, Nakagawa player dropped back.
2ndHALF—Unable to overcome numerical disadvantage, ends in a draw
Conceded a goal in the beginning of the second half. It happened within a minute of the kickoff. When the center back Inukai was holding the ball beyond the center circle, no one was able to close him down and he took a powerful shot from the middle. The ball flowed into the top left corner of the goal, closing the gap in the lead.
After that, the tough time continued to be pushed in, and we couldn't turn the situation around even though we were in a numerical disadvantage. In the 13th minute of the second half, we were shaken greatly from side to side, and although we managed to deflect the cross ball thrown into the penalty area, we allowed another middle shot when the loose ball was picked up. While Koda saved Shirai's middle shot, the second ball fell at the feet of Shimamura, who was in front of the goal, and was pushed in, equalizing the score.
Tokyo has been trying to move forward since being pushed back, but they are forced to play a difficult game as they struggle to keep possession of the ball.
Still, in the 27th minute of the second half, they tried to push back by sending in Riki Harakawa and Yuto Nagatomo. However, despite having several chances from set pieces, they were unable to capitalize and the game ended in a 3-3 tie. It resulted in earning 1 point in a numerical disadvantage situation.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Go HATANO
DF Kosuke SHIRAI/Masato MORISHIGE/Henrique TREVISAN (45th minute: Yasuki KIMOTO)/Kashif BANGNAGANDE (45th minute: Jája Silva)
MF Kuryu MATSUKI/Takahiro KO/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (45+5th minute: Tsuyoshi KODAMA)
FW Diego OLIVEIRA (27th minute: Riki HARAKAWA)/Kota TAWARATSUMIDA (27th minute: Yuto NAGATOMO)/Soma ANZAI
SUBS
DF Shuhei TOKUMOTO
FW Leon NOZAWA
GOAL
First half 6 minutes: Teruhito NAKAGAWA/First half 32 minutes: Diego OLIVEIRA/First half 37 minutes: Kuryu MATSUKI
＜Kashiwa Reysol＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Kenta MATSUMOTO
DF Diego (33rd minute of the second half: Yugo TATSUTA)/ Taiyo KOGA/ Tomoya INUKAI/ Daiki SEKINE (29th minute of the second half: Naoki KAWAGUCHI)
MF Kosuke SHIRAI/ Takumi TSUCHIYA (0 minutes of the second half: Sachiro TOSHIMA)/ Takuya SHIMAMURA (44th minute of the second half: Kazuki KUMASAWA)
FW Matheus SAVIO/ Tomoya KOYAMATSU (0 minutes of the second half: Kosuke KINOSHITA)/ Mao HOSOYA
SUBS
GK Tatsuya MORITA
FW Fumiya UNOKI
GOAL
2 minutes into the first half: Matheus SAVIO/1 minute into the second half: Tomoya INUKAI/13 minutes into the second half: Takuya SHIMAMURA
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI, Manager]
Q, please give us an overall review of today's match.
A, I think it was a game with many different things and a lot going on. The first and second halves had completely different developments. As for the first half, we were able to play the football we wanted to play and had good attacks by utilizing the space we wanted while moving the ball. We want to continue that kind of play.
The second half was a situation where we had to fight with 10 people. Of course, I think it's always difficult to fight with 10 people, but the players gave everything they had. Even in a numerical disadvantage, they were able to clear their minds, unite, and show their character in the second half. After this, we will reflect on our performance and continue the process while recovering our condition, and we will prepare for the next game. It's disappointing that we couldn't win, but we will take this one point and prepare for the next game.
Q, In the tight schedule, I think it is a tough situation with injuries and condition adjustments, but what is important to overcome the consecutive games?
A, what is important is to continue the process that we are doing. I think there were many positive aspects in today's game, so it is important to continue that. As we prepare for the next game, it is also important to have a good recovery and to determine which players are in a fresh state and ready for good preparation for the next game.
However, as always, it is necessary for everyone to contribute in a long season. Of course, there may be difficult situations, but we must ensure that whoever comes out can make an impact and contribute to a good performance. We must also continue to develop our football, regardless of who is playing. We can already see signs of this. I believe there is still room for growth, so we will continue to strive towards our goal without wavering.
[Player Interview]
＜Kuryu MATSUKI＞
Q: please review the game.
A, We conceded a goal early in the first half, but I think we were able to express the type of soccer we are aiming for and score three goals in the first half. In the beginning of the second half, the opponent also scored a super goal, and we ended up defending too much as a team, which made it a difficult time to endure. We also had one player sent off in the first half, so the second half became a longer period of defense.
Q, it was a well-placed volley shot.
A, I had the intention of shooting stray balls from the previous day's practice. Since my ball feeling was very good from the previous day, I think I was able to make a good impact. Personally, it was my first goal in a league match at Ajinomoto Stadium, so I am happy about that point.
Q, How did the team as a whole organize themselves when entering the second half with one less player?
A, at halftime, we talked about setting up a certain amount of blocks and defending firmly, and aiming for additional points on the counter. However, we focused too much on defense and were unable to create many chances in the second half, so it was a regrettable result.
Q, the game ended with a 2-point deficit.
A, As I mentioned earlier, we were able to play the football we are aiming for in today's match, so we are not feeling too pessimistic. The atmosphere in the locker room was not very down, but rather there was a feeling of clearing our heads and organizing ourselves for the next match.
<Takahiro KO>
Q: please review the game.
It was a game where we lost 2 points. The early goal we conceded was a big point of reflection, but looking at the entire first half, I felt confident in myself. Personally, I was able to pull out the ball, manage risks, and recover the ball almost perfectly. As a team, we were able to score 3 points and we were able to push the opponent for a long time, including the distance. It was a very good performance. However, we had a player sent off and it became a very difficult situation. Still, we were only 2 points behind and we had a chance to score another goal, so I think it was still our lack of strength that we couldn't win. We need to thoroughly reflect on our mistakes and improve.
Q, What was your mindset going into the game in the second half with one less player?
A, we were talking about attacking without ever receiving. However, we conceded a goal early on. In that scene, we should have put more pressure on ourselves and instead we ended up receiving. We needed to focus more and enter the game with more concentration. We were also conscious of not just kicking long balls, but also moving the ball well. There were some good parts, so we want to fine-tune the details even more.
Q, What were you conscious of when playing after the score became tied?
A, we had been conceding goals in succession, so we shared that we absolutely cannot concede a fourth goal. In the midst of that, there were scenes where the side players could get involved if we could peel off one or two, so I was thinking of making one stab there. However, we conceded another goal and were able to get one point instead of zero, so I want to take that as a positive.
Q, there were many scenes where players were talking to each other throughout the game.
After scoring 3 points, no one was satisfied, and personally, I wanted to dominate more. Even if it's just my personal opinion, I want to share and improve it when I realize it, regardless of age. I think that will become a common understanding within the team and naturally lead to more conversations. In that sense, I think the team is gradually improving as more opinions are being expressed, so I want to continue doing it.
<Kosuke SHIRAI>
Q: please review the game.
A, we conceded a goal early in the first half, but we were able to score 3 goals in a good manner afterwards. It would have been better if we could have finished the first half without any players being sent off, but unfortunately we conceded a goal at the beginning of the second half and it became a difficult situation.
Q, How did you feel about the measures and match-ups for players Diego and Matheus SAVIO?
A, I don't think we collapsed too much, but the opponent is also a hard-working player, so we were also struggling to attack. It was an impression that we were canceling each other's strengths while playing.
Q, please reflect on the defensive aspect.
A, the second goal was scored at a crucial time that we should never have conceded. While the opponent's shot was impressive, we still should have closed down the ball holder more. In the second half, we let our guard down and that was a point of reflection. After that, we conceded another goal and were caught up, but even considering our lead, it was important to see how long we could maintain our advantage. It's a shame that we were caught up so early.
Q, We needed a little more power in our attack due to the long defensive time.
A, we were unable to produce much attacking power and the opponent also managed their risks well, so we were constantly pushed back. There were a few counterattacks, but I think there were few scenes where we were able to fully attack.
Q, the consecutive battles will continue. How do you want to switch as a team?
After 3 consecutive wins, it is really important whether we win or lose the next game, as we had a draw in between. The matches in May will be a total battle, so we want to combine everyone's strength and definitely earn 3 points to stay in the top fight.
