The league has resumed and the blue and red army has returned to Ajinomoto Stadium. The 26th round at home welcomed Kawasaki Frontale. It was a rivalry match across the Tama River.
Tokyo made three changes to their starting lineup from the previous match. Taishi Brandon Nozawa was positioned in the back, with Kosuke Shirai, Kanta Doi, Teppei Oka, and Shuhei Tokumoto forming the final line from right to left. Takahiro Ko and Kei Koizumi paired up in the defensive midfield, with Teruhito Nakagawa playing as the attacking midfielder. Soma Anzai was placed on the right wing, Keita Endo on the left, and Diego Oliveira leading the attack.
Up until now, they are in 7th place with 10 wins, 7 draws, and 8 losses. In the previous match, they were pushed back by Gamba Osaka away, but managed to secure a valuable 1 point draw. Therefore, they want to grab a victory in this Tama River Clasico as a chance to rise up again.
The game kicked off at 19:03, surrounded by the best tension with player introductions using lighting effects from moving lights and player entrances featuring the Tama River Clasico theme and fireworks.
1st HALF - Goal conceded after creating a chance but being caught off guard for a moment
First big chance was created by Tokyo. From the beginning, Diego TABA's post play created points on the right side and showed off precise passing work. In the 5th minute of the first half, Takahashi crossed from the right. Endo, on the far side, dove and headed it, but unfortunately it missed to the left of the goal.
The fierce attack from Tokyo continues. Just 6 minutes into the first half, Diego Taba, who reacted to a through pass, skillfully switched the ball after trapping it, and Endo, who was making a run vertically, sent a cross, but it didn't connect with anyone. In the 9th minute, Nakagawa made a near post run from Koizumi's right cross, and Endo aimed for the far post, but it was blocked by the opponent.
In the 12th minute of the first half, Diego TABA quickly reacted to a change in course caused by the player's through pass hitting the opponent. He faced a one-on-one scene with Sung Ryong JUNG, but was unable to score due to the opponent's goalkeeper.
Tokyo, who couldn't score despite numerous chances. In the midst of a dominant period, they allowed a goal from a single chance. In the 15th minute of the first half, Kawasaki's Marcinho player cut back from inside the penalty area and crossed to the left. Shin Yamada player returned and headed the ball, but Nozawa player desperately stretched out his left hand but couldn't deflect the shot, and the ball hit the post and went in. They were in control but were caught off guard for a moment and lost the lead.
Did this interrupt the flow, with a goal conceded in the 20th minute from a near post header by player Yamada from a right cross? They now face a 2-goal deficit early in the game.
Tokyo, who cannot afford to lose at home. They will counterattack without being discouraged by conceding a goal. In the 25th minute of the first half, Koizumi steals the ball with a high press and Diego takes a shot from Nakagawa's through pass. In the following 27th minute, Endo, who broke through with Tokumoto's long throw, aims with his right foot, increasing the pressure in the opponent's territory.
The game became slightly more open after 30 minutes, but neither team was able to create clear scoring opportunities and the score remained unchanged. After four minutes of additional time, the first half ended with a score of 0-2.
2ndHALF - A disappointing loss at home despite making changes with substitutions
Tokyo, looking to make a comeback, makes a move during halftime. Ryotaro ARAKI is substituted in for Yasushi ANZAI as an attacking midfielder. Koki NAKAGAWA is moved to the right side, making changes to the attack.
In the second half, starting with Araki's keep, Endo from the left and Shirai from the right supply crosses and threaten the Kawasaki goal.
Player Araki contributed defensively by aggressively pressing back from the front line and stealing the ball. In front of the goal, he also showed his presence by creating opportunities with through passes from the center to the outside.
In the second half, Tokyo sent Riki HARAKAWA onto the pitch in place of Koizumi in the 15th minute. In the 19th minute, the opponent's corner kick was perfectly met in the center, but it was saved by the crossbar and they narrowly escaped danger.
Tokyo, who wants to focus on attacking, made a change in the 24th minute of the second half by substituting Nakagawa and Diego for Tsuyoshi Ogashiwa and Kota Tawaratsumida. Ogashiwa was placed as the lone striker, with Araki playing behind him and Endo on the right wing and Tawaratsumida on the left wing.
However, just after this substitution, a painful third goal was conceded. From a set piece, Takai scored a header to make it 0-3. Just as they were trying to move forward, they were forced into an even more difficult situation.
Tokyo, who wants to shake the goal net for the fans and supporters who continue to cheer on the pitch with all their might, without losing to the disadvantage. In the 38th minute of the second half, Tawara Tsumetai player dribbled from the left side and Koki Araki player flew out on a through pass, but Sung Ryong JUNG player caught it just before. In the 39th minute of the second half, Endo player flew out on a through pass from Araki player and took a shot, but once again, it was blocked by Sung Ryong JUNG player's save and did not reach the goal.
Tokyo, who wants to show their determination, showed some spirit in the second half at the 42nd minute. Endo player's sharp right cross was met by Kobayashi player with a header near the goal, but it narrowly missed the left post. Tokyo continued to launch fierce attacks, with Shirai player running up the right side and taking a powerful middle shot, but it also narrowly missed the goal frame.
In the 5th minute of additional time, despite defending with all their might and aiming for a counterattack, they were unable to make it happen. They missed several opportunities in the early stages and ended up conceding the first goal with just one chance, leading to a defeat with three headed goals. They suffered a disappointing loss at home and ended up losing both games of this season's Tama River Clasico with a score of 0-3.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Kosuke SHIRAI/Kanta DOI (39th minute of the second half: Masato MORISHIGE)/Teppei OKA/Shuhei TOKUMOTO
MF Takahiro KO/Kei KOIZUMI (15th minute of the second half: Riki HARAKAWA)/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (24th minute of the second half: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA)
FW Diego OLIVEIRA (24th minute of the second half: Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA)/Keita ENDO/Yasushi ENDO (0th minute of the second half: Ryotaro ARAKI)
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Yuto NAGATOMO
GOAL
ー
STARTING Ⅺ
Kawasaki Frontale
GK Sung Ryong JUNG
DF Fanwell MUSKELKEN (Substituted in the 28th minute: Yusuke SEGAWA)/ Kota TAKAI/ Asahi SASAKI/ Sota MIURA
MF Kento TACHIBANADA/ Yasuto WAKIZAKA/ Ryota OSHIMA (Substituted in the 28th minute: Tatsuki SEKO)
FW Akihiro IENAGA (Substituted in the 39th minute: Yu KOBAYASHI)/ MARCINHO (Substituted in the 12th minute: Daiya TONO)/ Shin YAMADA (Substituted in the 39th minute: Hinata YAMAUCHI)
SUBS
GK Yuki HAYASAKA
DF Shintaro KURUMAYA
GOAL First Half 15th Minute: Shin YAMADA / First Half 20th Minute: Shin YAMADA / Second Half 27th Minute: Kota TAKAI
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI, Manager]
Q: please review the game.
A, today's score is very disappointing and it's painful that we couldn't get any points. In the world of football, there are times when we are given challenges like this. I think that was the case in today's game. As for the game itself, we were able to create more chances than our opponents. I think there were also signs that we can become a strong team that we aim for, but we need to learn from this tough lesson and continue to improve. The difference in today's game was in the penalty area. As a team and as a club, I think it's necessary to close that gap. I believe we can become even stronger from here on out.
Q, Speaking of the difference inside the penalty area, was there any impact today due to the combination of two young center backs?
A, for football players, such things can happen. For example, when a child is growing and their teeth start to come in, they may cry because it hurts. I think that's a good example. However, our center back has also shown great quality. Kanta DOI is only 19 years old and this is his 9th game today. Teppei OKA is also a young player, and this is his 9th game today as well. Our goalkeeper, Taishi Brandon NOZAWA, is also 21 years old. They should be the youngest players in the league. Experiences like today are necessary for them. With this experience, I believe they will become better players. And as time goes by, we can become a good team, and we can aim for the team we dreamed of.
However, I do not think that the conceded goal was their mistake. It is not the responsibility of one person. I think there were also moments where we could have put more pressure on the ball, especially at the first conceded goal where it was scored at the far post. The second conceded goal also came from nothing. In those 5 minutes, we were down 0-2 to the opponent. I am very disappointed about that and we cannot let those things happen. In order to become the team we aspire to be, we must eliminate these mistakes. And the third conceded goal came from a set piece. We cannot afford to give the opponent such opportunities.
As a positive aspect, we were able to play really good football. We were creating good chances that could have resulted in more goals than our opponents. Of course, we couldn't finish them off, but with that frustration, we want to become an even better team, a better club, and get closer to the club we have dreamed of.
Q, it will be a consecutive home game. Please share your enthusiasm for the next match.
A, It is important to take the lessons and frustration from today's game and use them to prepare for the next game. For the club and the fans, this is a very important match. First, we need to recover well and prepare well. And we want to give our all to achieve results for the fans and supporters. We will approach the game with a strong fighting spirit to win 3 points. That is for sure.
"It is important to show that Tokyo is blue and red." I think it is important for me and everyone here to recognize that. Therefore, it is important to prepare well and be ready to give our maximum effort on the weekend. In the game, in the stadium, it is a battle where various emotions swirl. We will turn that into our own strength and energy. Fans and supporters, please come to the stadium to support the players. We will fight with everything we have for the 3 points."
[Player Interview]
＜Player Kosuke SHIRAI＞
Q: please review the game.
A, although the result was a 0-3 loss, I don't think the performance was as bad as it may seem. In the previous match against Gamba Osaka, the performance was poor and resulted in a 0-0 draw. This time, the performance wasn't as bad, but unfortunately we ended up with a 0-3 loss. These things happen in football, but our honest desire was to win.
Q, How was your condition after sprinting at full power multiple times during the 90 minutes?
A, I always think that I can maintain a good condition including my own feeling, so I think I was able to do my job of running at least today.
Q, the opponent took the momentum by scoring consecutively, but there was a certain sense of accomplishment in the good start to the game, wasn't there?
A, the player in front of me became an escape route, and from there we were able to build up well and put many balls into the opponent's penalty box to create chances. There were many chances to score, so I think our conversion rate was particularly good.
Q, please tell us what we need to continue as a team and as individual player Kosuke SHIRAI and what we need to improve.
A, Personally, in this soccer, build-up is still very important. Especially, I think the escape route will be the side back, so I was able to do it well today. This season, there are games where it can be done and games where it cannot be done, and there is still a difference for me personally. If we can make it a good thing consistently, I think the team will also improve. As a team, if we don't score where we should score and don't defend where we should defend, we won't be able to win games. It's obvious, but we have to do it properly.
<Takahiro KO>
Q, it looked like a good start until the first 15 minutes of the first half. How did it feel?
A, we talked about approaching with power from the front together, and I think we were able to do that well and create chances. The flow of the game can change drastically depending on whether we can finish those chances or not, so I felt that it was important to stay focused in those moments.
Q, how did you feel about the balance of offense and defense in the first half, despite conceding consecutive goals?
A, there were some places where we were able to pick up the ball relatively well, and I think the shots were really good. Whether we can finish it there or not, and the opponent's chances, they were able to score with one chance from a cross, so we have to concentrate as a whole and close it off, so we have to defend that part firmly. If we give up an easy goal there, it's really painful and it becomes Kawasaki's ring. We have to keep it at zero, or keep it at zero for a longer time, otherwise it will become difficult.
Q, how was the overall recovery of second balls?
A, there are many scenes that we have not been able to pick up since the last match, and there are many times when we roll over to the opponent in the ball scene, so I think that is a part that I myself and the team as a whole need to fight more. I think there are various ways to attack and defend in the structure of soccer, but I think the most important part is definitely there (ball scene), so at the crucial moment, I personally and as a team need to show more strength. In order to show that strength, I think we have to do it from training, so we need to focus more on that and do it.
Q, the next match is against Tokyo Verdy. The expectations of the fans and supporters will be even higher.
A, I think it's a game where the result is required, so we have to fight hard and we can't win if we keep making easy goals, so everyone has to have a strong determination to win against the opponent in front of us no matter what. We have to prepare well and win.
