Repaying the debt of the away game and advancing to the round of 16

ACL Group Stage Sec. 5 match will be held. We will face Jeonbuk Hyundai (Korea) at home.
If Tokyo wins 3 points in this match, they will secure their spot in Round 16. They faced Jeonbuk in the first match of the group stage (Feb 23) and lost 1-2, but the players are determined to repay the debt from the away match and secure their spot in Round 16 by fighting for victory.

This week, Morishige is suspended. Coach Jofuku revealed, "There are players who are always prepared. I have been thinking about when to give those players a chance." In goal, Wei is starting, with Yoshimoto at center-back and Komano at left-back. Wei and Komano will be making their first start in Tokyo, including in the J1 League. The front line will also have some changes, with Maeda and Higashi as the two forwards. Uchida and Mizunuma will be on the wings, aiming for victory.

The game started at 19:30 with Tokyo's kickoff at the cold and chilly Tokyo Stadium.

Tokyo Aim For Payback And Progression

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea were the visitors to Tokyo Stadium for the 5th game of the 2016 AFC Champions League group stage. A win would see Tokyo qualify for the Round Of 16 knockout tournament. The Tokyo players were bullish in their pre-match comments about gaining revenge for the 2-1 away defeat suffered in the first game of the group stage on February 23rd. and thereby earning a place in the next round. Morishige was suspended. Manager Hiroshi Jofuku had commented, "There are some players who are always ready to go. I'm thinking about when to give them a chance," and then named goalkeeper Kakoi, centre back Yoshimoto and left back Komano to the starting eleven. Kakoi and Komano were both making their first starts for the club. The attack showed a small change with Higashi partnering Maeda, while Hanyu and Mizunuma played on the flanks. A cold wind was blowing on a chilly evening in Tokyo Stadium as the hosts kicked off at 7:30pm.

Hanyu had an accident, dominated the ball but couldn't create chances

Jeonbuk started the game with a defensive formation. In the early stages, there was a battle for possession, but Tokyo gradually took control of the ball.

13 minutes: Creating an opportunity on the right side, Yamamoto advances into the right area after a series of passes between Tokunaga, Mizunuma, and Higashi. Yamamoto sends a negative pass to the east of the area, but it is not cut off here. However, Yamamoto and Tokunaga continue to connect the ball and advance. Hanyu, who was filling the center, headed the ball after the cross, but it was blocked and saved by the goalkeeper. However, Hanyu, who had injured his leg in the previous play, was forced to be substituted, and Tanabe was brought in at the 17th minute. The first substitution card was used early. Nevertheless, they maintained their rhythm and pushed Jeonbuk back.

19 minutes: In response to a long feed to the front line of Jeonbuk, FW Ricardo Lopez was sent flying, but Maruyama quickly returned and escaped with a corner kick.

29 minutes: Jeonbuk sends a long pass from the left side of the midfield to the goal area. As the forward line was ready to receive the ball, it was intercepted by MF Kim Bogyon and almost led to a finish, but Maruyama once again put his body on the line and the ball was cleared by the defense.
30 minutes: After Maeda's shot hit the post, Mizunuma went up to the right side of the penalty area and tried to aim for the goal, but he couldn't hit it properly and it went wide to the left.

35 minutes: So far, the opponent has not allowed any chances, but Jeonbuk quickly initiates an attack. FW Idong-Gu switches the attack with a vertical pass. FW Ricardo Lopez, near the right side of the area, brings the ball inside and exchanges a one-two with MF Leonardo, near the left side of the area. He then passes the ball through to MF Kim Bog-Young inside the area. MF Kim Bog-Young skillfully traps the ball with his left foot and confidently shoots it into the goal... We allowed a goal by effectively utilizing the chance.

Tokyo tried to keep possession of the ball and go on the offensive, but they were unable to create scoring opportunities against the tough defense of Jeonbuk. They ended the first half trailing by one point.

Hanyu Injured; Tokyo Dominate But Create Little

Jeonbuk began by sitting deeply inside their own half. The early minutes saw a battle for possession that Tokyo slowly began to win.

13th.minute: Tokunaga, Mizunuma and Higashi combined down the right channel before Yonemoto took the ball into the Jeonbuk area. Higashi cut a cross back into the centre but Tokyo were unable to finish the move with an attempt on goal. The home side continued to move the ball around with Yonemoto finding Tokunaga again. Tokunaga crossed, Hanyu made contact with a header but the Jeonbuk keeper smothered the danger. Hanyu had suffered a leg injury on a previous move and was unable to continue. He was replaced by Tanabe in the 17th.minute. Although Tokyo had been forced into an early substitution they maintained an attacking rhythm and pushed the visitors back.

19th.minute: Jeonbuk forward Ricardo Lopes raced down the right channel in pursuit of a long ball. Maruyama covered quickly and bundled the ball out for a corner.

29th.minute: Jeonbuk launched another long ball into the Tokyo box where the attackers quickly changed positions. Kim Bo Kyung made a late run and seemed set to shoot until Maruyama again made a key interception and Kakoi fell on the ball.

30th.minute: Maeda held the ball up and Mizunuma shot from the right of the penalty arc but failed to hit the target.

35th.minute: Although Jeonbuk had barely created a chance until now that changed with a quickly-played straight through ball from forward Lee Dong Gook. Ricardo Lopes met the ball in front of the Tokyo area on the right, cut inside then played a one two with midfielder Leonardo, before rolling a ball through to Kim Bo Kyung. Kim took a neat touch on the half-turn then stroked a low shot past Kakoi to give his side the lead.

Tokyo enjoyed plenty of possession and pushed forward yet created very little in the face of stern resistance from the Jeonbuk defence. The first period ended 0-1.

Conceding 3 goals and losing due to lack of strength... The match will be carried over to the final game

Tokyo brings in Takumi ABE from the second half. He initiates attacks from the side.
48 minutes: Komano follows up on Tanabe's cleared cross and shoots a mid-range shot from the center.

53 minutes: Ha DAESUNG and Yonehara exchanged passes, and then Yonehara took a ground shot. Abe, who had dropped back to the right, then advanced by exchanging passes with Maeda. He then received a return pass from Higashi and charged into the penalty area. He took a shot, but was challenged by the opposing defender and couldn't find the target.

After 55 minutes: There were mistakes in the midfield and defense line, which led to chances for Jeonbuk, but there were quick covers from the team, and no goals were conceded.

60 minutes: All Jeonbuk's pass in the midfield was intercepted, and they were countered. MF Ijeong on the center → FW Idong-gu on the left crossed. In response to this, MF Kim Bogyeong on the right area took a shot, and the ball headed towards the goal was stabbed by MF Ijeong who jumped out from the center with his head... Completely broken in defense, they lost the second goal.

65 minutes: In an attempt to launch a counterattack, Hirayama was substituted for Maeda, but there was a lack of coordination in both offense and defense, and we were unable to seize the momentum.

80 minutes: Komano dribbles past the opponent's defender on the left side and breaks through. Near the cross, Hirayama acts as a decoy and Abe jumps in from behind to take a shot, but the opponent's defender also puts his body on the line and the ball goes wide. Missing the best chance, after that, Jeonbuk closed the spaces and the game became difficult for us to attack.

Additional time: And just after entering the additional time of 4 minutes, the goalkeeper of Jeonbuk allowed the entry of MF Hang Kyong-won from the right area from a free kick, and the pass to the center was pushed in by free MF Ko Moo-yol. They lost the third goal in a form of being taken advantage of by losing concentration. They suffered a defeat in terms of strength and dropped to 3rd place in the rankings. The advancement to the group stage will be brought to the final match against Bin Zuong.

Tokyo Concede Three; Progress Depends On Final Game

Tokyo sent on Abe for the second half and focused their attention on the flanks.

48th.minute: Komano pounced on a clearance from Tanabe's cross and fired in a shot from middle range.

53rd.minute: Ha Daesung exchanged passes with Yonemoto before the latter attempted a low shot on goal. Abe then dropped deep to receive the ball, played a one two with Maeda and set off down the flank. He exchanged passes with Higashi and burst into the penalty area but the close attentions of a defender prevented his shot from hitting the target.

55th.minute: Kakoi had to be alert in closing down sudden danger after a midfield mistake presented the visitors with a half chance.

60th.minute: Tokyo lost possession in midfield and Jeonbuk countered. Midfielder Lee Jae Sung moved the ball on to Lee Dong Gook who crossed from the left corner of the Tokyo area towards Kim Bo Kyung on the right. Kim shot on the volley, hitting the ball down into the ground and sending it ballooning towards goal. Lee Jae Sung had continued his run and met the ball with a sharp header that flashed beyond Kakoi and into the net. The home defence had been torn apart and conceded a second goal.

65th.minute: Tokyo responded by replacing Maeda with Hirayama. The move failed to spark the Tokyo attack as the side struggled to connect passes.

80th.minute: Komano stormed down the left, skipped past a defender and lifted a cross in to the near post. Hirayama played the battering ram and Abe, following up, shot on target only for a defender to block the goal-bound effort around the post. Having failed to make the most of that big chance Tokyo seemed at a loss as to how best to prise open the tight Jeonbuk defence.

Additional time: Deep into four minutes of additional time the Jeonbuk goalkeeper launched a massive free kick into the Tokyo area on the right. Han Kyo Won took the ball down neatly, raced to the byline and cut it back for Go Moo Yul to side foot into the roof of the net from the edge of the six-yard box. Tokyo had suffered a total defeat and fell to third in the standings. Progression to the final 16 would depend on the outcome of the final group match against Becamex Binh Duong.

[Player Comments]
《Surrounding》
"I felt responsible for being selected and producing results in this important match where we thought 'if we win here...'. The fans and supporters have been supporting us all along, and I really wanted to win. I'm so frustrated that I don't think I can sleep tonight. Regarding the goals conceded, we want to focus on the details as a team. However, I also feel that we can grow more. Instead of relying on the coach and staff, I want the players to have the consciousness to change themselves and spend time from here. I want to practice as soon as possible, focusing on the details and seizing opportunities. That's my honest feeling."

"Komano"
"We held the ball, but we couldn't break down the opponent with our stagnant ball movement. Our passes were slow, and we couldn't create opportunities to lure the opponent or squeeze their defensive line. In the meantime, we conceded a goal first, and Jeonbuk focused on defending and launching counterattacks. It's our own problem that it turned out this way. The distance between players also widened, and we gradually became disorganized. However, in the ACL, we are still in a position where we can win with our own strength. We want to make every effort possible to win the next match."

Players' Comments

Morishige:
"If only we could have won...I feel I have to take responsibility as I was given the chance in such an important game. The fans and supporters have always supported me so I totally wanted to win to repay them. I'm so disappointed I won't be able to sleep tonight. Regarding the goals we let in, we have to analyze them in fine detail as a team. The main thing I felt is that we have to mature as a team. We can't just rely on the manager and staff, the players have to change it by ourselves and we need to spend time to do it. We have to be more conscientious and detailed in our analysis so we can seize the chance next time it comes; I feel like I want to go and practice right now. That's my honest feeling".

Komano:
"Although we had a lot of the ball there was no variation in the way we passed it around and we rarely troubled the opposition. Like a local train that stops at every station, we didn't lure their defence out or put them through the wringer. They took the lead and then they were happy to sit deeply and try to hit us on the counter attack. It's an issue we have to deal with ourselves. We were playing too far apart from each other and slowly became disconnected. Even so, we're not out of the ACL yet and are still in position to decide our own destiny. We want to make the greatest effort possible to win the next match".

[Summary of Manager Hiroshi Jofuku's Press Conference]

"We wanted to secure 3 points and advance to the group stage today. It's disappointing that we couldn't advance in front of the fans and supporters who came to the home stadium. We need to fundamentally review our defense, including how we lost the ball in the scene of conceding a goal. Along with reflecting on each play, we want to organize how to attack while keeping in mind not to concede as a team. The issue of conceding goals is how to defend when a misplaced pass occurs. The opponent unexpectedly retreated, so we were able to pass the ball, but we couldn't fully execute what we had been cautious about. It was a game with few shots for both teams, but in order to break down the opponent's defense and create opportunities individually, we need to reconsider the players' positions. We need to improve the quality of the final pass and crosses, but we also need to develop individual skills to take shots."

[Summary of Jeonbuk Hyundai's Coach Cheganhi's Press Conference]
"We knew it would be a difficult game away, but the players gave their all and were able to effectively contain the opponents tactically. In the previous match, we felt threatened by the movements of Tokyo's second-line players. We were able to contain that threat. And I think the key to our victory was our defensive ability to prevent through passes. Tokyo's players, such as Higashi and Abe, made good runs and showed good movements from the sides. However, we didn't show the desire to attack and instead filled the spaces properly. We were able to control the game in our favor."

F.C.TOKYO manager Hiroshi Jofuku

"We had wanted to take the three points and clinch our place in the next round tonight. It's really disappointing that we couldn't manage it in front of our home crowd. Looking at the way we lost the ball in the moves leading up to the goals we conceded, I think we have to go back to basics in defence and start from scratch. Together with looking at each individual piece of play we have to always focus on not conceding, while thinking about the best way to organise the attack. Another issue is how to defend when we lose possession through a misplaced pass. My other thoughts are that we completely failed to do the things that are necessary when you play against a side that defends very deeply. It was a game of few chances for either side; we have to look again at our positioning and how to break the deadlock in such matches. The quality of our crossing and final ball needs to improve, as does our individual ability to end moves with an attempt on goal".

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors manager Choi Kang Hee

"We knew it was going to be a difficult match but the players gave everything and overcame the opposition tactically. In the first game between the sides we really felt the threat that Tokyo carry in the movement of their midfielders. Today we were able to nullify that threat. Also, in defence we managed to prevent them playing through passes and that contributed to us winning as well. Abe and Higashi like to cut in from outside and showed good movement. We controlled our desire to attack and instead successfully closed off the space. We were able to manage the game to our advantage".