Despite dominating and continuously attacking throughout, they were unable to capitalize on their chances and went into halftime with no goals

Participating in the "AET CUP 2014" held in Hong Kong. The ranking will be determined by a tournament format with four teams. The first match is against S.C. OLHANENSE (Portugal). Tokyo started training in earnest from January 18th (Saturday), and then held their annual Okinawa training camp in Kunigami Village from January 22nd before moving to Hong Kong. It is a period where they are pushing themselves with training twice a day almost every day, and they are physically and mentally exhausted. However, Kanda says, "We are fighting as representatives of Japan, so we want to aim for results," and the team is united in their goal of victory.

Tokyo will face FC Naha in a practice match on 1/28 with the same lineup. They will also adopt the 4-3-3 system they have been practicing. The match kicked off at 14:45 local time under calm weather conditions.

Tokyo took the initiative from the first half and attacked while firmly connecting the ball. In the 5th minute, Matheus headed the ball near the right corner kick from the east, but it didn't hit. The ball flowed to the opposite side and Hirayama tried to reach it, but couldn't. In the 19th minute, Tokyo kept the ball in the midfield. From there, Tokyo moved forward and aimed for a goal, but couldn't hit it well and it went to Kono. Hirayama dropped it directly to him and took a shot, but it narrowly missed the frame. In the 23rd minute, starting from Tokunaga on the right side, Tokyo sent a ground cross to the front of the goal. Watanabe quickly ran in front of the defenders and made a good connection, but it hit the crossbar.

In defense, they hardly give the opponent any real chances. Tokyo quickly transitions between offense and defense, and even when they lose the ball, everyone reacts with a high defensive awareness. In the 31st minute, Watanabe kept the ball in the midfield and made a through pass to Kono, who ran behind the defense. Kono attempted a looping shot directly at the goalkeeper, but it narrowly missed to the left of the goal. In the following minute, Watanabe dribbled past the opponent's defender and took a well-aimed shot, but the goalkeeper made a good save. Just before the end of the first half, East had another chance as a result of Watanabe's left-footed shot, but this time it was East who took a well-aimed shot, only to be denied by another excellent save from the opponent's goalkeeper. In the end, the first half ended in a scoreless draw.

Despite equalizing with Mita's goal, they were unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities and ultimately lost in a penalty shootout.

Even in the second half, Tokyo continued to attack, but in the 50th minute, they gave away a penalty for a foul on an opponent player inside the area. This resulted in a situation where they were one goal behind. However, Tokyo calmly kept possession of the ball and waited for opportunities, just as they had done before. In the 55th minute, Kono was replaced by Ishikawa and Mita was replaced by Higashida. Furthermore, in the 59th minute, Hirayama was replaced by Eduardo and Mukuhara was brought in. They introduced fresh players to launch further attacks. Then, in the 67th minute, from Eduardo's post-play, the ball went to Mita on the left side. From there, he dribbled into the area, evaded three opponent defenders, and took a shot. The ball hit the opponent and went into the goal. They equalized the score.

Tokyo, which gained even more momentum, launched a fierce attack. In the 70th minute, Takahashi made a vertical pass to Watanabe from the center, and Ishikawa dribbled into the left area and took a shot. Unfortunately, it hit the right post, but this time Edu took the loose ball from the rebound and took a shot from the right side to the center. It was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. In the 75th minute, Edu kept the ball on the right side. From there, Yamamoto and Ishikawa passed the ball, and Ishikawa aimed for the goal but was blocked by the goalkeeper and resulted in a right corner kick. Mita took the corner kick, but it didn't find its target in the center.

In the 81st minute, Ishikawa dribbled and attempted a shot, but the ball was cleared. However, the ball came back to Ishikawa. From there, he took a powerful left-footed shot, but the goalkeeper made a save. Mita picked up the loose ball and was fouled, resulting in a free kick. Edu took the free kick and kicked it to the right side of the goal, but it was saved again. In the additional time of the second half, Edu managed to evade the opponent's defender and took a shot, but it lacked power and went straight to the goalkeeper. Despite launching a fierce attack until the end, they couldn't score another goal and the match went into a penalty shootout.

In the penalty shootout, the final shot by Tokunaga was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, resulting in a defeat of 5-6. As a result, it was decided that they will compete against PFC KRYLIA SOVETOV SAMARA (Russia) in the 3rd place playoff on 2/3 (Mon).

[Player Comments]

"Mita"
"I am happy to have played my first international match in Tokyo in the first official match of this season. Although the opponent today was skilled at avoiding our attempts to steal the ball, I believe we were able to dominate the game. However, it is frustrating that we couldn't secure the victory. I want to win the next match and return to Japan."

"Ishikawa"
"There were parts where we were able to challenge within the team's aim. In terms of defense, the opponent had a style that didn't connect much, which is not common in Japan, so in the first half, I think we were a bit stiff in terms of how we felt and moved. However, we were able to make adjustments in the second half. We just wanted the result. I think the new system has created a good sense of distance, and I think we were able to make it our own and have a good balance in both offense and defense. (Towards the next match) Of course, we will focus on the result and aim for a win. I think there were few adjustments needed in terms of defense, so I want to score goals within the coordination of our attacks."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"The preparation period was short, but I think it was a game that deserves a passing grade. The defense line also maintained a strong concentration, and although the GK had few opportunities to touch the ball, the entire team was able to move. (What we gained from today's game) We were able to create chances, and although there was a PK situation in terms of defense, we didn't allow the opponent to have freedom. I think it is a great achievement to be able to perform at this level during the preparation stage."

[S.C. OLHANENSE・Coach Simon's Press Conference Summary]
"It was a difficult game, but I'm glad we were able to win. Despite having many injured players, the new players showed a good performance, and I think we were able to fight as a team. (Impression of Tokyo) It was a very good team. We weren't in perfect condition before the season, but I felt that we will become stronger in the future."