ACL 4th match, grab 3 points at home to maintain the top spot

　AFC Champions League 2012 Group Stage Matchday 4 will be held. Tokyo Stadium will host the match against China's Beijing Guoan. In the previous away match on 4/4, we conceded a goal early on through a penalty kick. Hasegawa scored the equalizer in a fierce game, but it ended in a draw. However, we are still at the top of the group, and we want to secure 3 points by taking advantage of the home ground to overcome the frustration of the away match and gain an advantage for future battles.

　This round, Takahashi is suspended due to accumulated warnings in the ACL. GK Konda is injured, so GK Shioda and midfielder Yonemoto will form a partnership with Hasegawa, who was suspended in the league Kashima match. Additionally, considering the two-day break since the Kashima match, the attacking lineup will feature fresh players, with Watanabe as the striker, Tanabe and Ishikawa on the sides, and Otake, who is making his first start this season, in the attacking midfield position.

　A match aiming for victory with our own soccer, avoiding the intensity of Beijing Guoan. The rain that had been falling in the evening finally stopped at Tobitakyu Tokyo Stadium, and the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 19:30.

Tokyo Aim To Retain Group Lead With Home Win 

　Beijing Guoan of China were the visitors to Tokyo Stadium for the 4th.game of the 2012 AFC Champions League group stage. In the reverse fixture on April 4th, played in a hostile environment in Beijing's Workers Stadium, Tokyo had conceded an early penalty yet emerged with a draw from the bruising encounter thanks to Hasegawa's first half goal. A home win would assuage some of the frustration remaining from the first encounter and give Tokyo some breathing space at the top of the group. 

　Takahashi was suspended, Shiota continued in goal for the injured Gonda and Yonemoto was partnered in central midfield by Hasegawa. With the fixture coming only two days after the Kashima match Tokyo introduced some fresh legs in attack with Watanabe appearing as lone striker, Tanabe and Ishikawa on the flanks and Otake, making his first start of the season in the withdrawn forward's role. 

　Tokyo were aiming to negate Beijing's physical approach, impose their style on the game and take the three points. The heavy afternoon rain had abated by the time Tokyo kicked off at 7:30pm.

Watanabe scores first from a set play! In the first half stoppage time, Otake scores his first goal!!

　Entering the game calmly, we pushed Beijing from the start. In the 6th minute, Chang Hyun Soo, who attacked the opponent's territory, was fouled and won a free kick in the midfield. In the following 7th minute, Ishikawa sent a free kick from this distance to the front line, and Watanabe made a high-heading shot. The shot hit the post and bounced inside! We took the lead by effectively utilizing the set piece chance early in the game.

　Immediately after the opening goal, Beijing tried to counterattack and had more possession of the ball, but we responded with a compact formation and did not let them gain momentum. Daichi, Hasegawa, Tanabe, and Watanabe exchanged passes with quick ball control to evade the press from Beijing's front line and created a rhythm.

　In the 24th minute, the opponent's defender tried to clear the ball to the front line, but Otake skillfully took control of the ball and broke through to the front, passing it through to Watanabe in the left area. Watanabe sent a cross with a shooting angle from an angleless position, and Ishikawa slid in from the far side, but narrowly missed hitting the target.

　In the 37th minute, Hasegawa moved the ball skillfully on the right side to attract the opponent, and passed it to Tanabe who had moved up in the center. Hasegawa switched the play to the left space. Ota ran a long distance and crossed the ball here. In the center, Watanabe attempted a diving header... but the header went wide of the goal with a powerful attack.

　The time when we couldn't make the most of our chances continued, but in the first half stoppage time, Hasegawa in front of Ishikawa on the right side of our own goal sent a long pass to the space behind the opponent's defense from the defensive line. In response to this, Watanabe jumped out and brought the ball to the right area, cut back the opponent, and made the last pass in front of the goal. Otake, who was running in, headed in the floating ball that the opponent's defense was trying to clear, and scored a goal! Otake scored his first goal of the season as a starter and ended the first half with a 2-0 lead.

First Half Goals From Watanabe And Otake Put Tokyo In Control 

Tokyo set about attacking Beijing in a composed manner from the kick off. In the 6th.minute Jang pushed forward into the visitors' half and was fouled, earning a free kick some distance from the goal. Ishikawa stroked the ball into the penalty area, Watanabe outjumped the Beijing defence and powered a textbook header on target from around the penalty spot. The ball beat Hou Sen, the Beijing keeper, struck the inside of the post and bounced along the goal line before nestling inside the net on the opposite side. Tokyo had taken the lead from a set play with only 7 minutes on the clock. 

　Beijing looked to fight back from conceding the early goal and enjoyed more possession but Tokyo's compact formation prevented them from taking control of the match. In response to Beijing pressing hard from the front Otake, Tanabe, Hasegawa and Watanabe all moved the ball around quickly, nullifying the visitors efforts and establishing a rhythm. 

　In the 24th.minute Otake won the ball with a neat piece of skill and held off a defender before sliding a diagonal pass through the Beijing defence to Watanabe on the left of the penalty area. Watanabe drove a shot-cum-cross towards the far post where Ishikawa slid in and made contact but directed the ball narrowly the wrong side of the post. 

　In the 37th.minute Tokyo moved the ball down the right with some intricate passwork. Tanabe drew the Beijing defence towards him before moving the ball in field to Hasegawa; Hasegawa quickly stroked the ball out into acres of open space on the left and Ota, running almost the full length of the field, drove a sumptuous first-time cross into the penalty area. It was a dynamic, expansive move. Watanabe flung himself at the ball and made contact with a firm header but the ball flew narrowly wide of the post. 

　Tokyo were unable to put away any of the further chances they created and the game had moved into added time when Ishikawa played the ball to Hasegawa and the Tokyo midfielder launched a pass behind the Beijing defence to meet Watanabe's perfectly-timed dart through the back line. Watanabe raced into the area on the right and held up the ball as he waited for support to arrive in the middle, then cut inside a defender and clipped the ball towards Otake at the far post. The ball flicked off a defender, looped up and Otake followed its course with admirable composure before planting a header between the keeper and the post. Otake had marked his first start of the year with his first goal of the season, one that had doubled Tokyo's lead on the stroke of half time.

Yonemoto substituted due to injury, but Tanizawa's third goal secures a comfortable victory

　It was a second half that we wanted to approach without losing the flow, but in the 48th minute, Yonemoto injured his shoulder while competing with the opponent for a floating ball and went out of the pitch. We had no choice but to make a substitution, and in the 51st minute, Tanizawa was brought in. Tanabe moved to the defensive midfield position and we proceeded with the formation. In the 53rd minute, Beijing connected from the left side, and from Reynaldo's drop, Piao was released just on the offside line and took a shot, but Shibata made a save.

　When we survived this pinch, in the 56th minute, Morishige cleared the opponent's free kick with a header. From there, Ishikawa on the left side of the midfield calculated the timing and sent a pass to the space on the left front line. Tanizawa jumped out here and dribbled towards the center. Although the first touch was too big, he firmly stabbed the ball into the net for the third goal, as the opponent's defender couldn't clear it in front of the goal!

　In the 60th minute, a quick attacking switch was made, with Otake moving to the right front line. Ishikawa ran and delivered a right cross, which landed perfectly at the feet of Tanihara, who was waiting freely in front of the goal... but the header missed the target... They missed the big chance for the fourth goal.

　After that, Beijing brought in FW Calgerovich and launched a counterattack to retaliate. Tokyo continued to be dominated in possession of the ball and struggled to connect passes, but they calmly defended. They did not allow Beijing any real chances and kept a clean sheet, winning 3-0.

Yonemoto Injured; Substitute Yazawa Grabs A Third 

　Tokyo began the second half keen to retain the momentum but were dealt a blow as Yonemoto suffered a shoulder injury as he battled an opponent for a high ball in the 48th.minute and was forced to leave the field. Substitute Yazawa took up a position on the left of midfield with Tanabe dropping back into a defensive holding role. In the 53rd.minute Beijing moved the ball down the left, forward Reinaldo knocked it down and midfielder Piao, narrowly onside, ran on to it and shot low and hard, drawing a good save from Shiota. 

　In the 56th.minute Morishige produced a towering header to clear a Beijing free kick out of the Tokyo area. Ishikawa collected the ball on the left of midfield, then played it forward with immaculate timing for Yazawa to run on to; Yazawa cut inside, leaving tiring defenders floundering in his wake but seemed to have lost control of the ball as he raced across the Beijing area in front of the on-rushing keeper. Yazawa regained control of the ball as a defender muffed his clearance and produced a deft touch to clip it over Hou Sen and into the net. Tokyo had extended their lead to three. 

　Another sweeping move in the 60th.minute saw Otake set up Ishikawa for a run and cross from the left wing. Yazawa met the ball with a powerful header but failed to hit the target from a promising position. 

　Beijing introduced forward Kaluderovic and worked hard to fashion a comeback. Tokyo struggled to connect their passes, allowing the visitors to enjoy more possession. However, some solid defending prevented Beijing turning that possession into chances and the clock slowly ran down with no further addition to the score. The final whistle blew on a comprehensive 3-0 win for Tokyo.

[Player Comment]《Otake》"I played as an attacking midfielder, but I understood the team's playing style and my role didn't change. However, I was conscious of getting into the goal area, especially. My goal was also a result of breaking through well on the right side and taking the opportunity to move forward. It was my first goal with a header. However, after scoring three goals, the game became a bit safer. If we had played without fear of making mistakes as a team and performed plays that the opponent dislikes, we could have scored more goals. That's something we want to work on in the next game."

　"Watanabe: "I have always wanted to contribute to the team with my abilities. Lately, we have been focusing more on short passes and not utilizing the space behind the defense as much. Without that threat, it becomes less intimidating. Today, I wanted to showcase my strengths, and I think Hasegawa, Otake, and the others did a great job of utilizing that. It was good to score an early goal from a set piece, but I wanted to create more chances. I wish we could have played a bit higher up the field... In the league matches, I haven't had many opportunities to play, but I think it's important to make the most of the time given and produce results."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "Today, we played a solid game of soccer. We were able to do that because the referee issued cards early on and helped control the game. Our players showed what is right through their behavior and play on the pitch. I have always emphasized the importance of fair judgment, and when fair judgments are made, the game becomes even more intense. Today's game was exactly like that, and I hope you understood the significance of emphasizing fair judgment."

　Beijing is a strong team, so I am satisfied that we were able to have such a match. Today, in the absence of Kanda, Kaga, Takahashi, Kajiyama, Hanyu, Tanihara, and Lucas, Tanabe, Watanabe, and Otake played, and they showed us that they can play the same soccer no matter who is on the field. This also means that there are still many players in Japan who have hidden potential. We must not let this potential sleep, and it is also not good to be satisfied just because we played well in one game. The important thing is to continue to grow. I think that is one of my jobs.

　Today, it was a significant victory in terms of both results and performance. It may have served as good propaganda for Japanese football. When we played away in China, a local journalist asked, "What defines good football? Is there more to it than just the results?" I believe we showed them the answer. This is what good football looks like. However, we cannot be satisfied and stop here. We want to aim higher, set ambitious goals, and approach them with determination.

Players' comments
Otake
"Although I was playing in a position just behind the striker, I understand the team's style and what I had to do hasn't changed. Also, I was aware that I had to get into the area in front of the goal. For the goal, when we broke them open on the right so well, I didn't think about it and just tried to get forward, and that led to scoring. That's the first goal I ever scored with my head. After we scored the third goal, we seemed to take a safety-first approach; if we'd been less concerned about the possibility of making mistakes, then maybe we could have kept the opposition under pressure and perhaps scored more. That's something we have to think about as we go into the next game".

Watanabe
"I want to continue to give everything I have for the team. Recently we've been playing a passing game with the ball played in to feet and not really exploiting the space behind the opposition defence. That doesn't really carry a great threat and so today I was determined to make the best use of my own particular talent. Hasegawa and Otake brought me into the game very well, I thought. Taking the lead early from a set play was a great start but we really wanted to create more chances over the course of the match. Maybe it would have been better if we could have moved the ball around more across the front line. I haven't been able to get on the field much during the league games so I feel I have to take advantage of whatever playing time I get and make a mark".


FC Tokyo manager Popovic
"We played a very steady game today. The referee got his card out early as well, which helped to control the game. Our players showed what was correct in their behaviour on the field and in their play. We've been fussy about the refereeing but what the referee judges to be acceptable obviously has an influence on the game. I think the way the game went today shows that we were right.
Beijing are a strong team so I'm satisfied with the way we played. We started without Gonda, Kaga, Takahashi, Kajiyama, Hanyu, Yazawa and Lucas and instead had Tanabe, Otake and Watanabe but we showed that whoever is on the field we can play the same style of football. I think that shows there are many players with hidden potential here in Japan. While we can't allow that potential to remain dormant we also can't be satisfied with just one good performance. The most important thing is to keep playing well and to keep developing. That's one aspect of my job, I feel.
I also think today was a very good advertisement for Japanese football. When we were in Beijing a local reporter asked what I thought was the best kind of football and was there anything more to it than the result. I think we answered that question; the best kind of football is what we played here tonight. Even so, we can't afford to be self-satisfied and take our foot off the pedal. We have to raise our sights and keep working to achieve them."

[Beijing Guoan - Jaime Pacheco's Press Conference Summary] "Today's match was very fair play and I am satisfied with the result. FC Tokyo played well, but we were unable to adapt to the field and made many passing mistakes. Our condition was also not very good. As a team participating in the ACL, we made too many mistakes that should not have happened today and lost our aggressiveness. The first half did not go according to plan and although we tried to improve in the second half, it still did not go well. However, if MF Pião Chong had scored a goal in a chance, the result could have been different. Personally, I do not like losing, but considering FC Tokyo's strength today, I am satisfied with the result. We wasted the first 45 minutes. It was a very disappointing match."

Beijing Guoan manager Jaime Pacheco
"Today's game was played fairly and we can have no complaints about the result. FC Tokyo played very well but we failed to adapt to the pitch conditions and misplaced too many passes. We weren't in a particularly good physical condition, either. For a team playing in the ACL we made far too many mistakes and also lost our assertiveness. The first half didn't go according to plan and although we aimed to improve in the second that didn't come about either. If Piao Cheng had put that chance away then maybe the final result would have been different. Personally I don't like losing but considering how strong Tokyo were today we have to accept the result. We wasted the first half. It was a very disappointing game".