A crucial match where we desperately need 3 points even though we are playing away

　The first match of the ACL is against Brisbane Roar away. It's finally the first step towards Asia and the world. Coach Popovic said, "Football is not something you do alone, you have to fight as a team. It's important how we fight as a team, not as individual players." He also expressed his determination to "fight as a representative of Japan and play a game that is worthy of the ACL."

　Brisbane has a formation close to 4-3-3 with a single defensive midfielder. The key players to watch are MF22 Broich, FW7 Berisha, and FW10 Henrique. "Brisbane is a team with a similar style of play to ours. They are strong and dynamic, both physically and in their recent match results, which is truly commendable," said coach Popovic. Depending on who takes control against the in-form Brisbane, the course of the game is likely to change significantly.

　Tokyo, the members showed some changes compared to the Kashiwa match, with new signings DF Kaga and FW Watanabe, as well as GK Gonda and MF Hanyu starting. The formation also has Tokunaga as the right SB, and Takahashi and Hasegawa forming a double pivot. Regarding not bringing Lucas and Kajiyama on the trip, he said, "They played the full 90 minutes in the previous match, and there is not much time until the J-League opening match," and he wants to fight together as a team to aim for 3 points. The match started at 19:30 in Brisbane amidst heavy rain.

Tokyo Seek Away Win In Debut Game

FC Tokyo's long-awaited first step onto the stage of Asian and world football entailed a trip to Brisbane, Australia for the first match of the group stage. Manager Popovic commented, "Football's not an individual sport, it's a team game. How the team plays overall is what's important. We musn't besmirch the reputation of the competition with our performances and we have to play as befitting a representative of Japan".

Brisbane lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with a single defensive midfielder. The key men in the team were midfielder Broich and strikers Berisha and Henrique. "They play a lot like us," noted Popovic, "They're physically strong and dynamic. If you look at their recent results it's clear they're a team worthy of merit". Whichever side managed to seize the initiative, Tokyo or the in-form hosts, seemed certain to determine the outcome of the game.

Tokyo had made a few changes to the team that faced Reysol in the Xerox Cup: recent signings defender Kaga and forward Watanabe came in, with GK Gonda in goal and Hanyu in midfield. Tokunaga played at right back while Takahashi partnered Hasegawa in a double defensive midfield formation. Neither Lucas nor Kajiyama had made the trip as both had played the full 90 minutes against Reysol and were held back for the imminent start of the J.League season. Team spirit was high as the side went in search of the three points.
The game kicked off shortly after 7:30pm in the middle of a downpour on a warm evening in Brisbane.

谷澤 scored the opening goal in stoppage time of the first half! A goal was scored at a good time and the game went into the second half.

　In slippery and poor pitch conditions, they showed a calm game and launched attacks. In the 4th minute, Ishikawa sprinted down the right side after a interception by Hayashi. They attacked from the fine passing work in the front line, and Tokunaga picked up the second ball and crossed it. Ota from the opposite side got involved, and Watanabe in the left area turned around and took the first shot, but it lacked power and the GK caught it. In the 10th minute, Hayashi in the front line slid to steal the opponent's ball, and Tanizawa followed from the left and dribbled in the center. He boldly took a shot just outside the area.

　Unable to break through the opponent's defensive net that is solidifying the center. In the 34th minute, Tanizawa connected from the left and Tokunaga, who advanced from the right front line, attempted a goal with a direct shot, but it went wide. In the 39th minute, starting from Hasegawa's through pass, it connected to Hayabusa who was free in the front line, but it was offside. On the other hand, Brisbane did not allow them to bring the ball to the front line in terms of defense. Occasionally, they faced counterattacks, but they were concentrated around Morishige and did not allow shots.

　Then, in the area just before the end of the first half, Watanabe received a vertical pass and quickly passed it to Ishikawa on the right. Ishikawa boldly made a move towards the center. Although he was initially blocked by the opponent's defender, the ball spilled to the right front line, where Tokunaga ran in and crossed parallel to the goal. Taniyama slid into the center and perfectly connected with the ball to score a goal! We took the lead at a good time and ended the first half. We continued to dominate the game and threatened Brisbane's goal with direct passing, but there were many offside situations and although we had few shots, we managed to score the desired opening goal.

Yazawa Gives Tokyo Lead In First Half Additional Time

　The slippy, rain-slick pitch was in poor condition yet Tokyo set about moving the ball around patiently and were soon on the attack. In the 4th.minute Hanyu intercepted the ball in midfield and played it out down the right for Ishikawa to chase; following some intricate passing amongst the front line Tokunaga picked up the second ball and hoisted a cross into the danger area. The ball reached Ota on the far side and his return allowed Watanabe to turn and fire on goal, the first attempt of the match. Unfortunately his effort lacked pace and Brisbane keeper Theoklitos easily gathered the ball. In the 10th.minute Hanyu dispossessed a dallying Brisbane defender with a sliding tackle and Yazawa pounced on the loose ball, dribbled forward then let fly from the edge of the area.

　The hosts tightened their central defence, preventing Tokyo from creating shooting opportunities. In the 34th.minute some neat one-touch passing saw Tokyo move the ball from the left flank to the right via Yazawa and Watanabe, but Tokunaga fired high and wide to end the move. In the 39th.minute Yazawa's through ball to Hanyu seemed to have split the Brisbane defence but offside was given. At the other end the Tokyo defence, with Morishige at the centre, coped comfortably with Brisbane's occasional counter attacks.

　Then, as the game moved into additional time at the end of the first half, Watanabe received an upfield pass just outside the Brisbane area and neatly played it first-time out to Ishikawa on the right. Ishikawa took on a defender and moved inside but lost control of the ball, which ran loose to Tokunaga on the right. Tokunaga drove a low, hard cross into the area and Yazawa slid in to force the ball over the line and give Tokyo the lead at a crucial time. The half time whistle blew almost immediately. Tokyo had generally dominated a first period of frequent offsides and few chances, and were rewarded for their direct pass work with a vital goal on the stroke of half time.

Takumi HASEGAWA scored an additional point and then secured victory with stable defense without conceding any goals!

　Brisbane came forward from the start of the second half. In the 50th minute, Brisbane FW7 Berisha received the ball in the area and quickly turned to the right. He entered the shooting position from the right area, but Morishige blocked it with a quick cover. In the 53rd minute, Brisbane's FK from the left side was punched by Kanda. The loose ball was taken away and brought to the left side, but the cross went over the line.

　Then, in the 55th minute, a superb feed pass from Mori Shige, who had drifted to the side, to Hayabusa, who was trying to break through behind the opponent. Hayabusa took the ball forward in the left area and aimed for a shot, but the goalkeeper made a save... However, Hasegawa player followed up on the rebound and firmly struck it into the net, GOAL!!

　Brisbane, who can't finish like this, will launch a fierce attack. In the 67th minute, FW10 Henrique tried to break through from the left side and passed a one-two with MF6 Petrú in the left area, then broke through to the sideline and received a minus pass from a close distance to the goal. It seemed like a chance was being created, but Gonda held his ground and it was called offside at the same time.

　In the late stages of the game, as the time continued without being able to steal the ball, in the 76th minute, Tanabe replaced Hayu, and furthermore, in the 86th minute, Chang Hyun Soo was substituted for Kaga, shutting out the opponent's attack. In the end, in injury time, Kono was replaced by Kawano and the whistle blew for full time. Despite being away, they obtained valuable 3 points and at the same time, decorated the first ACL match with a victory!

Hasegawa Extends The Lead And Defence Holds Firm

　Brisbane came out fighting in the second half. In the 50th minute, forward Berisha received the ball inside the Tokyo area, spun quickly to his right, and prepared to shoot. Morishige reacted quickly to close him down and blocked the attempt. Gonda punched away a lofted free kick in the 53rd minute, then watched as a returned cross sailed harmlessly out of play.

　In the 55th minute, Morishige took the ball forward down the flank before stroking it over the top of the Brisbane defense. Hanyu timed his run forward perfectly and was onside as he approached the goal and took a shot from just outside the left area. The Brisbane goalkeeper deflected the shot but was unable to stop Hasegawa from scoring with the rebound, increasing Tokyo's lead.

　Brisbane were reeling but weren't about to relinquish the fight. In the 67th.minute midfielder Paartalu played a neat one-two with Henrique and took the ball to the goalline deep inside the Tokyo area, before cutting a cross back into the box. It seemed a golden opportunity for the hosts until Gonda grabbed the ball and the referee simultaneously blew for offside.

　Tokyo struggled to retain possession as the game wore on, prompting Hanyu's replacement by Tanabe in the 76th minute. Kaga then went down with cramp in the 86th minute and Jang took his place in defense. In additional time Kawano replaced Ishikawa and Tokyo successfully kept Brisbane at bay until the final whistle. Tokyo had marked their first appearance in the ACL with a valuable away win.

[Player Comment] "It was good to score in the first half. I felt confident playing today. In the second half, the opponent also came forward, but personally, I think I could have done a little better. In the first half, the coach warned me about playing too lightly and I had forgotten about performing well when I was in a good condition. (Regarding the goal scene) When the ball went to Yuhei, I was thinking it wouldn't come to me. When I saw that cross, I thought I had to score. I had the feeling of wanting to do my best from before the game. I was conscious of actively going into the goal area since the training camp."

　"Opponents didn't make many through passes from the midfield, so it was easy for me to defend. Although FW Berisha, the top scorer in the A-League, is fast, the ball didn't go to him, so I think I was able to defend well. We were able to take the lead and create our own opportunities. Even when the opponent set the pace, we were able to patiently defend and keep a clean sheet. We were confident because the opponent had a similar style of play. There are areas for improvement, so I want to make adjustments for the next game. Anyway, I'm happy that we were able to achieve our first victory in an official match under Coach Popovic."

[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "Today's game was a good one, so I hope everyone enjoyed it. I am proud that the players fought well. I think Japanese people can be proud of this result as well. It was a smart and intelligent game, and the players themselves played very well on the field. That was good. Today's game had various developments, but it was a really good stadium. It would have been nice if there were a few more (home Brisbane) fans in attendance."

Players' comments
Yazawa
"It was great that we managed to score in the first half. We got the reward our play merited. On a personal level I felt I could have done a little more in the second half, given the way our opponents were forced to come out. At half time the manager told us to focus on undercooked play, as we seemed to have forgotten our good performances.
When I saw the ball was going to reach Yuhei I felt certain that his cross was going to come into the area where I was; then, when I saw him hit the ball I knew I had to get on the end of it. I was fired up before the game and felt that I was going to be able to do something today. During our training camp I'd been concentrating on getting into good positions in front of goal".

Morishige
"Our opponents played very few through balls from midfield so it felt easy to defend today. Berisha's the top scorer in the A league and he's fast but the way we prevented the ball getting through to him allowed us to defend comfortably. We seized the initiative and scored and we were also able to enjoy periods of sustained pressure. Even though our opponents controlled the pace in the later stages we were patient and succeeded in keeping a clean sheet. I think beating a team that plays a similar style to our own will be a big boost to our confidence. There are still aspects of our game that need correcting but I'm delighted that we could gain a first competitive game victory for the manager".


FC Tokyo manager Popovic
"That was a good game for us today and I'm sure everyone enjoyed it. The players can take pride in the way they performed. I think it's a result that all Japanese people can be proud of. Rather than the manager saying this and that, the team out on the field played a smart and intelligent game today, and that was very pleasing. They've got a fantastic stadium here in Brisbane so it would have been better if a few more home fans had turned out for the game".

[Summary of Brisbane Ange Postecoglou's press conference] "To be honest, I am disappointed with the result. However, I expected it to be a tough game, so it was as I anticipated. I can understand it. In the second half, the players' condition improved and we were able to have a slightly better performance, but we couldn't bring about a good outcome. Nevertheless, I think it was a great challenge. It was a very valuable experience for us. (What did you try to do with the player substitutions?) I thought about various things to change the course of the game. The players were nervous and under pressure from the beginning, which made their movements stiff. They also became nervous. Therefore, the second half was better than the first half. We felt that it is important for us to gain more and more experience."

Brisbane manager Postecoglou
"To be honest, I'm disappointed at the result. We thought it was going to be a tough game and that's the way it turned out. It's something we have to come to terms with. Although we improved somewhat in the second half we still didn't really put any great moves together. Even so, I think we gave it a real go and it'll be a good experience for us.
Regarding the substitutions, we wanted to change the game and I thought about various possibilities. From the start the players seemed tense and froze up a bit. They felt the pressure and became nervous. I felt that it's important for us to gain more experience".