A crucial match to stop the losing streak as we enter Golden Week

　Sec. 8 of the league will be held, and we will play against Shimizu S-Pulse at home. In the previous match, we were defeated by Sendai, losing our consecutive matches in the league. Nevertheless, Coach Ranko POPOVIC said, "We won't change anything based on that result. The important thing is to build our own style of football step by step. We will maintain our attacking attitude, stay focused, and fight for the full 90 minutes."

　However, in the one-week interval since the previous match, Otake and Tanabe have been dealing with injuries and adjusting with a separate training menu. In addition, Tokunaga, Takahashi, Ota, and Gonda, the four players, have participated in a three-day camp as candidates for the Japan national team and will be away from the team. It can be said that the team is still in the process of maturing, but even in that process, we will try our best and prepare for this match. We aim to express what we have built up on the pitch and strive for victory.

　Shimizu, on the other hand, is currently in 7th place with 12 points. This season, there have been changes in the lineup and injuries to midfielders Emura and Kobayashi, as well as defender Yoshida, resulting in fluctuating performances in each game. However, they had a three-game winning streak from the 4th to the 6th round. They are gaining confidence. Shimizu also applies high-pressure from a high position, but they should learn from the Sendai match and focus on extending their own time without panicking. With the participation of Kajiyama and Hasegawa, they should be able to stabilize the game, but the key will be how they can switch on from there.

　Tokyo, Ranko POPOVIC will be suspended from the bench, but Hasegawa will return from his suspension and Kajiyama will also be in the starting lineup after conditioning. In addition, Kono, who has recovered from his injury, will be on the bench for the first time since March 10th. Shimizu also made changes to the lineup from the previous match, with Ito as the forward, Ono as the midfielder, and Yoshida as the defender. The match started at 13:04 at Ajinomoto Stadium, where the temperature rose along with the progress of the game, under calm and sunny weather with Shimizu's kickoff.

Unable to take advantage of the opportunity in front of Shimizu's press

　In the first minute of the game, Hasegawa intercepted Shimizu's ball in the midfield and immediately aimed for a long shot, showing his determination to bet on this match. However, Shimizu also pressed in the midfield, and the battle for the ball continued, resulting in a back and forth development. In the 13th minute, Takahashi on the left side of their own half changed the side to the right in the center, and Tokunaga, who dynamically moved up on the inside of Ishikawa, crossed the ball, but it didn't reach Lucas. In the 15th minute, a right cross was sent up from Shimizu's throw-in, and Omae, the forward, jumped into the goal area, but it was safely defended.

　In the 26th minute, Ishikawa was fouled and won a free kick in the opponent's central area. However, Morishige's direct kick was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 30th minute, Kajiyama in the midfield passed a lofted ball to Lucas, who had broken through on the left side. Lucas controlled the ball and turned towards the goal, but his shot went wide. In the 31st minute, Ishikawa on the right side passed to Kajiyama in the center, who then passed to Tanihara, who had moved up to the left area. They quickly created a good attacking opportunity, but Tanihara's shot with his left foot went wide, as he tried to evade the opponent's defender on the outside.

　In the 34th minute, Takahashi ran to the left area from a through pass by Tanizawa and sent a ground pass to the center. Kajiyama and Tanizawa jumped into the goal area, but were cut off just before... and escaped to a corner kick. From this loose ball from the left corner kick, Tanizawa in front of the area took a shot. It was blocked and fell at the feet of forward Hasegawa, but his shot was weak and easily saved by the goalkeeper.

　Unable to rotate the ball in front of Shimizu's press, although trying to take the initiative. In the latter half of the first half, they were thrown into confusion by Shimizu's counterattack from a mistake. In the 37th minute, Takahashi's back pass was taken by Shimizu FW Jimmy França, who entered the area and took a shot, but Gonda made a save. They did not allow a goal and ended the first half with a scoreless draw.

Shimizu, who had two players sent off, conceded a goal due to a mistake...

　In the beginning of the second half, Shimizu gained momentum. In the 47th minute, Shimizu's left back, Taku SHIMIZU, was stopped by a foul while advancing, resulting in a free kick from the left side. This kick was crossed by DF Iwashita at the edge of the goal. However, Takahashi cleared the ball in the far post and Gonda caught it immediately, avoiding a crisis. There were also moments where Tokyo was pushed back in front of their goal, but they defended without losing focus and tried to bring the rhythm back to Tokyo.

　In the 56th minute, Shimizu FW Jimmy Fransa received his second warning and was sent off. After this, Tokyo went on the offensive. In the 58th minute, Takahashi aimed for a middle shot from Kajiyama's drop, but it hit Shimizu DF and spilled to the right area. Taniyama tried to follow up, but it was offside. In the 61st minute, Takahashi passed vertically to Ishikawa in the center, and it passed perfectly to Kajiyama in the area, but this was also offside.

　Shimizu made two substitutions in the 67th minute, with FW Takahara and Takagi coming in. In the 68th minute, Lucas made a cross parallel to the goal line from the right side. Kajiyama and Yazu jumped in front of the goal, but narrowly missed... In the 72nd minute, Ota's left cross reached Ishikawa in the right area, but the shot went over the bar... As time passed without being able to convert the chances, in the 73rd minute, Shimizu MF Alex received a second warning and was sent off. They had to play the remaining time with 9 players.

　Tokyo, who tried to take advantage of the numerical advantage, but in the 77th minute, Ota's pass reached Shizuoka FW Takahara. Allowing him to dribble on the right side and pass to the center to FW Takagi. FW Takagi came forward in front of Hyun Soo JANG and struck a powerful shot.... They allowed a counterattack from a mistake and conceded a goal.

　In the 77th minute, Kawano was substituted for Tanizawa, followed by Hirayama being substituted for Takahashi. Lucas pulled back, with Kajiyama and Hasegawa in the defensive midfield. Ishikawa and Kawano served on both sides, first chasing after one goal. However, they were unable to convert crosses in front of the goal, despite pressing and sticking Shimizu in front of the goal. In the 88th minute, Tokunaga took a shot from the right area but it went wide.

　Immediately after, Susumu WATANABE was brought in, and pushed Shimizu back by strengthening the front line... However, they were unable to make a decisive blow against Shimizu, who defended by pulling back. They lost without power, experiencing their third consecutive defeat in the league.

　【Player Comment】《Hirayama》"I was thinking of boldly going into the goal. I think it wasn't bad as an attacking formation... but I want to fight with a strong determination to definitely score a goal. I think I'm making the supporters and fans feel very frustrated, so next time I definitely want to grasp victory."

　"In the first half, I was targeted as a defensive midfielder and couldn't connect passes easily. In the second half, the opponent's numbers decreased and we were able to move the ball around, but... After Shimizu scored a goal, they tightened up the middle. In response, we tried to break through the sides and aim for a goal. There were crosses and moments where we could move forward from one-twos, but we couldn't create many opportunities to pull the opponent forward and then attack from behind. I think Shimizu's plan was to go forward and score if possible. So we tried to manage the risk and be conscious of the balance with Takahashi, but unfortunately, we ended up conceding a goal. It's very disappointing to always concede on the counter... However, we can't let it happen repeatedly anymore."

　[Summary of Coach Hiroaki NAGASHIMA's Press Conference] "We are currently on a losing streak, but we aim to achieve victory at home by utilizing the lessons learned from our past matches. In terms of our approach to exploiting the opponent's weaknesses, making forward runs from the second line, and changing the play to the sides, I believe the content was not bad. However, it is regrettable that we became too aggressive when we had a numerical advantage and conceded goals due to our own mistakes. Nevertheless, this is a crucial moment. It is still the early stages of the league and we have a series of consecutive matches, so we want to continue to learn from our mistakes and work hard. (Why didn't you initiate a power play even after substituting in Hirayama?) The opponent was compacting the center, so we wanted to break them down with attacks from the sides. It was important not to miss the timing of crosses. We substituted in players not for the purpose of a power play, but to score goals, although there were unclear aspects in our decision-making. That is our challenge."

　(The reason why Hasegawa and Kajiyama couldn't score even when they played?) It's not because they are there that we can score. The players from Shimizu's 2 shadows came to suppress our midfield, and there were also parts where countermeasures were taken. In such a situation, we were aiming not only to pass the ball to the midfield, but also to make moves from the sides, widen the opponent's defense, and exploit the gaps by having the second row players make runs from vertical passes. We have been training, so we are improving, but... I think we need to improve our accuracy."

　[Summary of Shimizu-Afshin Ghotbi's press conference] "It was a very interesting game, fighting with 9 players. I hoped it wouldn't be less than that. Throughout the game, we didn't break our organization and didn't give Tokyo any chances. We were able to create high-quality chances, and goals were scored when no one expected it. There may have been not only tactical but also spiritual elements. I think some people believed in God, and faith is very important. The Japanese people showed spiritual strength after the tsunami. I think Nadeshiko Japan is also like that, and today S-Pulse showed it."

　In terms of the first half, the defense was good, but there were moments where we became impatient after winning the ball. It seemed like there was a lack of concentration when passing, resulting in losing the ball frequently. As we entered the second half, we made adjustments to relax and make simple passes. We also discussed the importance of being patient while attacking. We were able to play well in the second half. It was unfortunate that DF Iwashita's header did not go in, but I believe that whether with 11 players, 10 players, or 9 players, we were the better team today."