Stick to our football and take 3 points

Sec. 16 of the league will be a match against Albirex Niigata away. In the previous match, despite taking a 2-point lead with goals from Mita and Hasegawa, we conceded a goal and couldn't regain our rhythm, resulting in a draw. Following the Urawa match, this will be another away game, but Coach Popovic said, "We will play as we always do and confidently execute what we have been working on. We want to achieve a different result by fighting for 90 minutes with a strong determination. We want the whole team to pursue a result-oriented battle."

Niigata, on the other hand, is currently in 12th place with 17 points. In this match, left fullback DF Kim Jin-soo will be suspended, but key defender DF Kim Geun-hwan and forward Tatsuya TANAKA will return. In the two matches since the restart, they have won one and lost one, but their style of pressing from the front and their quick and dynamic movement cannot be underestimated. In particular, their attacks, led by midfielders Atsushi TANAKA and Naruoka, starting from the sides, have been well-coordinated with the forward line, with forward Kawamata scoring in the last two matches. Moreover, caution should be exercised against their accurate set plays, as they scored from a free kick in the previous match.

Tokyo, Kaga, who was suspended in the previous round, returned to the starting lineup. Other than that, they will face the same lineup as the previous round. With a compact formation, they aim to take the initiative with a quick transition between offense and defense, and also to control the ball for a longer period of time as a measure against the heat. Although they have had challenges in carrying the game so far, they will not give up until the end and strive to secure 3 points by sticking to their own style of soccer. The match started with Niigata's kickoff at 19:03 at Tohoku Denka Big Swan Stadium.

Takahashi and Watanabe score goals to take a 2-point lead at halftime

Tokyo has been on the offensive since the start of the match. In the 3rd minute, after a persistent defense in the midfield, Higashi received a long pass and made a big side change to the left front line. Hasegawa made a through pass, and Ota, who had advanced, won a left corner kick. Higashi took the corner kick and Takahashi, who had jumped near the goal, headed it in for a goal. Tokyo takes an auspicious lead. In the 7th minute, the ball flowed from the left side to the opposite side. Mita, who ran into this area, connected the play, and Watanabe took a shot from Ota's pass in the center. However, it hit the opponent's defender and resulted in a corner kick.

Then, in the 8th minute, from a delicate pass play, Higashi aims for the goal inside the area, but the Niigata defender blocks it. However, Mita seizes the loose ball and initiates an attack, and amidst the chaos, Hasegawa is fouled and awarded a penalty kick. Watanabe confidently kicks it into the bottom left corner, extending the lead to two goals early in the game. After that, they skillfully switch the play in the forward line and create chances with precise passing. However, Niigata also swiftly moves the ball forward and creates situations where they bring the ball close to shooting, but the team calmly responds under the leadership of Morishige.

Despite Niigata's continued counterattacks, Tokyo creates chances from counters. In the 25th minute, after intercepting Yonemoto's pass, Higashi dribbles down the right side and delivers a last pass to the center. Trying to connect with Hasegawa, the ball gets too close to his feet and he is unable to take a shot. Yonemoto retrieves the ball and takes a shot, but it hits a defender and results in a corner kick. On the contrary, in the 36th minute, Niigata's MF Tanaka Aya runs freely into the left area and takes a powerful shot, but Gonda saves it with one hand.

In the final stage, Niigata launched a powerful counterattack centered around long balls and dribbles, and Tokyo was pushed back in front of the goal, but they did not allow any goals. Although Niigata had more chances, they somehow managed to survive and end the first half.

Team defended against opponent's attacks as a whole and won without conceding any goals

Niigata still has momentum even in the second half. They are surpassing Tokyo in terms of physicality and launching wave-like attacks. Tokyo continues to struggle as they are unable to regain possession of the ball in high positions. In the 57th minute, Jang Hyun Soo replaced the injured Yonemoto, and Lucas was substituted for Hasegawa, whose energy had dropped. They are bringing in fresh players to find a breakthrough. In the 71st minute, Jang Hyun Soo quickly closed down on a loose ball in the midfield, carried it forward to the left front line, and passed it. At the same time, Azuma attempted a shot from just outside the box with perfect timing, but it slightly veered to the left.

73 minutes, Lucas circled around from the left corner of the area and shot a low shot that hit the course, but was blocked by the goalkeeper's great save and resulted in a left corner kick. Tokyo gradually started to create attacking opportunities, but there were many instances where they lost the ball halfway and the rhythm remained with Niigata. Nevertheless, the defense line made a great effort to prevent conceding a goal. In the 81st minute, Ishikawa was substituted for Higashi, and Mita moved to the attacking midfielder position. They went on to seek additional goals from counterattacks.

In the 85th minute, Lucas on the left side attempted to make a run behind the opponent's defense, but Ishikawa was cut off by the defender. Then, in the 88th minute, Watari broke through on the right front line from Lucas' pass and crossed it low to the center. Lucas, who had made a near run, skillfully shot the ball into the goal net with one touch, scoring the decisive third goal. In injury time, Ishikawa made a dribble run behind the defense. He faced the goalkeeper one-on-one with the Niigata defender on his back, but his shot lacked power and the goalkeeper made the save.

In the end, the time was up as it is. Although we were pushed back by the opponent for a long time, we managed to keep a clean sheet and obtained valuable 3 points away.

[Player Comments]
《Takahashi》
"(Regarding the opening goal) I felt like I had been too focused on scoring, which had made me tense up. However, in the Shimizu match, the desire to score at all costs led to a goal. I think it was the mindset of releasing the tension and wanting to achieve results that resulted in the goal."

(Not only defense, but also plays going forward were seen here and there. However, there is still a long way to go. First of all, regarding the start of the match, we tried to move our feet as much as possible to prepare against Niigata's pressing from the front. Among them, Hasegawa and Morige were shouting a lot, and I think that contributed to Tokyo's concentration. After leading by two points, especially in the second half, Niigata stepped up their game and the tempo of ball circulation became faster. We tried to fill the vital area in response, but we ended up creating openings ourselves, or rather, there were many instances of giving presents (passes) to the opponent. I can't agree with that way of playing."


"Lucas"
"I was able to play with a lot of passion. We have been playing well but unable to secure a win, but today we were able to achieve a result. (Regarding the goal) I think it became a goal that ended the game by scoring there. I'm very happy that I was able to score. (About celebrating your 250th appearance?) Yesterday, I was told that my J-League debut was against Niigata, and it coincided with my 250th appearance, which further boosted my motivation. Thank you (laughs)."

"I don't think 250 matches is an easy number for foreign players. I am happy to have achieved it and even more delighted to have scored goals. It was a substitute appearance, but that is the decision of the coach. Today, I was conscious not only of going forward but also of not leaving gaps in defense on the side. I want to continue producing results and strive to be in the top again."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"The most important thing in this match is that we were able to secure 3 points. The other important thing is that the injury situation is not serious for the next match. As you all know, we played 3 matches in 7 days against Hiroshima and Urawa, and I think we showed tough and high-quality matches. However, we only earned 1 point in the two matches. Regarding this match, the quality may be lower than the last two matches, but the most important thing is that we were able to secure 3 points as a result. I would like to evaluate that."

Today, I am satisfied that we were able to secure 3 points without conceding any goals, both in terms of how we started the game and how we finished it. However, I think we were fortunate in the periods between the beginning and the end of the match. There were more mistakes than usual. I want to analyze whether these mistakes were due to fatigue or if there were other factors involved. I want to commend our players for fighting hard and earning 3 points, and I also want to express my gratitude to the fans and supporters who came to the match despite the bad weather."


[Niigata - Coach Masaaki Yanagishita's Press Conference Summary]
"If we concede such a goal in the first 10 minutes, it's tough. However, we couldn't convert several big chances afterwards, so we ended up with this result. There are reasons for the two goals we conceded. Even though the game had only started for 1 or 2 minutes, there was a player drinking water. It's a sign of vulnerability. For the second goal, two players were casually playing with a rolling ball. Unbelievable."

It may be a small thing, but it makes a big difference. There is still a lot of immaturity and lack of crisis awareness. There is also a lack of responsibility. By playing games like this, I have to understand for myself what I am lacking and what I cannot do. Because such games have continued for the past two matches, I want to switch my mindset and make sure we play without shame."