GAME RESULTMatch Results

Sec. 9 2017/4/30 (Sun)
Audience 25,037 people 
Weather: sunny, with a low temperature of 23.2 degrees and humidity of 43%. 
Referee: Akihiko IKEUCHI Assistant Referee: Kazushiro MIYAJIMA / Mikiya NISHIMURA Fourth Official: Masahiro HORIKOSHI

J1 Sec. 9

Ajinomoto

HOME

FC Tokyo

1-0

Match ended

First Half0-0

Second half1-0

AWAY

Sanfrecce Hiroshima

FC Tokyo Sanfrecce Hiroshima
68' Yuichi MARUYAMA
Scorer
61' Yohei KAJIYAMA → Sotan TANABE
65' Hiroki KAWANO → Takuma ABE
90'+1 Ryoichi MAEDA → Kensuke NAGAI
Player substitution 64' Anderson LOPES → Tsukasa MORISHIMA
70' Takahashi Soya → Mikic
83' Mizumoto Hiroki → Yusuke MINAGAWA
9 Shoot 7
3 CK 3
19 FK 17
55' Keigo HIGASHI
Warning
Expulsion
FC Tokyo Starting
GK 33 Akihiro HAYASHI
DF 22 Yuhei TOKUNAGA
DF 3 Masato MORISHIGE
DF 5 Yuichi MARUYAMA
DF 6 Kosuke OTA
MF 8 Yojiro TAKAHAGI
MF 10 Yohei KAJIYAMA
MF 17 Hiroki KAWANO
MF 38 Keigo HIGASHI
MF 13 Yoshito OKUBO
FW 20 Ryoichi MAEDA
FC Tokyo Substitute
GK 50 Go HATANO
DF 2 Sei MUROYA
MF 15 Kensuke NAGAI
MF 23 Shoya NAKAJIMA
MF 27 Sotan TANABE
MF 44 Takuma ABE
FW 16 Nathan BURNS
Sanfrecce Hiroshima starting lineup
GK 1 Takuto HAYASHI
DF 33 Tsukasa SHIOTANI
DF 5 Kazuhiko CHIBA
DF 4 Mizumoto Hiroki
MF 3 Takahashi Sōya
MF 2 Yuki NOGAMI
MF 6 Toshihiro AOYAMA
MF 18 Yoshifumi KASHIWA
MF 44 Anderson LOPES
MF 30 Kosei SHIBASAKI
FW 50 Kudo Souto
Sanfrecce Hiroshima substitute
GK 21 Ryotaro HIRONAGA
MF 28 Marutani Takuya
MF 16 Kohei Shimizu
MF 14 Mikicchi
MF 29 Tsukasa MORISHIMA
MF 10 Felipe Silva
FW 22 Yusuke MINAGAWA

[Highlight Video]

[Player and Coach Comments]

《Yuichi MARUYAMA Player》
"The goal came to me by chance in front of me (laughs). It also came to my right foot, so I was only focused on hitting it."
I'm not a FW, so I can't do more than that (bitter smile).
It was just the first goal in the flow (not a direct free kick). I am happy to have contributed to the victory by scoring it.

(Was it a long time until your first J1 goal?)
Yes, it was. I was competing with FW Yohei HAYASHI, who transferred to Oita, to see who would score first in J1. I will contact Yohei immediately today (laughs).
However, I think it was also good that we were able to keep a clean sheet, not just scoring goals. The players in the front line pressed well, and the midfielders also slid effectively. Personally, I should have been more aware of adjusting the defensive line.
We were able to fight patiently together and also keep the goals conceded to a minimum. It was especially good to win at home.

("About Shah")
I don't like standing out... so... (wry smile). It's fine for me to be a supporting role and stay in the shadows.

"Yojiro TAKAHAGI"
"(Was it a match against your former team?)
I didn't have any special awareness about that, I just wanted to win. I think it's good that we were able to do that."

(How did you try to break Hiroshima's solid defense?)
As time passes, spaces will open up for Hiroshima.
The period where it was difficult to break through continued, but we fought patiently and tried to create opportunities starting from the side.
It ultimately resulted in a goal from a set piece, but that was also crucial. We were aiming to make the most of Hirokazu's crosses and kicks.

(Did you often control Hiroshima MF Aoyama player?)
I thought it was important to play against the opponent's ball holder.
Including player KAJIYAMA, our defense caught Hiroshima's attacking line and pushed me forward. It was easier to move forward.
The strength of FC Tokyo is being able to focus on balance and win games by a one-point difference. I had confidence in that.

"Summary of Yoshiyuki SHINODA's press conference"
I realized once again that I cannot earn points without patiently fighting against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
The players, from the beginning, dedicated themselves to repeating good attacks from their defense, and they did it for 90 minutes, including the players on the front line. Especially Maeda and Okubo, they can go forward and also defend, which made me realize once again that they are important players for the team.
In terms of attack, we created several chances with crosses in the first half, but we wanted to finish them off properly. We were able to practice breaking through a little bit in training, so now it's just a matter of how to score goals. I think that's the kind of game it was.
GK Hayashi and the 4 defenders led the team well, and I think Kajiyama and Takahagi were able to progress the game well from the beginning. There are still areas that need to be developed, but I think we can move forward with these 3 points, so I want everyone to train even harder and prepare for the next match.

《Q&A》
Q=Do you feel any response from the defensive organization?
Opponent's both wide players opened up, and I wanted to slide properly. Instead of giving the 2 shadows space by pulling 4 defenders to the top, the defensive line and the defensive midfielder raised the line properly and defended well against the shadows, allowing the 4 defenders to see. However, there were some instances where Kashiwa player was able to carry the ball with a slight shift, but I think we were able to respond well.

Q=What do you think is necessary to score a goal in the end?
The attacking from the side after a cross, and the combination from the center showed the intention, but the final precision was lacking.
In the scene where Higashi crossed the ball to the near side, one person had to go near, and I think there was a slight miscommunication there.
Hiroshima is a solid team that doesn't collapse easily. I think it was a tough task against such opponents, but we have to continue training to improve our final last pass and movements from initiating against the opponent to the final shot. I think there are many reasons for the result, but we want to understand them together and work as a team.

Q=Kosuke OTA's good condition
Ota is a cross and free kick kicker, but Tokyo is skillfully creating the timing to deliver crosses in the front line.
Ota is always approaching training with a sense of crisis and tension in the competition within the team. I think that attitude brings out his strengths to the maximum.
I was able to control the scene against Mikic player well, and I am also doing well in the defensive part that is said to be his challenge. I think that my daily training is definitely creating the current state.

"Summary of Hiroshima Coach Hajime Moriyasu's Press Conference"
To play at Ajinomoto Stadium means that it will be a tough battle. We faced the game with determination after seeing the opponent's members.
The players battled strongly and tenaciously in the areas of ball possession and second balls, especially when the opponents applied pressure from the beginning of the match.
In the first half, we faced many difficulties but we fought tenaciously and kept a clean sheet. We waited for our chances to attack and when the opponent's attack weakened, we also focused on launching more attacks.
The players ran and fought well, and I think they played a good game while persevering and advancing the game. However, if we could have dealt with the situation of being defeated by one set play, we might have had a chance in the second half, so I think it could have led to a goal.
Although the way of fighting is not bad, the results are not coming out easily.
I think it will be difficult to overcome the point of "a little more" and continue, but I want to practice and fight as a team, overcoming it together.
I am grateful to all the supporters for coming today, as I believe it allowed the players to fight until the end.

Q=About Takahagi Player
I felt once again that he is a wonderful player. He has the ability to control the game, and in attack, he can use his teammates and also make dangerous attacks by himself. In defense, he can cleverly play to suppress our attacking points.
I felt a change after playing for overseas clubs from Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Especially, the experience at FC Seoul made me feel the intensity of needing to win not only domestically but also in Asia, and I think it made me a player who can convey a winner's mentality through the atmosphere.