Fight without impatience and seize 3 points at home

ACL Group Stage Sec. 3 will face Jiangsu Suning (China) at home.
Tokyo will start Takahashi in the midfield, forming a double pivot with Hashimoto. Mizunuma and Hanyu will be on the wings. Maeda and Nathan Burns will lead the line in a 4-4-2 formation, facing the schedule with only three days of rest since the previous league match.

In the forefront, Jiangsu has FW Jo, who has experience representing Brazil, with FW Alex Teixeira on the left and MF Wu Xi on the right. MF Jean Shao Bin serves as the anchor in a 4-1-4-1 formation. It will be a tough match against Jiangsu, who boast attacking power, but we need to play with perseverance, without getting frustrated, and seize the opportunity to secure 3 points.

After a long time, it was sunny during the day, but the wind was strong and it became even colder at night. The match started at 19:30 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Patience The Key As Tokyo Aim For Three Points

JIANGSU FC of China were the visitors to Tokyo Stadium for the third group stage match of the 2016 AFC Champions League. With the fixture coming just three days after their previous outing in the league, Tokyo started with Takahashi partnering Hashimoto in central midfield, flanked by Mizunuma and Hanyu. Maeda and Nathan Burns paired up in attack in a 4-4-2 formation. Former Brazil striker Jo started in the most advanced position in attack for Jiangsu with fellow Brazilian Alex Teixeira on the left and midfielder Wu Xi on the right. Midfielder Zhang Xiaobin played as midfield anchor in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Tokyo would need to play a patient game, defending stubbornly against the potent Jiangsu attack and then striking when the opportunities appeared. It was a game from which they wanted to take maximum points. The daytime weather in Tokyo had been clear and sunny although windy and the evening temperature plummeted after sunset, bringing a sharp chill to the stadium. FC Tokyo kicked off at 7:30pm.

Carefully start and suppress Jiangsu's attacks

江蘇 started the game with a strong momentum, moving the ball forward aggressively and launching attacks mainly through set plays and mid-range shots. However, Tokyo remained focused and responded well. After regaining possession, they gradually created attacking opportunities through quick counterattacks.

12 minutes: Nathan BURNS receives Ogawa's feed to the left front line, skillfully turns while carrying the opponent's DF on his back. Breaks through to the front and passes to Grander in the center. Maeda outside the left goal area follows up.
18 minutes: Tokunaga passes to Mizunuma on the inside, who then passes to the center. Hashimoto, just outside the penalty area, takes a direct shot but fails to hit the target.
 

24 minutes: Starting from Nathan Burns, he made a move and received a throw-in from the right, feinting past the opponent's defender and entering the right area. He sent a decisive final pass in front of the goal, but the opponent's defender also marked Hanyu, who was running into that area. The ball was cut off in a collision, and the shot could not be completed.

26 minutes: Jiangsu also gathers the ball in the front line and passes it to Tokyo's FW Joe in the central area of Tokyo's defense from a long pass. They also created a decisive opportunity, but the shot went wide of the goal.
 

Tokyo continued to possess the ball, creating their own opportunities while trying to exploit the opponent's weaknesses.
42 minutes: Burns, who received a pass from the right, dribbled around the opponent's defender and slid to the center. He managed to bring it to a finish, but the shot went straight to the goalkeeper. Although not many, he created some decisive opportunities, but the first half ended scoreless.

Tokyo Repel JIANGSU Attack In Cautious Start

The visitors started strongly, bringing the ball forward and threatening the Tokyo goal from set plays and medium-range attempts on goal. The hosts maintained their concentration though and began to break at pace as they eased themselves into the match. 12th minute: Ogawa sent the ball down the left channel to Nathan Burns who held off a defender and spun neatly away. Burns raced forward before driving a low cross into the box. Maeda met the ball at pace but directed his powerful shot wide of the left post. 18th minute: Tokunaga found Mizunuma who moved the ball on towards Hashimoto just outside the Jiangsu penalty area in a central position. Hashimoto struck first time but was unable to hit the target. 24th minute: Nathan Burns continued to look lively as he skillfully feinted past a defender following a Tokyo throw in down the right. He raced into the Jiangsu box and delivered a decisive cross towards the onrushing Hanyu in the centre. Some stout defending prevented Hanyu from making contact with the ball and the Jiangsu defence cleared the danger. 26th minute: Jiangsu maintained possession in attack and launched a long ball into the Tokyo box. The clearance fell to forward Jo inside the area in a central position. He dug a shot out from under his feet and the ball bounded narrowly wide of the far post. Tokyo then dominated possession for a prolonged spell, probing for a chink in the Jiangsu defensive armour. 42nd minute: Burns received the ball out on the right then skipped inside and across the face of the penalty area. He created room for a shot but the hard, low effort flew straight at the Jiangsu goalkeeper. It was a decent chance in a half that had seen few clear-cut openings. The first period ended 0-0.

Took the initiative and pushed forward, but couldn't score a goal...

In the second half, Tokyo gained momentum from Nathan Burns' aggressive moves.
50 minutes: Maruyama's clear ball goes to the front line to Maeda, but the pass he dropped from here doesn't connect with his teammate. It flows to the Jiangsu left front FW Teixeira. It was a situation that quickly became a pinch, but it was saved by an offside.
55 minutes passed: Tokyo had consecutive set-piece chances, but Ogawa's kicks were all blocked and they couldn't capitalize on the opportunities.

64 minutes: Kono is brought on to the front line. Immediately after, a clearance ball from the opponent's area is passed to Maeda in the right area from a feed by Takahashi. Maeda took a direct shot but missed widely.

70 minutes: Abe comes in. There were also scenes where we received Jiangsu's counter, but Maruyama responded without creating any gaps. On the other hand, the opponent's transition was slow, and the defense started to be pulled back, but Tokyo took control in that situation.

73 minutes: Abe on the left side drops the ball on the post, and Hayu behind him changes sides and sends a cross aimed at the right area. Mizunuma rushes in from the right side with perfect timing, but with the opponent's defender on his back, he couldn't quite finish the shot.
76 minutes: Abe enters the left area. He skillfully dribbles past the opponent and sends a cross, but no one is there to follow up at the far post and it goes out of play.

77 minutes: Yonemoto is substituted.

82 minutes: In the final stages, we consistently attacked from the side, and Hashimoto ran into the ball dropped by Kawano from a right cross and took a shot.
84 minutes: Yonemoto unleashes a powerful shot, but both attempts are blocked by Jiangsu.
86 minutes: From Hanyu's left cross, Kawano in the center of the goal attempted a header, but the opponent's defender managed to escape with a corner kick.
90 minutes: Yonemoto sends a vertical pass, Hayabusa on the left meets a low and fast cross, Mizunuma rushes in but... the opponent's defender also tightens the defense and cannot finish. Jiangsu, aiming for 1 point away, defends and the time is up. Unable to score until the end, the 3rd ACL match ends scoreless at home.

Tokyo Seize Initiative Yet Fail To Find Breakthrough

Nathan Burns' positive attacking play helped Tokyo to find a rhythm in the second half as well. 50th minute: Maruyama cleared the ball out to Maeda who then played it back to the Tokyo defense. The ball failed to reach a teammate, instead arriving at the feet of Alex Teixeira. It looked like a tight spot for Tokyo but Teixeira was fortunately given offside. 55th minute: Tokyo earned a pair of free kicks in promising positions. Both times Ogawa swung the ball into the Jiangsu box and both times it was headed away. 64th minute: Kawano replaced Nathan Burns. Immediately after the change Takahashi hoisted a long ball forward and a poor clearance fell straight to Maeda on the right of the Jiangsu penalty area. Maeda struck first-time but the effort flew wide of the post. 70th minute: Abe replaced Maeda. Jiangsu countered shortly after the change but Maruyama and the Tokyo defense covered quickly and ended the threat. The visitors began to lose some of the dynamism in their changeover from defense to attack and started to defend deeper. Tokyo seized the initiative. 73rd minute: With his back to goal Abe knocked the ball down outside the Jiangsu area on the left and Hanyu clipped a dipping cross in towards the penalty spot. Mizunuma came in off the right with perfect timing, held off a defender and flung himself feet-first at the ball. He made the faintest of connections only for Zhang Sipeng to plunge low to his left and deny Tokyo. 76th minute: Abe raced into the Jiangsu area on the left, bamboozled a defender with some slick footwork then launched a cross to the far post. No teammates were able to reach the ball and it sailed out to the right. 77th minute: Yonemoto replaced Takahashi. 82nd minute: Tokyo made headway down the flanks as the game entered its final stages. From a right-wing cross Kawano knocked the ball down, Hashimoto ran onto it and struck a shot wide of the post. 84th minute: Yonemoto lashed a fierce drive from middle range that Zhang held at the second attempt. 86th minute: Hanyu crossed from the right, Kawano directed a header on goal that flicked off a Jiangsu defender and went out for a corner. 90th minute: Yonemoto hoisted a long ball forward, Hanyu whipped a low cross from the left and Mizunuma darted in but was foiled by a defender yet again. Jiangsu managed to hold out until the final whistle, earning the away point they had targeted. Tokyo were unable to find a goal and the game finished 0-0.

【Player Comments】

"Nathan Burns"
"Not only is my condition good, but the combination with my teammates is also improving day by day. Today, I aimed to play using the gap between the defenders and midfielders. There were moments when it worked well, but gradually Jiangsu Suning started to defend with more players, making it difficult. I couldn't score a goal and couldn't fulfill my own job or the team's goal."

"Hanyu"
"I thought Jiangsu would play more soccer. I thought they would put more pressure on us earlier, but they didn't. In response, we should have been able to do something more. It became a game where that feeling remains. I was conscious of thinking about how to move to make the opponent uncomfortable and to take a good position. I think my strengths came out there, but it was not enough both individually and as a team, so it resulted in a draw."

Players' Comments

Nathan Burns:
"I'm in good condition of course and improving my combination play with the other players daily. Today I was looking to play between the lines of the opposition defence and midfield. It went well on some occasions but as the game progressed Jiangsu sat deeper and deeper and it became more difficult. We couldn't score, I couldn't really fulfill my role and we didn't get the result we wanted".

Hanyu:
"I thought Jiangsu would try to play a bit more football than they actually did. I had expected they would try to press much higher up the field. In response to that approach I feel we should have been able to do more. That's the impression I'm going to take away from the game. During the game I was focused on what kind of play could punish them and taking up threatening positions. Although I felt I played to my strengths, both on a personal level and as a team we didn't really offer enough and the game ended in a draw".

[Summary of Manager Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference]

"The players continued to concentrate on defense and worked hard for 90 minutes. That's why we wanted to get 3 points. We created chances but couldn't finish them, which is disappointing. We want to accept this result sincerely and move on to the next game. In a thrilling match like today, we hardly allowed the opponent to take shots in the second half. That's because the players learned from the frustration they experienced in the opening game of the league. From here on, we want to focus on scoring goals."

[Summary of Jiangsu Suning Petrescu's Press Conference]
"As expected, today's match was tough. It ended in a 0-0 draw, but we felt the difficulty of earning 1 point away from home against Tokyo. Both teams had chances to win today, but in the match in Nanjing in April, we want to win."

F.C.TOKYO manager Hiroshi Jofuku

"We defended with great concentration for the whole 90 minutes and the players' movement was excellent throughout the game. It was a good performance and that's why we really wanted the three points. We couldn't take the chances we created though and that's the disappointment. We just have to accept the result and move on to the next match. The game was tense yet in the second half we didn't allow the opposition a single shot on goal. It shows we learned a lesson from the opening game of the J.League. We are going to address how to score goals from here on".

JIANGSU FC manager Dan Petrescu

"As we had envisaged it was a very difficult game. The final result was 0-0 and we realised how tough it is to get an away point here. Although both sides had the chances to win the game tonight we think we'll be the winners when we meet again in Nanjing in April".