Aiming for Round 16 advancement with a tough climate!

In the scorching heat of 34 degrees, the 6th match of the AFC Champions League was played away against Bin Zuong. It was a crucial match with the opportunity to advance to the round of 16 if we win. We arrived at the location on the night of May 1st to prepare for the heat. We will approach the game fully prepared.
 

In the pre-match press conference, Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU said, "In the J-League, we are currently facing a tough battle, but there is always a reason for this, and I believe it is a hurdle that we must overcome. I am confident that if we share this with the players and overcome it, the tide will turn."
In addition, Captain Morishige said, "Our main goal is to win 3 points and advance to the Round of 16. Considering the climate and the strength of Bin Zuong's home, it won't be easy. However, even in the face of difficulty, we want to firmly achieve results as a team."

The starting lineup consists of GK Akimoto. Hashimoto is at right back, Ogawa is at left back, and Hudson and Takahashi are at the bottom of the midfield. Mizunuma is on the right side, and Higashi is on the left side. Maeda and Nathan BURNS form the front two.

Kickoff time is approaching, as the sun sets and the heat subsides a little, the match begins with a Vin Zuong kickoff.

Tokyo Aim For Knock-out Tournament In Sauna-like Conditions

With the thermometer showing 34C, F.C.TOKYO faced the challenge of beating Becamex Binh Duong of Vietnam for a place in the final 16 of the AFC Champions League. To acclimatise to the fierce heat Tokyo had flown in well ahead of the game, on the evening of May 1st, and their preparations had been thorough. At the press conference held on the evening before the match Tokyo manager Hiroshi Jofuku commented, "We've been having a difficult time in the J.League and there are reasons for that; of course, it's up to us to surmount the obstacles we face. I firmly believe that if we can overcome this hurdle then things will change". Captain Morishige added, "Our objective is clearly to win the game, take the three points and progress to the next round of the tournament. Given the weather and Binh Duong's strength at home that's obviously going to be no easy task. Regardless of the difficult conditions, as a team we want to achieve the result". Akimoto began in goal with Hashimoto at right side-back and Ogawa on the left. Ha Daesung partnered Takahashi in central midfield with Mizunuma on the right and Higashi on the left flank. Maeda and Nathan Burns started in attack. Kick off coincided with sunset and the blazing heat diminished slightly after the hosts got the game underway at 5pm.

Take the lead with Maeda's header! End the first half with a score of 1-0

5 minutes: The game is in the first 5 minutes. The ball is stolen in our own half and connected to the left front line by Bin Zuong, and then a shot is taken by 8MF Moses Oloya from where it was returned. However, it goes wide of the goal.
7 minutes: Tohoku takes a controlled shot from the center of the opponent's field, but it goes straight to the GK.
10 minutes: Mizunuma crosses from the right. It goes over the head of Burns, who jumped out in the center, but Maeda in the left area receives it, dribbles to create space, brings it inside, and passes to Higashi just in front of the right goal area. He creates a scoring opportunity, and Higashi takes a shot, but it goes over the bar.
12 minutes: Mizunuma takes a shot from a distant position on the right side. He aggressively attacks the opponent's goalkeeper and although the ball slipped from his hands at first, it was quickly recovered.

21 minutes: Takahashi on the left passes to Mizunuma in the center, who dribbles to create space, evades the opponent's defender, and plays a vertical pass to the right area. Hashimoto, who overlapped, takes advantage of his speed to trap the ball and move one step forward, delivering a perfect cross in front of the goal. The ball is sent to the center, avoiding the diving goalkeeper, and Maeda calmly heads it in for a goal. 1-0.
22 minutes: Bin Zuong Pena Ark received the ball just in front of the goal, and 28FW Rekon Bin turned around and took a powerful shot. Akimoto saved it in the bottom left corner and it resulted in a corner kick.

44 minutes: Maruyama tries to control the ball that entered the front line of Bin Zuong, but it is persistently returned. 28FW Rekonbin, just in front of the penalty area, unleashes a powerful shot that grazes the left post and goes out. Although we avoided conceding a goal, the shooting power made us hold our breath.

Maeda Header Gives Tokyo Vital Lead

5th.minute: Binh Duong intercepted a pass in midfield and pushed forward down the left. The ball was played back to midfielder Moses Oloya in a central position; he tried his luck from distance but lashed the shot high over the bar.

7th.minute: Higashi feinted past an opponent in midfield and drove in a low, bounding shot that the goalkeeper held comfortably.

10th.minute: Mizunuma crossed from the right. The ball sailed over Nathan Burns's head in the center of the goal and reached Maeda at the far post. Maeda controlled the ball neatly and moved it inside onto his right foot but his path to goal was blocked. He rolled a short pass to Higashi on the right corner of the six-yard box. It was a decisive opening yet Higashi somehow scooped his shot over the bar.

12th.minute: Tokyo pushed forward down the right and Mizunuma hammered a fierce effort from some 25 yards in an attempt to catch out the goalkeeper. He batted the ball away and then pounced on it before any Tokyo players could arrive in the box.

21st.minute: From out on the left Takahashi played the ball inside to Mizunuma who drifted across the field and slid a pass down the right channel. Hashimoto made a lung-bursting run to overlap, took a touch inside the box and chipped a delicate cross inside as the goalkeeper raced out. Maeda was perfectly placed and coolly nodded the ball into the unguarded net to give Tokyo the lead.

22nd.minute: Binh Duong pushed forward and striker Le Cong Vinh unleashed a well-struck shot that was arrowing for the bottom left corner of the Tokyo goal until Akimoto got down quickly to turn the ball around the post.

44th.minute: Binh Duong hoisted a ball forward that the Tokyo defence cleared from the edge of their box. The hosts regained possession and Le Cong Vinh unleashed a fierce drive from
middle range that clipped the outside of the right post. The power of the effort caused momentary palpitations but the visitors' goal remained intact and the first half ended 1-0.

Maeda scores the second goal! Defeating the chasing opponent, advancing to the round of 16!!

51 minutes: Burns steals a pass miss from Bin Zuong's own throw-in and charges into the left area. He dribbles past the opponent's defender on the outside and becomes free, but his shot goes well over the bar.

55 minutes: Maeda steals Bin Zuong's pass mistake inside the opponent's territory and dribbles himself. He evades the opponent's defenders and carries the ball to the penalty area with a well-aimed left-footed shot! The shot finds its way into the top left corner of the goal as if being sucked in. With this, the score becomes 2-0.

62 minutes: Nathan BURNS is replaced by Tanabe. Higashi moves up one row. Immediately after, Bin ZUONG receives his third card, and FW Nguyen TIEN LIN comes in.
66 minutes: Tokyo substitutes Ha DAESUNG with Yonehara.
67 minutes: Bin Zuo is quickly connected with a vertical pass, and 21FW Cristiano is rushed into the area from between Tokyo DF. Maruyama slides from behind in response to this. This play is judged as a foul and a penalty kick is given to Bin Zuo.
68 minutes: Bin Zuong, PK kicker is FW Rekonbin. A powerful kick is kicked in and it results in a goal, making it 2-1.

75 minutes: Here, Takumi ABE replaces Higashi.
76 minutes: Abe countered Bin Zuong's set play. He dribbled a long distance and created time by taking a shot, but the ball went straight to the goalkeeper.
77 minutes: From Tanabe's through pass, Abe moves to the left area. He manages to get past the opponent's defender, but his shot is saved by the goalkeeper.

85 minutes: Han Been YANG, the FW of Reconbin, shot a slightly left-sided middle that hit the bar but escaped without any consequences.
89 minutes: Bin Zuong breaks through the left area deeply after taking advantage of a momentary lapse in concentration by the DF line, and sends a minus cross to the front of the goal. However, Bin Zuong's player fails to connect, and the team escapes the danger.

Atsushi MAEDA scored 2 goals and made a great contribution. Showing a fighting spirit to counter the fierce attack from the opponent, the team fought together and achieved victory! Advancing to the Final Round 16!!

Maeda Grabs Second As Tokyo Hold On For Victory

51st.minute: Burns pounced on a loose pass just outside the Binh Duong area on the left. He skated past a defender on the outside but skied his shot way over the bar from a promising position.

55th.minute: Maeda seized onto another loose pass from Binh Duong in the 55th.minute. He feinted around a defender inside the penalty arc and smashed a ferocious left-footed shot high into the net, giving the goalkeeper no chance. Tokyo had doubled their lead.

62nd.minute: Tokyo replaced Nathan Burns with Tanabe and pushed Higashi forward into the attack. Immediately following that change Binh Duong made their third and final substitution, sending on forward Nguyen Tien Linh.

66th.minute: Yonemoto replaced Ha Daesung for Tokyo.

67th.minute: Binh Duong suddenly constructed a high-tempo passing move straight up the field. Substitute forward Christian Jose Nsi Amougou raced between two Tokyo defenders and into the box until Maruyama slid in to halt his progress from behind. The referee judged it to have been a foul and pointed to the spot.

68th.minute: Le Cong Vinh stepped up and thrashed an unstoppable penalty high into the net to reduce Tokyo's lead to a single goal.

75th.minute: Abe replaced Higashi.

76th.minute: Tokyo cleared a Binh Duong set play and launched a counter attack down the right. Abe ran unchecked from inside the Tokyo half all the way into the penalty area, cut inside and drove a low shot straight at the goalkeeper.

77th.minute: Tanabe slipped a pass through the Binh Duong defence near the left corner of the penalty area to meet Abe's well-timed darting run. Abe was suddenly in the clear but the goalkeeper raced smartly off his line to smother the snapshot.

85th.minute: Binh Duong forward Le Cong Vinh received the ball out on the left, cut inside and struck a powerful shot that flew over Akimoto's fingertips and crashed against the crossbar.

89th.minute: Tokyo lost concentration momentarily as a Binh Duong player was allowed to run deep into the box, along the byline and cut a cross back towards the penalty spot. Fortunately no opposition player was on hand and Tokyo cleared the threat.

Maeda scored twice and the whole team showed a remarkable fighting spirit to hold off the hosts' fierce late push for an equaliser. Tokyo had qualified for the Round Of 16!

【Player Comments】

"Mizunuma"
"Considering the team's situation, we had to win no matter what. Personally, as a member of the team, I always wanted to change the flow by participating in both the J-League and the ACL. I think we were able to achieve victory because we played desperately. I felt that the team's awareness had changed even before the match, and we were able to approach the game with a good atmosphere, thinking that we could win if we played like this. I am grateful to all the fans and supporters who have come this far."

"Akimoto"
"Today, I focused on the determination to win, not the content. What I talked about in the player meeting in Japan had a great impact on me, and I realized that I need to change myself and express my feelings through my play. I want to continue communicating and make the team even better."

Players' Comments

Mizunuma:
"This was a game we absolutely had to win. On a personal level, whether it's a J.League game or the ACL I'm only thinking about getting on the field and making an impact. It was death or glory tonight and the dire situation prompted us to get the result we needed. From before the match it felt as though something had changed in our mentality and the atmosphere was really good as we went out to play. I'm incredibly grateful to all our fans and supporters who made the long-distance trip here to support the team".

Akimoto:
"We were totally focused on winning today; the performance wasn't the thing, we just concentrated on winning the game. The things that were said at the players meeting back in Japan had a great influence on our performance. I felt I had to change as well and really put my heart into the game. We want to communicate better from here on and improve together as a team".

Ryoichi Maeda, MVP winner:
"We came to Vietnam with an intense desire to win and we're very relieved that we got the result. It was really hot and the environment was a challenge but we prepared very well. I think we got the result because we were prepared for playing in the heat".

[Summary of the press conference by Manager Hiroshi Jofuku and Maeda (attending as MVP)]

"Hiroshi JOFUKU (Coach)"
"We had to win in order to advance to the Round of 16. We also had to win to change the momentum of the team. It was really great to be able to grasp victory together with the players."
The temperature and humidity were high, and I think the players really struggled. But this is the battle of Asia. I am truly happy that we were able to seize victory by showing our determination and spirit. The players from Vietnam, including Verdenik, have impressive technique and physical abilities. In contrast, I think we were able to win because we were able to concentrate well on defense. "Maeda"
"We came to Vietnam with the feeling of definitely winning, and we were able to achieve results. It was a hot and tough environment, but we were well prepared. I think it's because we were prepared to fight in the heat that we were able to play solidly."
 

[Summary of Coach Nguyen Cong Phuong's Press Conference]
"In today's match, we were able to create several chances, mainly through Hyun Soo JANG. If we could have ended with a draw, it would have been a good game. Tokyo was very strong, just like Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Jiangsu Suning. Once again, I keenly felt that we need to face them with a solid response."

F.C.TOKYO manager Hiroshi Jofuku

"In order to make the Round Of 16 we had to win. We also needed to win to change the direction the team was heading. I'm delighted that we managed to seize victory today. It was extremely hot and humid so I'm sure it must have been incredibly tough for the players. But that's playing in Asia for you. We were resolute and showed great spirit; I'm thrilled we won. My impression of Binh Duong is that the players have technique and great physical ability. In the face of that ability I think we did very well to maintain our concentration in defence and win the game".
 

Becamex Binh Duong manager Nguyen Thanh Son

"We created a load of chances today with Le Cong Vinh at the heart of everything. I think a draw would have been a fair result. Tokyo are a very strong team, like Jeonbuk and Jiangsu. Once again we saw how solid you have to be when you face them".