Striving for victory, challenging Frankfurt before the start of the Bundesliga!

At the home Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, Eintracht Frankfurt played against. About 50,000 spectators gathered at the stadium, and approximately 200 fans and supporters from Tokyo came to support.

Tokyo, which left Japan on August 30th and arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, implemented a menu centered on running and stretching in the morning training the day after arrival, and confirmed defensive tactics in the afternoon practice. On the second day before the match, they carefully worked on confirming the marks during set plays. Captain Tokunaga, who will serve as captain in this match, said, "Although it is a friendly match, I want to play with a focus on winning. That will also contribute to our battles in the J-League." Goalkeeper Enomoto said, "First, we will firmly do what we need to do as a team. And in this valuable match against an overseas club, we want to show our performance firmly," said the two players who lead the team.

The starting lineup consists of Enomoto as GK, Yoshimoto and Maruyama as CB, Matsuda and Tokunaga as both side DF. Takahashi as an anchor in the midfield. Mita and Hashimoto as inside halves. And Kono as the attacking midfielder. Maeda and Nathan BURNS are the forwards.

On the other hand, Frankfurt has Hasebe, a member of the Japanese national team, as the right full-back. In addition, Inui will play on the left outside, and they will come to challenge as their final practice before the start of the Bundesliga.

The match started at 15:15 with the kickoff in scorching sunlight in Frankfurt.

Although we took an early lead of 2 points, we were pushed back by the opponent and went into halftime with a 2-2 tie.

　The match started with a left corner kick given to the opponent in the 4th minute, but GK Enomoto caught it easily. In the following 8th minute, a cross was sent from the left side by opponent DF Hasebe, but FW Seferovic in front of the goal couldn't convert it into a goal. Furthermore, in the 13th minute, opponent MF Inui took a sharp shot from just outside the penalty area, but Enomoto calmly caught it in front.
 

19 minutes have passed. Mita dribbles with a change of pace in the center of the pitch and breaks through. He earns a foul in a position about 20 meters in front of the goal. Maruyama takes the free kick. The ball hits the opponent's wall and goes out for a corner kick. In the 20th minute, Tokyo's left corner kick is punched away by Frankfurt's goalkeeper Lindner. The opponent's defender then clears the ball with his head. However, the ball falls to Maeda in the penalty area, who calmly sinks it into the right side of the goal. GOAL!! Tokyo takes the lead!! In the 22nd minute, Burns runs into the near post and taps in a cross from Kono on the left side. GOAL!! Tokyo scores another goal early in the game and extends their lead.

Although leading by 2 points, there was a period of time where the opponent passed the ball around and pushed us back, but thanks to GK Enomoto's calm defense, we didn't allow any goals. However, in the 41st minute, we were passed around in our own half and the ball was played from left to right. FW Seferovic, who connected with DF Hasebe's ground cross, scored a goal in the bottom right corner, narrowing the gap to 1 point.

In the 43rd minute, a free kick was given in front of their own goal, and the opponent's kicker was Stendera. The right-footed free kick hit the crossbar. No harm done. However, just before the end of the first half, the opponent's MF Flum made a heel pass in the center of their own field. Stendera, who received the ball, took a shot from the penalty area. This shot went into the top right corner of the goal, and the first half ended with a 2-2 draw.

Allowed a comeback by being pushed back by the opponent in our own territory, resulting in a 2-3 defeat

　In the second half, they continued to create shooting opportunities and dangerous scenes, but GK Enomoto remained calm and defended, not allowing the opponent to score. However, in the 59th minute, DF Ochipka crossed from a deep position on the left side. MF Aikner in front of the goal headed the ball and scored a soft header to the left of the goal, allowing the opponent to take the lead.

After that, substitute Nakajima dribbled on the opponent's left side in the 20th minute. He brought the ball from the left to the right inside the area and took a shot, but the opponent's GK Lindner stretched out his body and caught it. In the following 75th minute, Takahashi broke through from the right side and passed to Nakajima in the center who had escaped behind the opponent's DF line. Nakajima faced Frankfurt's GK Lindner one-on-one, but it was defended and not a goal. Furthermore, in the 79th minute, a tremendous bullet shot was fired by FW Walt Schmidt from the left inside their own area. However, this shot hit the right post. No harm done.
 

85 minutes have passed, and Tokyo is passing the ball, but they are struggling to penetrate the opponent's territory. Despite calmly fighting against a stronger opponent, they lost with a score of 2-3. However, it was a wonderful experience to play in front of a large away crowd, but they wanted a victory. They will use this experience to make a comeback in the 2nd stage.
 

[Player Comments] 

"Enomoto" "It was a shame to concede three goals after leading 2-0. It was a good experience to play against an overseas team, and I want to work hard to overcome challenges for the upcoming league."

"Takahashi" "As a soccer player, I felt a sense of happiness and excitement playing in a dedicated stadium with many supporters. I am grateful to everyone in the club for giving me this experience. I believe that not only domestically, but also in Asia and the world, the club can grow, and it is a good thing for fans and supporters to watch Tokyo's matches overseas. I want to continue building on this."

"Hashimoto" "The atmosphere at the stadium was amazing and it was a great experience. We were winning 2-0, so personally I think I still have a lot to learn in terms of how to manage the game. I want to become a player who can compete on the world stage by practicing hard in Japan."

[Summary of Tokyo Massimo Ficcadenti's Press Conference] "The goal conceded just before the end of the first half had a big impact on the players. In the second half, the opponent had more chances and scored another goal, making the game more difficult. I was impressed by the fantastic fans and supporters in Germany, who have a positive influence on the world of soccer. I sincerely hope for Frankfurt's success this season." (Reflecting on the game) "The first 30 minutes of the first half were really good. However, the goal conceded in the last 45 minutes had a significant psychological impact on the players. The tempo of the game was slow, and in a situation where the opponent's physicality could be displayed, I think we were able to respond well with formation changes and player substitutions. We left 6 or 7 players in Japan and the young players played well even in difficult circumstances. I think it was a very good experience for them." (Was it a satisfactory performance?) "We can't be satisfied with a loss. The first half was very good, but we want to train to sustain that level until the end."

[Summary of Frankfurt Arminfei Coach's Press Conference] "In the first half, we had a weak pressure on the opponent and entered the game waiting for mistakes. In the second half, we improved on that aspect and were able to create more chances. I think today's match was a great match for Tokyo as well."