Defeat the highly anticipated Shimizu S-Pulse on enemy territory!

　For the Japan national team's match, the 4th round after a 2-week interval will be an away game against Shimizu S-Pulse. This round will be a 3rd vs 4th place showdown, with Shimizu boasting national team players in top form such as MF Mitsudomoe, Ichikawa, and Toda, making them the most anticipated team. In the league, they have won all their games, including 2 games in extra time. It will be a tough game on enemy territory, but in past matches, both teams have had an even match with 2 wins and 2 losses, so we can expect another exciting match this round. And for a victory!

Repulse S-Pulse! 

Following a two-week break for international games the fourth round of matches saw F.C.TOKYO visit Shimizu S-Pulse. Fourth placed S-Pulse, unbeaten this season and boasting Japanese internationals in Santos, Toda and Ichikawa, all on top form for club and country, were expected to prove a formidable opponent for the visitors. F.C.TOKYO travelled in hope however, as previous games between the sides have been close affairs, with the record currently two wins apiece, and no draws.

First goal by Amaral in the midst of fierce fighting with exposed fighting spirit!

　Tokyo's right, Sato, left, Kobayashi Sei × Shimizu's left, Mitsushu, right, Ichikawa's "side attack showdown" is the highlight of today's game. One minute into the game, Shimizu Ichikawa came out to the space on the right side, but Kobayashi Sei stopped him with a fierce tackle. Then, FW Kuboyama tried to forcefully enter the penalty area with skillful dribbling, but Shimizu took the ball away by sticking to it. Tokyo's fighting spirit is still strong today.

　In the 4th minute, Miyazawa was fouled just outside the penalty area and attempted a direct goal from the free kick, but unfortunately it went over the bar. In the 10th and 12th minutes, Sato created chances from crosses, but the opposing defender cleared the ball. On the other hand, in the 13th minute, Shimizu's forward Baron took a free header shot from a pass by midfielder Sawato, but goalkeeper Doi saved it. Immediately after, Tokyo stole the loose ball and connected with Asari and Miyazawa, with Kelly bravely attempting a shot, but Shimizu goalkeeper Kurokawa caught it. Both teams had moments of miscommunication and made mistakes, but they fought with intense determination.

　At 19 minutes, Kuboyama broke through with a through pass from Sawato and took a shot. Immediately after, Baron took a powerful shot with his foot from Tokyo's clear ball. However, both shots were saved by Toi's accurate play. The control is evenly split, but Shimizu has created slightly more chances. Shimizu's right player, Ichikawa, is in good form and is the starting point for consecutive attacks, but Shimodaira and Ito hold them back with their determined play. Tokyo, on the other hand, came close to the goal with a quick switch at 25 minutes, with the combination of Kobayashi, Kelly, and Sato, but they couldn't make a shot. At 26 minutes, Sato was fouled by Mitsumaru and earned a free kick, and Miyazawa aimed for the goal.

　It was a time when Tokyo was on the offensive. In the 28th minute, Kelly broke through the defense with a lob ball from Miyazawa and took a shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper made a fine save and it resulted in a corner kick. The opening goal was born from that left corner kick. Ito connected with Sato's kicked ball with a header, and Amaral made a heading shot! Tokyo took the lead with a goal from a corner kick, which is their second goal of the season.

　Afterwards, Tokyo defended against Shimizu's counterattacks, with Jean at the center, making brave plays. There were difficult moments where loose balls couldn't be picked up, but they continued to show an attacking attitude by stealing the ball and pushing forward, and the first half ended.

Amaral Opens the Scoring! 

All eyes were on the "Battle of the Wings" as Sato and Minoru Kobayashi lined up for F.C.TOKYO against Santos and Ichikawa for S-Pulse; and it was the latter who burst down the right straight from the kick off, only to be stopped in his tracks by Kobayashi. Soon after, S-Pulse forward Kuboyama dribbled into the area but Shimotaira stuck close and stole the ball. F.C.TOKYO were displaying their customary fighting spirit.
Sato made some headway down the right and curled in a couple of crosses, but the home defence dealt with the danger. At the other end Baron connected with Sawanobori's cross but Doi held his header. Both teams were guilty of some loose play, but the commitment wasn't in doubt. In the 19th minute a Sawanobori through pass let in Kuboyama for a shot that was blocked and
moments later Doi made a solid save to deny Baron. Possession was about fifty-fifty but S-Pulse were creating the better chances, with the sparkling Ichikawa the chief instigator.
F.C.TOKYO produced their best chance in the 28th minute when a delicate lob from Miyazawa allowed Kelly to get behind the home defence and fire in a powerful shot that the keeper did well to turn behind for a corner. Sato curled an inviting ball in, Minoru Kobayashi flicked it on and Amaral planted a firm header beyond the keeper for the opening goal. F.C.TOKYO had taken the lead with only their second corner of the season! S-Pulse piled on the pressure but the Tokyo defence, marshalled by Jean, maintained their discipline and the first half ended 1-0.

Shimizu shows determination and equalizes

　In the second half, Shimizu made a substitution, replacing Kuboyama with MF Toda, moving Sawato to the top and pushing MF Hiramatsu one row forward to launch a counterattack. In the 46th minute, just after the start, Sawato broke free from the defense with a superb cross from Mitsudomoe and took a shot while competing with the defenders, but it narrowly missed to the left of the goal. In the 52nd minute, Baron headed the ball from Mitsudomoe again. The powerful shot was blocked by the ground and the post, and Tokyo escaped a big pinch with the help of the opponent's mistake. Tokyo approached Shimizu's goal using Kelly's strong ball retention skills, but their movement behind the defenders was caught offside. In the 14th minute, GK Kurokawa came out to save Kobayashi's cross, and Sato connected the loose ball to Kelly for a shot. It was a decisive chance, but it was cut off by the defender just one step away from scoring.

　Shimizu, who returns with his fast passing and gets into rhythm. Tokyo also tries to disrupt that rhythm by putting pressure, but in the first half, Mitsushima, who was not moving well, came back to life with a play that created chances one after another. In the 69th minute, he challenged Kobayashi Minoru in a one-on-one battle just outside the left penalty area and won a corner kick. In the 70th minute, Doi calmly shot a floating ball aiming for the goal that Kobayashi Minoru had cleared just in time. The stands were excited by Mitsushima's consecutive plays and supported the counterattack as one. And in the 72nd minute, Ichikawa cut inside from the right side and crossed. Although the Tokyo defenders initially cleared it, Ichikawa picked it up again and entered the penalty area. When MF Yoshida connected, Sawato cut back the defender who was marking him and took a shot. Sawato's determined play resulted in Tokyo being equalized.

　After that, Shimizu attacked relentlessly. Perhaps due to fatigue in the rising temperature, Tokyo was unable to pick up loose balls and cross the half-line. In the 76th minute, Hoshi replaced Sato, and in the following 79th minute, Toda, who made his first appearance this season, replaced Kobayashi Sei, in an attempt to break through the difficult situation. However, both teams showed determined defense in the subsequent counterattacks, and no goals were scored. The match ended after 90 minutes, and entered into extra time.

S-Pulse Fight Back 

At half time S-Pulse reshuffled to a more attacking formation with Toda replacing Kuboyama, Sawanobori pushed forward into a striking role and Hiramatsu moving up to fill the space he vacated. Sawanobori nearly had the equaliser in the 46th minute but his shot from a perfect Santos cross sailed fractionally wide. Six minutes later Baron headed another pinpoint
cross from Santos against the post; poor finishing from their opponents kept F.C.TOKYO in the game. Kelly worked tirelessly to retain possession and relieve the pressure and nearly made it two when S-Pulse keeper Kurokawa spilled a Kobayashi cross in the 59th minute, but saw his shot blocked.
As the half progressed S-Pulse began to find their rhythm with Santos, invisible in the first half, exerting his influence on the left. He brought the crowd to their feet in the 70th minute with a lob over the charging Doi that Minoru Kobayashi cleared off the line. Two minutes later the scores were level as Ichikawa picked up a clearance from his own cross and burst into the area, the ball finding its way to Sawanobori who slotted home.
S-Pulse poured forward in search of the winner as F.C.TOKYO defended in depth, rarely managing to get out of their own half. Toda made his first appearance of the season in the 79th minute but was unable to break the deadlock and the ninety minutes finished all square.

Despite a valiant effort, they were defeated by an extended-time victory goal and suffered their first loss of the season.

　Tokyo, who was caught up, switched their mindset and did not break their attacking posture when entering extra time. In the 92nd minute, they stole the ball in the midfield and launched an attack with Amaral as the starting point, Kelly, Toda, and Hoshi quickly moving forward. Although no one was able to connect with Hoshi's cross in the end, it was a play that demonstrated the consciousness of "moving forward".

　However, the end came quickly. In the 94th minute, Shimizu connected a clearance ball from the defender and dribbled down the right side, launching a counterattack. Shimizu drew the defender and sent a final pass to forward Tubitanovich, who was sprinting up the left side. Tubitanovich calmly shot the ball, surpassing the Tokyo defender's attempt to block it, and scored a skillful goal, marking the end of the intense battle.

　Tokyo played with great determination and effort up until now, but they were defeated by Shimizu's clever and flawless play. However, it was not a bad performance at all. Let's switch our mindset and focus on the next game!

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "The players were fatigued in the end. I think we were able to play our game from the start of the first half, but gradually fatigue accumulated and we started to lag behind in responding to Shimizu's outside players, Mito and Ichikawa. However, there were also chances throughout the game. I believe that if we can not only break through vertically with Sato and Kobayashi, but also maintain possession, our fullbacks can get more involved in the attack and we can play in our own rhythm. It was our first defeat, but the players have been doing well. We still have a long way to go, so we need to make the necessary adjustments and work hard for the next match."

Extra Time Goal Sinks TOKYO 

F.C.TOKYO started extra time on the offensive, with some neat interplay allowing Hoshi to cross but the ball evaded the TOKYO front line. In the 94th. minute an S-Pulse counter attack allowed Hiramatsu to burst down the right and his early cross field ball found Cvitanovic free on the left. The striker coolly fired past Doi from the edge of the area for the winning goal.
Despite the loss F.C.TOKYO can draw some consolation from their performance, particularly in the first half.

Manager Hara: "The players worked very hard and fought to the end. We were able to impose ourselves on the game in the first half, but tiredness crept in as the game progressed. It's our first loss of the season, but there's still a long way to go yet. We're going to work on the areas of our game that need fixing and give it our all in the next match".