Seal Shimizu's solid defense and counterattack, and win away!

　Sec. 16 will be an away game against Shimizu S-Pulse. After the league resumed, we have had 3 draws and have been just one step away from victory. Especially in the last 2 matches, we have struggled with a lack of goals, resulting in scoreless draws. However, we have only conceded goals from a penalty kick and a free kick in the Cerezo Osaka match. Our defense has been stable and the overall balance has improved. The challenges we face are improving the precision of our finishing plays and fine-tuning our coordination. It was difficult to create attacking opportunities in the match against Verdy in the rain, but we also want to increase the variety of our attacking options," said Coach Hara.

　Shimizu is currently in 10th place with 20 points, with 17 goals scored and 14 goals conceded. They have been accumulating points through a strong defense and fast counterattacks utilizing the in-form forward Jesiel, left midfielder Cheteuk, and right midfielder Yukihiko SATO. To have an advantage in the away game against Shimizu, who have a strong defensive awareness, it is crucial to score the first goal. It is also important to avoid losing the ball in a half-hearted manner in order to prevent the opponent's counterattacks and always bring the ball to the finish. The key is to take control of the sides and find a way to break through Shimizu's solid defense. They will go for victory even in the away game.

　The starting members are the same as the previous match, but this match will have Lucas as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation. Shimizu also has a similar lineup to the previous match (against Kobe), with Cho Jae-jin as the striker, Kuboyama as the attacking midfielder, and Ito and Takagiwa as the double pivot in midfield, forming a 4-back formation like Tokyo. The match started at 19:04 with Shimizu's kickoff at the high-humidity Nihondaira Stadium, with a temperature of 24 degrees and a wind blowing.

Breaching The Wall

F.C.TOKYO traveled south to Shizuoka to take on Shimizu S-Pulse in the 16th league game of the season. Three consecutive draws, the last two 0-0, had been the return since the J.League restarted and the sudden scarcity of goals was proving problematic. "The goals we conceded against Cerezo came from a free kick and penalty. The defence has been solid and the team balance very good. The conditions were appalling for the Verdy game but we need to tighten up our attack and improve our accuracy in the final third of the pitch. We need more variation in attack", commented manager Hara.
S-Pulse lay in 10th place before kick off with 20 points, having scored 17 but only conceded 14 goals. The club's relative success this year has been based on solid defence and rapid counter attacks with midfielders Cho, on the right and Sato, on the left, supplying in-form striker Choi. Not conceding the first goal would be the main priority for the visitors; losing the ball with players committed to attack could prove fatal. Finding space along the flanks and finishing each move with an attempt on goal would be the game plan.
The starting eleven was the same as the Verdy game but Lucas played as lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation. S-Pulse also stayed with the same line up that started the previous match with Kuboyama playing in the withdrawn striker position behind Choi. Ito and Takagi played as double defensive midfielders with a four-man defence behind them. The game kicked off shortly after seven on a humid evening.

The first half that expressed the feeling of betting on victory

　Tokyo's aggressive attitude shone from the beginning. In the 40th second, Jean, Toda, and Lucas connected, and Kurisawa dribbled with speed and took a shot. In the 7th minute, Tokyo launched a quick attack. Kurisawa dribbled from Kajiyama's pass to the right space. Ishikawa ran in and sent a cross from a deep position. The clear by Shimizu's defender spilled to the left area, and Imano followed up with a shot. However, it was blocked by the goalkeeper and resulted in a left corner kick. In the 15th minute, Lucas intercepted in Shimizu's territory and passed to Toda, who was trying to break through the front line, but he was slightly offside.

　Shimizu also had a dangerous moment in the 13th minute when MF Cheteuk took a shot from the left area after picking up the clear from Tokyo DF's right corner kick. However, it went over the bar. In the 16th minute, FW Kuboyama received a pass from the left side and turned towards the goal to take a shot from just outside the area. It also went over the goal. In the 21st minute, MF Takagi's shot from outside the box was caught by Doi. Then, Cheteuk made a run towards the front line after a through pass, leaving the chasing Tokyo DF behind and facing the GK in a one-on-one situation. Doi bravely came out and saved the ball, avoiding a decisive chance for the opponent. There were also scenes where Tokyo allowed Shimizu to attack from sharp counters, but Doi and Shigeki Mori defended well. In the 17th minute, Tokyo created a direct pass sequence from a left throw-in: Kanazawa -> Lucas -> Toda -> Kanazawa -> Kurisawa. They picked up the loose ball from the DF and then switched the play to the right side, starting with Kaji -> Ishikawa's cross. Tokyo also created attacking opportunities from the wings.

　After that, there were mistakes on both sides, and the battle for dominance continued with advances and retreats. In the 31st minute, Kajiyama attacked the left area, initially suppressed by the Shimizu DF, but Ishikawa managed to control the loose ball and took a good middle shot, but it went to the left of the goal. In the 40th minute, Lucas on the right -> Kajiyama in the center -> Ishikawa on the right created a good opportunity, and Kaji picked up the loose ball from the DF and took it to a corner kick. From this corner kick, Toda attempted a half-volley shot, but was blocked by the opponent's DF. In the 43rd minute, Kurisawa received Kajiyama's through pass, evaded the opponent's DF in the area, and took a shot. It was a decisive moment, but he couldn't hit it perfectly and the opponent's GK made a save. Despite both teams being fatigued, it cannot be said that it was a completely favorable development, but Kajiyama created a rhythm from his long and short passes and ended the first half with expectations for the second half.

TOKYO Gamble On Victory

TOKYO raced at S-Pulse from the whistle with Kurisawa dribbling forward and shooting. Kajiyama began a promising move in the 7th minute, finding Kurisawa advancing down the right. Kurisawa moved the ball on to Ishikawa whose cross from the byline was cleared out to Konno on the left of the area. Konno unleashed a firm drive but Kurokawa, in the S-Pulse goal, produced a good save to tip the ball around the post. In the 15th minute, Lucas intercepted a loose pass in midfield and played the ball over the S-Pulse defense but Toda was given offside in a marginal decision.
In the 15th minute, Choi fired just over the TOKYO bar following a corner. Kuboyama also failed to hit the target from a similar position a minute later. Midfielder Takagi tried his luck from long range in the 21st minute but Doi held his effort comfortably. A through ball split the TOKYO defense and Choi raced away with only Doi to beat; the TOKYO No.1 sprinted out of his goal and foiled a certain goal with a brave lunge at Choi's feet. The home side had some opportunities on fast breaks but Moniwa and Doi were in fine form. TOKYO began to dominate play along the flanks and enjoyed a period of possession that failed to produce a clear cut chance.
In the 31st minute, Kajiyama powered to the edge of the area before the S-Pulse defense blocked his progress; the loose ball fell to Ishikawa but he shot wide. TOKYO won a corner in the 40th minute following a sweeping crossfield move. Toda hit the ball on the half volley but saw his effort deflect off a defender. As the first period drew to a close, Kajiyama produced a fine through ball to Kurisawa whose pace took him away from the last defender. With only the keeper to beat, Kurisawa mishit his shot and an excellent opportunity was wasted. Both sides were showing signs of fatigue and the half was far from a classic but Kajiyama's top quality passing sparked TOKYO to find their rhythm and the visitors looked forward to the second period.

A valuable goal by Lucas secured the victory, a long-awaited win!!

　Shimizu substituted MF Sato with MF Sawato in the second half. Shortly after the start, they allowed an attack from Sawato and right full-back Ichikawa, resulting in a right corner kick. They defended this corner kick well and turned it into an attack. In the 47th minute, Kanazawa, who had moved to the left side, took a shot from Kajiyama's pass. In the 48th minute, Kanazawa picked up the loose ball from Kaji's right cross, turned inside, and took a well-controlled shot. However, both goalkeepers made saves. But in the 50th minute, Shimizu took advantage of Tokyo's vulnerability and launched a counterattack.

　Dwight's sharp cross from the left side, which was run up by Eunsu CHO, was touched by Doi and spilled to Sawato in the right area. However, Kanazawa literally held back the shot with his body. Then, in the 51st and 52nd minutes, Shizuoka's wave-like attack. They invited danger by swinging wide, but managed to survive without allowing a decisive shot.

　After that, while competing for dominance on the side, the development of exchanging offense and defense continued. In the 62nd minute, Lucas, who received Kurizawa's pass on the right side, launched an attack and rushed towards the goal. He feinted the opponent's defender in the right area and boldly took a shot. The ball passed through the defender's legs and found the bottom left corner of the goal, GOAL! Lucas's determined attitude produced the long-awaited opening goal!!

　However, from here Shimizu counterattacked with Sawato's accurate kick. In the 68th minute, Cho Je-jin nodded his head perfectly to Sawato's early cross that drifted to the left. This was a nice save by Toi, who flew sideways! In the 69th minute, Shimizu replaced FW Kuboyama with MF Ota, and in the 75th minute, FW Nishino replaced midfielder Ito, thickening the front line with a two-top formation to score a goal. However, in the 73rd minute, Tokyo also substituted Miura for Kajiyama. In the 76th minute, Shimizu had a right corner kick. Nishino headed Sawato's kick near the goal, but Toi made a save! In the 79th minute, MF Takagi connected with a high-headed shot from Shimizu's left corner kick, but the Tokyo DF cleared it.

　In the 81st minute, Bamba was substituted for Lucas. Instead of defending, he showed an attacking attitude, preventing Shimizu's counterattacks and increasing scenes where they were able to finish from fast switches. In the 83rd minute, Toda, who had moved up the left side from a quick attack, cut inside and took a daring shot. In the 85th minute, Bamba, who had picked up a pass mistake by Shimizu's defense inside their own territory, aimed for the goal. In the final stages of the match, Shimizu was given consecutive corner kicks and a free kick in front of the goal during injury time, but they defended without losing focus in the tense situation and were also helped by the opponent's mistakes until the final whistle. They protected Lucas' goal and secured 3 points with 3 consecutive clean sheets! As a result, they achieved their first victory in 12 matches in the league since the 4th round against Iwata.

　【Player Comment】《Lucas》"It was a cross-like shot, but I decided to take it from there because the goalkeeper might spill it or something unexpected could happen. Today, my passes connected well and I had some chances. I think it was a good game. We were able to win today because our fans supported us no matter what. We still have some challenges to think about, but I want to continue fighting with confidence."《Kanazawa》"Both of my shots at the beginning of the second half were with my right foot, but I took them with determination because I was able to put them in a good position for the loose ball. In the final stages, it was a tough period of time and the opponent pushed forward, so we became a bit more defensive. However, we never forgot the mentality of 'not retreating'. I have been feeling sorry for not being able to win for a long time, so I am really happy. But how we approach the next game is important."

　[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "Although we have been playing well, we couldn't win. However, compared to the time when we had many injured players and were on a losing streak, the overall balance of the team has improved significantly. But this time, we couldn't score goals easily. So, since Lucas' recovery is progressing well, we decided to play him in the center and Toda on the left, in order to maintain the balance. In the previous match, we played with Toda and Lucas as the front two, but I thought Toda would be better running from the left side, and if Lucas can regain his condition, he can keep the ball in the center. With that intention, we were able to attack with a good balance by using both sides. S-Pulse is fast on the counter. There were dangerous situations in both the first and second halves, but when the ball goes to MF Cheteu, it becomes quite fast, so we tried to break their defense by utilizing Lucas on the side while being cautious of their counterattacks. We couldn't score goals easily in the first half, but we defended firmly as a team. We talked about 'Chances will come, so let's shoot on target,' and Lucas scored a solid goal. It's unprecedented for the club and myself to not be able to win despite not playing poorly. But we take it positively as a message to 'become stronger' and we will definitely overcome it and aim for 3 points even in away matches. It's really appreciated that supporters come to cheer for us even when we lose, and we have to respond to that. However, we must not be complacent and aim higher from our daily training and lifestyle, and we want to become a stronger team. We can't be happy with this because we have a match against Marinos coming up. Since it's a home game, we want to give the supporters a victory at Ajinomoto Stadium. We want to look up from here and play better and more aggressive football to win."

　[Summary of Shimizu Hasegawa's press conference] "I felt a strong desire to win from FC Tokyo, and I think that difference showed in the result. I thought we could move a little more in the second half, but the ball didn't circulate well and the players couldn't move, probably due to fatigue from consecutive matches. There is also a sense of relief from winning the previous away game, which I think cannot be denied when looking at the content. I replaced Sato in the first half because he injured his ankle and considering his condition. Also, I wanted to calm the game down by bringing in Sawato. In the second half, he came in and the game calmed down, creating a good period of time, but we couldn't break through from there, which was the reason for the loss. It would have been better if we could have created a pause in the midfield a little more, but we made many mistakes from the first half and our ball possession was also poor, so I think the defense line panicked. If we could have carried the ball more calmly when it became our possession, we might have been able to play a more stable game. However, I think there are games like this in the season. I want to move forward without lingering on it. This is the first time this season that the overall movement has been slow. I want to forget this kind of game quickly and prepare for the next game. Today, it's not about what went wrong, but the whole team couldn't play well, and that's why the result showed. I want to prepare well and adjust our condition for the next game."

Lucas' Goal Earns Valuable Win

S-Pulse replaced Sato with Sawanobori for the second half and the midfielder made an immediate impact, dribbling deep into the TOKYO half and earning a corner. The TOKYO defence held firm and launched a counter attack. In the 47th minute, Kajiyama set up Kanazawa for a shot and a minute later Kaji struck well from outside the area despite being under heavy pressure. The threat of over-extending themselves and being caught out remained and S-Pulse launched a rapid break in the 50th minute.
Cho hit an early cross into the box that Doi punched clear, but only as far as Sawanobori. Sawanobori struck firmly but Kanazawa flung himself into the path of the ball to deny the home side. The move signalled a period of intense pressure from S-Pulse that the TOKYO defence repelled somehow.
The see-saw battle for dominance on the wings continued until Lucas collected the ball from Kurisawa and burst through the middle in the 62nd minute. Lucas feinted to unbalance the last defender then struck a drive through his legs and inside the left post. Lucas' direct approach had given TOKYO a valuable lead.
S-Pulse struck back urgently, with Sawanobori the chief provider. In the 68th minute he curled a pinpoint cross onto Choi's head but Doi pulled off a stunning save, diving full length, to deny the equaliser. S-Pulse replaced forward Kuboyama with midfielder Ota and defensive midfielder Ito with forward Nishino, switching to a twin striker formation. TOKYO responded by replacing Kajiyama with Miura. In the 76th minute Sawanobori planted a corner onto Nishino's head at the near post but Doi again produced a fine save. The visitors' defence foiled another corner in the 79th minute.
Baba replaced Lucas in the 81st minute and instead of defending the slim lead TOKYO took the game to their hosts. Toda cut inside after dribbling down the wing in the 83rd minute and shot. S-Pulse won a free kick in a good position as the game moved into injury time but the TOKYO defence held firm and saw out the tense, final few minutes until the whistle blew on a hard-fought 1-0 victory. Another clean sheet and the first league win since the 4th game of the season were the rewards for a fine performance.


Players' comments
Lucas:
"It felt like a cross-shot when I hit it but if you shoot from that position the goalkeeper might fumble the ball and you don't know what will happen. We played well today; the passing was smooth and we created chances. The support from our fans was terrific again. We still have many things to work on but this will give us confidence".

Kanazawa:
"I had a couple of shooting chances at the start of the second half but they both fell to my right foot. I was pleased to get into shooting positions though. The final few minutes were tight but we were concentrating on not falling into a defensive mode. We hadn't won for a long time so I'm really thrilled with the win today. The way we play the next game will be very important".


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara:
"We've been playing well but not winning recently and the overall team balance is much better now than it has been for a while. We just don't seem able to score though. With Lucas fit again and playing centrally and Toda on the left we have a much better shape in attack. I played them as twin strikers in the last game but Toda is more valuable using his pace down the left while Lucas holds the ball up in the middle. Our plan was to use the flanks and we attacked with a good balance today, I felt. S-Pulse counter attack very quickly. The midfielder Cho is very fast on the ball and both sides had one good chance each in the first half. We felt it was very important to avoid being caught out and focused our attack on Lucas in the centre and along the wings. I told the players at half time that chances would definitely come and to aim to hit the target. Lucas took the goal very well. This slump was a first for the club and a first for me; we didn't play badly but just couldn't win. We knew we would break out of it but to pick up three points away from home like this is great. Our supporters follow us away even when we're losing and we really wanted to repay them with a win. We still have a lot of hard work ahead of us, starting with the F Marinos game on Sunday. We want to present the fans with a win at Ajinomoto Stadium and move further up the table."

S-Pulse manager Hasegawa:
"TOKYO had more desire today and that showed in the result. Our players looked a little tired and the movement and passing in the first half wasn't good enough. We won away in the last game and our relief at that win showed in our play today. Sato wasn't in particularly good condition and picked up an ankle injury in the first half so we sent on Sawanobori to add some composure on the ball. That worked but we failed to score when we had the upper hand and that led to the defeat. We needed to create more from midfield. We made several mistakes, lost the ball in poor positions and that insecurity spread to the defence. We need to be calmer when we have possession. There are always going to be games like this though; we have to make sure it doesn't continue. It's the first time we have looked sluggish all season. We're going to forget this match and work hard in training to improve our condition for the next one".