Overcome the high wall called the semifinal round with a strong determination

The first match of the Nabisco Cup semifinals was played away against Shimizu S-Pulse. In the league match against Oita on 8/30, they persistently played their own soccer and achieved a victory for the first time in about a month and a half since 7/18. The semifinals, which will be played at home and away, will be played three games in one week, with only three days of rest after the Oita match. They want to approach the second match with a good image of the victory in the Oita match and connect it in a favorable way.

　Shimizu, on the other hand, faced Urawa in the quarterfinals of the Nabisco Cup. They lost away but won big at home, advancing to this stage with a comeback. In the league, they are currently in 4th place after losing to Tokyo (Kokuritsu) in the 15th round on 6/17, followed by a streak of 9 games without a loss for two and a half months. Although they were caught up in the last minute in the previous match against Kawasaki, they can be said to have had a great summer form. Also, this season, they have only suffered one defeat at Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira, which was against Yamagata in the Nabisco Cup on 5/20, highlighting their strength at home.

Tokyo is without Nagatomo and Konno, who have been selected for the Japan national team. In their place, Moino will play as center back, Mukuhara on the right side, and Tokunaga on the left. Coach Shirofuku expresses a sense of crisis, saying, "Shimizu is currently the most stable and formidable team. Both their individual players and the team's quality are considerably high, making it difficult to find weaknesses. Our awareness is more unified than when we last faced them, and we have no vulnerabilities in attack and defense." Above all, we must be cautious of the side attacks utilizing the height of FW Yongsen. Not only must we prevent easy plays with tight marking, but we must also win the battle on the sides. The key is how well we can win the second ball and launch quick counterattacks.

　If the Nabisco Cup is tied in total points after two matches, the number of away goals will also have an impact, so we want to somehow score a goal. It's not easy to break through Shimizu's solid defense, but we want to create chances by focusing on the in-form Ishikawa and repeating "one idea". This season, Tokyo has won twice in two matches against Shimizu, so Shimizu should also have a strong desire for revenge. We will strive for victory with a stronger determination than that! The match started at 19:00 with Shimizu's kickoff at the Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira.

Leading by one goal from Yonemoto and Cabore, they head into halftime

　2 minutes into the game, Tokyo immediately faced a pinch. Shimizu's right midfielder, Hiraoka, crossed the ball early. Yon-sen, the forward, struck a decisive header from the far side, but Kanda reacted quickly and made the catch. With this shot, Tokyo tried to calmly connect passes and launch their attack against Shimizu's aggressive start. In the 10th minute, Yonemoto passed to Hirayama who took a shot from outside the right area, but the ball narrowly missed the target, missing a big chance. In the 13th minute, Hirayama received a pass from Tokunaga on the left side and took a first touch shot, but it went to the right of the goal.

　As Shimizu gradually gained momentum, Tokyo found themselves on the defensive and struggled to bring the ball forward. They faced danger with shots from Shimizu's midfielder, Edamura, but showed no weaknesses in defense, led by Gonda. And it was Tokyo who capitalized on the first chance. In the 33rd minute, Ishikawa's cross was cleared in front of Yonemoto just outside the box. Yonemoto's right-footed shot lacked power, but it rolled into the goal, giving him his second consecutive goal and putting Tokyo in the lead!

　But immediately after that, Shizuoka's right corner kick resulted in a high header by FW Yonsen, and they conceded a goal... The game returned to square one. After that, the offense and defense rapidly changed, and the intense battle continued. In the 39th minute, Ishikawa took a shot from the right side with speed from a counterattack. However, it went straight to the goalkeeper. Then, in the 42nd minute, Hirayama → Cabore entered the right area and dribbled past the opponent's defender with a feint, taking multiple turns before shooting. The ball was sucked into the net on the opposite side, securing the go-ahead goal and heading into the second half.

Unable to win despite having a numerical advantage, ending in a draw

　In the 45th minute just after the start of the second half, Shimizu DF Iwashita received a red card and was sent off for a foul against Hirayama. Shimizu is forced to play with 10 men. In the 51st minute, Hirayama advances from the left area and takes a shot. The ball spills to the far side from the goalkeeper's save, but no one is able to follow up. In the 52nd minute, Ishikawa dribbles up from near the center line and takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved by the opponent's goalkeeper and results in a corner kick. Tokyo, who has a numerical advantage, increases ball possession, but is unable to break through Shimizu's defensive block.

　61 minutes, Cabore launched a quick attack and crossed from the left. Mukuhara, who ran to the front of the right area, tried to aim for the goal from the trap, but it went just above the bar... In the 67th minute, Yonemoto sent a long feed to Hirayama, who broke through the opponent's defense, creating a great chance, but he was unable to bring it to a shot as it was taken away by the opponent's defense. Then, in the 69th minute, Tokyo's left side was broken through by substitute Shimizu, DF Hiraoka, and connected to FW Jonson. Unable to catch MF Edamura's attacking run, they conceded a goal... They were caught up to a tie.

　After that, Tokyo also had a period of time where they were on the defensive due to mistakes and sharp counterattacks from Shimizu. Tokyo made a counterattack by substituting Suzuki and Kondo for Kabore and Ishikawa. In the 81st minute, Mokuhara brought the ball in from a big side change and took a shot, but it went over the goal. In the 82nd minute, Hirayama headed Mokuhara's right cross, but it went wide. On the contrary, in stoppage time, Tokyo gave Shimizu a direct free kick in front of the goal. Shimizu MF Yamamoto aimed directly at the goal, but it went wide. In the end, Tokyo was unable to defeat the opponent with 10 players, and the first leg of the semifinal round ended in a draw.

　【Player Comment】《Yonemoto》"(Regarding the goal) When I tried to pick up the second ball, it rolled in front of me, so I decided to shoot for now. It was a bouncing ball, so I focused on keeping it within the frame without floating it. It was just a lucky shot, not a very good one. However, it was good to score away from home. I think it was a game we could win as the opponent had a player sent off while we were leading. Maybe we needed a strong desire to go for another goal there. It's a shame. Hitting it to FW Yonsen is Shimizu's weapon. It seemed like they would develop the play after picking up the second ball there, but I think we responded well in the first half. However, it was painful to be equalized immediately after taking the lead. Still, we shouldn't see it as a negative, as we scored two goals, and now we can consider ourselves in a comfortable situation at home. If we start defending and try to connect passes, we might get countered, just like today's match. So, we want to attack from the front. If we can score one goal, we can put pressure on the opponent. We want to play calmly and have a good match to advance to the finals."

　《Gonda》"We were always ahead and leading 2-1, but we ended up being caught up. It's frustrating that we couldn't win. However, when I think calmly about it, I don't think it's bad to draw after scoring two goals away. Today, the members of the defense were different, so it was important to confirm their coordination and also to figure out how to break through Shimizu's solid defense that created blocks. I think the fact that Yone and Cabore scored those kinds of shots is also the result of our practice. The attacking unit worked hard to score two goals, but we couldn't hold on at the back and ended up conceding two goals, which is a challenge. (There were also many situations where Gonda's good saves helped, right?) If we had conceded zero goals, we could be proud, but we have conceded two goals... However, I also think that we were able to stop them at two goals because the defense fought hard. (How did the game change after Shimizu had one player sent off?) We tried to increase the time with the ball, but there were also moments when we, despite having one more player, kicked the ball easily. Also, after being caught up to a draw, we rushed to score the third goal even though it would have been fine to stay at a draw, and I made a risky pass that was intercepted, giving the opponent a chance for a set piece. That is also a big point of reflection. It is also a future challenge to participate in and contribute to the team's aim of "connecting". "

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Looking at the score of 2-2 away, I want to take it positively. However, considering the flow of the game, I think it was a match that exposed our immaturity, and I think we absolutely had to win today. A team where substitute players are beaten and scored against, and substitute players cannot run 1.5 times as much, cannot move on to the next step. In that sense, we must strongly reflect on it. We must firmly accept why we cannot start and make use of it next time. I strongly hope that you will contribute quickly to the team's improvement. However, in terms of the game itself, I thought Shimizu would come kicking to some extent at first, so we were able to deal with it properly and connect when we settled down, as planned. When the opponent became 10 players, we couldn't score the third goal and conceded one goal, making the game precarious in the end with a set piece. This is a really big problem that this team faces, and I think we have to gradually clear it. (How did you approach the first away game?) We have been training and preparing for the game with the image of winning both matches, so we have to look at the total of 180 minutes and be aware of the away goal, but that is only about the situation when the game ends. I think it's counterproductive to not give 100% effort while being aware of it. We approached the game with that kind of consciousness."

　[Summary of Shimizu Hasegawa's press conference] "Thank you very much for your passionate support until the end. I think the players did their best for the full 90 minutes. Today, I think it was the peak of fatigue. We have been playing continuously in the hot summer schedule with only two days of rest, trying to close the gap in points with the top teams in the league, and giving our all physically and mentally. Of course, it was a semifinal match, and I think each player fought their best, but when Aoyama had a fever before the game and couldn't play, I think it showed that he was extremely tired at the core of his body. In that sense, it may be because the lineup changed a bit, but I feel that the first half lacked aggressiveness and it couldn't be helped. However, after we were reduced to 10 players, we finally woke up and each player's effort increased, and I think the way we played from there was fantastic. If we had lost at home with a score of 2-1, it would have been very difficult to advance to the next round, but the fact that we managed to draw here means that we have a good chance for the next round. At halftime, I talked to the players about various things, and I think they were able to switch their mindset and fight well. We fought with these 10 players and managed to equalize to 2-2, and we want to use this result in the next away game to do whatever it takes to reach the final for the second consecutive year. We will prepare thoroughly together."