Important match to break the bad streak of losing in the first round of the Emperor's Cup

　Sec. 25 of the league, we will play against Shimizu S-Pulse away. We suffered a defeat in the first match of the Emperor's Cup on 9/9. Of course, it is necessary to reflect on that, but we must not lose confidence here. Ishikawa said, "We know what we should do and we are not wavering in the direction we should go," emphasizing the importance of using the defeat as a stepping stone for the future. This match will be a crucial one where we must secure 3 points to break the negative momentum.

　Shimizu, on the other hand, is currently in 7th place with 37 points. As you may know, FW Takagi was injured in the first leg of the Nabisco Cup quarterfinals. However, in the Emperor's Cup that followed, they have been able to achieve results by using young and fresh members such as FW Ishige and FW Shirasaki. This round, Australian representative FW Alex will make a comeback. "Being young means having the most potential. If they gain momentum, we will struggle," warns coach Popovic.

　Tokyo, Takahashi and Gonda, who were away from the team during the World Cup qualifiers, have joined energetically. Although Hasegawa will be suspended due to accumulated yellow cards for this match, Takahashi and Yonemoto will form the midfield, with Lucas up front and Tanabe and Ishikawa on the left and right sides. The defensive line will consist of Maruyama and Tokunaga as the left and right fullbacks, forming a four-back formation. The key to victory will be to connect chances from aggressive attacks on the sides and to determine which team can take control through resilient defense and quick transitions.

　Coach Popovic said, "We always have the desire to grow. That's why we want to show our evolved form and always approach with new energy and motivation." Tokyo will also aggressively go for victory with a fresh fight. The match started with Shimizu's kickoff at 19:04 at IAI Stadium Nihondaira.　

Before Shimizu's tough press, they conceded the first goal and ended the first half.

　The game continues with both teams fighting for the ball. Gradually, Shimizu gains momentum and launches powerful attacks. In the 8th minute, Shimizu's forward, Ishige, takes a strong shot from the left side, grazing Tokyo's defense and resulting in a left corner kick. In the 13th minute, Tokyo tries to move forward from their own half but loses the ball to Shimizu, who then shoots from the area with Ishige. However, the shot lacks power and Gonda catches it in front. Nevertheless, Tokyo remains calm in defense and quickly sends the ball to their forward, Ishikawa, anticipating a chance.

　And in the 21st minute, Tokunaga made a sharp vertical pass from the right side. Lucas dropped it to the right area directly in the central area, and Ishikawa, who ran in at the right timing, took a shot! However, it skimmed the defender and the crossbar and flowed to the opposite side... In the 27th minute, Ishikawa broke through the right front line. He persistently passed the opponent's defender near the goal line and brought it inside, making a minus last pass in front of the goal. Lucas made a direct shot, but it floated well above the goal.

　In the midst of intense changes in offense and defense, as the first half came to a close, Shimizu was pushed back and there were several instances where the ball was cleared by the defense line. In the 41st minute, Kaga cleared Shimizu's cross and Yonemoto tried to bring the ball forward, but Shimizu's forward, Omae, pressed him and took the ball away, carrying it forward. And then, a powerful shot was taken from just outside the penalty area, narrowly grazing Kaga and scoring a goal... Giving away the opening goal during a difficult period. In the end, they allowed the lead to continue into the second half.

Despite catching up to a tie, unable to take the lead and ended in a draw.

　The second half also saw a quick change of offense and defense, and the intense attack and defense continued. In the 51st minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC was substituted for Tanabe, and gradually the flow shifted towards Tokyo. In the 56th minute, VUCICEVIC dribbled and took a shot from outside the penalty area. It missed the target, but in the following 59th minute, VUCICEVIC connected with Takahashi near the left corner kick and received a return pass, entering the left area. From here, a well-aimed shot found the net on the opposite side, equalizing the score.

　After that, Tokyo continued to pass the ball and take control, not missing any opportunities from the opponent and consistently creating chances. In the 65th minute, they counterattacked after taking Shimizu's pass miss. Kajiyama -> Yonemoto took a shot from outside the box but missed. In the 76th minute, Hayu came in for Ishikawa. In the 80th minute, Yonemoto stole the ball from the opponent's midfielder in the midfield and quickly launched an attack. From Lucas's dribble, Yonemoto ran into the left area and passed to Vucicevic, who had moved inside, and took the shot, but couldn't find the angle and missed the target.

　The end of the game became drawn out, and Tokyo calmly connected passes and tried to break through. Then, chances continued to come one after another in stoppage time. Lucas, who had moved inside from the left side, aimed from just outside the box but it curved to the left. Furthermore, Watanabe, who came on as a substitute, headed the ball from Vucicevic's right cross, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the end, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. It was frustrating to have had multiple chances to take the lead but ended up with a draw.

　【Player Comment】《Nemanja VUCICEVIC》"I am happy to have scored a goal. I may have contributed a little to the team, but today's game was one that we could have won. I am not satisfied with the result. Substitute players have the role of changing the flow and regaining the rhythm. In that sense, I think both Nemanja VUCICEVIC and Daiki WATARI did their job well. And I believe that we all played the way we should and made the plays we should. It was a very high-intensity game. That's why I respect the players who are on the pitch for the full 90 minutes."

　"Ishikawa: "The start of the game wasn't bad... I don't think so, but we made mistakes and couldn't switch in that moment, and it seemed like we were dragging that. Even though we weren't really being overwhelmed, there was a negative atmosphere. We conceded a goal first in that situation, it was really regrettable... (Did you have a close shot in the first half?) Yuhei, a good pass came from Lins, and I tried to aim for the near post decisively... The movement of the third person was something we had been practicing. In the second half, as a team, we felt like we could create rhythm from anywhere, but in the first half, we were thinking of creating chances by exploiting the space between the opponent's CB and SB."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "I think it was a high-tempo game and I hope everyone enjoyed it. As expected, the opponent applied early pressure from a high position. We have been training every day to evade the opponent with fewer touches and quick decisions against this early press, and if we could do that, we should have been able to play the game advantageously. Unfortunately, our judgment was slow in the first half, and we took too long to control the ball, which allowed the opponent to target us and take the ball away. Despite that, we created two decisive chances in the first half, but we lacked accuracy in the final pass and finish, so we couldn't convert them into goals."

　In regards to the second half, we firmly took the initiative and I think we were able to control the game. We didn't allow any decisive chances and we were able to continue attacking in the opponent's half for 45 minutes. We were also able to create several chances to turn the game around after equalizing. I think we had a satisfactory second half. We had many fans and supporters come to Shizuoka, and I think we were able to show a good game. As for the result, I don't think we can say we are completely satisfied, but in the next game, we want to play a game where we are satisfied with both the result and the content."

　[Summary of Shimizu's coach Afshin GHOTBI's press conference] "The first half and the second half were completely different games. In the first half, I think we were able to control the game and could have scored 2 or 3 goals. I think we were able to talk about what we needed to do for the second half during halftime, but I think the second half was a combination of bad things. We lost our concentration and our organization as a team. We conceded a goal from a set piece, and some players were not facing the ball. After the game was tied, both teams became emotional, and I think both teams had a chance to win."

　I am disappointed with the performance in the second half and the result of the game. I think we need to continue to grow in order to win titles in the future. (What was the cause of losing pace in the second half?) I think it is something that not only happens within our team, but also with other J-League teams. When we make mistakes, we get into a slump. And we disappear from the game. The psychological aspect is important, and our players must have strong mental strength whether they succeed or fail. We have many young players, so when they make mistakes, they tend to get down."