Conceding the first goal, equalizing with Edu's goal, but conceding more goals...

In the early stages, both teams tried to attack and there was a battle for the ball. In the 7th minute, Muto used his ball control skills to attempt a breakthrough in the center, and Higashi, who went around to the right area, took a shot. In the 8th minute, Shimizu connected from the right side and the ball was brought into the Tokyo territory, but Takahashi intercepted it. However, Shimizu forward Omae stole the pass from there, and in that moment, Shimizu forward Takagi arrived in front of the Tokyo defense. A perfect through pass was played here, and Tokunaga, who tried to cover with a sliding tackle, couldn't make it in time. Shimizu forward Takagi took advantage of the opportunity and scored the opening goal...

However, in the 18th minute, Ota from our team made an early cross from Shioda's kick. Edu, who broke through to the front line in response to this, accurately assessed the position of the opponent's goalkeeper and scored a goal with a skillful left-footed loop! Edu's skillful shot equalizes the score!

I thought we could ride on this momentum, but we made many mistakes even when we possessed the ball, and ended up conceding a counterattack from Shimizu. In the 20th minute, we lost the ball in the midfield and Shimizu's forward, Novakovic, moved up. It looked like an offside, but forward Takagi was allowed to enter the left area. Kaga managed to cut it and it turned into a corner kick, but in the 21st minute, they played a short corner from the left and Takagi crossed the ball. East was a step behind in challenging forward Omae in the center and was beaten with a header... We conceded an additional goal to Shimizu from a set piece...

Tokyo's coordination is not quite coming together. In the 28th minute, midfielder Kono created space with a dribble and then played a long through pass to the forward line. East ran into the left area and sent a decisive final pass towards the center, but it didn't reach Muto... No one was closing in on the far side. After that, Takahashi took care of the central defensive line and the fullbacks positioned themselves high up the field during attacks, aiming for a counterattack. However, the coordination in the forward line couldn't be achieved. They ended the first half while trailing.

Edu scores consecutive goals! Narrowing the gap by one point in the final stage, but the counterattack falls short

In the second half, when trying to rebuild, they had a scoring opportunity at the beginning. In the 46th minute, Ota -> Muto reversed the opponent's DF and broke through on the left side of the line, rushing into the left area. He sent a decisive last pass in front of the goal, but Kono, who had run near, was challenged by the opponent's DF and lost his balance... In the 50th minute, Muto broke through again and crossed from the left. Tokunaga, who had entered the right area, headed the ball but couldn't find the target. In the 54th minute, Hirayama was substituted. Immediately after that, Muto stole the loose ball on the left front line and passed it through the opponent's DF. Hirayama broke free and sent a minus pass from the goal line, but no one was filling the area, and Shimizu took it away and counterattacked.

57 minutes, MF Kawai moved to the right front line from a pass exchange with Shizuoka FW Omae, and FW Takagi moved to the back-right area of Tokyo DF from the inside. Yoshimoto was marking here, but a ground pass was sent to the center, and FW Novakovic, who came out in front of Kaga, easily pushed it in... and lost the third goal. In the 64th minute, Kaga, who competed with Shizuoka FW Novakovic, felt pain and was forced to be replaced by Hee Ju Kwak, who made his first appearance. Although they were pressed by Shizuoka's passing and speedy attacks, in the 71st minute, Matsuda was substituted in an attempt to break the situation from the side.

Shimizu, who was leading, did not let up on their attack and it became a back-and-forth counter. In the 83rd minute, Takahashi on the left side of their own field aimed for the back of the opponent's defense with a pass. Muto broke free and charged into the left area. However, he chose to pass to Hirayama, who followed from the far side, instead of taking a shot. This pass did not connect, and they missed a scoring opportunity.

Still not giving up, in the 86th minute, Yonemoto on the left side of their own team changed the side with a long pass to the front right. Edu in the center, who received the pass from the east, swung his left foot powerfully from just outside the penalty area! The driven ball went over the outstretched hand of the Shizuoka GK and into the net! Edu's passionate shot narrowed the gap to one goal, but... In the 89th minute, Matsuda on the right side aimed for a powerful shot from the loose ball from the corner kick, but it went just above the crossbar. In additional time, Ota broke through vertically and crossed. Hiraoka in the left area tried to bring it down with a header, but it floated... The counterattack did not reach. They suffered their first loss in the Nabisco Cup and dropped to third place in the group.

[Player Comments]
"Yoshimoto"
"Rather than the opponent's blah blah... the impression is stronger that we played a wasteful game ourselves. There were many mistakes even when we had possession of the ball, and gradually the defensive line became deeper. There is also a feeling that things that we have been able to do as a team in the past, we couldn't do today. Everyone lacked in terms of ball control and fighting spirit. However, we still need to continue to grow. We need to remember what we have done when times were tough and continue to grow without making bad plays."

"Hee Ju KWAK"
"I had been away from the game, but I have been thinking about what kind of play I should do and what I need to do to win when I play. I think there was no problem with the defensive coordination because I have been improving it since practice, but I couldn't contribute to the victory and I felt that there is still something lacking in myself. I also think that it is my role to convey the plays and the desire to win. I want to continue to do my best for the team."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"Today, we haven't reached our recent good performance. Even in games like the G Osaka match where we couldn't secure a victory, our performance was good, but sometimes we end up having games like today. There is also the fact that Shimizu was playing well, but after conceding the first goal and quickly equalizing, the players' distance and the team's quality didn't work well. I don't think it was only Mori's absence that had an impact. As a team, we lacked stability and courage in our play. I'm not satisfied with that aspect. However, there are still 2 games left in the qualifiers, so there is a chance to move up. Today can be considered as a day that just didn't go well by chance. Whether the team is doing well or not, it is necessary to analyze calmly and perceive things rationally. I want to think with a clear mind. It is important to restart for the next game."

[Summary of Taku SHIMIZU and Afshin GHOTBI's press conference]
"I think it was a highly entertaining match, and the quality of the five goals was high. It must have been an interesting game for football fans. Of course, I am satisfied with the result. We were able to play fantastic football and create many chances, scoring goals and even hitting the post during the last 15 minutes of the second half. I want us to be able to extend that period of time even more. There aren't many players who can score goals like Tokyo FW Edu, but during that time, we lacked concentration and made mistakes. There was a situation where MF Takeuchi came forward and was about to face the goalkeeper one-on-one in the previous play, but other players needed to position themselves well to prevent counterattacks or conceding goals. In order for Asian football to develop, it is important to be able to anticipate where the ball is going, rather than where it is. By doing so, we can stop without using energy. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic goal. It was an interesting way to end the match."