Shigematsu Penalty Earns Tokyo Draw With Kyoto
19/04/2010
Shigematsu Penalty Earns Tokyo Draw With Kyoto
J.League Division 1 7th.Game
Saturday April 17th. 2010
Ajinomoto Stadium ( Home )
Attendance 18,350
F.C.Tokyo 1 Kyoto Sanga F.C. 1
11 Kakuda ( Kyoto ), 73 Shigematsu ( Tokyo ).
F.C.Tokyo:
Gonda, Nagatomo, Morishige, Konno, Kim, Tokunaga, Hanyu, Ishikawa, Matsushita ( Nakamura 63 ), Hirayama ( Akamine 69 ), Ricardinho ( Shigematsu 60 ).
Subs not used: Shiota, Hiramatsu, Tanabe, Suzuki.
Kyoto Sanga F.C.:
Mizutani, Masushima, Kwak, Morishita, Nishino ( Ando 66 ), Kakuda, Kataoka, Nakayama ( Howbert 88 ), Diego, Yanagisawa ( Miyayoshi 81 ).
Subs not used: Hirai, Someya, Nakamura, Kato.
Tokyo Aim For First Home Win Since Opening Day
Following the impressive performance against Kashima Antlers and an equally hard-fought midweek away win over Omiya Ardija in the Nabisco Cup Tokyo were again called upon to dig deep into their reserves of spirit when Kyoto Sanga F.C. visited Ajinomoto Stadium for the 7th.game of the season. Ishikawa and Gonda were restored to the team while Ricardinho made his second consecutive start. Mukuhara, sent off against Ardija, was suspended and Kim took his place on the left with Nagatomo on the right of the defence, behind Hanyu and Tokunaga in defensive midfield.
Opponents Kyoto lay in 11th. place with 7 points at kick off. Tokyo manager Hiroshi Jofuku was generous in his praise for a Kyoto team usually noted for its tight defence, "Not only do they build carefully, pass and link well but they also have the individual ability to get in behind defences and break games open. They're also strong on restarts. They boast a deep squad and are a well-rounded team". Kyoto may have conceded 11 goals in the league so far but, "We have to be fully aware of their approach. It's not only about taking control of the game; we must be determined not to lose".
To win Tokyo would need to address two key areas: closing down space and opening up the Kyoto defence. The powerful Kyoto centre back pairing of Mizumoto and Kwak presented a formidable barrier against which Tokyo had struggled in recent seasons, not having beaten the visitors since March 2006. Exploiting the space left behind full back Masushima when he sallied forward would also be a target for Tokyo. More than anything though, Tokyo wanted a win following the meagre return of a single point from the previous two games.
The extraordinary overnight weather which brought sleet and snow to Tokyo had dissipated but the cold still lingered in the shadows as Kyoto kicked off shortly after 5pm on a sunny afternoon.
Kyoto Convert Lone Chance For Early Lead
Possession changed hands frequently in the opening minutes. In the 4th.minute Ishikawa collected a long ball from Hanyu and Hirayama found Matsushita whose cross from the left was blocked by the Kyoto defence. Ricardinho was given offside as he attempted to dart through the visitors' backline in the 8th.minute. Neither side had seriously threatened until the 11th.minute when Kyoto striker Yanagisawa headed on a throw in to deep inside the Tokyo area on the right. Midfielder Nishino ran onto the ball and drove a low cross in to the near post which midfielder Nakayama reached first, clipping it goalward. The ball struck Morishige at point blank range and ballooned over to the far post where Kakuda was perfectly positioned to slot it home from a tight angle. There was an element of luck to the goal but the visitors had exploited a momentary chink in Tokyo's defence to take an early lead with their first meaningful attack of the match.
With plenty of time left to play Tokyo patiently set about overturning the deficit but were unable to convert time on the ball into clear chances. In the 14th.minute Matsushita drove a free kick over the defensive wall but straight at Mizutani in the Kyoto goal while Mizutani foiled Ishikawa with a sprawling save to turn his low drive around the post in the 27th.minute, following a storming run forward by Morishige.
Tokyo managed a total of two shots on target in the first half. Moves frequently broke down as they lost possession in front of the solid Kyoto defence, prompting an increase in the number of long balls. Kyoto struggled to create as well, their only attempt being the one they scored from. With neither side able to seize the initiative the game ebbed and flowed until the half time whistle blew.
Substitute Shigematsu Earns Draw With Coolly-taken Penalty
Nagatomo and Matsushita exchanged positions for the second half as Tokyo looked to exploit the flanks. In the 52nd.minute Nagatomo and Kim linked neatly down the left to create a crossing opportunity for Ricardinho; his deflected cross reached Ishikawa on the right of the area but he was crowded out before he could shoot. The ball quickly found its way back to Ishikawa and his snap shot from the corner of the box had Mizutani scrambling across his line to turn turn the bounding ball around the post. Shigematsu replaced Ricardinho in the 60th.minute and shortly after Nakamura went on in place of Matsushita. In the 65th.minute Kim swung a free kick into the area from the left, Nagatomo pounced on the loose ball and shot but another solid block by the Kyoto defence prevented the effort reaching the goal.
Akamine replaced Hirayama in the 69th.minute. With fresh legs and the momentum firmly in their favour Tokyo spent lengthy periods camped in the Kyoto half. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 72nd.minute. >From a throw in deep inside the Kyoto half Akamine found some space and cut a cross back into the penalty area; a defender wildly hacked at the ball but the clearance struck a teammate and fell to Shigematsu in front of goal. As Shigematsu attempted to turn Mizumoto brought him down, conceding a penalty. Shigematsu took the spot kick himself, coolly lifting the ball high into the net to tie the score.
Tokyo poured forward in waves in search of another goal. Nagatomo, now restored to his right back position, overlapped dynamically while Nakamura and Shigematsu worked feverishly to carve open the Kyoto defence. In the 75th.minute Akamine beat a defender to Tokunaga's early cross but Mizutani was equal to the challenge. Mizutani foiled Tokyo again in the 80th.minute, this time holding Nakamura's powerfully struck free kick. Kyoto attacked at pace as well and Gonda had to be alert in the 83rd.minute to deny substitute Ando's low drive from the edge of the area following some neat approach play by forward Diego.
As the 90 minutes drew to a close the game developed into an exchange of counter attacks. Ishikawa attempted an ambitious overhead kick from Nakamura's lofted ball into the area in the final minute of regulation time but a defender blocked the effort away. Tokyo continued to push for the winner and came agonisingly close in the fourth minute of added time. Shigematsu hoisted a long ball forward, Nakamura nodded it down and Akamine trapped and shot from the edge of the area. The effort was goal bound but Mizutani produced a flying save, pushing the ball out on the right. Shigematsu crossed towards Ishikawa beyond far post but his volley struck a defender and flew out for a corner. Tokyo battled manfully until the final whistle but were unable to breach the massed Kyoto defence and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Players' comments
Shigematsu
"We had very few chances in the first half and I was sitting on the bench thinking about what I could do if I got on the pitch. Running along their defence line and getting in behind, pulling their backs about, running from the front; basically using my pace to change the flow of the game. I wanted to put some heart into my play to fire up the team as well. When we won the penalty of course I was thinking I wanted to take it myself, then the lads said, "Go on" and that gave me the confidence to take it. The opposition most likely didn't have any data about me so instead of aiming for one of the sides I thought it would probably go in if I hit it down the middle. I didn't change my mind, I kept a clear head and just hit it. I was happy to score the penalty but I wanted three points the most. It's disappointing that we couldn't win today".
Nakamura
"I went on in a defensive position at first but I was focused on pushing forward and getting on the scoresheet. We probably had the momentum although the game became an exchange of counter-attacks. If we could have been a little more calm in our approach then I think we could have been more effective in attack. I have to reflect on not being able to help the team play more steadily".
F.C.Tokyo manager Hiroshi Jofuku
"After taking only one point from our last two games we really wanted to win today. We were at home and the fans had high expectations so for the game to end in a draw is very disappointing. The first time our opponents got inside our penalty area in the first half they scored; scoring from their only shot like that shows that we are still an immature team. Simply by letting them run behind us from a throw in meant our game plan was out of the window and the players responsible and the team as a whole have to understand this. We hadn't started badly at all but that disturbed our mental balance. Too many players then pushed too far forward without thinking about positioning or playing the ball around and we managed only two shots on target. It was a disappointing first half. We made some changes and went for goals in the second half but only had a single penalty to show for it. We have to look at our build up play again and our decision making when chances come. The players on the field at the end and the regulars have got to look at themselves and realise that the recent performances haven't been good enough. "That was close", or "We deserved better" is just unacceptable. They have to understand how tough things are for the team when they take to the field again. We have to look at the construction of the team and the players have to look hard at themselves. We want to increase the time the ball is in play and it was our responsibility for allowing the Kyoto players to leave the pitch slowly, then hurry back on immediately. There are many issues we have to address".
Kyoto Sanga F.C. manager Hisashi Kato
"To be honest I think that was a game we should have won. I feel disappointed to have taken just a single point today. Our performance was steady and we handled the changeover from defence to attack very well, I felt. Of course Tokyo pushed us back but we had the lead, we moved our lines deeper and looked to get a second goal from there. As for the goal we conceded I felt it was less a case of the opposition creating a chance than of us losing our composure for a moment. Mizumoto committed the foul but we can't hold him responsible; it was an instant's lack of calmness than led to the incident. We've made changes to our defensive system and altered our balance in attack and although we conceded from a penalty I felt we showed greater stability in our approach today. We want to improve our condition and put in a good performance to take all three points in our next match at home".
< Other results >
Vegalta 0 Vissel 1
Montedio 0 F Marinos 1
Grampus 1 Albirex 1
Gamba 1 S-Pulse 1
Jubilo 1 Ardija 1
Cerezo 2 Bellmare 1
Antlers 0 Sanfrecce 0
Reds 3 Frontale 0
< Standings >
Reds 16, S-Pulse 15, Grampus 13, Frontale 13, Antlers 12, F Marinos 11, Vegalta 10, F.C.Tokyo 9, Cerezo 9, Sanfrecce 8, Montedio 8, Kyoto Sanga 8, Gamba 7, Vissel 7, Jubilo 6, Ardija 5, Bellmare 5, Albirex 4.
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