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 Comments] {Yonemoto} "(About the goal) I was trying to pick up the second ball when it rolled in front of me, so I just aimed to shoot and finish it. Since it was a bouncing ball, I focused on getting it on target without lifting it too much. It just happened to go in. I don't think it was a very good shot. However, since it was an away goal, I'm glad I scored. I think it was a match we could have won, especially since the opponent had a player sent off while we were leading. I might have needed a stronger mindset to go for another goal at that point. I feel it was a missed opportunity. Shimizu's weapon is to pass to FW Yonsen. It seemed like we were about to pick up the second ball and develop the play, but I think we handled it well in the first half. However, it was painful to concede the equalizer right after taking the lead. Still, I don't want to think of this negatively; we scored two goals, so I want to see the next match as a comfortable situation for us at home. If we fall back into defense, we might lose the ball while connecting passes and end up in a counter situation like today, so I want to push forward. If we score one more goal, we can put pressure on the opponent. We want to fight calmly, play well, and advance to the Final Round."

　Gonda: "We were always ahead and led 2-1, but we ended up being caught up. It's incredibly frustrating that we couldn't secure the win. However, if I think calmly, getting two goals away and drawing is not bad. Today, the DF members changed, so we needed to confirm that coordination properly, and also how to break down Shimizu's solid defense that created a block, which we tried in practice. I think the goals scored by Yone and Cabore were a result of our practice. The attacking line did well to score two goals, but the defense couldn't hold firm, leading to two goals conceded, which is a challenge. (Were there many moments where Gonda's good saves helped?) If we had conceded zero goals, we could hold our heads high, but since we conceded two... However, I believe that stopping at two goals conceded was thanks to the efforts of the DF line. (How was the approach after Shimizu went down to ten men?) We tried to increase our time with the ball, but even though we had one more player, there were moments when we kicked it away too easily. Also, after we were equalized, even though it would have been fine to stay tied, I got anxious and went for a third goal, making a risky pass that was intercepted, giving the opponent a chance for a set piece. That was a significant point of reflection. Participating in and contributing to the team's aim of 'connecting' is also a challenge for the future."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "If we only look at the score of 2-2 away, I want to take it positively. However, from the flow of the game, I think it was a match that exposed our immaturity, and I believe we absolutely had to win today. A team where players who come on as substitutes cannot run 1.5 times harder and concede goals when they are broken through cannot move on to the next step. In that sense, we must reflect strongly. We need to understand why we cannot start and take this opportunity seriously, and we must make use of it next time. I strongly hope that they will contribute to the team's improvement quickly. However, regarding the game itself, I thought Shimizu would come at us strongly at first, so I believe we managed to respond to that and connect when we calmed down, as per our plan. After the opponent went down to 10 men, we couldn't score the third goal when we went for it, and we conceded one goal, which turned the game into a dangerous situation with a set piece at the end. This is a significant issue that this team faces, and I think we can only clear it up little by little. (How did you approach the first away match?) We have been training and preparing with the image of winning both matches, so in terms of how the game ended, of course, we have to look at the total of 180 minutes, and we must be aware of the away goals, but that is only a matter of the situation at the end of the game, and to say that we cannot give 100% because we are conscious of that is counterproductive. We approached the game with that kind of awareness."

　[Summary of Shimizu and Coach Hasegawa's Press Conference] "Thank you very much for your passionate support until the end. I believe the players did well for 90 minutes. Today, I think we reached the peak of fatigue. With a schedule of back-to-back matches in the summer heat with only two days in between, the players have been pushing themselves to narrow the points gap with the top teams in the league, both mentally and physically. Of course, since it was the Semifinal Round, I think each player fought hard, but seeing Aoyama develop a fever before the match and unable to play, I believe fatigue had built up significantly in their bodies. In that sense, it may have contributed to a slightly altered lineup, and I feel that the first half lacked aggression, which is somewhat understandable. However, after going down to ten men, we finally woke up, and each player's work rate increased, and I thought the way they played from there was wonderful. If we had lost at home with a score of 2 to 1, it would have been very difficult to advance to the next round, but managing to draw here is a result that keeps our possibilities alive for the next stage. At halftime, I talked to the players about various things, and I think they switched their mindset well and fought hard. I want to make sure that we can utilize the result of fighting back with ten men to prepare thoroughly for the next away match, so that we can aim for the Final Round for the second consecutive year."