The last league match before the break, facing the top-ranked Shimizu!

　In Sec. 12 of the league, we will face Shimizu S-Pulse at home. This league match not only marks one-third of the season but is also the last game before the break for the World Cup. We aim to continue our winning streak from the previous match, and above all, achieve victory at Ajinomoto to even our record and carry momentum into the Nabisco Cup. This match also involves strategies against Shimizu's height and speed, with the DF line remaining the same as the previous match, featuring Nagatomo as right back and Kim Yong-gun on the left. Kajiyama returns to the starting lineup, partnering with Tokunaga in the holding midfield, while Hayabusa will play on the left side. On the other hand, Shimizu currently sits at the top with 7 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss. In the previous match against Niigata, DF Ota, Bosnar, and MF Ono were suspended, resulting in a 0-2 defeat, marking their first loss of the season. Coach Hasegawa, in his sixth season, candidly shares his impression: "With the addition of the incredibly experienced MF Ono and DF Bosnar on top of our matured football, we might be at the peak as a team." This season, they have adopted a 4-3-3 formation, scoring a total of 21 goals, the highest in the league (tied with Kawasaki). They have also conceded only 10 goals, showcasing high quality in both offense and defense, maintaining a balanced approach at the top. Particularly, we want to be cautious and maintain focus in caring for the movements targeting FW Jönsson and the runs behind by FW Okazaki. At the same time, Shimizu has been scoring from side attacks and restarts. With their diverse attacking patterns, our key will be how resilient we can be. We want to apply strict pressure to regain possession, transition quickly without losing momentum, and shift to attack. To prevent Shimizu from gaining momentum, we need to be mindful of how we start the match, linking good defense to effective attacks based on the situation, aiming for goals and victory. On a refreshingly clear day at Ajinomoto, with the temperature gradually rising to 19 degrees, the match started at 14:04 with Shimizu's kickoff.

Aggressively taking the ball and turning it into an attack, we gained momentum, but...

　At the start, Shimizu launched an aggressive attack, but we calmly defended and countered. In the 3rd minute, Kajiyama intercepted a clearance from the opponent and sent it to the left flank, where Shigematsu boldly broke into the area. He feinted once against the opposing defender but was stopped on the second attempt. Although we couldn't create a chance, Kajiyama continued to be the focal point, with Hanyu and Ishikawa linking up well, threatening the Shimizu goal. In the 13th minute, Hanyu passed to Hirayama just outside the left area, who turned towards the goal and unleashed a powerful shot. In the 14th minute, Hanyu intercepted a loose ball from Ishikawa's right cross just before the area and skillfully connected, leading to a shot from Kajiyama. However, both attempts went wide of the target. Shimizu also launched counterattacks, and the exciting back-and-forth continued, but Tokyo aggressively pursued the ball, gaining rhythm with dynamic play. In the 24th minute, Kajiyama and Ishikawa pressed fiercely in the opponent's half on the right flank to win the ball, and Ishikawa quickly transitioned to attack, sending a final pass from the right area to the center, but it was blocked by the Shimizu goalkeeper. However, in the 25th minute, a foul on Shimizu FW Okazaki on the left side of the Tokyo half resulted in a free kick. In the 26th minute, Shimizu MF Ono delivered a sharp ball in front of the goal. DF Hiraoka was free to jump in and scored with a powerful header, allowing the first goal. In the 32nd minute, Shimizu FW Fujimoto made a run down the left flank and crossed. FW Jönsson shot from the center of the area, but Konno blocked it. The loose ball went back to FW Jönsson, who attempted a lob, but it went wide, escaping the danger. Still, without looking down, we executed a large play that pierced behind the Shimizu defense and launched coordinated attacks with short passes. In the 36th minute, Shigematsu's right cross led to a shot from Hirayama from the left area, which was saved by the goalkeeper... In first-half stoppage time, chances created by Ishikawa and Nagatomo from the sides also went unconverted. We headed into the second half trailing by one goal.

Nagatomo and Matsushita score their first goals! They come back from behind with two late goals.

　In the second half, at the 52nd minute, Ricardinho was brought on for Shigematsu. At the 55th minute, Tokunaga advanced forward and sent a vertical pass to Hirayama inside the left area. Hirayama skillfully held the ball and sent a final pass to the center, but Shimizu's DF intercepted it. At the 58th minute, Nagatomo overlapped and received a pass from Ricardinho at the right area corner, cut back two opposing defenders, and took a shot, but it went off target. At the 59th minute, Akamine was brought on for Hanyu. Akamine positioned himself at the front line, Tokunaga and Hirayama took the attacking midfield positions, and Kajiyama played as the lone defensive midfielder in a 4-1-4-1 formation aiming for an equalizer. At the 66th minute, Ricardinho dodged the mark of the opposing DF on the left side and sent a cross backward. Akamine met it in the center with a header, but... he couldn’t hit the target. Right after missing this great chance to equalize, at the 67th minute, Shimizu FW Okazaki charged into Tokyo’s territory. Kajiyama stopped him with a foul, conceding a free kick. The distance to the goal was about 26-27 meters, but Shimizu MF Fujimoto took a direct shot with his left foot, and the sharp shot went into the top right corner... They conceded the second goal from a restart they had been wary of. At the 72nd minute, Matsushita was brought in as left side back, Kim Young-gun moved to center, and Tokunaga shifted to right side back. Konno and Nagatomo pushed forward, changing the formation again to mount a counterattack. At the 82nd minute, from a chance created by Ricardinho, Hirayama took a decisive shot inside the area, but the GK saved it... However, even as time was running out, they did not give up. At the 83rd minute, Kim Young-gun’s powerful long-range shot earned a corner kick. Matsushita’s left corner kick was punched away by Shimizu’s GK, but Nagatomo ran in and volleyed with his right foot from outside the area, sending the ball straight into the top right corner of the goal!! Nagatomo’s first goal of the season narrowed the gap to one point. At the 87th minute, Nagatomo pressed in midfield, stole the ball, and launched a counterattack. Akamine’s cross was cleared by the DF, but side back Matsushita ran up to the front of the goal, followed up on the rebound, and scored a precise shot! Matsushita also marked his first goal, tying the game. After that, including 4 minutes of stoppage time, both sides aimed for the winning goal in a tense battle. At the end, from Matsushita’s right corner kick, Akamine headed the ball powerfully, but... it just went slightly left before time was up. Although they couldn’t secure the victory, they came back from a two-goal deficit and managed a draw. 【Player Comments】 《Nagatomo》 “I was able to play aggressively from the first half. Even after conceding goals to Shimizu, we had the spirit not to give up, and everyone’s feelings led to the equalizer. It’s frustrating to have conceded two goals, and we have a lot to reflect on, but coming back from a two-goal deficit should lead to the next step. Before going to the Japan national team, I wanted to score a goal wearing the blue and red uniform, and I wanted to win at Ajinomoto with everyone on this team. (About the Japan national team) I carry the feelings of players who were not selected, and I want to challenge myself greedily to meet the expectations of the fans. I don’t want to play passively. I want to be said to be lively and fighting. I want to use today’s goal as a springboard and ride the wave at the national team as well.” 《Matsushita》 “I have to reflect on conceding goals, but I stood on the pitch with the determination to definitely get 3 points. (Playing as left side back and involved in scoring) I felt I hadn’t been able to produce results consistently at Tokyo, so today I was determined to ‘do it.’ I think we were in a state where if we had scored one shot in the first half... But since we fell behind, when I came on, I tried to change the flow with bold play. I think it was good as a minimum result that we were able to catch up to a tie from there. For the goal, I made sure to meet the ball firmly, careful not to lift it, and tried to smash it to the ground. We didn’t get 3 points today, but I want to continue challenging and trying to produce results from now on.” 【Coach Jofuku’s Press Conference Summary】 “We haven’t won at Ajinomoto for a long time, and considering our autumn goals, we didn’t want to fall further behind top-ranked Shimizu. I don’t think it’s necessary to think about rankings at this time, but considering the current points, we really wanted 3 points today. As a result, coming back from 0-2 to tie might be seen by outsiders as good to get 1 point, but I feel full of disappointment. Shimizu is a team near their peak, but in the last 20 minutes, we made them stop running and attacked overwhelmingly, which I think was the result of us circulating the ball from the first half. We aimed exactly for that, patiently controlled the ball from the first half, and wanted to decide the game. We conceded from the first free kick and again from a free kick in the second half, so the game proceeded in a bad cycle where we attacked but conceded goals. Being able to equalize in that situation is a part where we were confident in our soccer and gained confidence. But still, I’m full of regret for not getting 3 points. (What was the intention behind bringing Matsushita on for Ishikawa?) We wanted to push Nagatomo up and make the sides more offensive. The substitution was to get the ball back as quickly as possible, even if just a few seconds earlier. In terms of speed, Nagatomo and Ishikawa might be in the same category, but in terms of stealing the ball and starting our attack, we chose this substitution. (Impressions after 12 rounds?) We have some confidence but also clear issues. How we break through those and whether this team can breakthrough. During the break, we want to approach everything possible and continue up to the attacking third, while working on clearing the issues beyond that. The Nabisco Cup might be one opportunity for such a trial, including player positioning.” 【Shimizu Coach Hasegawa’s Press Conference Summary】 “I’m truly grateful for the support of many fans. Ideally, we would have liked to present 3 points, but it’s disappointing to get only 1 point. FC Tokyo controlled the pace from the first half, so it wasn’t easy to keep a good tempo. It would have been good if we could have scored efficiently from set plays and held on. We conceded goals in a flurry at the end, so it was a scenario where it was good not to lose. But FC Tokyo is also a team aiming for the championship. Considering that last season we couldn’t win either home or away, if we calmly think about sharing points today and taking 1 point home, it’s not a bad result. After the restart, we want to fight to get 3 points properly again.”