日本瓦斯株式会社
株式会社ミロク情報サービス
株式会社H&K
ATHLETA
ゼビオグループ

MATCH

2018 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 42nd Sec - FC Machida Zelvia vs Tokyo Verdy

Match Report

【Match Report】

At last, the league has entered the final week of the season. The penultimate match was a high stakes affair for both teams, with Verdy hoping to qualify for the J1 playoff and FC Machida Zelvia hoping to earn their first ever J2 title. The season truly did come down to the very last moment, imbuing this Tokyo Classic derby match with even more emotion than usual, as both teams had everything to play for. Verdy had suffered absences from the squad during the preparation period and as such made changes to the starting lineup. Ryohei Hayashi played at center forward, in place of Douglas, while Alan took his place on the right wing and Kota Watanabe on the left.

 

With the two teams bringing their passion to the forefront as never before, it was Machida who would control the pace in the opening moments. Upon winning the ball with a physical approach, their players would immediately play long balls to the front line and push into the Verdy third. In the early parts of the match, Verdy were unable to stop their opponents from making runs into space and were forced to spend long periods in a defensive block in front of goal. However, the players were successful in locking down the middle and forcing Machida into the wide areas, where they were able to close them down and prevent them from having their way too easily. In attack, Verdy were unable to secure the ball on the front line and though they did try to make things happen individually, Machida’s well disciplined challenge and cover defense proved difficult to break down. The only moment when a chance seemed imminent was the 36th minute. Naoto Kamifukumoto spotted the Machida line drifting a shade too high and kicked a long ball into the space behind. Alan made the run and managed to get his head to the ball just before the rushing keeper, sending it in the direction of goal, but the covering defender beat Hayashi to the second ball and cleared it into safety. Meanwhile, Verdy would find themselves in a pinch several times as the opposition attempted to exploit their superiority in set pieces. However, Kamifukumoto was aggressive in leaving his line to deal with the danger and the half ended with the score even at 0-0.

 

After revising their approach in attack and defense, the Verdy players re-took the pitch in the second half with the words of the manager ringing in their ears: “Don’t panic and kick the ball up the pitch. Pass it with patience!” As Machida continued to play the ball long, as in the first half, Verdy were ready to win the ball and work it slowly, retaining possession and pursuing the match more at their style. As a result, they were able to initiate the play in the wide areas and push their opponents back, creating chances in the process. In the 47th minute, Yuki Kagawa broke down the left side and played a cross toward goal. Alan received the ball and passed into an even deeper space on the wide right for Yuta Narawa. Although Narawa’s strong effort was blocked by a defender, it was a big opportunity indicating that Verdy were ready to fight back. In the 63rd minute, Akira Ibayashi tried a back heel shot off a corner kick but the effort was off target. On the other end, in the 74th minute, a counter attack from Machida penetrated into the final third and resulted in a shot that cannoned dangerously off the post. While breathing a sigh of relief, the Verdy players would be gifted an opportunity soon after. In the 76th minute, Narawa received the ball in a shallow position on the right side and played a looping through ball that dropped in behind the defense. Hayashi was first to react and left his markers behind, getting a touch just ahead of the on-rushing keeper to send the ball into the back of the net. Verdy had thus reclaimed the momentum, created a number of opportunities in front of goal and finally took the lead. Although a win would give the team a place in the playoffs regardless of the matches in other stadiums, Machida had their own upper table position at stake and were not prepared to back down. Just after scoring the opening goal, Verdy were pushed back and found themselves unable to deal with balls into the final third, allowing Otani to score and bring the match level. Of the remaining two teams competing for playoff qualification at that point, Omiya led 1-0, while Avispa Fukuoka were facing a scoreless draw. These results meant Verdy were still in contention, but the manager was determined that the team control their own destiny and signaled his desire for the players to attack by bringing on Yuhei Sato. The final minutes were an open affair, with Sato making himself available as the playmaker as Verdy pushed for a goal. Though they brought the ball within shooting distance several times, Machida were always quick to track back to fill the gaps and the match proceeded towards its close with neither side budging, even as the referee’s assistant indicated five minutes of additional time, until the final whistle.

 

The matches at other stadiums also reached their conclusion with the same timing and in the end, Verdy dropped one position to 6th but succeeded in protecting their qualification spot for the promotional playoff. Their opponents in the first round will be Omiya Ardija and the battle will take place at the opposition’s stadium, NACK5.

 

Had they secured fifth position, Verdy would have gained the advantage of competing in the first round at home and even proceeded to the second round with a draw. Ultimately, however, the circumstances are the same as last year, with victory alone providing a path forward. At that time, Verdy were unable to overcome the odds and shed tears in a heartbreaking loss in the cold Kumamoto rain. As such, this situation also provides an opportunity for revenge and hopefully an extra boost of motivation. Either way, achieving victories in all three playoff matches is their best and only chance to reach J1. The situation could not be more clear. The team has no choice but to win. Or put another way, winning is the only thing they have to do. With that strong competitive spirit in hand, their best preparations begin anew tomorrow. On the 25th, they will once again join their brothers in green, who filled the away stand today, to take the pitch at full strength.

 

Read more

Post-match comments

Manager Miguel Ángel Lotina

Your thoughts on the match?
It was a very even contest. In the first half, both teams played to their strong points and sought to get a goal. However, neither side were able to score. In the second half, we created chances from the wide areas. In particular, we created chances from the left side, but the goal we got came from the right side. In terms of our performance in defense, I think it was good throughout the match and our opponents were taking a lot of risks to get forward in attack, so I thought we might have a chance to get a second goal on the counter, but ultimately, we conceded after a set play. The team was very nervous. We heard news about what was happening in the other matches. We knew there was a chance we could make the playoff with a draw. However, if a goal were to occur in one of the other matches, the table positioning would change, so we were forced to seek a goal while being wary of their counter attack. It was a nerve-wracking situation.

Douglas Vieira was not on the bench today, due to injury. What is his condition and did his absence have any effect on your game plan?
Douglas had some problems after the last match and was on light training this week. However, yesterday we learned that he would not recover in time and thus didn’t bring him with the squad today. With that said, we are very fortunate to have had Ryo(hei Hayashi) with us as a replacement. I think he had an excellent match. It is my hope that Leandro, Jin (Izumisawa), and Douglas will all be ready by my next Sunday’s match.

What changes did you make at half time that enabled you to create chances on the left side in the second half?
There weren’t any specific changes I made. I just emphasized to the players what they needed to do and demanded that from them. I think that served us well at the beginning of the second half. We created chances in those periods where we were able to execute our game plan.

Tell us your thoughts about facing Omiya Ardija in the J1 promotional playoff.
Omiya are a great team. In the first half of the season, they found it hard to adjust to the play in the second division, but in the second half, I think they began to show their true strength. If they have an advantage over us, it’s that they’re playing at home and can progress with just a draw. At the same time, I think that advantage will put pressure on them and it would do them a lot of damage to lose at home. If we have an advantage, it’s that we’re playing away and have to win. If we can win at their home stadium, that will be a tremendous success for us and we will fight with that ambition in mind.

Read more

Post-match comments

FW 11Ryohei Hayashi

Tell us about your goal.
We knew that Machida would play with a high line, but on that play, we moved the ball wide once and then I made a lateral run to avoid their offside trap, which allowed Narawa to spot me for the pass. After that I made a good run behind them. I saw that the keeper had left his line and so I just tried to chip it over him with my right foot.

This was a big match for you to start in.
We knew they would play with a high line and that there would be space on the opposite side, so we thought we could play well if we took advantage of that space. I think it was a very intense match.

Despite it being an even match, you still had some positive periods.
When I play the full 90 minutes, I’m confident that I can get a goal. I think that confidence led to the result today.

It seemed difficult for the front-line players in the first half.
I think the success we had in the second half was due to what happened in the first. When we look at the match over the full 90 minutes, things like that can happen. It was because we kept trying to get behind them in the first half that they grew tired and we were able to complete more passes in the second. The most important thing for us today was to qualify for the playoff and when I think about the fact that we would not have accomplished that without my goal, it makes me very happy to have had a major impact.

Was the effectiveness of your attacking play in the second half due to adjustments made at half time, or was it that you were more poised mentally?
Of course, carrying out the instructions we received from Manager Lotina and Coach Ivan at half time enabled us to change things. On the other hand, it’s also down to us shifting gears between the first and second half. So, I think that shows some flexibility on our part.

What are your impressions of your first-round opponent, Omiya Ardija?
Truly, there are only strong teams that have survived to the playoffs and if we don’t win against those teams, we won’t be able to make the jump. If we train well and go with the attitude to win, I don’t think our different positions in the table will matter much. All the teams in the Top 6 are strong, but we believe we are stronger, so we have to prepare to win.

Read more

MF 33Kota Watanabe

Your thoughts on the match?
Personally, I’m not at all satisfied. You could say that I didn’t have an impact or more precisely, I don’t feel tired. When I’m not tired, that means I haven’t been effective.

You seemed determined to run at them in the first half, though.
They pushed a lot from the front, so that left space behind them that we tried to use.

In the second half, you combined well with Inoue and Kagawa to build the team’s attacks.
If I get myself into better positions, I‘ll receive more of the ball and I feel personally like I should demand it more from my teammates.

Read more

MF 20Shion Inoue

Your thoughts on the match?
In the first half, they were able to recover the second ball and that kept us pinned back in our area for long periods, but in the second half, I think we were able to accomplish what we wanted and play at our pace.

What do you think was the reason for the improvement in attack in the second half?
I don’t know what the specific reason was, but in the second half, we executed our game plan and things just felt easier in general. We felt a bit rigid as a team in the first half and couldn’t play the kind of passes that we usually do. We were just too conservative. I think there was some weight on us mentally.

You played a lot of diagonal feeds and long balls behind the defense.
Since they get so far forward, we talked as a team about aiming to get behind them. However, we should have tried to use our central midfielders more or found other ways to vary the attack.

Your thoughts on the goal you conceded?
They’re very good at that kind of play and it was something we had trained to defend against, so it’s frustrating. We thought Uchi(da) could get a touch on the ball and that caused us to let our guard down, which in turn led to the goal. That kind of looseness will hurt us in the next match, so I hope we can learn our lesson.

What were you conscious of as you fought these final matches that would determine playoff contention?
We weren’t informed of what was happening at the other stadiums. However, since we were getting pretty far forward, I was instructed to hold my position, so I played with the sense that a draw would get us where we needed to go.

Though it was difficult, you earned a spot in the playoff
Honestly, I’m relieved that we’ve made the playoff and we have another match next week, so I want us to train well. We have to win, so we’ll do our best to adjust mentally and train to be in the best shape possible.

Though your opponents will differ, you will have to win all your matches away. How do you think you can take advantage of the experience gained from last year?
The circumstances are exactly the same, but our experience last year should calm our nerves, as we know what needs to happen in our approach. I think the most important thing is that we train well over the next week and enter the match with confidence.

Read more

GK 21Naoto Kamifukumoto

You qualified for the promotional playoff on your 29th birthday.
Before the match began, the supporters threw me a celebration, but I’d never experienced a match like this on my birthday before. It felt great to have them celebrate with me. I wanted to pay them back with the result and while it’s true that we really wanted the full three points, I think it’s a positive that we got the point we needed to qualify for the playoff.

It must have been difficult at the end of the match without knowing the results from the other matches.
While it’s just my personal outlook, I didn’t want to worry too much about what was happening elsewhere and wanted to devote 100% of our thoughts to our match. So, in truth, I didn’t even hear about the other results until the match was over. I think we were able to concentrate fully on the task at hand and I think that’s what enabled us to earn qualification.

This is the team’s second year in a row to reach the playoffs but the first time for yourself.
The team itself has been here before and I hope we can take advantage of that experience, even a little. I also will train well so that I can show what I’ve developed in my career so far.

Read more

MF 16Yuhei Sato

Tell us what you were thinking about when you took the pitch.
When I came on, it seemed that we would have a chance to advance, even with a draw. I didn’t want to take too many risks and expose ourselves to danger on the counter. Our plan as a team for this match was different from normal, in terms of the way we tried to play balls into the space behind them for us to run onto, and it didn’t go well in the first half. The next thing was to try to keep the ball on the ground and pass it between us and as I said, I felt that we would be able to advance somehow, even with a draw.

The team played a lot of diagonal feeds and long balls behind the defense.
Rather than try to move the ball with short passes, we wanted to be quick and direct. It was all about trying to exploit the space they gave us. With that said, they are not the kind of team who will let you do that easily and they were quick in switching gears or tracking back, so it didn’t really go as planned.

They ended up stopping things by fouling him, but you were able to get put Kagawa through with passes several times.
I always want to build from the back and even when we play like today, I wanted to have an effect from a deeper position, so I’m glad I accomplished that somewhat.

Read more

MOVIE

Share The Match!

SCHEDULE