2018 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 18th Sec - Albirex Niigata vs Tokyo Verdy

Match Report

Having followed four straight losses in league matches with two draws, Verdy finally gained a victory mid-week with a dramatic additional-time winner against Kataller Toyama. Although the match was in a separate competition and played with a squad of players who hadn’t received game time recently, it was still the team’s first win in a month and a half, providing hope for new momentum as the players traveled to Niigata at the weekend to face Albirex Niigata. For this encounter, the squad was unchanged from the group that faced Yokohama FC, while the scorer of two straight additional time goals, Yong-jik Ri, started from the bench.

As the match kicked off, Verdy were pushed back into their own area by aggressive pressure from the opposition, but the players gradually began to move the ball with poise and in the 5th minute, an excellent chance was created from play out wide. Narawa received the ball on the left and cut inside to cross in front of goal. Douglas left his marker and made the run, but the defender managed to block the pass with a late lunge. Naoya Tamura was then able to connect at the near post on the resulting corner kick, directing the ball to the far side where the waiting Kanya Fujimoto was able to dribble at the defense and attempt the finish. Although the move didn’t result in a goal, the Verdy players had vividly demonstrated their ability to push back on the counter and the match would soon progress into a back and forth encounter. In the 17th minute, Douglas appeared to hurt his leg and was brought off for Ryohei Hayashi. For the most part, however, it was the midfield that was the site of a fierce tug-of-war. Verdy would be the first to crack during the struggle. In the 23rd minute, the team were broken down on the left side and Yoshiaki Takagi received the ball unmarked in the center of the Verdy vital area. Masaru Kato made a run into the space and, after receiving a through ball from Takagi, cooly beat Naoto Kamifukumoto one on one to score the opening goal. After the restart, Verdy controlled the ball and pushed high up the pitch, in an attempt to break down the opposition, but the players were unable to fully stretch the defense. The half would then end in an uproar when Shinnosuke Hatanaka took an elbow while grappling with Thalles, losing a front tooth as a result.

With manager Lotina banned from the locker room after being sent off in the previous league match, it was coach Ivan who tried to pump up the players at the half. After calmly analyzing the situation and making revisions in attack and defense, Ivan sent the players out of the locker room with the message that “if we come to play in the second half, I promise we will win! Let’s take the game to them!”.

Although Albirex would initially gain control with another aggressive start to the second half, the Verdy players began to evade the pressure and keep possession by patiently moving the ball. As a result, a “trademark Verdy goal” would emerge in the 53rd minute, thanks to a beautiful attacking move. From a shallow position on the wide right in the opposition half, Fujimoto controlled the ball on the touch line and played a pass to Kota Watanabe, who dribbled wide and then returned a diagonal pass ahead to Fujimoto. As Watanabe maintained his run, Fujimoto played a first-time ball toward goal for Watanabe to run onto. Watanabe also played the ball first time, sending it to the feet of Yohei Sato, who had moved into the vital area. Careful not to slow down Watanabe’s forward momentum, Sato played a third straight first-time pass toward goal and Watanabe caught the defense sleeping by running through the gaps and rolling the ball into the right corner of the net for the equalizer. From that point, Verdy would continue to attack. In the 63rd minute, Fujimoto made a quick turn with the ball on the right side and played a looping through pass over the back line. Ryohei Hayashi spotted a momentary lapse in teamwork by the defense and burst the off-side trap. He then kept his cool as he was one on one with the keeper and put Verdy ahead with a goal. With their first opportunity for a win in seven matches, the Verdy players settled in to protect their lead but would still face difficult moments as their gaps were probed on the counter, including an unmarked header in front of goal after a sharp opposition cross. In the 77th minute, an opposition player was forced off the pitch after a collision and Niigata were left at a numerical disadvantage, having used up all their substitutes. Despite this, the Verdy players still struggled to push forward in the face of the opposition pressure. In additional time, however, they were finally able to secure the ball high up the pitch and cleverly used up the remaining minutes to secure their first victory in seven matches.

The lack of confidence exhibited by the team during their recent run of losses was nowhere to be seen today. Rather than running away from the opposition pressure, the Verdy players gave each other the support necessary to retain the ball. While maintaining their firm play model, every member who took the pitch was active on the ball in attack and defense and their fine passing opened the door to goals. This is especially true of the equalizer, where the team showed not just fluidity but also intelligent positioning by the three players involved, evidence of the growing strength of the team’s philosophy. Now it is time for the players to turn their reclaimed confidence into conviction, as they prepare for a series of consecutive home matches that could hold the key to their season. The renewed rise of the green wave has only just begun.

Coach Ivan Palanco Santiago

Your thoughts on the match?
It was a difficult one. They are a terrific team and you can tell that they had been playing in the first division until recently. Even so, I think we were able to play our game. We maintained possession and pushed into their area. During the periods where we had to absorb their pressure, we did so well. They were playing at home, so the put a lot of pressure on us up front, in order to take a goal back. Still, we protected our lead. More than that, I think it’s important that we were able to play with confidence. Even when they pressed at the front, we were able to get around them and into their half. I think it was this ability to have confidence and play our style that led to the good result.

The team got one goal each from direct play and one from runs in behind. What was the strategy for bypassing zone 3?
It was the same as always. We tried to build combinations as much as possible, open up spaces, and make runs into those spaces. I think we did a good job of showing what we are capable of, today.

What is the state of Douglas’s injury, after coming off in the first half? Did his substitution have any effect on the match?
I’m not yet aware of what the situation is with his injury. After Douglas came off, Ryohei (Hayashi) came on. They are two completely different characters, but the plan remained the same. Despite their different personalities, they played the same role. By playing that role, they helped the team impress their style on the game. In that sense, I think they are both players that fit well with our team and our team fit well with them.

FW 11Ryohei Hayashi

Your appearance today was rather sudden but tell us your thoughts on the match.
Because of the injury to Douglas, I didn’t have a chance to warm up and it was difficult for me, physically, but I was able to gather my confidence before hitting the pitch.

In the first half, the team had possession but couldn’t quite set up the finish. Then you picked up the pace right away in the second half. What was the reason?
At half-time, coach Ivan told us to keep going as we had been. We had plenty of the ball and we were told that if we remained patient, we were certain to score. In that sense, we were able to carry out our game plan with confidence and take the lead.

Tell us about the winning goal.
During the first half, I felt that their center backs were not lining up well together and so I was able to get onto a good through pass from Kanya (Fujimoto) and had enough time to watch the keeper’s movements and score.

We saw your second goal performance since joining the team, today.
It was the goal that gave us the lead and the team won, so of course I was happy.

How did you choose today’s performance?
The World Cup is just around the corner, so I chose a performance I’d seen by Griezmann from the French National Team. I did it twice to make sure I’d get on camera (laugh).

This was the team’s first win in a month and a half.
Well, we got a win in the Emperor’s Cup three days ago, so I think that gave us some momentum. We really had not been able to get a win in the league, so I’m glad we broke the streak today on the road. Now we can return home with momentum.

Do you have a final message for the supporters?
The next two matches will be very important for us. We’ll have more passion if people fill the stands, so please come to the stadium and cheer us on!

MF 33Kota Watanabe

First off, your thoughts on the match?
We gave up the lead and things seemed to be going in a bad direction, but we came together and encouraged each other by saying we still had the second half. I think we were able to play the full ninety minutes with more poise than we had shown lately.

Tell us about your goal.
It was great that everyone involved in the play shared the same mental image.

Will that goal go a long way toward restoring confidence?
Yes. I hope we can carry that forward to the next match.

Lastly, do you have a message for the supporters?
We haven’t been winning at home, so we will do our best to make sure we get a victory in the next match. Please come and cheer us on.

MF 35Kanya Fujimoto

First, your thoughts on the match?
We conceded in the first half and during the break, Ivan told us that if we had the will, we could definitely win the match. We placed our belief in those words and went out for the second half.

You were involved in both goals. First, tell us about the equalizer.
Kouta (Watanabe) drifted out wide and I knew that a pass would be coming, but I had my back to goal, so I played it back to him and let him continue running forward at full speed. After that, Kota played a good one-two with Ryohei (Hayashi) and broke past their back line. The whole team was involved in that goal and it was a great move.

Did everyone involved have the same image in mind?
We hadn’t done anything like that in a match so far, so even though it was only the equalizer, I think the fact that we were able to pull that off will have a good effect on the next match.

You showed your quality on the second goal.
After playing the pass, I thought at first that I had timed it too much at my own tempo and that the runner would probably be off-side. However, Ryohei (Hayashi) had a good read on their defensive line and made a perfect run. I’m glad that I was able to play the pass into a space that was easy for him to run onto

t was a play that showed the team’s confidence in your style of football.
We were losing at the start of the second half, so we told each other that even if they let us have possession, let’s attack them more. That got us the lead and after that we were pushed back, but we were able to employ our lessons from the Yokohama match. We cleared their crosses, kept a high line, and were precise in our positioning. I think that’s the reason we didn’t concede afterward.

Lastly, do you have a message for the supporters?
We won for the first time in seven matches so next, we’ll do our best to win at Aji no Moto Stadium. Please come and cheer us on.

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