On Thursday 3 December, FC Tokyo clinched their spot into the knockout round of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2020, with their 1-0 victory over Perth Glory FC (Australia). The goal scored by ADAILTON in the first half turned out to be the deciding goal, as FC Tokyo racked up 10 points to advance through to the round of 16 as the second place finisher of Group F. For FC Tokyo, this will be their third round of 16 appearance, with their last appearance coming in 2016. The Tokyo side will face the group leader of Group E, Beijing Sinobo Guoan (China PR), on Sunday 6 December.

Ahead of the final fixture of the group stage, Ulsan Hyundai (Korea Republic) had already clinched the top spot, while Tokyo and Shanghai Greenland Shenhua (China PR) were fighting for second place. With both clubs earning seven points, Tokyo held a slight lead in goal differential, putting them in a position where they can claim the second place and final seat to the knockout round, with a record better than Shenhua at the final fixture. At the decisive match, Tokyo’s coach HASEGAWA Kenta rotated six players from their starting line-up against Ulsan, played three days ago. With MORISHIGE Masato suspended for the match, NIWA Daiki, who has the experience of playing in the ACL with Gamba Osaka, started as the centre half, while youngsters like MITA Hirotaka and UCHIDA Takuya also featured the starting line-up.

Players who had their minutes limited at this tournament thrived in this match, as the team aggressively attacked the open space behind the opposing defence line. With the team entering the match with great energy, Tokyo took the lead in the eighth minute, when SHINADA Manato delivered a long feed, allowing Adailton to break loose and strike the opening goal. As coach Hasegawa later reflected, “That goal gave us great courage,” Tokyo continued to threaten the opposing goal, as Adailton and Uchida created opportunities at the attacking third to end the first half strong.

Perth had already been eliminated from the competition, but following their 3-3 draw against Shenhua, the team carried great momentum into the final fixture of the group stage. With Diego CASTRO and Bruno FORNAROLI getting introduced to the match in the second half, the Australian side gradually picked up their pace to threaten the Tokyo goal, as Neil KILKENNY came close to equalising the match in the 61st minute with a shot taken from distance.

In order to regain their momentum, Tokyo responded by sending LEANDRO and TAKAHAGI Yojiro onto the pitch in the 68th minute, setting up the close opportunities created by Leandro and HARA Daichi. Although the Tokyo side fell short from scoring another goal, the team won the match 1-0.

As a result, Tokyo extended their tally to 10 points, and with Shenhua losing to Ulsan 1-4, the Japanese club finished the group stage in second place, clinching their spot into the knockout stage, along with other fellow J.League sides, Vissel Kobe and Yokohama F. Marinos. Following the match, coach Hasegawa praised his players, “The players with limited playing time helped us create this match. I trusted them and they responded with a spectacular performance.” The coach also mentioned, “The entire squad worked extremely hard throughout the group stage.”

Uphill battle throughout the group stage

Tokyo’s road to the knockout stage was not an easy path. After seeing the ACL being suspended due to the effects of COVID-19, the group matches of the eastern division resumed at Doha, Qatar on 18 November. Although Tokyo was in second place before the break, the team dropped to third place following their 0-1 loss to Shenhua on 24 November.

With their backs against the wall, Tokyo played the returning leg against Shenhua just three days following the first leg. The match started with Leandro threatening the opposing goal in the early minutes, while NAGAI Kensuke also came close to scoring the opening goal towards the end of the first half. Despite seeing Diego OLIVEIRA exit the match due to an injury sustained from a dangerous tackle, Leandro broke the deadlock in the 61st minute. With momentum on their side, ABE Shuto made it 2-0 in the 82nd minute to take full control over the match. Although Tokyo conceded a late goal to Shenhua, the team won the match 2-1 to reclaim the second place seat.

However, the positive momentum did not last for long. On 30 November, Tokyo faced Ulsan, who led the group with 10 points. With Ulsan on the verge of clinching their ticket to the round of 16, Tokyo got off to a hot start with Nagai scoring the opening goal in the early minutes. Midway into the first half, Ulsan brought in KOH Myong-Jin to change the dynamics of the match. With the Korean side adding more layers to their offence, YOON Bit-Garam converted a FK to equalise the match just before halftime.


The Tokyo side responded by sending HIGASHI Keigo onto the pitch in the second half, shifting their system to a 4-4-2 formation. In addition, Takahagi and Adailton were introduced around the 60th minute mark. Leandro came close to giving Tokyo the lead in the 68th minute, but his attempt fell short from finding the net. While Tokyo struggled to convert their opportunities, Ulsan gradually picked up their pace in offence. In the 85th minute, Yoon scored his second goal of the match from a play initiated in the right side, giving the Korean side a 2-1 victory that clinched the top spot of the group. With Shenhua drawing 3-3 against Perth, Tokyo and Shenhua were tied in points, while Tokyo was leading by a mere goal in goal differential.

After fighting through a tough schedule packed with injuries and suspensions, coach Hasegawa reflected on the group stage, “I almost gave up after our loss against Ulsan.” However, the coach showed a sign of relief after his team clinched the round of 16, “Our players fought hard to make it through to the knockout stage.” Adailton, who scored the decisive goal against Perth mentioned, “We had to showcase a strong performance regardless of who was on the pitch, so everybody was prepare for this match. We were able to showcase our usual performance and this is a victory earned by the entire team.”

Knockout stage starts from round of 16

Due to the effects of COVID-19, match schedules of this year’s ACL have been rearranged, leaving the round of 16 to be played in a single match knockout format. Tokyo has reached the round of 16 in 2012 and 2016, but never made it to the quarterfinals. They will seek to make history when they face Beijing Sinobo Guoan, who led Group E with an undefeated record of five wins and one draw, against Melbourne Victory (Australia), FC Seoul (Korea Republic), and Chiangrai United (Thailand). The Chinese side has only conceded four goals in six matches, while their offence led by Renato AUGUSTO, Jonathan VIERA, and ALAN, registered 12 goals during the same span. Ahead of the match, coach Hasegawa shared his aspiration, “We have nothing to lose. We will give our utmost efforts.” Higashi also mentioned, “In order to play as many matches as possible in Qatar, we will give our best.”

Tournament Information