Finally, on April 29 (Friday, holiday), Tokyo will compete in the first J-League match at the Japan National Stadium.
Before the renovation of the National Stadium, many official matches were held since the first year of joining the J-League. There were memorable super plays and impactful events. Since the long-awaited title was won, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National.
Before taking a new step at National, let's look back at the footprints and memories left at National along with photos from that time.
Hat-trick in the 2008 Derby
【Match Information】
2008 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup / Group B Sec. 6
FC Tokyo 4-2 Verdy
The 2008 season of the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup continued with a tumultuous series of developments. The qualifying group was tangled, and the advancement to the Final Round was carried over to the final match against Verdy.
On May 6, in the first match against Verdy at Ajinomoto Stadium during Sec. 4 of the qualifying group, Kenta MUKUHARA made his professional debut alongside Hideki SAHARA, successfully containing Verdy's Hulk and achieving a shutout victory.
On the other hand, in this final match, Hitoshi SHIOTA, who has been guarding the goal until now, has a fever. Sagara is suspended. And standing in front of Verdy's goal is his former ally, Yoichi DOI... with various stories and coincidences, the excitement and anticipation were undeniably rising.
The second "Tokyo Showdown" is an away game at the National Stadium.
The score changed early in the first half. Although we allowed the first goal in the 11th minute, in the 16th minute, Yohei KAJIYAMA sent a long pass behind Verdy's defense line, and Cabore scored with a looping shot over the opponent's goalkeeper to equalize. However, in the 19th minute, we conceded again as Hulk powerfully scored a free kick from about 35 meters out, allowing Verdy to take the lead once more.
Still, Tokyo attacked without hesitation. In the heated contest, in the 43rd minute of the first half, Miku Hara's daring overlap earned a corner kick, and Naotake HANYU's kick was headed into the net by Sota HIRAYAMA.
Tokyo finished the first half with a tie and gained momentum. Right after the start of the second half, Cabore broke through on the right side and sent a low cross. Hirayama slid in to push it in despite losing his balance.
With Hirayama's comeback goal, the stands heated up. Encouraged by that cheer, they maintained the attitude of "going for another goal" throughout the second half.
In the 31st minute of the second half, Cabore once again broke through on the side to win a corner kick. The kicker is Naohiro ISHIKAWA. Nao's kick was perfectly delivered to Hirayama at the near post, allowing him to score the fourth goal with a header. This marks Hirayama's first professional hat-trick, pulling Verdy ahead.
On this day, when they secured their place in the Final Round, Sota HIRAYAMA, the "National Man," radiated a significant presence. His dynamism transformed the pitch and the stands into one, turning National into a home ground despite being treated as the away team.
Text by Yu Fujiwara (Freelance Writer)
