Finally, on April 29th (Fri, holiday), Tokyo will have its first J-League match at the new Japan National Stadium.
At the National Stadium before the renovation, we have played many official matches since our first year in the J-League. There were memorable super plays and impactful events. Since winning our long-awaited title, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National Stadium.
Before taking a new step at the National Stadium, let's look back at the footprints and memories we have left at the previous National Stadium 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 Yamazaki Nabisco Cup season was full of ups and downs. The qualifying group was tight, and the final round of the tournament was postponed until the last match against Verdy.
On May 6th, in the first match at Ajinomoto Stadium against Verdy in the fourth round of the qualifying group, Kenta Mukuhara, making his professional debut, along with Hideki Sahara, held off Verdy's attacks and achieved a shutout victory.
On the other hand, in this final match, Hitoshi SHIOTA, who has been guarding the goal so far, has a fever. Sasaki is suspended. And standing in the way of Verdy's goal is former teammate Yoichi DOI... There are various stories and encounters, and the excitement and expectations are inevitably rising.
The second "Tokyo Derby" will be an away game at the National Stadium.
The score changes early in the first half. In the 11th minute of the first half, Verdy conceded the first goal, but in the 16th minute, Yohei KAJIYAMA sent a long pass behind the Verdy defense line, and Cabore scored a looping shot over the opponent's goalkeeper to equalize. However, in the 19th minute, Lins scored a spectacular free kick from about 35 meters, allowing Verdy to take the lead again.
Still, Tokyo did not hesitate to attack. In the 43rd minute of the intense battle, they earned a corner kick from Mokuhara's bold overlap, and Hirayama shook the net with a header from Hanyu's kick.
Tokyo, who gained momentum by ending the first half with a tie, started the second half with Cabore breaking through the right side and sending a ground cross. Hiraoka then slid in to push it in despite losing his balance.
The stands heated up with this Hirayama's comeback goal. Driven by the cheers, they maintained their attitude of "going for one more goal" throughout the second half.
In the 31st minute of the second half, Cabore once again breaks through the side and wins a corner kick. The kicker is Naohiro Ishikawa. Naohiro's kick is sent perfectly to the feet of Nia Hirayama, who heads it in for the fourth goal. With Hirayama's first professional hat-trick, Verdy pulls away from their opponents.
On this day, when he secured a spot in the final round, Sota HIRAYAMA, also known as "National Man", made a big impact. His dynamic performance, combined with the unity of the pitch and the stands, may have been the result of turning the National Stadium into a home ground despite being treated as an away team.
Text by Yoru Fujiwara (Freelance Writer)
