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.
2009 Year, Truly Spectacular. Two Naoto Goals
【Match Information】
2009 J.League Division 1 Sec. 6
FC Tokyo 1-2 JEF United Chiba
2009 J.League Division 1 Sec. 15
FC Tokyo 2-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
The beginning of Naohiro ISHIKAWA's theater, which piled up goals one after another like a magic mallet, was at the Japan National Stadium.
The night game on April 18, 2009, at 19:04, was the J1 League Sec. 6 match against JEF United Chiba. The striking goal scored in the 18th minute, matching the jersey number, was brilliant.
Ishikawa cuts in from the left half-space towards the center. Just when it seemed he might go all the way, he turns back towards his dominant foot, as if to evade two opponents trying to run alongside or block him, and strikes powerfully. The right-footed shot was absorbed into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Nao's goals keep coming. After scoring his second goal of the season in the away match against Gamba Osaka in Sec. 8, he achieved a hat-trick in the match against Omiya Ardija held at Ajinomoto Stadium in Sec. 9, extending his record to 5 goals. He scored once each in the matches against Kawasaki Frontale in Sec. 13 on May 24 and Kashiwa Reysol in Sec. 14 on June 20, creating expectations for a third consecutive game with a goal, and Ishikawa did it again.
The second match of the year at National was Sec. 15 against Shimizu S-Pulse, once again a night game with a 19:04 kickoff. Although we took the lead with a goal from Yohei KAJIYAMA, making it his second goal of the season, we were equalized by a goal from Yonsen, making it 1-1. Four minutes later, we regained the lead with Ishikawa's eighth goal of the season, making it 2-1.
It was outside the box, but as the ball rolled in low, he caught it just before it hit the ground, and with a strong kick using the instep, the ball pierced the net at an incredible speed. This season, Ishikawa has been swinging his right foot without hesitation or strain, consistently unleashing powerful shots without missing the timing.
After this, Ishikawa scored one goal each in Sec. 16 against Vissel Kobe and Sec. 17 against Nagoya Grampus, achieving five consecutive matches with goals. In the end, he accumulated 15 goals by the time he was injured and had to withdraw by Sec. 29.
It can be said that these two goals in the 2009 season and the goal on 'J League Day' in the 2013 season created the image of 'Ishikawa strong at National.' Unfortunately, injuries followed, but the brilliance of 2009 will forever remain in the memories of the blue and red supporters.
Text by Katsu Goto (Freelance Writer)
