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.
2009 Explosive. Two Nao 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 dramatic performance, where he scored goal after goal like the magic mallet, was at the Japan National Stadium.
Night game kick-off at 19:04 on April 18, 2009, J1 League Sec. 6 match between JEF United Chiba. The strike scored in the 18th minute of the first half, with the same number as the jersey number, was brilliant.
Ishikawa cuts in from the left half space towards the center. In a moment where it seemed like he would go all the way, he turns towards his dominant foot, evading the two opponents who were trying to block him or run alongside him, and strikes the ball with great force. The shot with his right foot is sucked into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Naogoal continues to score. In the away game against Gamba Osaka in Sec. 8, he scored his second goal of the season, and in the home game against Omiya Ardija in Sec. 9 at Ajinomoto Stadium, he achieved a hat-trick, extending his record to 5 goals. In the Sec. 13 game against Kawasaki Frontale on May 24th and the Sec. 14 game against Kashiwa Reysol on June 20th, he scored one goal each, and with expectations for a third consecutive game with a goal, Ishikawa did it again.
The second national game of the year was the 15th round match against Shimizu S-Pulse, with a 19:04 kick-off night game. Yohei KAJIYAMA scored his second goal of the season to take the lead, but YONSEN's goal equalized the score to 1-1. Just 4 minutes later, ISHIKAWA scored his 8th goal of the season to once again take the lead at 2-1.
He was outside the box, but he caught the moment when the ball rolled low and bounced, and probably kicked it hard with his instep, and this ball pierced the net at an incredible speed. This season, Ishikawa was swinging his right foot without hesitation and unleashing powerful shots without missing the timing.
Afterwards, Ishikawa scored one goal each in the 16th round against Vissel Kobe and the 17th round against Nagoya Grampus, achieving 5 consecutive goals in 5 games. In the end, he scored a total of 15 goals until he was injured in the 29th round.
It can be said that the image of "strong Ishikawa at National Stadium" was created with these two goals in the 2009 season and the goal on "J-League Day" in the 2013 season. Unfortunately, injuries piled up afterwards, but the brilliance of 2009 will continue to remain in the memories of blue and red fans forever.
Text by Katsu Goto (Freelance Writer)
