World Champion, Real Madrid and Dream Match

　Finally, the day has come. The dream preseason match "Suntory Dream Match Supported by GTF Greater Tokyo Festival 2003" between FC Tokyo and Real Madrid (hereinafter Real) will be held. Real, who won the world in last year's Toyota Cup, is a truly dream team with representatives from various countries. It will be the first match against a Japanese club team and will surely attract attention even from non-supporters. Although it is a friendly match, it is a big challenge for FC Tokyo. They will face this match head on.

　Tokyo, Amaral, who was selected for the U-22 Olympic representative team's Egypt expedition, Suzuki, Tokunaga, and J-League All-Star Soccer, will also miss Jean due to injury. The starting lineup is GK Doi, DF Kaji, Fujiyama, Shigeno, and Kanazawa from the right. Miura and Miyazawa in the defensive midfield. Toda on the right MF, Baba on the left MF. Kelly in the center and Abe up front. On the other hand, Real Madrid's MF Zidane is absent due to injury. The starting lineup is GK Cesar, DF Salgado, Ruben, Elgera, and Bravo from the right. Makalele in the defensive midfield. MF Beckham on the right, Solari on the left, and Figo at the top. Raul and Portillo in the 2-top formation. The game kicked off at the National Stadium, where 54,268 spectators gathered in the evening rain.

Without hesitation, surpass Real

　Tokyo was the first to create a chance since the start. In the 3rd minute, Abe received a long side change pass from Miyazawa on the left side and returned it to Kanazawa, and Miura took a middle shot. It was the first shot of the day. Then, after taking the opponent's goal kick, Abe attempted to break through in the penalty area and won a corner kick. In the 4th minute, Miyazawa crossed from a short corner and Shigetani headed it on the far side. In the 6th minute, Miyazawa took a long shot. They pressed firmly from the front line and quickly switched from defense to attack, threatening the Real goal.

　Real, who started the game, seemed to have heavy movements and poor coordination, and their passes were not connecting. However, in the 7th minute, Raul perfectly headed in Figo's free kick in front of the goal, with a soft trajectory that caught the frame of the goal. Although Tsuchi caught the ball with one hand, it showed the danger of turning one chance into a goal. However, Tokyo took the lead with an aggressive attitude. They persistently took the ball and quickly turned it into an attack. In the 8th minute, Baba dribbled from the left to the center. Beckham, who came from behind to tackle him, received a yellow card. Miyazawa took the resulting free kick, but it was blocked by the wall. In the 10th minute, Kelly cut off a feed from Real's defense and took a looping shot. With Fujiyama leading the way with bold interceptions, Kelly's ball control, and the passes from Miyazawa and Baba, they created a rhythm and did not allow Real to create any real chances.

　At 18 minutes, Beckham aims for goal with a free kick from around 20 meters in front of the goal, but Tsuchi makes a nice save. At 20 minutes, Baba competes with the opposing DF after intercepting Shigetane, and Miyazawa picks up the loose ball and takes a powerful middle shot. Unfortunately, it hits the DF and becomes a corner kick. At 24 minutes, Abe on the left side passes to Kelly on the left side of the area. Toda tries to score in the center from a minus cross, but the DF cuts it off. At 30 minutes, Kaji overlaps and sends a ground pass to Toda's feet in front of the goal. However, Toda's shot goes over the bar, missing a big chance for the first goal. At 31 minutes, Miyazawa picks up a loose ball near the center circle and makes a long pass. Toda, who has escaped behind the DF line, shoots directly from behind, but the ball floats.

Despite playing well on both offense and defense, a goal was conceded from Beckham's free kick.

　Tokyo created big chances in succession, but if they miss this opportunity, the flow will lean towards Real. In the 32nd minute, Figo dribbled through the DF and advanced into Tokyo's territory, then passed to Raul with one touch, who then made a through pass to the front of the goal. Portillo broke through the DF's defense. Although Tsuchi's bold jump prevented a shot, Figo → Raul → Portillo created a decisive scene with two passes. Also, due to the dedicated work of the midfielder Makelele, Tokyo lost possession of the ball in the midfield more often. In the 34th minute, Beckham's free kick from the right side was headed in by Solari on the far side. Elgera tried to score on the rebound from Tsuchi's fine save, but it was cut off by Tokyo's DF.

　However, in the 37th minute, Jorse SOLARI, who was trying to receive a through pass in front of the goal, was fouled by Kaji, giving away a free kick. Beckham took the free kick from the left corner of the penalty area, passing through the right side of the wall and scoring a goal. Tsuchi's hand couldn't reach it, and they conceded the first goal. With this, Real Madrid gained momentum and gradually dominated the midfield. From a brilliant pass, Raul and Figo alternately sent decisive passes to the front line. And just before the end of the first half, Figo, who had stolen the ball in the Tokyo area, dribbled up and received a return pass from Raul, then sent a sharp through pass from the right to the center. Portillo's shot from a close distance was initially saved by Tsuchi, but SOLARI, who followed up, scored a goal from a difficult angle, adding another point. Tokyo now had to face a 2-point deficit.

　In the second half, Tokyo substituted Chang (= Wu) for Abe. Real Madrid made four substitutions at once, with FW Ronaldo, MF Cambiasso, DF Roberto Carlos, and Pavon coming in. In the 47th minute, Kanazawa picked up a loose ball in the midfield, dribbled past the Real Madrid DF, and took a shot from just outside the box. Unfortunately, it missed just wide of the top right corner. In the 48th minute, Miyazawa aimed for goal from a left free kick. While Tokyo showed an even match in the beginning, Real Madrid changed their positions with Figo on the right side and Beckham as one of the double pivot midfielders. With calm and composed movements, they dominated the game with quick passing.

Despite conceding three goals to the world, we fought bravely for 90 minutes.

　At 58 minutes, a vertical pass from Beckham to Ronaldo is successful. Ronaldo sends the ball to the front of the goal with one touch, and Raul, who is free between Tokyo DF, takes a shot. At 59 minutes, Figo is fouled on the right side of the area, and quickly restarts, with Raul heading the ball towards the FK. Both shots narrowly miss the goal, and Tokyo avoids danger. At 60 minutes, Miyazawa boldly attempts a middle shot, but it is saved by the GK. At 61 minutes, Kelly runs up from the right side to the area from Baba, but the cross he sends inside is cut off by the DF. At 63 minutes, Kajiyama is substituted for Miyazawa. Immediately after, they connect with a goal kick, and Kelly starts a dribble from the right side. He goes around Toda, who is in front of the goal, and takes a shot while free. However, the ball narrowly misses to the left, and they miss a close chance.

　Real Madrid passed the ball from Beckham to Ronaldo on the right side at 65 minutes. Raul finished with a flowing one-touch pass, but Doi escaped with a corner kick. In the 68th minute, Ronaldo received a fast and strong vertical pass from Cambiasso and took a shot in the penalty area, but was unable to get past Shigetani. The ball crossed the goal and hit the right post. Immediately after, Raul passed vertically to Ronaldo again from Cambiasso. Ronaldo evaded the Tokyo defenders and passed to Raul who was running free in front of the goal. The wave attack was offside, and Tokyo desperately defended against multiple dangerous situations.

　Tokyo made substitutions in the 70th minute, replacing Miura with Asari and Toda with Yusuke KONDO. Yusuke KONDO was placed on the right, with Kajiyama, Chan, and Asari in the midfield, in an attempt to make a comeback. In the 78th minute, Yusuke KONDO dribbled from the right side and sent a pass to the left side of the box, where Kelly took a shot. However, the shot missed the goal by a large margin. In the 84th minute, Fukuda came on for Baba. Everyone chased after the ball well and there was hope for a goal, but they were unable to create any clear goal-scoring opportunities. In the 85th minute, Real Madrid passed the ball around the field and Elgera passed it to the front line. Ronaldo made some fancy footwork and prepared to take a shot, but the Tokyo defense cut it off. Then in the 86th minute, they intercepted Tokyo's attack and passed it to Ronaldo up front with one pass. Ronaldo faced off against Mochida in a 1-on-1 situation and made a final pass to the center. Solari trapped the ball, but Tsuchi flew out and caught it. However, in the 88th minute, Ronaldo received a pass on the left corner of the penalty area and took a shot, sending the ball into the right side of the goal with a sharp trajectory. This world-class play elicited a sigh from the stands and sealed the deal with a third goal. Tokyo continued to challenge for a goal until the end, including the 2 minutes of added time, but the game ended. They suffered a 0-3 defeat. However, this experience of playing against the world will surely lead to the next step. It should also be noted that Kanazawa received the MVP award.

【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"The opponent was definitely different. Even though we put pressure on them, they didn't budge. I didn't expect to have taken so many shots, but I tried to be aggressive from the beginning. I think I was able to show my strengths, but if we didn't score, we wouldn't have been able to make an impact on the opponent."《Motonaga》"As we adjusted our defensive line, the defenders gradually got tired, but I think we were compact and perfect until the 30th minute of the first half. I didn't want to retreat. If it weren't for Beckham's free kick, we wouldn't have known who would win until the end. Personally, I wanted to feel the difference between myself and the world in one-on-one situations. However, the opponent focused on team play and passed the ball a lot. When I faced Ronaldo, I signaled with my hand to 'come on!' but it ended without taking a shot. That was disappointing."

[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "I wanted to make the Real Madrid players serious. We were in good condition during the season, so we went aggressively from the start. Against world-class players, if we are afraid and retreat, we will be defeated. It's not fun to just keep retreating and defending. In the first half, we were able to pressure from the front and make some good passes behind the opponent, as planned. If we had scored there, it would have been even more interesting, and if Beckham's free kick hadn't happened, the game might have turned out differently. However, we conceded the first goal and then another one just before the end of the first half, and it was a disappointing outcome. However, even in the second half, I think we were able to fight against the most famous club in the world until the end, while using young players. I am very happy to have been given this opportunity, and I think it will be beneficial for both the individual players and the team in the future. His world-class plays that he shows in various places are truly amazing, and I have learned a lot from actually playing against him on the field, which I have always watched on TV. I wanted to score first, and I wanted to score one goal, but I think we did well until the end of the game."

【Real Madrid Carlos Coach Press Conference Summary】"It was a very good game, a good performance for Real Madrid. We faced some expected challenges, but we were able to raise our rhythm and deal with them ourselves. We were able to adjust and progress what we have been trying to do for a while in this game. In the first half, there were some pitch conditions and rain, but as time went by, we were able to control it ourselves and organize it. After that, we focused on how to improve the accuracy and execution of our tactics. As a result, we were able to score the opening goal. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to FC Tokyo. They are a very competitive team with a strong mentality and a willingness to aim for goals."

【Real Madrid Player Comments】《Raul》"I think the audience was satisfied. We did our best and fought for 90 minutes. The player from FC Tokyo who left an impression on me was Kelly. We were careful of him and had some dangerous moments. There were two others as well, but unfortunately I don't remember their numbers. I think they were fast players."《Ronaldo》"Today's match was important for us. FC Tokyo marked us well and pressed us, but they started to get tired and left space on both sides, which allowed us to attack. We were able to score goals and satisfy our fans. The Brazilian player (Kelly) from FC Tokyo left an impression on me. I didn't know him before, but after playing against him, I realized he is a high-quality player."《Arnau》"We scored two goals at the end of the first half, but we didn't play well in the first half. We are normally an attacking team, but we were able to show that in the second half. We were able to score three goals, so I think we played an attacking game. As for FC Tokyo, I agree with Ronaldo and Raul. They were a good team, not just individual players."