Dream Match with the World Champion, Real Madrid

　Finally, the day has come. A dream preseason match between FC Tokyo and Real Madrid (hereafter referred to as Real) - the 'Suntory Dream Match Supported by GTF Greater Tokyo Festival 2003'. Real, having conquered the world in last year's Toyota Cup, is truly a dream team with representatives from various countries. This is the first matchup against a Japanese club team, and it is a match that draws attention not only from supporters but from everyone. Although it is a friendly match, it is a significant challenge for FC Tokyo. They will face this competition head-on.

　Tokyo is missing Ishikawa, Suzuki, Tokunaga, and Amaral, who was selected for the U-22 Olympic team for the Egypt expedition, as well as Jean due to injury. The starting lineup includes GK Doi, DF from the right: Kaji, Fujiyama, Shigeno, Kanazawa. In the holding midfield are Miura and Miyazawa. Right MF Toda, left MF Baba. Kelly is positioned centrally, with Abe at the forefront. On the other side, Real is missing MF Zidane due to injury. The starting lineup includes GK Cesar, DF from the right: Salgado, Ruben, Helguera, Bravo. Makelele is in the holding midfield. Right MF Beckham, left MF Solari, with Figo in the attacking midfield. Raul and Portillo form the two-top formation. The Japan National Stadium gathered 54,268 spectators as the rain began to fall in the evening, welcoming the kickoff.

Surpassing Real without hesitation

　It was Tokyo that created chances from the start. In the 3rd minute, Abe received a long cross-field pass from Miyazawa on the left side and returned it to Kanazawa, leading to Miura's mid-range shot. This was the first shot of the day. Following that, after winning a goal kick from the opponent, Abe attempted to break through in the penalty area and earned a corner kick. In the 4th minute, from a short corner, Miyazawa delivered a cross, and Shigeno headed the ball at the far side. In the 6th minute, Miyazawa took a long shot. With solid pressing from the front line to win the ball back, they quickly transitioned from defense to attack, closing in on the Real goal.

　Real started sluggishly, struggling with coordination and unable to connect passes. However, in the 7th minute, Figo's free kick was precisely met by Raul in front of the goal, resulting in a header shot. Although the ball, with a gentle trajectory, was saved by Dohi with one hand, it showed the danger of converting a single chance into a goal. Meanwhile, Tokyo took control with an aggressive attitude. They persistently stole the ball and transitioned into quick attacks. In the 8th minute, Baba charged from the left to the center with a dribble. Beckham, attempting to tackle from behind, received a yellow card. Miyazawa aimed directly at the free kick earned from this, but it was blocked by the wall. In the 10th minute, Kelly intercepted a feed from the Real defense and took a looping shot. With bold interceptions led by Fujiyama, Kelly's ball retention, and the passes from Miyazawa and Baba, they created a rhythm that prevented Real from generating any real chances.

　In the 18th minute, a free kick from about 20 meters in front of the goal was awarded, and Beckham aimed for the goal, but Doi made a nice save. In the 20th minute, after a steal by Shigeno, Baba competed with the opposing DF, and Miyazawa picked up the loose ball and took a powerful mid-range shot. Unfortunately, it hit the DF and resulted in a corner kick. In the 24th minute, a pass was made from Abe on the left side to Kelly in the left area. Toda tried to connect with a negative cross in the center, but the DF cut it off. In the 30th minute, Kaji, who made an overlap, sent a ground pass to Toda at the foot of the goal. However, Toda's shot went over the bar, missing a big chance to take the lead. In the 31st minute, Miyazawa picked up a loose ball near the center circle and made a long pass. Toda, who broke through the DF line, attempted a direct shot on the ball coming from behind, but the ball went over the bar.

Although they showed great plays in both offense and defense, they conceded a goal from Beckham's free kick.

　Tokyo created a series of big chances, but if they missed this opportunity, the momentum shifted to Real. In the 32nd minute, Figo dribbled through the DF and advanced into Tokyo's territory, passing to Raul, who delivered a one-touch through pass in front of the goal. Portillo broke free behind the DF. Although Doih's brave advance prevented a shot, a decisive scene was created with two passes from Figo to Raul to Portillo. Additionally, due to the dedicated work of the holding midfielder Makelele, Tokyo increasingly lost the ball in midfield. In the 34th minute, Beckham's free kick from the right side was headed by Solari at the far side. Elguera aimed for the rebound from Doih's fine save, but the Tokyo DF cut it off.

　However, in the 37th minute, Kaji fouled Jorse SOLARI, who was trying to receive a through pass in front of the goal, resulting in a free kick. Beckham's free kick taken from the left corner of the penalty area went through the right side of the wall and into the goal. Doi couldn't reach it, allowing the first goal. With this, Real gained momentum and gradually took control of the midfield. With their elegant passing, Raul and Figo alternately sent decisive passes to the front line. Then, just before the end of the first half, in the 44th minute, Figo stole the ball in Tokyo's half and dribbled forward, receiving a return pass from Raul, delivering a sharp through pass from the right side of the area to the center. Portillo's shot from close range was initially blocked by Doi with a fine save, but Jorse SOLARI, who followed up, scored from a tight angle, adding another goal. Tokyo found themselves two goals behind.

　In the second half, Tokyo substituted Abe for Chan (Wu). Real Madrid made a sudden change, bringing in four players: FW Ronaldo, MF Cambiasso, DF Roberto CARLOS, and Pavon. In the 47th minute, Kanazawa picked up a loose ball in midfield, dribbled past the Real Madrid defense, and seeing an opening, took a shot from just outside the area. Unfortunately, it went just over the top right corner. In the 48th minute, Miyazawa aimed for the goal from a left free kick. Although Tokyo showed an even contest at the start, Real Madrid repositioned Figo to the right side and Beckham to one of the double pivot positions. With calm and composed movements, they dominated the game with quick passing.

Despite conceding 3 goals against the world, they fought bravely for 90 minutes.

　In the 58th minute, a vertical pass from Beckham to Ronaldo is made. Ronaldo sends it to the goal area with a one-touch pass, and Raul, free between Tokyo's defenders, takes a shot. In the 59th minute, Figo is fouled on the right side of the area, quickly restarting the play, and Raul heads the free kick. Both attempts narrowly miss the goal, and Tokyo escapes danger. In the 60th minute, Miyazawa boldly attempts a long-range shot, but it goes straight to the goalkeeper. In the 61st minute, a pass from Baba reaches Kelly, who runs into the area from the right side, but the cross sent into the middle is cut off by the defender. In the 63rd minute, Kajiyama is brought in to replace Miyazawa. Immediately after, connecting from a goal kick, Kelly starts a dribble from the right side. Using Toda in front of the goal as a decoy, he moves to the left and takes a shot while free. However, the ball just barely goes left, missing a great opportunity.

　Real Madrid in the 65th minute, from Beckham to Ronaldo on the right side. Connecting a flowing one-touch pass, Raul finished in front of the goal, but Doih escaped to a corner kick. In the 68th minute, Ronaldo received a fast and strong vertical pass from Cambiasso, and despite being pushed by Shigeno in the penalty area, he shot. The ball crossed the goal and hit the right post. Immediately after that, another vertical pass from Cambiasso to Raul → Ronaldo. Ronaldo evaded the Tokyo defense and sent a through ball to a free-running Raul in front of the goal. The wave attack escaped offside, and Tokyo desperately defended against the repeated crises.

　Tokyo made substitutions at the 70th minute, replacing Miura with Asari, and at the 72nd minute, replacing Toda with Yusuke KONDO. With Yusuke KONDO on the right, Kajiyama on the left, and Chan and Asari as defensive midfielders, they aimed to counterattack. At the 78th minute, Yusuke KONDO dribbled aggressively from the right side toward the center and passed to the left side of the area, where Kelly took a shot. However, the ball went far off target. At the 84th minute, Fukuda came in for Baba. Everyone chased the ball well, raising hopes for a goal, but they could not create a decisive scoring chance. At the 85th minute, Real used wide passing across the field, and Elguera passed forward. Ronaldo entered a shooting motion with intricate footwork, but Tokyo's defense cut it off. Then at the 86th minute, after intercepting Tokyo's attack, a single pass was made to Ronaldo up front. Ronaldo faced a one-on-one with Moniwa and made a final pass to the center. Solari trapped the ball, but Doi rushed out and caught it. However, at the 88th minute, Ronaldo received a pass at the left corner of the penalty area, challenged the defense, and took a shot. The ball flew like an arrow into the right side of the goal. With world-class play, he drew a sigh from the stands and scored the decisive goal. Including 2 minutes of stoppage time, Tokyo repeatedly challenged the goal without giving up, but time ran out. The match ended in a 0-3 defeat. However, this experience of competing against the world will surely lead to the next step. Additionally, Kanazawa received the Outstanding Player Award.

【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"The opponent was different. Even under pressure, they remained unshaken. I didn't expect to take so many shots in the end, but I did try to be aggressive from the start. I think I was able to show my strengths, but if I didn't score, I probably wouldn't have made an impact on the opponent." 《Mobina》"As we adjusted the line, fatigue gradually set in for the defensive line, but I think we were compact and perfect until the 30th minute of the first half. I didn't want to pull back. If it weren't for Beckham's free kick, the outcome might not have been clear until the end. Personally, I wanted to feel the difference from the world in one-on-one situations. However, the opponent often focused on team play and passing. When I faced Ronaldo, I signaled with my hand, 'Come on!' but it ended without a shot. That was disappointing."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We wanted to make the Real Madrid players take us seriously. Our condition during the season is better, so we took an aggressive approach from the start. Against world-class players, if you get scared and retreat, you'll get beaten, and just defending by retreating the whole time isn't interesting. In the first half, as planned, even though they controlled the ball a bit, we applied pressure from the front and managed to make several passes that cleverly exploited the space behind the opponent. If we had scored then, it would have been more exciting, and without Beckham's free kick, the game might have unfolded differently. However, we conceded first and then allowed an additional goal just before halftime, which was disappointing. Still, in the second half, while using young players, I think we fought until the end against the world's most famous club. I am very pleased to have been given this opportunity, and I believe it will benefit both the players individually and the team going forward. The world-class play he shows on the field is truly amazing, and facing what we usually see on TV in person on the pitch was a great learning experience. Ideally, we wanted to score first and get at least one goal, but I think we did well until the end of the match."

[Summary of the press conference by Real Madrid coach Carlos] "It was a very good match for Real Madrid, a match with good content. We faced the problems we anticipated, but we were able to raise our rhythm and deal with them ourselves. We were able to adjust and advance what we had been trying to do for a while in this match. In the first half, the pitch conditions and rain had an impact, but as time went on, we were able to control it ourselves and organized. After that, we focused on how to execute the tactics we envisioned with greater precision. That resulted in the opening goal. I would also like to sincerely thank FC Tokyo. They were a very competitive team with a good mentality, boldly aiming for the goal."

[Real Madrid Player Comments] Raul: "I think the audience was satisfied. We gave our best and fought with all our strength for 90 minutes. The FC Tokyo player who left an impression on me was Kelly. I was careful about him, and he also put me in dangerous situations. There were two others as well, but unfortunately, I don't remember their jersey numbers. I think they were fast players." Ronaldo: "Today's match was important for us. FC Tokyo marked well and applied pressure. However, they seemed to get tired gradually, and spaces opened on both sides, allowing us to attack from there. We made the most of the chances given and were able to score goals that satisfied the fans. Among FC Tokyo players, the Brazilian player (Kelly) left an impression. I didn't know him in Brazil, but after facing him, I thought he was a high-quality player." Elguera: "I scored two goals at the end of the first half, but I wasn't in good form during the first half. Normally, we are an attacking team, but I think we were able to play that way in the second half. Scoring three goals means we had an offensive game. Regarding FC Tokyo, I share the same opinion as Ronaldo and Raul; rather than individual players, the team as a whole was a good team."