Struggling? Tough Opponent: High School Team

Tokyo struggled against high school students (Kusatsu Higashi High School / Shiga Prefecture representative) in last week's Emperor's Cup 1st Round. Whether it was due to relaxation after completing the major task of "J1 promotion" or the difficulty of playing against high school students, the game was disappointing beyond the 2-0 scoreline. Then came the 2nd Round, where the opponent is once again a high school team. The team facing off today, Hatsushiba Hashimoto High School (Wakayama Prefecture representative), is famous for producing Yoshihara (Kota), who is currently a star player for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. Although a young school founded only nine years ago, they have rapidly developed into a national-level team in recent years. They have qualified for the winter high school soccer championship for the fifth time and shared the championship with Kusatsu Higashi High School in this year's Kinki Tournament (covering 2 prefectures and 4 counties), proving their strength. In the Emperor's Cup 1st Round, they defeated a university team (Hachinohe University) to advance to the 2nd Round. Tokyo also has a bitter memory of struggling greatly against Ehime FC Youth in the 1997 Emperor's Cup 2nd Round, barely winning with a golden goal in extra time, so they cannot afford to be careless just because the opponent is a high school team. To finish the final game of the season at Nishigaoka on a high note, regardless of the opponent, Tokyo wants to play a good game giving 100% of their ability!

First Half with Remaining Concerns

"We are passing the ball, but not scoring." Anyone who watched the first half that day must have felt this way. Tokyo completely controlled the ball from the very start. Except for a momentary lapse at the 5th minute when the right side was broken through, putting them in a big crisis, it was entirely Tokyo's pace. The players, who deeply reflected after the 1st Round last week, regained their fighting spirit, always playing tough in one-on-one situations, and when they took the ball, they eliminated unnecessary plays and headed straight for the goal. In the 1st Round, the opponent's pressure was a step slow, causing overall poor ball release, but on this day, they passed the ball rhythmically with few touches and boldly attacked from the sides. Still, they struggled to score because they couldn't completely break down the opponent's solid defense in front of the goal. The opponent, fully aware of being attacked, naturally fortified their goal area. Known for their strong defense, the team had two tall players standing 184 cm, making them strong in aerial duels. No matter how much Amaral was there, simple crosses did not work. On the right side, Yukihiko and Umeyama repeatedly broke through with their 'classic' one-twos, but they couldn't penetrate deeper, resulting in few clear chances. On the left side, dribbler Fujiyama tried to carry the ball alone into the center, but charging into the densely packed opposing defenders was not threatening. The combination with Okuhara on the left front did not quite click, and attacks from the side (the outside) weakened. The problem was how to draw the central center backs out wide. In the first half, the two forwards Amaral and Enomoto repeatedly played post-up in the center and rarely moved outside or behind. Almir, who distributed passes there, also came into the center, so the opponent's defensive line remained compact in the middle and did not collapse.

The two goals in the first half were simply due to the difference in individual experience. The first goal came in the 14th minute when Yukihiko delivered a cross from a short corner on the left, and Almir, pretending to head the ball, trapped it with his chest and scored powerfully with his right foot. The second goal came in the 42nd minute when Almir maintained possession on the right side and delivered a cross to the center, where Amaral calmly scored after a superb control, watching the goalkeeper's movement. Both goals were not created by breaking down the opponent, but rather stemmed from individual skills and experience.

Second half explosion! Almir's first hat-trick!

At halftime, Coach Okuma instructed the Tokyo Eleven to focus on the movements of the two forwards, Amaral and Enomoto, and to make a deeper cut on the sides. Revitalized in the second half, at 4 minutes, Yukihiko kept possession on the right side, and Umeyama fiercely overtook on the outside. At the perfect timing, Yukihiko passed to Umeyama, who shook off the opponent and moved to the center. Enomoto, waiting for this cross, headed powerfully and scored the third goal. Tokyo did not ease up on the attack. At 11 minutes, Almir kept possession on the left side, and when Amaral moved toward the left side of the goal, Almir delivered a soft floating pass. The defender marking Amaral fouled him, resulting in a penalty kick which Okuhara converted for the fourth goal. Then at 21 minutes, Kaburagi, who had come on as a substitute, crossed from the left side. Amaral received it and passed to Almir in the center. Almir dribbled sideways, evaded the defender, and shot with his right foot, scoring the fifth goal. Finally, at 89 minutes, on a counterattack, Kaburagi received an exquisite heel pass from Okuhara on the left side and charged forward. After drawing the opponent sufficiently, Kaburagi made a final pass to Almir running into the center. Almir calmly scored the sixth goal, completing his hat-trick.

Originally, high school students have shorter match times (80 minutes), and stamina loss in the second half was expected, but even considering that, Tokyo's management of the second half was commendable. Defensively, Sandro, Komine, and the defensive midfielder Asari provided stability, and offensively, the amount of movement, passing, chance creation, and above all, the proactive attitude in taking shots improved significantly. From now on, the battles against J1 teams await. First, on the 12th (Sunday) next week, they will face Bellmare at Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium. In past Emperor's Cup encounters, there have been three matches with one win and two losses. In last year's tournament, they met in the 3rd Round, and although Tokyo controlled the pace, they narrowly lost 1-2. This time, the situation is different: Tokyo is moving up to J1 next season, while Bellmare is relegated to J2, reversing their positions. The mindset has shifted from "losing is acceptable" to "losing is not an option," and from the surrounding voices, Tokyo will feel the pressure. However, the players who experienced and overcame "real pressure" in the recent J1 promotion battle have no anxiety. Bellmare will also show their determination. It is expected to be a tough game decided by a single goal, but Tokyo definitely wants to win and advance to the following 4th Round.