Struggling? Tough Opponent: High School Team

Last week, in the 1st Round of the Emperor's Cup, Tokyo struggled against high school students (Kusatsu Higashi High School / Shiga Prefecture representative). Perhaps they relaxed after completing the significant task of "promoting to J1," or maybe it was difficult to compete against high school students; in any case, they played a game that was "colder than the score difference" (2-0). Then came the 2nd Round, where they faced high school students again. The opponent for this day, Hatsushiba Hashimoto High School (Wakayama Prefecture representative), is famous for producing player Kouta Yoshihara, who is currently active as a star for Consadole Sapporo. This young school, established only nine years ago, has rapidly developed into a nationally competitive team in recent years. They have qualified for the Winter High School Soccer Championship for the fifth time and have proven their strength by winning alongside Kusatsu Higashi High School in the Kinki Tournament (2 prefectures and 4 counties) held this year. In the 1st Round of the Emperor's Cup, they advanced to the 2nd Round by defeating a university team (Hachinohe University). Tokyo has a bitter experience from the 2nd Round of the Emperor's Cup in 1997, where they struggled against Ehime FC Youth and barely won with a golden goal in extra time, so they cannot afford to be careless just because they are facing high school students. To finish the game at Nishigaoka, which will be the last of the season, with a beautiful victory, they want to play a good game, giving 100% of their strength, regardless of the opponent!

First Half with Remaining Concerns

"Although we are moving the ball, we are not scoring." Those who watched the first half of this day must have felt that way. Tokyo completely dominated the ball from the very start. Aside from a momentary lapse in the 5th minute that allowed the right side to be breached, it was completely Tokyo's pace. The players, who reflected deeply after last week's 1st Round, had regained their fighting spirit, always being tough in ball contests, and when they won the ball, they eliminated unnecessary plays and moved towards the goal. In the 1st Round, the opponent's pressure was one tempo slow, which led to poor ball movement overall, but on this day, they moved the ball rhythmically with fewer touches and boldly attacked from the sides. Still, they struggled to score because they had not completely broken down the opponent's solid defense in front of the goal. The opponent was fully aware of being attacked and naturally fortified their goal area. They were originally known for their strong defense, with two tall players at 184 cm, making them strong in the air. Even with Amaral on the field, simple cross balls were ineffective. On the right side, Yuki and Umehara managed to break through a few times with their "promised" one-twos, but they could not penetrate deeper, resulting in few clear chances. In response, dribbler Fujiyama brought the ball into the center alone from the left side, but there was no fear in charging into a crowded area with the opponent's defenders. The combination with Okahara on the left front did not mesh well, and attacks from the side (i.e., outside) lost power. The issue was how to draw the central center-backs outwards. In the first half, the two forwards, Amaral and Enomoto, repeatedly engaged in post-play in the center and did not flow outwards or behind. Additionally, Almir, who was distributing passes, also moved into the center, causing the opponent's defensive line to remain solidly in the middle without breaking down.

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!

After halftime, the Tokyo Eleven, instructed by Coach Okuma on the movements of the two-top Amaral and Enomoto, came back to life in the second half. In the 4th minute, Yukiho kept the ball on the right side, and then Umehara surged past him. With perfect timing, a pass was made from Yukiho to Umehara, who shook off the opponent and moved to the center. Enomoto, waiting for this cross, headed the ball powerfully to score the third goal. Tokyo did not ease their attacking efforts. In the 11th minute, this time Almir kept the ball on the left side, and a soft floating pass was sent to Amaral, who had drifted to the left of the goal, causing the marking defender to commit a foul. Okahara earned this penalty kick for the fourth goal. Furthermore, in the 21st minute, Kaburaki, who came on from the left side, delivered a cross to Amaral, who received it and passed it to Almir in the center. Almir dribbled sideways to evade the opposing defender and shot with his right foot to score the fifth goal! Finally, in the 89th minute, Kaburaki received a superb heel pass from Okahara on the left side and surged forward. Kaburaki drew in the defenders before making a last pass to Almir, who calmly scored the sixth goal, achieving a hat trick.

Originally, high school students have shorter match times (80 minutes), and it was expected that they would run out of stamina in the second half. However, considering that, Tokyo's management of the second half was commendable. In defense, Sandro, Komine, and the holding midfielder Asari were stable, and in attack, their movement, passing, chance creation, and above all, their proactive shooting attitude improved significantly. Next, they will face J1 teams. First, on the 12th (Sunday) next week, they will compete against Bellmare at Hiratsuka Athletic Stadium. In past encounters in the Emperor's Cup, they have played three matches with one win and two losses. In last year's tournament, they also faced each other in the 3rd Round, where Tokyo controlled the game but lost narrowly 1-2. This time, the situation is different; Tokyo is aiming for promotion to J1, while Bellmare is heading to J2, reversing their positions. The mindset has shifted from 'it's okay to lose' to 'we cannot lose' this time, and Tokyo will feel the pressure from the surrounding voices. However, the players who experienced 'real pressure' in the recent J1 promotion battle are not burdened by it. Bellmare will likely show their determination as well. A tough game is expected, with a fierce battle for every point, but they want to win and advance to the 4th Round.