Weakness? Formidable High School Team

Tokyo, who had a tough time against high school students (Kusatsu Higashi High School / Shiga Prefecture representative) in the 1st round of the Emperor's Cup last week. Whether it was due to the pressure of "J1 promotion" or the difficulty of playing against high school students, they ended up playing a "disappointing game" with a score difference of 2-0. And in the 2nd round, the opponent was once again high school students. The team they faced on this day, Hatsushiba Hashimoto High School (Wakayama Prefecture representative), is famous for producing Yoshihara (Kota) player, who is currently active as the ace of Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, but they have rapidly gained national level strength in recent years as a young school founded only 9 years ago. They have secured their 5th appearance in the winter high school soccer championship and also achieved both the Kinki tournament (2 prefectures and 4 prefectures) with Kusatsu Higashi High School this year, showing their strength. In the 1st round of the Emperor's Cup, they defeated a university team (Hachinohe University) and advanced to the 2nd round. Tokyo also has a bitter experience of barely winning with a golden goal against Ehime FC Youth in the 2nd round of the Emperor's Cup in 1997, so they cannot afford to be careless just because they are high school students. In order to end the season with a bang at Nishigaoka, they want to play a good game with 100% of their strength, no matter who the opponent is!

First half with lingering anxiety

"Even though we are passing the ball, we can't score." Anyone who watched the first half of this game must have felt that way. Tokyo completely dominated the ball from the start. Except for a momentary lapse in the 5th minute where they were caught off guard and the opponent broke through the right side, it was all Tokyo's pace. The players, who deeply reflected on their performance in the first round last week, have regained their fighting spirit and are constantly tough in challenges, winning the ball and eliminating unnecessary plays to move towards the goal. In the first round, the opponent's pressure was one step behind, causing poor ball control overall, but in this game, they were able to pass the ball with fewer touches and make bold attacks from the sides. However, they still couldn't score because they couldn't break through the opponent's solid defense in front of the goal. The opponent was well aware that they would be under attack and naturally tightened their defense in front of the goal. They are known for their strong defense, with two tall players at 184cm who are also strong in the air. Even with Amaral, simple crosses were not effective. On the right side, Yukihiro and Umeyama's "promise" one-two passes broke through a few times, but they couldn't penetrate deeper and had few scoring opportunities. So, from the left side, dribbler Fujiyama tried to bring the ball into the center alone, but it wasn't scary for the opponent's crowded defense. The combination with Okuhara, who is on the left front line, didn't quite work and the attacks from the side (i.e. outside) lost their power. The problem was how to pull the central center back out to the side. In the first half, the two top players, Amaral and Enomoto, kept playing in the center and didn't move to the outside or behind. Almir, who distributes passes there, also tends to come into the center, so the opponent's defense line stayed compact and didn't break down.

The two goals in the first half were simply due to a difference in personal experience. The first goal came in the 14th minute, when Yukihiko crossed from the left short corner and Almir faked a header in the center, trapping the ball with his chest and powerfully shooting with his right foot. The second goal came in the 42nd minute, when Almir kept the ball on the right side and crossed it to the center, where Amaral calmly controlled it and took advantage of the goalkeeper's movement. Both goals were not a result of breaking down the opponent, but rather a product of individual skill and experience.

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

At halftime, Tokyo Eleven, instructed by coach Okuma, regained their breath and were instructed to move Amaral and Enomoto as a two-top and make another deep cut on the side. In the 4th minute, Yukihiro kept the ball on the right side and Umayama rushed past him. With perfect timing, Umayama passed to Yukihiro and shook off the opponent, heading to the center. Enomoto was waiting for this cross and scored the third goal with a powerful header. Tokyo did not let up on their attack. In the 11th minute, Almir kept the ball on the left side and passed a soft pass to Amaral, who had drifted to the left of the goal. The defender marking Amaral couldn't resist and committed a foul. Okuhara scored this penalty and got the fourth goal. In addition, in the 21st minute, Kaburagi, who had entered the field midway from the left side, crossed the ball to Amaral, who passed it to Almir in the center. Almir dribbled to the side and dodged the opponent's defender, then shot with his right foot, scoring the fifth goal. Finally, in the 89th minute, Kaburagi received a perfect heel pass from Okuhara on the counter and ran vertically on the left side. Kaburagi drew the opponent enough and then made a last pass to Almir, who calmly scored the sixth goal, completing a hat-trick.

Originally, high school students had a shorter game time (80 minutes), so it was expected that they would run out of stamina in the second half, but even considering that, Tokyo's game management in the second half was commendable. In defense, Sandro, Komine, and Asari in the central midfield were stable, and in attack, their movement, passing, chance creation, and above all, their attitude of actively taking shots improved significantly. Next up is the long-awaited match against a J1 team. First, on the 12th of next week (Sunday), they will face Shonan Bellmare at the Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium. In the past three matches in the Emperor's Cup, they have won one and lost two. In last year's tournament, they faced each other in the third round and lost 1-2 while controlling the game at Tokyo's pace. This time, the situation is different, with Tokyo being promoted to J1 next season and Bellmare being relegated to J2. This changes their mindset from "it's okay to lose" to "we can't afford to lose," and with the pressure from their surroundings, Tokyo will feel the pressure. However, the players have already experienced the "real pressure" in the J1 promotion battle and have overcome it, so they are not burdened. Bellmare will also show their determination. It is expected to be a tough game where every goal counts, but they want to win and advance to the 4th round.