First goal is scored by Kobayashi!

Tokyo, defended against Kobe's fierce attacks with fine saves from GK Horiike and clearances from DF Sandro, gradually began to take control of the pace. Sato and Kaburagi created chances from their strong counterattacks. In the 37th minute, Almir crossed the free kick from the right side into the goal area, and Sato won the ball and pushed it in for the first goal. After that, Kobayashi's flexible dribbling skills were on display, even outplaying J1 players. Tokyo gained momentum and the flow of the game shifted in their favor, with Kobe feeling the pressure. It was truly a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. In the second half, the attacking and defending continued to go back and forth. Kobe shifted their attack from early crosses from the side to a more compact midfield with Kim dropping back. On the other hand, Tokyo's Almir was able to keep possession in the midfield and distribute good passes to Fuyama on the left and Sato on the right. This led to chances being created from the sides.

J1's fierce attack

The opponent for the first match of the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup is Vissel Kobe from J1. Kobe is an attacking team with three South Korean representatives, but in this season's J1 league, they have yet to win a game and are in a tough situation. That's why they want to win today's match against a lower-ranked J2 team no matter what. The match started with Kobe's fierce attack. Against Tokyo, who were struggling with the speed and power of the J1 team, Kobe dominated the ball with sharp starts and intense charges. Midfielder Hasebe built up the game, and right winger Choi created chances with sharp crosses. Ace striker Kaneko is a great player with a combination of speed, power, and technique, and although Sandro marked him closely, there were still dangerous moments where he couldn't catch up and was beaten behind. The first 15 minutes were completely one-sided. It was clear that there was a difference in level compared to the J2 teams, and it was not easy to win.

Valuable Draw

After 20 minutes into the second half, which was a back-and-forth battle, midfielder Kan who had been dropping back to playmaker role, broke through the left side and centered to the middle. The ball was contested and headed in by Kobe DF Tsuchiya who was moving up. After the tie, Tokyo brought in their ace Amaral and Okamoto in succession. With Amaral's addition, they were able to establish a base in the front line and improve their rhythm with stable post play. In the 36th minute of the second half, Sato broke through the right side with speed and sent a perfect centering pass to Amaral who was free in front of the goal. However, Amaral made a mistake in ball control and the keeper caught it. In the following 40th minute, Amaral broke through again on a long pass from Sato, but the keeper cleared it just a moment earlier and it did not result in a goal. In stoppage time, Amaral won a header from a corner kick from the left, but unfortunately it was cleared by the DF. The defense, including the GK, showed stable performance throughout the game without losing concentration, and they were able to maintain a solid defense. Although there is room for improvement as they were caught up in the second half after taking the lead in the J2 4th round against Frontale, it should be a confidence booster that they were able to put up a fight against a J1 team. They confirmed that they have improved their attacking power in addition to their solid defense from last year. They want to prove their strength in the away game next week (Wednesday, 14th, 19:00, at Kobe Univ Stadium).