The opening goal was scored by Kobayashi!

Tokyo, which defended against Kobe's fierce attacks with fine saves from goalkeeper Horiike and clearances from defender Sandro, gradually began to find their pace. From their strong counterattacks, Sato and Kaburaki broke through to create chances. In the 37th minute, Almir delivered a cross from a free kick earned on the right side, and Kobayashi pushed in the ball that Sato won in the air to take the lead. After that, Kobayashi showcased his agile dribbling skills, bewildering J1 players. With Tokyo gaining momentum and Kobe feeling the pressure, the flow shifted in favor of Tokyo. A truly evenly matched battle unfolded. After entering the second half, the back-and-forth battle continued. Kobe shifted from their early crosses from the sides shown in the first half to a strategy of strengthening the midfield by dropping back. Meanwhile, Tokyo's Almir began to maintain possession in midfield, distributing good passes to Fujiyama on the left and Sato on the right. Chances started to emerge from the sides.

J1's Fierce Attack

The opponent in the first participation of the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup is J1's Vissel Kobe. Kobe is an attacking team with three representatives from South Korea, but they have yet to secure a victory in this season's J1 league, continuing to face a tough situation. Therefore, today's match against a lower-ranked J2 team is one they desperately want to win. The match began with Kobe's fierce attack. Tokyo was bewildered by the speed and power of the J1 team, while Kobe dominated the ball with sharp starts and aggressive charges. Hasebe in the midfield organized the game, and Choi on the right created chances with precise crosses. The ace striker Kim is a talented player with speed, power, and technique, and although Sandro marked him closely, there were dangerous moments where he got behind. For about the first 15 minutes, the match was one-sided. It clearly showed the level difference between J2 teams, making it evident that winning would not be easy.

Valuable Draw

After 20 minutes into the second half, with a back-and-forth game, Kan, who had dropped back to focus on playmaking, broke through the left side and delivered a cross to the center. The contested ball turned into a scramble, and it was headed in by Kobe DF Tsuchiya, who had moved up. After the equalizer, Tokyo brought in their ace, Amaral, and Okamoto in quick succession. With Amaral's addition, a stronghold was established in the front line, and the rhythm improved with stable hold-up play. In the 36th minute of the second half, Sato broke through the right side with speed and delivered a perfect cross to the free Amaral in front of the goal. However, Amaral miscontrolled the ball, allowing the goalkeeper to catch it. In the following 40th minute of the second half, Amaral broke free from a long pass from Sato, but the goalkeeper cleared it just in time, preventing a goal. In stoppage time, Amaral won a header from a corner kick from the left, but unfortunately, it was cleared by the defense. Throughout the match, both the goalkeeper and the defensive line maintained their concentration, showing stable defense. Following the J2 match against Frontale in the 4th round, there remains a lesson learned from taking the lead only to be caught up in the second half, but the fact that they fought evenly or better against a J1 team should have boosted their confidence. They confirmed that, in addition to last year's solid defense, their attacking power has also definitely improved. They want to prove their strength in the away match next week (14th (Wed), 19:00, Kobe Univ Stadium).