A battle against arch-rival Kobe, betting on the opening winning streak

Kobe is not a good match. Last year, we played two games and lost both, and we were overwhelmed by Kobe's hard press from the front line, unable to create our attacking style and unable to show Tokyo's strengths. Kobe's coach Kawakatsu played with Tokyo Gas, the predecessor of Tokyo, and is familiar with Tokyo (= Okuma)'s soccer. He is also the J1 coach who knows Okuma's personality and way of thinking the best, making it a difficult and incompatible team for Tokyo to fight against.

However, for Tokyo, this day is an important match to bet on their consecutive opening wins. In order to achieve the best opening dash by surpassing last year's 1st stage 3 consecutive wins and 2nd stage 5 consecutive wins, they couldn't worry about past compatibility and aimed for a victory. In the previous round's home opening match at Tokyo Stadium, they were riding on a dramatic V-goal victory and the team's atmosphere was good, so they couldn't even think about losing.

On the other hand, Kobe, like Tokyo, has been riding a wave of momentum after a dramatic victory over Yokohama F.Marinos in the previous round, and this day is also their home opener, making it a crucial match that cannot be lost. It is expected to be an intense and exciting game as both teams clash with their own motivations and determination.

Struggling against Kobe's comeback without establishing a foothold in the front line

Before the match, Coach Okuma's instructions were, "Because the opponent's center back and goalkeeper are tall, we need to supply fast balls from the side that can be headed by diving by Robisu. Also, when building our attack, we need to first put a solid wedge at Robisu's feet."

This year, Kobe boasts a strong 187cm center back, Shijikurei, and an experienced Santos, who at 40 years old, still shows no signs of decline, in the defensive midfield. Their defense is stronger than last year. As for Tokyo, their strategy is to first pass the ball to the skilled Lohbusu, and use him as a base to attack from the sides with players like Amaral and Seigo Kobayashi, or with fullbacks like Sato, Fujiyama, and Naito.

However, when the game started, just like last year, due to the intense press throughout the Kobe ground and the unstable ball control caused by the slippery ground conditions, the wedge to Robisu did not fit perfectly and the desired attacking shape could not be created. In a hurry to go forward, even when desperately supplying long balls to the front line of Robisu and Amaral, they were either bounced back by Shijikurei's powerful defense or cut off by the sharp Santos, resulting in a difficult situation of receiving sharp counters.

When Kobe takes the ball, they always go through the two game makers, Mochizuki and Daniel, and then pass the ball to the top, Kazu, and then expand to the side. There, midfielders Yoshimura and Matsuo jump out and persistently cross the ball. In the 9th minute, a cross from the left side (Tokyo's right side) was aimed at the goal by Nuno with a high header, but it went slightly to the right. In the immediate 13th minute, the same left side was broken through, and a sharp ground cross passed in front of the goal, creating a dangerous situation. Furthermore, in the 17th minute, Shijikurei joined the attack and expanded to the left side, where Matsuo ran in and cut back to the middle, shooting a powerful middle shot with his right foot that hit the bar. "Kobe is playing the soccer that Tokyo wants to play..." Such a situation continued.

Naito's side change and Miura's middle shot

The first chance for Tokyo to create an attack that went as planned came in the 14th minute. Naito, who had the ball near the center line on the right side, sent a long pass to the opposite side of the front line. Amaral ran into the center and headed the ball to Seigo Kobayashi. Kobayashi dribbled past one defender with momentum and took a powerful shot from the front of the goal, but it narrowly missed to the right. This was the first direct chance, but Naito's veteran move of a big side change became an effective option for their attacks throughout the game.

Another player who showed effective movement and provided stimulation in this uncertain situation was Sandro. Frustrated by the inability to create a base in the front line as usual, Sandro gradually began to make moves towards the front line. In the 31st minute, he reacted to a ball that was passed to Rohisu from the defensive line. Rohisu competed for the ball and Sandro positioned himself well to pick up the loose ball. He immediately took a powerful shot, but unfortunately it was saved by the Kobe goalkeeper. This bold move and accurate shot surprised the opponent and gave courage to his teammates. In the following 36th minute, Naito also took a strong volley from the center of the goal after a corner kick, but it was once again saved by the Kobe goalkeeper. As Tokyo gained momentum, in the 39th minute, Sato aimed and crossed the ball into the goal area, where Sandro ran in and headed it in for a goal!!! However, it was ruled offside for some reason. The opening goal was just an illusion.

Two goals conceded from regrettable set pieces

5 minutes into the second half, the game started to move. From a corner kick, Tsuchiya scored a header for Kobe, giving up the first goal. Due to movements from Miura, the marking on players like Robisu and Amaral began to shift, and Tokyo gradually found a way to attack. It was a very regrettable goal to concede, especially since it came at a time when Tokyo was just starting to find their attacking rhythm. Shortly after, taking advantage of the opponent's carelessness, a through pass from Robisu to Amaral on the front line was successful, but the shot was cleared by a defender just before it could reach the goalkeeper. The game became more intense, with both teams quickly transitioning between offense and defense.

Tokyo is moving here. In the 11th minute of the second half, Kelly was substituted for Sato. On his 13th day in Japan, Kelly immediately showed his level difference. Kelly, who entered the right side, easily broke through the opponent and distributed a precise cross. Furthermore, not only did he go by himself, but he also made chances by breaking through the side one after another with Amaral, Lori, and others in a one-two. In the 17th minute, Koniya was substituted for Seigo Kobayashi. Tokyo, who wants to quickly get into rhythm, aimed for a folding attack here.

However, in the 22nd minute of the second half, once again, they allowed Kobe to score an additional goal from a set piece at a time when they had to endure. Until then, the defense had been well protected by a high level of concentration and intense play centered around Sandro and Tetsuya ITO's center back, despite being broken down on the sides. However, after clearing a free kick from a deep position on the left side, the ball was picked up by the opponent and crossed into the box, where "Kobe's King" Kazu headed it in for a 2-point lead. Tokyo was confused by the ironic and difficult turn of events, conceding goals twice in a period where they had almost gained control of the rhythm.

Challenges and Expectations

Tokyo, who was pushed into a difficult situation, substituted Masuda for Asari in the 25th minute and tried to break through with the same ultra-attacking formation as the previous game against Verdy. However, there was no space against Kobe, who completely retreated and defended, and even when they passed the ball outside the penalty area and tried to break through the center or cross from the side, they couldn't score. On the contrary, they were struggling as Asari kept the ball in the space created by the counterattack and wasted time. Still, Tokyo continued to aim for a goal until the end, creating chances from Kelly's breakthroughs and Masuda's sharp movements. In stoppage time, Masuda jumped in to head a powerful shot from the cross sent by Kina on the right, but it was stopped by the goalkeeper's fine save. And time was up. On this day, it seemed like it was the goalkeeper's lucky day as he made miraculous saves one after another, but not being able to score in the first half was a big factor. Miura and Naito's situational judgment when there is no base point in the front line, Kelly's potential, etc., all make us look forward to the future, but especially the lack of runs to the sides and the low accuracy of crosses in the first half need to be addressed urgently. While the challenges have been highlighted, it was also a game where we could feel the expectations and excitement for the future.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

It was unfortunate that not being able to score in the first half affected us until the end. In defense, it was disappointing to concede a goal due to a lack of concentration from a set piece during a crucial time when we wanted to hold on a little longer.

Today, I instructed the team to focus on attacking from the outside because the opponent's center back was tall. However, after Kelly was subbed in during the second half, we were able to have good attacks. However, towards the end, we became flustered due to the score and time, resulting in many failed attempts to score and ultimately being unable to break through. Moving forward, we need to switch our mindset and prepare to play in a good condition for the next match.