Miyazawa, J-League Debut!

The Nabisco Cup 1st Round 2nd Match was held at Ventforet Kofu's home ground, Yamanashi Prefecture Kose Sports Park Athletics Stadium.

Tokyo, who won the first match 5-0 thanks to a hat-trick by Rohi, fielded a fresh lineup on this day, featuring goalkeeper Ozawa, who made his first appearance of the season, and rookie Miyazawa, who also made his first appearance of the season, in the defensive midfield position.

Since the Nabisco Cup is decided by the aggregate score of the 1st and 2nd matches, the "5-goal lead" from the 1st match was significant, and barring any major upset, Tokyo's advancement to the 2nd Round was almost certain. Amid this, the focus of attention on this day was the rookie Miyazawa, who made his J.League official match debut locally (from Yamanashi Prefecture). Miyazawa is a rookie who joined this season from Chuo University and was a standout talent who played for the Universiade team (Japan student selection) from his third year at university. Right after joining Tokyo, he showcased his extraordinary talent in the Satellite League and practice matches. His left foot delivers a wide variety of precise and unmatched kicks, and he is highly anticipated as a left-footed player not found in Tokyo. This season, Tokyo has a deep midfield, so he had few opportunities to play, but depending on his performance this day, there was a possibility he could quickly become a "regular candidate," so a strong effort was expected. The man who holds the potential to carry Tokyo's future finally made his J.League debut.

Kofu's Spirits Rise

When the match began, it was Kofu that first got into the rhythm. Kofu had just achieved their first victory of the season (vs. Mito) at home in Kose four days prior in the J2 League, and with a mindset of "a five-goal difference," they displayed aggressive and speedy soccer. Once Kofu regained possession of the ball, they quickly spread it to both sides, particularly with right-back Fujita joining the attack with speed, creating chances by passing to Ota, who showed sharp movements and ball retention in the center. Tokyo's defensive strategy, based on "pressing from the front line," was weak, and they made many careless passing mistakes due to a lack of focus against Kofu's quick press, leading to a difficult start as they struggled against sharp counterattacks.

The goal is far away...

Tokyo finally began to create attacking plays after the 10-minute mark, with Miyazawa leading the charge. Initially, Miyazawa was taken aback by Kofu's momentum right after the kickoff, and his pressing was half-hearted, failing to win the ball. However, in the 11th minute, he intercepted the opponent's ball on the left side, dribbled forward, and delivered a perfectly timed through pass to the front line. Perhaps gaining confidence from this play, he then worked alongside Shimohira, who partnered with him as a defensive midfielder that day, to suppress the opponent's ball distribution, contributing to the team not only in attack but also in defense.

Tokyo, superior in overall strength, gradually increased their ball possession rate and created more chances in front of the goal. At the 15th minute, the energetic forward Toda charged towards the goal with individual skill, forcing the opposing defender to commit a foul. From a free kick about 25 meters in front of the goal, Rubisu took the shot, but the goalkeeper's fine save caused the ball to narrowly go over the bar. Immediately after, at the 16th minute, Miyazawa took a free kick from the center, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal. At the 20th minute, Miyazawa took a free kick from a deep position near the right side of the center line, and Rubisu connected with a high-headed shot, but the goalkeeper made a save. At the 38th minute, Shimodaira, Rubisu, and Toda combined in front of the goal, and Toda charged forward to shoot, but the opposing goalkeeper cleared it. At the 44th minute, Kelly headed the ball from a left corner kick in the center, but it narrowly went over the bar. Although Tokyo occasionally faced counterattacks from Kofu and the overall rhythm was somewhat lacking, the wide movements that went beyond Kelly's position, Toda's aggressive charges, and the intense attacking participation of both fullbacks created numerous chances, raising expectations for a goal.

Robinson's final goal! Secures advancement to the 2nd Round!

Tokyo, having created chances in the first half and returning at 0-0, launched a fierce attack right from the start of the second half. In the 2nd minute of the second half, Kelly received the ball on the right side, broke through with a one-two with Lins, and took a shot, but unfortunately it went just to the right of the goal. Following that, under the instructions from the coach at halftime, they began to consciously use side changes in their attacks, leading to increased chances from the sides with Miyazawa's large and accurate side changes and the attacking participation of both full-backs.

In the 14th minute of the second half, the long-awaited opening goal finally came. Fujiyama broke through on the left side with a dribble and delivered a cross, which hit the opposing defender. The ball bounced back, and Fujiyama headed it back into the middle. Go KABURAKI, who had run into the near post area, redirected the ball with a header towards the center of the goal, and Ryohei, who was waiting, powerfully struck it into the right corner of the goal with a high-angled header.

After that, in the 16th and 17th minutes, Kaburaki had consecutive decisive chances, and in the 24th and 30th minutes, Lins also faced critical opportunities, but they were unable to score additional points due to the opponent's goalkeeper's fine saves. Conversely, from the 30th minute of the second half, Kofu's Daily repeatedly threatened Tokyo's goal, resulting in an unstable game until the end. This was because, although Shitohira continued to apply intense pressure alone in the midfield, the defense from the front line, including Lins, was weak, and it was unclear where to regain possession of the ball.

The match ended with Tokyo winning 1-0, and with a total score of 6-0 over the 1st and 2nd matches, Tokyo secured their advancement to the 2nd Round. It is true that the "five-goal difference" had lowered motivation, but all things considered, I want to genuinely celebrate this result. Ozawa, who is making his debut, kept a clean sheet, and Miyazawa also showed decent performance, which is a positive aspect. Moving forward, we will switch our mindset and prepare in top condition for the match against Ichihara on the 29th!

[Coach Okuma's Comments]

Today, since we had a five-point lead, I gave opportunities to players in good condition and those who have worked hard until now. Miyazawa played in his first official J-League match, and while it's uncertain whether his performance today will lead to J1, he showed very good things when he had the ball. His defensive skills as a defensive midfielder are still lacking, but if there are chances, I would like to use him in matches like this again.

Regarding today's match, there were noticeable weaknesses overall due to a lack of focus from the "five-point difference." Moving forward, I want to switch my mindset and work hard towards the J1 League.