Deciding the 2nd round of the Nabisco Cup and advancing to the Best 8!

Nabisco Cup 2nd round against Hiroshima. The first match ended in a 3-3 draw, and we have no choice but to win today's second match. However, Hiroshima's scoring power this season is a threat, and in the 7th round of the league (May 3), Tokyo suffered a complete defeat with 3 goals from away FW Takahashi. In the first match of the Nabisco Cup a week ago (June 13), FW Kubo scored a hat-trick and we were forced to struggle. However, in that first match, we showed perseverance to come back from a 2-point deficit in the second half, and in the league's 11th round last weekend (June 16) against Yokohama FM, we kept a clean sheet and won, and the team's condition is improving. We aim for victory in our first home game in a month.

Today in Tokyo, Kelly is playing as the top striker, with Miyazawa on the left as he did in the first game, Kobayashi Seigo on the right, and Kagami as the attacking midfielder. The defensive line consists of Komine on the right side back, and Ito in the center. On the other hand, Hiroshima is playing in an attacking 4-3-3 formation. In the humid and muggy weather with humidity close to 80%, both teams started the game cautiously.

Intentional attack, and a combination of Kaga and Kelly to take the lead

Tokyo took control of the pace. In the 5th minute, Asari dribbled up the field when he saw space in front of him. He crossed to the right side, but the opposing DF cleared it. Asari followed up and Kaga saw an opportunity to shoot, but it went just right of the goal. In the 7th minute, Miyazawa took a strong shot from behind. It was Miyazawa's debut at Tokyo Stadium and he showed his good judgement and precise technique, making the stadium excited. In the 9th minute, Ito cut off the ball at the DF line and passed a perfect through ball to Kobayashi who ran behind the DF line. In the 11th minute, Ito was attacking and cutting off the DF line, and in the 13th minute, Kelly took a shot from Kaga's pass. Tokyo had a strong focus on attacking and created good opportunities, but the timing was just off. Hiroshima's DF line was also tough, and Tokyo couldn't break through. On the other hand, in the 20th minute, Hiroshima's FW Kubo broke through the right side and took a shot.

Hiroshima continues to push their fullbacks high up the field in an attempt to create attacks from the wings, but Tokyo's defense is compact in the center, not allowing any shots. However, both teams struggle to complete passes under pressure and the few balls that do make it into space are quickly cut off. Still, Tokyo's Kelly and Kagami are constantly moving and creating opportunities up front, with Kobayashi and Miyazawa providing support. In the 37th minute, Kobayashi receives a ball from behind in the penalty area, turns and sends a cross into the box. Miyazawa jumps for a header, but it goes over the goal. In the 41st minute, Asari breaks away on a counter attack and passes to Miyazawa on the left, but his shot is not well-timed. Miyazawa had been playing well on both ends of the field, making it a shame that his finishing was lacking.

The match was intense with 4 yellow cards being shown so far, but at the 44th minute, Hiroshima MF Moriho was injured and went off the pitch. Downhill skillfully avoided the opponent's pressure and sent a pass to the front line after clearing Sandro's ball. Kaga ran towards the goal while competing with DF Turio. Despite being surrounded by 2 DFs, he sent a last pass to the center, and Kelly, who was closing in, calmly checked the GK's position and scored a precise goal to take the lead. As soon as Kaga passed the ball, it was a thrilling counterattack, and they went into the second half with a score of 1-0.

Hiroshima dominates, Tokyo's declining physicality, and...

Hiroshima substituted DF Okuno and FW Fujimoto for midfielder Moriyasu and attacking midfielder Yamagata in the second half. With Fujimoto's entrance, the team was able to control the game and pass the ball effectively from the start. In the 51st minute, they used their final substitution to bring on speedy DF Kawashima in place of Tulio.

Kawashima has been placed as a right back, and has been trying to break through Tokyo's left side with Fujimoto. Although Tokyo has been able to prevent shots with Ito and Shimodaira covering, their energy has gradually decreased and they have not been able to transition to attack. In the 62nd minute, Amaral was substituted in for Miyazawa. However, even with Amaral as the starting point, their counterattacks lacked power. And in the 71st minute, after a series of tough fouls, Fujimoto's free kick from the right sideline for Hiroshima went over the heads of the Tokyo defenders in the center and into the left side of the goal. There, Takahashi was waiting free and quickly scored the equalizer.

In the 74th minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack with Amaral, Kaga, and Kelly, taking a 3-2 lead. However, Amaral's first shot of the second half was blocked. In the 75th minute, Toda replaced Kaga, and in the 78th minute, Kina was substituted for Shimohira. It seemed like they were regaining their momentum, but the play became rough and the game was interrupted. In the 84th minute, Kina's middle shot just missed the left goal. In the 86th minute, Hiroshima FW Umeda fouled Fujiyama as he tried to break into the penalty area. Umeda received his second warning and was sent off, leaving Hiroshima to play with 10 men. However, the free kick they received near the penalty arc was sent over the goal by Kelly. In the 88th minute, Toda → Amaral → Kelly → Kobayashi launched a direct pass attack, but it was a bit too late and the ball was caught by the DF's net. The game went into extra time.

Amaral's shot after hitting the bar...

Extra time. In the 92nd minute, Hiroshima's left side was cleared by DF, and Kelly brought it in for a counter, but Toda and Amaral overlapped in the center and couldn't take a shot. On the other hand, Hiroshima, who had become 10 men, could not win with a tie. In the 93rd minute, they used the extra time substitution slot and replaced Takahashi with FW Ogi. The 3-top formation remains unchanged. In the 95th minute, Ogi took a powerful middle shot. Tsuchi was able to rebound, but DF Sawada was able to close in, and it was almost a scene, but Fujiyama did a good job of blocking the shooting course. In the 98th minute, Tokyo replaced Naito with Komiya. And in the 102nd minute, Tokyo had another big chance. The ball passed from Amaral on the post to Kelly, who had overtaken him, and the shot he took immediately was cut by Hiroshima DF, and the ball was in front of Amaral, who was free nearby! However, the powerful shot that was taken as a big chance hit the bar mercilessly...

As they entered the extended second half, Tokyo continued to attack with shots from Kobayashi and Kina. However, their finishing in front of goal was poor and they were unable to capitalize on two corner kicks. Then, in the 110th minute, Hiroshima's Ohki passed the ball to Kubo, who was positioned in front of him in the center. Kubo then made a direct pass to the front line, where Ohki ran in at top speed and took a shot. The ball was sucked into the net, and Tokyo suffered a disappointing defeat with a V-goal.

Tokyo's Nabisco Cup ended with their first loss of the season due to a V-goal. Once again, they suffered a defeat at home, but they must quickly switch their focus to the league game in three days without dwelling on this shock.

【VALERY Coach's Comment】"The players did their best in a difficult situation. If we compare the first half and the second half, we couldn't show good plays in the first half, but we did well in the second half. Fujimoto is a player who always works hard when he comes on as a substitute. He played in a different position today, but he showed the best play. In the second half, Amaral came on and he and Kelly played well together, so I instructed Kawashima to try to keep Amaral from getting too close to the goal by going forward as much as possible."

[Manager Okuma's Comment] "The reason for the loss was not being able to score despite having so many chances. Also, since we had the numerical advantage, I thought that if we were to be scored on, it would be due to mistakes. The small mistakes before the chance was created were the trigger. The direction we are trying to go and what we want the players to do are correct, and it's unfortunate that the results didn't come out, but I want to focus on the next league match."