I want to return the borrowed money, Nabisco Cup 2nd game

　The 2nd round of the Nabisco Cup will be a match against Yokohama F. Marinos, following the previous round. As the top two teams in Group B will advance to the final tournament, we should consider our overall performance in the qualifying league. However, since our opponent is the team we narrowly lost to in the 1st round, we want to repay our debt. This will also be a crucial match to test our performance for the upcoming J-League 1st Stage, which will start next week.

　Tokyo started with new addition Kanazawa as the starting left back. Other than that, the starting lineup remains unchanged from the previous match, but U-20 Japan national team candidates Baba and Suzuki are also listed as substitutes. On the other hand, F.Marinos started with FW Shimizu in place of injured FW Kubo. The match started at the rainy home ground of Komazawa Stadium with F.Marinos' kickoff.

Despite conceding the first goal, Jean's goal by Abe puts us in the lead!

　At the start, F. Marinos received a pass from MF Oku and DF Dutra advanced to the left side to steal a CK. MF Sato, who met the CK kicked by Dutra himself, hit a header shot and scored. Tokyo couldn't keep up with the mark and conceded the opening goal in the early 1 minute.

　However, Tokyo never felt discouraged here. They aggressively went after the ball and showed fast attacks, with Toda breaking through the DF line and winning a corner kick in the 3rd minute. In the 4th minute, Miyazawa aimed directly for the goal from a free kick in front of the goal. And in the 6th minute, when F. Marinos earned a free kick in the left side, Jean headed in the sharp ball kicked by Miyazawa in the center, scoring a goal! With precise plays that shook F. Marinos' morale, they quickly caught up to an equalizer.

　After that, Tokyo, who had been dominating the game, gradually pushed their opponents back from a throw-in on the right side by Kaji. In the 14th minute, Ishikawa received the ball from the throw-in and kicked it into the center, where it bounced high. As it was falling, Abe jumped in from the far side and headed it into the goal! In the previous match, Abe had hit the post with a decisive shot and it seemed like only a matter of time before he scored. "I was wondering if it would come. I was thinking about how hard the ground was and how much the ball would bounce, and I was anticipating that the defenders might cover me," said Abe. With his persistence and positioning, Abe scored his first J-League goal, giving Tokyo the lead.

Tokyo creates rhythm from tough defense

　Tokyo, who grasps their own rhythm and dominates from a tough press. On the other hand, F. Marinos also sends the ball to the front line in desperation, and the game progresses with fast developments. In the 17th minute, Jean receives a yellow card, and in the 18th minute, F. Marinos DF Edu receives a yellow card, intense offense and defense.

　At 29 minutes, F. Marinos showed a brilliant passing play with Endo, a defensive midfielder, Matsuda, and Dudu in the Tokyo team's territory. However, Tokyo's pressure was tough and they kept pushing, forcing F. Marinos to drop the ball. On the other hand, Toda chased after a back pass from the DF to the GK, causing a mistake in the GK's kick. At 35 minutes, Oka saved a cross from the left by Oku towards the goal, but the ball was cleared by Kanazawa before Marquinhos could jump in. F. Marinos aggressively attacked from the left with Dudu, but the Tokyo DF was waiting in front of the goal and did not allow any goals.

　On the other hand, in the 38th minute, Toda threatened the F. Marinos goal by receiving a long ground pass from Miyazawa in the midfield and breaking through the penalty area. In the 43rd minute, Ishikawa boldly attempted a dribble shot towards the goal, but it went over the goal after being intercepted by Abe in the center and surrounded by defenders. Although they couldn't score another goal, they dominated the game and ended the first half with a 2-1 lead.

Pushed into F. Marinos' passing work...

　30 seconds into the second half, Miyazawa aggressively took a shot after stealing the ball from F. Marinos' Sato, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. Shortly after, F. Marinos' FW Shimizu also attempted a shot from the left penalty area in an effort to create a rhythm, but it was saved by Oza. However, with their impressive passing, F. Marinos threatened Tokyo's goal in the 50th minute with a direct pass, and MF Endo from the right side received a through pass from the center and was in front of the goal. Tokyo couldn't catch up to this attack and allowed a free shot, resulting in an equalizing goal.

　In contrast to the first half, Tokyo struggled against F. Marinos' fast passing and Sato's attacks from the right side. In the 64th minute, Baba was substituted for Toda. In the 66th minute, Abe jumped for a cross from Kanazawa on the left, but Ishikawa couldn't quite make the shot from the right side of the penalty area. Unfortunately, they missed the chance. In the 78th minute, Kajiyama was substituted for Asari, and in the 84th minute, Suzuki was substituted for Ishikawa, but they lost the ball frequently and couldn't create any shots.

　With a defense centered around Ozawa, they did not allow any additional points from F. Marinos, but ultimately the second half ended with only one shot from Miyazawa. Despite dominating the first half of the game, they left room for improvement in the second half and it ended in a disappointing draw.

【Player Comments】《Jean》"In the second half, the team's movements slowed down. The DF was pulled too far back and we were being broken down. There is also a lack of communication. We need to fix these issues and aim for our first victory in the next game."《Abe》"It was great to score my first goal. It gives me a good image for the future. However, after scoring, our play in the front line became sloppy."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "It becomes difficult when we concede at that time, both in the first and second half. We were scored on at the time we should not have been, so I want to fix that first. However, even after being scored on, we were able to open up and attack. The ball was moving and we were able to score one goal and get the second. I want to play that kind of soccer. In terms of today's lineup, for example, Kelly was looking forward and from there, Toda, Abe, and Ishikawa formed a shape. I want to create that shape as much as possible in the future. Young players fought and scored two goals. I really wanted to win with this, but I think there is growth as a team in being able to create this kind of shape even without Amaral. Young players like Kajiyama, Baba, and Suzuki have good things, but there are still weak points. I want to give them a chance in the game and have them grab their position. Or even players who didn't play today, if they feel that they have a chance to play if they show a good performance in practice, I think the team's strength will increase even more. In the two games of the Nabisco Cup, we saw good and challenging aspects, so I want to use that and win clearly next time."

[F. Marinos Okada Press Conference Summary] "It was very disappointing that we couldn't win, but as for the game itself, we were able to do what we wanted to do to some extent. Especially in terms of attacking, we were able to move the ball quickly and aim for the goal, so I am satisfied with the content. However, both goals in the first half were conceded from set pieces, and especially in the first half, our concentration dropped when it became a set piece. There were situations where we rested, so I think that is a major point to be corrected. However, overall, I am very satisfied that the players showed the attitude of aiming for the goal until the end for the full 90 minutes."