Towards advancing in the Nabisco Cup qualifying league

　The Nabisco Cup qualifying league Sec. 3 will be against Vegalta Sendai. It will be held three days after the league Sec. 2, and with a tough schedule continuing into the weekend with league matches, this is a crucial match to earn three points towards advancing in the qualifying league. Tokyo's Jean will be suspended due to accumulated warnings in this tournament. Fujiyama will be included as a center-back. As in the previous match, Amaral will start. Abe, who has a right knee injury, is being cautious, and the bench will include Ozawa, Miura, along with fresh members Kure, Baba, and Suzuki.

　Sendai, on the other hand, is in a difficult situation as they are missing key players such as FW Marcos, MF Silvinho, Iwamoto, and DF Fabiano due to injuries and suspensions. However, in the previous league match against Yokohama F.Marinos, they showed a high level of concentration, ending in a 1-1 draw. Additionally, FW Yamashita has been selected for the Japan national team for the Japan-Korea match on the 16th of this month, which should boost morale. Careful attention is necessary. The spring night game, still chilly due to strong winds, kicked off at the home Japan National Stadium.

Gaining momentum with Toda's opening goal

　In the 1st minute, Toda broke free behind the defense from a quick attack, but was just offside. In the 5th minute, they earned two corner kicks, and in the 7th minute, after passing from Ishikawa to Amaral to Miyazawa, they sent a cross into the goal area. Unfortunately, Kelly's header missed, but Tokyo has seized the pace from the start.

　And it was 8 minutes into the match. From his own half, Miyazawa made a good pass to Toda, who was trying to break through the defensive line. The opposing goalkeeper made a clearance mistake outside the penalty area. The ball spilled in front of the goal, and a composed Toda slotted it in for the goal! Although it was due to the opponent's mistake, the strong awareness of scoring led to an early opening goal.

　After the early goal that damaged Sendai, Tokyo pressed forward. In the 14th minute, from the left side with Kanazawa and Moniwa, they utilized the pitch widely with Kelly on the right, Ishikawa, and Kaji, leading to a volley shot from Miyazawa outside the penalty area. In the 17th minute, from Amaral's hold-up play, Miyazawa skillfully spread the ball, launching a fluid attack from both sides with passes to Kanazawa on the left, Amaral in the center, and Kaji on the right. In the 19th minute, a well-controlled shot from Miyazawa outside the left penalty area was saved by the goalkeeper's fine play, but from the resulting corner kick, Amaral attempted an overhead shot.

Amaral scores his first goal of the season!

　In the 32nd minute, Miyazawa made a good decision to pass to the space on the right side, and Ishikawa caught up to cross in front of the goal. Kelly's shot from just outside the goal area was blocked by a defender, but Amaral picked up the loose ball and took a precise shot with his left foot, shaking the net for a goal! This impressive additional goal met the expectations around Amaral, and Tokyo gained momentum.

　In the 35th minute, Toda broke free on the left side from a combination with Ishikawa, delivering a sharp cross. In the 38th minute, Ishikawa's free kick from the left side of the penalty area unfortunately hit the post. In the 39th minute, Ishikawa took a shot after a one-two with Toda, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.

　They defended well, not allowing Sendai to hold the ball and completely shutting down their attacking players. However, it happened in the 41st minute. Fujiyama, who had perfectly contained the game with sharp reading and focus until then, was penalized for holding an opposing player in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick. This was converted by Sendai's forward Yamashita, allowing them to close the gap. Just before the end of the first half, they allowed Sendai to counterattack, but the Tokyo defense did not lose heart and repelled it, heading into halftime with a score of 2 to 1.

Baba's consecutive goals in two matches seal the deal

　In the second half, the first shot was by Sendai. In the 48th minute, Yamashita aimed for a cross from the right side but missed the target. After this, it became a back-and-forth game, but in the 55th minute, Kelly was fouled in the penalty area, and this time Tokyo was awarded a penalty kick. Amaral successfully converted this penalty kick, pulling ahead of Sendai.

　In the 57th minute, Baba replaced Amaral as the lone striker, and in the 75th minute, Suzuki came on for Toda, followed by Kuo replacing Ishikawa in the 81st minute, introducing a series of young players. The fresh faces up front played freely despite the short time. In the 77th minute, Suzuki received a through pass from Ishikawa and took a shot. In the 83rd minute, Kuo received Baba's pass on the right side, brought it into the center, and delivered a final pass that set up a shot for Miyazawa. In the 85th minute, the sequence Baba → Suzuki → Kelly led to a shot from Kelly after a one-two with Kuo. They created chances and actively showcased their individual strengths.

　And just as it seemed the match would end after firmly suppressing Sendai's counterattack during stoppage time, Kanazawa surged up the left side, was fouled near the left edge of the penalty area, and earned a free kick. Miyazawa took the kick, and Baba, with his back to the goal at the near side, headed it in for a goal! Following his header goal in the league match against Verdy on the 5th, Baba scored another header, securing a valuable additional point and leading to a convincing 4-1 victory over Sendai. This win gives momentum for the league match held in two days.

【Player Comments】《Amaral》"I couldn't score in the last match, so I really wanted to score today, and a goal was born. My condition is still not 100 percent perfect, but I believe it will get better from here." 《Baba》"I couldn't celebrate after scoring in the last match, but today I was able to genuinely enjoy it. I'm being used at the top because I'm in good form, but I have no discomfort playing as a lone striker. I think it's important to keep scoring goals."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "The previous match against Verdy was not bad in terms of content. I believe there are matches where even if the content is good, you can't win, but in order to become a stronger team, I talked to the players about how to switch their mindset and to move the ball faster, aiming for the center or the sides. The first goal was partly due to the opponent's mistake, but I think the aim of Toda's run into space, as well as Ishikawa creating space on the side, and Kaji and Kanazawa also pushing forward, was executed well. We scored four goals, but there were even more decisive scenes. The desire to aim for goals has emerged, so we will continue to move forward step by step from here. Sendai has many injured players, and it cannot be denied that there was a lucky aspect for us, but it was good that we were able to win firmly in that situation. With a high possibility of advancing past the qualifying league, I want to build an even stronger team while improving our decisiveness through matches like this."

【Summary of the press conference by Sendai and Shimizu's coach】 "We conceded a goal due to mistakes, and the chaos caused us to drop our line. In the first half, the plan was to use three midfielders and effectively stop the attacks from the half-side to bring it to halftime at 0-0, but it fell apart early on. Towards the end of the first half, we regained our rhythm and went into halftime at 1-2. Since it was just a one-goal difference, I told the players to stay calm and play the game in the second half, but we conceded a penalty within about 10 minutes, and from there, the game fell apart significantly. With many injuries, we ended up trying out young players and experimenting with Nakata as a right-back throughout the game."