Important match leading to the future of the Nabisco Cup

　The Nabisco Cup qualifying league has reached its fourth match. Today's victory or defeat will greatly change the chances of advancing to the Final Round, making it an important match that will lead to the future. This will be the first match against Kashiwa Reysol since the league started, but Kashiwa is currently in good form with two consecutive league victories. The lineup has also changed since the opening, and today they will be missing midfielder Ricardinho and forward Márcio due to accumulated warnings, so they cannot afford to be careless.

　Tokyo sees Amaral and Abe starting together for the first time this season. Abe will play on the left outside in a 4-5-1 formation. Under a sky that seems to have taken a break from the rain, the match began with Tokyo's kickoff at 7 PM at the Japan National Stadium.

Ishikawa scores a fine goal to take the lead for the second consecutive match!

　Connecting the kickoff ball, Kelly sends a pass to the space on the right side, and Ishikawa accelerates to deliver a cross to the far side. Abe, who ran in, makes a diving header. The shot goes wide to the left, but Tokyo created a chance just 15 seconds into the match. In the 2nd minute, Amaral is fouled just outside the penalty area, earning a free kick.

　However, it was Kashiwa that found their rhythm afterwards. They picked up the second ball and the match progressed within Tokyo's territory. However, Tokyo's strict defense on the final line prevented any shots, and in the 12th minute, Asari connected a long pass to Kaji, who then sent a through ball to Miyazawa. Ishikawa let it pass, and Kelly, who received the ball outside the penalty area, turned forward and took a shot with his right foot's outside kick that curved to the right, but the ball, which targeted the upper right corner of the goal, was blocked by Kashiwa's goalkeeper Minami with a fine save.

　Tokyo was being pushed back by Kashiwa's attack, but without panicking, they waited for their chance. In the 17th minute, Kelly passed the ball to Kanazawa on the left side and dashed towards the goal. Kanazawa advanced with a dribble and made a through pass into the penalty area. As Kelly acted as a decoy for the ball, waiting at the left corner of the goal area was Ishikawa. With his back to the goal, he trapped the ground ball and lifted it, then turned and volleyed while being surrounded by defenders! The stunningly vibrant shot was so powerful that the goalkeeper couldn't even touch it, and it went into the goal!! This super goal showcased Ishikawa's wonderful technique and high awareness of shooting, giving Tokyo the lead.

Miyazawa scores a valuable additional goal, his first of the season!

　In the 22nd minute, Kashiwa had a decisive header shot from a left corner kick by defender Nagata. It slipped past Dohi's outstretched hand, but just before it crossed the line, Moino cleared it. Taking the lead, Tokyo found their rhythm in both offense and defense. In the 24th minute, Kelly fought to keep the ball on the right side of midfield and made a through pass to the front line. Ishikawa broke free and found himself one-on-one with the GK in the penalty area, but his shot narrowly missed to the left. In the 33rd minute, Kelly advanced with a dribble from midfield and passed to Abe, who had drifted to the right side. Abe made an artistic heel pass from just outside the right penalty area to the center. Kelly's finish, receiving the return pass, unfortunately struck straight at the GK.

　In the 37th minute, they used the pitch widely to pass and attacked towards the goal, picking up a clearance and connecting the play. In the end, Amaral headed in a cross from Kanazawa, but it was thwarted by a nice save from the goalkeeper. In first-half stoppage time, a free kick earned on the right side of the penalty area also did not result in a goal. Despite creating decisive scenes, they could not secure an additional goal, and the first half ended with a score of 1 to 0.

　As they headed into the second half, Tokyo approached the game with the mindset of "Let's not hold back from the start, and apply pressure from the front. Once we win the ball, let's quickly spread out and use the flanks to attack" (Coach Hara). They showed an aggressive attitude as instructed. In the 47th minute, they won a corner kick, and in the 55th minute, Kaji surged forward into the open front line and passed to Kelly. After a one-two with Amaral, Kelly shot from inside the penalty area. Although it went wide, it was a good attacking shape. Then, in the 56th minute, Amaral made a strong challenge on the ball held by the opposing defender on the right side of the Kashiwa area. After winning the ball, he passed to Kelly in the center. At just the right moment, the pass reached Miyazawa, who surged past Kelly and unleashed a powerful shot into the goal! The man who will celebrate his 25th birthday tomorrow, on the 24th, fired a celebratory shot for his first goal of the season on the eve of his birthday, finally securing the additional goal that Tokyo had long desired.

Ishikawa's second goal! Abe follows suit, explosive attacking football

　Kashiwa never gave up, and in the 61st minute, they substituted MF Masuda for FW Unosawa. Both teams were starting to steal the ball in the DF line and launch quick counterattacks. However, in the 63rd minute, Kashiwa's left side back, DF Tanoue, received a second yellow card for delaying the game and was sent off. In response, Tokyo substituted Amaral for Toda in the 64th minute. They adopted a formation with Abe as the lone striker and Toda on the left to disrupt Kashiwa, who were down to ten men.

　In the 67th minute, Toda received a long pass from Miyazawa and took a shot. In the 69th minute, Ishikawa entered the penalty area from the right side, held on, and connected with Kelly, then Miyazawa, who had run in from behind, took a shot. Immediately after the chance, a crisis arose as a counter from Kashiwa led to the ball reaching FW Unosawa on the left front, and FW Yano, who ran in from the center, made contact but narrowly missed to the right of the goal, escaping without incident.

　Then, in the 71st minute, Ishikawa chased down a ball that had gone into the space on the right side, cut inside with a dribble, and seeing that there was no pressure, took a powerful shot from just before the penalty arc! The ball struck with his left foot was sucked into the bottom right corner of the goal, pulling away from Kashiwa.

　In the 73rd minute, Baba was substituted for Kelly, and in the 76th minute, Miura was brought on for Miyazawa. Then, in the 79th minute, Abe picked up a clearance from the opposing DF in the Kashiwa area and advanced forward. He broke through the three Kashiwa DFs in front of him with lightning-fast steps and, as he entered the penalty area, took a shot that found the back of the net! This additional goal sealed the victory, making it 4-0. With this goal difference, they took first place in the Nabisco Cup qualifying league.

【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"I think my condition is good, but there were parts where I lacked concentration. I want to continue to contribute to the team's victories by scoring goals. Exactly one year ago today, on April 23, I participated in FC Tokyo's practice for the first time. I want to continue to grow more in the future." 《Asari》"I started the game poorly and was pushed back by the opponent at the beginning. I wanted to create rhythm by keeping the ball up front and spreading it to the sides, using the pitch widely. However, it was good that we didn't concede during that time." 《Miyazawa》"Until now, we often got pushed back in the second half, but we were able to move the ball and circulate passes, and I think it was significant that we scored the second goal. I was really happy about the goal."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Although the Nabisco Cup is being held alongside the league matches, winning today increases our chances of advancing to the Final Round, and I approached this match without changing the lineup to build momentum for the match against Kashima. However, since Abe's condition has improved, I paired him with Amaral. That trial is not yet perfect, but I think the opponent will find it difficult because the rhythm of the two players is quite different. If Kelly and Miyazawa get involved, it will become even more interesting, and the combination will develop during the matches to come. Ishikawa's opening goal created a good rhythm, but after that, we missed several chances, and the scenario from the previous league match against Nagoya crossed my mind. However, we managed to score the second goal, and with the opponent being sent off, we were able to fight in a good situation. I think it was good that we scored four goals with players other than Amaral and Kelly. This season, we have made it a goal for Japanese players to score, and Abe, Ishikawa, Toda, and Miyazawa have been staying behind every day to practice shooting. I think the results are gradually starting to show. We will soon face the league matches, but we have never won away against Kashima, so I want to break that at Kashima Stadium."

【Summary of Coach Aurelio's Press Conference】 "Today, FC Tokyo played wonderfully and did not give us any openings throughout the 90 minutes. I think there were no defensive issues until it was 0-1, but we couldn't maintain our compactness. In the second half, we went down to 10 men, and Tokyo brought in speedy players who capitalized on their chances. Kashiwa also created a few opportunities, but unfortunately, we couldn't score. However, there is no time to be disappointed. I want to regroup the team and make sure we can win."