Secure your spot in the Final Round!

　The match on this day, resuming three weeks after the end of the 1st stage, is the Sec. 5 of the Nabisco Cup Group D, where Tokyo will face Kobe away. Currently, Tokyo is at the top of Group D (as of the end of Sec. 4), and if they achieve a draw or better in this match, they will secure a place in the top two and advance to the Final Round. Therefore, they are determined to win and finish strongly. On the other hand, Kobe is at the bottom of the group, but if they win this match, they will still have a chance to advance to the Final Round, so they are expected to come out strong at home.

　The Tokyo members, including Japan national team GK Doi and DF Kaji, are missing suspended DF Shimonia, but the Olympic team members who just joined two days ago are participating energetically. The starting lineup features GK Shioda, DF from the right: Tokunaga (special designated player), Jean, Fujiyama, Kanazawa, with MF Konno and Miura as the double defensive midfielders, right MF Ishikawa, left MF special designated player Kurizawa, and top player Kajiama, with Lucas as the lone forward. The announcement of the Olympic team was made the day before (16th), and all four players from Tokyo made the roster, filling the team with a bright atmosphere. Since the Olympic members will temporarily leave the team after this match, the locker room before the game was filled with the spirit of "Let's win decisively here and secure our place in the qualifiers. And let's send off the Olympic members with good feelings." At 7 PM, as the kickoff whistle blew, the blue-red warriors, hungrier for victory than ever, burst onto the pitch at Kobe Wing Stadium.

Kurizawa scores the opening goal right from the start!

　It was in the first minute. Kurizawa received the ball in midfield, dribbled, and passed it to Lucas, who was positioned at the top, then received a return pass. He forcefully charged between the two opposing defenders. It seemed he was stopped, but the ball rolled out from the scramble in front of the speeding Kurizawa. As he entered the penalty area, he struck with his right foot, and the ball grazed the opposing goalkeeper's hand and went into the left corner of the goal. Kurizawa executed this swift move before the opponent could register him as 'the most dangerous person in Tokyo' that day, scoring a valuable opening goal, his first in the J-League.

　In the following 2 minutes, Konno received a clearance ball from the opponent slightly to the left in front of the goal, skillfully evading the opponent with exquisite control and delivering a powerful left-footed volley. Unfortunately, it was thwarted by a fine save from the goalkeeper, but it was a wonderful shot that boldly aimed for the goal.

　After that, Tokyo's "attacking soccer" heated up even more. From behind the goal, the chant "Kogeki, Kogeki, Hara Tokyo!" was heard earlier than usual. In the midfield, Kurizawa was elusive and showed great stamina, appearing in passing lanes, receiving the ball, and distributing it to the sides to control the game. On the right side, Ishikawa and Tokunaga made sharp movements to initiate crosses, while on the left side, Konno aggressively surged forward, repeatedly exploiting the space behind the defensive line, and Kanazawa also contributed effectively to the attack by supplying crosses. They dealt damage to the opponent like a body blow.

Allowed an equalizing goal from a momentary lapse, back to square one

　The rhythm was completely Tokyo's. In defense, the defensive midfielder Miura played aggressively to take down the opposing players who broke through, and both center-backs Jean and Fujiyama were stable.

　On the other hand, Kobe played in a 3-5-2 formation, with FW Bando positioned as a lone striker and FW Fujimoto acting as the playmaker underneath. The wingers were spread wide on both sides, but notably, left DF Hoijer was operating very high up the pitch. Although they were often pushed back by Tokyo, they effectively fell back to win the ball and quickly launched a counterattack with a long ball to Hoijer.

　In the 17th minute, as Kanazawa advanced on the left side for Tokyo, a pass was sent to the vacant space. Fujiyama, who was responding, mishandled the ball, which was picked up by Bando, who then charged down the side. From a deep position, he delivered a sharp cross aimed at a shot, and Hoijer, who had advanced from the opposite side, matched it with a right-footed shot. The ball shook the Tokyo goal net, bringing the score level.

　Tokyo began to counterattack again without being discouraged by this goal. In the 18th minute, Miura broke through the center with a dribble and took a powerful shot with his left foot from outside the penalty area, but it was blocked by a fine save from the GK. In the following 19th minute, Lucas took a forceful shot while being surrounded by defenders. In the 26th minute, Ishikawa took a free kick from the right side, and Konno headed it, but it missed the target. In the 27th minute, Konno broke out to receive Kurizawa's pass in the space on the left side and delivered a cross, but it unfortunately did not connect. Furthermore, as the ball came out to the right side from a scramble, Kajiyama evaded Hojer with a technical dribble and passed to the center. Kurizawa took a shot, but it went over the bar. From the flowing attack, the call of "Sexy, Tokyo!" came from behind the goal. In the 29th minute, Ishikawa caught up with Tokunaga's long pass on the right side at super speed and charged towards the goal with that momentum. He cut inside and took a powerful left-footed shot, but it hit a defender and was caught by the GK. In the 33rd minute, after defending on the right side, Ishikawa passed the ball to Kurizawa at the front line, who skillfully evaded two defenders marking him with a quick step and delivered a pinpoint pass to Kajiyama, who was free on the opposite side. Kanazawa overlapped behind him, and with perfect timing, a pass from Kajiyama went through for a cross. Although it was cleared, the flowing attack overwhelmed Kobe. In the 41st minute, Lucas kept the ball on the left side and passed it to the approaching Kurizawa. The pass went to Miura, who was free in the center, and he took a shot. The powerful shot taken directly was deflected by the GK's fine saving, but Ishikawa picked it up on the right side and took a strong shot from a tight angle with his right foot. This was also caught by the GK. Tokyo dominated the game almost unilaterally but could not score an additional goal, and the match remained tied at 1-1 as it moved into the second half.

Lucas Final Round Goal!

　At halftime, Coach Hara provided instructions on how to start the second half, emphasizing the importance of fast balls (crosses) from the sides, making runs into those areas, and taking care of Hoijer. With no room for a draw, Kobe came out fiercely at the start of the second half, but Tokyo also created chances with Konno making timely runs into space.

　In the 50th minute, Kanazawa received a pass in midfield and deftly evaded the DF with light steps, passing to Lucas who was positioned in the penalty area. Upon receiving the pass, Lucas forcefully dribbled past the DF towards the goal and took a shot. It was blocked once, but he seized the loose ball in the scramble and scored! Lucas's powerful attack secured a valuable additional goal.

　Tokyo, who scored a long-awaited additional goal early in the second half, faced a critical danger just a minute later, in the 51st minute. As Bando kept the ball deep on Tokyo's left side, he delivered a fast ground cross to the center that reminded one of Kobe's scoring scene from the first half. There, midfielder Sugawara jumped in free and took a shot, but the ball sailed well over the bar. Having escaped a critical danger, Tokyo continued to move the ball starting from Kurizawa, and when the opponent had the ball, Konno and Fujiyama aggressively charged to regain possession, advancing the match in their favor.

　After that, both teams, unable to create decisive moments, made changes in the 57th minute. Tokyo replaced Kajiyama with Baba in the attacking midfield position. On the other hand, Kobe also pulled back one of their defensive midfielders and brought in an attacking MF. With Baba's addition, who can deliver the ball behind the opponent, Tokyo increased their chances. In the 60th minute, Kurizawa broke through the left side and delivered a cross, but unfortunately, it was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 61st minute, Ishikawa broke free on the left side from Baba's through pass and took a left-footed shot, but the ball went wide to the right of the goal. In the following 62nd minute, Ishikawa intercepted a feed error from the opposing defender. He carried the ball forward and took a right-footed shot from the middle, but it went left of the goal. In the 68th minute, Tokyo brought in MF Go for Miura, and in the 73rd minute, they replaced Lucas with FW Abe. Tokyo, wanting an additional goal to decide the match, played all their cards. Meanwhile, Kobe also made consecutive substitutions in the 72nd and 77th minutes, changing to an ultra-offensive formation with four forwards.

　Both teams engaged in a fierce battle, but time passed without creating any decisive moments. Tokyo, led by Jean and Fujiyama, maintained their focus until the end, preventing any dangerous situations. Conversely, just before the end, Ishikawa received the ball on the right side, dribbled, and passed to the free Baba in the center. Baba skillfully evaded his marker with a trap and aimed for a one-on-one shot against the GK. However, he was thwarted by a superb save from the GK, and the goal was not scored. In the end, the match finished with a score of 2-1. Tokyo extended their points to 12, securing first place in the qualifying Group D with one match remaining.

【Player Comments】《Kurizawa》"I tried to bring out my play and strengths in the match, and I'm glad that it led to a good result. I'm surprised, but I'm happy that I was able to score a goal and contribute to the victory. I feel like I'm playing well both at university and FC Tokyo, switching my mindset accordingly. My ideal is to be a player who can dribble and pass. I want to keep working hard to become that ideal player." 《Ishikawa》"Personally, I was exhausted at the end, but as a team, I think we held on well in a tough situation. It had been a while since I played 90 minutes after my injury, and it was tough, but since it was the last match before the Olympics, I'm glad I could push through. I joined the team two days ago, and the high motivation of each player was inspiring. Although I will be leaving the team now, I want to keep in mind the sense of urgency that when I return after the Olympics, I might not have a position. I want to raise my level and come back strong."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "I thought Kobe would come out strong from the start since a draw wouldn't be good for them, and we had discussed pressing from the front right from the beginning. Everyone followed that instruction and I think we entered the match in a good shape. Then, Kurizawa scored in a good way early on. Kurizawa can pass, break through with dribbling, and shoot. I knew he was capable of this level of performance, but he did particularly well today. The Olympic players returned just before the match, so we had little time to adjust, and the rhythm wasn't great due to the heat, but I'm happy we were able to secure three points and advance from the qualifiers under these circumstances. The Olympic players will be leaving after this match, but I want to use players in good condition to further enhance the team's strength. I am looking forward to the competition among the remaining players. Including tomorrow's satellite match, I want to boldly use players who appeal to us in the next Reysol match."

[Summary of Coach HASEK's Press Conference] "First of all, I want to congratulate FC Tokyo on advancing in the qualifiers. Today's match was FC Tokyo's game, and they played good football for 90 minutes. The players of FC Tokyo have high abilities, especially their midfield strength was superior to ours, dominating the center of the field. We only managed to get behind the opponent's defense line once. It was a decisive chance to equalize at 1-2, but not being able to convert that was painful. However, we still have a slight chance to advance in the Nabisco Cup qualifiers. I want to switch our mindset and do our best until the end."