Nabisco Cup Quarterfinal Round, win or lose!? A single knockout match

　The Nabisco Cup, which has not been held since July 24, is taking place. Starting today, the tournament enters the knockout stage with 8 teams competing. Tokyo, which passed the group stage in first place in Group D, will face Gamba Osaka (second place in Group B) in this quarterfinal match. The battle at the home Japan National Stadium is a do-or-die match where only winning or losing matters. With the World Cup qualifiers approaching, Japan national team players Dohi and Kaji are absent. Additionally, Ishikawa and Lucas are also out due to injuries, with Ishikawa not in perfect condition due to a left foot injury. On the other hand, Kobayashi makes his return to the starting lineup for the first time since April 13, 2002, coincidentally against G Osaka. The defense consists of Maeda, Jean, Shigeno, and Kanazawa from right to left. Konno and Miura form a double pivot, with Kobayashi on the right and Baba on the left. The formation includes Kajiyama as an attacking midfielder and Kelly as the lone striker.

　G Osaka, currently on a three-game winning streak in the 2nd stage, is in good form. Before the match, Coach Nishino described Tokyo as a "formidable opponent," and Tokyo sees them in the same light. Although Japan national team DF Miyamoto and MF Endo are absent, the attacking power that scored 31 goals in the 1st stage, especially FW Oikuro, who ranks 3rd in the league's top scorers, requires significant attention. Having lost in this Semifinal Round for the past two years, this is a wall that Tokyo desperately wants to break through.

Despite being pushed back by Gamba's speedy attack, the first half ended in a 1-1 draw.

　Before the match, the rain that had started pouring heavily gradually intensified with thunder. Due to this bad weather, the kickoff started 16 minutes late. Just before the match began, the rain eased, but it was G Osaka who pushed the game forward on the slippery pitch. In the 1st minute, they won a corner kick from a left cross initiated by MF FERNANDEZ. Tokyo also earned a corner kick in the 5th minute from a cross by Konno, who advanced on the right side, attacking towards the goal, but in the 8th minute, G Osaka's MF Yoshihara delivered a right cross. Jean's clearance spilled in front of Daikoku, but the shot was saved by Shiota. In the 12th minute, MF Nikawa took a mid-range shot. G Osaka's midfield players moved quickly, attacking from the sides, starting with FERNANDEZ.

　After 15 minutes, Tokyo gradually settled down and tried to pick up the loose ball to connect it to an attack. However, in the 16th minute, G Osaka made a cross from a throw-in on the right side. Although Tokyo's defense initially cut it off, the loose ball was picked up by FERNANDEZ, who delivered a through pass to the front line. In response to this ball, Miura slid in ahead of Daigoku to clear it, but the clearance went into their own goal. They conceded the opening goal due to an own goal.

　Still, Tokyo waits for a chance to counterattack without panicking. In the 18th minute, Baba broke through the left area and took a shot. In the 20th minute, from Baba's left cross, Kelly fought for the ball in the center, resulting in a corner kick. However, Jean's header shot went over the bar. In the 25th minute, after receiving a return pass from Konno, who surged up the left side, Baba's shot led to two consecutive corner kicks, but Kajiyama's long-range shot was blocked by the defense. G Osaka launched a quick attack in the 26th minute, with Fernandinho sprinting down the left side. Daikoku's direct shot, matched with a ground cross, went just to the right. It's a back-and-forth development, but Tokyo is unable to win the ball in high positions and has not shown their usual 'attacking soccer' from the sides.

　After about 30 minutes, the rain intensified again. In that situation, G Osaka created chances with Daikoku and Yoshihara making runs behind Tokyo's defense. At the 39th minute, Yoshihara broke free and won a left corner kick, but Shiota made a save. Tokyo finally launched a wide attack at the 41st minute. From a quick counter, Baba passed a side change to Kobayashi. Kobayashi sent a cross from the left area, and Kelly prepared to shoot, winning a corner kick. However, the corner was cleared by the defense, and Konno's header went over the goal. Up to this point, the number of shots was even at 5-5, but Tokyo was clearly at a disadvantage and seemed likely to go into halftime trailing by one goal. However, in the final moments at the 44th minute, Kobayashi quickly threw in the ball that went out on the right side. Kelly received it and sent a floating pass to the center. Miura dashed fiercely into the area toward the ball, and the G Osaka defender, who had stopped moving, was forced to foul, giving Tokyo a penalty kick. Kelly calmly converted it, tying the game at the last moment, and the match was carried over to the second half.

Super Sub Abe Changes the Flow!

　Tokyo, instructed to defend against the opponent's attack starting from midfielder FERNANDEZ, quickly changed sides during halftime and launched an offensive right after the second half began. In the 46th minute, Kelly broke through behind the G Osaka defense following a through pass from Kajiyama, but was unable to shoot. In the 48th minute, they connected passes from left to right and earned a corner kick from a large play. However, G Osaka seized the loose ball from this corner and countered, with Yoshihara, who was free on the right side, taking a shot. But Moino desperately returned to cut off the angle, and the ball went wide of the goal. In the 50th minute, G Osaka substituted Nakayama for Yoshihara. Tokyo also brought in Abe for Kobayashi in the 53rd minute. Both teams were going for it. Just after this, G Osaka connected a series of short passes to enter the area, and Daigoku's jumping volley from a pass on the left was saved brilliantly by Shiota!

　Tokyo created rhythm from this save and connected passes to the front line, where Abe, receiving the ball in the left area, boldly attempted to take on the challenge. However, his powerful shot, cutting inside, was blocked by the opponent's GK Matsushita with a nice save. In the 55th minute, from a direct free kick in front of the goal, Jean launched a fierce shot at the goal. This was also saved by GK Matsushita with one hand. In the following 56th minute, a shot taken by Konno from a left corner kick just missed the target. While creating chances, they let one slip away at the last moment. On the other hand, G Osaka was not easing their attacking efforts either. In the 60th minute, MF Hashimoto took a shot, and in the 61st minute, Shijikurei took a mid-range shot. In the 63rd minute, Nakayama aimed for the goal while losing his balance inside the area.

Explosive attacking football! Defeated G Osaka with 4 goals, advancing to the Semifinal Round!

　Amidst the stalemate, the winning goal finally emerged. G Osaka won a corner kick from a middle shot by FERNANDEZ in the 65th minute. However, after Shigeno cleared it, Tokyo connected quickly, and Kajiwara broke through the defense to shoot. Once again blocked by the goalkeeper, but picking up the loose ball and connecting, Baba sent a gentle cross from the right side. Then, right in front of the goal, Abe dove in as the ball was dropping, striking it with his right foot and sending it into the net! Launching a wave of attacks, Abe seized the go-ahead goal with his sharp instinct for scoring and unwavering technique on the slippery pitch.

　However, the tense developments continued. In the 68th minute, a miscommunication between Jean and Shiota gave G Osaka a corner kick, and DF Saneyoshi headed the ball powerfully. In the 70th minute, Daikoku received a pass inside the area, turned, and took a shot. DF Shijikurei also seized the opportunity to push forward in attack. Tokyo made a substitution in the 71st minute, bringing on Fujiyama as right side back in place of Miura. Maeda was moved up to defensive midfield to solidify the defense, and they concentrated to hold off the three corner kicks given to G Osaka after the 72nd minute. Then, in the 77th minute, Tokyo intercepted the ball in their own half, Kajiyama connected the play, and Kelly made a solo run with a dribble. Slipping between two G Osaka defenders and breaking past a pursuing defender on the left side, he ran to the end line and sent a low cross in front of the goal. Kajiyama, positioned near the near post, redirected the ball with the sole of his right foot, and GK Matsushiro could not touch it—goal! From this speedy development, they scored a valuable third goal!!

　Was G Osaka's concentration broken by this? Immediately after, Abe's shot earned a corner kick, and in the 79th minute, after connecting a short corner, Baba sent a grounded cross from the right. The G Osaka defense stood still as Jean pushed it in, scoring an additional goal to seal the deal for G Osaka! In the 81st minute, Yusuke KONDO was brought in to replace Kelly. Towards the end, G Osaka's play precision dropped, and it was Tokyo that continued to attack. In the 87th minute, G Osaka's substitute midfielder Morioka took a free shot from the right side, but Shiota made a safe save. In the second half, both offense and defense clicked, showcasing Tokyo's style of football, and they achieved a comfortable victory over G Osaka with a score of 4 to 1. They secured a spot in the Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round and will face Verdy 1969 on October 9.

　【Player Comments】《Shioda》"If we lose, there won't be a chance for me to showcase myself, so I wanted to value this opportunity. We conceded first, but I talked with Moni (Moniwa) and said, 'As long as we don't concede again, we'll be fine. Let's endure as a team.' I made sure to focus on not conceding. I think it was good that I was able to maintain my concentration. The support from the fans who came out in this heavy rain gave us strength, and I'm happy that we can play the next Nabisco Cup at home." 《Abe》"I entered the pitch with the mindset of scoring a decisive goal. I consider whether to cross or shoot depending on the situation, and I'm trying to take initiative where it counts. Now that I understand how to defend on the side, I'm enjoying playing and feeling the expectations from those around me. I'm glad I was able to respond to that today."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "The delay in the match start due to bad weather might have been a good thing. The water receded a bit, and the ball started moving. Today, we played Kelly as the center forward and Kobayashi in the starting lineup for the first time in about 2 years and 5 months. Also, considering the possibility of extra time, we used Maeda, who has good stamina, on the right side. The key was how well these three could perform. After Kobayashi's return from a serious accident, I wanted to give him a better environment for his first start, but I have been watching his rehabilitation closely. With Ishikawa still at 70% fitness and Kurisawa absent, I decided to take a chance on Kobayashi's spirit. The supporters understood this well and cheered for him, and I believe the other players were happy about his return. Although we conceded the first goal, I thought one goal down was manageable. This season, even if we concede first, we have the mood to come back. Ideally, that shouldn't be the case, but it was good that we could endure being one goal down. If we had collapsed and fallen two goals behind, it would have been tough. We equalized with a penalty just before the end of the first half, and after that, I was thinking about bringing in Abe, Kondo, and Miyazawa to make a decisive move. Abe scored a goal characteristic of him, and Fujiyama's defensive skills were effective at the crucial moment. They did a great job. Shiota's stability has increased, and he is becoming a good goalkeeper with experience. With Konno and Moniwa back, the team has tightened up, and even when Lucas got injured, it made me happiest that we have the strength to compete no matter who else plays. Since the first stage match against G Osaka, Magron has left, and I think the skills and speed of players like Daikoku, Fernandinho, and Nigawa have improved. However, we had no time to study the opponent and were fully focused on our own game. We had lost the first match of the knockout stage in the Nabisco Cup until now, but today, for the supporters who cheered until the end in the rain, we wanted to win. The next Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round is coming up, but before that, we have league matches, so we want to switch our mindset and face them."

　【G Osaka Coach Nishino's Press Conference Summary】 "As the team situation changes in various ways, today was a match where we rotated the members who are competing in the league. From the first half, we gradually lost the ability to play the kind of football suited to this pitch, but I think the problem was in the second half. Individual decisions were slow, and we couldn't find the rhythm of G Osaka's typical attacking play. The newly introduced Ienaga was also proactive, and the players performed well, but the attack was not in the usual G Osaka style. There were also aspects where we couldn't keep up with Tokyo's speed in defense. It has been a while since we experienced a complete defeat like this, so I want to switch gears for the next match."