Nabisco Cup Quarterfinals, Win or Lose!? One-Shot Match

　The Nabisco Cup, which has not been held since July 24, will now begin. From today, the final tournament will be contested by 8 teams. Tokyo, who passed the qualifying league in first place in Group D, will face Gamba Osaka (second place in Group B) in this quarterfinal match. It's a one-shot battle where there's no choice but to win or lose at the home Japan National Stadium. With the World Cup qualifiers approaching, Japan national team's Tsuchi and Kaji are absent. In addition, Ishikawa and Lucas, who are not in perfect condition due to a left foot injury, are also absent. On the other hand, Kobayashi returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the G Osaka match on April 13, 2002. The defense consists of Maeda, Jean, Shigetani, and Kanazawa from right to left. In the double pivot, Konno and Miura, with Kobayashi on the right MF and Baba on the left. Kajiyama and Kelly are in the top position.

　G Osaka, who they are facing, is currently on a 3-game winning streak in the 2nd stage and in good form. Before the match, coach Nishino described Tokyo as a "tough opponent", but they are also a similar opponent for Tokyo. Japan national team's DF Miyamoto and MF Endo are absent, but their attacking power, especially FW Okubo who is ranked 3rd in the league's top scorer ranking with 31 goals in the 1st stage, requires great attention. Tokyo has been eliminated in the quarterfinals for the past 2 years, so it is a wall that they must overcome at all costs.

Gamba's speedy attack pushes forward, but the first half ends in a 1-1 tie.

　Before the match, the rain that had started in earnest gradually became more intense with thunder. Due to this bad weather, the kick-off was delayed by 16 minutes. Just before the start of the match, the rain subsided, but it was G Osaka who pushed the game forward on the slippery pitch. In the first minute, MF FERNANJINHO took a left cross from the starting point and won a CK. In the 5th minute, Tokyo also attacked the goal from a CK after a cross from the right side by Imakawa, but in the 8th minute, G Osaka's MF Yoshihara crossed from the right. Jean's clearance fell in front of Okubo, but the shot was saved by Shioda. In the 12th minute, MF Futagawa took a middle shot. G Osaka's midfield players moved quickly from FERNANJINHO as the starting point and attacked the sides.

　After 15 minutes, Tokyo gradually settled down and tried to connect with the attack by picking up loose balls. However, in the 16th minute, G Osaka crossed from the right side after a throw-in. Although the Tokyo DF initially cut it off, the loose ball was picked up by Fernandinho and a through pass was sent to the front line. In response to this ball, Miura slid in before Okubo and cleared it, but it went into their own goal. They ended up conceding the first goal due to an own goal.

　Tokyo, who patiently waited for a chance to counterattack, had a shot from Baba in the 18th minute after breaking through the left area. In the 20th minute, Kelly showed persistence in the center from Baba's left cross, resulting in a corner kick. However, Jean's header shot went too high. In the 25th minute, after receiving a cross from Imakano who ran up the left side, Tokyo managed to take two consecutive corner kicks from Baba's shot, but Kajiyama's middle shot was blocked by the defense. In the 26th minute, G Osaka launched a quick attack, with Fernandinho sprinting up the left side. His ground cross was met by Okubo's direct shot, which narrowly missed to the right. The game was back and forth, but Tokyo couldn't win the ball in a high position and their usual "attacking soccer" from the sides was not seen.

　Around the 30-minute mark, the rain intensified again. In the midst of it, G Osaka created chances with Okubo and Yoshihara making runs behind the Tokyo DF. In the 39th minute, Yoshihara broke through and won a left corner kick, but Shioda made the save. Tokyo also finally started to attack widely in the 41st minute. From a quick counter, Baba passed to Kobayashi on the side. Kobayashi sent a cross from the left area, and Kelly got into a shooting position and won a corner kick. However, the DF cleared the corner kick, and the header from Imakawa went over the goal. Up until this point, the number of shots was even at 5-5, but the feeling of Tokyo being at a disadvantage was undeniable, and it seemed like they would go into halftime trailing by one goal. However, in the 44th minute, Kobayashi quickly threw in the ball that went out on the right side. Kelly received it and sent a high pass to the center. Against Miura, who had dashed into the area to receive the ball, the G Osaka DF couldn't help but foul him, and Tokyo was awarded a penalty kick. Kelly made it count and equalized in the last minute, and the game was carried over to the second half.

Super sub Abe changes the flow!

　At halftime, Tokyo, who were instructed to defend against the opponent's attack led by MF FERNANDINHO, quickly changed sides. At the start of the second half, they launched an attack. In the 46th minute, Kelly broke through the G Osaka DF's defense with a through pass from Kajiyama, but was unable to take a shot. In the 48th minute, they connected passes from left to right and won a corner kick. However, G Osaka countered and Yoshihara, who was left free on the right side, took a shot. But Shigetani desperately cut off the angle and the ball went wide. In the 50th minute, G Osaka substituted Yoshihara for FW Nakayama. Tokyo also substituted Abe for Kobayashi in the 53rd minute. Both teams were going for the win. Shortly after, G Osaka connected short passes and entered the area, and Okubo's jumping volley from a pass from the left was saved by Shioda!

　Tokyo created a rhythm from this save and connected passes to the front line, where Abe, who received the ball in the left area, boldly challenged the game. However, the powerful shot that cut inside was once again blocked by the nice save of the opposing GK Matsushiro. In the 55th minute, Jean attacked the goal with a direct free kick in front of the goal. This time, GK Matsushiro saved it with one hand. In the following 56th minute, Inamoto's shot from the left corner kick just missed the target. They created chances, but let them slip away at the last moment. On the other hand, G Osaka did not let up their attack. In the 60th minute, MF Hashimoto and in the 61st minute, Shijikurei took middle shots. In the 63rd minute, Nakayama aimed for the goal while losing his balance in the area.

Explosive Attacking Soccer! 4 Goals Defeat G Osaka, Advancing to the Semifinal Round!

　In the midst of a stalemate, a winning goal was finally born. G Osaka snatched a CK from Fernandinho's middle shot in the 65th minute. However, when Shigenori cleared it, Tokyo quickly connected and Kajiyama broke through the front line, dodging the DF and shooting. Once again, it was blocked by the GK, but picked up the loose ball and connected it, and Baba sent a floating cross from the right side. Then, in front of the goal, Abe threw himself into the air to catch the ball and sucked it into the net with his right foot! With a wave of attacks, Abe's sharp sense of goal and unwavering technique on the slippery pitch led to the winning goal.

　However, the tense situation continued. In the 68th minute, Jean and Shioda's combination was off and gave a corner kick to G Osaka, but DF Real Kono headed it. In the 70th minute, Okubo received a pass in the area and turned around for a shot. DF Shijikurei also took the opportunity to attack. In the 71st minute, Tokyo substituted Miura for Fujiyama at right back. Maeda was moved to defensive midfielder to solidify the defense, and they successfully defended against the three corner kicks given to G Osaka after the 72nd minute. In the 77th minute, Kajiyama intercepted a G Osaka ball in their own half and connected with Kelly, who dribbled past two G Osaka defenders and sent a cross from the left side. Kajiyama, who was positioned near the near post, changed the direction of the ball with the back of his right foot and scored without GK Matsushiro being able to touch it! They scored a valuable third goal in a speedy attack!!

　Did this break G Osaka's concentration, immediately after taking a CK with Abe's shot, 79 minutes, connecting a short corner, Baba sends a ground cross from the right. When the G Osaka DF team watches this, Jean pushes it in on the far side and gets an additional point to finish off G Osaka! In the 81st minute, Yusuke Kondo was substituted for Kelly. In the final stages, G Osaka's play accuracy also dropped, and it was Tokyo who continued to attack. In an attempt to retaliate, in the 87th minute, G Osaka MF Morioka, who came on as a substitute, took a shot from the right side, but Shioda saved it safely. In the second half, the offense and defense were in sync, and Tokyo played their characteristic soccer, winning 4-1 against G Osaka. They advanced to the semifinal round of the Nabisco Cup and will face Tokyo Verdy 1969 on October 9th.

　【Player Comments】《Shioda》"If we lose, there won't be any chances for me to appeal, so I wanted to make the most of this opportunity. We conceded the first goal, but Moni (Mochida) and I talked and said, 'If we don't concede any more goals, we'll be fine. Let's endure as a team.' I focused on not conceding any more goals. I think it was good that I was able to maintain my concentration. Even in this heavy rain, the support from the fans who came to watch was a source of strength, and I'm happy that we can play the next Nabisco Cup match at home."《Abe》"I entered the pitch with the mindset of scoring a goal. Depending on the situation, I think about whether to cross or shoot, and I try to take on challenges in the places where I can. I'm starting to understand how to defend on the side, so it's fun to play and I feel 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 delayed start of the game due to bad weather may have been a good thing. The water drained a bit and the ball started moving. Today, we put Kelly as center forward and put Kobayashi in the starting lineup for the first time in about 2 years and 5 months. We also used Maeda on the right side, considering the possibility of extra time, but the key was how these three players would perform. Kobayashi had a big accident and I wanted to give him a better environment for his first starting game after his return. However, I have been watching his rehabilitation and Ishikawa is still at 70%, and Kurisawa is also absent, so I took a chance on Kobayashi's feelings. The supporters understood that well and cheered for him, and I think the other players are also happy to see him back. We were scored on first, but I thought it would be okay if it was just one goal. This season, even if we are scored on first, there is a mood to come back. It's not ideal, but it was good that we could endure with just a one-point difference. It would have been tough if we had collapsed and fell behind by two points. Just before the end of the first half, we equalized with a PK, and I was thinking about when to put in Abe, Kondo, and Miyazawa to go for the win. Abe scored a goal like himself and Fujiyama's defensive ability was utilized at a crucial moment. He did a good job. Shioda's stability has increased and he has become a good GK with experience. Konno and Shigetani have returned and the team has become more cohesive, and even if Lucas is injured, I am most happy that we have gained the strength to fight with anyone else. I thought G Osaka had become stronger since we played against them in the 1st stage, with Maguron gone and Okubo, Fernandinho, and Nikawa players becoming more skillful and faster. However, we didn't have time to study the opponent and we were just focused on ourselves. We have lost in the first round of the Nabisco Cup so far, but today we wanted to win for the supporters who stayed with us until the end in the rain. We have the semifinal of the Nabisco Cup coming up, but before that, we have a league game, so we want to switch our mindset and approach it."

　[Summary of G Osaka Nishino's press conference] "Today's game was a match where we changed the members who are playing in the league as the team situation changed. We gradually lost the ability to play soccer that suited this pitch from the first half, but I think the problem was in the second half. The individual decisions were also slow, and the rhythm of G Osaka's attacking play, which is to connect the ball, did not come out easily. Kashiwa, who joined us, was also aggressive, and the players did well, but the attack was not in the usual form of G Osaka. There were also aspects where we couldn't keep up with Tokyo's speedy defense. We were completely defeated for the first time in a while, so we want to switch gears for the next game."