An important match to make a comeback in the 2nd stage

　The league match since August 29. In Sec. 4 of the 2nd stage, we will face Vissel Kobe at home. Last week, Tokyo achieved a great victory in the Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round, advancing to the top four, but currently sits in 11th place in the league. This season's record against Kobe, including the Nabisco Cup, is three wins, which suggests a favorable matchup, but Kobe is currently in 9th place. From the 2nd stage, FW M'boma, MF Horvi, and FW Hirase have joined, presenting a new challenge. M'boma, of course, draws attention, but there is also a threat from secondary attacks by FW Bando and MF Kojima, so there are no materials to be careless about. Today's match, where both teams come in with one win each in this stage, will be an important battle for future contests.

　In this match, Dohi and Kaji, who played against India in the Japan national team's World Cup qualifying match on the 9th, are in the starting lineup. Kajiyama, who temporarily left the U-19 Japan national team activities to join the team, could not be included in the squad due to injury. Yusuke KONDO, who is starting for the first time since the final match of last year's second stage, will be positioned as the top striker, with Kelly placed one row behind. The match started with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Took the lead early with a penalty kick, but were caught up to equalize.

　The match started quickly. In the first minute, a fast break from their own half led to a pass to Yusuke KONDO, who broke into the left space. Although it was initially cut off by the Kobe defense, they regained possession in the opponent's half, and KONNO sprinted up the left side to deliver a cross. Kelly carefully headed the ball down in the center, allowing Yusuke KONDO to get into a shooting position from the penalty area. In response to Yusuke KONDO, the opposing defender Kitamoto tackled him with the sole of his foot. This play resulted in a foul in the area, and Tokyo was awarded a penalty kick. Kelly calmly converted it, taking the lead early in the match.

　Kobe has three defenders on the roster, but midfielder Hoijer plays as a left back in a four-back formation. Tokyo's Kaji and Kanazawa aggressively push forward to gain an advantage on the sides, and in the 4th minute, Kobayashi breaks into the right area and takes a shot. However, after that, they were unable to convert any decisive chances.

And it was in the 13th minute. In the midfield, Kobe MF Horvi connected a pass to Mboma, and then Horvi sent a lob pass forward again. Bando headed it down to MF Park, who had advanced up the right side. Park cut in towards the end line and delivered a cross to the center. The Tokyo DF was focused on marking Park, failing to cover Bando, who was free in front of the goal and easily scored with a header, resulting in a conceded goal. They were quickly equalized.

Yusuke KONDO gets a penalty kick for the second time today! Kelly scores to take the lead.

　However, Tokyo, trying to maintain their rhythm without getting flustered, seized an opponent's goal kick in their own half at the 21st minute. Baba made a through pass to the front line from near the halfway line. Yusuke KONDO caught up with it and headed straight for the goal. In response to Yusuke KONDO's powerful sprint, Kobe's defender Kitamoto had no choice but to stop him with a foul, resulting in Yusuke KONDO being brought down in the area and earning a penalty kick for the second time today. Kelly successfully converted the penalty to give Tokyo the lead. Kitamoto received his second warning for this play and was sent off. In the 24th minute, Tsubo was brought on to replace Park. Tsubo was positioned as the right back, Bando as the right midfielder, and Kojima as the left midfielder, with M'boma playing as the lone striker.

　However, against the 10-man Kobe, Tokyo controlled the ball comfortably but struggled to create decisive chances. Conversely, in the 40th minute, a precise free kick from Kobe's Horvi led to a headed shot by Hoijer that just missed to the right of the goal. In the 44th minute, after being pressured near the left end line, Horvi received a pass and entered the area, but this was skillfully intercepted by Mobu. Although they did not allow any additional goals and ended the first half with a score of 2-1, there was some anxiety as they had previously struggled against 10-man opponents, and this match felt similar in that regard.

Abe scores in two consecutive matches, pulling away from Kobe!

　In the second half, we confirmed to actively engage in both offense and defense during halftime, aiming to score the next goal early to decide the match. Considering the matchup against the opponent's midfielder Kojima, Fujiyama replaced Kaji. However, we were not able to overwhelm Kobe immediately. There were moments where we were attacked by Kobe's offensive line centered around Mboma, and in the 54th minute, Mboma headed a cross from a deep position on the left side. In the 55th minute, Tokyo won three consecutive corner kicks, but failed to score. In the 57th minute, Abe was brought in to replace Kobayashi, making a bold move. However, despite facing a Kobe team with one less player, Tokyo continued to play carelessly. Even when we regained possession, we could not build up to a finish. In the 68th minute, Abe volleyed with his left foot in response to Baba's right cross, marking the first shot of the second half.

　With this shot, they finally seemed to gain momentum. In the 69th minute, Fujiyama boldly advanced and earned a free kick after being fouled. Yusuke KONDO aimed directly from about 22-23 meters, but the powerful shot went over the goal. In the 72nd minute, from Fujiyama's long feed, Yusuke KONDO broke through the defense and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one. However, the ball he moved to the left just slightly went past, and the shot went to the left of the goal. They missed a big chance to add another goal. The 10-man Kobe team tried to make the most of one chance by feeding the ball to Mboma up front. Meanwhile, Holvi and Bando were also free at times, creating a back-and-forth battle where a goal could come at any moment. Amid this, Abe finally scored a goal. In the 80th minute, after intercepting a loose ball from the opponent's corner kick, they launched a quick counterattack. Kelly sprinted with the ball dribbling and passed to Baba, who had opened up on the right side. Baba challenged the Kobe defender facing him, used a feint to get past, and sent a grounded cross from near the end line. Kelly let the ball run through in front of the goal, and Abe, waiting on the left side of the area, took one touch and struck with his right foot! The ball pierced the upper left corner of the goal and went in!! This showcased Tokyo's characteristic attacking pattern and Abe's composure under pressure. They secured the third goal to pull away from Kobe.

　With this, Tokyo regained their rhythm and displayed aggressive attacking football. In the 83rd minute, Miyazawa was brought on to replace Miura. In the 86th minute, after a pass exchange between Kanazawa and Miyazawa on the left side, Abe received the last pass and shot from inside the area. In stoppage time, Miyazawa advanced centrally and connected with Kelly on the right, and Baba picked up the ball on the left side and shot from just in front of the goal. Both were saved by the opposing goalkeeper. Although they couldn't score the fourth goal, they launched a lively attack in the closing stages and won 3-1, earning valuable three points that will contribute to their future.

[Player Comments] {Kondo} "When I faced forward, I aimed for the goal myself, and when the pass came to my feet, I thought about playing simply and using those around me. As a team, we may have been too aware that the opponent had 10 players in the first half. In the second half, I regret not being able to hold the ball when I should have. (There was a big chance one-on-one with the GK?) I managed to break free in front of the goal, but since it was a weak shot, there was a possibility of being stopped, so I was only focused on getting past the GK. If I don't score there..." {Abe} "I entered the pitch with the intention of scoring and actively challenging one-on-one. I don't feel like I've changed anything (compared to the 1st stage), but I feel good about entering the game even as a substitute. I believe that if we fight hard in each match, the results will follow, and I'm happy that it has led to goals. The next match is more important than what lies ahead."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Doi and Kaji have returned from the national team, but they only had one day of practice yesterday and didn't have time to get used to the team. I thought Doi might be a bit rusty in terms of match fitness, but his practice yesterday was the most focused we've seen so far, so I decided to rely on his experience. Kaji was tired, so I planned to use him as much as he could go and substitute him depending on the situation. Kajiyama had finally started to gel with Kelly, but he injured his knee during the U-19 national team training camp and couldn't play today. Recently, we've been relying on the two main players Abe and Yusuke KONDO to make a push in the second half, but today the key was to see how much KONDO could do from the start. Kobe changed their lineup from previous matches, with players like Mboma, Holvi, and Hirase who have individual strength. If they get going, it becomes a very troublesome match. Especially, they are strong and have patterns in set plays, so we were cautious. We scored the opening goal early on, but in soccer, scoring at this time often causes the team to lose their usual rhythm afterward. I had a bad feeling about that. When they equalized, I thought we might get a bit energized, but from the moment the opposing player was sent off, our rhythm worsened again. Even with the opponent down to 10 men, I told the team to go after the ball and use Abe to try for the third goal. The ball didn't reach Abe for a while, but his goal decided the game. It wasn't a great performance, but we managed to bring our record from a losing streak start to 2 wins and 2 losses, so now we will start paying back our debts. We want to fight carefully for each match and accumulate wins."

　[Summary of the press conference by HASEK, the coach of Kobe] "We have been preparing for today's match for two weeks. There were absolutely no mistakes from Kobe. However, we conceded a goal very early on. In an instant, the flow of the entire match changed. After that, we were targeted for space, and we were countered, leading to (Kitamoto) receiving a second yellow card to stop the play. In the second half, we conceded a goal due to a mistake, but the players fought well until the end. I have nothing to say to the players."