2007 Nabisco Cup Opening!

　2007 Yamazaki Nabisco Cup kicks off. Tokyo will face Yokohama FC, Iwata, Oita in the C group qualifying round, both home and away. In the final tournament, the top team from each of the four groups, as well as the top two teams from the second place (and Urawa and Kawasaki have been decided to participate) will advance. Although it will be a match against the same opponent just two days after the previous league match, coach Hara and the players are determined not to lose to the same opponent again. This first match is also an important one to gain momentum for the following consecutive matches.

　Tokyo, on the other hand, will be without MF Fabricio due to suspension and FW Nishi due to injury. However, as shown in the previous match, the team has been able to maintain unity and not show any weaknesses despite the circumstances. It is expected that Iwata will come out attacking at home, but for Tokyo, it is important to score first and control the game. In order to do so, as Kurisawa says, it is necessary to create openings for Iwata through coordinated play in the front line. Above all, converting chances into goals will be the key to victory.

　Tokyo, Norio SUZUKI will replace him at left back. GK Shioda also says, "I have prepared to be ready to play at any time. I want to lead the DF line by shouting during the game." In addition, the attacking line will also feature Wanchope and Lucas, who will make their first J-League start, as the two top players, with Kurihara on the left MF and Kawaguchi on the right, creating a fresh lineup and aiming to play aggressively.

　The match started at exactly 7pm at the Yamaha Stadium, which was also affected by the warmth of the daytime.

Leading with Wanchope's first goal, the first half ends.

　The match started with a back-and-forth battle for the ball. In the 6th minute, Inano cleared Iwata's right corner kick. Ishikawa picked up the ball on the left and went on a counter attack, but was unable to take a shot. In the 11th minute, Lucas started the play and passed it directly to Inano on the right side, who ran into the goal area but was slightly offside. As the game went on, they began to take control and create good attacking opportunities. Then in the 14th minute, Fujiyama picked up a ball that was initially cleared and fed it to the front line. Fukunishi reacted to it and dropped it to Inano, who had run into the area from behind. He then chested it down and took a shot, which went into the top left corner to give them the lead.

　Tokyo continues to attack without letting up. In the 21st minute, Wanchope starts dribbling from the left side on a counter. Despite the DF trying to steal the ball, he knocks down the opponent and enters the center, where Lucas runs in and takes a left-footed shot. It was a decisive moment, but it didn't hit and was caught by the opponent's GK. In the 24th minute, Ishikawa dribbles up the right side and crosses early to Wanchope, who enters the area. He is brought down by the opponent's DF, but continues to play. In the 25th minute, Imakano intercepts and dribbles up, then takes a daring shot, but it goes straight to the GK.

　The entire team compactly organized the defensive formation, and went to steal in coordination with the opponent's ball, and although the ball was kept by Iwata, they hardly allowed any chances. In the 28th minute, Wanchope broke through from a free kick and took a well-aimed lob shot, but the opponent's GK saved it with one hand. In the 37th minute, Inakawa headed Iwashita's kick from the right corner, but the shot went straight to the GK. It was a frustrating development as they couldn't score an additional goal, but in the 43rd minute, they gave away a penalty by fouling MF Naruoka in the area during Iwata's counterattack. They were able to equalize with a solid finish from the penalty.

　The game took a turn for the worse, but in the 44th minute, a mistake by Iwata GK Kawaguchi sent the ball to Lucas on the right side of the goal. Lucas calmly drew out the oncoming GK Kawaguchi and passed the ball to Wanchope in front of the goal. Wanchope then calmly placed the ball into the empty net for an additional point. The game ended the first half with a 1-point lead thanks to Wanchope's first J-League goal.

Allowing an equalizer to Iwata's tenacity, only gaining 1 point

　In the second half, Iwata increases their movement in the midfield and raises their ball possession, attacking. However, Tokyo also defended with concentration like in the first half, not allowing any shots and instead looking for chances on the counter. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama was substituted for Kurisawa who had injured his foot. In the 62nd minute, Imakawa cut the ball in their own half and Lucas moved to the right. In the center, Wanchope received an early cross from Ishikawa, and Fukunishi jumped in from the far side, but they were unable to take a shot. In the 66th minute, Hiraoka was substituted for Wanchope as a breakthrough strategy.

　However, in the 72nd minute, an accident occurred. Ino waves crosses from the right side, and the ball flows to the opposite side where Hirayama keeps it. From there, Kajiyama sends a floating ball to the front of the goal, and Ishikawa jumps in but collides with the opposing DF. Although he initially gets up, he is unable to continue playing. During this time, Iwata launches a fierce attack and earns a left corner kick. Kawaguchi is substituted in for Ishikawa, but in the 78th minute, Iwata MF Murai picks up the clear from the corner kick and puts in an early cross. DF Tanaka, who was left in the right area, heads it in and scores a goal over Shioda, equalizing the score.

　Tokyo will switch gears and aim for a comeback. In the 83rd minute, Kajiyama is fouled on the left side and earns a free kick, but Hirayama and Kawaguchi are unable to take a shot. Iwata then counterattacks and takes a shot in front of the goal, but Shioda catches it. In the 85th minute, Hirayama heads a cross from Inaba, but it doesn't hit and the goalkeeper catches it. After that, both teams continue to counterattack and the intense battle for points continues without a moment's rest. In the 89th minute, Tokunaga receives a second warning and is sent off. In the end, the game ends in a draw.

　【Player Comments】《Wanchope》"The second half was a really tough game. I also got a little tired. However, I think there were more chances to score. The goal was really good and it was a confidence-boosting point for the future. I came here to play for FC Tokyo, so I am very happy to be in the starting lineup. Coming on as a substitute is difficult for any player. It can be difficult to get into the rhythm of the game and sometimes you can feel isolated or lose sight of yourself. Mentally, it's been the same for the past 10 years. I just wanted to do my best and contribute to the team. As a player, I was thinking about being the first defender and scoring goals. (There were also moments where you easily beat the opponent's DF?) I didn't think it was easy, but if it didn't work once, I tried two or three times. (Was it a long time until your first goal since coming to Japan?) I don't think it was long. Some people can score right away, but I think all strikers need to be patient. The next game will be completely different, but we play to win and prepare to improve."《Shioda》"We had a good fight in the first half. We were also able to do well with the DF, so it's a shame we drew. I thought Iwata would come out attacking from the beginning at home. So we went in a little cautiously, trying to figure out whether to go forward or pull back. I was told to start today, but I've been preparing not just for the cup games, but for every game. So I was able to play with a normal mindset. We played good soccer and it's a plus that we were able to get points away, but I regret that I couldn't prevent the second goal... We have to fill in the small gaps to win and make adjustments to win. Mentally, I just want to play with all my heart and not lose my fighting spirit."

　【Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference】"In the previous game, we lost to Iwata with 10 players, so we went into today's game with the determination to fight together. Our plan for today was to start Wanchope and Shioda. Wanchope has been struggling to find his form and hasn't been able to show his true abilities even in practice games, but I have talked to him about it. He has gradually started to show his true self since last week, so we decided to use him today. As expected, he didn't panic even in scoring opportunities and in the penalty area. He still has his unique rhythm and I think it's important for the team to use him effectively. Olympic team member Hirayama couldn't play the full game, so we used him as a substitute. It was unfortunate that we conceded two goals from a penalty kick and a set piece, but we were able to score today, which we couldn't do in the previous game. The next game will be without the Olympic team members and Tokunaga, so we have to make use of Wanchope while playing. (What was the reason for being pushed back in the second half?) The opponent was also losing, so they gained momentum in the second half. We couldn't connect well on the right side with Ishikawa and Inohara, and we self-destructed with our own mistakes. We should have defended compactly and used Fukunishi effectively in the transition between offense and defense. In the second half, Lucas and Wanchope got tired and couldn't create chances. Kurisawa was also injured, but we tried to connect more by bringing in Kajiyama. We need to improve the accuracy of our passes during transitions in order to connect better. (Will Wanchope continue to start?) I'm not sure yet. He has been coming on as a substitute so far, but I don't think he has much experience with that. I talked to him and he said he will do his best in the real game, and he showed his unique rhythm today as well. It depends on him, but I want to use him effectively."

　[Iwata・ADILSON Manager's Press Conference Summary] "In the previous game, we played with one less player and I think that fatigue was a big factor. Our legs were heavy and our movements were slow, which caused us to be slow in checking defensively. Also, there were problems with our positioning and we gave the opponent too much space on the right, so we replaced Funatani with Murai to fix that. We improved in the second half, but we should have moved faster when Marquinhos and Yamamoto received the ball. It was good that we were able to equalize with Tanaka's goal in the end, but we want to make up for the 2 points we couldn't get today in the next away game."