The first National event of the season. Aiming for consecutive wins in the Nabisco Cup.

　The 4th round of the Nabisco Cup will be held at the Japan National Stadium, with Júbilo Iwata facing off. In this qualifying league, Tokyo is currently in 3rd place. Following their victory in the previous round against Oita, they aim to continue their winning streak and rise up by defeating 4th place Iwata. At the same time, they hope to achieve a home victory with renewed determination at the National Stadium. However, in this round, Inaba will be suspended due to his red card in the 5th round against Niigata, and Ikegami is also absent due to illness. As a result, the defensive line will be set up with Imakawa as center back and Tokunaga as right back.

　Manager Hara analyzed, "The balance in the midfield has been poor lately. Even though we are attacking with numbers, we are getting countered. There is a big gap in front of the center back, and the opponent is able to face forward and gain momentum there." He also mentioned that the defensive line has been put together hastily, and he wants to have Asari, who is making his first start of the season, hold his ground in front of the final line. Fukunishi and a double pivot will be paired in midfield. Up front, Lucas will be leading the line, with Baba playing as an attacking midfielder, Kurizawa on the left wing, and Ishikawa on the right, making for a fresh lineup.

　Iwata has been plagued by injuries, led by DF Tanaka. However, in the league's 5th round match against Urawa on the 8th, they were able to compete with sharp movements and midfield passing centered around MF Fabricio, despite conceding a late lead. As they have yet to win in the Nabisco Cup, they should come to earn 3 points in order to advance to the final tournament. However, Tokyo cannot afford to lose for the third time this season. Manager Hara said, "We gained momentum after going down to 10 men in the Niigata match. There's a hint there. Even with fewer players, we can create decisive chances, so we want to attack without fear while adjusting the balance and aiming for victory with a return to Tokyo's original style of play!"

Grabbing the rhythm, FUKUNISHI's goal in the first half stoppage time takes the lead.

　The cold rain that started in the evening gradually subsided. However, at the Japan National Stadium where the cold could be felt, the game started at 7:04 pm with a kickoff from Tokyo. From the beginning, Lucas and Baba were the starting points in the front line, and Ishikawa and Kurizawa also moved well, drawing out attacking runs from the fullbacks with fluid positioning and finding their rhythm. In the 8th minute, Ishikawa drifted to the left and sent a cross from the goal line. Although it was initially blocked by the opponent's defender, Kanazawa regained possession and made a through pass to the front line. However, it did not connect with Kurizawa who was running in from the right. In the 9th minute, Baba boldly aimed for the middle range. In the 10th minute, Lucas received a throw-in from the left and passed it back to Baba, who then cut inside and took a sharp shot. However, it missed the target.

　In the 12th minute, Iwata also had a strong and fast cross from right back Inuzuka. FW Karen Robert jumped in, but it didn't work out. However, in the 13th minute, a long through pass was sent from the left side to the front line. FW Karen Robert quickly broke through and took a shot from inside the left area. The ball slipped past Shiota and headed towards the goal, but Fujiyama cleared it just in time, avoiding a dangerous situation. In the 21st minute, Lucas passed to Tokunaga on the right and ran up to the goal. A lob pass was sent from Tokunaga to the area, where Lucas was free, but his chest trap shot went over the bar. A golden opportunity was missed.

　Tokyo often picks up second balls and turns them into attacks, but lacks a little ingenuity in finishing, leading to a counterattack from Iwata's solid defense. In the 28th minute, Iwata's through pass is intercepted by MF Kikuchi. Asari skillfully cuts it off with a sliding tackle. However, Iwata's FW Karen Robert then runs into the left area and takes a powerful shot. But Tokyo's defense stays focused and manages to hold off the attack.

　Unable to decide while taking the lead, at the 44th minute when it seemed like the first half would end, Lucas → Baba became a wedge and returned the pass to Lucas who had moved inside. They created a chance from a flowing combination play. Lucas' shot to the upper right corner of the goal was blocked by the opponent's GK, but they earned a right corner kick. Ishikawa's kick was connected by Lucas in the center, who acted as a decoy, and Fukunishi quickly reacted and kicked it into the goal! They finally scored the long-awaited opening goal in stoppage time and went into the second half with a 1-point lead.

Lucas scores an additional point! Iwata holds off the counterattack and secures their first home victory.

　Tokyo, who took the lead, came out attacking strongly from the start of the second half. In the 45th minute, Ishikawa received a pass from the back and turned to shoot. In the 48th minute, Fukunishi broke through on the left side, passed to Baba in the center, and then to Ishikawa on the right, who crossed from the outside. Although it was cleared by the opponent's defender, they continued to push forward. In the 52nd minute, Asari kept the ball on the left side and took a good shot from the middle. However, it went wide to the right.

　As time passed, both teams gradually stretched their lines and the game became a back-and-forth battle. In the 58th minute, Tokyo's left side was intercepted and Iwata's MF Naruoka quickly ran into the goal. Naruoka's sharp shot was saved nicely by Shioda in the upper right corner! After that, Tokyo didn't press forward recklessly, but instead organized their defense in their own half and waited for a chance. In the midst of this, in the 66th minute, Lucas chased after a loose pass from Iwata's DF in front of the opponent's goal. He was brought down by Iwata's GK Matsui in the area and was awarded a penalty kick. Lucas himself took the penalty and scored with a powerful kick, adding another goal at a good time!

　Iwata, who had no choice but to attack, launches a fierce counterattack from here. In the 71st minute, the ball is passed to FW Karen Robert from a right cross, and he is held up in front of the goal and takes a shot. In the 76th minute, Iwata was given a penalty arc FK from just left of the goal, but MF Fabricio's kick was blocked by the wall. In the final stages, the game becomes a back-and-forth of counterattacks, and in the 82nd minute, Iwata makes two substitutions at once. With this substitution, Ueda, the left fullback, moves up to the attacking midfield position.

　In the 83rd minute, Ota from Iwata cut in from the right side and allowed a shot. This pinch was also helped by the opponent's mistake, but in the 85th minute, Iwata's Ueda and Nakayama passed a one-two and allowed entry into the area. Tokyo was broken down by taking advantage of the gap in marking, and finally conceded a goal. After that, they continued to be pushed back, but they resisted with a united defense and the time was up. They scored goals from CK and PK and achieved consecutive victories in the Nabisco Cup with a balanced attack and defense, as well as their first home victory of the season!

　【Player Comments】《Asari》"We approached the game with the mindset of 'regaining our momentum' together, and our attack was strong today. My role was clear, so I was able to defend while Fukunishi made runs forward. In addition, my teammates covered for me when I went forward. Being used in the game means having a role in maintaining balance. We unfortunately conceded a goal at the end, but overall I think I fulfilled my role. Until now, we have been struggling due to small things, but I believed that if we played with our hearts, we could get results. This time it was at the National Stadium, but in the next home game, I want to play good soccer at Ajinomoto and share the joy with everyone."《Baba》"I haven't been able to play in many games so far, but I always prepared myself to be ready whenever I was given the chance. I am most happy that we were able to win as a result of getting this opportunity. Today, I was thinking of receiving the ball in a high position and playing simply. I was instructed to not be afraid and to clearly differentiate between shooting and passing. If we don't shoot, the opponent's defenders won't come forward, so I tried to shoot as much as possible. The pitch was wet, so I aimed for low shots, but... Unfortunately, I didn't score or assist, so next time I want to aim for both. I will prepare myself to win by getting in good condition."

　【Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference】"We haven't been able to win at home so far, and I think everyone was putting in a lot of effort. Although it is the Japan National Stadium, we were able to win today, so from now on we have to show our true strength. Inano was suspended, so we had to think about what to do with the final line, but we decided to have Konno focus on being a stopper and move Tokunaga to his natural right position. We also had the option of using Yoshimoto and Ikegami, but in today's Nabisco Cup, winning or losing makes a big difference. We chose this formation in order to win. And with the change in the final line, we used Asari in front of it, and the balance was good. We aimed to defend firmly and then attack quickly from there. Baba also received the ball well, and Ishikawa had a good run. Kurisawa also maintained a good balance. Despite the weekday rain, 10,000 fans came to support us. We talked about playing with passion to repay the fans who have been supporting us even though we haven't been winning. I think everyone did that. Today, in addition to Inano, we didn't use Olympic representatives Hirayama and Kajiyama, but we thought it was important to win without using them, so we went with the same formation until the end. They will do their best in the Syria match, and the remaining players will do their best in the league. I think this will further improve the team's strength. But we can't just be happy. We have a league match coming up, so we have to switch our mindset immediately. We have to build on this kind of fight and continue to fight in the next match against Oita."

　[Iwata-Adilson coach's press conference summary] "From the beginning, Iwata's players were still sleeping, not putting their hearts into it, and entered the pitch in the first half of the lost time. At halftime, I encouraged the players and brought out their motivation. Also, the opponent was winning, so they came out on the counter, so we talked about countermeasures and spreading the ball and crossing from the outside and scoring from there. However, the opponent scored another goal, and we also had several good chances, but unfortunately we could only score one goal. Although it has become difficult to advance to the Nabisco Cup qualifiers, we want to switch gears because there is also the league."