Resume the cup competition and regain momentum with a fresh team.

　The Nabisco Cup resumes, and in Sec. 5, they will face Yokohama FC at home. It will be the first cup match since April 11th, and currently, Tokyo is in 2nd place (7 points) in Group C, while Yokohama FC is in 3rd place (6 points). With only 2 matches left in the qualifying league, this will be a crucial match for both teams to secure a spot in the final round. Additionally, after a disappointing loss in the previous league match against Kawasaki, it will be interesting to see how they will bounce back in this back-to-back match. This will be an important game in their quest for a comeback.

　However, Evaldo will be absent due to injury. Additionally, Shigetoshi Motonaga, who returned in the previous match, will not be included in the lineup due to conditioning. In the midst of consecutive matches, there is also the intention to encourage the team that tends to sink, and today's lineup will feature fresh players. In goal will be Tsuchi, who will be starting for the first time since March 31 (Sec. 4 match against Kashiwa). Suzuki Nori will be at left back. In double pivot, Inaba and Kajiyama will be paired, with Kawaguchi on the left side of midfield. Forward Hirayama will also be starting for the first time since March 31. Additionally, Morimura will make his first appearance on the bench this season, with Evaldo also on the bench as a substitute.

　Yokohama FC, who have not won a game since the second round of the league, are also in a difficult situation. Today, like Tokyo, they have changed their lineup in order to find a way to rise up. Against Yokohama FC, it is important to first surpass them in spirit. Then, we must regain Tokyo's fast-paced soccer in both offense and defense, and aim for victory. From a strong defense, we will quickly take advantage and launch attacks from big opportunities to break through this difficult situation!

　The daytime weather, which made us feel the heat of midsummer, has finally eased, but at the windless Japan National Stadium. The match started at 7:04 PM with the kickoff of Yokohama FC.

Completely taking control and creating opportunities, but...

　In the 4th minute, Tokyo had a big chance. Konno, who stole the ball, expanded to the left. Norio Suzuki overlapped and aimed between the opponent's DF, sending a perfect through pass to the front of the goal. Kawaguchi caught up and created a scoring opportunity, but the shot was blocked by the opponent's brave GK. In the 6th minute, Ishikawa flew freely to the right area and chest-trapped the cross. However, his feet slipped and he couldn't shoot. In the 13th minute, Ishikawa cut back the opponent's DF and crossed. Kawaguchi headed it back to Lucas, who connected it backwards. Kajiyama ran in and got into a shooting position, but once again his feet slipped and he couldn't shoot.

　In defense, they did not lose focus and did not give any chances to Yokohama FC. They should have been able to gain momentum by capitalizing on their attacking rhythm. In the 20th minute, Kawaguchi on the left, Inonami in the center, and Ishikawa on the right connected, and Tokunaga, who had moved up on the outside, made a breakthrough, earning a free kick from a wide position on the right side of the area. However, they were unable to convert the shot from Ishikawa's kick. In the 30th minute, Inonami perfectly timed a header from Ishikawa's corner kick, but it went just slightly to the left. They were unable to take advantage of set pieces as well.

　At 31 minutes, a dynamic counterattack is launched from their own half. Kajiyama sends a long feed to the left front line, and Suzuki Nori, who caught up, crosses directly. Inaba, who had advanced to the goal, jumps in with his head, but it doesn't hit well and is cleared by the opponent's GK and DF... In the following 32 minutes, Kawaguchi breaks through to the front line and aims for a shot from a trap, but the opponent's GK saves it. Lucas follows up on the ball that falls in the left area and takes a great shot, but misses the frame.

　In the 34th minute, before they could make the most of their chances, Yokohama FC's FW Miura snatched the ball from Imakano's feet and dribbled up the field. Then, just outside the box, Fujiyama was fouled, giving a free kick. Yokohama FC's MF Uchida aimed a low shot, which went under the wall of Tokyo DF and into the goal. With just one chance, they were able to score and now had to chase from behind. Taking advantage of this lead, Yokohama FC retreated to their own half to strengthen their defense. In the final minutes, they created chances from set pieces, but were unable to score against the Yokohama DF's crowded defense. The first half ended with a score of 0-1.

Unable to change the bad flow, Yokohama FC was able to defend.

　In the second half, Tokyo dominated the ball and took the lead. In the 49th minute, Iwakawa received a pass from Tokunaga on the right side and immediately turned forward to take a shot, but it went slightly to the left... In the 52nd minute, from Kajiyama's development, Tokunaga -> Iwakawa took a corner kick. Hirayama took a header shot from Iwakawa's corner kick, but it curved to the left. However, Tokyo gradually lost its rhythm as they struggled against Yokohama FC's defensive tactics. In the 55th minute, from Yokohama FC's free kick, MF Zheng crossed the ball and MF Uchida ran into the area and took a powerful shot. It curved to the left but did not result in a dangerous situation, yet Yokohama FC still outperformed Tokyo in terms of speed.

　59 minutes, Kurihara was replaced by Ishikawa who was injured. Then, in the 65th minute, Wanchope was substituted for Kawaguchi. Now, Inonami is moved to defense and Konno is moved to defensive midfield. Wanchope and Hirayama are in the front line, with Lucas, Kurihara, and Kajiyama attacking with numbers, aiming for a goal. In the 68th minute, Lucas passed to Hirayama on the right side from Wanchope's drop. Hirayama quickly took a shot from the right area, but it was saved by the goalkeeper...

　In the 78th minute, Akamine was replaced by Akamine and entered the power play, but also received a counterattack from Yokohama FC while becoming aggressive. In the 80th minute, they got consecutive CKs, but couldn't finish. In the 88th minute, Lucas jumped in on Tokunaga's right cross and Wanchope reacted to the rebound and shot, but it also went to the right... In the end, they showed a Tokyo-like soccer at home, but couldn't score during the good rhythm. They were defeated by Yokohama FC with 1 point, which was a frustrating loss.

　【Player Comments】《Inaba》"I tried to play aggressively, hoping to change the flow even a little bit... But if we can't score when we have the chance, this is the result. Even the counter chance in the first half, if I had touched the ball a little earlier, I could have scored. But I think that's our current ability. We need to think again in each position, otherwise we won't make progress. To make up for what's lacking and regain confidence, I want us to discuss together."《Kajiyama》"I was conscious of touching the ball a lot and creating a rhythm. Inaba was doing the defense for me, so I was able to play in front of him... The opponent was pulling back, so I should have attacked more from the side, but maybe I kicked too early. I regret that there weren't more moments where we could connect. If we had scored in the first half, it would have been our game. It's frustrating."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We had a disappointing game last time, so today we wanted to use fresh players and play an aggressive game at home. In the first half, we had some good opportunities and decisive moments, but we couldn't score. However, we had chances including CK and FK, so I thought we could create more chances if we kept going. However, we gave up a goal from an FK and things started to get chaotic. At halftime, I told the players, 'We only gave up that one goal. Our chance will come.' and I believed we could continue to fight like that in the second half. However, there was an accident with Ishikawa's foot, so I put in Kurisawa and instructed them to move the ball more. I was watching Kawaguchi on the right, but he also seemed fatigued, so I put in Wanchope. In the midst of that, I told them, 'Not just long balls, but also try to get the fullbacks up as much as possible.' However, the ball didn't move much and we ended up just putting in long balls. I thought if we could get the ball to the side and put it in, Wanchope with his height and Lucas could get involved, but we couldn't score against Yokohama FC's solid defense. Despite it being a weekday, so many fans came to support us and we have to respond somehow, so the players and staff are working hard. However, once we give up a goal, we lose confidence and can't play our usual aggressive game, which is very disappointing. The players are not giving up, and there were scenes where we could have scored if things had clicked. But we couldn't convert them and now we're lacking confidence."

　[Yokohama FC Manager Takagi's Press Conference Summary] "We had to face this game with a team that we are not used to playing with due to the situation of playing two games in two days. We knew it would be a very difficult game, but the team was able to come together and handle it well. We were able to control FC Tokyo's attacking side and make the most of our few chances. We had a few opportunities to counter and get close to their goal, but if I had to say, I wish we could have scored one more. However, our players were able to adapt well to the various changes made by the opponent's substitutions and we played an exciting game. We played in a 4-1-4-1 formation because FC Tokyo's front line often shifts to four players and their right side player, Ishikawa, moves inside after going forward. So we brought Zheng in as an anchor and had him fill the space between the side back and center back. Forward Miura was not playing as a top player, but rather taking care of the opponent's midfielder. We have not been able to get many wins lately and it has been disappointing and sad for our fans and everyone involved with our club. However, I felt that we were able to gain some momentum in this game and we played very well for the next league match."