Quarterfinal Round 2, aiming for victory at home only

　The second leg of the Nabisco Cup quarterfinals will be played at home against Yokohama F.Marinos. In the first leg, we won 1-0, so if we can draw or win this match, we will advance to the semifinals. However, Coach Hara stated, "We are not just trying to defend our one goal lead from the first leg. We are only focused on winning. Especially since it's a home game, we will play aggressively and aim for victory at Ajinomoto."

　Yokohama FM, who will face them, will have MF Kawai suspended and MF Nasu starting as a defensive midfielder. In order to advance to the semifinals, they will need to score a goal at all costs, so they will most likely take risks and attack. In anticipation of this, they have chosen to start MF Euchinho, who will make his first start of the season, as the left midfielder. They will approach the game with the same 4-1-3-2 formation as in the first match.

　Tokyo wants to press from the front, compact the lines, and attack by penetrating behind the opposing DF from the sides. In order to break through Yokohama FM's solid defense, they want to initiate a side change and create opportunities on the open side. If they can execute wide attacks, Kajiyama and Fukunishi's runs up front will also become effective. They want to take the lead and control the game in their favor.

　Tokyo will face the same starting lineup as the first game. The match started at 6:30pm with Yokohama FM's kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium, where it was raining heavily due to the influence of a typhoon and the pitch was wet.

In the early stages, we were on the offensive, but we couldn't get into a rhythm after conceding the first goal.

　Tokyo quickly pressed forward and launched a bold attack. In the 2nd minute, Tokunaga stole a corner kick from the attacking line. In the 5th minute, Fujiyama cleared a ball to the Yokohama FM front line, sending a long ball into the Yokohama territory. Lucas picked up the loose ball from the opponent's DF trap, evaded the DF and broke through to the left area, facing the GK in a 1-on-1 situation. Despite having a decisive chance early on, his shot missed wide to the right and they were unable to score the opening goal.

　After that, Tokyo continued to dominate the ball and attack, but their decision-making was poor and they began to suffer from counterattacks by Yokohama FM. In the 15th minute, Lucas received a throw-in from the right and immediately turned towards the goal to take a shot, but it went wide. Gradually, Yokohama FM started to send the ball quickly to the front line and gain momentum for their counterattacks. In the 18th minute, a pass from Kajiyama in the Yokohama half was not connected and they lost possession, leading to a change in possession. The ball was passed around in the Tokyo half and in the 19th minute, Komiya on the left side switched the ball to the right. Tanaka Hayato, the right back, sent a cross into the box which was skillfully brought down by FW Oshima and MF Yamase Koji ran in to score. They were unable to catch the second line of Yokohama FM's attack and ended up conceding the first goal.

　Still, there was time. Against Yokohama FM, who tried to gain momentum after taking the lead, Tokyo also defended well and did not allow any additional points, launching a counterattack and engaging in a back-and-forth battle. In the 29th minute, from a corner kick won by Kajiyama's shot, Tokyo approached Yokohama FM's goal, with Norio Suzuki and Rychely entering the right area. Lucas took a shot from the rebound, but it was blocked by the DF. In the 30th minute, Fukunishi was fouled in a position 25-6m in front of the goal, resulting in a free kick. Noriyuki Suzuki took a direct shot, but it was blocked.

　33 minutes, Yokohama FM left back Komiyama enters the Tokyo field and takes a sharp long shot. It is saved by Doi and escapes to CK, but then counterattacks, but the pass to Fukunishi is taken away and they are hit again. Yokohama's attack is offside, but in terms of speed, Yokohama FM is superior. In the 44th minute, they repeatedly throw in from the right and approach the Yokohama goal, and in the end, Kajiyama sends a floating pass to the front line with a header, but it is offside. Mistakes are also noticeable on the rainy pitch, and they are unable to start from the side. The first half ends with a score of 0-1.

Conceded 4 points, fought back with all our might, but ultimately lost in the Nabisco Cup

　The second half was expected to be a counterattack. However, Yokohama FM also brought in FW Marques to score an additional goal and started attacking by connecting passes. In the 48th minute, they lost a left corner kick, but Tokyo DF cleared it once, and Yokohama FM's MF Koji Yamase picked up the loose ball and attacked from the right side, crossing it. FW Oshima then cleanly headed the ball into the goal. Tokyo conceded two goals at the start of the second half. In order to advance, they needed at least a draw, but now they needed two goals.

　Substituted Rychely for Akamine in the 51st minute. In the 52nd minute, DF Tanaka Hayato made a vertical pass from the right side of Yokohama FM and attacked. The cross slipped through the Tokyo DF and found FW Marques free in the far area. The shot missed over the bar and avoided danger. In the 54th minute, Kajiyama stole the opponent's throw-in and passed it to Akamine on the left front line. Akamine's ground cross reached Fukunishi free in the right area, creating a decisive shooting chance. However, the timing was slightly off and it was blocked by a DF. Kajiyama and Kanazawa ran in for shots one after another, but they were all blocked by DFs and they couldn't score.

　In the 55th minute, Bamba replaced Asari and Fukunishi entered as a defensive midfielder. Tokunaga also moved forward in an attempt to score a goal. In the 60th minute, Kajiyama passed the ball to Bamba from a goal kick. Akamine then broke through the defense and took a shot, but it hit the left post. Both teams took risks in their attacks and defense, with chances for both sides. In the 68th minute, Yokohama FM's right midfielder Yoshida was able to steal the ball and counterattack. Although Shigeta cleared the cross, the ball ended up at the feet of FW Oshima, who scored the third goal.

　Substituted Ishikawa for Fujiyama in the 70th minute. Tokunaga, Shigeta, and Kanazawa formed a 3-5-2 formation to launch a full-scale counterattack, but in the 72nd minute, Lucas' pass was intercepted by Yokohama FM's FW Marques, who then passed to FW Oshima for a one-two. Oshima easily scored with a right-footed shot from outside the box, resulting in a fourth goal against us. However, we did not give up and continued to fight back. In the 78th minute, we connected from the center with Lucas, who then passed to the area where Baba and Fukunishi were attacking. Baba made a final pass to the right, and Ishikawa took a daring shot from the side to score a goal.

　The exchange of offense and defense was intense, and in the midst of a hectic development, in the 87th minute, Norio Suzuki → Kanazawa → Kajiyama kept the ball at the left corner of the area and passed it to Kanazawa who ran up from the outside to the inside. Kanazawa ran into the area with speed and scored a goal by blasting it through the near side. They showed determination and closed the gap to two points, but it was too late for a comeback. They lost 2-4 and although they tied in number of wins in the two games, they fell behind in goal difference and could not advance to the semifinal round of the Nabisco Cup.

　【Player Comments】《Kanazawa》"In the first half, I focused on not making any mistakes in the back while playing safety, but we ended up conceding the first goal. However, if we could get through the first two games, we would be even, so we were determined to turn things around in the second half. We tried to score from the beginning, but losing the second goal at that time was painful. We needed to score more than two goals, and the team lost its energy, resulting in us conceding the third and fourth goals in a chaotic manner. We couldn't regain our pace against Yokohama FM, who had the momentum. We took risks and attacked towards the end, but I think we switched on too late. I aimed for the near post, thinking that the opponent's goalkeeper would take care of the cross, but unfortunately, it didn't lead to a victory. I feel sorry for the supporters who came out in the rain to support us. Although the team has improved compared to before, there are still games like today and the G Osaka game in the first half of the season. To win, I think it's necessary for each of us to reflect on our own mistakes."《Ishikawa》"On the slippery ground, I focused on finishing with shots and crosses. There was space in front of me, and I think the goal was created simply by using the side. Fukunishi played a good ball from the left to me. We should have used that kind of attacking play more from the first half... Personally, I was able to play with a focus on finishing in a short amount of time, so I want to continue that in the next game. Maybe the team is being too cautious. I think I am a player who can change the team's bad flow and give rhythm, so I want to play powerful soccer. We wanted to build momentum in the Nabisco Cup and carry it over to the second half of the league, but unfortunately, we couldn't do that. We will switch our focus to the league."

　【Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference】"We won the first game, but we didn't have the intention of just defending in this match. For about 15-20 minutes, the ball was moving and there were times when Yokohama FM pushed up their line and were caught offside, but Lucas and Fukunishi had decisive moments. During that time of pressure, Kajiyama dropped back and the ball became loose, resulting in a goal against us. After that, we became flustered. Rychely wasn't able to perform as he normally does on both offense and defense. At halftime, I told the team, "Yokohama FM will send in crosses early, so compete for the loose balls. Do it properly." Watching the second half, I was thinking of making changes if things didn't go well, but then we conceded a second goal from a corner kick and the pressure was on everyone. However, if we had scored a goal from Fukunishi or Akamine's chances, the game could have turned around. But we couldn't score and then conceded a third goal while pushing forward, which was a big blow. We wanted to move forward somehow, but today's game showed both our good and weak points. We knew Yokohama FM would come at us aggressively, so even if we had conceded the first goal or were down 0-2, if we had stayed calm and passed the ball, we could have created chances. That's something we need to work on. We've been showing some good signs since June, but if each individual doesn't give their best or is a step behind, we end up with a game like today's. It was the same in the league game against G Osaka, but we need to fix this tendency of losing our rhythm and falling apart. However, even though it was late, we scored two goals and had chances to score 1-2 more, so we need to continue with that attitude. I apologize to the supporters who came out in the rain to cheer us on. The only thing we can do now is prepare well and make sure we don't have games like this when we resume in August."

　[Yokohama FM・Manager Hayano's Press Conference Summary] "In the first game, we lost 0-1, but neither the players nor the staff were aware of the big handicap we were carrying. We also calculated the away goal, and thought that if we scored first, the game would change. We have been preparing for this for a week. Today, we talked about fighting with this weather in mind, and also about not letting FC Tokyo score for the third time this season, as we were caught off guard in both of our previous matches. Our start was slow and our feet were stopping, so I instructed them to kick long balls like Tokyo and chase after them, even if it meant playing rough. We did get countered a few times, but our start was very bad. However, when FW Oshima scored from the post, we gained momentum. At halftime, I instructed them to go for more goals since it was still even. We were able to gain even more momentum by scoring early in the second half, but if we had scored the third goal a little earlier, it would have been easier. In the end, it turned into a shootout. Our two forwards haven't been scoring, but today FW Oshima scored two goals, which was a good result. It's a shame that we conceded two goals, but I think we were able to play good rainy day soccer today, rather than focusing on our pressing. It was difficult to connect passes, and Tokyo was able to play counter-attacking football by sitting back, so we tried to avoid falling into that trap by keeping our zone high. If we could press them, that would be great, and we were able to prioritize vertical passes over horizontal ones. We were able to move on to the next stage, so we want to continue this positive momentum in the league."