Nabisco Cup Opening! Start aiming for the top

　The first match of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league will be against Shimizu S-Pulse away. Tokyo, along with Tokyo V, Shimizu, and Iwata, belongs to Group B and will compete in the qualifying league at home and away. In the previous league match against Niigata, we defended a 3-point lead in the first half and achieved our first victory of the season. We want to continue this momentum and win this first match as well. Manager Jofuku said, "We will return to our original intentions and fight for the title. We will approach each match with all our might and actively challenge ourselves to improve as a team, even with the absence of national team players."

　Shimizu, on the other hand, has 1 win and 1 loss in the league so far. However, coach Hasegawa says, "Last season's 4th place finish is a testament to our strength. We may have 1 loss this season, but our playing style from last season has been ingrained and we have improved through our accumulated experience." It is important to not only take care of tall FW Yajima and speedy and energetic FW Fernandinho, but also to not let Shimizu's midfield, which is filled with technically skilled players, take control of the game.

　Tokyo will be without Konno and Hanyu due to the activities of the Japan national team, but instead Arai and Kurisawa have been added to the roster. Kurisawa says, "I want to show my face more and receive the ball in the build-up from the DF line, and connect it. I also want to be conscious of jumping out to the front line." In addition, Coach Shirofuku has returned Hirayama to the starting lineup, saying "I want to make use of each player's strengths." The match-up between Shimizu DF Aoyama and Hirayama will be a highlight, but Hirayama also says, "I want to not only win in the air, but also move and receive the ball, and create chances by getting in between the DFs." His own appeal, as well as his eagerness for victory, can be seen.

　Both teams will press each other and it is likely to be a match where they cancel each other out, but if Shizuoka's attacking midfielders, including new signing Marco AURELIO, are not allowed to play freely and they can quickly switch to attacking, they should be able to create chances. They want to control the midfield and aim for consecutive wins. The match started at exactly 3pm in the chilly Japan平 Stadium, with light rain falling, and it was Shizuoka's kickoff.

Despite Hirayama scoring a goal, the first half ends with a one-point deficit.

　Moved early in the game. 2 minutes, Shizuoka MF Fernandinho → FW Nishizawa dropped the ball and FW Yajima received it, dribbling to the left front line. Tokyo couldn't stop this despite running a long distance, and a shot was taken from the left area. Already conceding a goal. However, they did not collapse and instead turned to attack. In the 8th minute, Kurisawa → Nagatomo dribbled up the left side and returned to Kurisawa again. He then sent an early cross into the middle, and Hirayama took a low header shot but missed the target. In the 12th minute, a pass from Kurisawa on the left side went to Ishikawa → Tokunaga → Kajiyama, and a through pass was made into the right area. Ishikawa reacted to it, but was quickly surrounded by Shizuoka DF and couldn't finish.

　Then, after 15 minutes, Takanaga dribbles on the right side and passes to Asari who is supporting from behind. Asari crosses it directly and Hirayama heads it in with a high impact, equalizing the score. After that, they try to attack from the side by passing the ball, but the front line is isolated and they struggle to bring the ball to the area. On the other hand, they lose their rhythm as they are often caught off guard by Shizuoka's counterattacks due to midfield passing mistakes. In the 31st minute, they connect a pass in the area and Mochinobu is judged to have fouled Shizuoka's FW Nishizawa, resulting in a penalty kick. Shizuoka's MF Fujimoto calmly scores from the penalty kick.

　Trying to catch up with the equalizer as soon as possible, we put pressure on the front line and try to steal the ball, but the opponent's FW creates a good starting point and we also face a pinch from the counter. In the 40th minute, Kurizawa tries to aim for a goal with a good middle shot, but the opponent's GK catches it. In the 44th minute, we take the left CK from Nagatomo's cross and Yoshimoto reacts to Emerson's kick, but it is not well matched. In the end, we ended the first half with a one-point deficit.

Unable to take advantage of chances until the end, lost with 3 points conceded

　Substituting Cabore for Ishikawa in the second half. Emerson moves to the right, Kurisawa moves to left MF, and they go for a goal with a 4-4-2 formation. Shortly after the start, Nagatomo moves up the center and takes a shot from the left area, but it goes wide. In the 54th minute, Kajiyama sends a long through pass to the right front line, but Cabore can't catch up and the cross goes behind. In the 57th minute, Hirayama drops the ball from a right FK and Emerson cuts deep to the sideline and crosses. Cabore jumps in front of the goal to try and score, but it doesn't connect.

　In the 63rd minute, Tokunaga on the right side crossed the ball, and Hirayama → Cabore dropped it short in the area, but Hirayama's shot was blocked by the opposing defender and escaped as a corner kick. As Tokyo gradually advanced the game in Shimizu's territory, they substituted Okutake for Kurisawa in the 64th minute. They continued to increase their attacking posture, but in the 66th minute, they gave Shimizu a left free kick and were unable to clear the ball in front of the goal, resulting in their third goal against. They had completely taken control of the game and were pushing Shimizu, so it was a frustrating goal to concede in a moment of carelessness.

　Tokyo, who still goes for the first goal. In the 67th minute, Shige crossed Emerson's ball from the left corner kick, but Cabore's shot went over the frame. In the 74th minute, Akamine was replaced by Akamine. In the 76th minute, Otake crossed from the left side, and Tokunaga, who ran up to clear the ball, took a sharp middle shot, but it hit the defender and went out for a corner kick. In the 80th minute, Otake reacted to the floating ball as he entered the left area. He aimed for the goal while colliding with the opposing GK who came out, and it went out for a corner kick. Cabore headed Otake's left corner kick, but the ball missed the frame.

　In the 86th minute, Akamine from the front line → Emerson on the right side made a direct pass to Tokunaga who had moved up on the outside. Tokunaga takes a powerful shot from inside the right area, but the GK saves it. Tokunaga connects with the rebound and Kajiyama in the center fakes a shot and passes to Otake on the left area. Otake sends a strong cross towards the goal, but it just misses Cabore. Towards the end, Nagatomo makes a breakthrough from the side and sends a high cross towards the goal. Cabore's header is met by the GK who jumps out, but it is cleared by Shimizu's DF who came to cover. In the final minutes, Otake is involved in the ball often and creates many chances, but they are unable to break through Shimizu's solid defense and the game ends. The Nabisco Cup starts with a loss.

　【Player Comments】《Hirayama》"The goal was just a matter of adjusting to the good cross from Sari-san. I was conscious of jumping in front of the opponent's DF, and I think that's what led to the goal. However, there were many mistakes throughout the game, and when the ball didn't come to the front line, I couldn't help but drop back. We need to be patient and not drop back, otherwise we will not have enough players in the front. It's a point of reflection, and I want to make corrections and face the next game."《Otake》"I came on with the determination to catch up... We may have been able to change the flow, but it didn't lead to a goal. There were many small mistakes, and we need to improve our accuracy. I was able to take the FK because I was in good shape during practice. However, it went straight to the GK. (What about the cross you sent to the front of the goal after receiving Kajiyama's pass?) I aimed for a strong cross, thinking that someone would score. But I'm reflecting on the fact that I should have kicked the ball more towards the goal. The national team players are absent, but I want to approach practice with a strong mindset to start as a starter."

　【Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference】"Considering Shimizu's performance in the J-League over the past few years, we knew that we had to be challengers in order to compete. So we entered the game with the mindset of challenging from the start. We conceded a goal from the opponent's first shot, but we were able to hold on well in the first half and create our own opportunities. However, we conceded a goal from a penalty kick. The penalty was a judgement call, so there was nothing we could do about it, but I feel like we got a little flustered after that. In the second half, we went for the goal, so it was inevitable that we would be countered. We had some good opportunities to score, but unfortunately we couldn't convert. If we had been able to hold on with just a one-goal difference at 1-2, I think a lot of things could have happened. We need to reflect on the third goal we conceded. (What was the intention and impression of bringing on Otake?) In terms of players who pass and receive the ball, he did a good job of receiving the ball from the defense and supplying it to the striker up front. Of course, this was only possible because of the foundation of other players picking up loose balls. We expected him to provide an accent in terms of supplying the ball to the front line. I knew what I had to do in that situation, so I was confident that he could do it and we needed him to. Whether he could do it from the start is a different issue."

　[Summary of Shimizu Hasegawa's press conference] "I am happy to have won 3 points at home in such an important match as the first round of the Nabisco Cup. I think the players worked really hard. I didn't know that we hadn't won in 8 years, so when I saw the newspaper, I thought we hadn't won that much. We lost in the home opener of the league match for the first time in many years, so it was good to win this time. I knew that FC Tokyo had beaten Niigata in the previous league match and was in good shape. The key was whether we could control Ishikawa and Emerson, who come out from the shadow. In the first half, we gave up a few chances to Hirayama and it was unfortunate that he scored from a cross. I thought we had to stop that area properly and it was a very unpleasant goal to concede right after taking the lead. However, it was big that we were able to score another goal in the first half. Nishizawa created opportunities in the front and the second row players were able to join the attack at a very good timing. I think they did really well today. There were many scenes where Nishizawa crossed, but there were few scenes where he scored in the middle, but he received and turned in the PK scene. We also won a lot of corners and I think we were able to play the way we wanted. We were able to run until the end and we were able to aim for goals, so I think we can say that we have fully recovered. It is very important for the team that Nishizawa has returned in this way, and I hope he will continue to lead the attack in the future. Honda is in his third game, but I think he is adapting well. It was not good that he jumped in the scene where he gave away the last FK, but I think he is improving with each game and I am evaluating him. At halftime, I told the players that the next goal would be the deciding factor, and I was happy that we were able to defend and score from a set piece. In the end, we were pushed back and there were a few dangerous situations, but we were able to stay focused until the end. It was a game for FC Tokyo without their national team players, but I am happy that we were able to win at home while considering the qualifiers, and I want to prepare well for the next away game."