Challenge boldly even away, and achieve the first victory in Nabisco!

　In the second round of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league, we will face Júbilo Iwata away. In the previous round against Shimizu, we were able to connect passes and attack the opponent's goal, but we were unable to score. On the other hand, we suffered a defeat due to the opponent's skillful game management and their decisive finishing in crucial moments. As coach Jofuku said, "I want to make this team one that doesn't lose in the league. In that sense, we will approach this away game with a stronger determination and take on challenges boldly, in order to achieve our first victory in the Nabisco Cup no matter what."

　Iwata, on the other hand, has had a strong start to the season with two consecutive wins after losing their opening match. Under the guidance of coach Atsushi UCHIYAMA for the second season in a row, the team's concept and individual roles have been well established. In the previous match, they secured a victory with quick attacks. In particular, we must be wary of the speed of new signings, FW MANDAI and MF NISHI. Additionally, while we want to exploit the spaces on the sides against Iwata's 3-5-2 formation, coach Shigetoshi JOFUKU has warned that "Iwata has their own strengths, so they have chosen to play with a 3-5-2 formation to counter that."

　Tokyo changed their starting lineup from the Shimizu match. In particular, Otake will make his first start in place of Ishikawa, who injured his leg. Otake said, "There are players like Iwamoto from Iwata and rookies who are playing in the game, so I don't think it's surprising to start. However, as a starter, I have to prioritize getting the team's rhythm. I want to play easily where I should and give my all from the beginning." Coach Jofuku said, "Players who have been given a chance and produced results have emerged, and everyone's motivation is high, including the substitutes." We hope to see the emergence of new players.

　In terms of game management, Iwata is just as skilled as Shimizu, but they want to stay calm and extend "their time" without rushing. In addition, they want to actively challenge to break through Iwata's strong midfield and solid defense in order to aim for victory. The match started at exactly 2:00 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo at Yamaha Stadium.

Despite creating chances, both teams ended the first half with no goals.

　The game progressed with a fast exchange of offense and defense from the start. Both teams quickly moved forward from focused defense, fiercely competing but unable to create decisive chances. However, as time passed, Tokyo began to take advantage of the space in Iwata's defense with side attacks, finding their rhythm. In the 21st minute, Cabore received a cross from Tokunaga on the right side, but Akamine's shot was offside. In the 24th minute, Kajiyama passed to Cabore who ran up the left side. He beat the opposing DF and sent in a cross, but Akamine couldn't reach it from the far side. Kajiyama picked up the ball that went through to the opposite side and sent in another cross, but the opposing DF cleared it.

　27 minutes, when Kanazawa on the left side put a long ball into the front line, Akamine, who had successfully escaped behind the opponent's DF, received it and shot directly. He couldn't catch the frame. In the 33rd minute, Cabore dropped the ball on the right side of the opponent's field, and Otake dribbled and passed it to Cabore, who ran into the area again. Cabore stretched out his leg to catch the pass from behind and shot forward. It was a decisive chance, but it was blocked by the opponent's good save.

　At 38 minutes, after quickly switching from the opponent's CK, Tokunaga dribbles from his own goal to the Iwata goal. He tries to aim for the goal from the front of the area, but is blocked by the GK. On the other hand, at 44 minutes, Iwata also creates a chance with a quick attack. MF Ota draws the Tokyo DF and passes to FW Mandai who came up from the right. Mandai takes a decisive shot, but is saved by Shioda. Throughout the match, both teams defended well and the first half ended scoreless.

With 2 goals from Akamine, we quickly pulled ahead and achieved our first victory away at Iwata.

　The second half also saw a fierce exchange of attacks and defenses, but the momentum was with Tokyo. In the 52nd minute, Akamine → Cabore → Otake made a dash into the right area from the right side. They bravely took a shot, but the goalkeeper saved it. Then in the 53rd minute, Otake dribbled out of the right area from Emerson's pass and sent a sharp ground cross in front of the goal. Cabore missed it, but it went to Akamine on the left side. He couldn't shoot directly with his feet, but he didn't give up and kicked it into the goal to take the lead.

　Substituted Kawaguchi for Emerson in the 59th minute. As Iwata chased one point, Kawaguchi was involved in both offense and defense with his abundant physicality. In the 65th minute, he tenaciously stole the opponent's ball and dribbled up for a shot. Although it narrowly missed the frame, it brought momentum to the team. Then in the 66th minute, he stole the ball on the left side, dribbled up and crossed it to Kabore in front of the goal, who headed it down to Ohata on the opposite side. Although Kabore couldn't take a shot, he persistently stretched out his leg to connect while being surrounded and Redmine reacted to it, kicking it into the unguarded goal for the second point.

　Iwata also started to counterattack. In the 74th minute, FW Nakayama and MF Namba were both substituted. FW Nakayama energetically moved around the front line, while MF Namba calmed the ball in the midfield and effectively spread passes to the left and right to lead the attack. With these two veteran players, the momentum began to shift towards Iwata. However, Tokyo also substituted Nagatomo and Hirayama for the visibly tired Cabore and Akamine. They maintained their attacking stance until the end. In the final minutes, Iwata threw the ball into the goal area to try and score, but the team came together and focused to hold off the counterattack, resulting in a 2-0 victory! This was their first win in the Nabisco Cup and their first 3 points at the Yamaha Stadium.

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"We lost the first game, so it would have been tough if we lost again. I really wanted to win. It was good that I could score and contribute to the team in my first start. For the first goal, I think the pass was too close to my feet and I couldn't shoot directly... I don't really remember (laughs). For the second goal, the ball came to me in a good position and there were no Iwata players around, so all I had to do was score. (Could you hear Coach Jofuku's instructions during the game?) The opponent was playing with a back three, so I was instructed to cover the defensive midfielder. That's why I was able to score. (The team is doing well in the Nabisco Cup, just like last season?) That's just a coincidence. But I think being able to score when given the chance will lead to more opportunities. I cramped up at the end."《Otake》"I was nervous in my first start and at the beginning, I was out of breath and couldn't move my body. But I gradually got used to it and felt more relaxed. Today, I thought Iwata would play with a back three, so I was conscious of the space on the sides and making runs behind the defense, which is something our forwards are good at. For the first goal, Emerson gave me a good pass. In the play before that, I had taken a shot with my right foot, so the opponent probably thought I would shoot again... That's why I didn't shoot and instead saw Shingo-san in the middle, so I crossed it to him. In the second half, I was able to play calmly and see my teammates better. I was able to think about how to move in a way that would make the opponent uncomfortable. (There were also some plays where you won the ball without losing it?) The opponent probably thought I was small and weak. So I thought if I went in with all my strength, I could win. I didn't think about pacing myself for the full 90 minutes. I thought I might have to be substituted because my legs were starting to cramp up, but I was able to play until the end. The longer I play, the more I can do the things I want to do, so I was happy about that. But I still need to improve my physical fitness and today, I couldn't get involved with the ball at the start and end of the game. I need to be more involved and create a rhythm."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We were cautious of Iwata's passing game and quick movements, and tried to prevent them from showing their strengths while showcasing our own strengths. At first, we were a bit stiff and may have kicked too much. However, our team is not good at starting games, so we tried to play it safe and that's how it turned out. As the game went on, it settled down and I think we had an even game in the first half. In the second half, the opponent may have had a slight advantage in possession in the midfield, but we were able to use the speed when we went to the attacking third, which I think was a reflection of our previous game. We felt that if we could bring the ball to the attacking third, there was a possibility of scoring. It was good that we were able to score from that situation. In the second half, we were in a bit of a pinch when they threw the ball in, but until then, we were able to play a solid game without being broken down. (What is your evaluation of starting player Otake?) Among the players who started for the first time today, I think he had a lot of impact and he did what he does in practice every day. (First victory at Yamaha Stadium?) I just found out now. Anyway, we wanted to become a team that doesn't lose, and we sent the players out with a strong determination. I think the players fought with a strong mentality. I didn't know it was our first victory."

　【Iwata・Atsushi UCHIYAMA Press Conference Summary】"If we could have created time around the central midfield from the beginning, the game would have been more settled, but we couldn't do that and ended up playing back-and-forth soccer. Even in that situation, it would have been good if we could have taken the lead, but in the end we conceded a goal in that way. In the end, when Nabe came on and dealt with the ball in the central midfield, we were able to create time and the backline was able to push up, allowing us to play compact soccer. We felt a lot of things and it was a game that gave us challenges for the future. Looking at the opponent's formation, if we had quickly realized that we had three players in the midfield and they had two, and calmly created time, we could have pushed up and played compactly. But there were times when the receivers didn't move or there were mistakes, and we ended up losing the ball to the opponent. There were many instances where we were beaten on the side, but the way we lost the ball was bad. Because we were losing the ball and not playing compactly, we couldn't push up and the opponent was able to exploit the space behind our three-back formation. In terms of attacking and defending as one, if we can't create time in the midfield during attacks and we're not playing compactly, it will also affect our defense. If we move 2-3 meters and get involved with the ball, the ball will move faster. We need players who can embody that kind of soccer. When Nabe and Nakayama came on, they were able to do that, but instead of relying on them for how long, we need to make it a challenge to bring Jubilo back to being a strong team. Today, we felt that and it was a good game for reflection. If we can create time in the midfield, even if the opponent is sitting back, we can pull them out and break them down. We need to improve the composition of our midfield, including the central midfield and the wings, and continue to build our game."