Nabisco Cup resumes, without losing tension, aim for victory with further challenges

　The Nabisco Cup resumes, and in the third round of the qualifying league, we will face Júbilo Iwata at home. In the previous round, we won the intense Tokyo showdown and the team's atmosphere is very good. In this round, we want to continue that tension and momentum and carry it over to the next league match.

　However, Coach Jofuku said, "After a high-pressure game like the derby, it can be difficult to maintain that level of tension. But we will send out players who have been preparing for this moment. Some players may have been inspired by watching the Verdy game, and their enthusiasm is significant. We also hope that this new challenge will have a positive impact on the team," as he discussed his intentions and made five changes to the starting lineup from the previous match.

　Hanyu also injured his ankle and was absent to take care of himself. This round, Cabore and Hirayama are the two top players, Kurisawa enters the midfield, and the three players, Konno, Kajiyama, and Kanazawa, who showed their skills at the end of the Verdy match, are the defensive midfielders. The center-backs are formed by Shigehira, who has recovered from his shoulder injury, and Bruno QUADROS.

　Iwata, on the other hand, has 3 points in the same group as Tokyo in the Nabisco Cup, ranking 3rd. In the league, they have lost 2 consecutive games and seem to be slightly off their game, but they have only lost by a narrow margin to Urawa and Sapporo. As they showed in their away game on March 23rd, their fast passing attack is still strong. In addition, Japan national team's GK Kawaguchi and MF Komano have prepared their condition, so we must be careful of their accurate crosses and the flying attacks of MF Nishi and others.

　First of all, we want to compete and not lose in the ball area, and we want to control Iwata's speedy attacks. In particular, we need to be cautious at the start of the first and second halves, and it is important not to get caught up in Iwata's rhythm. How long can we hold onto the lead? Let's attack Iwata's spaces with coordinated movements on both offense and defense, and aim for victory! The match started at 19:34 with Iwata's kickoff at the cloudy Ajinomoto Stadium.

Gradually taking control from a cautious battle...

　In the early stages, both teams tried to show their strengths, but the game became cautious and safe. In the 5th minute, Iwata's top MF Nishi moved to the left and crossed. Left MF Naruoka dropped the ball and Ueda, who ran in from behind, took a shot, but Shioda saved it. In the 6th and 8th minutes, Tokyo got a corner kick, but couldn't take a shot. In the 13th minute, Kanazawa passed the ball to Nagatomo, who broke through the left front line and attacked between two opposing defenders, taking a shot from the left side of the penalty area. This was Tokyo's first shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper.

　However, as time passed, Tokyo gradually grasped the rhythm and progressed the game in Iwata's territory. In the 17th minute, Kurisawa stole the ball from the opponent's DF on the left side of Iwata's territory and dribbled inside. He boldly took a shot, but it grazed the post and went out of bounds. In the 19th minute, Kajiyama took a shot. After that, they frequently earned CKs and FKs, and threatened Iwata's goal mainly through set pieces.

　At 32 minutes, they had a big chance. They persistently passed the ball within the Iwata team, and Kanazawa received a pass from Cabore on the right, and quickly passed it to Hirayama on the front line. Hirayama, despite being approached by the opposing DF, persistently returned the ball to Kanazawa. Kanazawa then faked out the opposing DF and created a decisive one-on-one situation with the GK. However, the shot was blocked by the GK, and Hirayama attempted another shot from the rebound, but it also hit the GK straight on...

　At 39 minutes, Cabore suffered a right thigh injury and was replaced by Akamine. Shortly after, Iwata's right MF Komano took an early cross and headed it to FW Nakayama in front of the goal, but the ball went wide. At 41 minutes, Akamine broke through on a pass from Hirayama and chested it down to enter the right area. He took a shot from just outside the goal area, but it curved slightly to the left... After that, Akamine's quick movements kept the game moving, and at 44 minutes, Imano took a daring shot from the middle. However, despite Tokyo's 10 shots compared to Iwata's 3, they were unable to break through the Iwata defense. The first half ended scoreless.

Although Akamine scored a skillful goal to take the lead, they were caught up at the end of the game.

　In the second half, Iwata, who is trying to proceed with the game carefully, goes on the offensive. In the 51st minute, from a throw-in by Tokunaga in the Iwata defense, Hirayama initially loses the ball, but a pass that Iwata tries to connect with falls in front of Kanazawa. Kanazawa makes a direct pass to the front line. Red Mine, who breaks through, controls the ball with a trap and passes the defenders, scoring a goal! With a quick transition and Red Mine's skillful goal, they take the lead.

　After taking the lead, we continued to dominate the ball, but lacked the courage to finish and were unable to score another goal as time passed. In the 62nd minute, we substituted Kurisawa for Otake in an attempt to change the rhythm and aim for a second goal. In the 65th minute, Hirayama pressed the Iwata DF and stole the ball, passing it to Akamine who was right next to him. Akamine took a sharp shot, but it was blocked by the GK and resulted in a corner kick.

　Iwata, who is chasing one point, also sent in FW Manda in the 62nd minute and MF Inuzuka in the 66th minute, and came out with a strategy of throwing long balls to the front line. In the 70th minute, Tokyo also replaced Kanazawa with Ikegami, who made his first appearance this season, and sent him to the left side. In the 72nd minute, Hirayama put pressure on the opponent's GK, causing a mistake and resulting in a CK. Okutake's kick was connected by Imakano on the far side, and Ikegami, Kajiyama, and Akamine passed the ball and attacked, but they couldn't finish with a shot.

　At 75 minutes, Iwata's right FW Nakayama dropped the ball to the front line and was replaced by Nakayama from the right, and FW Manda, who had moved up to the center, was shot free. Although it missed above the bar and was safe, Iwata was thrown long balls and early crosses, and was attacked by FW Manda and MF Namba, who came on in the middle, and lost their composure... At 85 minutes, Iwata MF Inuzuka's powerful shot hit MF Nishi on the front line and changed course, shaking the net. This was offside by MF Nishi and was not counted as a goal, and it seemed that they had escaped from danger.

　In the 89th minute, Iwata MF Nishi received his second warning and was sent off, leaving Iwata with 10 players. It seemed like they could hold on to the win, but in the 4 minutes of added time, something happened. The left side was broken through by DF Kaga, but Bruno QUADROS held on tenaciously. However, right after that, Iwata MF Nami → once again DF Kaga broke through the left side and crossed. The ball was punched away by Shioda, but it fell to MF Komano who was free just outside the box and he stabbed it in, resulting in a goal... Despite not giving up, right after that, Otake went up the right side and crossed. Hirayama headed it in, but it went to the right and time was up... They were caught up in the last minute and ended up with a painful draw at home.

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"It was a game where we could have gotten 3 points, but we lost 2 points. It's very frustrating. (Due to a sudden substitution) In the first half, there wasn't much time, so I was thinking of taking a shot if I had a chance. It was difficult to get into the flow, but I tried to focus on the first 5 minutes. The goal in the second half was thanks to Jo KANAZAWA's good pass, so I was able to shoot at the right timing from the trap. I was able to score, but it's still not enough if the team can't win. Personally, it may have been a little bit of an appeal, but it would be even better if the team could win. I want to contribute to the victory by scoring."《Kanazawa》"We were able to start the game without conceding any goals. We took the lead and it went according to plan, but we may have fallen behind after scoring. That led to the last goal. As a defensive midfielder, I have many opportunities to touch the ball. I try to think about various roles and enjoy playing. Specifically, I try to see the overall balance and think about the passing between the full-back and the opponent's wing-back. Also, I have more chances to go in front of the goal, so I also have to be conscious of scoring. (About Akamine's goal) The ball happened to fall in front of me and I saw Akamine's movement, so I immediately passed it. He had been making good movements, so I was watching him. (What about the decisive moment in the first half?) I thought I had "got it" after turning the opponent, but the next shot went straight to the GK. If I couldn't score that, we couldn't win... that's how I felt."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "It became the way we lost 2 points. Until about 30 minutes into the second half, we were able to play our own football and our defense was not broken. However, when Iwata put in FW Mandaishi and clearly started long feeds, we became flustered. We need to compete firmly, pick up second balls, and when we do, we easily give them back to the opponent, so we need to firmly make it our own ball, one of these three things broke down and we continued to receive long feeds, and from there we became a little flustered. In the end, the opponent had a wonderful shot and we also need to learn from them that they have a mentality to attack even with 10 players. However, the players who played today did well. Kurisawa was involved in the ball well and had a high contribution in both offense and defense. It was inevitable that he would run out of gas in the middle, considering how much he moved from the first half. He played with enthusiasm. As for Kanazawa, the balance was also good and the pass to FW Akamine was a typical ball for him. He was a little tired on the left side, so he was substituted, but he fulfilled his role for us."

　[Iwata-Uchiyama Press Conference Summary] "In the end, the players did their best in the remaining 10 minutes. The movement was faster and the support on the ball side was good. I want them to continue doing that for one game. I think that's our soccer. In the first half, the left side didn't function much in attack, and in defense, we couldn't check tightly at the defensive midfield position, and when it came to competing for loose balls in the midfield, except for MF Nishi, we couldn't take them. In that sense, we need to play tougher and harder or the opponent will move us. We were moved over long distances, and MF Naruoka was also pulled. We need to play soccer that can dominate the midfield a little more or it will be tough."