I want to take revenge on Nabisco with this momentum.

　In the 8th round of the league, we will face Shimizu S-Pulse away. In the previous round against Kawasaki, we had a fierce battle for points, but we were able to pull ahead and win in the second half. Our ranking is now 3rd. From here on, we have a tough schedule with 5 consecutive games during Golden Week, but Konno promised to focus on each game and accumulate points, saying, "There is a possibility that our ranking will change significantly in these 5 consecutive games. We will not focus on our current 3rd place, but instead, we will fight each game with importance."

　Shimizu, on the other hand, is currently in 15th place with 1 win, 2 draws, and 4 losses, and they haven't been able to get into a good rhythm. However, in the previous match against Yokohama FM, they were able to secure a draw with a solid defense. With a team full of technically skilled players, they have been able to dominate by connecting short passes from a strong defense and utilizing their attacking power. In the first match of the Nabisco Cup this season, they were defeated by an opponent who didn't allow Tokyo to play their desired style of football. As coach Jofuku says, "We lost that game because we were supposed to lose," so in this match, the key will be how long they can dominate and break through Shimizu's strong defense.

　Tokyo, 7 players were called up for the Japan national team and Olympic team training camp, and the condition of each player was a concern, but all players joined in a lively manner. There seems to be no problem. In the starting lineup, Ohtake was used instead of Kurisawa from the Kawasaki game. Morimura also made the bench. Nagatomo said, "In the previous match, my defense and attack were both half-hearted. Now, the transition is going smoothly, so I want to grab the rhythm from tough defense and attack more and more." Konno also said, "When attacking, I want to follow the sides and break through with numbers to create a numerical advantage and lead to chances," as he aims to exploit the space behind the opponent's full-back.

　Players are determined not to lose to the same opponent twice, and Manager Jofuku also stated, "After playing a few games since the first match of the Nabisco Cup, we have gradually improved both our performance and points. In order to continue growing, we will absolutely not make the same mistakes." They aim to win with their own style of soccer. The match started at 1:04 PM with a kickoff from Tokyo at the rainy Nihonbashi Stadium.

Conceded a goal in stoppage time, ending the first half 1-0 behind

　1 minute into the game, Cabore, who received a pass on the left side of the Shimizu team, dribbled forward and boldly shot from the left area, but it was saved by the GK. Although they had a chance right away, Shimizu controlled the rhythm afterwards. Shimizu quickly switched from defense to offense, and MF Fernandinho and MF Fujimoto created opportunities, pushing Tokyo back with their speedy attacks. In the 11th minute, Tokyo lost the ball to Shimizu in the midfield and were countered. They couldn't stop it on the right side and MF Fujimoto was left free on the left, where he took a precise looping shot. Shioda barely saved it with one hand in the top corner of the goal.

　12 minutes, Shizuoka's quick attack again, swung wide and attacked on the right side back Ichikawa, but Asari blocked and escaped danger. In the 17th minute, Shizuoka's left CK was cleared by Akamine, but again Shizuoka MF Ito crossed and escaped to the right CK. In the 21st minute, Tokyo's Akamine competed for the ball and aimed for Shizuoka DF's clearance ball, but Otake couldn't find the frame with a volley. After that, Shizuoka dominated the ball and gave them chances from set pieces, but no decisive opportunities were created, with Shioda at the center.

　In stoppage time, which seemed to end the first half as it is, Shonan gave the 9th CK to Shimizu, and DF Aoyama scored a goal with a powerful head from MF Fujimoto's kick. Despite holding on to 0 points against Shimizu's momentum, they were caught off guard for a moment. The game ended as it was, and they went into the second half with a 1-point deficit.

Despite a strong second half attack, we were unable to score and suffered a disappointing defeat.

　In the second half, Tokyo gradually started attacking by connecting passes. In the 51st minute, they stole the ball and midfielder Konno sent a lob pass to forward Cabore, but Shizuoka DF intercepted it. In the 54th minute, Otake made a well-timed through pass to the right side, and Tokunaga made a run and crossed the ball, but it was caught by Shizuoka GK. In the 56th minute, Otake's right FK was headed down by Asari, but Shizuoka DF intercepted it and it became a left CK. In the 58th minute, Nagatomo received a foul on the left side of Shizuoka's defense, resulting in a FK. However, Otake's kick was cleared by Shizuoka.

　Substituted Mori Murai for Asari in the 62nd minute. Moved Kajiyama to Asari's position. In the 68th minute, Otake kept the ball on the right side. He dropped it with a heel to Tokunaga who overlapped, and then crossed between DF and GK with a perfect ground cross. However, Shimizu DF managed to escape with a good CK. In the left CK, Otake's ball was headed by Sato in front of the goal, but it was cleared by the opponent DF. In the 71st minute, Fujiyama intercepted in his own zone and attacked to Cabore on the left side. Cabore aimed for a bold middle shot, and the GK punched it. The ball went up in the area, but Akamine was judged to have fouled the opponent in the competition.

　In the 74th minute, Cabore dropped a feed from Fujiyama and Otake was in shooting position. It was blocked by the Shizuoka DF, but Tokunaga crossed it early from the right. Akamine from the far side returned it, but it went over the line. Tokyo, who continued to strengthen their attacking stance, substituted Hirayama for Otake in the 77th minute. Tokunaga and Nagatomo overlapped and created chances from both sides. However, in the 78th minute, Cabore couldn't finish the near post header from Tokunaga's ground cross. This time, Akamine on the left received a return pass from Morimura and took a shot, but couldn't find the target.

　82 minutes, counterattack after stealing the ball in the opponent's territory. In the end, Cabore shoots from just outside the area, but the shot lacks power and is caught by the GK. In the 83rd minute, Mori and Tokunaga drop the ball from a right corner kick, and Akamine gets into a shooting position, but Shimizu clears it with determination and it becomes a left corner kick. After that, Tokyo dominates the ball, but Shimizu's counterattacks are sharp, resulting in a back-and-forth battle. In stoppage time, Cabore takes a direct shot from a loose ball after Shimizu's DF clears a feed to Hirayama, but it misses the target and all hope is lost. Despite earning 8 corner kicks in the second half, they were all repelled by Shimizu's solid DF, and although they only conceded one goal from a corner kick in the first half, they were defeated without scoring a goal...

　【Player Comments】《Tokunaga》"We couldn't handle Shimizu's pressure and made a lot of mistakes. We tried to attack from the sides, but Shimizu was able to defend by dropping back and creating a block. However, in the second half, there were moments where I was able to overlap. But because there were fewer players in the middle and the accuracy of crosses was poor, we couldn't convert them into goals. We were able to get that far, so in the future, we want to improve our connection with the center and increase our accuracy."《Akamine》"We had many chances for set pieces on both offense and defense, but Shimizu was able to score while we couldn't. It may have been a momentary difference in concentration. In the first half, our defense was a bit vague in response to the opponent's movements. So we made some adjustments to our defense. (Was the position change with Otake player also part of that?) Yes, it was. In the second half, those adjustments worked well, but we should have made those changes on the pitch in the first half."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We expected S-Pulse to come with a strong mentality, and we had to be prepared for that and not let them take control of the game. However, in the first half, it was all S-Pulse's space. Even so, we would have been happy to end the half 0-0, but unfortunately we conceded a goal in the end. In terms of performance, I think 0-1 is a fair result, but if we had held on until the end, we should have been able to get through with a 0-0 draw. In the second half, even at 0-1, we didn't change our pace and kept our balance, and I think we were able to attack patiently. However, looking back, we didn't have enough shots. This is partly due to our lack of awareness of shooting, but also because we couldn't completely break through. We were able to break through on the sides, but we lacked the ability to break through in better positions. We should have played like we did in the second half from the beginning, and since there are more games to come, I hope we can start the next one with that kind of momentum. (Specifically, what was lacking in the first half?) We were dominated by the ball. The opponent was able to easily pass the ball from the DF line to the top, and from there, MF Fernandez was able to accelerate. We need to prevent them from making long passes to the top, and even when we did get the ball, we couldn't keep it and control the tempo. There were also technical and decision-making mistakes, and S-Pulse had a very focused defense, not giving us any space to work with. That's why we couldn't execute our game plan."

　[Post-match Interview with Manager Hasegawa of Shimizu] "I think today's victory is a huge result. The players ran well until the end and the support from the fans, despite the rain, was a great source of strength. In that sense, I believe the players and supporters came together as one to earn 3 points from Tokyo. In the first half, we were able to play at a high tempo and create the desired shape. We were able to attack the opponent's goal from the flow of the game and scoring from a set piece was a big moment. We had a few corners in the first half, but being able to take the lead in the final chance was a huge moment in today's game. In the second half, there were moments where our physicality dropped and we were pushed back by the opponent, but I think we were able to respond properly until the end. Apart from the shot from the second ball (by the opponent), they only had 3 shots in the second half, so we were able to defend well and not allow them to take shots. In that sense, I think the result of being able to concentrate and fight for 90 minutes, including the players on the bench, led to today's victory at home. We have a game in 2 days, but I think this will give the team some confidence. We want to prepare well for the game against Reysol and bring back a good result."