Nabisco Cup kicks off, starting with a strong mindset

　The 2009 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup starts today. The first match of the qualifying round will be against Kashiwa Reysol. This season's Nabisco Cup will have two groups, each with seven teams (Group B = Yamagata / Chiba / Kashiwa / Tokyo / Shimizu / Kyoto / Kobe), and a round-robin qualifying round will be held, with the top two teams advancing to the final tournament.

　The match will be held three days after the first victory in the league, and Japan national team's Nagatomo and Konno will be absent. However, coach Eifuku said, "In a flat competition, we will go into the match with players who have prepared." Fujiyama will play as left back, and Kajiyama and Kanazawa will form the midfield. Asari, Hiroe, and Mukuhara will also make their first appearance this season and will be on the bench.

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, has drawn all three league matches. They should come to this match with a new mindset, aiming for their first home victory. Under the guidance of new coach Shinichiro TAKAHASHI this season, they have been challenging not only with their trademark "speedy vertical football from a solid defense" but also with their passing game. For this match, they have changed their lineup, with FW Kitajima leading the attack, FW Popo in the attacking midfield, and FW Ota and Otsu on the wings. However, above all, they must be wary of their speedy and powerful counterattacks.

　The first match of an important tournament where we want to gain momentum. The overall strength of the team will be tested, and the key will be how much we can make use of each individual's strengths. Coach Shirofuku said, "Our goal this season is to win one title. We have a strong desire to stand on the stage of the final." He once again showed his enthusiasm towards winning the title and vowed to start the new tournament with a strong determination to aim for victory. The Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium was cloudy and occasionally mixed with light rain. In the midst of feeling the harsh cold, the match started at exactly 7:00 PM with Kashiwa's kickoff.

Trailing by 2 points, but Cabore's goal brings us back up!

　Kashiwa took control of the rhythm right after the kickoff. They launched a speedy attack, with right midfielder Ota leading the way, and continuously attacked from the sides. However, Tokyo's defense remained calm and responded well. From there, they quickly switched to the attack and in the 12th minute, Ishikawa made a fierce dribble. He took a shot with speed, but it hit the crossbar... In the 19th minute, Cabore in the center received a lofted pass from the right, controlled it, and immediately turned to take a shot! It flew towards the bottom right corner of the goal, but was stopped by a great save from Kashiwa's goalkeeper... This time, Hirayama picked up the rebound in the right area and took a shot, but it hit the far post and bounced out... They were unable to capitalize on the chance.

　At 22 minutes, Kashiwa DF Ishikawa broke through Tokyo's right side and sent a high cross. MF Yamane, who was in the center, perfectly met the cross and finally broke the goal... We wanted to calmly turn the tables, but unfortunately, a mistake was made during the attack and the situation remained the same with Kashiwa's sharp counter. At 31 minutes, Tokyo's pass from DF was intercepted by Kashiwa, and Tokunaga couldn't help but stop it with a foul. This gave Kashiwa a free kick from the left area. At 32 minutes, Kashiwa FW Popo aimed directly for the free kick and the ball fell and powerfully hit the bottom left, resulting in the second goal being conceded...

　However, in the 33rd minute, Cabore fiercely pressed on a trap mistake by the Kashiwa MF, snatched the ball and scored! Both teams continued to launch quick attacks, narrowing the gap to one point. In the 41st minute, Sawa and Shigeno successfully defended against Kashiwa MF Ota's attack to FW Kitajima, and launched a counterattack. Hayashi passed through the right side, but no one was able to follow up. In the 44th minute, Tokunaga, who had changed positions to left back, made a move and entered the left area. He passed back and Ishikawa crossed, but it did not reach Hirayama on the right side... However, Tokyo finally started to find their rhythm and had hopes for a comeback as they entered the second half.

Despite creating many chances, three goals against us proved to be a tough defeat...

　However, in the early 46th minute of the second half, Kashiwa FW Otsu, who received a pass from the right, tried to slip past Fujiyama, who was marking him, with his back to the goal in the central area. Fujiyama was judged to have fouled him and a penalty kick was given. Otsu himself scored this penalty kick, and they lost their third goal...

　Substitute Suzuki for Hanyu at 52 minutes. Immediately after, Suzuki attacks the left side and becomes the starting point for a wave of attacks towards the goal. Kashiwagi tenaciously picks up the ball that was deflected by the Kashiwa DF, brings it into the right area, and takes a shot. However, the DF blocks it again, and Sasaki takes a shot from the rebound, but it doesn't reach Hirayama in the front line for the finish.

　Substituted Akamine for Hirayama in the 59th minute, and Otake for Ishikawa in the 63rd minute. They energetically took the ball from Kashiwa, who had started to lose their momentum, and connected it to the front line to create chances. In the 64th minute, Cabore crossed from the right after a set piece. Sasaki and Kajiyama, who were still attacking, connected and Suzuki took a shot from the loose ball, but it went high. In the 68th minute, Suzuki received a free kick from Gonda and took a bold shot. The Kashiwa goalkeeper punched it out for a left throw-in. However, they were unable to continue their attack from there.

　In the 74th minute, Kajiyama steals the ball in the midfield and dribbles. Otake -> Tokunaga makes a move, but is blocked by Kashiwa. Otake then steals the ball and sends a strong cross from the left area to the front line. However, it does not reach Akamine at the far post and goes just outside the line. In the 81st minute, starting from Kajiyama, they attack and Suzuki on the right side calmly dribbles past the opposing DF and takes a shot. However, the Kashiwa DF who came to cover blocks it. Otake then tries to score from the right area, but it goes wide. In the end, despite taking 10 shots in the second half, they were unable to score. The 3 goals conceded proved costly and they suffered a tough defeat...

　[Player Comments]《Kanazawa》"We were pushed back by Kashiwa's momentum from the start. We should have been able to withstand it... However, the marking between the defense and midfield became ambiguous, and they took control there. Personally, I was thinking about maintaining balance and getting more chances to touch the ball and make plays, but we were constantly chasing two points and it became a tough situation. We all knew that this was an important first game in the Nabisco Cup and we were all motivated. Unfortunately, we couldn't turn that into results."《Hirayama》"We were losing the ball too easily and kept getting caught on the counter. We were at a numerical disadvantage and it was tough to defend against their attacks. Especially in the first half, I regret not playing more simply."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "It was very cold due to the rain, and it was a weekday night game, so it was unfortunate that we couldn't give a win to the supporters who came to cheer us on away. As for the game itself, the pitch was slippery and required both judgment and technique, but there were many instances where our judgment was lacking, not just our technique. There were also several instances where we were too lax in one-on-one situations. Our poor judgment and being dispossessed led to a high physical burden, which may have prevented us from fighting, but I was disappointed that we didn't fight in the one-on-one situations in front of us. We knew that the opponent was good at counterattacks when we lost the ball, so we wanted to end our attacks with shots or by breaking through their defense. However, due to the slippery pitch, we couldn't execute those tactics. As a result, we were hit by the opponent's counterattacks multiple times. It's very frustrating, but in the next game, we want to make sure we can show that we can fight against the opponent in front of us by making adjustments and preparing."

　[Kashiwa Takahashi's press conference summary] "Throughout the first and second half, the players expressed their strong desire to win on the pitch. There were some dangerous moments, but we also had some luck and fought with the determination to bring more luck. The players fought hard, and so did the supporters. I think that's what today's game comes down to. We used a lot of players who haven't played in games before, but in practice, they showed no difference in their play compared to those who have been playing. They should have had the desire to play in the game, and they also had an image of what kind of play they would make when they did play. Including the players who have started in previous games, we can expect a healthy competition."