We want to grab 3 points with fresh members

　In the Nabisco Cup Qualifying Sec. 2, we will face Vissel Kobe at home. In the previous match, we made mistakes under Kashiwa's high pressure, resulting in a loss. Coach Jofuku analyzed the defeat, stating, "We couldn't compete in the one-on-one situations in front of us. The cause lies in the basic aspects." Looking ahead to the match against Kobe, he mentioned, "I want to clarify the individual situations and responsibilities within the team as we move forward."

　Kobe, under the guidance of coach CAIO JUNIOR, who took charge this season, is undergoing a transformation into a passing football style. In the previous match, they drew with Chiba, and so far in official matches, they have 1 win, 2 draws, and 1 loss with 4 goals scored and 4 goals conceded, indicating they are still in the trial and error phase. However, with DF Miyamoto and MF Kan at the center, the compact formation allows attackers like MF Yoshida and FW Ganaha to launch powerful attacks, and the sharpness of their counterattacks from solid defense remains intact. They must be paid great attention to.

　Tokyo has made significant changes to the lineup for this match, approaching it with fresh players. "Looking at other teams, young players are stepping up. Rather than just giving them a chance, I chose the best formation to secure three points in the next match," said Coach Jofuku. The defense features Mukuahara on the right side and Konno, who just finished the match against Bahrain, as a center back. In midfield, Asari and Hanyu are positioned as defensive midfielders, with Otake and Kajiyama on the flanks, and the two forwards are Cabore and Akamine. Additionally, rookie Tanabe has also made the bench.

　Kajiyama said, "I think Kobe will come to defend from the front. We want to move the ball forward while connecting well in the midfield without rushing." Akamine expressed his determination, saying, "It's not easy, but I want to change the flow of the team by scoring goals and achieving results." They aim to navigate through the pressure from the front line with their passing work and seize control of the match. This is a crucial battle where earning 3 points is an absolute requirement for advancing to the Final Round, and they will fight with all their strength to secure victory! The match started at 14:04 with Kobe's kickoff at Ajinomoto, where the air is still quite cold.

Neither team was able to create attacking opportunities due to intense pressing from each side, and the first half ended 0-0.

　Kobe took control of the pace in the first half. The defensive midfielders, Kan and Matsuoka, led the way, winning the ball with intense pressing and effectively moving the ball to push the game forward. Tokyo, unable to cope, resorted to fouls, giving away several free kicks. In the 6th minute, Kobe's MF Yoshida's free kick was initially cleared, but the loose ball was volleyed by MF Baba. This was easily saved by Gonda. In the 14th minute, after losing the ball near the center line, DF Ishibitsu connected with a feed from Kobe's MF Matsuoka with his head, threatening the goal, but was saved by the crossbar.

　Tokyo launched an attack from the side, leaning towards counterattacks. In the 31st minute, Mukuara received the ball on the right side and boldly cut into the side, seemingly breaking past the opposing defender to enter the area, but a foul was called before that. In the 37th minute, Tokunaga's cross from the left aimed for Akamine in front of the goal, but Kobe's goalkeeper Enomoto caught it. In the 38th minute, Cabore, who received the ball on the left side and attempted to dribble, appeared to be fouled just outside the right side of the area, but it was ruled a simulation...

　Although they couldn't create any real chances against Kobe's press, fatigue began to show in Kobe, allowing them to maintain possession in midfield and launch an attack. In the 40th minute, Ohtake passed to Makuara, who held on at a high position on the right side, evading the opposing defender to deliver a cross into the center. Kajiyama, who was in front of the goal, headed the ball down for Akamine to take a direct shot, but he missed the timing and sent it well off target. Furthermore, in the 42nd minute, Akamine again attempted a shot while falling after a through pass from Ohtake, but this too went wide of the goal. The match went into halftime at 0-0.

Concentrating on defending Ohtake's goal, achieving a victory without conceding any goals

　At halftime, Tokyo made adjustments to regain the ball in a high position. This worked well, and in the second half, the pace shifted to Tokyo's favor. Early on, Akamine picked up a clearance from an opponent's free kick and dribbled. He connected with Kajiyama, who passed to Hanyu, and Cabore, reacting to the through ball, took a shot that was deflected by Kobe's goalkeeper Enomoto. After creating several chances to threaten the Kobe goal, in the 59th minute, Akamine received a throw-in from Mukuahara, skillfully turned his body, and passed to the center. Cabore, while holding off the opposing defender, let the ball go through to Ohtake, who advanced into the area and shot. This found the top left corner of the goal, giving Ohtake his first goal of the season and taking the lead.

　Kobe brought in Noriyuki SUZUKI in the second half, trying to showcase his power as a kicker in set plays, but they did not create any dangerous situations. Additionally, with a concentrated defense led by Sahara and Konno, they did not even allow Kobe a clear chance. Conversely, Cabore and Ohtake were replaced by Kondo and Tatsuya SUZUKI, aiming for an additional goal. In the 34th minute, Asari picked up a loose ball from a left corner kick and fed it forward. Konno, who had burst into the right side of the area, aimed for the goal but was rebuffed by Kobe's defender Kitamoto...

　In the 40th minute, Gonda punched away an opponent's free kick. Hanyu picked up the loose ball and dribbled up the left side, sending a long pass to Tatsuya SUZUKI on the opposite side. Tatsuya SUZUKI passed to Kondo, who aimed for the goal but was cleared by the defense. In stoppage time, Tokunaga received the ball on the left side from a counter-attack, evaded Kobe's defender Miyamoto, and crossed the ball. The ball reached the free Tatsuya SUZUKI at the far post, who trapped it with his chest and took a shot, but it went over the bar. In the end, despite having chances for an additional goal, they couldn't score and the match ended as is. They celebrated their first victory in the Nabisco Cup.

　[Player Comment] <Konno> "I thought it would be a tough match as expected. Today, I really wanted to win no matter what, so I’m very glad we achieved that. I was able to train well with the national team, and my physical condition was very good, so I wanted to play in the match today, and I enjoyed being on the field. I heard a little about the match against Kashiwa on Wednesday, but it didn’t seem very good. When I returned to the team, Coach Josip KUZE and all the players were a bit tense, and there was an atmosphere that we absolutely had to win today. Playing as a center back was unexpected, but as long as we kept a clean sheet, we wouldn’t lose. I wanted to be more involved in the attack, but I couldn’t do that. We didn’t create any dangerous situations for the opponent, and I think keeping a clean sheet was very important. The low number of goals is not just the responsibility of the forwards; if we don’t provide good feeds from the defensive line, it won’t lead to good attacks. So if I play center back again, I want to be more involved in both attack and build-up play and deliver good passes. Next is the league match. There are many things we need to do. We have a week off, so we will train well and aim to keep a clean sheet and score many goals to win again."

　"Otake": "We couldn't do anything in the first half, but we managed to score in the second half, so I feel like that evens things out today. I thought this match would be very important for me this year, so I wanted to put my heart into it from the start. However, we fell behind defensively and I was so busy defending that I couldn't get forward at all. I couldn't show my strengths. In the second half, the opponent's energy dropped somewhat, so I was able to play my game a bit and score, which saved me. In the first half, Kaji-kun (Kajiyama) and I dropped too deep, which dragged the wide players back, and the whole team dropped too much. I lost every challenge for the ball and loose balls in the first half, so the coach got angry with me, and I decided to improve on that. I was yelled at a lot during the match. In the second half, our defense improved, and we could press forward without falling behind, which allowed us to create our own rhythm. I think that was good. (About the goal scene?) When I passed to Cabore, I knew the left side was open, so when I ran, Cabore skillfully used his body to set me up. I don't really remember the moment I took the shot, but I'm glad it went in. Although scoring was good, everything else was no good at all, so today it feels like I just scored a goal. My goal this season is to consistently perform as a starter. Today was the first time I started this year, but I only scored and couldn't play my usual style of holding the ball and driving toward the goal, so I want to work harder from now on."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "I think it was very good to be able to celebrate together with the fans at home. I once again felt that the fans' support is a great strength when the team is not doing well. Regarding the match content, except for the league match against Yamagata, we have been conceding an average of 3 goals, so above all, we entered the game with a strong focus on defense. This applies not only to the team's defensive approach and the risks we take when attacking, but first and foremost, each player's responsibility to prevent the opponent from having freedom and to win the ball, and how to maintain that for 90 minutes. Throughout both halves, there were few situations where we were caught out by well-formed attacks. Although we conceded too many set pieces, I recognize that the reason we were not broken down defensively was due to each player's high defensive awareness. However, in the first half, we were winning the ball too deep, and when trying to transition to attack, the two forwards were isolated. This led to situations in the first half where we lost the ball again and were attacked—or rather, the opponent was able to circulate the ball. From around the end of the first half, spaces started to open up, allowing us to connect passes better, but holding the ball up front and pushing forward was somewhat lacking in the first half. I believe one major cause was that we were winning the ball too deep, as I mentioned earlier. In the second half, the team was able to win the ball higher up the pitch, so we spent more time playing in the opponent's half. Ideally, we should have scored a second goal when the opponent was attacking. There were several chances where a pass could have created an opportunity. Suzuki Tatsuya's final shot also needed to be scored. When the opponent comes out, we must seal the game. Based on this defensive performance, we want to thoroughly reflect and build on it for the next match."

　[Summary of the press conference by Vissel Kobe coach CAIO JUNIOR] "Since the last match, we changed from a back four to a back three, and especially in the first half, it worked very well. Overall, the first half was a good game. I think it was probably very difficult for FC Tokyo to mark our team in the first half. There were a few shots on goal near the end of the first half, but because we were able to execute side changes effectively, the opponent couldn't mark our side changes, making the first half difficult for them. Mainly, by managing possession well, I think we were able to control the game. According to last year's data for Vissel Kobe, we had the highest number of fouls in the J1 League. Since I came to Japan, I have told the club that we want to reduce the number of fouls and yellow cards and aim for that style of football, and I think we have seen considerable results. In the previous two matches, we did not receive a single yellow card. As a result, I think we have been able to play very well so far. Regarding today's match, we were progressing well, but unfortunately, in the scene where we conceded a goal, there was probably a foul that was overlooked, which led to the goal. I think it was a very regrettable incident. In the second half, the opposing team applied increasing pressure from the front, and we felt the difficulty while playing, which ultimately led to this result. In the second half, despite the difficulty, we brought in MF Norio SUZUKI, DF Motegi, and FW Matsuhashi to add attacking depth and try to change the situation by putting pressure on the opponent, but we were unable to change the situation, and the match ended as a result."