I want to take 3 points with a fresh team.

　In the second round of the Nabisco qualifiers, we will face Vissel Kobe at home. In the previous round, we made mistakes under Kashiwa's high pressure and suffered a loss. Coach Jofuku analyzed the cause as "not being able to fight in the one-on-one situations in front of us. The reason is the basic aspects." He also mentioned the need to clarify individual responsibilities within the team and work on them for the Kobe match.

　Kobe, on the other hand, under the command of coach CAIO JUNIOR, who took over this season, is undergoing a transformation towards passing soccer. In the previous round, they drew with Chiba and in the official matches so far, they have 1 win, 2 draws, 1 loss, 4 goals scored and 4 goals conceded, which can be seen as a work in progress. With DF Miyamoto and MF Kan as the core, the attack with MF Yoshida and FW Ganaha flying out from a compact formation is powerful, and the sharpness of the counterattack from a solid defense is also still present. We must pay close attention to them.

　Tokyo will face the match with a significantly changed lineup, with fresh players. "Looking at other teams, young players are rising up. Rather than giving them a chance, I chose the best lineup to win 3 points in the next match," said coach Jofuku, with Mokuhara on the right side and Konno, who just finished the Bahrain match the day before, as center backs. In the midfield, Asari and Hayashi will play as defensive midfielders, with Otake and Kajiyama on the left and right sides, and Cabore and Akamine as the two forwards. Rookie Tanabe will also be on the bench.

　Kajiyama said, "Kobe will probably come to defend from the front. We want to calmly connect in the midfield and move the ball forward." Akamine showed his determination, saying, "It's not easy, but we want to change the flow of the team by scoring and getting results." We want to take control of the game by passing through the press from the front line. It's an important battle where winning 3 points is an absolute condition for advancing to the final round. Let's win with all our might! The game started at 2:04 pm with Kobe's kickoff at the still chilly Ajinomoto Stadium.

Both teams were unable to create attacking opportunities due to tough pressing, and the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

　Kobe took control of the first half pace. MF Kin and Matsushita were at the center, taking the ball with a tough press and firmly passing it to push the game forward. Tokyo couldn't help but stop with fouls, giving away chances from FKs multiple times. In the 6th minute, Kobe's MF Yoshida's FK was initially blocked, but MF Baba volleyed the rebound. This was easily saved by Gonda. In the 14th minute, the ball was taken near the center line and DF Ishihako headed the goal from a feed by Kobe's MF Matsushita, but it was saved by the bar.

　Tokyo launches attacks from the side with a counter-attacking style. In the 31st minute, Mokuhara boldly dribbles down the right side, evading the opposing defender and entering the penalty area, but is fouled before he can make a move. In the 37th minute, Tokunaga's cross from the left is aimed at Akamine in front of the goal, but Kobe's goalkeeper Enomoto catches it. In the 38th minute, Cabore receives the ball on the left side and attempts a dribble, but is seemingly fouled outside the right side of the penalty area, only to be judged as simulation...

　Kobe was unable to create any real chances against the press, but they began to show signs of fatigue and started to keep possession in midfield and launch attacks. In the 40th minute, Otake → Mukuhara stuck to the right side and dribbled past the opposing defender to cross the ball into the center. Kajiyama, who was in front of the goal, headed the ball down and Akamine took a direct shot, but the timing was off and it missed the target by a large margin. Then, in the 42nd minute, Akamine took another shot while falling down from Otake's through pass, but it also missed the target. The first half ended 0-0.

Concentrate on defending Otake's goal and secure a clean sheet victory.

　At halftime, Tokyo made adjustments to go for the ball in a high position. This worked well and in the second half, the pace changed to Tokyo's favor. Shortly after the start, Akamine picked up a clearance from the opponent's FK and dribbled. He connected with Kajiyama and Hayashi, and Cabore reacted to the through pass and took a shot, but it was saved by Kobe GK Enomoto. After creating several scenes threatening the Kobe goal, in the 59th minute, Akamine received the ball from Mokuhara's right throw-in and cleverly changed his body to pass to the center. Cabore dribbled past the opponent's DF and the ball went to the left to Otake, who entered the area and took a shot. It went into the top left corner, giving Otake his first goal of the season and putting Tokyo in the lead.

　Kobe brought in Nori Suzuki in the second half, trying to demonstrate his power as a kicker in set plays, but without creating any dangerous situations. In addition, Sasaki and Konno concentrated on defense, not even giving Kobe a chance to score. On the other hand, Kondo and Tatsuya Suzuki were substituted for Cabore and Otake, aiming for an additional goal. In the 34th minute, Asari picked up a loose ball from a left corner kick and fed it to the front line. Konno, who had run out to the right in the area, aimed for a goal, but it was blocked by Kobe's defender Kitamoto...

　At 40 minutes, the opponent FK was punched by Kanda. Hayashi picked up the loose ball and dribbled up the left side, then passed a long ball to Suzuki on the opposite side. Suzuki passed to Kondo who aimed for the goal, but was cleared by the DF. In stoppage time, Tokunaga received the ball on the left side from a counter and dribbled past Kobe's DF Miyamoto, then crossed. The ball reached Suzuki, who was free on the far side, and he trapped it with his chest and took a shot, but it went over the bar. Despite having chances to score an additional goal, they were unable to do so and the game ended. They were able to secure their first victory in the Nabisco Cup.

　【Player Comments】《Imano》"I knew it was going to be a tough game. I really wanted to win today no matter what, so I'm really happy we were able to achieve that. I had a good practice with the national team and my physical condition was also really good, so I wanted to play in the game today and it was fun. I heard a little bit about the Kashima game on Wednesday and it didn't seem like it was a good game, so when we got back to the team, Coach Shirofuku and all the players were a little tense and the atmosphere was that we absolutely had to win today. Playing as a center back was unexpected, but as long as we keep a clean sheet, we won't lose, so I wanted to contribute more to the attack, but I couldn't do that. We didn't give away any dangerous chances and I think it was important that we kept a clean sheet. It's not just the responsibility of the FW for the lack of goals, but if we don't have good feeds from the defense line, we won't be able to create good attacks. So if I have to play as a center back again, I want to be involved in both the attack and build-up play and make good passes. Next is the league game. There are a lot of things we need to do. We have a week off, so we'll have a good practice and I hope we can keep a clean sheet and score a lot of goals to win."

　"Otake" "In the first half, I couldn't do anything, but in the second half I was able to score, so today it's like a walk in the park. I thought it would be a very important game for me this year, so I wanted to put my heart into it from the first half. However, we fell behind in defense and couldn't get out on the attack. I couldn't show my strengths. In the second half, the opponent's energy dropped a bit, so I was able to play my game and score, which saved me. In the first half, both me and Kaji-kun (Kajiyama) were pulling back too much, which caused the side players to follow and the whole team to drop back. In the first half, I lost all the 50-50 balls and loose balls, so I was scolded by the coach and I wanted to improve on that. I was yelled at a lot during the game. In the second half, our defense improved and we were able to play from the front without falling behind, so we were able to create our own rhythm. I think that was good. (What about the goal?) When I entered the box, I knew the left side was open, so I ran and Cabore used his body well to set me up. I don't remember much about the moment I took the shot, but I'm glad it went in. But even though I scored, I didn't do well in other aspects, so today it feels like I only scored. My goal this season is to consistently perform as a starter. Today was my first time starting, but I only scored, and I couldn't play my usual game of taking the ball and going towards the goal, so I want to work harder from now on."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "I think it was great to be able to celebrate with the fans at home. I once again felt the power of the fans' support during tough times for the team. In terms of the game, we have been conceding an average of 3 goals per game, except for the Yamagata game, so we focused strongly on defense first and foremost. This includes not only the team's defensive strategy and how we take risks when attacking, but also each individual's responsibility to prevent the opponent from playing freely and to win the ball, and how we can maintain that for 90 minutes. Throughout the first and second half, there weren't many instances where we were outplayed. We did give away too many set pieces, but we were not broken down defensively, which I believe is due to each player's high defensive awareness. However, in the first half, we were too low in terms of where we were winning the ball, which left our two forwards isolated when trying to build an attack. This led to us losing the ball and being attacked. I think we were more in a situation where we were being attacked and the ball was being passed around in the first half. Towards the end of the first half, spaces started to open up and we were able to connect passes, but we were lacking in terms of keeping the ball and pushing forward in the front line. This was partly due to the fact that we were too low in terms of winning the ball, as I mentioned earlier. In the second half, we were able to win the ball higher up the field as a team, so we had more time to play football in the opponent's half. We really should have scored a second goal when the opponent was attacking. There were a few chances where a pass could have been made. Tatsuya Suzuki's shot at the end should have been a goal. We want to reflect on our defense in this game and build on it for the next game, where we can finish off the opponent when they come at us."

　[Kobe Caio Junior's press conference summary] "We changed from 4 back to 3 back since the last game, and especially in the first half, it worked very well. Overall, the first half was a good game. I think it was very difficult for FC Tokyo to mark our team in the first half. There were some scenes where they took a few shots at the end of the first half, but we were able to change sides, so it was difficult for them to mark our side changes and I think it was difficult for them in the first half. I think we were able to control the game by being good at possession. In the data of Vissel Kobe last year, there was the most number of fouls in the J1 league. Since I came to Japan, I have been aiming for the club to reduce the number of fouls and yellow cards, and I think the results are showing. In the last two games, there were no yellow cards. As a result, I think we were able to play well. In today's game, we were playing well, but unfortunately, we were swept away by the foul and conceded a goal. It was a very unfortunate event. In the second half, the opponent put pressure on us from the front and we had to play while feeling the difficulty, and in the end, this was the result. In the second half, we tried to change the situation by putting in MF Suzuki Nori, DF Shigeki, and FW Matsubashi to increase the thickness of our attack and put pressure on the opponent, but we couldn't change the situation and the game ended."