Nabisco Cup Quarterfinals, First Match: Win at Home!

　The Nabisco Cup quarterfinals will be held. Tokyo will play their first match at home against Nagoya Grampus today. In addition to Tokyo, the quarterfinals will feature Urawa, Yokohama FM, and Shimizu, who advanced through the qualifying league, as well as Kashima, Kawasaki, Nagoya, and G Osaka, who participated in the ACL. The semifinals will also be played in a home and away format.

　The team is currently on a 6-game winning streak in their first official match after being promoted to J1. Despite having a short 2-day interval since the last league match, they will face the same opponent and aim to continue their winning streak without losing momentum. However, the players have all expressed that "rather than focusing on how many consecutive wins we can achieve, it is important to give our all in each game and accumulate points one match at a time" as they continue their journey towards the Cup Winners. Tokyo will face the same starting lineup as the league match, with Ohata on the bench for the first time since the Nabisco Shimizu match on June 13th.

　Nagoya, on the other hand, has made changes to their lineup after their defeat in the previous league match, with coach Stojkovic discussing the changes. Today, GK Nishimura and LB Sato are starting. Additionally, MF Nakamura, who was suspended for the league match, and MF Yoshimura are forming a double pivot, while FW Davi and Sugimoto are leading the attack in a fresh formation.

　In order to advance through the two matches, we want to score as many points as possible and win to gain an advantage. However, if the number of wins and goal difference are the same after two matches, the away goals will determine the winner. Considering this, we want to avoid conceding goals at home if possible. One of the highlights will be whether the team can unify their will and play a stable game. First and foremost, we want to secure a solid victory at home. The rainy season has ended and summer has arrived. Even at night, the humidity remains at Ajinomoto Stadium, and the match started at exactly 7:30 PM with Nagoya's kickoff.

Hirayama, Yonemoto, Nao, and Nagatomo attack the Nagoya goal!

　The first goal was also in the third minute of the game. Nagoya calmly defended against the fierce attack at the beginning, and Gonda sent a goal kick to the front line. Hirayama competed for this and Nagoya's defense managed to escape with a throw-in. Ishikawa quickly threw in the ball from the right side, and Cabore, who was in a high position, caught up and sent a minus pass to the center of the area. Hirayama, who was waiting freely here, easily scored with his right foot! They took the lead with quick decision-making and teamwork.

　With this momentum, in the 10th minute, Ishikawa, who was positioned towards the center, sent a pass to the left front line. Cabore received the ball with a one-touch and made a fierce charge towards the goal. Although his shot from a close distance was saved by the Nagoya GK, Nagoya was persistent in connecting the rebound and skillfully turned around to pass it to Yonemoto behind him. Yonemoto controlled the ball well with his right foot and scored his first professional goal! In the 11th minute, just after that, from Tokunaga's side change, Yonemoto on the far side passed to Cabore on the right front line again. Cabore briefly held onto the ball before passing it back to the center, where Kajiyama had moved up and sent a header to the right area. Ishikawa, who timed it perfectly, swung his right foot without hesitation and beautifully placed it into the far corner, marking his 6th consecutive goal! In the blink of an eye, they took a 3-point lead.

　After that, the game settled down a bit, but even when Nagoya brought the ball into the area, they didn't panic and responded well. They didn't create any clear chances. In the 26th minute, Bruno QUADROS fed the ball to Ishikawa on the left side, who made a run and brought the ball forward with a trap. He charged into the left area, but was stopped by Nagoya defender Tanaka and couldn't get a shot off. However, they kept possession and passed it back to Nagatomo. Nagatomo took a precise shot from the left area, which curved into the top right corner as the Nagoya goalkeeper watched, securing their fourth goal.

　In the 32nd minute, the DF line and midfield passed the ball and when they saw a chance, Tokunaga moved forward. Hirayama, who had slipped behind the DF, won a right corner kick. From Ishikawa's right corner kick to the center, to Yonemoto. Yonemoto couldn't take a shot, but he persistently connected and Hayashi in the left area → Hirayama took a powerful shot, grazing the DF and hitting the post! Bruno QUADROS couldn't finish the rebound and the 5th goal couldn't be scored, but with 7 shots and 4 goals, the first half ended.

Despite Nagoya gaining momentum, we achieve a big win.

　In the second half, Tokyo substituted Akamine for Cabore, while Nagoya brought in FW Tamada for FW Davi. As a result, Nagoya gained control of the game. Tokyo tried to create chances by passing the ball around, but they were constantly threatened by Nagoya's counter attacks, and were forced to defend multiple times after restarts. In the 47th minute, Nagoya was awarded a free kick from the left area. Nagoya MF Ogawa sent the ball to the front line, but it was caught directly by goalkeeper Konda. In the 51st minute, Nagoya had another chance from a free kick on the left side, but DF Masukawa's shot from the right area was saved by Konda!

　However, in the 53rd minute, Nagoya MF Nakamura sent a pass to the right front line in the flow of the game, and right side back Tanaka ran up to a high position. Here, Ishikawa, who had returned to defense, was cut back and a cross was lifted, and MF Ogawa, who had been filling the left area, headed the ball. Tokunaga was competing for it, but was scored on with a header shot from above, and they conceded a goal they had wanted to avoid...

　After that, both teams started to show signs of fatigue in the humid weather, causing the game to slow down. However, in the 68th minute, Suzuki was substituted for Yonemoto, and in the 73rd minute, Tanabe was substituted for Ishikawa, with Hayu moving to the defensive midfield position. This player substitution helped bring back stability to the game. In the 75th minute, Tanabe, who came on as a substitute, dribbled forward while connecting passes, drawing out Tokunaga's attacking run. From there, he sent a cross into the box, which was met by Akamine, but just before he could reach it, the opposing defender's clearance ended up as an own goal, giving us our fifth goal.

　Nagoya, who still tried to retaliate, launched an attack in the 78th minute. FW Tsuda ran into the left area and took a sharp shot that passed between Konno's legs, but Gonda made a great save! In the 85th minute, Nagoya's right back Tanaka pushed forward and sent a shot towards the front line. FW Tsuda also jumped in with a header, but Gonda caught it firmly and did not allow a counterattack. Although there were still challenges in the second half, the game ended with a score of 5-1. With a dominant advantage before the second leg of the quarterfinals away, Nagoya achieved their first official 7-game winning streak.

　【Player Comments】《Yonemoto》「(About the first goal) I was just thinking about putting the ball in the frame when it came to me, so I was surprised when it went in. But I'm glad it went in. (I was able to score before rookie Tanabe?) I was able to score earlier than Tanabe (laughs). We were able to turn the first half in a good shape, but the second half wasn't as good. The defense line dropped back and we also dropped back in the midfield. We had more chances to kick and our press became weaker. We were pushed back and conceded a goal, but we were able to score the fifth goal in the end, so I think it was a game that led to the second match as a team. I think we had a good start, but we want to improve on the challenges we faced in the second half.」《Tanabe》「I was preparing from the middle of the first half, but the plan changed and I came in from the middle of the second half. We conceded a goal just before I came in, so it was a bit difficult to come in, but I'm glad I didn't make it more dangerous. (Did you become the starting point for the fifth goal?) I thought I would dribble once and then go the other way because the opponent would come if I passed too early. That scene was good, but I lost the ball twice and it became a dangerous situation when we were countered. I might have dribbled too much. I want to reflect on that properly. Another challenge is that it takes me a while to get used to the game. However, I played for the first time in Ajinomoto Stadium in the previous league match against Nagoya, and it's a home game, the turf is good, and it's fun. My friends from the local area also come to support me. I want to do my best to perform better.」

　【Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference】"On a weekday night game, it is difficult for fans and supporters to come to the stadium, but many of them came. For those people, we cannot have a strange game, and since we lost in the quarterfinals of the Nabisco Cup last year, we had a strong desire to advance through this round. Also, our motivation was high because we absolutely did not want to stop our recent progress. We started the game well and scored four goals in the first half. We wanted to keep the opponent from scoring, but we let up a bit in the second half, which is something we need to reflect on. However, overall, scoring five goals against a strong team like Nagoya gives us confidence. Today, we saw players making efforts and trying again in front of the goal. Instead of forcing a shot and hitting the opponent, they tried to avoid them, which made me happy. When we watch the video, there were scenes where we should have shot, but I think it is important to try and make the right decision gradually. In fact, in the first half, there were also situations where we scored by having another player take the shot instead of the one who should have. We want to continue working as a team to make the right decisions without hesitation."

　[Nagoya Stojkovic coach's press conference summary] "It was like a nightmare. Congratulations on FC Tokyo's victory. It was a lesson for us. We tried many things, but it didn't work out. (Did you change the members from the league game?) GK Narazaki was left out because he had pain in his ear. FW Tamada also wanted to rest a little, so FW Sugimoto was put in. However, even if we changed the players, there was no big difference in the result. The biggest difference in today's game was the speed. Our movements were like slow motion, but FC Tokyo was like a bullet train. That was the difference. This is not a tactical problem. We didn't have an answer to deal with players like Cabore, Ishikawa, and Hirayama. Especially for the first goal, the throw-in went to Cabore and he was able to take it freely, but the DF should have been marking and covering. I want to have a serious discussion with the players about today's game. FW Kennedy will join us next time, and we are also waiting for the return of injured DF Yoshida and DF Bayalitsa. We will never give up and we want to show a new Grampus from now on."