Aiming for the Semifinal Round, the team fights as one

The Nabisco Cup Quarterfinal Round 2 match will be against Nagoya Grampus away. In the first match on July 15, we won decisively with a score of 5 to 1. Therefore, in the second match, even if we lose, as long as we keep the margin within three goals, we will advance to the Semifinal Round. While we can say we are currently in a favorable position, Coach Jofuku stated, "Nagoya will come into this match with considerable determination. It is a home game for them, and if we approach it lightly, we will face painful consequences. We want to express our strong desire to go for the Semifinal Round ourselves!" and he emphasized the need to stay focused and fight.

　Nagoya, facing the halfway point of the league, has welcomed Australian national team FW Kennedy. Not only has he already scored consecutive goals in two matches, becoming a source of scoring, but the team's unity has improved, bringing out the best in the surrounding players. Therefore, how to contain attacks targeting FW Kennedy will be a significant point. As Coach Jofuku wryly smiles, "No matter how much we are on guard, we can't change FW Kennedy's height," we want to tightly control the sides and take care of the sources of early crosses.

　Tokyo will make significant changes to the lineup and approach the match with fresh members. Goalkeeper Shiota will make his first official appearance of the season, and in place of Tokunaga, Yonemoto, Ishikawa, and Hirayama, Mukuhara, Suzuki, Tanabe, and Akamine will start. Coach Jofuku explained, "We have been able to use the same starting lineup for a while, so the aim is to provide stimulation, increase new options, and ensure that we can coordinate regardless of the combination. Each player has their own needs, including recovery for injuries and accumulated fatigue."

　In this match, if Tokyo can score the first goal, they should be able to take a more advantageous position in the game. However, since Nagoya has also regained their solid defensive strength, it won't be easy. Tokyo wants to take advantage of the spaces opened up on both sides by Nagoya and make their moves. This match will test the team's overall strength and their ability to read the flow of the game. They will unite to secure a place in the Semifinal Round! The match started at 19:00 with Nagoya's kickoff at Mizuho Athletic Stadium in Nagoya.

Allowed a one-point lead and the first half ends

　Both teams had a strong desire not to concede goals, showing a cautious start. Despite this, Tokyo began to connect passes and create chances. In the 13th minute, Kajiyama picked up a loose ball in the center, dribbled forward, and sent a through pass to Akamine, who had moved to the right area. He took a direct shot, but it went wide of the goal. In the 22nd minute, a quick transition led to a counterattack. Cabore sent a last pass from a dribble into the right area. Akamine made a precise run and took a decisive shot, but it was thwarted by a great save from the goalkeeper...

　In the 32nd minute, Kajiyama's switch to the side allowed Muku to overlap and deliver a right cross. Akamine in the area attempted a header shot, but was slightly off timing and it went over. Defensively, they were effectively containing Nagoya's long balls, but in the 33rd minute, Konno and Nagoya FW Maki contested for the ball, which spilled to Tokyo's right side, where FW Kennedy quickly reacted. A ground pass was sent back to the center, and FW Maki jumped in to score... They conceded the opening goal that they didn't want to give up.

　However, Tokyo continued to play calmly without getting discouraged. In the 36th minute, Akamine kept the ball while being marked by the defense after receiving a pass from Tanabe. He took a decisive shot towards goal after a run from behind by Hanyu, but it went over the bar. In stoppage time, Cabore, Suzuki, Hanyu, and Tanabe worked together on the right flank, and Hanyu tried to break forward, but his pass from Tanabe was intercepted, leading to a counterattack. Although this counter was contained, in the end, Nagoya's right back Tanaka surged forward and delivered an early cross. However, Kennedy, the forward in the left area, did not make contact, and the ball went out of play. Ultimately, they ended the first half allowing a one-goal lead.

The match is decided with Hirayama's goal! Advancing to the Semifinal Round

　In the second half, Nagoya launched a thorough power play, while Tokyo took advantage of the gaps to counterattack. In the 50th minute, Nagatomo overlapped and delivered a left cross. Cabore, who was free in the right area, attempted a volley but could not direct it towards the goal. In the 52nd minute, Kajiyama quickly restarted the play. Cabore chased down a long ball sent to the right front line, skillfully turned past the marking defender, and aimed a loop over the advancing goalkeeper, but the shot went wide to the upper left.

　Tokyo substituted Cabore for Hanyu and brought in Tokunaga and Ishikawa in quick succession. They attempted to launch a counterattack using their substitutions. However, in the 65th minute, they failed to clear a right corner kick from Nagoya, allowing defender Yoshida to score with a header, resulting in the loss of a second goal. Nagoya, gaining momentum, continued their fierce attack. Tokyo faced sustained pressure, and in the 77th minute, they substituted Hirayama for Tanabe in an effort to regain their rhythm.

　As time passed, Nagoya became more aggressive, and gradually seized opportunities from counterattacks. In the 82nd minute, Ishikawa sprinted down the right side and delivered a final pass, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. Following that, a left-footed shot taken after cutting back against the opposing DF in the right area hit the DF and resulted in a left corner kick. Then, in the 85th minute, Ishikawa picked up a loose ball after a contest between Akamine and the opposing DF and charged into the right area. Hirayama connected with a backward pass to score a goal. The match ended with that score, resulting in a loss in this second match. Although the number of victories was tied, we advanced to the Semifinal Round due to a superior goal difference. We will face Shimizu S-Pulse in September.

　【Player Comments】<Shiota> "On the pitch for an official match after a long time, I felt both tension and enjoyment. I'm glad to be back, but since we lost, I think I only did the minimum job. We had conceded few goals recently, so I was conscious of keeping the goals conceded to a minimum today as well, but we were under attack for a long time and conceding 2 goals is an issue. However, even while facing a power play, I think it was good that we went for goals and managed to score. (Did you hear loud cheers from the stands?) I stood on the pitch with gratitude for the support up to this point. Teammates, family, friends... being supported by many people and returning to the field makes me very happy. From now on, I want to repay those cheers by delivering results. (You and Gonda have supported each other?) Going forward, we want to continue pushing each other at a high level and work hard to win titles." <Hirayama> "We lost, but we at least achieved the minimum goal of advancing to the Semifinal Round. I think that was good. Even when sitting on the bench, there were chances, so I wasn't too worried. I was watching thinking that if we scored one goal, it would become much easier. Regarding playing, Nagoya used many long balls, so first we forwards tried to firmly stop them from kicking out. For goals, Nao-san was sharp, so I thought to coordinate with him. Then, the pass came just as I wanted, and it was an easy goal. (The 'unbeaten streak' ended, but?) Everyone isn't too down, and we'll switch focus to the next. We want to win the match against Kawasaki and also have the goal of winning the championship, so we want to win step by step toward the Nabisco title."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "I think it was very good that we achieved the minimum condition of advancing to the Semifinal Round, and I believe each player did their best. Although we lost today, I want to firmly recognize as an achievement that we managed the game to achieve the minimum required result. However, in today's match, we believed that if we scored one goal without showing any gaps, the game would be over. With that game plan, I think the players showed the attitude of going for that one goal and executed the movements leading up to the final shot well. This match taught us that by continuously missing scoring chances, we allowed the opponent to revive. Originally, it was not a match where we should have given the opponent any hope, but missing so many chances turned the game that way, and the players must engrave that lesson in their hearts. If we aim for the next stage in both the league and the Nabisco Cup, we should have stopped the opponent's momentum much earlier. Along with the achievements, I hope we can take this as a challenge and connect it to the next matches, including the league. Today, I am glad we could celebrate advancing to the Semifinal Round with the fans who came from far away."

　[Summary of Nagoya's STOJKOVIC Manager's Press Conference] "I think our team showed good play. We were able to win, but it was a tough game. Considering the result of the first match, it was truly a difficult game. We were able to play aggressively and won, but that alone was not enough. I believe the loss in Tokyo in the first match was really significant today. (Regarding the flow of the game, was it that you couldn't fully attack?) In the first 10 minutes, it would have been good if we had applied strong pressure and scored about three goals, but the result of the first match was a big factor. However, we did try to get the third goal, and we thought we could score it at the last moment. From our side, I think we really showed what we had today, and if we had scored the third goal, everything would have changed and various possibilities would have emerged. I am satisfied with the content of the match, and I truly think the players made great efforts. Tokyo is also a team that aims well for counterattacks, a good team, so it was a difficult game. Although this was the result, we want to focus on the ACL and the league matches and move forward."