Nabisco Cup Qualifying Sec. 2, let's get a "result" away!

　On the 14th (Wed), the Nabisco Cup preliminary league Sec. 2 will be held, facing Omiya Ardija away. In the league match against Kashima, they played aggressive soccer full of fighting spirit but only earned 1 point. The players expressed regret, saying, "It was a match where we had to get 3 points. We are left with frustration." Aiming for the Nabisco final, this match is not only about earning 3 points away but also about gaining further momentum based on the Kashima match performance.However, considering the condition of players with injuries individually, Coach Shirofuku explained about the members, "This is a battle aiming for the final, not a Nabisco match to give someone a chance. But realistically, there are players we want to rest without risking consecutive matches. We will select players who show their strengths, have mental readiness, and surpass others physically." Therefore, Tokunaga, Nagatomo, and Hanyu will start on the bench. GK Shiota, FW Ricardinho, and Tanabe will start as defensive midfielders for the first time this season. Akamine will be one of the two forwards, Matsushita will form a double defensive midfield, and Suzuki and Nakamura will serve as midfielders.On the other hand, Omiya Ardija has not won since their league opening victory against C Osaka. Due to accidents such as MF Fujimoto's injury withdrawal, especially in Sec. 4 against Tokyo, they struggled with two players sent off at home. This match will be their revenge, and they will come with strong determination to seize momentum as a team. While starting young players like Aoki as defensive midfielder and Kanekubo as right midfielder, their style of soccer remains the same: intense pressing in midfield, organized defense, and energetic runs from the second line, with all players linked in attack and defense. A tough match is expected. Especially Omiya's defense, including DF Mato and Fukaya, is strong in one-on-one situations and aerial duels. How to break through this defensive line will be one of the highlights.Against Omiya's attack centered on FW Ishihara and Fujita, it is important to maintain concentration, continue challenging for the ball, and cover. Losing the ball badly could lead to quick passing that brings the ball deep into their own half, so staying calm and always being "prepared" is essential. Although it is an away game, Tokyo aims to prevent Omiya from gaining control, fiercely competing in one-on-one situations and ball contests, and securing 3 points. A cold wind, as if winter has returned, blows at NACK5 Stadium Omiya, and the match kicked off at 19:03 with Tokyo starting.

Ricardinho, making his first start, marks his first goal and takes the lead.

　Within 20 seconds from the start, Omiya's left midfielder Uchida passed to FW Ishihara, who boldly aimed a mid-range shot. Although it went off target, you could feel Omiya's strong determination for this match. Tokyo also launched a quick counterattack from intense defense in their own half at 6 minutes, with Ricardinho dribbling up the left side. He slowed down a bit in front of the area and tried to pass to Suzuki, who had moved up the center, but it ended in a mistake. At 12 minutes, Tokyo conceded an attack from Omiya's set piece, and Uchida, who picked up the clearance by Tokyo's DF, took a shot. From the rebound off a defender, Omiya's FW Ishihara ran alongside the right goal area and fired a shot from close range, but it went across the goal with no angle.At 13 minutes, Ricardinho broke free by connecting with a long pass from Konno to the front but was caught offside. At 15 minutes, Omiya's Uchida advanced to the left front. Mukuahara and Tanabe surrounded him and took the ball, but Tanabe's next pass hit Uchida, who regained possession and cut inside to shoot, but Shiota caught it straight on. Against Omiya's early aggressive attacks, Tokyo calmly responded. Centered on Shiota, they defended steadily and gradually connected passes to look for chances. At 19 minutes, from a right throw-in, Suzuki, Matsushita, Tanabe, and Nakamura combined, using the pitch widely to pass around. Finally, Kim Younggun sent a cross, but they could not bring it to a finish.At 27 minutes, from Omiya's quick passing, FW Ishihara received a wedge pass from MF Ahn Yongha, drew Tokyo's defenders, and FW Fujita made a free run into the right area. However, just before the pass reached him, Konno slid to clear it for a corner kick. Still, under Omiya's intense pressing, Tokyo sometimes struggled to bring the ball forward, but they gradually launched speedy attacks, and the match progressed at a fast pace. At 32 minutes, Akamine connected while being challenged up front, and Suzuki dribbled into the left area. His last pass from the line hit a defender, but Ricardinho, running free, took a shot. However, Omiya's DF Mato, who came to cover, blocked it, and Tokyo missed a great chance.Then at 39 minutes, Suzuki on the right side skillfully passed to Ricardinho up front. Ricardinho lobbed the ball over the opposing defender, dribbled toward the center, gained speed, and charged into the right area. He calmly placed his shot and firmly pierced the net for a GOAL!! Ricardinho’s first goal gave Tokyo the lead. They endured Omiya’s fast attacks with tenacious defense and took the lead from the planned play, heading into the second half.

Mukuahara was sent off, resulting in a numerical disadvantage, but they fought with determination to seize victory!

　In the second half, both teams continued to show fighting spirit, with fast-paced attacks and defenses. At the 47th minute, Omiya's right side back Sugiyama tried to forcefully get past Tokyo's DF and cut inside, but Tokyo calmly covered and defended successfully. At the 52nd minute, midfielder Nakamura sent a lob forward, which Suzuki chased and tried to shoot directly, but was blocked by the DF. However, at the 55th minute, Omiya quickly switched from defense to attack, and MF Uchida sent a through pass behind Tokyo's DF. Omiya's FW Ishihara ran in, and although Mukuhara challenged, he committed a foul inside the area, resulting in a penalty kick. Mukuhara was sent off for this play, forcing the team to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match.But at the 57th minute, Omiya DF Mato's penalty kick hit the left post, barely grazing Shiota's hand. Tokyo's DF desperately cleared the rebound and escaped with a corner kick. From this left corner, a series of attacks were launched in front of the goal, but Omiya committed a foul, and Tokyo survived the danger. Immediately after, Nakamura and Tanabe were substituted for Nagatomo and Tokunaga. Then at the 63rd minute, Ricardinho, who was injured, was replaced by Hanyu. Akamine was positioned at the front line, with Suzuki and Matsushita in the second line, Tokunaga and Hanyu as defensive midfielders, and Nagatomo serving as right side back, aiming to repel Omiya's counterattack.However, at the 73rd minute, Omiya DF Mato's early cross was dropped by right side back Sugiyama who had advanced into the right area, and MF Uchida performed an overhead kick. Tokyo's DF failed to clear the loose ball, and right MF Kanekubo took a middle-range shot. Fortunately, it was a shooting miss. At the 75th minute, Omiya's FW ran into the area creating a scoring chance, but Konno blocked with his body and escaped with a corner kick. Although Omiya pressed for a tying goal by taking advantage of their numerical superiority, Tokyo remained focused. They pressed from the front and tried to defend without breaking their defensive block.Also looking for counterattack opportunities, at the 77th minute Tokunaga dribbled forward, Akamine created a chance, and Suzuki attempted a shot from the left area but was blocked by the opposing DF. At the 80th minute, MF Aoki of Omiya received a backward pass from the right front line and took a sharp middle-range shot from just outside the area, but Shiota made a great save and the ball went out for a corner kick. In the final stages, Omiya raised DF Mato to the front line and launched waves of attacks, but Tokyo stood firm, cutting off dangerous plays with spirited defense. In the 5 minutes of stoppage time, Nagatomo, Tokunaga, and Matsushita kept possession up front to manage the time and maintained concentration until the final whistle. Despite the accident of Mukuhara's sending off, the team united their will and protected the one goal scored by Ricardinho, securing a valuable 3 points away.【Player Comments】《Shiota》"It was my first appearance in a while, but even though the lineup changed, we played the football we aim for and everyone had a strong desire to get results with this team, so I didn’t dwell on personal feelings. I think fighting with strong determination toward the football everyone aims for led to the victory. The opponent’s pressure was intense in the beginning, so I focused on not conceding in the first 20 minutes. We played safely with concentration and were able to connect passes from there. We kept the score at 0-0 for a long time and scored first, so I think the match went as planned. Although we conceded a penalty, I accepted it as unavoidable. We revised the game plan and fought together with one heart."《Ricardinho》"I’m happy about my first goal, but the team’s victory is the most important. However, this is just the beginning. I believe we will get better from now on. Today, I focused on moving early and taking the extra step quickly. I think that led to the goal. It was my first start, but I wasn’t nervous. I just thought about playing responsibly as a representative of the team."【Coach JOFUKU’s Press Conference Summary】"This was an important match to advance from the qualifying group. We knew Omiya would come with high motivation, so we wanted to play a match that wouldn’t lose to Omiya’s fighting spirit. Although the series of plays that led to the sending off is something to reflect on, the players stayed focused until the end and earned 3 points. To make the most of this victory, we need to connect it to the next results and advance from the qualifying league. Otherwise, today’s effort would be meaningless. I think it was tough for fans to come to Omiya on a weekday night, but many came and gave us strong support. That was a big factor in defending well even with one less player. I’m glad we could celebrate together with everyone.(Was it true that the team couldn’t create attacking chances until after the 30th minute of the first half?) My view is a bit different; I think we were caught offside. Omiya pressed hard from the front, but if we had taken 2-3 steps back or created time with a movement a fraction of a second later, there would have been several clear chances one-on-one with the goalkeeper or breaking behind the DF. That was the intended style, and since we expected Omiya to press from the front, the match unfolded as planned in a way. We settled down after the 30th minute, but maybe we lacked numbers in midfield to calm things earlier. I think one reason for the slow build-up was that the double defensive midfielders positioned themselves low."【Omiya Coach Zhang’s Press Conference Summary】"What worries me most is that the players lose confidence after this many losses. But now is not the time to give up. The players fought until the end today and their play is improving. I think we are making gradual progress. The movements the players aimed for were good, and even after conceding, they continued. We conceded due to the slowness of our back line, which is our weakness, but the players did what they had to do in terms of transitions and ball contests. However, they lacked composure. We don’t have players like FC Tokyo who can hold the ball and shoot reliably, so everyone tries to do that together. Although we have ideas, we rushed and showed nervous play. FC Tokyo has national team players and rich experience. Having a player who can play two roles alone makes a difference in performance."