The Nabisco Cup Final Round is held, facing Shimizu

　The Nabisco Cup Final Round tournament has started. On Sep 1 (Wed), the first leg of the quarterfinals will be held, with a home match against Shimizu S-Pulse (2nd place in Preliminary Group B). Tokyo advanced through the preliminary league held from March to June, finishing 1st in Group A to secure their spot in this final tournament. However, since the league resumed after the World Cup break, Tokyo has not been able to secure a win since Sec. 14 against Shonan, resulting in a 7-match winless streak. Still, they gained confidence from the previous match against Kobe and are determined to focus on winning each game with renewed spirit, aiming to advance to the Semifinal Round.Shimizu, on the other hand, had suffered three consecutive league losses but won their last match against Kawasaki, rising to 3rd place. The team atmosphere seems positive. The key point this round will be how to break down their solid defense. Since the Semifinal Round will be played over two legs (home and away), the approach over both matches will be an important aspect to watch. Especially if points and goal difference are tied over the two legs, the number of away goals will decide the winner, so it is crucial to minimize conceding goals at home to avoid giving Shimizu an advantage going into the second leg.There may be long periods of having to endure pressure. However, if Tokyo can disrupt Shimizu’s momentum, chances should arise from the coordination between Daikoku, Ricardinho, and Otake, as well as from Morishige’s forward runs.Tokyo will be without Ishikawa due to a back injury. The sides will be Suzuki and Otake. Morishige and Kajiyama, returning from suspension, will form the midfield duo, with Nakamura and Mukuhara as fullbacks. Additionally, FW Maeda has made his first bench appearance. Meanwhile, Shimizu will be missing MF Ono and DF Ichikawa. They will line up in a 4-3-3 formation with MF Honda playing as the defensive midfielder, and MF Ito and MF Hyodoh in the midfield.Despite the lingering heat in Ajinomoto Stadium in September, the match kicked off promptly at 7:00 PM with Tokyo starting the game.

Break through Shimizu's press, find the rhythm, and launch an attack

　A focused start from both sides. In the early stages, both teams applied tough defense, not allowing the opponent any freedom. Amid this, Tokyo gradually found their rhythm by evading Shimizu's press, and at the 10th minute, Ricardinho attacked down the flank, passing through Suzuki before Morishige took a mid-range shot. At the 13th minute, Suzuki timed his run perfectly to connect with Kajiyama's long pass, attempting to get behind the defense. Although Shimizu's defenders quickly recovered and prevented a shot, it resulted in a corner kick. From this right corner, Suzuki passed short to Otake, and after winning two corners, Otake passed to Nakamura, who had run from behind, and he took a mid-range shot.Afterwards, both fullbacks Nakamura and Mukuhara pushed forward, trying to create chances through wide play. At the 29th minute, Ricardinho created a starting point on the right front, with Suzuki and Mukuhara supporting inside. Mukuhara sent a through pass to Otake in the right area, but it was slightly too long... At the 31st minute, the play shifted from left to right, and Ricardinho’s shot from the right side just missed to the left of the goal. At the 42nd minute, from a right corner, Morishige headed the ball but it went straight to the goalkeeper.There were moments when Shimizu launched counterattacks, but at the 34th minute, a cross from right-back Tsujio’s overlap was cleared by Tokyo’s defenders, resulting in a left corner. From there, Shimizu’s midfielder Hyodo kicked, and defender Hiraoka headed at the far post, but the ball floated and was caught by Gonda. At the 40th minute, Mukuhara advanced inside from Suzuki’s right side, entered the area, and returned the ball to Suzuki. From there, a right cross was sent, but it just missed Oguro, who jumped in front of the goal.At the 42nd minute, Mukuhara pushed forward again, leading to a corner from a cross. Morishige timed his header perfectly to meet Suzuki’s right corner kick, but the ball went straight to the goalkeeper... Although they couldn’t convert it into a goal, Tokyo limited Shimizu to only two shots in the first half, maintaining control of the match as they headed into the second half.

Although they allowed the first goal, they pushed Konno up to midfield to counterattack, and Morishige equalized with a header.

　In the second half, Tokyo launched a fierce attack from the start. In the 47th minute, Ohguro flicked the ball to the left with one touch, and Otake advanced by dribbling. He was fouled at the left edge of the area, earning a free kick. Following the rebound, Ricardinho’s cross reached Suzuki near the right edge of the area. However, his trap was too large, and he couldn’t get a shot off. In the 48th minute, Nakamura entered the area and fell, but Shimizu’s foul was not called. In the 50th minute, Ricardinho’s pass was deflected by Shimizu’s DF in front of the goal, and Ohguro reacted. However, he couldn’t complete the shot against Shimizu’s tenacious defense. At the 65th minute, from a right corner kick rebound, Kajiyama passed a lofted ball to Konno, who stayed behind the opposing DF in the left area. But Konno’s shot hit the opposing DF and went out over the sideline. Then, in the 68th minute, Tokyo failed to keep possession from a goal kick, allowing Shimizu’s DF Iwashita to run up the left side and cross to MF Hyodo. Konno fell while trying to deal with the bouncing ball in front of the goal and couldn’t clear it, allowing Shimizu’s FW Okazaki to score a low-header, conceding the first goal. However, Tokyo responded by substituting Ricardinho for Shigematsu in the 69th minute, followed by Tokunaga for Otake, and Hirayama for Ohguro in the 79th minute. Tokunaga moved to defensive midfield, Morishige shifted to DF, and Konno was pushed up to the midfield side, launching a counterattack with momentum. At the 79th minute, from an overlapping run by Mukuhara, Tokyo earned a right corner kick, and Morishige headed in a goal from Suzuki’s corner kick! They capitalized on the set-piece chance to equalize. In the final stages, Tokyo pressed further, but Shimizu remained focused. In the 85th minute, Suzuki sent a quick pass from the right side into the area, and Konno flicked it directly in front of the goal. However, the ball was just a bit too long for the advancing Shigematsu. In the 87th minute, Tokyo overloaded the front with players, and Hirayama and Shigematsu launched a wave of attacks from crosses, but they couldn’t finish the shots. The comeback goal was not achieved, and the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw. 【Player Comments】 《Morishige》 “As usual, I thought it was important to do what we normally do. I wanted to deliver results, such as scoring, especially since I caused trouble for the team due to suspension. It’s disappointing we couldn’t win, but I’m happy to have scored. I checked Suzuki’s kick quality during practice, and I think that effort paid off. As a defensive midfielder, I focused on defense and tried to break forward in attack. However, I think there were few good opportunities to get into the area. For the second leg, I will focus solely on winning.” 《Suzuki》 “We conceded first but managed to equalize. Also, the atmosphere to come up with attacking ideas was a positive takeaway today. Spectators might have been frustrated, but we moved the ball in a way that was unpleasant for the opponent. Although we didn’t score during open play, we tried carefully to break them down and created chances. Against a strong team like Shimizu, I think we played patiently. I believe we can take confidence from this and continue.” 【Coach Jofuku’s Press Conference Summary】 “The strong cheers from the stands reached the players, and it was good to equalize, but we really wanted to win the first home leg. It’s disappointing we couldn’t do that. In the next 90 minutes, we want to show our determination for the Nabisco Cup. (Regarding the reason for not winning) Shimizu’s counterattacks were sharp, and we were cautious about set-pieces and counters. Conceding from a single counterattack made the situation difficult. We expected to press in the second half, but the quality of breaking down from the sides was insufficient, and there were many moments when we chose not to shoot from a distance where we could. The team as a whole needs to gain confidence in kicking, which I have also felt in the league. If we can improve the accuracy of the final crosses, confidence in shooting, and show fighting spirit, the vital area would open up more. When the defense is solid and the front is closed, we must improve the quality from the sides.” 【Shimizu Coach Hasegawa’s Press Conference Summary】 “I’m grateful to the many Shimizu supporters who came to cheer. The players fought well for 90 minutes in Tokyo’s humid heat with only two days between matches. Only those playing understand the difficulty of consecutive matches in this schedule and heat. People watching from outside might think ‘play better soccer,’ and of course, we want to show good and attacking soccer every match. Today, we did not simply shut down FC Tokyo’s strengths and defend. However, we couldn’t deliver passes through the solid block or switch the ball to the opposite side after drawing the opponent in. It might have been different if MF Ono was here, but we didn’t bring him today so he could be in good condition for the home game. Under these circumstances, we scored an away goal and showed fighting spirit. We fought realistically and can’t ask for more. Since the second leg is at home, we want to prepare thoroughly to advance to the next round.”