Aiming for victory in the difficult away game against Kashima

The 2nd round of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league will be an away game against Kashima Antlers. In the previous round against Tosu, they ended with a scoreless draw, but showed no weaknesses in defense and earned 1 point. This round, the focus will be on how they can turn their chances into goals and secure a win. Tokyo will have rookie Nozawa and Hasegawa as double defensive midfielders due to an injury to Yonemoto. Lucas and Lee will be on the left and right MF, respectively, with Kono as the attacking midfielder and Watanabe as the striker.

Kashima, on the other hand, currently has 1 win and 2 draws in the league. There was no game in the Nabisco Cup last round, so this round will be the start. Kashima, who was the reigning champion of the Nabisco Cup last season, has returned with manager Toninho CEREZO this season. In addition, FW Davi, MF Nakamura, and DF Ueda have joined the team. MF Nozawa has also returned, and with experienced players and the emergence of young players, it can be said that the team boasts a deep roster. Although they have made significant changes to their lineup for this round, FW Davi and Osako have the ability to decide the game in one shot, so it is necessary to pay close attention.

Manager Popovic expressed his respect for the team, saying "They win titles every year, have great experience in the league, and have a good balance between veterans and young players. It's a great opportunity for us to prove our strength. No matter who the opponent is, we want to prioritize our own football first." We want to grab a victory and take 3 points in a match that will dispel our past struggles in away league games. The match kicked off at 4pm at Kashima Soccer Stadium.

Equalized with Watanabe's goal after struggling with conceding the first goal.

In the first half, Kashima was pushed back by a strong attack. In particular, FW Davi and Osako's ball control allowed for smooth passing and side attacks. In the 9th minute, Kashima's right MF Endo's shot was caught by Shioda. Then, in the 10th minute, Kashima's DF Shoko's long pass was received by LB Maeno who made a powerful shot. Shioda saved it and it went out for a corner kick. From this left corner kick, FW Davi headed the ball but it went wide to the right.

Still, MoriShige concentrated on the final line and gradually began to grasp the rhythm. In the 21st minute, Maruyama joined the attack from Watanabe's post. He rushed into the left area, but couldn't finish it here. He connected the ball that spilled to the far side, and Nozawa tried to aim for the goal, but his posture collapsed and he couldn't hit it. However, in the 28th minute, Maruyama was robbed of the ball in his own half, and FW Davi → FW Osako from the right front line shot a fast shot from the outside of the right area, piercing the far goal and conceding a goal.

After that, the combination did not work well against Kashima's tough press, and they were unable to connect the ball and move forward. In the 39th minute, Maruyama → Lucas in the area took a shot that hit the lower left post. Lee, who reacted to the rebound, was unable to push it in. Then, in the 45th minute, Hasegawa sent a ball from the left side FK, which was cleared by the opposing DF who was competing with Morishige. From this loose ball, Tokunaga from outside the right area took a shot, which was redirected by Watanabe inside and the ball went into the left side net. They managed to equalize and head into the second half.

Lucas led the way with a comeback goal, taking advantage of opportunities and scoring 4 points for the win.

Tokyo substituted Kono for Higashi on the right side in the second half. Lee played as the top, while Watanabe played slightly behind. In the 50th minute, Watanabe created a decisive opportunity from a through pass, but Lee's shot was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. Then, in the 57th minute, Higashi moved up from the right and passed to Lucas, who had circled around the area from the left. Lucas trapped the ball, evaded the defender, and took a shot. It hit the net, leading to a successful comeback. However, after that, Kashima stepped up their attack and created speedy chances with FW Davi's individual skills. But Shioda made great saves and defended until the end.

Tokyo, who wants to change the flow, substitutes Mita for Nozawa in the 62nd minute. In the 68th minute, Ota is brought in for Maruyama. Then in the 77th minute, Watanabe steals the opponent's DF pass and exchanges passes with Lee before expanding to the left. Lee then heads in the early cross sent by Ota, who overlapped between the GK and DF, scoring the first goal. However, just one minute later, from Kashima's left MF Nozawa, FW Davi receives the ball. Despite carrying Tokyo's DF, FW Davi skillfully turns and shoots, scoring again and bringing the score to a one-point difference.

Kashima, who is on a roll, continuously shoots a middle shot, but Shioda catches it. The period of being pushed continued, but in the 81st minute, Lee in the center of the East → right area in the Kashima camp pulls the DF and returns it directly to the center. East, who ran into this, calmly scored an additional point with his left foot. Throughout the 90 minutes, Tokyo was unable to take control, but they showed their defensive concentration and strength at key moments. In the Nabisco Cup, they grabbed a victory at Kashima Soccer Stadium for the first time since 2004.

[Player Comments]
"Lucas" "Keigo has just joined this season, but he has brought good combination play to both me personally and the team. Although the C Osaka game ended in a dream, we shook the net with our connection. And in that situation today, Watanabe ran for me when I received the pass, creating two options for me to dribble or pass to him. I think that led to the goal.

High-quality players are gathered, and even if the positioning is slightly off, it leads to fluidity as a team. Being able to score 4 goals against a big team like Kashima gives me confidence, and I want to continue getting these kinds of results. I think that by scoring goals myself, the chances of the team winning will increase, so I will work hard to score more goals. It's still early in the season, but in order for us to aim for the title and constantly compete at the top, it's really important for us to win against the next Marinos. I definitely want to win."

"Lee" "The first goal is also big for me (laughs). It's my characteristic to jump into the goal, and if I lose that, I won't be myself. Even when I can't score, I believed in myself and my teammates and kept going. It took longer than I thought, but I aim for one goal per game, and what's important is "next". I think I can finally catch the wave by scoring in the next game. I have to grab that wave myself."

(Was he appealing for his jersey number?) For Tokyo, number 11 brings to mind Amaral. He didn't want to overshadow the greatness of the ace number. (He ran to the goal end and was very happy?) Scoring a goal and winning, there's no way you wouldn't be happy. I think it's okay to express your happiness when you're happy, and that's also the fun of soccer. But I really think the next game against Marinos is important. We want to beat strong opponents and stay at the top, and I think everyone will face the league games with good motivation. We definitely want to win."

[Coach's Press Conference Summary]
《Coach Popovic》"I think it was an interesting game. It was a match where both teams were able to showcase their strengths. However, in the first half, we were inferior to the opponent. It was like playing with two fewer players. It was tough to play against Kashima, a team that is always winning titles every year, with two fewer players. We couldn't show our strengths. In the second half, we were able to show what we were aiming for and what we have been doing for the most part. However, we need to reflect on our performance in the first half as a team. We cannot play like this."

However, we were able to return one point from Tokunaga's shot, and without that, the game may have taken a different turn. Today, a new player named Nozawa made his debut, and I think he played as I expected. I believe he will grow to become a player who will carry the future of Tokyo. I don't like to single out and praise one player in this kind of situation, but I think he showed a solid performance in his first official game."

"Kashima Toninho CEREZO coach" "(Did you get any results by using young players?) We only have 18 players who can fight together. In this case, we were able to give playing opportunities to the goalkeeper, center back, left back, and both defensive midfielders. The players' abilities can only be seen in official matches. Practice is just a guide. You can see the current strength in a real battle. I wanted to see that. From there, I want to make corrections and develop them properly. However, in the first half, we were able to score with a great performance. But as a bad part, we couldn't close the game properly at the end of the first half. We need to improve the team's awareness in the final moments and at the start of the second half."

Unfortunately, FW Osako got injured in the second half. FW Davi is there, but he is more of a striker who scores goals. He couldn't hold onto the ball. As a result, we gradually started to pull back as a team. Especially when the opponent started to control the pace, our young players were either surprised or scared, and they started to drop back. That's when we gave the opponent space to attack, which is regrettable. However, this is just because they are young. As they play more games, they will learn that they should not do this, they should not be afraid, and they should continue to fight bravely. I think today's game was a good experience for our young players."