J League 20th Anniversary, Final Match of Nabisco Qualifying League to be Held at National Stadium

The Nabisco Cup, which will be played three days after the previous league match. In the 6th round of the qualifying league, we will face Albirex Niigata. This round will be the final round of the qualifying league for Tokyo. Currently in 3rd place in Group B, in order to advance to the final tournament, we must win this match and wait for the results of other matches. In order to increase our chances, we will aim to not only win, but also to score multiple goals and widen our goal difference.

Hirayama will be suspended for this round. Lucas will also be absent due to considering consecutive games. Morishige will start as a substitute for the first time this season. On the other hand, Tanabe will start for the first time since the Nagoya game on April 3rd, along with Ishikawa on both sides. Mita and Hayashi also made their first bench appearance this season.

Niigata, who they are facing, is currently in 6th place in Group with 4 points. Although there are 2 matches left in the qualifiers, in order for them to advance to the final round, it is essential for them to win this round. This round, MF Leo Silva and DF Tsubouchi are suspended, so they have changed their lineup, but the attacking line-up, which has scored in 3 consecutive matches, including FW Kawamata, FW Tanaka Tatsuya, MF Tanaka Aya, and MF Mikado, are all starting. Against Niigata, who are in good form with 3 consecutive wins in the league, they will not be passive, but will fight as one with a strong determination towards victory.

National, where the climate of early summer and the wind blow. Strangely enough, today is the day when the J-League started 20 years ago. And the commemorative match at the same place started with Niigata's kickoff at 19:04.

Hasegawa injured in the midst of a fast-paced and quick-changing offense and defense.

Concentrate and get into the game, and take action from the beginning. In the 3rd minute, Higashi dribbles up the right side and Lee jumps in for the final pass in the center. In the 7th minute, Takahashi breaks through the midfield, goes up the left side and crosses. Lee in the area heads it. Starting from the side, in the 10th minute, Tanabe receives an early cross from the left, cuts inside the opponent's DF in the right area, creates an angle, and shoots low.

However, Niigata also quickly connected passes and moved forward, leading to a speedy offensive and defensive battle. In the 19th minute, Niigata's middle shot hit the bar while attacking... It bounced straight down and almost resulted in a goal, but Gonda reacted immediately. The Tokyo DF also covered the loose ball tightly and did not allow a goal to be scored.

However, in the 22nd minute, Lee sent a floating pass to the center of the area from a quick pass work, and here Hasegawa flew in, but injured his leg in a competition with the DF and landed. Due to this accident, he was forced to be substituted and in the 27th minute, Kono came in on the side. Tanabe moved to the defensive midfielder position to face the game.

In the 31st minute, Niigata's FK was cleared by Takahashi, and Ishikawa launched a counterattack. He created an opportunity, but the cross he sent while losing his balance was cut off before reaching Li. After that, Tokyo gradually held onto the ball for longer periods of time, but Niigata also quickly switched and the game continued at a high pace, ending the first half with no goals.

Nao's spectacular goal! But Mita's first professional goal secured the victory...

Created a big chance at the start of the second half. In the 48th minute, Tokunaga → Ishikawa, who broke through on the right side, made a last pass into the space in front of the goal. East closed in on it, but the shot was blocked by the goalkeeper... However, in the 51st minute, East received Ota's left throw-in, passed the opponent on the side line, and moved forward. When he sent a minus pass, Ishikawa, who had run in with excellent timing, aimed and shot a middle shot! This struck the goal powerfully in the lower left corner, taking the lead!

Seizing the momentum, they attacked the Niigata goal one after another. However, despite launching a powerful coordinated attack, they were unable to score due to the opponent's goalkeeper making a good save. In the 65th minute, Niigata's left MF Tanaka Aya made a speedy pinpoint cross to FW Okamoto in the center, who scored with a header. Niigata seized their one chance and equalized the score.

Still, without rushing, in the 71st minute, Li received Takahashi's floating pass with his back to the goal just outside the area. He turned around and charged towards the goal, taking a powerful shot from the left area, but it was saved by the GK...

In the 76th minute, Mita was substituted for, followed by Hayashi. Using aggressive player substitutions, they launched a fierce attack. It paid off in the 82nd minute, when Lee dropped a vertical pass from Tanabe, who had received a kick from Gonda and expanded to the right. Mita ran in again to receive a pass from Tokunaga, who had advanced towards the center, and scored with his left foot. With a sense of speed and power in their attack, Mita marked his first professional goal and successfully took the lead!

Impressive performance, won the final round of the qualifying league with a good game, but due to the results of other matches, we were unable to secure enough points. We were unable to advance to the final round of the Nabisco Cup tournament this season. It was also our first time being eliminated in the qualifying league since 2006.


[Player Comments]
《Ishikawa》
"(Was it a commemorative match for the 20th anniversary?) It was amazing. I had a positive image from before the start of the game, and I was motivated by recalling memories of the J-League opening match. I wanted to play in a way that would make the children who came to watch today feel something, just like I was shocked. I was thinking of making a challenge that would be memorable and that they could remember even in difficult times."

The goal was the same in the league match against Iwata, but when player Higashi created an opportunity on the side, I was thinking "Come to me!" and it actually resulted in a good ball and a strong desire led to a goal. Although I wanted to win the Nabisco Cup and score for the team's victory, I think it was a goal that was true to myself."


"Mita"
"I was thinking about getting results even if I came on as a substitute before the game started. I got a chance to play in a tied situation and I thought, 'I'll become a hero' and stepped onto the pitch. Recently in practice, I've been trying to increase my chances of going towards the goal even in difficult situations because I haven't been playing forward as much. I think that led to the goal. I'm happy to score my first goal. I'm happy, but this is just the beginning. I want to keep working hard every day to be involved in the league matches from now on."


[Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"Coach Ranko POPOVIC
Today is a special day as it marks the 20th anniversary of the J-League. Despite its short history of 20 years, I believe the organization of the J-League is on par with the Bundesliga and Premier League. Before the game, I told the players that we must be grateful to those who were involved 20 years ago for creating such a wonderful environment for us to play football. The best way we can show our gratitude is by playing the best football and showing that Japanese football is growing.

We would like to express our gratitude to those who have contributed to the J-League so far, and we have a lot to do in order to continue growing and creating a good environment for the next 20 years. We must establish Tokyo's style and create Tokyo's football, and we always want to be a club that competes at the top. I think there were many things that you felt while watching today's football, but I personally enjoyed it very much and I believe that the fans and supporters also enjoyed it.

I personally think that we were able to play attractive football from the first half. Regarding Mita, his performance today was fantastic and it was great that he scored a goal. However, he is still at the start of his career and I think there is more to come. And it was because the whole team played well that his strength was able to shine even more. This applies to Ishikawa and Lee as well. This is the team's strength and the fact that we fight collectively. By playing together in this kind of atmosphere, I believe that the growth of young players will also progress quickly."


《Niigata・Yanagishita Manager》
"Looking at today's lineup, I think there was a slight difference in strength. However, it's frustrating to be scored on by a play we were paying attention to. For example, when Tokyo attacked from the left, we were paying attention to Ishikawa's positioning. Whether the side back was watching, the defensive midfielder was watching, or the midfielder on the opposite side was watching. And yet, they were able to score a beautiful shot while being free. If someone had responded there, it would have been unavoidable, but it's frustrating to be scored on. For us, it's important to pay attention to the opponent's strong points and shut them down. We want to work on using that in future games."