Nabisco Cup kicks off, high expectations for fresh members

After 3 league matches, the "2014 J League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup" kicks off. In the first round of the qualifying league, Kashima Antlers will face off against each other. This qualifying league will be played by 14 teams excluding the 4 teams participating in the ACL, with Tokyo in Group A. From now until June 1st, they will play against Kashima, Sendai, Kobe, Shimizu, G Osaka, and Tosu in a round-robin format, with the top 2 teams advancing to the final tournament. Tokyo won their first title in 2004. They achieved their second victory in 2009, but have since been far from the title. This season, under the guidance of manager Massimo, they will start a new fight to take back the cup, one step at a time.

Today's lineup, taking into consideration the consecutive games, will be without Tokunaga, Takahashi, Edu, and Higashi. Eight players will be replaced from the league game, with GK Shioda, right back Matsuda, center back Yoshimoto, MF Nozawa, Yonemoto, Hanyu, FW Hirayama, and Kono starting for the first time this season. Hirayama and Watanabe will be the two top players, with Kono as the top midfielder. The midfield will consist of Nozawa as the anchor, Yonemoto on the right inside half, and Hanyu on the left. Manager Massimo explained his intentions, saying, "In order to maintain competitiveness and improve the overall strength of the team, we have chosen the players who have prepared the most."

Kashima, on the other hand, has achieved three consecutive victories in the league and is currently in first place. This season, FW Osako, Juninho, and DF Iwamasa have left the team, but young members have been actively used. They have been able to maintain their good form by working well with experienced players. In this round, only GK Sato has been replaced, and the field players have faced the same members as the previous round. On the other hand, Tokyo will continue to play in an organized manner both offensively and defensively, without changing their attitude of trying to control the game themselves. The key will be whether they can take advantage of Kashima's weaknesses. We can also expect dynamic plays from the fresh players.

Despite the fact that the first spring storm blew yesterday, Ajinomoto Stadium still feels cold. The match started at 7pm with Kashima's kickoff.

Dynamic play on both offense and defense, Kono and Ota make the most of their chances!

The game moved quickly in the early hours. In the 8th minute, GK Shioda and opponent DF competed for a kick, and the ball that spilled to the right was trapped by Yonemoto. From there, a floating pass was sent directly to the back of the opponent's DF. Kono flew out to trap the ball and brought it out to the area, and despite being approached by the opponent's DF, he broke through and shot with his right foot. He scored it surely and took the lead! In the following 10 minutes, from the left side line, Kono exchanged passes with Hayashi, and then ran to the front line. A minus last pass from the left area to the center. Ota, who ran into the area from the inside, scored a direct shot and aimed for the near post to score a goal! With speed and coordination, they quickly took a 2-0 lead against Kashima, who had not conceded a goal in 3 league matches.

After that, the front line and midfielders Hayashi, Yonemoto, and Nozawa were active. Not only did they maintain a quick transition between offense and defense, but they also had a strong defensive awareness and pressed from the front, preventing Kashima from connecting passes. In the 28th minute, they lost the second ball in midfield and Kashima's right MF Endo took a shot. In the 36th minute, Kashima's left CK resulted in a header from FW Davi, but both shots were off target. On the other hand, in the 42nd minute, Watanabe on the right side sent a soft cross into the area. The ball went over the heads of Kashima's DF and reached Hirayama, who managed to avoid the opposing DF and took a decisive shot from the right area, but... it went over the bar...

Although we couldn't score a third goal, we pushed Kashima back with our dynamic play and ended the first half.

Mita scores Ajinomoto's first goal from Matsuda's cross, holding off Kashima's counterattack

Kashima brought in MF Motomura from the second half. They used player substitutions and launched a counterattack. However, Tokyo maintained their intensity in challenges and their focus and balance in defense, resulting in a back-and-forth match. In the 54th minute, Tokyo substituted Mita for Kono. Following that, Kashima also brought in FW Caio. In the 58th minute, Ota → Hayashi connected with a short corner kick, and Ota crossed the ball again. Hirayama, in front of the goal, headed the ball with a high impact, but the ball was deflected by Kashima's goalkeeper... they were unable to score.

In the 59th minute, Muto came on for Watanabe. In the 66th minute, Muto received a pass from the left side in the Kashima area and immediately turned around. He made a move forward and easily entered the left area. He sent a short last pass to Hirayama in front of the goal. Although it was cleared by the Kashima defenders at the last moment, in the 71st minute, Matsuda overlapped from the right side after Muto had drifted there and crossed from a high position. Mita ran in and scored a powerful header near the goal! Mita marked his first goal at Ajinomoto Stadium and scored the third goal.

However, in the 72nd minute, Kashima MF Julian showed his keeping ability in the right area. He was unable to press and sent a pinpoint pass to MF Motomura, who had escaped freely behind Tokyo DF. From there, MF Motomura was able to score a direct shot... and they conceded a goal. Tokyo gradually lost their energy and started to create space, allowing Kashima to launch a fierce counterattack. In the 79th minute, Ishikawa was substituted in and the formation was changed to a 4-4-2 with Yonemoto and Nozawa as a double pivot, countering sharply. In the final minutes, Kashima FW Caio, MF Endo, and MF Shibasaki all took turns attempting to score, resulting in Kashima taking 12 shots in the second half. However, the only decisive moment was the goal conceded. They did not show any defensive weaknesses and the game ended with a 3-1 score.

Tokyo ended the second half with three shots, but tightened their key points on both offense and defense, making sure to take advantage of their chances and achieve a resounding victory! The fresh members were active until the end, securing their first win of the season as they kicked off the Nabisco Cup with a win.

[Player Comments]
《Kawano》
"We approached the game with a different lineup, but we were able to produce good results. In the scoring situation, I always tell Yonemoto to make a pass behind the defense, and he gave me a great pass just as I asked. My first touch was a bit long, but I was able to reach it with my right foot. After that, it was just a matter of finishing. Today, I focused on defense, supporting the two forwards well, and making runs behind the defense. The team hasn't been winning for a while, and today, the players who don't usually play were determined to change the flow of the game. This victory will make the competition for positions even more intense, and I believe it will lead to the improvement of the team. We will continue to strive for results and score goals."

《Ota》
"Winning with today's team will be a good motivation for other players, and it also means that I can't let my guard down. Moreover, I think there is more than just one win in defeating the league-leading Kashima. We must continue to compete, activate the team, and become stronger."

[Press Conference Summary by Massimo FICCADENTI]
"I told the players to be aggressive from the first half. They did what they wanted to do well. Even after taking the lead, they had the attitude to score more goals and were able to do so. In the second half, we were able to do what we needed to do. The most important thing was that we were able to play our style of football against a strong opponent like Kashima. I think that was the biggest achievement."

[Kashima - Toninho CEREZO's press conference summary]
"The opponent was superior in terms of fighting spirit, aggressiveness, and compactness, as well as speed and defense. Above all, the desire to win was greater. I felt that an excellent coach was leading us, and the movements and finishing touches were thoroughly trained. We were able to express the results of our daily training. In the second half, we were able to play our own soccer a little bit... However, it's not that we did nothing, but I want to praise the opponent for doing what they needed to do."