A match aiming for victory by resiliently fending off the momentum of Kobe's attack and turning it into a counterattack.

The Nabisco Cup Sec. 3, which comes three days after the league match, is a matchup against Vissel Kobe. In the league match against Hiroshima, despite executing strategies against Hiroshima, we conceded a goal from a corner kick and lost. Although we couldn't turn the result around, Hanyu reflects, "We were able to showcase what we prepared as a team and maintained control."
This match is an away game in a series, and with a league match also taking place this weekend, Coach Massimo stated, "There are players I want to rest, but on the other hand, I want to use players who are in good condition as usual," clearly indicating changes in the lineup. GK Shiota, right SB Matsuda are included in the starting lineup, along with CB Morishige and Yoshimoto. In midfield, Takahashi will play as the anchor, with Hanyu and Azuma as inside halves. Up front, Edu and Watanabe will form a two-top. Muto will approach the game in a top-down formation.

Kobe has only played one match in the Nabisco Cup so far. They lost to G Osaka in the first round, earning 0 points. However, in the league, they are currently in 3rd place and can be said to be the team with the most momentum right now. The in-form FW Pedro JUNIOR, along with the youthful MF Morioka and FW Matsumura, are showing great determination. Kobe will have FW Marquinhos starting from the bench. Although there will be some changes, there are not many significant alterations to the lineup. MF Hashimoto will play as the left back, with MF Chung Woo-young and Tanaka in the holding midfield positions. On the right wing is Pedro JUNIOR, and on the left is MF Matsumura. The formation includes FW Tashiro at the top and MF Morioka just behind him. They aim for victory with a cohesive and unified team effort. However, Tokyo will focus on unifying their intentions, centered around the CB duo of Morishige and Yoshimoto, to prevent conceding the first goal and find their chance to win.

Cloudy skies at NOEVIR Stadium Kobe. However, under mild weather, it started with a kickoff from Tokyo at 19:04.

Shioda stood in front of the goal and did not allow a goal, taking the lead with Muto's first professional goal!

In the 6th minute of the match, a long pass was made from the left side of the Kobe defense line to the right front line. The Tokyo defense seemed to judge it as offside, and they were caught off guard for a moment, allowing Kobe's right forward Pedro JUNIOR to break through. He created a one-on-one situation with the GK in the right area, but the shot was stopped by a great save from Shiota, avoiding a crisis. In the following 10th minute, Watanabe broke through from the left side and took a bold shot just outside the area. The rebound from the opposing GK's save flowed to the far side, and EDU rushed in, but it was cleared by the desperate return of the Kobe defense, resulting in a corner kick.

15 minutes have passed, and although there was a pinch in the 6th minute, they entered the match with solid defense, maintaining possession of the ball and creating a good tempo for their attacks. In the 19th minute, Edu and Muto advanced with an angle, leading to Watanabe trying to break free in front of the goal. Watanabe managed to break free and found himself one-on-one with the GK, but his touch was slightly off. He once evaded the GK to the left and shot, but was blocked by the opposing GK.

In the 22nd minute, Hanyu advanced through the center and wisely passed to Edu on the right. Edu entered the right area free but did not shoot. He chose to make a last pass to the center. However, it went behind Watanabe, who was closing in on the goal, and did not lead to a scoring opportunity. Then in the 26th minute, Watanabe received a last pass from Matsuda on the right side with his back to the goal and turned with a trap. However, he couldn't shoot directly and brought it to the left to take a shot, but it lacked power and was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper...

In the 28th minute, Shioda bravely came out against an opponent's long ball, colliding with the Kobe FW. Shioda was unable to get up, and the match was temporarily stopped. However, a few minutes later, Shioda got up without any issues, and the match resumed. After 30 minutes had passed, despite creating several big chances, they lacked the finishing ability and were unable to score. In the 33rd minute, after a direct pass exchange in front of the goal, Kobe's right area FW Pedro JUNIOR broke through and took a decisive shot, but Shioda made a great save!

In the 35th minute, a feed from the DF line was initially cut by a header in Kobe's midfield, but Edu seized the loose ball and displayed his strength. He surged up the right side, skillfully turning between two opposing DF players who tried to intercept him. He slipped past and delivered a cross from the right. This was cleared by the opposing DF, but the loose ball reached Muuto just in front of the area. The shot he took after a single touch deflected off the goalkeeper's hand and into the goal! Muuto scores his first professional goal, taking the lead!

In the first half, they launched a fast-paced attack from the beginning and created several chances. However, they were unable to convert these opportunities. On the other hand, Kobe's forward Pedro JUNIOR also created a decisive chance, but Shiota made a series of excellent saves to avert the crisis. Shortly after, Edu broke through on the right side to create a chance, and Muto scored a powerful goal! With Muto's first goal, they took the lead into the second half.

Everyone came together and maintained focus to achieve the first victory of the season without conceding a goal!

In the 48th minute of the second half. Mutou applied pressure on the opponent's right side pass, forcing a mistake, and the ball went to Edu in the center. Edu confidently struck a powerful shot just before the area, piercing the net to secure an additional goal.

In the 52nd minute, a free kick was awarded to Kobe almost directly in front of their goal. It was aimed at MF Chung Woo-young, but hit the wall, and the ball was caught by Shiota. Furthermore, in the 57th minute, Kobe's MF Morioka took a powerful shot from the left side of Tokyo's half at mid-range, but it hit the right post and was cleared. In the 59th minute, Kobe made two substitutions, bringing on FW Marquinhos and MF Simplicio to try to change the game. A minute later, Tokyo also substituted, bringing on Yonemoto for Higashi. In the 63rd minute, Ota delivered an early cross from the left, and Watanabe jumped into the area from the opposite side, heading the ball at just the right moment, but the shot on target was caught by the GK.

After 65 minutes, Edu took advantage of the opponent's mistake early in the second half to score an additional goal. They maintained their balance and aimed for a third goal. Kobe is also making substitutions and trying to mount a counterattack. It was also noteworthy how well they could contain Kobe's momentum.

In the 67th minute, Kono replaced Watanabe and moved to the attacking midfield position, joining Edu and Muto in a two-striker formation. Furthermore, in the 75th minute, Hirayama came on for Edu to take the lone striker position. After 70 minutes had passed, Kobe held the ball during this period, pushing forward with a counterattack. However, Tokyo maintained their resilience and focus against Kobe's speedy dribbling and direct passes, managing to hold them off. In the 79th minute, Kobe forward Marquinhos skillfully dribbled past one, then two Tokyo defenders, charging forward. In response, Tokyo ultimately stopped him with a foul, awarding a free kick to Kobe just outside the right area. This free kick from Kobe was sent to the far post by midfielder Simplício, where defender Masukawa headed it but missed the target.

In the 89th minute, Hirayama evaded the opposing DF in the center and dribbled to the left. He brought the ball into the left area, cut back past the opposing DF again, and his shot grazed the opposing GK's hand in the lower left corner of the near post to score the third goal.

In the early stages of the second half, Muto's press forced a passing mistake from Kobe, and Edu scored an additional goal! Towards the end, there were moments when Kobe gained momentum for a counterattack, but the defense remained focused. Just before the end, Hirayama scored the third goal to pull away from Kobe, achieving the first clean sheet of the season and securing victory for the entire team.

[Player Comments]
《Muto》
"I hadn't been able to score for a long time, but today I finally did, and I feel like I've relaxed a bit. I feel lighter mentally as well. After the goal, I was able to play a bit more calmly than usual. I had been unable to convert chances in several matches, and I had been feeling 'I want to score quickly, I want to score soon.' That may have led to some anxiety. At that time, player Mita told me, 'If you run for the team, you'll eventually score...' Today, I was thinking with that mindset, to run for the team. And then I was able to score, so I owe it to player Mita as well."

《Shioda》
"I think it was good that by doing my job properly, it contributed to the flow of the team. Additionally, throughout the 90 minutes, all 11 players on the pitch, including the substitutes, were aware of their defensive responsibilities. I believe that led to our clean sheet and victory. Overall, I think we executed what the coach wanted, such as where the defensive midfielder should go to win the ball or where the top three should apply pressure. However, there are also issues to address. In the first half, we lacked precision in our short counterattacks, resulting in a back-and-forth exchange of counters, which was a bit chaotic. That is a point for reflection. I believe we need support from the back, not just relying on the front three for attacks. We need to ensure we finish with shots and be able to deliver crosses from the sides, so overall pushing forward is necessary. I want to make corrections in that area."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"I definitely think we had a good match. Our performance against Hiroshima was also very good, so I believe we were able to play a very good game against a strong Kobe while maintaining that level of performance. In today's match, I think it was very good that our forwards applied pressure effectively, and that the midfield and defense worked together as one; I believe that was the key to our success."

[Summary of the Press Conference of Ryo ADACHI, Coach of Kobe]
"The goals conceded in the first half were not due to being broken down, and the two goals conceded in the second half were clearly due to mistakes, so I think it was a very regrettable three goals conceded. In terms of attack, I believe we couldn't break through in the final part and there were too few good combinations."