The Nabisco Cup has started, aiming for the first official match victory

This season's 'J League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup' has kicked off. As part of the qualifying league Sec. 1, we will face Albirex Niigata at home. In this tournament's qualifying league, Tokyo belongs to Group A along with Niigata, Matsumoto, Tosu, Kofu, Hiroshima, and Shonan, and after competing in 6 matches (up to Sec. 7), the top 2 teams will advance to the Semifinal Round. Additionally, the 4 teams participating in the ACL will join from the Semifinal Round.

Coach Massimo said, "For us, the Nabisco Cup is a very important tournament. Since it is held concurrently with the league matches, there are challenges in team management, but we want to focus on each match and aim to advance past the group stage first." However, this round will be without U-22 Japan national team players Nara and Nakajima. Additionally, due to the match being held three days after the last league match, Ota, Yonemoto, and Kajiwara will be replaced from the league squad, with Maruyama taking the left back position and Yoshimoto in center back. Takahashi will play as the midfield anchor, with Mita and Azuma as inside midfielders. Hayashi will play centrally, Ishikawa on the right, and Muto on the left in a 4-3-3 formation. Ishikawa will start for the first time since the Nabisco match against Sendai on April 5 last season (away). Hayashi will also make his first start in Tokyo. Additionally, Matsuda and Hashimoto will be on the bench, stepping forward with a fresh lineup towards the title.

Against Niigata, Coach Yanagishita is in his fourth season and is promoting an organized style based on high work rate. They have not yet achieved a victory in the league with one draw and one loss, so they will likely be strongly seeking their first win. However, due to the absence of key players, U-22 Japan national team DF Matsubara and FW Suzuki, they have made changes to their lineup from the league matches. The playmaking ability of MF SILVA and the height and dribbling skills of FW Ibusuki and FW Yamazaki will require the utmost attention. However, we want to compete without losing in work rate and aim for victory with aggressive play on both offense and defense without hesitation.

During the day, it was the warmest day of the year, but under weather that seemed like it would rain at any moment, the match started at 19:04 with Niigata's kickoff.

Conceded a goal at the start, allowing Niigata to dominate...

The match started with action. Niigata connected the kickoff ball and broke through on the right flank. They delivered a low cross, but Tokyo managed to escape with a corner kick. However, just two minutes later, from a quick series of passes, Niigata MF Leo SILVA made a vertical pass. Right MF Kato, who had moved up front, turned away from Maruyama and spread the play further outside. The right side back Kawaguchi, who had timed his run perfectly, delivered another low right cross. FW Yamazaki, who was in front of the goal, couldn't connect, but MF Yamamoto was free to pounce on the ball that flowed to the far side and scored easily... Niigata allowed both sides to be free and conceded a goal early in the match.

However, without being shaken by this, they aim for a counterattack without panicking. In the 11th minute, Higashi on the left side made a through pass behind the opponent's defense. Ishikawa timed his run to evade the opponent's offside line and broke into the left area. However, the shot he took from there just barely missed the target. In the 12th minute, they intercepted a pass from Niigata, and Hayashi to Ishikawa surged up the right side and took a shot from distance.

After that, they allowed Niigata's quick passing and ball possession, faced attacks originating from the sides, and were pushed back into their own territory, but they remained calm and prepared to counterattack from a solid defense. In the 38th minute, they launched a fast attack from their own half, with Mita on the right passing to Tokunaga for a cross. The Niigata goalkeeper came out and managed to punch it away, but Takahashi rushed in for the loose ball and aimed for a mid-range shot. In the 43rd minute, they cleared a right corner kick from Niigata, and Muto and Ishikawa tried to initiate a counterattack, but Niigata quickly transitioned and they couldn't move the ball forward. In the 45th minute, Higashi persistently turned a loose ball in the opponent's territory into his own and charged into the left area. Muto and Mita tried to connect with a short last pass in front of the goal, but they only managed to earn a corner kick.

Changing the formation in the front line, with Muto and Hayashi as the two strikers. By placing Ishikawa just behind the forwards, the team gained momentum in the latter stages and the mood for a counterattack heightened, but they could not score, ending the first half with a one-goal deficit.

Nao scores a goal for the first time since 2013! Everyone works together to achieve a comeback victory

Continuing their momentum into the second half, in the 48th minute they launched a counterattack, with Ishikawa dribbling through the center. Higashi, who advanced on the left, entered the area. Then, in the 52nd minute, Maruyama made a vertical run, delivering a low cross from the left flank to the goal front. The loose ball from Muto, who ran in from the opposite side, reached Higashi in the left area. Although the shot went over the bar, they smoothly carried the ball up to the front line and created a finishing opportunity.

In the 63rd minute, Hanyu came on for Mita, moving to the center. Ishikawa shifted to the right side, forming a shape close to a 4-4-2. This immediately paid off, as in the 65th minute, Tokunaga from our side passed to Ishikawa on the right side of the opponent's half, who dribbled in a way that he circled inside. He dodged the opposing defenders one after another, charging towards the left of the penalty arc, and with a powerful left-footed shot! The fierce shot pierced the upper right side! This was Ishikawa's goal since the match against Kashiwa in Sec. 33 of the 2013 league (November 30), bringing the score level!

As Niigata's quick transitions gradually slowed down, Tokyo increased their attacking momentum, raising the comeback mood even further. In the 73rd minute, Takahashi advanced vertically from the left area inside after receiving a pass from Higashi, and with one touch passed to Hayashi on the right front. Hayashi then sent the ball to Ishikawa, who was free in the right area, and from there took a decisive shot, but the goalkeeper's save prevented an additional goal. However, in the 76th minute, Hayashi, with his back to the goal in the right area, tried to receive a right cross but was fouled from behind, earning a penalty kick. In the 78th minute, Hayashi calmly converted the penalty by gently sliding the ball in to score! In the 83rd minute, Hayashi was forced to be substituted due to injury, but thanks to his physical play and role in disrupting the opposition up front, Tokyo succeeded in turning the game around. In the final stages, Niigata managed to bring consecutive shots on goal, but Gonda's reliable performance kept them at bay, and the match ended 2-1. Tokyo started the Nabisco Cup with a win and secured their first official victory of the season.

【Player Comments】
《Ishikawa》
"I felt the great expectations from the support I received before the match. There was also pressure on how to respond to that expectation, which was quite overwhelming (laughs), but I wanted to do my best to meet it. I was able to strike the goal with the 'good feeling' I had. It was not just about capitalizing on the few chances I had, but more than anything, I wanted to bring momentum forward today.
I think we were able to score as a result of maintaining an aggressive approach from the first half. Being able to express it in one form gives us confidence.

<East>
"Niigata is a team characterized by their high work rate and hard work. On top of that, conceding a goal first made it a very difficult match. However, even so, on the pitch, with Morishige at the center, we talked about 'not collapsing here,' and I think that was good. We had plenty of time, and the team was able to create an atmosphere of 'If we hold them to one goal, there will be chances to score' and 'We can come back and win.' We want to use this victory as a momentum to prepare for consecutive wins."

【Press Conference Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI, Head Coach】
"As time passed from the beginning, the situation improved. It was a game with high intensity, and we were able to come from behind, showing a wonderful mentality. In the final stages, we were a bit unsettled and allowed chances, but the team controlled the game overall. I am satisfied with today's performance. We believed in the comeback in the first half, but the second half was even better play. Above all, Ishikawa lost last season due to a back injury, and today was an important day for him. After going through a really tough period, he returned in top condition and scored a wonderful goal. In that sense, it was a morale-boosting victory for the team and had a positive impact on the league matches. Hayashi injured his leg, but the details are still unclear. We want to assess his condition going forward."
(You changed 7 players from the league match, how was that?)
Ota, Yonemoto, and Kajiyama were not at 100% condition, so we had no choice but to replace them. The players who came on today made some mistakes, but they showed great spirit and excellent play in one-on-one situations. We have 30 players this season, and our goal is to build on what we established last year by adding the new players who joined this season and improving the team’s overall level. Even when behind, they kept calm, believed in victory, and showed a genuine mentality of never giving up and fighting for the win.

[Niigata - Masaaki YANAGISHITA’s Press Conference Summary]
"In the first half, we were able to attack well by using the opponent’s open spaces. We played aggressively from the sides. However, in the second half, several players lost out in one-on-one battles, which led to us being pressed and creating more dangerous situations. Tokyo’s players ran into space and played balls behind us, which opened up space in midfield. We saw several players lose those one-on-one battles, and the pressure continued. Ultimately, we were overturned, but the second goal conceded was a gift. The play that led to the penalty was like that. I always say that if the ball, the opponent, and the player are aligned in a straight line, trying to win the ball will only result in a foul. Even if you try to win the ball from a bad position, you won’t succeed and will just commit a foul. If we correctly fix these small details, we should be able to win the ball without fouls. We want to correct this going forward."