A match aiming for the first league victory with an aggressive approach in both offense and defense

Three days after the Nabisco Cup, we welcome League Sec. 3. On Sunday, we will travel away to face Vissel Kobe. In the Nabisco match against Niigata, we made seven changes to the starting lineup and, with proactive plays from Ishikawa and Hayashi, we secured our first victory of the season. We want to use this win and momentum as a springboard for the future. Coach Massimo also mentioned, "The content connects to the league matches," but on the other hand, the preparation time for the match is short, and he stated, "I asked the players to quickly focus on the next game," as they mentally and physically switch gears to challenge Kobe.

Kobe, who finished 11th last season, is also aiming for a breakthrough. They welcomed new head coach NELSINHO this season and have added players such as DF Yasuda, DF Shohei TAKAHASHI, and MF Fei Hujin, along with FW Watanabe who transferred from Tokyo. They are making precise adjustments in both offense and defense. At the same time, they aim to climb the rankings with a style that leverages the attacking power of FW Pedro JUNIOR and MF Morioka. So far, they have one draw and one loss without a victory, but in the last league match, FW Watanabe and DF Shohei TAKAHASHI scored their first goals since transferring, indicating an upward trend for the team. In particular, Kobe's MF Morioka excels in passing and making runs, and he is also capable of taking long shots. By controlling the midfield playmakers like him, MF Ogawa, and MF Chung Woo-young, they want to contain the attacking power of FW Watanabe and Pedro JUNIOR.

Tokyo sees the return of Ota, Yonemoto, and Kajiwara to the starting lineup after missing the Nabisco Niigata match. Higashi, who is in good form, will be deployed in the front line. He will partner with Muto in a two-top formation, with Kono positioned just behind. Ishikawa makes his league debut on the bench, and Maeda is also among the substitutes. On the other hand, Kobe will be without forward Marquinhos, who is not in the squad. Defender Iwanami is absent due to U-22 Japan national team duties. However, they are expected to come out aggressively at home. In response, FC Tokyo aims for victory with a tenacious and proactive approach in both attack and defense. The match started at 17:04 with FC Tokyo's kickoff.

Morishige scores the opening goal from a set piece, taking a 1-point lead into halftime!

The match started 4 minutes in. Muto, trying to advance in the opponent's central area, lost the ball, and Kobe launched a counterattack. The left-sided FW Pedro JUNIOR brought the ball to the center and passed the last ball to FW Watanabe, who ran free into the right area. However, the Tokyo defense prevented the shot with a sliding tackle, and the shot went wide.

15 minutes have passed, and both sides have shown an aggressive attitude, creating opportunities for both teams. It was a situation where they wanted to settle the ball a bit more in the front line and calmly connect to chances. In the 17th minute, the opponent quickly launched an attack from their own half, and Tokyo's forward Watanabe dribbled forward and took a mid-range shot. It had momentum and targeted the corner, but hit the right post. It was a tense moment.

In the 33rd minute, the back-and-forth development continued. Ota's early cross hit an opponent, earning a left corner kick. From Ota's left corner kick, Morishige, while retreating, headed the ball into the net on the opposite side for a GOAL!! Taking advantage of the corner kick opportunity, they scored the opening goal!

In the 41st minute, the opponent connected from their own half, delivering a ground cross from the left side into the area. As FW Watanabe ran in from the center to trap the ball, Gonda rushed out. In that moment, a foul was called for bringing him down, awarding a penalty kick to Kobe. In the 43rd minute, the penalty kick situation occurred. The opponent's FW Pedro JUNIOR's penalty kick was stopped by Gonda!!!! With Gonda's fine save, the crisis was averted!

From the beginning, both teams attacked each other, and the match continued with back-and-forth developments. Both had chances, but in the 33rd minute, Morishige scored the opening goal from a set piece! After that, there was a decision to award a penalty kick to Kobe, but Gonda made a sharp save to prevent a goal!! With a one-point lead, they headed into the second half.

With everyone's focused defense and Muto's goal, we achieved our first victory in the league!

In the second half, at the 52nd minute, the opponent's attack. The passes were connected quickly in the front line, and Tokyo's DF could not keep up. From the drop by Kobe's FW Watanabe just before the area, MF Ogawa broke through on the left rear and took a decisive shot, but Gonda made a save again!

After 60 minutes had passed, we were pushed back by Kobe, who connected their passes with good tempo and attacked with momentum. Although the defense line was holding well, we couldn't connect the ball to the front line even after regaining possession. With Muto in the center and Higashi and Kono covering the sides, we were unable to contain the development from the opponent's midfielders.

In the 68th minute, Hanyu on the right passed to Kajiyama in the center, who received the ball in the opponent's half. Muto skillfully evaded the defending player on his back, turned around, and surged forward with sharp dribbling! He unleashed a fast shot from the right area, sinking it into the net on the opposite side for a GOAL!! GOAL!!

Immediately after, in the 69th minute, Takahashi was brought in to replace Hanyu. A double pivot with Kajiyama. On both sides, Yonemoto and Higashi. Up front, a formation close to 4-4-2 with Muto and Kono. Furthermore, in the 73rd minute, Ishikawa was brought in to replace Kono, taking a forward position alongside Muto.

80 minutes have passed. In the second half, there were long periods where Tokyo was pushed back by Kobe's momentum, but Muto utilized his technique and speed to score an additional goal! After extending the lead to two points, the opponent launched a counterattack, but Tokyo used substitutions to endure while aiming for counterattacks. In the 82nd minute, substitute Kobe MF Ishizu used his speed to break through on the right side. They entered the area and sent a decisive low cross, but Morishige made a sharp cover. He escaped the danger with a sliding tackle!

In the first half, Ota's corner kick led to Morishige scoring the opening goal. Gonda stopped a penalty kick, preventing any goals conceded. In the second half, there was a long period of pressure from Kobe, but everyone stayed focused and held on, with Muto scoring an additional goal! The players selected for the Japan national team also delivered solid results, securing their first victory in the league.

[Player Comments]
《Muto》
"From the start, I felt that it would be a tough match. Recently, I've been playing in a two-top formation, and I haven't been able to take on defenders with dribbling. Even when I tried to drop back to receive the ball, the opponent's pressure was intense, and the coach had been asking me to make simple runs behind the defense. Today, aside from the goal, I struggled to perform well. However, my teammates told me to make sure to convert any one chance I got, and in the end, I was able to do that, which was good."

《Morishige》
"We were able to move the ball from the first half and press on the sides. There was a fear factor in Kobe's quick counterattacks. Also, we were able to initiate plays from the opposite side after switching sides, but everyone responded calmly, and we were able to score from a set piece within that. Although we had two draws in the league, we felt a certain level of achievement in that. Of course, there were challenges, but we thought about fighting patiently and continuing to believe in what we needed to do. I believe today's result was possible because everyone focused on what they needed to do and fought together."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference】
　"First of all, we needed to acknowledge the high quality of Kobe. Within that context, I believe the players had a wonderful match. In the first half, we had several chances and moments where we approached the goal. In the second half, the opponent became a bit more aggressive, but we were able to score the second goal during that time. After that, we were able to close out the match in our own style. I want to praise the players for having such a wonderful match. I am truly satisfied that we were able to showcase the football we aimed to play from all perspectives, including physical and tactical aspects."

[Summary of Coach NELSINHO's Press Conference]
"As we had prepared, I think the team was able to play organized soccer from the first half. We were able to effectively neutralize the opponent's characteristics, and we didn't allow any dangerous situations to develop during the flow of the game. However, there was one mistake on a set piece, which allowed the opponent to take advantage of a positional error. After that, the team managed to regain its rhythm, created chances, and got close to the goal, even earning a penalty opportunity, but we missed it. I talked to the players at halftime, and the only thing we lacked in this match was the decisiveness in the final part. I sent them out saying that there was nothing to change. In the second half, there was an injury to DF BUENO, who was functioning well in the flow of the game, and I think that affected the team. Still, we continued to connect the ball and create our rhythm just like in the first half, but the second goal we conceded due to a mistake was decisive."