The strength of the team will be tested, as the Nabisco Cup resumes.

The Nabisco Cup, which is played every three days from the league. In the fourth round of the qualifying league, Tokyo will face Sagan Tosu at home. Currently, Tokyo is in third place (provisional) with 5 points after playing two games. Although they suffered their first defeat of the season in the previous league match, the players have switched their focus to the Nabisco Cup, a tournament where they aim for the title. Above all, it is important for the team to avoid consecutive losses and aim for victory.

However, Morishige, Yonemoto, Kajiyama, Muto, and Canini are all dealing with injuries, and coach Massimo reveals, "Individually, they are not major problems, but having 5 players missing is an emergency situation for the team." At the same time, with consecutive games, the lineup will be changed for this match, with Maruyama and Yoshimoto as center backs. Takahashi as anchor in midfield. Mita and Hanyu as inside halves. Azuma as attacking midfielder, and Ishikawa and Hayashi as the two forwards. Captain is Tokunaga.

Tosu has a new coach, Morishita, this season and has played one more game in the Nabisco Cup than Tokyo, earning 4 points. As the league progresses, they have improved and are currently in 3rd place. Perhaps due to the consecutive games, Tosu has rotated 10 field players since the previous league match. However, Tosu's strength lies in their hard work, power, and intensity. Both teams will be tested on their overall strength, but Tokyo will not be outdone in terms of running and will aim for victory with a fighting spirit.

The game started at 19:04 with Tosu's kickoff as the spring rain began to pour down.

Overcoming the early momentum of Tosu, Mita takes the lead with their first goal of the season!

Tokyo created the first chance. In the 3rd minute, Ota connected a short right CK and Maruyama headed it in from Tokunaga's cross. However, in the 4th minute, from a free kick by Tosu, DF Kobayashi attempted an overhead shot. In the 10th minute, they allowed a breakthrough on the left side from a CK and FW Yamazaki headed it in. After that, MF Kamada and left MF Tamura were aggressively attacking from the side. Still, Maruyama and Yoshimoto were able to defend against the pressure.

Tokyo, who had not been able to grasp the rhythm until then, welcomed the 18th minute, and Tokunaga's early cross was spilled in the center, but Hayabusa reacted. Although he couldn't shoot at the penalty arc on the left, he immediately connected to Ishikawa on the left. From here, Ishikawa calmly sent a pass to the center, and Mita ran in and swung his left foot. The shot hit the inside of the right post and went into the net! Mita scored his first goal of the season with determination and took the lead.

After taking the lead, the defense began to settle down and the time of ball possession increased. In the 30th minute, Maruyama sent a feed from his own half to Hayashi, who broke through on the left side. Hayashi took a step forward and tried to get past the goalkeeper, but his foot got caught and he couldn't finish. They were able to push into the opponent's half, but couldn't break through and also had to defend against counterattacks. In the 39th minute, Tosu MF Okamoto made a side change to MF Tamura, who made a vertical run, but Tokunaga made a sliding tackle. Towards the end of the first half, they gave away consecutive free kicks, but Gonda held firm and they ended the half with a one-goal lead.

Mita adds another point! Keep up the energy until the end and back to first place.

In the second half, Tokyo started off by connecting passes and launching speedy attacks. In the 50th minute, Hayashi brought the ball into the area, but was tripped up on the pitch. In the 52nd minute, Higashi moved to the right and sent a cross to Tokunaga who had broken through the front line. Hayashi then dove in for a header, but the shot was saved by the Tosu goalkeeper...

However, in the 57th minute, East and Ishikawa quickly exchanged passes in the Tosu defense. Although they slowed down once, Hayashi on the left side sent a pass to the left front line, urging Ota to attack from the inside. The opponent's side back tried to cover, but Ota pressed and took the ball, sending a minus cross to the center. Mita, who ran in from the opposite side, scored with his right foot, GOAL!! They added another goal from a coordinated play.

In the 58th minute, a quick attack was launched, with Hayashi aiming for the goal from the front of the area after receiving a pass from Ishikawa on the right, but it hit the crossbar. Then, from a swift counterattack on the right side by Takahashi and Mita, Ishikawa's shot from the right area was blocked by the left post. Both teams maintained a quick pace and exchanged counterattacks, but neither team was able to score an additional goal.

Despite gradually decreasing physical activity, in the 69th minute, Kono replaced Hayashi. In the 71st minute, Ishikawa, who was injured in a contact play, was forced to be substituted, and Maeda was brought in. They tried to dominate the ball and attack. In the 89th minute, Hashimoto made his first appearance for Tokyo. Immediately after, Gonda tried to catch a free kick from Tosu by jumping, but collided with a Tosu player and fell to the pitch, causing a temporary stoppage in the game. In additional time, Tokyo was pressured by a set piece near their goal, but they calmly defended and the game ended. They all maintained their physical activity until the end, secured a victory without conceding a goal, and with 2 wins and 1 draw in the qualifying round, they once again took the top spot in Group A.

[Player Comments]
"Mita"
"The team lost to Hiroshima and personally, I haven't had a chance to play since the Kofu game. I was frustrated and even more determined today. I definitely wanted to win. The first goal was a great pass from Ishikawa. I was only focused on swinging my leg with all my might. The second goal was a right-footed shot, but I aimed for accuracy. I want to win the Nabisco Cup and also aim for the top in the league. I want to keep scoring goals to help the team continue winning in the future."

"Hayashi"
"My condition was good, and I wanted to be used and get results. I was able to play aggressively and I think the timing to break through the front line was good. However, it's meaningless to just say "close". The final accuracy is the issue. I want to improve so that I can definitely score next time."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
　"Tosu has changed many members from the league match, but we also faced with about 6 changes. We had a chance to score additional points in the first half after taking the lead. There were also scenes where we hit the bar, but we were able to create many chances throughout the game. However, I personally think the second half was better. Especially in the last 20 minutes, despite the difficult time, we ran firmly and improved the content of the game. Some players had minor problems such as bruises, but their condition was good. And after the loss to Hiroshima in the league, I could see a strong desire from the players to grab a victory today. In particular, I am satisfied with Mita. It is a big thing for the team to finish today's game with a result of 3 points."

[Sagan Tosu - Manager Hitoshi Morishita's Press Conference Summary]
　"I am grateful for the many supporters who came on a weekday night. It was disappointing to concede the second goal. It was a goal that we invited ourselves. As I always tell the players, it is important to control ourselves and not fall behind in the game, but unfortunately we conceded due to not being able to execute that. They showed their technical abilities, but I felt there was a difference in mental strength among the players. That was a valuable lesson."