Final qualifying round of the Nabisco, poised to advance to the Final Round

In the weekday match of the Nabisco Cup, we face Shonan Bellmare in the final match of the group stage (Sec. 7) away. In the previous match against Kashiwa, we fought with a sense of unity and secured our first victory in four league matches. Under a congested schedule, fatigue is at its peak, but Ota mentioned, "There is a sense of fulfillment by winning," and we approach this match aiming to turn that victory into momentum.

In the Nabisco Cup, we maintain the top position in Group A, and advancing to the knockout stage is confirmed with a draw or better. However, Yonemoto suffered a left knee injury in the match against Kashiwa. In addition to Hanyu's absence, Kajiyama, Maeda, and Kono will also not participate this round to avoid overexertion during consecutive matches. On the other hand, Tokunaga returned from suspension, but Coach Massimo decided to use Riki MATSUDA on the right side of midfield for his ability to bring running power. Higashi will be on the left side, with Takahashi and Nozawa forming a double pivot, and Maruyama will play one of the center-back positions in a 4-4-2 formation. Also, Sakuno, who is making his first appearance this season, will be on the bench, making it a true all-out battle.

Shonan currently has 8 points, with a total of 5 goals scored and 5 goals conceded, resulting in a goal difference of ±0, placing them 3rd in the group. Since this match is a direct confrontation, they need to win by a margin of at least 3 goals to surpass Tokyo's goal difference of +4. Above all, they are a team that prides itself on an aggressive Shonan style. In response, we want to be careful about how we start the match to avoid being pushed back. Coach Massimo stated, "It may lead to an open game as both teams aim for victory," and it is expected that Tokyo will also fight aggressively. However, the focus of this match will be on which team can control the game throughout the 90 minutes. We want to maintain calmness and unity of purpose on the pitch to secure our advancement to the Final Round.

The match at Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka, after the rain, started at 19:04 with a kickoff from Tokyo.

Enter the match with focus and demonstrate resilience

From the beginning, Shonan launched an aggressive attack. In the 1st minute, Takahashi pressed the opponent's clearance and took a shot, but in the 6th minute, the ball was sent behind Tokyo's DF. Tokunaga responded to this, but the loose ball was cut into the left area by Shonan's left FW, Ohtake. In the 8th minute, a pass was connected in the midfield, and a pass was sent to Shonan FW Okada, who broke into the right area. However, at the moment of the chest trap, Maruyama sharply closed in and prevented the shot. In the 10th minute, FW Yamada broke into the right area from a one-two with Shonan's frontline and took a shot, but it was saved well by Gonda, resulting in a corner kick. In the 18th minute, after losing the ball to Shonan DF Endo, they immediately assessed the GK's position and aimed for a long loop. However, Tokyo remained focused and prevented the crisis in advance, launching counterattacks at key moments.

In the 14th minute, Matsuura delivered an early cross that Mutou headed. In the 19th minute, Matsuura took a shot from distance. While concentrating on suppressing Shonan's aggressive attacks, Tokyo gradually began to have more possession of the ball. However, in the 21st minute, Shonan connected a left cross to the center, leading to a shot from the loose ball by midfielder Kikuchi. The shot went wide, but Tokyo struggled to find their rhythm and changed their formation to a three-back around the 30th minute.

Immediately after that, Tokunaga's early cross was headed down by Muto in the center, and Hayashi, just in front of the right area, got into a shooting position but only managed to earn a corner kick after hitting the opposing DF. In the 38th minute, Azuma sent a through pass into the area. He was initially held back by the opposing DF, but Hayashi applied pressure on the left front line and regained possession. He connected with Muto, who was following up, but was surrounded by Shonan DF at that point. In the 40th minute, Muto utilized his speed to break through behind the DF and along the line, but he couldn't bring it to a finish.

Changed the formation to respond to Shonan's attacks that utilized the fluidity of their front line and breakthroughs on the sides. Maintained concentration in front of the goal and did not allow any decisive chances, but while Tokyo kept possession of the ball, they were unable to create attacking opportunities, ending the first half scoreless.

No goals conceded for the first time in 9 matches, advancing through the group stage unbeaten!

In the second half, Mita was brought in to replace Azuma. In the early stages, both teams looked for chances from set pieces. In the 53rd minute, Mita, who came on as a substitute, took a shot from the left side, earning a left corner kick. However, the corner kick was cleared away. In the 57th minute, Shonan FW Okada took a shot from the left corner of the area. It grazed the Tokyo defense and resulted in a left corner kick. However, Shonan FW Yamada's kick went wide to the far side. In the 59th minute, a clearance from Tokyo floated high in the area, and Shonan FW Yamada attempted an overhead kick. The ball flew to the left area, and as it fell, MF Kikuchi was able to take a shot, but it went over the top right.

In the 62nd minute, after cutting the ball in their own half, Mutou from the midfield initiated a counterattack, but the pass intended for Matsuda advancing on the right side was intercepted by Shonan. In the 67th minute, after cutting the ball at the defensive line, Matsuda on the right made a long switch to the left flank. Ota advanced here and delivered a left cross. Mutou was at the near post, while Hayashi and others moved into the center, but the ball was cleared for a corner kick. In the 72nd minute, the team pushed up, and Maruyama sent a ground through pass to Mita in the left area. Mita turned and delivered a short cross in front of the goal. Mutou was at the near post, and Hayashi was positioned in the center, but he couldn't shoot as he was blocked by the opposing defenders.

With a series of inaccurate plays, Lassad was brought on in the 75th minute. From this point, both teams began to launch counterattacks. In the 77th minute, a big chance arose. Muto sprinted down the right flank. He broke into the area but chose to pass due to the lack of angle. The ball went over Lassad in the center and connected with Mita, who was free on the far side. However, Mita's decisive shot, taken at speed, went wide to the right, crossing the goal...

In the 87th minute, Shonan received a pass from the left side, which forward Ohtake dropped to midfielder Kikuchi, who then spread the play further to the right just before the penalty area. Defender Endo surged forward to meet the negative pass and unleashed a powerful mid-range shot, but it went wide of the goal. In the 90th minute +1, Hashimoto was brought on. In the end, they assessed the situation and did not force anything, allowing the match to finish. With a solid performance, they maintained a clean sheet for the first time in 9 official matches and secured 1 point. As a result, they remained unbeaten in the 7 qualifying matches and advanced to the knockout stage as the top of Group A for the first time since 2012.

[Player Comments]
Maruyama
"My honest impression is that it was fun. There were moments when we were pushed back by Shonan, but we communicated on the pitch and didn't let them score in the end. I think we had good defense. Personally, I couldn't participate in the league match against Shonan, and I've always wanted to stand on the pitch of this stadium. Therefore, it was important to demonstrate how much I could do with the opportunities given, in practice and in matches. In that sense, I think I have been able to grow little by little."

《Nozawa》
"I was positioned just behind the three forwards of Shonan, thinking that if I won the ball, I would evade the pressure and pass it forward. However, there were few opportunities to receive the ball from the defensive line, and even when I had the ball, there were not enough players up front, so there were no passing lanes behind. Therefore, at that time, I calmly connected with short passes nearby. It was difficult to advance the ball, but I believe that if I can receive it in that position and face forward, it will create chances. I want to gain more experience through practice and matches, and earn the trust of my teammates."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference】
"It turned out as expected. Based on recent studies of Shonan, we knew they would come out aggressively from the kickoff. The first half ended with few chances for both sides, but the second half saw a fierce exchange of offense and defense, and we had several decisive opportunities. I think Shonan also changed their lineup, but we made a few changes as well, and the players performed well until the end. Despite the tough schedule, there were times when our sharpness diminished due to mental condition and fatigue, but we were able to achieve our initial goal of advancing to the Final Round."
(What did you tell the players before the match, given that a draw would be acceptable?)
Shonan was in a situation where they needed to score many goals, so we anticipated they would come out aggressively from the start. In response to Shonan's offensive play, we also wanted to score early to make the match easier for ourselves. There were parts that didn't go well, but we managed to endure and achieve a good result."

【Shonan Coach Cho Kyu-seong's Press Conference Summary】
"Despite the rainy weather and it being a weekday, many supporters came out. It's very disappointing that we couldn't secure three points, but today's performance reflects our true ability. When there are defenders in front, we didn't take on dribbles, didn't shoot, and instead resorted to passing, which indicates my lack of guidance to the players. While it's positive that we maintained a clean sheet through our defensive efforts from the front line, we cannot progress without contributions from everyone, including the goalkeeper, to score goals. Nevertheless, in this tournament, all the players showed a competitive spirit and a desire to embody our style. That is a valuable asset for the team. I want to leverage this experience in the league matches. We need to keep our heads up, get our conditions right, and aim to secure victory in the next away match against Kawasaki."