Sec. 10, showing a strong desire for victory in the crucial match

The league has resumed and the 10th round of the 2nd stage will be held. We will welcome Vissel Kobe at home.
In the second round of the Nabisco Cup, we lost to Kashima and have a record of 3 draws and 1 loss in our recent official matches. After our victory against G Osaka on August 16th, we have not been able to secure 3 points, but Maeda says, "Everyone must be thinking about changing this momentum. I myself strongly believe in that." This is a match where we aim for victory by regaining our momentum and showing a strong attitude in our play for the second half of the season.

Nakajima is suspended for this match. On the other hand, Morishige, Maruyama, and Nathan Burns, who have each participated in the World Cup qualifiers as representatives, have just joined the team, but their condition is good and they have been named as starters. In addition, GK Vlada Avramov will make his first start.

Kobe, on the other hand, is currently in 10th place with 13 points. They have advanced to the Best 4 in the Nabisco Cup. Despite playing multiple games in a row, they did not make many changes to their lineup in the Emperor's Cup on the 9th, where they won 5-0 against AC Nagano Parceiro (J3). In particular, in the 9th round against Tosu, they achieved a huge 7-1 victory. FW Leandro and MF Watanabe each scored 2 goals in the Tosu match. MF Watanabe also scored 2 goals in the Emperor's Cup. With FW Leandro leading the front line and MF Watanabe and MF Ishizu playing as shadows, their attacking force can be considered to be in excellent form.

This round, MF Morioka will be used as a shadow. MF Mihara and MF Maeda will form a double pivot. DF Takahashi and Soma will play on both wings. MF Chung Yong will control the center of the defense, while DF Iwanami, on the right, and DF Masukawa, on the left, will form a 3-4-3 formation. Tokyo will aim to shut down the midfield space and defend their goal by playing with this formation. On the other hand, Kobe's DF boasts height and strength, so simply playing long balls will not be enough. They will need to possess the ball for longer periods of time and create chances through careful build-up play.

If we lose this match, not only will our ranking be swapped with Kobe, but we could also see a significant drop in our ranking. This is truly a crucial moment, but our record at home at Ajinomoto Stadium in the 2nd stage is 3 wins and 1 draw, with no losses yet. The support of our fans and supporters will be a positive factor as we go for the win.

The game started at 19:03 in Tokyo with clear skies and a sense of autumn in the air.

Kobe allowed domination, but Maemoto took the ball, and Maeda scored the first goal from Takahashi's pass.

The first half was dominated by Kobe. In the 4th minute, Kobe's MF Morioka received a pass from behind the Tokyo DF, but GK Vlada AVRAMOV came out and stopped it. However, the ball fell to Kobe's left side and MF Souma was able to shoot freely. In the 9th minute, a cross from both sides of Kobe was bounced back and passed from Kono in their own half to Nathan BURNS in the front line. However, the overall push was not enough and they could not bring it to a counterattack. In the 18th minute, Nathan BURNS broke through on the left front line, but there were not enough people to support him. Maeda tried to follow up on the ground cross in front of the goal, but he couldn't make it in time. Next, Nathan BURNS sent a left cross, and in the 23rd minute, Hanyu sent a right cross, but they were unable to bring it to a finish from the counterattack.

However, the defense's tenacity was not lost, and in the 27th minute, GK Vlada AVRAMOV punched the cross from Kobe's CK. The subsequent clearance was short, and they were pushed into the goal, but they concentrated and did not allow any decisive shots. By the time 30 minutes had passed, they had a series of chances from FK, but they were unable to capitalize and time passed.

However, in the 38th minute, Kobe DF → Pass to the midfielder, Yonemoto aims and tries to take it with a spirited sliding. Takahashi followed up and took it away, raised it in the center, and expanded it to the right Maeda in front of the area. Maeda flashes his right foot from the trap, and the powerful shot pierces the near side just above the bar! They took the lead.

In the 43rd minute, Kobe's attack was held back in their own zone and fed to the front line. From Nathan BURNS, Kono broke through the opponent's defense and took a decisive shot, but... it was saved by the GK... Immediately after, a similar situation occurred and was cut off in their own zone again. Takahashi → Kono made a run, but it was called offside. In the 45th minute, a pass was sent to the front line to Nathan BURNS, but it was called offside when he tried to dribble.

On the other hand, in the first half additional time, Kobe MF Morioka → central FW Leandro passed through the back of Tokyo DF. From the left side, MF Watanabe broke through and Mori Shige chased after him, but he was hit by a decisive shot while free, but GK Vlada AVRAMOV jumped out and cut the course, the ball narrowly missed to the right and escaped danger, and the first half ended. From a cautious start, the game turned around in the end, leading by one point and heading into the second half.

Maeda scores a hat-trick from an assist from the east! Achieves 200 wins in J1 total.

In the second half, Tokyo gained momentum and the game became intense with both teams having chances. In the 55th minute, Kono made a run into the box after a pass exchange on the left side. He had a great shooting opportunity, but the ball bounced awkwardly and he lost control. Shortly after, Kobe had a chance as well. Morioka, just outside the left area, took a sharp shot but GK Vlada AVRAMOV made a one-handed save and the ball went out for a corner kick.

57 minutes, Tokyo substitutes Kono for Higashi on the left side. Hayashi moves to the right, and as a double pivot with Takahashi and Yonemoto, they try to grab the rhythm on both offense and defense. In the 62nd minute, Kobe also brings in FW Ishizu to the front line. In the 67th minute, FW Leandro enters the Kobe right area. From there, MF Moriooka spreads to the left. Shaken wide, and further forward, FW Ishizu makes a last pass in front of the goal. It was a close range heel pass to MF Watanabe, but it goes wide to the left, avoiding a goal. In the 68th minute, Takahashi sticks to the left front line and connects to Higashi, who swings his right foot from the left area, but it goes wide to the upper right.

In the 69th minute, while the game was going back and forth, a free kick was awarded on the right side of the midfield. Tokunaga took the free kick and sent it to the left side. East received the ball and brought it back to the center, sending a low cross into the box. Maeda, who had made a run from the far side, stretched out his right foot and pushed it in for a GOAL! They were able to score another goal from a good flow of play.

75 minutes, Tokyo substitutes Hasebe for Hashimoto. Kobe also brings in DF BUENO for DF Masukawa. However, the flow of Tokyo remains unchanged. In the 78th minute, midfielder Nathan BURNS → back Takahashi feeds the front line directly. In response, Higashi skillfully traps and charges into the area! Although Kobe's DF returns and cares for it, he stops his foot once and calmly changes the timing to the right area for the last pass. Maeda, who ran between the opponent's DF and GK, traps the ball into the net while losing his balance! In a counterattack that takes the opposite of Kobe's attempt to counterattack, Maeda marks the first hat-trick in Tokyo and widens the lead to three points.

Kobe, who still tries to score one point. In the 90th minute, they are pushed into a fine and quick pass work in front of the goal, but Tokyo defends without panicking. In additional time, Kobe starts from the right side and FW Ishizu passes the ground cross to the center. MF Morioka runs into the area from behind and creates a decisive situation, but Maruyama touches the ball with a sliding tackle, escapes to a CK, and time is up.

Maeda scored multiple goals from East's assist off the bench, and Kobe kept their counterattack at bay without conceding, securing their first win in 3 league matches. At the same time, the team achieved their 200th victory in J1.

[Player Comments]
"Maeda"
"I haven't been able to win lately and I haven't been able to contribute to the team myself. I'm happy to have scored a goal today and to have gotten a hat-trick, but that's because my teammates gave me good passes. I'm really grateful to my teammates. Even if I score three goals today, it doesn't mean anything if I can't score for a while. I want to continue fighting for each game and contribute to the team's victory in the next game. And I want to keep winning."

"Vlada AVRAMOV"
"In my first start, I paid attention to reading the flow of the game above all else. In the first half, the opponent was able to break through our defensive line, but we were able to respond. What I feel in J-League games is the speed. The speed of the ball and the players' movements are fast. As I get used to this style and game, I also have to gradually adapt to changes in the environment. However, I am grateful for the support and warm support from the fans and supporters, the coach and teammates, and the staff, which allowed me to win in this unknown place. I sincerely thank you."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was a difficult match as expected. Kobe is a team with strong players and a great coach. I think we were able to prepare well tactically. It was a tough match in the first 20 minutes as Kobe had possession of the ball, but we were able to defend well and keep a clean sheet. After enduring the pressure, we gradually improved and scored a goal, and were able to control the flow of the game. We had a chance to score a second goal in the first half. We were able to effectively use the space and execute what we had planned. We scored a second and third goal, and I think it was a well-deserved victory where we read the flow of the game."
(GK Vlada AVRAMOV made his first start?)
Regarding Vlada, he played well and had some great saves. He has experience playing in Italy and has high technical skills. However, I want to talk about GK LORI. Although things didn't go well in the Nabisco Cup, he showed great play in the league matches. Today, he behaved for the sake of the team, a great, true professional. He shows great humanity."

[Kobe NELSINHO Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"We were able to proceed according to plan in the first half. We were able to defend well to win the ball and had good developments by utilizing attacks from the center and successful side changes. However, we conceded a goal from a counterattack due to a pass mistake while dominating the midfield. It was a bad way to concede. One thing we lacked in the first half was the quick movement forward after winning the ball. We didn't have players with enough speed, which gave the opponent time to recover. We made adjustments at halftime, but Tokyo showed their ability to score on the counter. We were unable to capitalize on our chances. I think that was the difference."