Finally, on Apr 29 (Fri, Holiday), Tokyo will play its first J-League match at the new Japan National Stadium.
At the National Stadium before renovation, we have played many official matches since our first year in the J.League. There were memorable super plays and impactful events. Since achieving our long-awaited title, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National.
Before taking a new step at the National Stadium, let's look back at the footprints and memories left at the previous National Stadium with photos from that time.
2009 Explosive itself. Two Nao goals
[Match Information]
2009 J-League Division 1 Sec. 6
FC Tokyo 1-2 JEF United Chiba
2009 J-League Division 1 Sec. 15
FC Tokyo 2-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
The beginning of Naohiro Ishikawa's dramatic performance, where he scored goal after goal like a magic mallet, was at the Japan National Stadium.
Kickoff for the night game on April 18, 2009, J1 League Sec. 6 match between JEF United Chiba. The strike scored in the 18th minute of the first half, with the same number as the player's jersey, was brilliant.
Ishikawa cuts in from the left half space towards the center. In an instant where it seemed uncertain how far he would go, he turns towards his dominant foot as if evading or blocking the two opponents who are running alongside or trying to block him, and strikes powerfully. The right-footed shot is sucked into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Naogoal continues to score. In the away match of Sec. 8 against Gamba Osaka, he scored his second goal of the season, and in the Sec. 9 match against Omiya Ardija held at Ajinomoto Stadium, he achieved a hat-trick. He extended his record to 5 goals. In the Sec. 13 match against Kawasaki Frontale on May 24th and the Sec. 14 match against Kashiwa Reysol on June 20th, he scored one goal each, and the expectation of scoring in three consecutive matches was placed on Ishikawa, and he did it again.
The second national game of the year, the 15th round match against Shimizu S-Pulse, was once again a night game with a 19:04 kickoff. Yohei KAJIYAMA scored his second goal of the season to take the lead, but was equalized by YONSEN's goal, making it 1-1. Just 4 minutes later, ISHIKAWA scored his 8th goal of the season to once again take the lead at 2-1.
Outside the box, Insoo YU captures the moment when the ball, rolling low, bounces and probably kicks it with his instep, and this ball pierces the net at an incredible speed. In this season, Ishikawa swings his right foot without tension and unleashes powerful shots without missing the timing.
Afterwards, Ishikawa scored one goal each in the Sec. 16 match against Vissel Kobe and the Sec. 17 match against Nagoya Grampus, achieving a streak of 5 consecutive goals. In the end, he accumulated 15 goals by the Sec. 29 when he suffered an injury.
It can be said that the image of "Ishikawa strong at the national level" was created with these two goals in the 2009 season and the goal of "J-League Day" in the 2013 season. Unfortunately, injuries occurred afterwards, but the brilliance of 2009 will forever remain in the memories of the blue and red supporters.
Text by Wataru GOTO (Freelance Writer)
