Challenge the Serie A champion, Juventus!

　A preseason match was held during the break of the Nabisco Cup. Yokohama F.Marinos welcomed Juventus, who won this season's Serie A, to their home stadium, Ajinomoto Stadium. Juventus, led by coach Fabio Capello, played in Serie A until May 29th and then embarked on an Asian tour while still basking in the glory of their championship. On June 1st, they played against Yokohama F.Marinos and won 1-0. In the immediate Hong Kong tour, they faced Kitchee, who finished third in the Hong Kong League. Although FW Del Piero and MF Nedved scored, they were defeated in a penalty shootout, causing a surprising turn of events.

　In today's match, they will come to Tokyo with a serious determination not to lose any more. The lineup consists of DF=Villindelli, Turam, Zebina, and Parigi from the right. G. Pessotto and Aronica in the midfield. Capo on the right MF, Nedved on the left. The formation is 4-4-2 with "that" Trezeguet and Del Piero as the two top players.

　Considering Tokyo's tough schedule and good performance in the satellite, a young-centered team composition is being considered. Oyoku starts as the left full-back for the first time this season, and Kurisawa, who was absent due to poor health in the previous match, also starts. On the bench, Kenji Suzuki, who is also making his first appearance this season, and Ikegami (Sendai University, JFA・J-League designated player) are present, and they will challenge in a 4-4-2 formation. The highly anticipated match against Juventus, who won the Scudetto, will take place at the refreshing Ajinomoto Stadium, kicking off at 19:00.

Take the lead with Toda's goal against the champion by aggressively attacking!

　Tokyo played freely from the start of the game, with Imano, Fujita, Toda, Miyazawa, Ishikawa, and Oyoku each showcasing their strengths. In just over 20 seconds, Yusuke Kondo greeted with a mid-range shot. In the first minute, Imano picked up a loose ball from the opponent's defense and aimed for a goal from mid-range. From the beginning, Tokyo showed an attacking attitude without hesitation even against Juventus.

　At the 8th minute, Kei ISHIKAWA boldly broke through and earned a right corner kick. Kei ISHIKAWA's kick was perfectly timed and Imakawa headed the ball! However, the opponent's goalkeeper saved it and they escaped the corner kick. This time, ISHIKAWA connected this right corner kick with a short pass, exchanging passes with Miyazawa. Then, Miyazawa delivered a high-precision cross. Toda ran into the goal area and headed the ball into the back of the net, goal! They scored the opening goal against Juventus.

　Tokyo, which gained momentum with this, approached the Juventus goal one after another by taking advantage of Miyazawa's side change pass and Ishikawa's speed breakthrough. In the 11th minute, Jahn jumps in from his foot to the right CK's spill, but the shot goes over the bar. In the 16th minute, Juventus MF Nedved jumps out from Capo's post and shoots freely in front of the goal, but Shibata makes a nice save with one foot! In the 25th minute, Imakano fouls Nedved who attempted a central breakthrough, giving a FK in front of the goal. Del Piero's direct FK from this is blocked by the Tokyo DF wall and escapes to CK. From this CK, Del Piero shoots but it is blocked. In the 27th minute, FW Trezeguet, who received Parisi's pass in front of the goal, tries to create a chance by exchanging passes with Nedved, but the Tokyo DF cuts it off.

　Gradually allowing Juventus to dominate the ball, but not conceding any goals with concentrated defense. On the contrary, in the 30th minute, Oyoku boldly attacked and bypassed the opponent's defense, but his subsequent dribble was too big, and unfortunately crossed the end line. In the 32nd minute, Toda jumped out on Miyazawa's side change, but was slightly offside. In the 41st minute, Miyazawa volleyed the clear from Fujita's right throw-in. And in injury time, they stole the opponent's ball at the defensive line, Miyazawa → left to Kurizawa with a big side change. Passing to Shigeki Shigeki who vigorously attacked, Shigeki Shigeki brought the ball to the left area and crossed it back to Yusuke Kondo in front of the goal. Yusuke Kondo took a well-controlled shot from the area, but the ball hit the right post... However, they missed the chance for an additional goal, but fully demonstrated Tokyo's attacking soccer. They returned to the second half with a 1-0 lead.

Defeat in front of Juventus, who surpasses in strength...

　In the second half, Tokyo substituted Yusuke KONDO with BABA at the top. They tried to launch an aggressive attack for the remaining 45 minutes. However, in the 51st minute, Juventus made a casual pass and Nedved entered the left area and took a powerful shot. Saltada initially saved it, but Trezeguet followed up and scored a goal. Despite being caught up in a momentary defensive gap and equalized, their attacking posture did not change.

　In the 55th minute, Jean calmly defended and launched a counterattack, with Ishikawa sprinting down the right side. He brought the ball into the right area and boldly aimed for the goal, but was stopped by the opponent's goalkeeper's excellent save. In the 56th minute, Kobayashi was substituted for Kurizawa. In the 58th minute, Kobayashi and Oyoku formed a combination to win a left corner kick. In the 63rd minute, they connected passes in front of the goal, and Kobayashi passed to Ishikawa on the right. The shot was blocked by a defender, resulting in a corner kick. From the right corner kick, Fujita's shot was cut off by the opponent's defender. Oyoku, who picked up the loose ball again, crossed it.

　However, as time passed, Juventus improved their condition and grasped the rhythm, causing trouble with their fast attacks. In the 73rd minute, a fast pass was connected from the defense line, and Capo invaded the left end line, sending a negative pass in front of the goal. Trezeguet in front let it through, but substitute forward Schooli ran in freely and took a shot. Saltada saved it once, but it slipped behind and couldn't hold back the rebound from the post, resulting in a goal. They conceded the second goal. Just two minutes later, Capo received a pass from the defense line and brought it deep into the left corner, crossing it from the left. Del Piero scored a spectacular shot from this, taking advantage of Tokyo's decreased movement and lax marking, and they were consecutively scored goals in a similar manner.

　In the 77th minute, Kenji Suzuki was substituted for Ishikawa, and in the 80th minute, Asari was substituted for Miyazawa, and Ikegami was substituted for Fujita. Ikegami was placed as a defensive midfielder, and Asari was placed as a right full-back to counterattack. However, in the immediate 81st minute, Nedved made a powerful shot after dribbling. The Tokyo DF blocked it in front of the goal, but the loose ball was kicked in by Del Piero, resulting in the fourth goal being conceded.

　In an attempt to retaliate, in the 85th minute, Oyoku moved up the center and took a shot. In the 86th minute, Sakui was substituted for Mobata. In injury time, Sakui advanced and assisted Suzuki Kenji's breakthrough towards the goal, winning a corner kick. Jean connected with this right corner kick, but was unable to take a shot before time was up. The result was a big defeat, but a game was played that utilized fast attacks throughout the 90 minutes. Towards the end, the difference in strength was evident, but Tokyo displayed their strength without fear. They went on the offensive and it can be said that it was a match where each player showcased their strengths.

　【Player Comments】Tokyo:《Imano》"It was a complete defeat. The opponent may not have been serious in the first half, and I don't think I did well at all. I felt the difference in speed and decisiveness when they attacked at crucial moments. (The shock of losing) is bigger than the feeling of actually fighting. My goal is to win here. I could have done more. I have to switch my mindset and do my best."《Ishikawa》"I just wanted to be aggressive and take the initiative. I wanted to make the opponent take us seriously and use their play as our standard. It was good to take the lead and gain momentum... However, competing with the world is always stimulating. If we don't fight, we tend to forget, but we have to make sure the result doesn't go to waste and leads to the next step. I want to make it a good learning experience."Juventus:《Del Piero》"In the first half, FC Tokyo played well, and in the second half, we attacked and scored most of our chances. (Being chosen as MVP) In Italy, we don't get a car, so I want to play in Japan again (laughs). I think we had a good connection with Japan in the 1996 Toyota Cup. I have visited Japan a few times since then, but I didn't expect to be welcomed with such enthusiasm. I felt loved."《Trezeguet》"The first half was tough, but we were able to show good play in the second half, and the result was good. (FC Tokyo left a good impression and is a good team. I thought it would be impossible to maintain the same level as the first half for 90 minutes, but their physical condition dropped in the second half, and our condition improved. In these tours, I always think at first to enjoy and not get injured... but in the end, I want to win."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We have the Nabisco Cup this weekend, and we talked about being proactive from the start because we can play against a good opponent. We wanted to take a bigger lead since we were able to score first at a good time. We wanted to score another goal before the end of the first half, including the chance right before halftime. Considering the condition of the players who were tired from last Saturday's Nabisco Cup and also had a satellite game on Sunday, we made decisions while observing their physical condition. In that regard, Oyoku, who started as a left full-back for the first time, did well. Compared to the period when our attacking rhythm was poor, we have been able to play soccer at a good tempo... but Juventus still has finishing power. They are stronger. However, by playing against a strong team, the players can feel what is lacking and what works on the field, rather than just hearing it in words. We want to utilize what everyone has felt on the pitch in our future training. As a team, we want to make good preparations for the Nabisco Cup this weekend and the league matches that will resume in July, incorporating what we have learned, including finishing power and competitiveness."

　[Summary of Juventus coach Fabio Capello's press conference] "I think it was a very good rhythm game. In the first half, we were countered several times, especially in the first 10 minutes, which was tough. It took time to fit in because we didn't know how the opponent would move. In the meantime, Del Piero had a chance, but it was lucky that the opponent's shot hit the post just before the end of the first half. In the first half, we had too much possession of the ball, few vertical passes, and a slow rhythm, but in the second half, we had a faster-paced game with more vertical passes, and I think we were able to show our football. Tokyo was a good team. They worked hard and did a lot. Especially player number 18 had good vertical movements and made good plays by getting into our defense. Looking back on this Asia tour, I felt that Japanese teams, in particular, have a high level. The coaches are doing a good job and have proper positioning. Personally, I have played against Japanese teams in the past, but I remember that they were not strong at that time. This time, we won the second round and it left a good impression."