Weakness? Formidable High School Team

Tokyo struggled in the first round of the Emperor's Cup last week against high school students (representing Kusatsu Higashi High School/Shiga Prefecture). Whether it was due to the completion of the "J1 promotion" task and a sense of relaxation, or the difficulty of playing against high school students, they ended up playing a game that was "disappointing" in terms of performance, more so than the score difference (2-0). And in the second round, they faced high school students again. On this day, they faced Hatsushiba Hashimoto High School (representing Wakayama Prefecture), which is famous for producing player Yoshihara (Kota), who is currently active as a key player for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. The school is young, being in its 9th year since its establishment, but it has rapidly developed into a team with national-level strength in recent years. They secured their 5th appearance in the winter high school soccer championship and achieved both the championship with Kusatsu Higashi High School in the Kinki Tournament (2 prefectures and 4 prefectures). They also defeated a university team (Hachinohe University) in the first round of the Emperor's Cup and advanced to the second round. Tokyo had a bitter experience in the second round of the Emperor's Cup in 1997, where they struggled against Ehime FC Youth and barely won with a V-goal in extra time. They cannot afford to be careless just because they are high school students. In order to end the season with a flourish at Nishigaoka, they want to play a good game giving 100% of their strength, regardless of the opponent!

Uneasy first half

"The ball is being passed around, but no goals are being scored." Anyone who watched the first half of this match must have felt that way. Tokyo had complete control of the ball from the beginning. Except for a momentary lapse in the 5th minute when they were caught off guard on the right side and faced a major crisis, Tokyo was completely in control. The players, who had deeply reflected on the first round match last week, had regained their fighting spirit. They were always tough in the challenges and eliminated unnecessary plays after winning the ball, moving towards the goal. In the first round, the opponent's pressure was one tempo slower, which resulted in poor ball control overall. However, on this day, they were passing the ball rhythmically with few touches and boldly attacking from the sides. However, they were still struggling to score because they hadn't completely broken down the opponent's solid defense in front of the goal. The opponent knew they would be attacked and naturally tightened their defense in front of the goal. The team is known for its strong defense, with two tall players standing at 184cm, making them strong in aerial battles. Even with Amaral, simple crosses were not effective. On the right side, Yukihiko and Umayama broke through several times with their "signature" one-two passes, but they couldn't penetrate deeply and had few scoring opportunities. On the left side, Fuyama dribbled the ball into the center alone, but there was no fear in diving into the area where the opponent's defenders were crowded. The combination with Okuhara, who was on the front line on the left, did not work well, and the attacks from the side weakened. The problem was how to draw the central center-back out to the side. In the first half, both Amaral and Enomoto, the two top players, repeatedly played in the center and did not flow to the outside or behind. Almir, who distributes the passes, also came into the center, so the opponent's defensive line remained compact in the center and did not break down.

The two goals in the first half were simply due to a difference in personal experience. The first goal came in the 14th minute, when Yukihiko crossed the ball from the left short corner, and Almir pretended to head it but instead trapped it with his chest and confidently scored with his right foot. The second goal came in the 42nd minute, when Almir kept the ball on the right side and crossed it to the center, and this time Amaral calmly anticipated the goalkeeper's movement with exquisite control. Both goals were not the result of breaking down the opponent, but rather the difference in individual skills and experience.

Second half explosion! Almir's first hat-trick!

At halftime, Tokyo Eleven, instructed by Coach Okuma, responded in the second half with the movement of Amaral and Enomoto as the two top players and another deep cut on the side. In the 4th minute, Yukihiko kept the ball on the right side, and Umayama fiercely overtook him from the outside. With exquisite timing, a pass from Yukihiko to Umayama passed the opponent and went to the center. Enomoto, who was waiting for this cross, scored a header and got the third goal in a spectacular fashion. Tokyo did not let up in their attack. In the following 11th minute, this time Almir kept the ball on the left side, and Amaral floated a soft pass that gently passed to the left of the goal. The defender who was marking Amaral couldn't help but commit a foul. Okuhara got this penalty kick and scored the fourth goal. Furthermore, in the 21st minute, Kagamiki, who entered the field midway from the left side, lifted a cross and Amaral received it and passed it to Almir in the center. Almir dribbled sideways and evaded the opponent's defender and shot with his right foot! He got the fifth goal. Finally, in the 89th minute, Kagamiki received Okuhara's exquisite heel pass from the left side on a counterattack and rushed vertically. Kagamiki attracted the opponent enough and then made a last pass to Almir, who ran into the center. Almir calmly got this pass and scored the sixth goal, achieving a hat-trick.

Originally, the high school students had a short game time (80 minutes), so it was expected that they would run out of stamina in the second half, but considering that, Tokyo's performance in the second half of the game was commendable. In defense, Sandro, Komine, and Asari in the midfield were stable, and in attack, their movement, passing, chance creation, and above all, their attitude of actively taking shots improved significantly. Next, they will finally face a J1 team. First, on the 12th of next week (Sunday), they will play against Bellmare at Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium. They have played against each other three times in the Emperor's Cup, with one win and two losses. They also faced each other in the tournament last year, progressing the game at Tokyo's pace but unfortunately losing 1-2 in the third round. The situation is different this time, with Tokyo reversing their position to J1 next season and Bellmare to J2. From the mindset of "it doesn't matter if we lose" in the past, they have now changed to the mindset of "we cannot afford to lose," and Tokyo will feel the pressure from the surrounding voices. However, the players who have experienced the "real pressure" in the previous J1 promotion battle and overcome it do not feel overwhelmed. Bellmare will also show their determination. It is expected to be a tough game where they will compete for one goal, but they definitely want to win and advance to the fourth round.