We must settle the match in order to advance to the 3rd round of the Nabisco Cup

The second match of the Nabisco Cup 2nd round between Kyoto Purple Sanga and FC Tokyo was held at the Edogawa Ward Athletics Stadium. In the first match at the away (Nishikyogoku) stadium, Tokyo faced a tough situation as they conceded a draw despite taking the lead. Today, even if the score is tied after 90 minutes, it is a match that "must be decided in extra time (and penalties)". Although the temperature is not very high, the ground conditions are humid with about 90 percent humidity. We definitely want to aim for victory within 90 minutes and advance to the third round.

A stalemate continues in the face of Kyoto's well-coordinated movements

Kyoto has set up an attacking formation similar to 4-3-3, with right midfielder Matsui involved in FW Kazu's post-play and FW Jis aggressively moving from the front line to the midfield. However, MF Matsukawa and Naguchi steal the ball with sharp anticipation and movement, and once they switch to defense, 10 players fall back into their own half and show coordinated movement. Tokyo is effectively filling the spaces, making it difficult to find passing opportunities. In the 10th minute of the first half, TUTO dribbles down the left side and takes a powerful shot, but misses the goal. After that, Tokyo tries to create space and break through using TUTO's withdrawn position and Amaral's post, but they only manage sporadic attacks against Kyoto's fast-starting defenders. On the other hand, Kyoto is actively attacking with Jis at the center, but they cannot convert it into a finish. Both teams struggle to connect passes and create chances. In the 30th minute, Kyoto hits a long ball to Matsui and earns a corner kick from the breakthrough. They also had a chance for a corner kick in the 32nd minute, but they couldn't convert it into a goal. In the 35th minute, Tokyo's Naito sends a pass from the left side, and Masuda skillfully turns his body to bypass the defender and crosses the ball. Kobayashi is waiting there and takes a header shot, but fails to hit the target. The first half ends with a score of 0-0.

Allowing the opening goal with Hegis's individual skill 5 minutes into the second half

Both teams wanted to score at least one point, and the second half became an intense game of struggle.

Early in the game, Naito boldly overlapped. He won a corner kick through persistence, and Sako took a header shot. In the 3rd minute, Kobayashi cut inside and attracted the defenders, then passed to Masuda on the right side. Masuda's cross was cut off by the Kyoto defenders, resulting in another corner kick, but none of them led to a goal. And when Tokyo created a chance, Kyoto counterattacked. In the 50th minute, they picked up a loose ball in the midfield and passed it to Hejisu on the left from midfielder Endo. Naito was marking him tightly, but Hejisu fearlessly cut inside and took a shot from a dribble parallel to the goal line. The ball passed through Naito's legs with great force and goalkeeper Doi saved it with one foot, but the momentum remained and the ball hit the crossbar and went in. They conceded the opening goal due to Hejisu's individual skill. Immediately after that, midfielder Endo aimed directly for the goal with a free kick. Goalkeeper Doi saved it and Kyoto showed a double and triple attack in front of the goal by connecting the loose ball. However, Tokyo managed to withstand this fierce attack and desperately wanted to score a goal. In the 53rd minute, they substituted Kina for Koike. But Kyoto also brought in fresh firepower by substituting Kazu with forward Oshima, showing no signs of easing their attack.

Relentless attacks after relentless attacks! However, the goal remains elusive...

Despite Kyoto gradually losing their compact formation, Tokyo creates opportunities. In the 58th minute, TUTO dives into a ground cross from Masuda, but narrowly misses. In the 59th minute, TUTO shoots from the left side after a well-judged pass from Fujiyama, who advanced forward. However, this also narrowly deviates one ball's width to the right of the goal. In the 63rd minute, Amaral quickly seizes the opponent's defender's clearance mistake and takes a shot, but it misses above the goal. After missing a golden opportunity, other players struggle to get involved in Amaral's post-play, resulting in a difficult period.

In the 68th minute, Yukihiko SATO was substituted for Masuda. In the immediate 71st minute, they obtained a free kick near the center of the penalty arc, but Yukihiko's shot was blocked by the Kyoto DF wall. In the 74th minute, Kamiya was substituted for Kobayashi. They formed a front three, with Sakai dropping back to the final line and Naito and Fujiyama in midfield. Sandro also showed an attacking presence and launched a fierce attack, but they were unable to score a goal.

There were moments when Kyoto threatened us by aiming for a counterattack if there was a gap. In the stoppage time, TUTO, Amaral, Kanno, and again TUTO passed to Naito on the right side. This was the last chance, and Naito's right foot, which was free, put hope into it, but it missed to the left of the goal and the time was up. It became a heavy defeat with one point.

Slight difference

Kyoto, who made the most of their one chance, and Tokyo, who showed a lack of finishing ability. It was truly a small difference. It could be said that it was a self-destructive game, including the lack of communication in passing and careless mistakes in the final five minutes. However, it is also a fact that breakthrough strategies that were not seen in the 1st stage, such as Kanno hitting the post, Masuda creating space in midfield, and Kina moving forward, were visible against opponents who defended well without losing concentration, like Kyoto on this day. Although they couldn't create a whirlwind in the Nabisco Cup, they want to quickly switch their mindset and extend their winning streak in the league, where they are currently on a three-game winning streak.