Nabisco Cup 2nd Round settled to Best 8!

Nabisco Cup 2nd Round against Hiroshima. The first match ended in a 3-3 draw, and we have no choice but to win today's second match. However, Hiroshima's scoring ability this season is a threat, and in the league match Sec. 7 (May 3), Tokyo suffered a complete defeat by allowing FW Takahashi to score 3 goals away. In the first match of the Nabisco Cup held one week ago (June 13), we struggled as FW Kubo scored a hat-trick. However, in that first match, we showed perseverance by coming back from a 2-goal deficit in the second half, and in the league match Sec. 11 (June 16) against Yokohama FM last weekend, we kept a clean sheet and won, and the team's condition is improving. We aim for a victory in the first home game in a month.

Today in Tokyo, Kelly is playing as the lone striker, and as in the first match, Miyazawa is playing as the left midfielder, with Seigo Kobayashi on the right and Kagami in the attacking midfield position. The defensive line consists of right-back Komine and center-back Ito. On the other hand, Hiroshima is playing with an attacking formation of 4-3-3. In the humid and close to 80 percent humidity, both teams started cautiously.

Intentional attack, and the combination of Kensuke Kagami + Kelly takes the lead

Tokyo took control of the pace. In the 5th minute, Asari dribbled forward when he saw space ahead. He swung to the right side and crossed, but the opponent's defender cleared it. Asari followed up and shot, but the ball went just right of the goal. In the 7th minute, Miyazawa boldly aimed for the goal from a ball from behind. It was the "rumored" Miyazawa's debut at Tokyo Stadium today, and in the 9th minute, he showed his good judgment and precise technique by giving a perfect through pass to Kobayashi, who had escaped behind the defense line. The stadium's expectations grew. In the 11th minute, Ito intercepted the ball at the defense line and advanced, and in the 13th minute, Kelly took a shot from Kagami's pass. Tokyo had a strong forward consciousness and created several good opportunities, but the timing was not quite right. Hiroshima's defense was also tough, and they couldn't break through the goal. On the contrary, in the 20th minute, Hiroshima's forward Kubo broke through the right side and took a shot.

After that, Hiroshima continued to push their fullbacks high up the field in an attempt to launch side attacks, but the Tokyo defense held firm in the center and prevented any shots. However, both teams struggled to complete passes at their feet due to the opponent's pressure, resulting in a back-and-forth exchange where balls played into space were cut off. Nevertheless, Tokyo's forwards, Kelly and Kagami, moved laterally to create opportunities, with Kobayashi and Miyazawa providing support. In the 37th minute, Kobayashi received a ball from behind in the penalty area, turned, and sent a cross into the box. Miyazawa jumped to head the ball but it went over the goal. In the 41st minute, Asari broke free on a counterattack and passed to the left, where Miyazawa took another shot but missed the target. Miyazawa had been performing well both offensively and defensively, so his lack of finishing touch was disappointing.

The match has been intense so far, with 4 yellow cards being shown. In the 44th minute, Hiroshima MF Moriho was injured and went off the pitch. Sandro cleared the ball and Shimodaira skillfully evaded the opponent's pressure and passed it to the front line. Kagami rushed towards the goal while competing with DF Turio. Despite being surrounded by 2 defenders, he sent a final pass to the center. Kelly, who was closing in, calmly confirmed the goalkeeper's position and neatly scored in the bottom right corner, taking the lead. As soon as Kagami made the pass, it was a thrilling counterattack with the feeling of "one goal scored!" They went into the second half with a score of 1-0.

Dominant Hiroshima, Tokyo with decreasing physicality, and...

Hiroshima substituted Moriyasu in the defensive midfield and Yamagata in the attacking midfield with Okuno and Fujimoto respectively in the second half. With the introduction of Fujimoto, the passing improved and they took control of the game from the beginning. In the 51st minute, they made their third substitution, replacing Turio with the speedy defender Kawashima.

Placing Kawashima on the right side back, Tokyo has been trying to break through the left side with Fujimoto. Although Ito and Shimodaira cover the shots, Tokyo gradually loses its momentum and cannot transition to the attack. In the 62nd minute, Amaral was substituted for Miyazawa. However, the counter-attacks initiated by Amaral lack power. And in the 71st minute, amidst the intense fouls, Fujimoto's free kick from the right sideline of Hiroshima surpasses the head of the Tokyo DF who were concentrated in the center and goes to the left of the goal. There, Takahashi, who was waiting freely, quickly scores the equalizer.

Tokyo, who launched a counterattack, took the advantage with a 3-2 lead in the 74th minute with Amaral, Kagami, and Kelly. However, Amaral's first shot of the second half was blocked. In the 75th minute, Toda replaced Kagami, and in the 78th minute, Kina replaced Shimohira. It seemed like they were regaining their momentum, but the play became rough and both teams struggled. In the 84th minute, Kina's middle shot narrowly missed the left goal. In the 86th minute, Umeda, a Hiroshima FW, fouled Fujiyama as he tried to break into the penalty area. Umeda received his second warning and was sent off, leaving Hiroshima with 10 players. However, the free kick they earned near the penalty arc was sent over the goal by Kelly. In the 88th minute, Toda -> Amaral -> Kelly -> Kobayashi launched a direct pass counterattack, but it was a beat too slow and got caught in the defense's net, resulting in no goal. The match entered extra time.

Amaral's shot hit the bar...

Extra time. In the 92nd minute, Hiroshima's left side breakthrough was cleared by the defender, and Kelly brought it to the counter and crossed from the left, but Toda and Amaral overlapped in the center and couldn't take a shot. On the other hand, Hiroshima, who became 10 men, cannot win with a tie. In the 93rd minute, using the substitution slot in extra time, Ooki was replaced by Takahashi. The formation of the front three remains unchanged. In the 95th minute, Ooki took a powerful middle shot. Doi rebounded and Sawada, the defender, followed up, and it was almost a scene, but Fujiyama successfully blocked the shooting path. In the 98th minute, Naito replaced Komine for Tokyo. And in the 102nd minute, Tokyo had another big chance. The ball passed to Kelly, who overtook Amaral from the post, and immediately took a shot, but it was cut by the Hiroshima defender, and the ball was in front of Amaral, who was free nearby! However, the powerful shot, which was taken as a big chance, cruelly hit the crossbar...

Entering the extended second half with renewed energy, Tokyo continued to attack with shots from Kobayashi and Kina. However, their finishing in front of the goal was poor, and they couldn't capitalize on two corner kicks. Then, in the 110th minute, Hiroshima's Oki passed the ball to Kubo, who was positioned in front. Kubo immediately passed the ball forward. Oki, who had sprinted into position at top speed, took a shot. The ball was sucked into the net, and Tokyo suffered a disappointing V-goal defeat.

The Tokyo Levain Cup ended with a loss in the first V-goal of the season. Once again, it was a defeat in a home game. However, we must switch our focus to the league match starting three days later without lingering on this shock.

[Valery Coach's Comment] "The players did their best in a difficult situation. If we compare the first half and the second half, we couldn't show good plays in the first half, but we did well in the second half. Fujimoto is a player who always works hard when he comes on as a substitute. Although he played in a different position than usual, he showed the best play today. In the second half, Amaral came on and Amaral and Kelly played well together, connecting the ball well. So, I instructed Kawashima to go forward as much as possible and not let Amaral get close to the goal."

[Manager Okuma's Comment] "The reason for the loss was that we had so many chances but couldn't convert them. Also, since we had the numerical advantage, I thought that if we were to be scored against, it would be due to mistakes. The little mistake before the chance was created (leading to the goal) was the trigger. The direction we are aiming for and what we want the players to do are correct, and it's unfortunate that the results didn't come despite the players' efforts. However, we want to focus on the next league match."