The beginning of an unbeatable battle aiming for the title of the Nabisco Cup

　It was spring, during the Golden Week of the J.League suspension period in 2002, when the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup qualifying league took place. Tokyo, who was in the same Group B as Shimizu, Verdy, and Kobe, achieved an impressive record of 4 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, and successfully advanced to the top spot. Today, after a four-month break, they will face Gamba Osaka, who finished second in Group C, in the quarterfinals. With only three matches left to win the title, the battle has begun where losing is not allowed.

　Gamba Osaka currently has the top scorer in the J1 League, FW Maglone, and is in 4th place in the 1st stage. In addition, they had a great victory of 4-1 against Yokohama F.Marinos in the 2nd stage, 1st match, which was held 3 days ago, and they are maintaining their good form. Although they are a strong opponent, this match is important not only to repay the debt of the heavy defeat in the 1st stage, 6th match, but also in terms of significance. Manager Hara also showed a strong desire for victory, saying, "No matter what form, winning is important."

Tokyo shows an aggressive momentum

　With the kickoff whistle, Miyazawa distributes a long ball that penetrates the left side space of the enemy's territory, restraining Gamba Osaka. In the 2nd minute, Gamba forward Yoshihara boldly aims for the goal, and in the 3rd minute, Amaral unleashes a header shot from a corner kick, both teams displaying passionate plays from the start. In the 5th minute, Amaral takes the ball up alone and shoots. In the 10th minute, this time Gamba's Maguron strikes a header shot from a corner kick, but the ball narrowly goes to the left side.

　Today in Tokyo, the positions of the left and right midfielders were changed. Toda was placed on the right, and Ishikawa on the left, with the aim of creating space from quick passing. In the 12th minute, Ishikawa received Kelly's pass on the left side and charged towards the goal for a shot. In the 14th minute, Miyazawa unexpectedly took a middle shot immediately after intercepting the ball. However, Gamba also took advantage of a single pass from a goal kick, with Yoshihara cleverly breaking through the defense line. The looping shot was well saved by Doi, resulting in no harm.

　After that, Tokyo dominated the game by connecting direct passes. In the 15th minute, Kelly received a pass from Ishikawa and took a shot from outside the penalty area towards the bottom left corner of the goal, but the opponent's goalkeeper made a save. However, Gamba's attacking intentions were clear as well, with Yoshihara looking to break through from the side or exploit the space behind the defenders with through passes. In the 24th minute, Fabiano, the defensive midfielder, sent a through pass to Yoshihara, but Doi made a brave interception. On the contrary, in the 26th minute, Miyazawa passed to Toda, who was trying to break through behind the defenders. The ball was cut off by the defenders, but Amaral took a shot from the rebound. Amidst the frequent shooting scenes in the attacking and defending, the game progressed at a fast pace.

Ishikawa showed persistence and, with the combination of Kelly and Toda, turned their aim into a lead.

　Toda and Ishikawa use their speed and movement to push Tokyo's side. Finally, in the 28th minute, a long ball is sent from the backline to the left side, Ishikawa catches up and dribbles up to the end line while being chased by the opponent's defender, and crosses it back inside. Kelly, who had moved up to support in the center, passes it back, and Toda, who had run in from the right side, finishes it off and scores! They successfully turned the planned development into a goal.

　Gamba, who counterattacked, had Endo, the defensive midfielder, advance and pass to the right side in the 39th minute. Morioka, the midfielder, ran in and sent a cross into the middle. The cleared ball from the cross fell in front of Endo again, who then took a direct volley shot. It missed above the goal, but Tokyo was in a pinch during this period of time. In the 40th minute, Maglione headed the ball from a free kick and aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal, but it was barely saved by Doi's excellent play. In the 41st minute, Fukagawa took a shot just outside the penalty area immediately after Yoshihara's post-play. The shot was blocked by a defender and resulted in a corner kick, preventing a goal.

　The game is progressing at a fast pace, and Tokyo is leading by one point as they head into the second half without any added time.

However, in the second half of the game... we allowed a comeback and suffered a complete defeat.

　In the first half, Tokyo took the lead with aggressive and targeted soccer. The problem started from here. In the second half, Gamba substituted FW Matsunami for Morioka and changed to an attacking formation with Maguron in the center, Yoshihara on the right, and Matsunami on the left as the front three. Early in the second half, Yoshihara made a move on the right side and won a corner kick, and Maguron headed the ball. It was a shot with a high contact point, but Dohi showed a wonderful reaction and made the save. Then, from the corner kick, Yoshihara took a shot and showed his threat.

　Tokyo, in the 48th minute, launched a quick counterattack from a ball cut in the midfield, but Miyazawa's shot went over the goal. In the 49th minute, Ishikawa cut inside from the left side and forcefully took a shot, but it hit the defender in front of the goal and did not go in. In the 51st minute, Yoshihara dribbled down the right side, brought the ball to the edge of the end line, and crossed it into the goal area where Nikawa met it and turned to shoot past the defender. It was a decisive moment, but once again, Toi made a fine save, showing great determination.

　But it was two minutes later. In the midst of a hectic exchange of balls between the two teams, Yoshihara once again rushed to the right side after being intercepted in the midfield. He put in an early cross from around the penalty area corner, and Endo jumped in with perfect timing for a header shot. Even the skilled Toi couldn't prevent it, and they were caught up in a tie.

　Gamba, who is on a roll, repeatedly attacks from the right side with Yoshihara, while Tokyo falls further behind. Ishikawa fights hard but fails to make a shot. Then, in the 62nd minute, Gamba connects the ball from a free kick in the midfield, Endo advances to the right side of the penalty area and crosses it inside. Arai, who came in freely near the penalty arc from the left side, directly scores a powerful shot into the goal. They quickly conceded an additional point.

　In the 70th minute, BABA was substituted for TODA in an attempt to find a breakthrough in the counterattack, but just as they were about to substitute FUKUDA for SHIMODAIRA, something happened. In the 76th minute, once again from a free kick, newly substituted forward OOGURO jumped out just on the offside line and scored a goal. The Tokyo players could do nothing but watch.

　In the end, we were scored against every 10 minutes and lost the second half with a score of 1-3. It was a frustrating comeback defeat, and our path to the Nabisco Cup Best 4 was abruptly cut off.

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We ended up in the same shape as our defeat in the 1st stage. In the first half, we thought that if we could exploit the space behind Arai on Gamba's left side, it would become a chance for us, so we tried to create space for him by facing off against Toda. We were able to play according to our plan, which was to push behind Arai and use Ishikawa on the opposite side. As we headed into the second half, we talked about focusing on the first 15 minutes, as the opponent would switch to a 3-top formation. However, our defensive midfielders dropped too deep, and the connection between Endo and the players behind him was not clear. In that situation, Jean took the ball and connected with Miyazawa, and we conceded a goal when we were trying to attack. The problem was that we suddenly lost our energy and couldn't make adjustments during the game. In the meantime, we conceded a second goal, and ultimately we were unable to adapt to the changes made by the other team. We have a strong desire to win the title, so it's very disappointing. However, we can't keep losing like this. We need to switch our focus to the league and make adjustments in these two days so we can repay our debt."

[Gamba Osaka Manager Nishino's Press Conference Summary] "The game changed completely between the first half and the second half. We were behind in the first half, so our goals for the second half became clear. We changed the system to a front three, and I told the players to push forward and connect with the midfield, for example, by passing to Miyamoto. We also emphasized the importance of finishing. It was crucial that we clearly communicated these points and were able to make adjustments at halftime. Additionally, because we had been playing tough and challenging games since the qualifying rounds, I believe the players had the confidence to turn the game around. I want to commend their performance in the second half and continue to prepare for the next game in three days, aiming to play a game similar to the second half."