Start of the 2003 season from the Nabisco Cup

　The J-League official matches of this season will start from the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. Tokyo, which enters Group B in the qualifying league, will compete against Yokohama F.Marinos / Sendai / Kashiwa, and the top 2 teams will advance to the finals tournament. This qualifying league will be held until July with an interval, but the first and second matches can be considered as pre-season games for the league. It has an important meaning not only as the first step of the new season but also to enter the league in a good shape.

　Tokyo's lineup is 4-4-2 on the team sheet, but 4-5-1 on the pitch. Miyazawa and Asari form a double pivot in midfield, Toda pushes forward from the left side, a familiar system. Amaral, who is still not in condition, and Kanazawa, who is suspended for the preseason match against Shimizu, are missing. However, there are also expectations for fresh talents such as Abe, who starts, and Wu and Kajiyama, who are on the bench.

　Yokohama F.Marinos, which is facing Takeshi OKADA as the new coach, is a team that gathers the most attention with new additions such as FW Kubo and Marcinho. MF Sato, who has been transferred on a temporary basis from Tokyo, also showed a lively appearance, and the highly anticipated opening match kicked off at the away Yokohama International Stadium.

Aggressively attacking but missing opportunities

　In the pre-season practice matches, Yokohama F.Marinos has been lacking victories recently, leaving a slight sense of unease. However, Tokyo today showed an aggressive attitude from the start. In the 6th minute, DF ZE MARIO, who had made a run from the F.Marinos MF Oku's through pass, attempted to connect, but GK Ozawa made a brave dive and caught it firmly. Defensively, they have been able to steal the ball from coordinated pressing and transition to the attack.

　At 11 minutes, Kaji received a pass from Ishikawa and crossed the ball, which was cleared by the defender just before it could have been a goal due to the strong wind, but they won a corner kick. At 15 minutes, Miyazawa sent a sharp pass to the front line after intercepting a pass, and Toda, who broke free, passed to Kelly after evading the defender. They quickly connected to the left and Abe, who received the ball, took a shot from inside the left penalty area. They showed a sharp attack from a counter, but unfortunately, the ball hit the left post and they missed a big chance.

　Immediately after, Marinos counterattacked and Kubo headed the ball from Sato's cross, but Ozawa made a superb save with his left hand. The game continued with both teams quickly sending passes to the front line. However, they struggled to finish and the crowd called out, "Shoot!" In response, in the 22nd minute, Asari sent a strong pass to the goal area and Toda let it go through, and Kelly attempted an overhead shot. In the 26th minute, Miyazawa picked up the clearance ball from Kaji's cross and took a middle shot. In the 28th minute, Abe persisted in the post-play and Kelly shot from the center, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 34th minute, Kelly had a free shot from the penalty arc in front of the goal. However, it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper, Enomoto's excellent save.

Just before the end of the first half, an unexpected turn of events led to conceding a goal

　On the other hand, F.Marinos couldn't create a chance that seemed like a chance, but in the 42nd minute, Kubo took a powerful shot from an angle inside the left penalty area. The ball crossed over the top of the bar, but showed a momentary threat. In the 43rd minute, Tokyo's Toda jumped into the goalmouth from a counterattack and took a header shot, but it went over the goal.

　At the moment when it seemed that the first half would end scoreless, in the 44th minute, the display of "1 minute of stoppage time" appeared. A long ball from F.Marinos' defense line. Shamsul MAIDIN chased after the ball and slid to cross it back into the middle, as Shamsul MAIDIN kept the ball from going out of bounds. Marcinho of F.Marinos ran into the box and GK Ozawa also came out sharply, but Marcinho shot the ball a moment earlier and it hit the left post and went into the net on the opposite side. Just before the end of the first half, Tokyo conceded a goal in a disappointing manner, falling behind by one point.

　In the second half, Yokohama F.Marinos showed sharp movements. In the 48th minute, Kubo met a cross with a diving header. GK Ozawa reached out and saved it just before it seemed to go into the goal after grazing the post, not allowing an additional point. As Yokohama F.Marinos also missed a goal chance, both teams gradually attacked sporadically.

　In the 53rd minute, Miyazawa took a middle shot. In the 55th minute, Fujiyama received a cross from the right, cut inside, and took a shot. F.Marinos' Sato took a dribble shot in the 59th minute. In the 64th minute, Kubo took a heading shot from the left corner kick, but none of them were able to score.

Despite injecting fresh reinforcements, lacking the finishing touch

　In the 65th minute, Abe jumped into the cross from Ishikawa on the left, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it one step ahead. Tokyo regained their rhythm and the game continued in the F.Marinos' territory, but lacked a finishing touch.

　In the 68th minute, Toda was replaced by Wu, and in the 75th minute, Asari was replaced by Kajiyama. They tried to break the situation, but Yokohama F.Marinos' defense was solid and they couldn't bring the ball to a shot easily.

　F.Marinos also substituted MF Ueno for Marcinhos in the 76th minute, and substituted Yasunaga for Kubo in the 85th minute. Tokyo pushed Jean forward and tried to score a goal, but the shot by Abe in the 84th minute was saved by the goalkeeper. On the other hand, F.Marinos also showed center-back Matsuda pushing forward, and in the 87th minute, he brought it to the finish but Ozawa saved it. Neither team could create a decisive scene, and it was the end of the game.

　For Tokyo, it was a disappointing defeat with just one goal conceded. They want to seek revenge in the next match at home in Komazawa Stadium.

【Player Comment】《Miyazawa》"(I have also played on the left side of the midfield in preseason practice matches) I still feel comfortable playing in the same system as before. There are challenges such as side changes, but there is still a long way to go. I want to improve my play in coordination with my teammates, starting with the full-back position."

"Abe: "I regret hitting the post with my shot in the first half and changing the good flow. I want to calm down and keep the ball, and score by picking up loose balls after Toda's competition and taking clear aim.""

[Summary of the press conference by the former coach] "We wanted to win the first game of the season, but we conceded a goal from a mistake. However, overall, the team did not perform poorly. We couldn't convert our chances, but I don't think the momentum was bad at all. In the absence of Amaral, I want to develop Japanese strikers. Abe was not 100% fit due to an injury in the practice match against Yamagata, but I felt that he had enough strength to play in J1. It is uncertain whether Amaral will be able to play in the next match, but I want to move the ball around with Miyazawa at the center and ensure that we can score the final finish. I think today's game was just a 1-0 lead in the first half. In the second half, we want to turn the game around at Komazawa Stadium in the next match."

[F.Marinos Okada Press Conference Summary] "The players' condition was poor and their bodies felt heavy. In terms of defense, we responded well to Tokyo's attacks, which constantly sent fast balls to the top. However, in terms of offense, we should have been able to do more. In previous matches against Tokyo, we were countered while trying to connect passes. There were times when we couldn't break through even when we took time to build up from the back, so I have always emphasized the importance of having a goal-consciousness. We should be able to dominate the ball more and attack. It's good that we were able to defeat Tokyo, who is said to be our weak opponent."