Nabisco Cup Qualifying Round 2, Get Revenge on Kashima

　After a break of about two weeks since the 6th round of the 1st stage in April 17th, today we will face Kashima Antlers in the 2nd round of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league. The four teams (Group D) from Tokyo, Kashima, Kashiwa, and Kobe will compete in a home and away qualifying league. Of course, we aim to finish 2nd or higher to advance to the knockout tournament, but since we lost 1-2 to Kashima at home in the 1st round, we definitely want to take revenge.

　During the interval, the national team went on an overseas expedition, so the national team's Doi and Kaji were absent. Immediately after returning to Japan, the U-23 national team's Shigeki, Konno, and Ishikawa were absent due to consideration of their condition. In addition, Kelly, who was injured in the previous day's practice, was absent, and Mashima and Kurisawa started for the first time. Coach Hara said before the match, "With the current condition, this is the best lineup. (Even though the national team players are absent) it doesn't mean that it's okay to lose. I want to win with this lineup," expressing his enthusiasm.

　Kashima also faces the absence of Japan national team's Motoyama, as well as injuries to Aoki and Narahashi, and the team's situation is not perfect. However, by placing MF Arai as a defensive midfielder, the average age of the starting members is 24.36 years old. It is lower than Tokyo's 24.82 years old, and they have approached the match with a fresh team. The match started with Kashima's kickoff at the slightly chilly Kashima Soccer Stadium.

But once again, we are scored on in the opening minutes...

　In the first match of the qualifying league, we conceded a goal in the first minute, and this goal weighed heavily on us. We also conceded a goal in the 5th minute of the previous match against Iwata, so we should have been fully focused during the early stages of the game. However, in the 1st minute, we gave away a free kick in our own midfield, which Lucas cleared after Kashiwa's midfielder, Ogasawara, kicked the ball. Kashiwa picked up the loose ball and connected it to Fernando, who was free in the right corner of the area. From the far side, defender Ooiwa ran in and struck a powerful header. Taking advantage of the gap in marking, this first shot found the back of the net, and once again, Tokyo found themselves behind at an early time of 2 minutes.

　Although he was injured at the beginning, there was still plenty of time. Tokyo, who calmed down and counterattacked, had a corner kick in the 6th and 8th minutes. In the 12th minute, Kajiyama received Kurisawa's through pass and his shot hit the opponent's defender, but Lucas picked up the loose ball and took a shot, winning another corner kick. On the other hand, Kashima, who took the lead, launched a long ball towards the speedy front two from the counterattack. In the 14th minute, FW Fukai entered the area with a sharp cutback from a quick attack, but Masushima stretched his leg and cut it off. In the 17th minute, Ogasawara, who kept the ball in the midfield, passed it to Oiwa, who was attacking. Oiwa ran up to the goal and passed it to Fukai on the left area. The shot hit the crossbar and gave Tokyo a scare, but it was a foul before the shot, so it became Tokyo's ball.

　Kajiyama and Miyazawa repeatedly launched wide attacks but failed to finish, resulting in a back-and-forth battle. In the 22nd minute, Tokyo had an early cross from Kanazawa, and Kurisawa headed the ball in front of the goal. However, it narrowly missed Toda. In the 29th minute, Miyazawa passed to Kurisawa from Fujiyama's overlap, and Kanazawa cleared the cross with a shot. In the 30th minute, Jahn took a shot from a right corner kick. In the 32nd minute, Toda stole the opponent's ball and launched a quick counterattack, passing to Miura who advanced into the left area. From there, the ball reached Kajiyama in front of the goal, and he took a shot. In the 36th minute, Toda turned and shot from the right side after a quick restart, but both attempts missed the target. From around the 30th minute, Tokyo took control and created numerous chances, but they were unable to shake the net of Kashima's goal. In the 44th minute, Ogasawara of Kashima dribbled up and took a looping shot, but it was saved by Shioda, resulting in a corner kick. The score remained 0-1 as the second half began.

30 seconds into the second half, Kurisawa, Lucas, and Toda combine to tie the game!

　In the second half, Tokyo connected the kickoff ball. Kurisawa dribbled through the center, but was blocked by the opponent's defender. Despite falling, he managed to make a through pass to the front line. Lucas reacted to this and sprinted at high speed towards the goal line on the right side. He sent a strong shot ball in front of the goal. At that moment, Toda and the opponent's defender got tangled up in front of the goal, and the opponent's defender failed to clear the ball, resulting in an own goal! Kurisawa, Lucas, and Toda's fast combination play led to an own goal, equalizing the score in less than 30 seconds into the second half!

　In the 47th minute, Kajiyama → Kurizawa's cross was headed by Toda. The ball hit the bar and Lucas shot over the goal. Although they missed the chance to score an additional point, the pressure intensified after the tie, and a fast-paced attack and defense were repeated. In the 60th minute, Abe was substituted for Toda and they aimed to score "another goal". In the 61st minute, Kanazawa moved up from Lucas' keep and passed to Abe in the left area. Abe cut past the defender and took a shot, winning a corner kick. In the 64th minute, Abe once again entered the left area, and Miyazawa, who received the final pass, shot from near the penalty arc but missed the goal.

　In the 66th minute, Asari was substituted for Miyazawa. He did not become defensive, but balanced the team and attacked more aggressively. In the 68th minute, Lucas was fouled on the left side, earning a free kick. Mazushima headed the ball, but it went just right of the goal. In the 69th minute, Kurizawa caught up to a pass sent by Asari into the space on the right side and crossed it. Abe jumped in from the center with his head, but the determined defender cleared it.

Kajiyama's spectacular comeback goal secures Kashima's first away victory against Kashima!

　Defending for 70 minutes, Kashima's long pass from a counterattack was cleared by Masushima. In the 74th minute, Kashima's Ogasawara's shot was cut off by Jean, and Fujiyama boldly attempted an interception, preventing a crisis. In the 61st minute, Kashima substituted MF Nozawa for Masuda, and in the 76th minute, they substituted FW Nakajima for FW Hirase, using the substitution slots to try to turn the situation around in a pressing battle. However, in the 78th minute, Kurizawa was robbed of the ball inside the opponent's territory, just as Kashima was trying to counterattack. Miura snatched the ball away from a fierce charge and rushed towards the Kashima goal. The shot from just outside the penalty area was cut off by the opponent's DF, but Lucas, who had moved up for support, neatly picked up the loose ball and passed it back with one touch. Kajiyama, who had run into position, took a powerful shot!! The ball pierced the net on the goal with an eye-opening trajectory!

　Tokyo, who achieved a come-from-behind victory with Kajiyama's first professional goal. They held off Kashima's counterattack with focused play and attacked without panicking. In the 87th minute, Suzuki was substituted for Kurisawa, who had shown excellent performance up to that point. In the 88th minute, Shimoshima cleared the ball after Shioda's clearance ball reached Kashima's Nozawa and he took a volley shot. In stoppage time, Shioda jumped out for the pass in front of the goal and the ball spilled, but Asari calmly connected and passed to the left side. Then, substitute Suzuki sprinted with the ball dribbling, and despite being surrounded by defenders, he took a powerful shot from the left area. It was saved by the goalkeeper, but he showcased his strengths, and then the game was over. Each player played their role diligently, and they achieved their first victory against Kashima away from home in the Nabisco Cup semifinals, which they had never achieved since their first encounter in 1999 during the J2 era.

【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"The goal situation, a good ball was dropped by Lucas, so I kicked it without letting it float. In the first half, we were able to create chances, so I only thought about scoring goals. We scored one point and had momentum, so I wanted to score firmly. There were mistakes and it was the first time my leg cramped towards the end. But being able to play for 90 minutes gives me confidence. I'm happy that we won the game with my first professional goal."《Shioda》"I'm not satisfied with my own play, but I'm glad we won. The early goal we conceded was a situation where we wanted to raise the line, but there was a lack of communication. However, I think it was still okay to concede one goal at this time, and we were able to defend properly by communicating with each other. There were some moments of panic, and in the future, I want to make adjustments in terms of the feeling of the game, but above all, the team's victory is the most important. We haven't won in the last three games, but we want to head towards the league in a good flow."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We conceded a goal from a set piece that we were cautious about at the start, and it felt unpleasant. But we recovered well. We had a good shape in the first half, but still couldn't score, and there were no decisive opportunities. We are playing the football we want, so at halftime, I talked about breaking through from the side without taking too much time. In the second half, Kurisawa became the starting point for the first goal, and the second goal was also achieved through Miura's efforts. Kajiyama has the shooting power but doesn't shoot much on his own, so I always tell him to "shoot", but he scored well. Today, I made the decision to rest the U-23 national team players, but the remaining players were highly motivated. Kurisawa, who was put in the starting lineup at the last minute due to Kelly's injury, and Kajiyama, who moved to Kelly's position, created many chances. Masushima still makes mistakes, but he has shown his good sense and has become a valuable asset. And Miura, Fujiyama, and Asari have supported the young players with their bodies. Their efforts will make the team even stronger. I knew that we had never won an away game against Kashima (even before I became the manager), but we need to change history. So I told the players that we have to win at least once. We didn't surpass everything against Kashima, but it is significant that we won, especially without the national team players. We want to carry this momentum into the upcoming league matches."

[Summary of Kashima Cerezo Coach's Press Conference] "It was a completely different game between the first half and the second half. The same pattern happened in the league match against Niigata, where we were winning in the first half but couldn't convert the chances we had and ended up being defeated. In the second half, the concentration, mentality, and awareness of each individual were not unified, and the team did not function properly. The Nabisco Cup is an important match... Although there are several qualifying matches in the league, I talked about winning each match to make future matches easier, but we conceded a goal 30 seconds into the second half after being in a 1-0 state at halftime. It was a lack of vigilance and concentration that should not happen for a team aiming for the title. Some players were playing with injuries, and Arai played as a defensive midfielder in an unfamiliar position, but there were still some positive aspects. Iwamasa and Masuda made their first starts and faithfully fulfilled their roles. FC Tokyo also had national team players absent, but other young players stepped up and maintained the level. Similarly, Kashima is also trying to develop young players, but it takes time and patience. They cannot immediately replace players like Narahashi or Motoyama. They have the ability to carry Kashima in the future. If they can achieve results, it will give them confidence. The biggest concern is the reaction power after conceding a goal."