How to fight the Nabisco Cup without national team players...

　The NABISCO Cup, which will be held for the first time since April 29th. Today, we will challenge Kashiwa Reysol in the away game in the 3rd round of the qualifying league. After finishing the 2nd round, Tokyo is in 2nd place with 3 points, tied with Kashima and following Kobe (4 points) in Group D. The qualifying league will continue until the 6th round, but we want to accumulate points to aim for a top 2 finish and advance to the final tournament.

　However, during this period, Doi and Kaji were absent from the activities of the Japan national team, and Masushima and Kajiyama were absent from the U-19 Japan national team. In addition, Kelly and Ishikawa were also absent due to injury. However, despite the demanding schedule, Shigenobu, Konno, and Tokunaga, who were preparing for the U-23 Japan national team, maintained their condition and were named as starters for the match against the Turkey selection on May 26th and the match against the Mali national team on June 1st. The lineup consisted of Tokunaga, Jean, Shigenobu, and Kanazawa in defense. Konno and Asari formed the double pivot. Toda played as the left midfielder, and Suzuki played in this position for the first time as the right midfielder. Bamba and Lucas were positioned as the attacking midfielders.

　On the other hand, Kashiwa is sinking to the bottom in the league, but there is still a good chance of advancing to the final tournament in the Nabisco Cup. With the opportunity to quickly rise up, today's match is important. Although the Japanese national team's FW Tamada and MF Tanizawa are suspended, Coach Hara mentioned that they have faced matches with only Japanese players and said, "Just like the 1st stage against Shimizu, there is a fear of facing a solid defense and coming together as one." Tokyo's focus will be on how to break through that defense. The temperature before the match is rising, and it started with Kashiwa's kickoff under the warm and sweaty weather.

Take the initiative and Jean scores the opening goal from a free kick

　The start of the game saw both teams pressing each other and creating chances, resulting in an evenly matched contest. However, in the 5th minute, Suzuki boldly dribbled past the opponent's left back, prompting a warning for Kondo. In the 6th minute, Lucas received a pass from Baba at the post and swung it to the right, receiving a return pass from Suzuki and getting into a shooting position. The opponent's defender blocked the shot, but Tokyo gradually gained control of the game. In the 7th minute, Imano pushed forward and received a pass from Suzuki, taking his first shot of the day.

　In the 12th minute, Toda broke through the defense from the left in response to Baba's exquisite through pass, creating a decisive scene. The shot had no angle and was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper, but they showed coordinated teamwork. In the 15th minute, Tokunaga's powerful long shot narrowly missed the top of the goal. Tokyo, who firmly picked up the loose ball, created rhythm from Baba's pass, with Lucas keeping the ball in the front line, and Toda and Suzuki getting involved, showing a smooth development. In the 20th minute, a free kick was awarded to Kashiwa on the left side of the penalty area, and MF Kato aimed for a goal, but Shibata made a save. As a result, they managed to limit Kashiwa's shots to just this one in the first half.

　And in the 24th minute, Lucas was fouled on the left in front of the goal and won a free kick. Suzuki used this opportunity to deceive the defense, and Baba kicked a fast and high ball. Jean, who was waiting in front of the goal, was left unmarked and scored a header! The ball changed its course and went into the net!! They finally took the lead.

Baba creates rhythm, Toda aggressively adds points

　Tokyo, who completely took the initiative, had Lucas and Toda exchanging quick passes in front of the goal in the 25th minute, and Baba, who had moved up to support, courageously shot from just outside the penalty area. It narrowly missed the top of the frame, but as Coach Hara said, "I instructed Yuta to aim for the goal as if he were in a two-top formation," his aggressive attitude towards the goal shone through.

　And in the 27th minute, Suzuki, who received a vertical pass from Tokunaga, fiercely entered the right penalty area, fought against the opponent's defender, and showed persistence. The ball was momentarily taken away, but this clearance went to Baba in front of the goal. Without hesitation, Baba took a low shot, deflecting the goalkeeper's hand, and Toda followed up and kicked it into the goal! It was a goal that involved the opponent's mistake, but Suzuki, Baba, and Toda all fulfilled their roles perfectly and scored an additional goal as planned.

　Kashiwa's attack was cut off by Jean and Shigeki in the midfield, and by Lucas and Shigeki in the front line, with concentrated play, without creating any real chances. They also connected wide attacks from the defensive line. In the 35th minute, Toda made a direct pass to the right from Baba's through pass. Lucas took a sharp shot from the right penalty area, but unfortunately it went over the goal. In the 43rd minute, Baba took a long shot that caught the opponent's goalkeeper by surprise when he saw him free in the midfield. Although it was saved by the goalkeeper, it continued to threaten the Kashiwa goal with a well-placed shot, and they went into the second half with a 2-goal lead.

Each player demonstrated their strengths and achieved a shutout victory

　In the second half, Kashiwa substituted MF Hirayama, who had been out of the team due to injury. They tried to create chances from the left side, but Tokyo's attack remained unchanged. Shortly after the start, Lucas made a through pass to the front line from a post-play. Suzuki slipped behind the defense line, but was slightly offside. In the 50th minute, Toda received a pass from Baba in the left space and cut inside for a powerful shot. It was blocked by the goalkeeper, but Inomata picked up the loose ball on the right side and crossed it to the center. Baba attempted an overhead goal. In the 51st minute, Suzuki broke free in the right space and won a corner kick. From this corner, Inomata made a header shot. They picked up the loose ball and continued the attack, progressing the game safely.

　In the 60th minute, Baba, surrounded by defenders, kept the ball and passed it to Toda on the left side. Toda's shot hit the goalkeeper's face, but Baba's dominant attack overwhelmed Kashiwa. In the 64th minute, Kanazawa followed up after Toda chased the ball on the front line and crossed it. Although no one could connect with Toda's final pass in front of the goal, the team repeated lively attacks inspired by Baba's play.

　Kashiwa made a substitution in the 72nd minute, replacing DF Komine with DF Watanabe and switching to a 3-back formation to launch a counterattack. In the 75th minute, Yamashita dropped a precise early cross from Hirayama with a header, and Kato followed up, but Shibata quickly caught the ball. In the 68th minute, Tokyo made a substitution, replacing Suzuki with Wu, and in the 76th minute, replacing Lucas with Abe. Immediately after in the 77th minute, Kashiwa regained possession of the ball in a high position and Abe took advantage of the opponent's defense pushing up to receive a perfectly floated last pass from Baba. Abe quickly touched the ball, leaving the pursuing defender behind, and took a well-aimed looping shot, but unfortunately, it hit the post.

　In the 81st minute, the ball was stolen from a defensive gap in the right midfield, and Jean was drawn to the center of the goal, allowing Hirayama to shoot freely in the left penalty area. However, Shioda made a nice save to avoid the pinch. In the 84th minute, Miura replaced Baba to secure the lead. In order to close the game, in the 89th minute, a chance was created from Inamoto's side change to Abe on the left, Wu in the center, and Toda in front of the goal with a wide development. Immediately after, Jean dropped Miura's corner kick, and Toda followed up but failed to score. In the end, despite creating chances one after another, no additional goals were scored before the time was up. However, Kashima kept Kōbe's attack at bay and won convincingly by showcasing their individual strengths. As Kashima won against Kōbe with a 3-goal difference, both teams surpassed Kōbe with 6 points, but they couldn't take the top spot as Kashima had a goal difference of 1.

【Player Comments】《Baba》"In the previous league match against Kashima, I played as a forward, but today I played as an attacking midfielder and I think I achieved good results. However, I still wanted to score goals myself. I had been thinking about kicking the free kicks with a fast ball since practice, and I was able to kick them as I had thought. For the second goal, I aimed to shoot with a low ball that would go into the frame. I want to continue increasing the pace and attacking aggressively from now on."《Suzuki》"It was my first time playing on the right side, but I had been thinking that if I could show my characteristic of 'forward, forward' and make plays to exploit the space behind the defense, it would be good. In the early stages, I gave a warning to the opponent with a dribble breakthrough scene, and I thought I could take control of the game with that, but there are still areas where I need improvement. I was read on the left side, so I wish I could have made more vertical breakthroughs. (Although it was the starting point for the second goal), I don't want to be satisfied with this and I want to challenge myself to be able to play in any position."

[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "Our current challenge is scoring goals. Our defense has been stable, but our forwards, especially the FWs, have not been scoring. Of course, there have been changes in the lineup, but today, Kelly, Baba, Suzuki, and Lucas, who replaced Ishikawa, did well. Until now, our attacks have been taking too much time, so let's aggressively shoot and follow up on rebounds. If the shots don't go in, let's pick up the rebounds and continue to cross from the outside. We talked about this strategy, and we were able to score goals as planned and earn 3 points. Baba and Toda showed a proactive attitude, and Lucas contributed to the fast-paced development. In the central position, we have used Kelly and Kajiyama so far, but Baba must have had the belief that he could do it himself. Today, there were moments where he turned with a one-touch and passed to Toda on the outside, which cannot be taught. He can also make passes, so there were many situations where he didn't shoot like in the previous league match against Kashima Antlers, but he has the shooting power and I wanted him to score more goals. If he continues to play like today, he can be considered as a valuable asset. Suzuki is also emerging with the momentum to take Ishikawa's position, and these things will raise the overall strength of the team. Mobata, Imano, and Tokunaga were also focused, and Wu and Abe showed their strengths. Shioda may not have had many opportunities to play in the shadow of Doi, but he should have gained confidence by keeping a clean sheet. We can expect growth from him. And the one who is currently making the most impact is Asari. He has been playing the role of a supporting player and has been holding the team together. I think his work is supporting the team. Next, we will return home, so we want to score goals and aim for 3 points."

[Kashiwa · Ikegaya coach's summary of the press conference] "If we are conceded first in the current team situation, the damage is significant. We are struggling to score goals, and this is the best we can do. We want to somehow win the next game, but the players have lost confidence, so we want to regain that confidence. Hirayama is making a comeback after a long time, and his condition is not at its best after about 6 months, but there is a prospect that he can be used from the start in the next game. His return is a plus."