2007 Nabisco Cup Opening!

　The 2007 Yamazaki Nabisco Cup kicks off. Tokyo will compete against Yokohama FC, Iwata, and Oita in the qualifying league C group, both at home and away. In the final tournament, the top two teams from each of the four groups, A to D, as well as Urawa and Kawasaki, will advance (and it has been decided that they will participate). Despite facing the same opponent just two days after the previous league match, Manager Hara and the players are determined not to lose to the same opponent again. This first match is also an important one to gain momentum for the subsequent consecutive matches.

　Iwata, as you know, will be without MF Fabricio due to suspension and FW Nishi due to injury. However, as shown in the previous match, the team has been able to maintain unity in any situation and has not shown any weaknesses. It is expected that Iwata will come out attacking at home, so Tokyo will need to score first and take control of the game. In order to do that, it is necessary to create opportunities by coordinating plays in the front line, as Kurisawa mentioned the need for "a little ingenuity in the attack". The key to victory will be to capitalize on chances.

　Tokyo, in the defense, Kanazawa, who had been adjusting a different menu until the day before, took a precaution and was left out of the squad. As a result, Noriyuki Suzuki will replace him at left back. GK Shioda will also be in the lineup, saying, "I have prepared myself to be ready to go out at any time. I want to shout and lead the defense in the match." In addition, in the attacking line, Wanchope, who is making his first J-League start, and Lucas will form a two-top, with Kurisawa on the left MF and Kawaguchi on the right, a fresh lineup that wants to challenge with aggressive play.

　The match started at exactly 19:00 with the kickoff in Yamaha Stadium, which was slightly shaded by the warmth of the daytime.

Leading with Wanchope's first goal in J-League, the first half comes to an end

　The game started with a back-and-forth battle for the ball. In the 6th minute, Imano cleared Iwata's right corner kick. Ishikawa, who had drifted to the left, brought the ball on a counterattack but couldn't take a shot. In the 11th minute, starting from Lucas, Wanchope in the center made a direct pass to Imano on the right area. He broke through in front of the goal but was slightly offside. Gradually taking control, they launched attacks with a good flow. Then, in the 14th minute, Fujiyama picked up the ball that had been cleared once and fed it to the front line. Fukunishi, who had moved up from behind, reacted and dropped it to Imano, who ran into the area directly. He chest-trapped it and took a shot, which pierced into the top left corner of the goal, taking the lead.

　Tokyo continues to attack without letting up. In the 21st minute, Wanchope starts dribbling from the left side on a counterattack. Despite the defenders trying to steal the ball, Wanchope knocks them down and continues into the penalty area, where he crosses to the center. Lucas runs into the goal area and takes a left-footed shot. It was a decisive moment, but the shot misses and is caught by the opposing GK. In the 24th minute, Ishikawa dribbles up the right side and delivers an early cross to Wanchope, who enters the penalty area. He is brought down by the opposing defenders but continues to play. In the 25th minute, Imakano dribbles up after an interception and takes a shot, but it goes straight to the GK.

　The entire team organizes the defensive formation compactly, moves together to steal the opponent's ball, and launches a fast attack once they have taken possession, creating very few chances for Iwata. In the 28th minute, Wanchope breaks free in front of the goal from a free kick and takes a well-aimed floating shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper saves it with one hand. In the 37th minute, Inamono heads the ball from Ishikawa's kick from the right corner kick, but the shot goes straight to the goalkeeper. It was a frustrating development as they couldn't score an additional goal, but in the 43rd minute, they give away a penalty by fouling midfielder Naruoka in the area during Iwata's counterattack. They score the penalty and equalize the score.

　The flow became unpleasant, but in the immediate 44th minute, due to a mistake by Iwata GK Kawaguchi, the ball went to Lucas who was on the right side of the goal. Lucas calmly attracted GK Kawaguchi who had come out, and passed it to Wanchope in front. He calmly guided the ball into the unguarded goal for an additional point. With this Wanchope's first J-League goal, the game ended the first half with a 1-point lead.

Allowing an equalizer to Iwata's tenacity, only gaining 1 point

　In the second half, Iwata increased their movement in the midfield and increased their ball possession to attack. However, Tokyo, like in the first half, defended with concentration and did not allow shots, instead looking for chances on the counter. In the 58th minute, Kajiyama was substituted for Kurisawa, who had injured his foot. In the 62nd minute, Imamura cut the ball in his own half and Lucas moved to the right. In the center, Wanchope received an early cross from Ishikawa, and Fukunishi jumped in from the far side, but they couldn't convert it into a shot. In the 66th minute, Hiraoka was substituted for Wanchope to try a breakthrough strategy.

　However, in the 72nd minute, an accident occurred. Inoha on the right side crossed the ball, and it flowed to the opposite side where Hirayama kept it. From there, Kajiyama lifted a floating ball in front of the goal, and Ishikawa jumped in but collided with the opponent's defender. He initially stood up, but was unable to continue playing. Meanwhile, Iwata launched a fierce attack and won a left corner kick. Kawaguchi was substituted in for Ishikawa, but in the 78th minute, Iwata midfielder Murai picked up the clearance from that corner kick and put in an early cross. Tanaka, who remained in the right area, headed the ball and scored a goal over Shioda, equalizing the score.

　Tokyo will switch gears and aim for a lead. In the 83rd minute, Kajiyama is fouled on the left side and earns a free kick. Hirayama and Kawaguchi create a chance, but they are unable to take a shot. Then, Iwata counterattacks and takes a shot in front of the goal, but Shioda catches it. In the 85th minute, Hirayama heads a shot from Inoha's right cross, but it doesn't hit and the goalkeeper catches it. After that, both teams engage in a back-and-forth counterattack to score, and intense offensive and defensive battles continue without a moment's rest. In the 89th minute, Tokunaga receives a second warning and is sent off. In the end, the game finishes in a draw.

　【Player Comments】《Wanchope》"The second half was a really difficult game. I also got a little tired. However, I think there were more chances to score. The goal was really good and it was a confidence-boosting point for the future. I came here to play for FC Tokyo, so I am very happy to be in the starting lineup. Coming on as a substitute is difficult for any player. It can be difficult to get into the rhythm of the game and you can feel isolated or lose sight of yourself. Mentally, it's been the same for the past 10 years. I just wanted to do my best and contribute to the team. As a player, I was thinking about being the first defender and scoring goals. (There were also moments where you easily beat the opposing DF?) I didn't think it was easy, but if it didn't work once, I tried two or three times. (Was it a long time until your first goal since coming to Japan?) I didn't think it was long. Some people can score right away, but I think all strikers need to be patient. The next game will be completely different, but we are playing to win and preparing to improve."《Shioda》"We had a good fight in the first half. We were also able to do well with the DF, so it's a shame we drew. I thought Iwata would come out attacking from the beginning at home. So we entered the game while considering whether to go forward carefully or pull back a little. I was told to start today, but I have been preparing not only for the cup game, but also for every game. So I was able to play with a normal mindset. We played good soccer and it's also a plus that we were able to get points away, but I regret that I couldn't prevent the second goal... We have to fill in the small gaps in order to win and make adjustments to win. Mentally, I just want to play with all my might and not lose my fighting spirit."

　[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "In the previous match, we lost to Iwata with 10 players, so today we went into the game with the determination to win. As today's strategy, we decided to start with Wanchope and Shioda. Wanchope has been struggling to find his form, and he hasn't been able to demonstrate his abilities even in practice matches. However, I have had various conversations with him. Since last week, he has gradually shown his true self, so we decided to use him today. As expected, he didn't panic even in scoring opportunities and penalty areas. He still has his unique rhythm, and I think it is important to use him effectively as a team. Hirayama, who is part of the Olympic team, couldn't play the full match, so we used him as a substitute. It was very disappointing to concede the second goal from a penalty kick and a set-piece breakdown, but unlike the previous match where we couldn't convert our chances into goals, we were able to score today, which was good. In the next match, we won't have the Olympic team members and Tokunaga available, so we have to make use of Wanchope while playing. (What was the reason for being pushed back in the second half?) The opponent was also losing, and they gained momentum in the second half. We couldn't connect well on the right side with Ishikawa and Inoha, and it felt like we self-destructed due to our own mistakes. It would have been good if we could have used Fukunishi effectively by compactly defending and transitioning between offense and defense. In the second half, Lucas and Wanchope got tired and couldn't create opportunities. Kurisawa had an injury, but we tried to connect more by bringing in Kajiyama. In the future, we need to improve the accuracy of our passes during transition moments in order to connect better. (Will Wanchope continue to start?) I don't know yet. He has been coming off the bench so far, but I don't think he has much experience with that. I talked to him, and he said he will do it in official matches, and he played with his unique rhythm today as well. It depends on him, but I want to use him effectively."

　[Summary of Iwata-Adilson's press conference] "In the previous game, we played with one less player and I think that caused a lot of fatigue. Our legs felt heavy and our movements were sluggish, which resulted in a delay in defensive checks. Additionally, there were positioning issues and we gave the opponent too much space on the right side, so we replaced Funatani with Murai to address that. We improved in the second half, but we should have moved faster when Marquinhos and Yamamoto received the ball. It was good that we were able to equalize with Tanaka's goal in the end, but we want to make up for the 2 points we couldn't get today in the next away game."