NAZRI Qualifying League Final Match, Aim for Goals and Victory Only!

　Nabisco Cup is held for the first time in two weeks. Tokyo, who is currently in 3rd place in Group C with 7 points, will face Yokohama FC away in the final round of the qualifying league. In order to secure a place in the top 2 of the group, Tokyo must win and take 3 points, as a draw will not be enough. Even if they win, depending on the result of the Iwata vs Oita match, there is a possibility of finishing in 2nd place and advancing to the final tournament, which will be a competition with the 2nd place team from another group. Considering that possibility, Tokyo wants to score as many goals as possible.

　However, due to the league's previous match being only two days ago, Wanchope and Lucas trained separately. Fujiyama is also suspended for this match. Additionally, Hirayama experienced discomfort in his left ear and had to leave practice for an examination. Nevertheless, Coach Hara stated, "We have no choice but to win, so our goal is clear. We aim to score many goals with a fresh lineup." Akamine will lead the front line, Kurisawa will play as an attacking midfielder, Kanazawa will be the left fullback, and Imano and Shigemine will form the center-back partnership. Akamine will make his first start of the season, while Shigemine will be starting his second match.

　Yokohama FC, who is currently in first place with 9 points, is expected to focus on defense as they can reach 10 points even with a draw. It will be crucial to see how much they can break through Yokohama FC's defense, as Coach Hara plans to continue the momentum of their recent strong performance and break down their defense. The goal remains the same, to press from the front and transition to a solid attack, but with a fresh lineup, they aim to gain momentum and not only advance to the final tournament but also achieve victories that will lead to future league matches.

　The Mitsuzawa Football Stadium, which made us feel the heat of midsummer during the day, started to have a cool breeze in the evening. The match started at 19:04 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Despite conceding a goal from a penalty kick, Akamine quickly equalizes!

　From the beginning, we dominated the ball, but the tempo of our attacks was slow. Kurisawa and Fukunishi played through balls to the front line, but there were also mistakes and we couldn't capitalize on our chances. In the 6th minute, Rychely was fouled just outside the box on the left side, earning a free kick. Kurisawa took the kick, but missed by a wide margin. On the other hand, Yokohama FC created chances from counterattacks, resulting in a back-and-forth game. In the 10th minute, they quickly connected from a restart and played a through ball to the front line. Yokohama FC forward Hiramoto evaded the marking of Konno and made a deep cross from the area. Midfielder Adriano was waiting freely in the center, but the ball was slightly too long. Right full-back Wada's shot from the loose ball also missed by a wide margin, avoiding a dangerous situation.

　17 minutes, Tokyo deployed Rychely to the right front line from an interception in their own territory. The ball that hit the opponent's DF came loose and in front of Ishikawa. Ishikawa cut into the area and made a perfect minus pass. Kurizawa ran in and took a shot, but it was blocked by the opponent's DF. In the 20th minute, Tokyo created a decisive scene. Rychely on the left → Kurizawa in front of the area reversed and connected to Akamine in front of the goal. Competing with the DF, Ishikawa ran to where the ball had spilled to the right and made a sharp ground cross. Akamine tried to slide and connect, but the ball floated.

　In the 23rd minute, a floating pass from the left by Kurizawa to the center, Ishikawa made a direct pass to the front line. Akamine reacted to this and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one. He attempted a floating shot to aim for a goal, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's great save, and the chance was missed. Nevertheless, gradually gaining momentum, they continued to attack aggressively, but in the 27th minute, they were caught off guard and Yokohama FC launched a counterattack. Nezumi sprinted down the right side and played a through pass to Hiramoto who ran into the area from the left. At this point, Doi fouled Hiramoto, giving away a penalty kick. In the 28th minute, MF Adriano confidently converted this penalty kick, and they conceded the opening goal.

　But without looking down, they counterattacked. In the 30th minute immediately after conceding a goal, Inonami advanced with a vertical pass from Kurizawa and skillfully controlled Grander's cross in front of the goal. Akamine then slid and scored! With this equalizing goal that revived the team from the unpleasant atmosphere. However, they couldn't score an additional goal in the first half, and in the 37th minute, Yokohama FC's midfielder Nejime dribbled into the area after exchanging passes with the forward. He attracted Tokyo DF and passed to left midfielder Takizawa. Takizawa took a powerful shot, but it was saved by Doi and resulted in a left corner kick. From that corner kick, Yabuta took a sharp shot from the left area, but Doi saved it again. The match ended 1-1 and the outcome was carried over to the second half.

Shingo AKAMINE's 2 goals put Yokohama FC in the lead, advancing to the qualifying league!

　In the second half, we took the initiative and launched an offensive. However, we struggled to break through Yokohama FC's solid defense. In the 52nd minute, Rychely was replaced by Lucas in the attacking midfield position, and Kurisawa moved to left midfielder. Immediately after that, in the 53rd minute, Fukunishi, who was sprinting into the penalty area with speed, was fouled by Yokohama FC's defensive midfielder Yamaguchi, but the whistle did not blow... In the 62nd minute, Lucas made a run after Fukunishi's long pass. The opponent's goalkeeper caught the ball a step ahead, but spilled it, and Lucas couldn't finish it. However, gradually the ball settled with Lucas, and we continued to launch powerful attacks through Fukunishi's runs and Kurisawa's passing play.

　In the 64th minute, Kajiyama was substituted for Ishikawa and entered as the right MF. Under the instruction of Coach Hara to "go for a goal while connecting passes," they continued to pass the ball and look for opportunities. In the 68th minute, they connected in front of the goal and passed to Kurizawa, who was running on the left side from Kanazawa. Kurizawa advanced deep into the left area and crossed the ball. The ball went over Akamine's head and reached Inonami on the far side, but the shot was not powerful enough. Despite their attacking efforts, they couldn't score a goal for a while. However, in the 75th minute, Lucas patiently received Kurizawa's lobbed pass, and Akamine, who had broken free in the left area from a one-touch trap, swung his left foot. The ball beautifully pierced into the net, securing the long-awaited lead!

　In the midst of the excited stands, without easing the attacking pressure, in the 84th minute, Fukunishi shoots after an early cross from Kanazawa, skillfully avoiding the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 89th minute, Lucas cuts back the opponent's defender on the right side and sends a last pass into the goal area. It doesn't reach Fukunishi who made a run, and the third goal was not scored. On the contrary, there were dangerous moments when Yokohama FC countered near the end of the game, but they defended without losing focus. In injury time, a sharp shot from Yokohama FC forward Hiramoto was saved by Doi, and the game ended.

　With 2 goals from Akamine, they pulled away from Yokohama FC who were chasing them, and secured 10 points in the qualifying league. In addition, due to the defeat of Oita, who finished 2nd in Group C, they rose to 1st place. They have secured a spot in the Nabisco Cup final tournament for the first time in 3 years.

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"I had been patient for a long time, so when I played in the game, I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. Even when I couldn't play, I made sure to maintain my condition and avoid injuries, and I prepared myself to be ready to play at any time. The first goal was in a form that I am good at. Before the game, I told Ishikawa and Rychely that I wanted a low and fast ball, a ball that could be placed between the goalkeeper and the defenders. I had chances to score before that, but I believed that if I continued to do this, I would eventually score. For the second goal, when Lucas came in, I was thinking of receiving the ball behind and taking a shot. He dropped it nicely in front of me, and my trap was successful. There was a sense of urgency in the team that we had to win, but for me, it was a feeling of wanting to respond to the chances I received. I wanted to explode somewhere, and as a result, I scored two goals today, but the real battle starts now."《Kurisawa》"With Lucas coming in, we were able to create opportunities. Yokohama FC was defending deep, so it was difficult to break through, but when a pass goes inside, the opponent's defenders also gather. I wanted to break through in that way, and I was able to achieve it as planned."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "The situation today was that we had to win the game. We knew that a draw would not be enough. On the other hand, Yokohama FC had the possibility of advancing to second place even with a draw. We wanted to be more aggressive, but we had to make changes to the lineup, so things didn't go smoothly at first. The ball didn't settle well with Akamine, and Kurisawa hadn't played in a while, so it took some time for their strengths to be displayed. Inoha and Fukunishi haven't played together much, and with Mobata coming in, the tempo was slow at first and we couldn't execute smooth attacks. The players we were most cautious of were FW Hiramoto and MF Adriano. Especially when the ball went to Hiramoto, their attacks started. The scene of conceding a goal also led to a penalty kick. However, we were able to bounce back from that goal. Without looking down, we felt like we had to keep going. Inoha, who had been balancing on the right side, moved forward and Akamine scored. Akamine's goal was his specialty. The goal right after conceding was crucial. At halftime, I instructed the players to play one tempo faster. And I took a gamble by bringing in Lucas and Kajiyama. Also, we received information that Oita was losing, so the situation became that if we scored one goal, we would win, so I instructed the players to calmly connect passes. Rychely was playing his third consecutive start, so he felt heavy. By bringing in Lucas and placing Kajiyama, who is normally in the center, on the right MF, and Kurisawa on the left, the ball settled down. Akamine has had short playing time or has not been included in the lineup many times before, but he has been training diligently. I am very happy that he scored two goals and produced results today. Júbilo Iwata also fought hard, and I am happy that we were able to advance to the final round in first place in the qualifying league. Even though we changed some players, we never gave up until the end. The things we have been trying to do since the beginning of this season are gradually coming out. I am sincerely happy to have advanced to the knockout tournament, but we have a match against Nagoya coming up soon. I want to switch our mindset and approach it."

　[Yokohama FC Coach Takagi's Press Conference] "Very disappointing. Within the 90 minutes, we had chances to move up to the next level. The players worked hard. While countering Tokyo's strengths, we were able to create opportunities and score goals. Even when we were behind, we aimed for goals and gave our best. Although FW Hiramoto had limited training time with us, he felt better during the game than in practice. His condition will continue to improve, and he is undoubtedly a valuable asset. MF Adriano had just recovered from an injury, so it felt like he was thrown into the game without much preparation. Towards the end, he became tired and lost some sharpness, but he still did the minimum required. Our Nabisco Cup is over, and now we focus on the league matches. We have no choice but to switch gears for the weekend game."