I want to win 3 points with a fresh team

　The 2nd round of the Nabisco qualifiers will be held at home against Vissel Kobe. In the previous round, we made mistakes under Kashiwa's high pressure and had a losing start. Coach Jofuku analyzed the cause as "not being able to fight in the one-on-one situations in front of us. The cause is the basic aspects." He talked about the points to be corrected, saying, "I want to do it while clarifying the individual situations and responsibilities within the team" for the Kobe match.

　Kobe, who will face us, is undergoing a transformation towards passing soccer under the command of coach CAIO JUNIOR, who took over this season. In the previous match, they drew with Chiba, and so far in the official matches, they have 1 win, 2 draws, 1 loss, 4 goals scored, and 4 goals conceded, which can be considered as a trial and error process. The attack, in which attackers like MF Yoshida and FW Ganaha jump out from a compact formation centered around DF Miyamoto and MF Kane, has power and the sharpness of the counter-attacks launched from a solid defense is also still present. We must pay close attention to them.

　Tokyo will face the match with a significantly changed lineup, consisting of fresh players. "Looking at other teams, young players are stepping up. Rather than giving them a chance, we have chosen the best formation to secure 3 points in the next match," said Coach Jofuku. In the defense, Mokuhara will be on the right side, and Konno, who just finished the Bahrain match the day before, will be the center back. In the midfield, Asari and Hanyu will be the defensive midfielders, with Otake and Kajiyama on the left and right sides respectively. Cabore and Akamine will form the attacking duo. Rookie Tanabe will also be on the bench.

　Kajiyama said, "I think Kobe will come to defend from the front. We want to calmly connect in the midfield and move the ball forward." Akamine showed his enthusiasm, saying, "It's not easy, but we want to change the flow of the team by scoring goals and getting results." We want to bypass the press from the front line with passing and take control of the game. It is a crucial battle where winning 3 points is an absolute requirement for advancing to the finals. We will win with all our strength! The match started at Ajinomoto Stadium, where the air is still cold, with Kobe's kickoff at 14:04.

Both teams were unable to create attacking opportunities due to intense pressing, and the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

　Kobe took control of the first half pace. Midfielders Kane and Matsuoka took the lead, stealing the ball with tough pressing and confidently circulating it to push the game forward. Tokyo couldn't help but stop with fouls, giving away several chances from free kicks. In the 6th minute, Kobe MF Yoshida's free kick was initially blocked, but Bamba volleyed the rebound. This was easily saved by Gonda. In the 14th minute, the ball was stolen near the center line, and Kobe DF Ishihako attacked the goal with a header from a feed by MF Matsuoka, but it was saved by the crossbar.

　Tokyo launches attacks from the side with a counter-attacking style. In the 31st minute, Mokuhara received the ball on the right side and skillfully bypassed the opponent's defender to enter the penalty area, but was fouled before that. In the 37th minute, Tokunaga's cross from the left aimed for Akamine in front of the goal, but Kobe's goalkeeper Enomoto caught it. In the 38th minute, Cabore received the ball on the left side and attempted a dribble, but appeared to be fouled outside the right side of the penalty area, resulting in a simulation decision...

　Kobe couldn't create a chance against the press, but they started to show signs of fatigue and kept possession in the midfield to launch attacks. In the 40th minute, Otake -> Mukuhara stuck to the right side and bypassed the opponent's DF to cross to the center. Kajiyama, who was in front of the goal, headed the ball down and Akamine took a direct shot, but the timing was off and it missed the target by a wide margin. Furthermore, in the 42nd minute, Akamine took another shot while falling down from Otake's through pass, but it also went wide. The first half ended 0-0.

Defend and secure a clean sheet victory by focusing on protecting Otake's goal

　Tokyo made adjustments to go for the ball in a high position during halftime. This worked well and the pace of the game changed in Tokyo's favor in the second half. Early in the second half, Akamine dribbled after picking up the clearance from the opponent's free kick. Kajiyama passed to Habu, who reacted to the through pass and took a shot, but it was saved by Kobe's goalkeeper Enomoto. After creating several scenes threatening Kobe's goal, the 59th minute arrived. Akamine received the ball from Mokuhara's right throw-in and cleverly changed his position to pass to the center. Cabore bypassed the opponent's defender and the ball reached Otake on the left, who entered the penalty area and took a shot. It went into the top left corner of the goal, giving Otake his first goal of the season and taking the lead.

　Kobe brought in Noriyuki Suzuki in the second half, trying to demonstrate his power as a kicker in set plays, but without creating any dangerous situations. In addition, with a focused defense centered around Sahara and Konno, they didn't even give Kobe a single scoring opportunity. On the other hand, Kondo and Tatsuya Suzuki were substituted for Cabore and Otake, aiming for an additional goal. In the 34th minute, Asari picked up a loose ball from a left corner kick and fed it to the front line. Konno, who had run out to the right inside the area, attempted to score, but it was blocked by Kobe's defender Kitamoto...

　In the 40th minute, the opponent's free kick was punched by Kanda. Hanyu, who picked up the loose ball, dribbled up the left side and made a long pass to Suzuki Tatsuya on the opposite side. Suzuki Tatsuya -> Kondo attempted to score a goal, but it was cleared by the defender. In injury time, Tokunaga received the ball on the left side from a counterattack, dribbled past Kobe's defender Miyamoto, and crossed. The ball reached Suzuki Tatsuya, who was free in the far area, and he trapped it with his chest and took a shot, but it went over the bar. In the end, despite having chances to score additional goals, they couldn't convert and the match ended as it was. They celebrated their first victory in the Nabisco Cup.

　【Player Comment】《Imano》"I knew it would be a tough game. I really wanted to win today no matter what, so I'm really glad we achieved that. I had a good practice with the national team and I was in great physical condition, so I wanted to play in the game today and it was fun. I heard a little bit about the content of the Kashiwa game on Wednesday and it didn't seem very good. When we returned to the team, Coach Jofuku and all the players were a bit tense, and there was definitely an atmosphere of needing to win today. It was unexpected for me to play as a center back, but if we can keep a clean sheet, we won't lose, so I wanted to contribute more to the attack as well. However, I couldn't do that. We didn't create any dangerous situations and I think it was a big deal that we kept a clean sheet. The responsibility for the lack of goals is not only on the forwards, but I think if we don't provide good feeds from the defensive line, we won't be able to build up good attacks. So if I have the opportunity to play as a center back again, I want to get involved in both the attack and the build-up play and make good passes. Next is the league game. There are many things we need to do. We have a week off, so I want to have good practices and aim to score many goals and win with a clean sheet."

　《Otake》"I couldn't do anything in the first half, but I was able to score in the second half, so it's like a relief. I thought today's match was very important for me throughout this year, so I wanted to put my feelings into it from the first half. However, we fell behind in defense and couldn't get into the attack at all. I couldn't show my strengths. In the second half, the opponent's physical condition dropped to some extent, so I was able to play my game a little and score, so I was saved. In the first half, both me and Kaji-kun (Kajiyama) pulled back too much, which caused the side players to be dragged back and the whole team to drop. In the first half, I lost all the ball battles and loose balls, so I was scolded by the coach and I was thinking of improving there. I was scolded a lot during the match as well. In the second half, our defense improved and we were able to go forward without falling behind, so we were able to create our own rhythm. I think that was good. (What about the goal scene?) When I entered the box, I knew that the left side was open, so when I ran, Cabore used his body well to set me up. I don't remember the moment I took the shot, but I'm glad it went in. But even though I was able to score a goal, everything else was not good at all, so today it feels like I just scored a goal. My goal for this season is to consistently perform as a starter. Today was the first time I started, but I couldn't play my own game of taking the ball and heading towards the goal, so I want to work harder from now on."

　[Summary of Manager Shirofuku's Press Conference] "I think it was great to be able to celebrate with the fans at home. I once again felt that the support of the fans is very empowering when the team is not doing well. In terms of the game, except for the Yamagata league match, we have been conceding an average of 3 goals per game, so we focused strongly on defense first and foremost. This includes the team's defensive approach and how we take risks when attacking, but first and foremost, it is about each individual's responsibility to prevent the opponent from freely playing and to win the ball, and how we can do that for 90 minutes. Throughout the first and second halves, there were not many scenes where we were outplayed. I think we gave away too many set pieces, but we were not broken defensively, which I recognize is because each individual had a high defensive awareness. However, in the first half, the areas where we won the ball were too low, and the two forwards were isolated when trying to connect the attack from there. As a result, there were situations where we lost the ball and were attacked in the first half. Rather than being attacked, I think it was a situation where the ball was being circulated. From around the end of the first half, spaces started to open up, so we were able to connect, but we were a bit lacking in keeping the ball and pushing forward in the first half. I think one of the main reasons for that was that we were winning the ball too low, as I mentioned earlier. In the second half, we were able to win the ball a bit earlier as a team, so we had more time to play soccer in the opponent's half, and ideally, we should have scored a second goal when the opponent attacked. There were several chances where a pass could have been successful. Tatsuya Suzuki's final shot should have been scored as well. We want to build on this defense and reflect on it firmly to move forward when the opponent comes out and try to secure the win."

　[Summary of Kobe Caio Junior's press conference] "We changed from a 4-back to a 3-back formation since the last game, and especially in the first half, it worked very well. Overall, the performance in the first half was good. I think it was very difficult for FC Tokyo to mark our team in the first half. Although there were a few scenes where they had shots towards the end of the first half, we were able to change sides effectively, so it was difficult for them to mark our side changes. I think mainly because we were able to possess the ball well, we were able to control the game. Among the data from Vissel Kobe last year, there was a record of having the most fouls in the J1 League. Since I came to Japan, I have been aiming for the club to reduce the number of fouls and yellow cards, and I think we have achieved some results. In the previous two games, we didn't receive any yellow cards. As a result, I think we have been able to perform well. Regarding today's game, we were playing well, but unfortunately, we conceded a goal due to a foul that was probably overlooked. It was a very disappointing incident. In the second half, the opposing team put pressure on us from the front, and we had to play while feeling the difficulty, which ultimately led to this result. In the second half, we tried to change the situation and put pressure on the opponent by bringing in MF Noriyuki Suzuki, DF Shu Mogi, and FW Matsubashi, but we couldn't change the situation easily, and the game ended as a result."