National home aiming for only 3 points!

　The 5th round of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league is being held. This round, Tokyo, currently leading the group, will face Montedio Yamagata at the Japan National Stadium. After finishing 4 matches so far, Tokyo has only managed to secure 1 point in the previous match against Kyoto. In order to advance to the next stage, they cannot afford to lose anymore. It is an important match to secure a clear victory at home, accumulate points, and build momentum for the final match.

　This round, Bruno QUADROS, who returned from suspension, will start and partner with Hiramatsu as center-back. Nakamura, who had been injured in the neck, will also make his first start in the right full-back position upon his return.

　Yamagata, on the other hand, has played 3 matches so far, with a 1 point difference from Tokyo. They lost to Chiba in the previous Nabisco match and have not won any of their last 5 league matches. They seem to be struggling with injuries, but their team's focus and perseverance are evident. Their attacks, especially the long ball and second ball plays, as well as the attacks that start from the sides and involve FW Hasegawa, are powerful and require caution. It is important not only to maintain concentration in the defense line but also to apply coordinated pressing as a team and limit Yamagata's passing options.

　In the attack, recently we have been unable to score a second goal in the chances, and we often lose our rhythm, so we want to somehow play our own soccer and connect it to the goal reliably. The temperature is not high, but the humidity is 72% and it seems that rain is about to fall at the national stadium. The match started at 19:34 with the kickoff in Tokyo.

Conceding a goal right after the start, the defense becomes disorganized and Yamagata seizes the rhythm

　The start was chaotic in defense, and it became a rushed development. 30 seconds into the game, a long ball sent by Yamagata was contested by Hiramatsu and Yamagata forward Hasegawa. Hiramatsu couldn't take it away, and they were able to bring it to a shot, but it was saved by Gonda, avoiding a dangerous situation. Immediately after, Ishikawa cut in from the right and passed it to Cabore in the center, who smoothly slipped behind the opponent's DF in the right area. He received the return pass and shook the net with a shot, but it was offside when he received the pass...

　Then, in the 3rd minute, Kim Byung-suk, the right midfielder of Yamagata, broke through Tokyo's left side. He sent a minus pass in front of the goal, and it was perfectly matched by forward Takumi Hasegawa. The shot was saved by Gonda at first, but it was kicked in by left midfielder Hirose, resulting in a goal...

　Tokyo allowed the first goal in the early stages and was pushed back by long balls, allowing Yamagata to create attacking opportunities. Tokyo struggled to create chances in the front line against a tough press. In the 14th minute, Nakamura advanced and created a chance on the right side through a pass exchange with Cabore, with Tanabe aiming for the goal. However, the shot was saved by Yamagata GK Endo, who made his first appearance in a J-League official match today, including his time at Tokyo. In the 25th minute, Nakamura suffered an injury from an opponent's tackle.

　Substitute Nakamura with Mukuhara as left fullback in the 29th minute. To restore balance, Tokunaga was placed on the right, gradually allowing Tokyo to find their rhythm and create chances. In the 30th minute, Kabore connected the play in the center and Kajiyama advanced to the left area, delivering a final pass to the free Hirayama. However, Hirayama's decisive shot was blocked by Yamagata goalkeeper Endo. In the 32nd minute, Ishikawa drifted to the left and Kajiyama, who had moved up in front of the goal, took a shot that hit a defender and resulted in a left corner kick. Ishikawa connected with Tanabe through a short pass, and once again from Ishikawa's cross, Hiramatsu from the far side attempted a header but it went over.

　In the 38th minute, a chance was created from Ishikawa's dribble, and in the 41st minute, Murahara's left cross was connected by Hirayama in the center, and Cabore pushed the ball that had fallen in front of the goal from a very close distance, but once again it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save.... Carrying a one-point deficit, they headed into the second half.

Kajiyama scores the equalizer, Cabore scores 2 goals, and achieves the first comeback victory of the season!

　In the second half, we made adjustments and regained composure to launch a counterattack. In the 57th minute, Yamamoto on the right side of the opponent's field passed a lobbed ball to Hirayama in front of the goal, and he also joined the attack. Hirayama successfully controlled the ball and Kajiyama, who received this pass just outside the penalty area, aimed and shot the ball into the top left corner of the goal! Kajiyama scored a beautiful goal from the combination with Hirayama, finally equalizing the score.

　With this calm goal, the tide turned. In the 63rd minute, a vertical pass from Hirayama to Cabore, who was trying to break through to the front line. Cabore carried the ball forward with a trap and took a looping shot. It hit the opponent's goalkeeper and spilled in front of the goal, but Cabore pushed it in with a header while fiercely competing with the opponent's defender. Taking advantage of Cabore's speed, Tokyo took the lead and completely grasped the rhythm. In the 66th minute, they launched a quick attack, and Cabore cut back the opponent's defender in the right area and passed to Hirayama who had moved up in the center. From there, they created another scoring opportunity with a return pass, but it was offside at the time of the pass to Hirayama...

　In the 70th minute, a counterattack was launched from our own half, and Ishikawa dribbled into the opponent's half. He tried to pass to Tanabe, who had moved up from behind, but both of them ran out of breath... They couldn't synchronize their timing. In the 71st minute, Otake was substituted for Tanabe. Immediately after that, Kabore tried to break through behind the Yamagata defenders, following Kajiyama's long pass. The shot ball, which was taken in a shooting position, was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper, but Kabore himself caught up with the loose ball and pushed it in with his right foot to score the third goal!

　With this, the momentum continued, and in the 74th minute, Hirayama received a pass from the left side in the center of the area and turned around to create a scoring opportunity, but the shot lacked power... However, Cabore caught up to the ball that spilled forward and crossed it. Ishikawa on the far side received it and sent another decisive pass to the center, but no one was able to connect... In the 76th minute, Akamine was substituted for Cabore. Both teams stretched their lines, and although there were counterattacks towards the end, no additional goals were allowed. Cabore scored his first two goals in a single game, pushing Yamagata ahead and achieving a comeback victory with a two-goal difference, the first of the season for the team. As a result, they temporarily maintained their position as the top team in Group B.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"In the first half, I held onto the ball too much and was often looking for opportunities to pass. I made adjustments at halftime and in the second half, I was able to effectively switch between keeping the ball and passing. It was a great achievement to come back and win in the end. The goal was possible because Hirayama kept the ball well, allowing me to get into the goal area. I was able to score as I had practiced shots like that before, so I was able to execute it as planned. If we can play like we did in the second half today, I believe it will lead to victory. We want to secure our spot in the finals with our own strength."《Cabore》"The goal was possible because I received a good pass and was able to showcase my strengths. We conceded early today and it caused some chaos. However, we regrouped in the second half and were able to equalize with Kajiyama's fantastic goal. After that, the team settled down with the second goal. I think we played well against Kyoto and today, so I want to continue playing well and win. Shizuoka is a strong opponent, but I believe we have a chance to win, so I want to give it my all."

　[Summary of Manager Shirofuku's Press Conference] "Today was a situation where we absolutely had to win. I'm glad we were able to produce results. In the first half, we had chances too, but our defensive line was too deep, allowing the opponents to pick up second balls from their long passes and create through balls... It became a vicious cycle. We conceded a goal early on, which made our makeshift defensive line nervous. We have to reflect on the fact that our line dropped too deep and gave the opponents clear chances. In the second half, we made adjustments to our defensive line and confirmed where we should use our power and individual skills for the benefit of the team. We had some good passing sequences and also had opportunities for counterattacks with Cabore's long shots, but ultimately, if we can't connect our plays, we can't create those counterattacking opportunities. We want to continue to bring out both aspects effectively in the game. (Regarding injured players) Cabore has been playing with a pre-existing injury on the inside of his knee. However, I don't think it's too serious, but we won't know for sure until we conduct further examinations. As for Hokuto Nakamura, the opponent player tackled him forcefully with the sole of his foot while going for the ball. It directly hit the area where he already had an injury. He is having difficulty even walking, so we need to take our time and properly treat him. (Why did you put Murohara as left full-back?) In the first half, there were instances where Yamagata's left full-back Ishikawa switched sides and caused problems for our right midfielder Kim. Therefore, we decided to deploy Murohara, whom we have great trust in defensively, on Kim's side to contain the situation."

　[Summary of Yamagata Kobayashi's press conference] "We had a good start in the first half and it was good that we were able to break through the spaces and the sides well. However, two players got injured and we were pushed back towards the end of the first half. We had to endure that and try to score another goal... that's how the game developed. There were decisive moments in the first half to score additional goals, but not being able to convert them was a big factor. FC Tokyo also had chances, but if we could have scored another goal after taking the lead, we might have had an easier time in the second half. In the second half, the lack of communication for the second goal was regrettable. We were able to score one goal, so if we had accuracy, it could have been a game where we could score another goal, but it became difficult for us in terms of strength due to the injuries of two players (Akiba, Kim). Unfortunately, it feels like this is as far as we can go. We took the lead, but when it became a clash of individuals, it became a rough game of power struggle to win or lose the ball. We ended up adjusting to FC Tokyo. I think if we had coordinated more as a group, we could have had a calmer game. It may have been a game that we could have won as a possibility. Although it turned out this way in reality, I think it was a good experience for the team."