Nabisco Cup Quarterfinals, 1st leg, Win at Home!

　The quarterfinals of the Nabisco Cup are being held. Tokyo will play the first match at home against Nagoya Grampus. In addition to Tokyo, the teams that advanced from the qualifying league, Urawa, Yokohama FM, and Shimizu, as well as Kashima, Kawasaki, Nagoya, and G Osaka, who participated in the ACL, will participate in this quarterfinals. The semifinals will also be played in a home and away format.

　The team is currently on a 6-game winning streak in official matches since being promoted to J1. Despite the short interval of 2 days between the previous league match and this match against the same opponent, they want to extend their winning streak without losing momentum. However, the players are all saying, "Rather than focusing on how many consecutive wins we can achieve, it is important to give our all in each game and accumulate points." With a strong determination, they are taking one step at a time towards the path to the Cup Winners. Tokyo will face the match with the same starting lineup as the league match, and Otake will be on the bench for the first time since the Shimizu match in the Nabisco Cup on June 13.

　Nagoya, on the other hand, had coach Stojkovic discussing lineup changes after the defeat in the previous league match. Today, GK Nishimura and left-back Sato started. Also, MF Nakamura, who was suspended in the league match, and MF Yoshimura formed a double pivot, and they approached the match with a fresh formation of FW Davi and Sugimoto as the two forwards.

　In order to determine the advancement through two matches, it is desirable to score as many goals as possible and win to gain an advantage. However, if the number of victories and the goal difference are the same after two matches, the away goals will determine the advancement. Considering that, it is preferable to avoid conceding goals at home. Whether the team can unify their will and carry out a stable game is one of the highlights. First and foremost, we want to secure a solid victory at home. The rainy season has ended and the full-fledged summer has arrived. Ajinomoto Stadium, where the humidity remains even at night, the match started exactly at 19:30 with Nagoya's kickoff.

Shun HIRAYAMA, Yoneyama, Nao, and Nagatomo attack the Nagoya goal!

　Today, the opening goal came in the 3rd minute. Nagoya withstood the fierce attack from the start and Kanda sent a goal kick to the front line. Hirayama competed for this and Nagoya's defense escaped with a throw-in. Ishikawa quickly threw the ball in from the right side, and Kabore caught up in a high position near the right sideline, sending a minus pass to the center of the area. Hirayama, who was waiting freely here, easily connected and stabbed the ball into the goal with his right foot! They took the lead with quick decision-making and coordination.

　With this momentum, in the 10th minute, Ishikawa, who was positioned towards the center, passed the ball to the left front line. Cabore received the ball with one touch and made a fierce dash towards the goal. His shot from a close distance was saved by the Nagoya GK, but Hayu persistently followed up and skillfully turned around to pass it to Yonemoto behind him. Yonemoto controlled the ball well with his right foot and scored his first professional goal with a powerful shot! In the immediate 11th minute, from Tokunaga's side change, Hayu on the far side passed the ball to Cabore on the right front line again. Cabore temporarily kept the ball, then returned it to the center and Kajiyama, who had moved up there, sent it into the right area with a header. Ishikawa timed it perfectly, confidently swung his right foot, and beautifully placed it into the far corner, marking his sixth consecutive goal! In the blink of an eye, they took a 3-0 lead.

　After that, the game settled down a bit, but even when Nagoya brought the ball into our area, we calmly dealt with it. We didn't give them any scoring opportunities. In the 26th minute, Bruno QUADROS made a feed and Ishikawa, who was on the left side, made a run and brought the ball forward with a trap. He made a dash to the left area, but was stopped by Nagoya defender Tanaka and couldn't take a shot. Nevertheless, we kept possession and passed it back to Nagatomo. Nagatomo took a precise shot from the left area, which curved into the upper right corner while the Nagoya goalkeeper watched, and scored the fourth goal.

　In the 32nd minute, the DF line and midfield passed the ball, and as soon as they saw a chance, Tokunaga moved forward. Hirayama, who had slipped behind the DF, took a right corner kick. From Ishikawa's right corner kick to the center, to Yonemoto. Yonemoto couldn't take a shot, but he persistently connected the play, and Hayashi in the left area → Hirayama took a powerful shot, grazing the DF and hitting the post! Bruno QUADROS couldn't finish the rebound, and the fifth goal couldn't be scored, but with 7 shots, they scored 4 goals and ended the first half.

Despite losing rhythm to Nagoya, they achieve a big victory

　In the second half, Tokyo substituted Akamine for Kabore, while Nagoya substituted Tamada for Davi. As a result, Nagoya gained momentum. Tokyo tried to create chances by passing the ball, but they were caught on the counterattack by Nagoya and were constantly threatened with goals even after restarts. In the 47th minute, Nagoya was awarded a free kick from the left area near the goal. Nagoya midfielder Ogawa sent the ball to the front line, but it was caught directly by Konda. In the 51st minute, Nagoya took another shot from a free kick on the left side, this time from the right area, and defender Masukawa shot, but Konda made the save!

　However, in the 53rd minute, in the flow of the game, Nagoya MF Nakamura passed the ball to the right front line, and Tanaka, the right fullback, ran up to a high position. Ishikawa, who had returned to defense here, was cut back, and a cross was lifted. MF Ogawa, who had been filling the left area, headed the ball. Tokunaga was competing for it, but he scored a header shot from above and conceded a goal that he wanted to avoid...

　After that, both players showed signs of fatigue in the humid heat, and the line became stretched. However, in the 68th minute, Suzuki was substituted for Yonemoto, and in the 73rd minute, Tanabe was substituted for Ishikawa, with Hayu moving to the defensive midfield position. This player substitution helped regain composure. In the 75th minute, Tanabe, who came on as a substitute, dribbled forward while connecting passes, drawing out Tokunaga's attacking run. Against the cross sent into the goal area from here, Akamine was also closing in, but just before that, the opponent's defender's clearance resulted in an own goal, securing the 5th goal.

　Still, Nagoya tries to retaliate. In the 78th minute, FW Tsuda runs into the left area from a quick attack and takes a sharp shot that passes between Imakano's legs, but Gonda makes a great save! In the 85th minute, Nagoya's right full-back Tanaka advances and sends a ball with shooting potential to the front line. FW Tsuda also jumps in with his head, but Gonda catches it firmly and doesn't allow a counterattack. Although there are still challenges in the second half of the game, it ends with a score of 5-1. With a overwhelming advantage before the second leg of the quarterfinals away, they achieve their first official 7-game winning streak.

　【Player Comments】《Yonemoto》"(About first goal) I was just thinking about putting the ball in the frame when it came to me, so I was surprised when it went in. But I'm glad it went in. (I was able to score before rookie teammate) Tanabe (laughs). We were able to turn the first half in a good shape, but the second half wasn't as good. The defense line dropped back and we midfielders also dropped back. We had to kick more and our pressing became weaker. We were pushed back and conceded a goal, but we were able to score the fifth goal in the end, so I think it was a game that led to the second match as a team. I think we had a good start, but we want to improve on the challenges we faced in the second half."《Tanabe》"I was preparing to come on from the middle of the first half, but the plan changed and I came on from the middle of the second half. We conceded a goal right before I came on, so it was a bit difficult to come on, but I'm glad I didn't make it more dangerous. (Did you play a part in the fifth goal?) If I passed too early, the opponent would have come to me, so I thought I would dribble once and then go the other way. That situation was good, but I lost the ball twice more and it became a dangerous scene when we were countered. Maybe I dribbled too much. I want to reflect on that. Another challenge is that it takes me a while to get used to the game. However, I played for the first time at Ajinomoto Stadium in the previous league match against Nagoya, and it's a home game, the turf is good, and it's fun. My friends from the local area also come to support me. I want to work harder to make a bigger impact."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "Despite the difficulty of attending a night game on a weekday, many fans and supporters came. For the sake of those people, we couldn't afford to play a strange game, and we had a strong desire to advance here because we lost in the quarterfinals of the Nabisco Cup last year. We also had a high motivation not to stop our recent progress. We started the game well and scored four goals in the first half. We wanted to keep the goals conceded to zero, but we relaxed a bit in the second half, which is something to reflect on. However, overall, scoring five goals against a strong team like Nagoya gives us confidence. Today, we saw efforts and adjustments in front of the goal. It was pleasing to see the players coming up with ideas instead of forcefully shooting and hitting the opponent, such as evading them. When we review the video, there were scenes where it would have been better to shoot, of course. However, it is important to keep trying and making adjustments gradually to make the right decisions. In fact, in the first half, there were situations where other players scored instead of shooting where they should have. We want to continue working as a team without wavering in those areas and be able to make the right decisions."

　[Nagoya Stojkovic coach's press conference summary] "It was like a nightmare. Congratulations on FC Tokyo's victory. It was a lesson for us. We tried many things, but it didn't go well. (Did you change the members from the league match?) GK Narazaki was excluded because he had ear pain. FW Tamada also wanted to rest a little, so FW Sugimoto was put in. However, even if we changed the players, there was no significant difference because of this result. The key to today's game was the significant difference in speed. Our movements were like slow motion, but FC Tokyo was like a bullet train. That was the difference. This is not a tactical issue. We didn't have the answer to deal with players like Cabore, Ishikawa, and Hirayama. Especially for the first goal, the throw-in was passed to Cabore and he took it freely, but the DF should have followed and covered. I want to have a solid discussion with the players about today's game. FW Kennedy will join from the next game, and I hope for the return of injured DF Yoshida and DF Bayarritzia. We will never give up and want to show a new Grampus from now on."