Facing the final showdown for the Nabisco Cup final round!

　The second leg of the Nabisco Cup semifinals will be held at Ajinomoto Stadium, where Shimizu S-Pulse will face off against Cabore. In the first leg, Shimizu took the lead with goals from Yonehara and Cabore, but in the second half, they couldn't stop the momentum of Shimizu despite their numerical disadvantage. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. However, since they have scored two away goals, a 1-1 draw in the second leg would be enough for them to advance in 90 minutes. It can be said that they are in a favorable situation as they welcome the home leg.

　However, it is clear that Shimizu must take risks and attack. Tokyo, of course, aims for victory, but there is also the fact that if the match ends in a 0-0 draw, they can advance to the final round. Coach Jofuku talked about the difficulty of balancing the reality that stands in their way in this situation. Therefore, the key point is how thoroughly they can establish a common understanding. In the first match, Shimizu left room for improvement in their performance after a player was sent off, but it should be necessary to express that common understanding on the pitch.

　At the same time in the first match, we gained confidence that we can break through Shimizu's solid defense if we can play our own soccer. In the second match, we want to connect passes calmly, make moves from the sides, and take the lead. We aim for victory with a high awareness of scoring goals and a determination to win the crucial match. Shimizu will be without DF Iwashita due to a red card in the first match. On the other hand, DF Aoyama and FW Nagai will start. Tokyo will approach the match with the same lineup as the first match.

　The match started at exactly 18:00 with Shimizu's kickoff at the sunny Ajinomoto Stadium.

Initiating Tokyo-style soccer, taking the lead with Hirayama's powerful header!

　Both teams showed their fighting spirit from the beginning and engaged in intense offensive and defensive exchanges. In the 6th minute, after a cut in their own half, a counterattack was launched, with Ishikawa dribbling up and Bruno QUADROS, who had moved up the center, taking a shot, but it lacked power and was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 13th minute, Shimizu's left midfielder Edamura dribbled into the central area and took a shot, but it went wide of the goal.

　In the 16th minute, amidst a heated back-and-forth battle, Hanyu, who had moved up to the left front, received a pass from Yonemoto. He cut inside from the outside, switched the ball to his right foot, and sent a sharp left cross into the goal area. As the ball arrived, Hirayama shook off the opposing defender and leaped towards the near post, heading the ball into the goal in a straight line. Goal! Starting from the side, they made good use of the opportunity and scored the long-awaited opening goal.

　Tokyo took this opportunity to find their rhythm and play Tokyo-style soccer by connecting passes. In the 19th minute, Cabore cut in from the left side and Hirayama moved to the right. Ishikawa carried the ball inside and aimed with his left foot, but hit the goalkeeper's face. In the 21st minute, Mokuhara dribbled up the right side and crossed. Cabore dropped the ball in the middle, and Hirayama shot from behind, but it was blocked... In the 25th minute, after clearing the opponent's corner kick, Tokyo launched a counterattack. Ishikawa broke through and Hayu sent a through pass to the right area. Hirayama became free here, but couldn't create a scoring opportunity.

　After that, Tokunaga and Mukuhara also aggressively attacked, Ishikawa and Hirayama switched on and created chances, but in the 37th minute, Tokunaga dribbled fiercely to the deep left side of the front line, sent a cross parallel to the line, and Hirayama in the center hit it with his foot, but couldn't catch the frame. Yamamoto's middle shot in the 40th minute hit the defender and resulted in a corner kick. In the end, they couldn't score an additional point. They led by one point and turned to the second half.

With a tenacious defense, they snuffed out the threat and emerged victorious, advancing to the Final Round!

　Shimizu tried to change the flow by substituting MF Fujimoto for FW Nagai in the 42nd minute of the first half. However, Tokyo was the one who found their rhythm at the start of the second half. In the 46th minute, Cabore on the left side passed the ball to Ishikawa who had moved to the center and then sent a through pass to the left area. Hanyu made a run here, but the ball was intercepted by a defender just before it reached him and caught by the goalkeeper. In the 50th minute, there was a competition between Cabore and Shimizu's defender for a right cross in front of the goal, and the ball spilled into the left area. Ishikawa, who was waiting, took a shot with his right foot. He tried to score with a volley, but it was saved by the goalkeeper... Cabore also couldn't follow up on the loose ball in front and couldn't take advantage of the chance.

　In the 53rd minute, Ishikawa broke through the right front line following a pass from behind, but he couldn't finish the shot. Shimizu DF Aoyama, who collided with Ishikawa in this play, was injured and went out of the pitch. In the 56th minute, he was forced to substitute for DF Hiraoka. Still trailing by one goal, Shimizu aggressively attacked. However, Tokyo maintained their concentration and defended tenaciously, launching counterattacks. In the 59th minute, Shimizu sent a left cross, but FW Yoensen in front of the goal couldn't touch it. Right SB Ichikawa -> MF Hyodo tried to send the ball to the front line from the right area, but it was blocked by the Tokyo DF's body.

　In the 62nd minute, Shimizu's right cross was dropped by FW YONSEN in the left area, and MF ITO shot, but YAMAMOTO blocked it with his body. In the 65th minute, KABORE broke through into the area, feinted the opposing DF and cut inside, and took a decisive shot, but... it was saved. In the 70th minute, Shimizu brought in tall FW NAGASAWA and started a power play. However, in the 72nd minute, Tokyo replaced HANYU with SUZUKI, and in the 80th minute, replaced HIRAYAMA with SAHARA. Bruno QUADROS took a defensive formation with 5 backs, with SAHARA on the right and MOBATA on the left, but never lowered the line, fiercely competed, and blocked the pinch at crucial moments.

　In the 86th minute, Hiramatsu was substituted for Ishikawa as the right midfielder. In the 89th minute, as planned, Hiramatsu cleared Shimizu's cross and passed it through to Cabore, who was trying to break through the front line at the right timing. The opponent's goalkeeper also came out, leaving the goal open, but Cabore's shot narrowly missed the target... Although they couldn't score an additional goal, they effectively used player substitutions and shut down Shimizu's counterattack. They protected the one goal scored by Hirayama without conceding any goals and secured their spot in the finals! On November 3rd, they will face Kawasaki Frontale on the national pitch for the first time since 2004.

　【Player Comments】《Hirayama》"I'm happy to have reached the final for the first time as a professional. Today, we talked about not settling for a draw, but winning and advancing to the final. I'm happy with my goal, but the defense also kept a clean sheet, and I think we won the final as a team. The goal was something I had practiced. I was aiming for the near side. I thought that if I could start my movement quickly after receiving a good ball from Hayashi, I could score before the opponent. In my soccer career, I don't get to play in the final round stage many times. I definitely want to win."《Hayashi》"I have been considering the speed, position, timing, and pattern of crosses since practice, especially focusing on the speed. We also had an agreement to always mark one player near the goal. Since we had been communicating during practice, it paid off. Regarding Shimizu, I was particularly cautious of FW Yonsen's height. Even after scoring a goal, we didn't just sit back and defend, but we were able to play aggressively, so I think it was good. In the end, there were some moments of confusion, but overall, I think it was a good performance because we were conscious of both counterattacks and possession. In the final, we want to repay our debt from the league matches. First of all, I'm happy to be on the pitch for the final and I want to fight with confidence."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "We were able to advance to the final by preparing without regret towards the long-awaited finalist for the fans, supporters, and club staff. It was really great to be able to celebrate with the fans. Today, the way the game ended - the last 10-15 minutes could have been various situations. We expected extreme developments that are not seen in league matches. However, if we start with that in mind, we won't be able to bring out our biggest common factor. First, maximize the team's common understanding. We focused on entering the game by concentrating on our usual fight and giving 100% of our usual strength. It would have been fine to end with a 0-0 score, and even if we conceded a goal first, I believed that if we played our soccer, we could definitely score a goal, so we played an aggressive game without backing down. The result of 1-0 is gratifying for today, but if you look at it calmly, I think we could have scored the second and third goals. However, it would be cruel to say that today, and by being able to go to the final, we can take the time to work on those issues. I was impressed by the efforts of the players. It was a game that made me feel once again that every player is necessary for this team. The final round is a stage that the players themselves have won. It is also the result of the fans eagerly awaiting the stage of the final to be held in Tokyo. So without hesitation, we want to give our all and have a game without regrets. It also gives us confidence that we were able to fight against the strong Shimizu in two consecutive matches in the Nabisco Cup. The league matches will start soon, but we want to continue building up and prepare to compete for higher positions one game at a time in the autumn."

　[Summary of Shimizu Hasegawa's press conference] "I apologize for not being able to give a good result despite the support of the 3,000 supporters who came. However, the players worked very hard. I sincerely congratulate FC Tokyo and I hope they will achieve good results in the final round. Today's second match was a good situation for FC Tokyo, even if it ended in a 1-1 or 0-0 draw. I felt that it would be difficult for us if the score remained the same in the second half. So, with the aim of making a move from the first half, FW Nagai also started. However, there were many mistakes in the first half, and we couldn't create the desired attacking shape. Throughout these two matches, it was painful to be scored against first. We couldn't establish our own rhythm and shape. In the second half, the ball started to circulate and we were able to create a shape, but in the end, we couldn't score a goal, which is very disappointing. However, the Nabisco Cup is already over. The league will resume soon, and we are in a position to reach the ACL considering our current position. We want to switch our mindset and work hard for the league and the Emperor's Cup."