Defeating the league leaders Sendai, advancing to the semifinals of the Nabisco Cup

　The second leg of the Nabisco Cup quarterfinals will be held on 7/25, just three days after the previous league match. In the first leg, which took place away against Vegalta Sendai, Tokyo took a 2-0 lead but allowed the opponent to equalize. In this second leg, if the score remains 0-0 or ends in a 1-1 draw, Tokyo will advance to the semifinals based on the away goals rule.

　However, Coach Popovic said, "If there is even a slight feeling of advantage or advantage, we lose at that point. Every game is like that, 'Everything is decided in this one-shot match. This is the final round.' We must approach it with that mindset. After fighting like that, the result of the first match may come into play, but it will not lead to a good result even if we calculate the points won," and he said it is a match where we should "simply aim for victory."

　Sendai, who will face us, has been drawing for 4 consecutive games since the 15th round of the league on 7/14, but they have shown perseverance and steadily accumulated points, once again taking the top spot in the league. Today, it will be a situation where Sendai "must score" and "must win", so they will surely come out aggressively even away from home. On the other hand, Tokyo wants to prolong the time without conceding a goal. They also want to take advantage mentally with the support from the stands and secure victory in a calm manner.

　Regarding the members, the coach said, "We have consecutive matches with the league, and there are players who need rest honestly due to exhaustion in the heat." Kaga and Lucas are on the bench. On the other hand, Edmilson started for the first time. In addition, just like in the Urawa match, Takahashi is used as a center back, Nakamura is the right back, and Mukuhara is the left back. Ishikawa is on the side, and Tanizawa also starts, with Tanabe playing as an attacking midfielder. The match started at 19:05 with Sendai's kickoff at the Ajinomoto Stadium, where you can feel the coolness as the extreme heat so far has settled down.

Finish the first half with a scoreless game with calm ball circulation and game management

　Enter the game calmly and try to attack by passing the ball firmly. In the meantime, actively aim for opportunities if there are any openings, and in the 2nd minute, Ishikawa received a big side change from Yonemoto in the right area and sent it directly inside for Edmilson to aim for the goal. In the 4th minute, Hasegawa moved to the right front line. Edmilson broke through and passed to Ishikawa in the center of the area. In the 7th minute, Edmilson was fouled in the opponent's central area and won a free kick. Nakamura aimed from a distance and caught the bottom right corner of the goal, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.

　Edmilson has demonstrated his ball control and work rate, allowing the team to move forward effectively. However, Sendai, who initially lacked momentum, gradually launched a counterattack, mainly through set plays. In the 14th minute, Sendai midfielder Sekiguchi dribbled up the left side and connected with forward Wilson, who broke free in the left area and took a shot. In the 27th minute, Sekiguchi's dribble could not be stopped, and he passed to midfielder Yanagi, who provided support on the outside. From the sideline, Yanagi delivered a sharp left cross, and right midfielder Ota closed in on the goal for a header. Despite creating clear opportunities, both shots missed the target.

　Tokyo created a scoring opportunity in the 29th minute. Yonemoto changed the side from the center to the left. Mokuhara overlapped and carried the ball forward, sending a long cross to the far side. Ishikawa in the right area made a direct shot, but the powerful shot hit the crossbar... In the 35th minute, Tanabe kept the ball on the left side and connected it to the center. Yawazawa in the middle then passed it to Nakamura on the right side, who took a shot inside the frame but was caught by the goalkeeper. There were also moments when Sendai attacked, but Tokyo remained calm and connected their attacks from a persistent battle, waiting for a chance. They defended well and ended the first half with a scoreless draw.

Nao goal! Watanabe scores the second goal and advances to the semifinals as planned!

　In the beginning of the second half, they continuously faced scoring opportunities. In the 48th minute, they played a series of short passes on the left side, and Tanizawa -> Tanabe made a run and crossed the ball into the left area, with a negative pass in front of the goal. Hasegawa tried to connect with it, but was blocked by the defender at the last moment. Then, from a quick passing play, this time Tanizawa broke through into the left area and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one at a close distance to the goal. However, the shot was saved...

　If you miss this chance, Sendai will send a long ball to the forward Akamine and attack from set plays. In response, Tokyo substituted Kajiyama in the 60th minute. In the 70th minute, Ishikawa broke through the left front line and passed the ball to Tanizawa in the right area in front of the goal. Although a shot couldn't be taken here, it was well connected in the center and Kajiyama aimed for the goal, but was blocked by the defender.

　The time passed with the score still 0-0, and even a draw would secure a spot in the semifinal round. In the 76th minute, Lucas was brought in to make a difference. In the 81st minute, Lucas passed to Mukuhara on the left side of the opponent's field, and Yonemoto on the inside made a through pass. Ishikawa took advantage of his speed, running in and competing with the opponent's defender Park, and skillfully evaded the oncoming goalkeeper with a right-footed looping shot. The ball floated into the net, marking the desired opening goal, known as the "Nao Goal"!

　Tohoku, which needed "2 points," brought in tall FW Nakahara in the 84th minute and launched a counterattack by collecting long balls in the front line. In the 84th minute, Tokyo also replaced Edmilson with Watanabe. While concentrating on defending against Sendai's power play, they did not switch to a defensive stance and launched a further counterattack from there.

　In stoppage time, with persistent defense, Yonemoto steals the ball from his own half and passes it into the opponent's half. Watanabe breaks free from the opponent's defender and dribbles forward. Although the angle was lost after evading the goalkeeper who had come out, he accurately slots the ball into the left net from the right area, scoring the second goal! Yonemoto, who was the catalyst for both goals, as well as keeping a clean sheet in defense. They defeated Sendai and secured a spot in the semifinal round. In the semifinal round, they will face Shimizu S-Pulse.

　【Player Comment】《Ishikawa》"The 0-0 scoreline continued for a while, and even a draw would have been acceptable to move forward, but I really wanted to win cleanly. We had been struggling in the league matches, so I also had the desire to build momentum. Today, we were able to pass the ball well from the first half and had a good balance between connecting at our feet and aiming for the space behind the defense. In the first half, the opponent's defense was tight, so I thought that the crucial moment would be when they got tired and their movement slowed down. It's also important to take advantage of any opportunities that arise. The goal was a result of the awareness of playing the ball behind, including the pass from player Yonemoto. The pass was a good one. It slowed down a bit, and having that length and speed makes the goalkeeper come forward. The shot was also as intended. From the moment I hit it, I kept thinking 'Put it in! Put it in!' (laughs)"

　"Watanabe" "(Regarding the goal) The goalkeeper came forward, so I touched the ball quickly and tried to put my body in from the left. The ball bounced and the angle disappeared, but I was able to score in the end, which is good. However, I'm not particularly happy about scoring an additional point just before the end. What's important is how we can make use of it next. I want to prepare and do my best for the league match."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "I am evaluating not only positive results, but also the quality of the game. The previous match against Urawa Reds was tough, but today's match against Sendai, which was played with only three days of rest, we were able to play smartly and do what we needed to do simply. We were able to take control throughout the 90 minutes, and I think we showed a bit of stability following the match against Urawa. Every player gave their all and showed their individual strengths. I don't like to single out individuals for praise, but today MoriShige and Takahashi played really well. I am also satisfied that we were able to patiently, persistently, and simply play compactly against the top-ranked Sendai. As you can see, we were able to play a passing game even on a bad pitch."

　(The reason for stability?) I didn't let my guard down throughout the 90 minutes and didn't make any plays that would lead to conceding a goal. In previous matches, we have conceded goals not because the opponents broke us down, but because we lost the ball or made mistakes. Today, we were focused for the full 90 minutes. (Did Edmilson and Lucas use the space around them effectively, allowing other players to shine?) Even if individual skills shine, it is not effective and results cannot be obtained. I think good results can be achieved when good individuals contribute to team play. If we can play collectively as members of the team, we will become an even better team from here."

　[Sendai, Teguramori's press conference summary] "It was a disappointing result. Since the first match ended in a 2-2 draw, we had no choice but to score and win today, and we believed in that possibility and gave it our all. However, our game plan was slightly disrupted when a defender got injured during the match, and it remained 0-0. Although we did our best and the players gave their all even in the midst of consecutive matches, we couldn't make it to the top 4. But I believe we have gained something from this. I want to take that and bring it to the remaining league matches. I feel sorry and grateful to the Sendai supporters who believed in us and supported us until the end, even on weekday nights. I hope we can continue to fight together to win the title in the league."