Entering a series of matches, facing the Nabisco Cup with a fresh lineup

Entering April, the Nabisco Cup is being held in parallel with the league matches. After the previous league match, we will face Nagoya Grampus in the third round of the qualifying league in just three days. From here, we will enter a series of four matches and a tough schedule, so this match will see a change in the lineup from the previous league match, with fresh players being used in the front line. Hirayama will make his first start since the league match against Tosu on March 5, 2011, and will play as the lone striker. On both sides, Kono and Nemanja VUCICEVIC, who will make their first start of the season, will be positioned. Tanabe will play as the attacking midfielder, with Shioda as the goalkeeper and Takahashi and Yonemoto forming a double pivot in the midfield.

Nagoya, on the other hand, is currently in 2nd place in the qualifying group with 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 points, just like Tokyo. They have also shown consistent strength this season with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the league. In this Levain Cup, they will face the match with a similar lineup to the league matches, with experienced players such as FW Tamada, FW Yano, MF Danilson, MF Ogawa, and DF Masukawa in a 4-3-3 formation. In addition to a solid defense centered around DF Tawara, they also have the ability to win through set plays, so Tokyo needs to maintain concentration and fight with a shared awareness from all players in both offense and defense throughout the 90 minutes. Above all, they aim to secure 3 points by uniting as one in the home match.

The strong rain that had been falling since the previous day had completely stopped at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started at 19:04 with Nagoya's kickoff.

Although they took the initiative and attacked, they were unable to shake the net.

Tokyo showed an aggressive attitude towards the goal from the beginning and took the initiative. In the 5th minute, quickly moving forward from the restart, Takahashi passed to Tokunaga who went up on the right. Tokunaga's cross went through the goal area, but Tanabe on the left side shot the ball that bounced. However, he couldn't hit it well. The ball that spilled into the center of the area was shot directly by Hirayama, but it went wide to the left.

In the 16th minute, Hirayama received a cross pass from Kono near the area and brought it into the area with one touch, leading to a shot. In the 24th minute, a quick attack was launched and a long through pass was sent to Hirayama, who was trying to break through the opponent's defense from behind, from Vucicevic. Hirayama, who received the ball in the right area, cut inside the opponent's defense, but... couldn't bring it to a finish from there.

Nagoya made a shot in the 27th minute with FW Teruki Tanaka, but the Tokyo DF blocked it and Shioda held onto it. This was the only shot by Nagoya in the first half. Tokyo concentrated and continued to launch quick attacks without giving Nagoya any real chances. However, in the 39th minute, Kono in the center collapsed after hitting the post, and Tanabe followed up by sliding to the right from the center to evade the DF and take a shot, but the GK caught it. Despite finding their rhythm, they were unable to shake the net and ended the first half.

Despite both teams attacking each other, they were unable to capitalize on their chances, resulting in a scoreless draw.

In the second half, Nagoya introduced MF Taguchi as a double pivot to break through and launched an increased attack with a sense of speed. In the 53rd minute, Nagoya FW Tamada took a volley shot. In the 55th minute, a decisive header by FW Tanaka Teru from a cross by right-back Tanaka Hayato was missed outside the frame. In the following 57th minute, FW Tanaka Teru was left free in the center and was shot at with a mid-range shot, but Shioda made a save and averted the danger.

Tokyo, who wants to change the flow, brought Hasegawa to the right side and placed Higashi as an attacking midfielder in the 60th minute. Tanabe tried to regain the rhythm by moving to the left side. In the 72nd minute, MoriShige, who had been pushing up the line from the midfield, aimed for the opponent's defense line and passed the ball. In response to this, Hirayama timed his run well into the left area and took a shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 81st minute, Ota made a diagonal pass from the left side to the front of the goal. Higashi jumped out to meet the ball that had flowed behind after the scramble, but it was offside.

After that, Lee replaced Hirayama. Furthermore, in the 82nd minute, Tokunaga overlapped and sent a cross. It passed behind Lee in the center, but Ota's shot from the far side hit the bar.... In the 86th minute, Yonemoto stole the ball in the midfield and advanced with a dribble. He sent a final pass to Lee, who had broken through on the left front line. Lee's shot shook the net, but it was slightly offside....

And in the second half injury time, Nagoya DF Tanaka Hayato, who was trying to clear Tokyo's right cross, committed a handball foul and Tokyo was awarded a penalty kick. However, the PK kicked skillfully by Higashi was blocked by the upper right bar... The rebound was persistently connected and rushed into the goal area, but Higashi's shot missed the target, and immediately after that, the game was over. Tokyo connected chances one after another in their characteristic style, but they were unable to capitalize on them. The match ended in a scoreless draw at home.

[Player Comments]
《Hirayama》"There was enjoyment. The team was in a good state for a long time, so I didn't want to disrupt that and fought with the awareness of how much I could show what I've been doing in practice in official matches. In the first half, my body was moving and I think we were able to do what we wanted to do as a team. I was conscious of starting to move and everyone was watching my movements in a fast transition between offense and defense. I think we were able to play with combination plays and moving the ball and people. However, I was weak in the final shot. I want to train focusing on the final part as a challenge."

"Tanabe" "Personally, in the first half, I felt like my feet weren't on the ground. I was trying to play fluidly up front, but I think I held myself back. However, because I was feeling dizzy in the attack, I tried my best to run and defend. Personally, I think I was able to move better in the second half and get involved with the ball."

[Coach's Press Conference Summary]
《Coach Popovich》"In terms of the game content, I think it was a match where we lost 2 points rather than gaining 1 point, although I am satisfied. In the first half, we firmly connected the ball and took control of the game. We came up with ideas and created several chances, but we couldn't convert them. In the second half, the opponent had some opportunities, but after making player substitutions, we regained our rhythm, connected the ball well, and created many scoring opportunities. However, we need to fix the issue of not being able to convert those opportunities into goals."

Nagoya has been a team that has consistently been in the top competition in recent years. It is a sign of our growth that we were able to take the initiative and earn points against that team. However, in order to continue growing, it is important to win games like today's firmly. We were close to victory, but the result is only 1 point. In order to win games like this, we want to continue to face them as a united team in the future."

"Nagoya Stojkovic coach" "There was no goal, but I think we showed high-quality soccer. I think we showed two different faces in the first and second halves. In the first half, there were some confusion and we gave Tokyo space and were attacked. On the other hand, in the second half, I think we were able to play the soccer we wanted to some extent. I think we could have won with a little more, but we couldn't put the ball in the net in terms of decisiveness. However, I think a draw is a reasonably good result."