Nabisco Cup kicks off, high expectations for fresh members

After three league matches, the "2014 J-League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup" begins. The first round of the qualifying league is against Kashima Antlers. This qualifying league is played by 14 teams excluding the 4 teams participating in the ACL, and Tokyo is in Group A. From now until June 1st, we will compete against Kashima, Sendai, Kobe, Shimizu, G Osaka, and Tosu in a round-robin format, and the top 2 teams will advance to the knockout tournament. Tokyo won its first championship in 2004. They achieved their second victory in 2009, but have been distant from the title since then. This season, under the guidance of coach Massimo, a new battle begins to gradually win the cup.

Today's lineup, considering the consecutive matches, will have Tokunaga, Takahashi, Edu, and Higashi absent. Eight players will be replaced from the league match, with GK Shiota, right-back Matsuda, center-back Yoshimoto, MF Nozawa, Yonemoto, Hanyu, FW Hirayama, and Kono starting for the first time this season. Hirayama and Watanabe will be the top two, with Kono as the attacking midfielder. In the midfield, Nozawa will be the anchor, Yonemoto on the right inside half, and Hanyu on the left. Coach Massimo explained his intention, saying, "To enhance the overall team strength while maintaining competitiveness, we have selected the players who have prepared the most."

Kashima, on the other hand, has achieved three consecutive victories in the league and is currently in first place. This season, FW Osako, Juninho, and DF Iwamasa have left the team, but young members have been actively used. They have been able to maintain their good form by working well with experienced players. In this match, they only replaced the GK with Sato, and the field players have approached the game with the same lineup as the previous league match. On the other hand, Tokyo will continue to play in an organized manner both in attack and defense, without changing their attitude of trying to control the game themselves. It will be crucial whether they can take advantage of Kashima's weaknesses. We also have high expectations for the dynamic play of the fresh players.

Yesterday, despite the arrival of the first spring breeze, Ajinomoto Stadium still retains its coldness. The match started at 19:00 with Kashima's kickoff.

Dynamic in offense and defense, Kawano and Ota make the most of their chances!

The game started early. In the 8th minute, GK Shibata kicked the ball and Hirayama and the opposing DF competed for it. The ball spilled to the right and Yonemoto made a one-touch trap. From there, he sent a floating pass that pierced the back of the opposing DF directly. Kono jumped out to match it, carried the ball into the area with a trap, and broke free in front of the opposing DF to shoot with his right foot. He decisively scored the opening goal! In the following 10 minutes, there was a pass exchange between Hayashi and Kono on the left side near the sideline. Kono hit Watanabe in front and received a return pass, then sprinted to the front line. From the left area to the center, he made a minus last pass. Ota, who ran into the area from the inside, directly connected and scored a well-aimed shot near the goal! With speed and coordination, they quickly took a 2-0 lead against Kashima, who had not conceded a goal in 3 league matches.

After that, the front line and midfielders Hayashi, Yonemoto, and Nozawa were active. They not only maintained the speed of transitioning between offense and defense, but also had a high defensive awareness, pressing from the front and not allowing Kashima to connect the ball in the front line. In the 28th minute, the second ball in the midfield was stolen, and Kashima's right midfielder Endo took a shot. In the 36th minute, from Kashima's left corner kick, forward Davi headed the ball, but both shots were off target. On the contrary, in the 42nd minute, Watanabe on the right side delivered a soft cross into the area. The ball passed over the heads of Kashima's defenders and reached Hirayama, who evaded the opponent's defender with his body and took a decisive shot from the right area, but... it went over the crossbar...

Although we couldn't score the third goal, we pushed Kashima back with dynamic plays and ended the first half.

Hikaru MITA scores the first goal at Ajinomoto Stadium from Matsuda's cross, fending off Kashima's counterattack

In the second half, Kashima brought in MF Motoyama as a substitute and launched a counterattack. However, Tokyo maintained the intensity and balance in the midfield and defense, resulting in a back-and-forth match. In the 54th minute, Tokyo substituted Mita for Kono. Following that, Kashima also brought in FW Caio. In the 58th minute, Ota passed a left corner kick to Hanyu, who then crossed the ball. Hirayama, positioned in front of the goal, executed a powerful header, causing the ball to bounce off the hands of the Kashima goalkeeper... but they were unable to score.

In the 59th minute, Muto replaced Watanabe. In the 66th minute, Muto received a pass from the left side in the Kashima's territory and immediately turned around. He made a move forward and easily entered the left area. He sent a short final pass to Hirayama in front of the goal. Although it was cleared by the Kashima defender just before, in the 71st minute, Matsuda overlapped from the right side after Muto, who had drifted there, and crossed from a high position. Mita ran into this and scored a powerful header near the goal! Mita marked his first goal at Ajinomoto Stadium and scored the third goal.

However, in the 72nd minute immediately after, Kashima MF Ogasawara demonstrated his ball retention skills just outside the right area. Unable to press him, he sent a pinpoint pass to MF Motoyama who had escaped freely behind Tokyo DF. From there, MF Motoyama scored a direct shot... and we conceded a goal. Tokyo gradually lost their momentum and spaces began to open up, leading to Kashima's fierce counterattack. However, in the 79th minute, Ishikawa was substituted in and the formation changed to a 4-4-2 with Yonemoto and Nozawa as a double defensive midfield, countering with sharp attacks. In the final stages, Kashima FW Caio, MF Endo, and MF Shibasaki all took consecutive shots on goal, resulting in Kashima taking a total of 12 shots in the second half, but the only decisive moment was the goal conceded. The defense held strong and the match ended with a score of 3-1.

Tokyo ended the second half with three shots, but they tightened their defense and offense at crucial moments, making the most of their chances and achieving a resounding victory! The fresh members were dynamic until the end, starting the Nabisco Cup with a win and grabbing their first victory of the season.

[Player Comment]
《Kawano》
"We approached the game with a different lineup, but we were able to produce good results. Regarding the goal-scoring opportunity, I always tell Yonemoto to pass the ball behind the defense, and he delivered a good pass just as I instructed. The ball control was a bit long, but I managed to touch it with my right foot within reach. After that, it was just a matter of finishing. Today, I focused on defense, supporting the two forwards well during the attack, and looking for opportunities behind the defense. The team hasn't been winning for a while, and today, the players who don't usually play wanted to change the flow of the game. This victory will intensify the competition for positions, and I believe it will contribute to the improvement of the team. We will continue to focus on results and strive to score goals."

《Ota》
"Winning with today's team is a good motivation for other players and it also means that I can't let my guard down. Moreover, winning against the league-leading Kashima has more than just one victory. We must continue to compete, activate the team, and become stronger."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"I had told the players to be aggressive from the first half. They did what they wanted to do properly. They had the attitude to score additional goals immediately after taking the lead, and they were able to actually score. Regarding the second half, we were able to do what we needed to do. The important thing is that we played the type of football we wanted to play against a strong opponent like Kashima. I think that was the biggest achievement."

[Kashima Toninho CEREZO coach's press conference summary]
"The opponent surpassed us in terms of fighting spirit, aggressiveness, compactness, speed, and defense. Above all, the desire to win was overwhelming. I felt that an excellent coach was guiding us, and the movements of breaking down the finish were thoroughly implemented. It expressed the results of our usual practice. In the second half, we were able to play our own soccer a little bit... However, it is not that we did nothing, but I want to commend the opponent for doing what they should do."