Nabisco qualifying final match, on the verge of advancing to the final tournament

The team will face Shonan Bellmare away in the final match of the group stage (Sec. 7) of the Nabisco Cup held on weekdays. In the previous match against Kashiwa, they achieved a victory after 4 league games with a sense of unity. Despite the fatigue from the tight schedule, Ota said, "There is a sense of fulfillment in winning," and they will approach this match with the momentum from the victory.

In the Nabisco Cup, we are keeping the top spot in Group A, and if we draw or win, we will secure a spot in the knockout stage. However, Yonemoto injured his left knee in the Kashiwa match. In addition to Hayu's absence, Kajiyama, Maeda, and Kawano will not play this round to avoid pushing themselves too hard in consecutive matches. On the other hand, Tokunaga has returned from suspension, but Coach Massimo has chosen Matsuda for the right midfield position because he wants to bring in running power. On the left side, Higashi will play, and Takahashi and Nozawa will form a double pivot in midfield. Maruyama will take one of the center-back positions in a 4-4-2 formation. Kono, who is making his first appearance this season, will be on the bench, and we will approach this match as a total team effort.

Shonan, on the other hand, currently has 8 points, with a total of 5 goals scored and 5 goals conceded, resulting in a goal difference of ±0, placing them in 3rd position in the group. As this match is a direct confrontation, they will need to achieve a victory with a goal difference of +4 or more in order to surpass Tokyo. Shonan is also a team that boasts an aggressive style. Therefore, it is important for them to not be pushed back and to pay attention to the start of the match. Coach Massimo continues, "It may become an open match where both teams aim for victory," and it is expected that Tokyo will also play aggressively. However, this match will be a focus on which team can control the game throughout the 90 minutes. We want to maintain composure, unify our intentions on the pitch, and secure our advancement to the final round.

The game started at 19:04 with Tokyo's kickoff at the Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka after the rain.

Enter the game with concentration and demonstrate perseverance

Tokyo was aggressively attacked by Shonan from the beginning. In the 1st minute, Takahashi, who closed in on the opponent's clearance, took a shot, but in the 6th minute, the ball was sent behind Tokyo's defense. Tokunaga responded to this, but it was cut into the left area by Shonan's left FW, Otake. In the 8th minute, Shonan's midfielders connected passes and passed to Shonan's FW, Okada, who had run into the right area. However, Maruyama sharply closed in on him at the moment of chest trapping and prevented him from shooting. In the 10th minute, FW Yamada broke through to the right area from a one-two with Shonan's forward line and took a shot, but it was saved by Gonda and resulted in a corner kick. In the 18th minute, Endo, a Shonan defender, stole the ball and immediately assessed the GK's position, aiming for a long loop. However, Tokyo concentrated and prevented the danger in advance, launching counterattacks at key moments.

In the 14th minute, Mutoh headed the ball from Matsuda's early cross. In the 19th minute, Matsuda also took a shot. Tokyo gradually started to have more possession of the ball, while effectively containing Shonan's strong attacks. However, in the 21st minute, Shonan connected a left cross in the center, and Kikuchi, the central midfielder, took a shot on the loose ball. It missed the target, but Tokyo couldn't find their rhythm and changed their formation to a 3-back around the 30th minute.

After that, Muto in the center dropped the early cross from Tokunaga with a header, and Hayashi in the right area entered a shooting position, but only managed to get a corner kick after hitting the opponent's defender. In the 38th minute, Higashi passed through the area. Although initially held back by the opponent's defender, Hayashi pressed on the left front line and regained possession. He connected with Muto, but was surrounded by the Shonan defenders at this point. In the 40th minute, Muto also used his speed to break through the defense and reach the back line, but was unable to finish.

They changed their formation to adapt to Shonan's fluidity in attack and side penetration. They maintained their focus in front of the goal and did not allow any decisive chances, but Tokyo also struggled to create attacking opportunities despite having possession of the ball, and the first half ended scoreless.

Advancing to the group stage without conceding a goal and remaining undefeated for 9 matches!

Substitute Mita for Higashi in the second half. In the early stages, both teams looked for chances from set plays. In the 53rd minute, Mita, who came on as a substitute, aimed a shot from the left side and won a left corner kick. However, the corner kick was cleared. In the 57th minute, Shonan forward Okada took a shot from the left corner of the area, grazing the Tokyo defender and earning a left corner kick. But Shonan forward Yamada's kick went wide. In the 59th minute, Tokyo's clearance floated high in the area, and Shonan forward Yamada attempted an overhead kick. The ball flew to the left area, and as it fell, MF Kikuchi had a shot but missed high to the right.

62 minutes, Muto in the midfield launches a counterattack from a ball cut in their own half, but the pass intended for Matsuda on the right side is intercepted by Shonan. In the 67th minute, Matsuda cuts it in the defensive line and makes a long side change to the left front. Ota advances here and crosses from the left. Muto is near, and Lin and others have moved up in the center, but it is cleared and becomes a corner kick. In the 72nd minute, the whole team pushes up, Maruyama passes a ground pass to Mita in the left area. Mita turns around and makes a short cross in front of the goal. Muto is near. Lin was in position in the center, but couldn't take a shot as he overlapped with the opponent's defender.

The scene continued to lack accuracy, and Lassad was brought on in the 75th minute. From this point on, both teams started to launch counterattacks against each other. In the 77th minute, they welcomed a big chance. Muto sprinted down the right side of the field. He broke through to the area, but there was no angle and he chose to pass. He passed over Lassad in the center and connected with Mita, who had made a free run from the far side. However, Mita's decisive shot, taken with speed, missed the goal and went to the right...

Shonan dropped a pass from the left side in the 87th minute, and FW Otake in the center controlled it, while MF Kikuchi expanded further to the right. DF Endo attacked with a powerful mid-range shot, riding on the speed of the pass from there. However, it was also off target. In the 90th minute +1, Hashimoto was substituted. Finally, they assessed the situation and ended the game without forcing anything. They held on to a clean sheet for the first time in 9 official matches with a solid performance and accumulated a guaranteed 1 point. As a result, they remained undefeated in the qualifying round for 7 matches and secured a spot in the knockout tournament for the first time since 2012 as the top team in Group A.

[Player Comments]
"Maruyama"
"My honest impression is that it was fun. There were moments when we were pushed by Shonan, but we communicated on the pitch and didn't let them score in the end. I think we were able to defend well. Personally, I couldn't play in the league match against Shonan, so I've always had the desire to step on this stadium's pitch. So, it was important to see how much I could do with the given opportunity and to embody it in practice and matches. In that sense, I think I am gradually growing."

"Nozawa"
"I was trying to position myself just behind the Shonan's front three and when I got the ball, I was thinking of avoiding the pressure and passing it forward. However, I had few opportunities to receive the ball from the defensive line, or even if I held the ball, there were few players in the front line, so there was no passing lane behind. So, at that time, I calmly connected a short pass nearby. I couldn't move forward easily, but I think it becomes a chance if I receive the ball in that position and face forward. I want to gain more experience in practice and games and earn the trust of my teammates."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"The game unfolded as expected. After studying recent matches of Shonan, we knew they would come out aggressively from the kickoff. The first half ended with few chances for both teams, but the second half saw intense exchanges of offense and defense, and we also had several scoring opportunities. I think Shonan made some changes to their lineup, and we also made a few changes to our lineup, but they played solidly until the end. In the midst of a tough schedule, there were times when our mental condition and fatigue affected our performance, but we were able to achieve our initial goal of advancing to the knockout stage."
(What did you tell the players before the game in a situation where a draw would be acceptable?)
Shonan was in a situation where they had to score many goals, so we anticipated that they would come out attacking from the beginning. We wanted to score early and make the game easier for us in response to Shonan's actual offensive. There were some parts that didn't go well, but we were able to endure and achieve a good result."

[Summary of Shonan's coach Cho Eunsu's press conference]
"Despite the rainy weather and it being a weekday, many supporters came. It is very disappointing that we couldn't get 3 points, but today's performance showed our ability. It was my fault for not instructing my players to dribble, shoot, and pass instead of avoiding them when there are opponents in front. It is positive that we kept a clean sheet through defensive efforts from the front line, but we cannot progress without contributions from the goalkeeper and others to score. Nevertheless, in this tournament, all players have been competing and showing the desire to embody our style. It is an asset for the team. I want to make use of this experience in the league matches. Let's not look down, prepare ourselves, and seize victory in the next away match against Kawasaki."