First leg of the Nabisco Cup quarterfinals at home

Entering the Nabisco Cup final tournament, the quarterfinals will be against Kashima Antlers. The kickoff of the first match will be held at home, Ajinomoto Stadium. The match will be held three days after the previous league match. Although it will be a consecutive match including the second match, Coach Massimo said, "The attitude of aiming for victory in each match will not change. There is no need to think about the second match, and it is important to continue the same flow as the league match," emphasizing the importance of approaching the match with a determination to win.

However, the World Cup Asia qualifiers are being held in various locations concurrently with this tournament, and Nathan BURNS has been selected for the Australian national team. Morishige and Maruyama have also been selected for the Japanese national team, so they will be absent for this quarter-final match. Therefore, Nara, who will make his first start and appearance in Tokyo, will be deployed as a center-back alongside Yoshimoto. Hashimoto and Nakajima will also be in the starting lineup, with Maeda and Nakajima as the two forwards. Kono will play as an attacking midfielder. Hashimoto will play as a right inside half in the formation. At the same time, Higashi will return to the bench for the first time since the August 12th match against Kofu. Sandaza, and Hirayama will also be on the bench following the Shimizu match.

Kashima, who participated in the ACL, will be participating in the Nabisco Cup from the quarterfinals. Kashima, who welcomed coach Ishii from the 2nd stage Sec. 4 Tokyo match, has achieved 6 consecutive victories since then and is now the most in-form team.

Today, MF Shibasaki of the Japan national team will be absent, but in the second stage of the match, they were also a tough opponent who thoroughly implemented "Tokyo countermeasures". In order for Tokyo to grasp victory, they will need to surpass Kashima not only in perseverance but also in the speed of pressing and aggressiveness. Additionally, when the points are tied after the two matches, the goal difference and away goals will also be involved, so it is important to minimize conceding goals at home as much as possible. It will be necessary to assess the situation and flow, and unity of purpose will also be required, but it is important to transform individual strengths into team cohesion and challenge Kashima with a united effort.

Clear weather after a long time. Even at night, in the intense heat and humidity, the match started at 19:04 with a kickoff by Kashima.

Although they took the lead with Kono's goal by playing aggressively...

From the start, they showed an aggressive attitude in both offense and defense and took control. In the 1st minute, they turned a mistake by Kashima into an attack, with Kono dropping a pass from the left to the right, and Hashimoto taking a daring shot. Although it was saved by the Kashima goalkeeper, they quickly gained two corner kick opportunities in the 2nd minute. In the 4th minute, Kashima played a long pass from their own half, and forward Akasaki made a run behind the Tokyo defenders, but it was offside. Tokyo quickly regained possession with a compact formation and swiftly moved the ball forward. In the 5th minute, Maeda broke free from a fierce matchup with Kashima defender Shoji on the right side and crossed the ball. However, it was blocked by the Kashima defenders and they escaped with a throw-in.

10 minutes into the game, Kashima was pushed back from a set play, but they persevered and immediately counterattacked. Their attitude paid off in the 15th minute when Takahashi quickly restarted the game with a free kick they earned in the midfield. Yonemoto sent the ball to the left side, and Ota, who had advanced forward, crossed it into the box. Taking advantage of the gap between the opponent's defenders, Kono jumped lightly and shot the ball with a back header-like form. The ball was sucked into the top right corner of the goal. From Ota's pinpoint cross, Kono scored his first goal of the season and took the lead.

20 minutes, Kashima DF Shoji was injured and replaced by DF Aoki. Immediately after that, Kashima's left MF Nakamura cut into the left area and attracted Tokyo DF, making a negative cross. There, right side back Nishi, who had advanced freely, took a shot, but Yonezawa threw himself out and blocked it. In the 28th minute, a header from Kashima's FK shook the net. This avoided conceding a goal due to offside, but gradually Kashima also counterattacked. In the 30th minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack, and Ota aimed for the opponent's DF behind with a ground cross. Nakajima stabbed it into the net with a sliding shot, but this was also slightly offside...

38 minutes, Kashima FW Davi boldly attacked from the right area, but Hashimoto and Nara held him back. In the 43rd minute, Kashima's long ball allowed FW Akasaki to break through on the right side and aim for a shot, but Tokunaga escaped with a corner kick. Tokyo had been defending well up until this point, but they couldn't stop the flow of this corner kick. Kashima left full-back Yamamoto broke through vertically from a one-two with central midfielder Nakamura. A short pass was played near the goal line, and FW Akasaki ran in front of Tokyo's defenders and scored... a devastating goal.

In additional time, Kawano from the left front line skillfully trapped a floating ball from behind. He competed with the Kashima DF, broke through to the front, and took a decisive shot, but hit the right post. The first half ended with a 1-1 tie.

Nakajima scores the equalizer! He keeps pushing towards the goal without giving up until the end, bringing the match to a draw.

In the 46th minute of the second half, Kashima FW Davi dribbled past Nara and entered the area, but Yoshimoto slid to avoid a corner kick and defended well. After that, Tokyo continued to play the game in Kashima's half mainly through set plays. In the 55th minute, they stole the ball from Kashima in the midfield, and Kono on the left passed to Yonemoto in the center, who then quickly passed to the right to Nakajima. Tokunaga persistently brought the ball into the box and earned a corner kick, but they were unable to take a shot.

59 minutes, Kashima's MF Doi enters the pitch. Tokyo substitutes Kono with Higashi. However, in the 61st minute, Kashima's DF Nishi skillfully dribbles past Tokyo's DF after a pass exchange on the right side. MF Endo, who received a return pass from FW Davi in the right area, cuts inside and swings his left foot. The sharp shot grazes the right post and bounces back into the middle. Both teams combined to score the first shot of the second half and allowed the lead to slip away.

However, Tokyo did not give up and in the 62nd minute, Higashi, who was in the left area, sent a soft cross to the far side, and Hashimoto in the right area hit a header, but it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's great save. Immediately after, Endo from Kashima broke through the right side and crossed, and Nakamura in the area was able to shoot a heel shot, but it was saved by the post. Then, Hirayama was substituted. In the 79th minute, Sandaza was brought in to the front line. Nakajima moved to the left midfield, and Takahashi and Yonemoto formed a double pivot in the midfield. They tried to increase their momentum and launch a counterattack, but in the final stages, both teams made mistakes, leading to chances for both sides in the back-and-forth counterattacks.

In the 88th minute of the match, Nakajima passed the ball to Tokunaga who sprinted up the right side and crossed it. Sandaza's header in the center of the box narrowly missed, but Nakajima, who had closed in on the ball that fell outside the box, kicked it directly with his left foot and scored a controlled shot, GOAL!!　

As the mood of the counterattack increased, Tokyo caught up with the tie, and in the 90th minute, a right cross from Higashi reached Nakajima in the left area, creating a scene similar to a goal, but they couldn't finish the floating ball... In additional time, they created a chance from a right cross and approached the Kashima goal with numbers, but they couldn't push it in. Finally, Hirayama's shot was caught by the Kashima goalkeeper, and time was up.

They continued to strive for victory until the end and aimed for the Kashima goal, but were unable to score a third goal. The first match ended in a 2-2 draw.

[Player Comments]
"Nakajima"
"It was a game we could win, and there were scenes where we could score more goals. I believed that the cross would come to the far side for the goal. I was able to time it well and score. In the first half, I didn't shoot at the timing when I should have dribbled and shot, so I was being taken away by the opponent. When there is space in front, I was thinking of actively shooting. From tomorrow, I want to focus on preparing to win the second game. I want to work hard with my teammates, cooperate with each other, and strive for victory while enjoying it."

"Nara"
"I didn't feel any pressure, and I knew that I was giving my all in terms of my performance. I wanted to contribute to the team's victory by giving everything I had. The defense was able to hold their ground in some aspects, but we also conceded two goals, which personally made me realize that there are many areas for improvement. I especially regret the goal we conceded in the first half, it was a wasted opportunity. There were moments where we were able to neutralize the opponent's advantage and even win the ball up front, but I think I conceded the goal due to my poor response. However, a draw can lead to the next result. If we can keep the goals conceded to zero as defenders, we have plenty of players who can score up front, so there is a great chance to win away games. I want to continue preparing well."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"I think it was an interesting match for those who watched. In the first half, we were able to take the lead at a good time. In the second half, the goal by Kashima MF Hikaru ENDO was a fantastic goal, but we were able to catch up afterwards. I think we showed the belief in winning as a team and the determination to never give up. With a 2-2 result, Kashima has a slightly advantageous situation, but we want to play our own game until the end in the next match."
（Did you let Nakajima play the full game?)
Because he was playing well. There were no major tactical changes, and we were able to use the space created by Hirayama's post-play effectively. In the final stages, we moved Nakajima to the left side and created many chances. We had opportunities to score the third goal, but Kashima is a strong team with good players. We came into this game with six consecutive wins, facing the most in-form team at this time, so I think this result is significant. From a tactical standpoint, we were able to execute the plan of bringing on two physically strong forwards when the opponent's fitness was declining."

[Kashima・Masatada ISHII Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"I think it was good that we were able to score two goals away. FC Tokyo utilized the height of players like Shun Hirayama in the latter part of the game, and we were slightly pushed back by that, but since there is another match soon, we want to prepare for that."
(In the first half, scenes where Nakajima was targeted stood out, but how did you fix it?)
Nakajima was involved in many plays that involved moving from the outside to the inside and initiating side changes, so we tried to prevent him from playing facing forward."