Nabisco Quarterfinals Sec. 2, Aiming for Victory Only

Approaching the away game against Kashima Antlers, which will be held three days after the first match of the quarterfinals, the second match is crucial. In the first match, we managed to catch up and draw, but in order to advance to the semifinals, winning this second match is the first condition. In the case of a draw, we must score at least three goals to advance. Additionally, if the score is tied 2-2 at the end of the 90 minutes, the game will go into extra time. Regarding these conditions, the Tokyo players said, "We just need to focus on not conceding goals and aim to score one goal to win. We know exactly what we need to do." They are fully committed to this one-shot game for 90 minutes.

For Kashima, it is important for Tokyo to score the first goal, as they can advance even with a 0-0 or 1-1 draw based on the away goals in the first leg. However, whether they take the lead or concede a goal, they need to stay calm and maintain unity in order to fight. They have a strong determination to win and want to take victory from Kashima with a cohesive performance.

However, in this match, Nathan BURNS, who is a member of the national team, was absent along with Morishige and Maruyama. Considering the consecutive matches, Hayashi and Higashi were selected as starters today. Nakajima, who played as a forward in the previous match, and Nara, who played as a center-back, also made the starting lineup. Maeda is in the center of the front line, with Higashi on the right and Nakajima on the left. Takahashi serves as the anchor in the midfield, with Yonehara and Hayashi as the inside halves, and they will play in a 4-3-3 formation. In addition, the newly joined GK Vlada AVRAMOV also made his first appearance on the bench.

Kashima changed from the first match, with FW Davi absent. FW Akasaki and FW Kanazaki started together. In the midfield, MF Caio and DF Aoki took on the role of center-back.

The match started at 18:34 with Kashima's kickoff, despite intermittent rain that temporarily increased before the match.

We conceded the first goal early in the game and faced a difficult situation.

Both teams showed an aggressive attitude from the start and threatened the goal. In the 2nd minute, Tokyo's Tokunaga passed to Higashi on the right side, who then made a follow-up pass to Nakajima, who took another step forward and shot towards the goal. In the 5th minute, Tokunaga intercepted the ball near the midfield and right sideline. He used his strength to advance to the front line and sent a cross. They attacked from the side, but were unable to take any shots.

7 minutes, Kashima MF Kanazaki receives a header from DF Yamamoto on the left side, turns around from the trap. He dribbles past Takahashi and moves to the center, taking a shot. The shot seemed to fly straight into Enomoto's face, but the powerful ball bounced irregularly at the last moment, slipping through his hands and into the net. They unexpectedly conceded the first goal...

However, immediately afterwards, Yonemoto in the right area cut back two opposing defenders with a feint and took a controlled shot. However, the ball that caught the lower right corner was deflected by Kashima GK Sogahata and flowed to the right side. Habu tried to pick it up and connect it again, but there weren't enough players in the front line, and Kashima defended it. In the 14th minute, we persistently won the ball in the right front line, and Higashi crossed. Nakajima ran in from the back, but couldn't make the connection.

Even though we allowed the first goal, we tried to counterattack without panicking, but the only shot we took in the first half was by Shun HIRAYAMA. Kashima gradually gained momentum and took control of the rhythm, pushing us back into our own half. Even when pressing from the front, scenes of Kashima skillfully evading us stood out, and we were unable to carry the ball to the front line even when we won it back in our own half. Therefore, in the 36th minute, we quickly brought in HIRAYAMA. We changed to a 4-4-2 formation with Takahashi and Yonemoto as the double defensive midfielders, and Nakajima and Higashi as the side midfielders. We tried to gather the ball in the front line and counterattack with HIRAYAMA as the starting point. However, as time passed, it became a one-sided defensive battle.

43 minutes, finally got a FK on the left side, but Ota's kick sent to the front line was punched by the Kashima GK. Tokyo players were neatly swept away to the far side where no one was. However, the defense line showed concentration and tenacity, and did not allow any additional points, but ended the first half with a one-point deficit.

Unable to regain rhythm, ending in the quarterfinals with a goal difference of 3

In the second half, they tried to make a comeback. In the 48th minute, Takahashi ran into the right area, following Ota's long left cross, but couldn't connect with Hirayama in the center after a good drop in the competition. In the 49th minute, Higashi in the left corner of the area feinted and turned towards the goal after getting past the opponent, but Hirayama, who had jumped into the center, fell in the competition and couldn't finish. In the 51st minute, Kono was substituted. In the 57th minute, Kono boldly made a move and cut into the right area after exchanging passes with Nakajima, and passed to Hirayama in the center. Hirayama tried to aim for the goal, but was blocked by the Kashima DF.

In front of Kashima's fast and tough defense, it became difficult to both keep the ball in the front line and win second balls. In the 60th minute, they tried to connect from their own half but lacked accuracy, and Kashima took the ball away from Yamamoto in the midfield and launched a counterattack. From Yamamura's vertical pass, Kanazaki advanced through the center with a dribble. He took a shot from the middle in front of Tokyo's defenders. The ground shot went through the gap between Tokyo's defenders and into the bottom left corner of the goal... It was a skillful shot, but Tokyo conceded a tough second goal...

Still without giving up, in the 62nd minute, Hashimoto was brought in. He tried to create rhythm by stealing the ball and prepared for a counterattack. In the 67th minute, Hirayama, who received a feed from Nara, was fouled and earned a free kick near the left side of the opponent's field. Ota sent a sharp kick to the front line, but the goalkeeper caught it directly. In the 71st minute, we also had a chance for a right corner kick and crossed from both sides, but it was bounced back by Kashima, and in the end, Nara from the right area aimed for the goal but missed to the left.

Unable to take advantage of set piece opportunities, in the final stages, we were intercepted by Kashima while attacking and faced a counterattack. In the 70th minute, when we tried to advance from our own half, Kashima cut off the ball for a side change. Kashima shook from left to right and midfielder Doi, who had entered the left area again, crossed the ball in front of the goal. It hit Yoshimoto's hand... resulting in a penalty kick. Midfielder Kanazaki aimed for the kick, hitting the center of the crossbar. We avoided conceding a goal from the penalty kick, but mistakes continued to occur during our attacking plays, leading to a difficult situation under Kashima's counterattack.

83 minutes, Tokunaga's right cross was dropped by Hiraoka, and Hashimoto in the center of the area attempted a volley shot from the trap but couldn't find the target. In the 89th minute, Tokunaga sent a free kick from the right side of the midfield to the front line, and Hiraoka in the left area headed a shot over the opponent's defender but straight to the goalkeeper. And in additional time, Tokyo's clearance was picked up by Kashima MF Endo, who directly hammered a middle shot onto the goal... Time's up. While conceding 3 goals, they ended up with no goals and suffered a complete defeat. They couldn't advance to the semi-finals. This season's Nabisco Cup ended in the quarter-finals.

[Player Comments]
《Enomoto》
"The game became difficult and it also affected the atmosphere with just one initial goal conceded. I feel sorry and it was a waste. I think there are various factors that contributed to the loss, but I keenly felt that the game becomes difficult when conceding a goal first. It is important to keep the goal difference low and patiently progress the game in order to improve the team's winning percentage. Personally, I also need to improve the quality even more and enhance my mental and physical performance to strive for the league matches."

"Tokunaga"
"We struggled to connect the ball and create our own time and rhythm. After Hiraoka entered the game, we talked about sending the ball to the front and picking up the second ball, but Kashima reacted and moved faster. We tried to push up the line, but we couldn't do it. I'm sorry and disappointed that we couldn't win, but there are things to learn from the defeat. I want to firmly accept the current situation and continue to grow more and more."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"We were able to start the game in a good shape for the first 10 minutes. After conceding the first goal, we couldn't execute our tactics. We gave the opponent too much space after the second goal. Kashima is a good team with a good coach and players. We have no choice but to accept today's result."
(Regarding Hirayama's entry)
After Kashima took the lead, they pulled back, so we added one more player to the front line. There were also parts where we couldn't connect the ball from the back, partly because the pitch was slippery. Regarding today, there were players whose condition was not improved and players who were young and had little experience, but the third goal was an unnecessary goal. As a coach who has experienced various matches, I understand that things don't always go as planned. I want to focus on the league matches again."

[Kashima・Masatada ISHII Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"I expected a tough battle, but we were able to take the lead earlier than I thought. I told the players to go for additional goals even after scoring one in the meeting, and to win and finish the game. It is also commendable that we ended the game without conceding any goals. Before the match, DF Aoki gave a shout-out saying, 'Let's put on a good game for the fans and supporters who came out in the rain and those who support us from in front of the TV,' and I think that also lifted the team."
(Although we were very aggressive and hardly lost in the competition),
we became passive at the beginning of the first match and conceded a goal, so we conducted training to raise awareness in a short period of time. We were able to demonstrate what we always strive for in practice. I think it's the result of our daily efforts."