Aiming for victory by scoring goals to advance to the semifinals!

J.League YBC Levain Cup Quarterfinals Second Leg, an away match against Avispa Fukuoka.

Sec. 1 match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Nakajima scoring the opening goal but allowing Fukuoka to equalize just before the end.
Advancement to the semifinals is determined by the total number of wins in 2 matches, followed by goal difference and then away goals. At the moment, Fukuoka, who scored an away goal, has a slight advantage.

In order for Tokyo to advance, a goal is always necessary, so they started working on various attacking patterns during the three-day preparation period. They also prepared taking into account movements such as taking the opponent's back or luring the DF out from the side.

However, Muriqui, who was injured in the first match, was replaced by Nakajima on the left side. In addition, Insoo YU made his first start at the top, and Kajiyama and Tanabe started in the midfield.

Fukuoka, who will face them, had Nakamura as the right full-back in the first match, but Furube will be on the right side in the second match. In addition, Sueyoshi will be in the midfield, and the rest of the starting members will be the same as in the first match.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
The match was the second leg of the Levain Cup quarterfinals held in away Fukuoka, which was in danger of being cancelled due to the approaching typhoon. However, the game started at 19:04 with the kickoff in Tokyo.

Tokyo takes a valuable away goal and leads in the second half!

2 minutes: Kicker Higashi kicked a ground ball to the right corner kick, and Insoo in the area connected with his left foot, but GK Ibom Young made a save in front.
5 minutes: Heavy rain starts to fall.

15 minutes: The battle for control continues in the midfield.
17 minutes: Nakajima bravely shoots a long-range shot from about 20 meters in front of the goal, but it goes over the crossbar.

25 minutes: Fukuoka Kicker MF Danilo's cross, DF Hamada headed the ball in front of the goal and shook the goal net, but the foul was called just before.
30 minutes: Higashi expands to the right side with Muroya. Muroya's cross is deflected by the defender, but Kajiyama and Tanabe connect with the loose ball, and Tanabe's shot from outside the box finds the top right corner of the goal, making it 1-0.
Tokyo takes the lead and surpasses Fukuoka in the total of 2 matches.
32 minutes: Fukuoka intensifies their attack. Sueyoshi and others take consecutive shots from outside the box. Tokyo's defense line bravely blocks these shots.

In the back and forth battle for control, Tanabe takes the lead with a super goal from mid-range, and the first half ends with a score of 1-0.

Fukuoka pushed aside with Takahashi's additional point, advancing to the semifinals!

Kickoff in Fukuoka to start the second half.
49 minutes: Tokyo takes control of the game by circulating the ball around midfielders Tanabe and Kajiyama.
47 minutes: Nakajima shoots in the crowded area, but it is deflected.
55 minutes: Fukuoka FW Hisashi JOGO dribbles alone from the right side. However, this is calmly dealt with by Tokunaga and Isao TAKAHASHI.

60 minutes: Fukuoka makes the first player substitution. FW Sakata replaces MF Rui SUEYOSHI.
63 minutes: Tokyo substitutes Kawano with Hashimoto.
63 minutes: Fukuoka launches a wave attack. DF Kamikawa's mid-shot is blocked by Tokyo DF.
65 minutes: Hashimoto, who came on as a substitute, moved to the left side, Higashi moved to the right side, and Nakajima and Insoo YU in the center.
68 minutes: The DF line consists of Yoshimoto, Takahashi, and Tokunaga as the 3-back.

72 minutes: Tokyo makes its second player substitution. Insoo YU is replaced by Atsushi MAEDA.
74 minutes: East intercepted a pass in their own half. East passed to Maeda, who then connected with Nakajima. East continued to run up the right side and was fouled, earning a free kick.
75 minutes: Tokyo's kicker, Higashino, takes a free kick that he earned himself and Tanaka from the far side heads it into the goal. Tokyo gets the additional point they wanted!
76 minutes: Fukuoka makes their second substitution. MF Mishima replaces FW Jogo.
77 minutes: Fukuoka makes the final substitution. FW Kimmori is replaced by FW Kunimoto.

84 minutes: Tokyo, the final player substitution. Hayabusa is substituted for Nakajima.
85 minutes: Fukuoka approaches the goal with an early cross from the left side, but Akimoto catches it firmly.

In addition to scoring 2 goals, they defended vigorously towards the end of the match and did not allow any goals. They won and secured a spot in the semifinals.

[Player Comments]
《Tanabe》
"I thought that we couldn't win unless we worked hard today, and we talked about fighting with a strong mindset together. We were able to continue playing like that until the end, and it led to victory."
Q=Looking back on the goal scene.
"Kajiyama dropped the ball for me, and I was able to trap it in a good position, so I aimed for the visible course and scored a goal just as I imagined. I was surprised myself (laughs), but I'm glad I took the shot. I want to score more goals from this point on."

"Takahashi"
"This season, there was a period when I couldn't play in the matches, and during that time, I was able to deeply understand the feelings of the fans and supporters by directly or indirectly hearing about how they came to support me in the stands. So, after scoring a goal, I ran towards them."

[Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference]
"The best thing was that we all won the semifinal round. I think it's a fantastic result. Today, we increased our output in both offense and defense. It was important for us to score the first goal, and then we were almost pushed back, so we decided to switch to a 5-4-1 formation. We told the players to defend in a 5-4-1 formation and attack in a 3-4-3 formation. It worked well, and we were able to score the second goal from a set piece, which we haven't been able to do recently."
Regarding how to finish the game, the players prepared for three days while reflecting on what they couldn't do last time at home. Anyway, we were able to achieve our biggest goal of advancing to the semifinals. It was really good that we were able to break through with the help of the players, staff, and fans/supporters. Also, we want to prepare thoroughly with everyone for the next league match."

[Fukuoka - Coach Masami Ihara's Press Conference Summary]
"First of all, I would like to apologize for not being able to achieve the result of advancing to the semifinal round, despite the support and cheers from many fans and supporters who came in bad weather. It was our first time reaching the quarterfinals and entering the knockout stage. We aimed to go further, and in the first leg, we managed to equalize with an away goal and ended the match with a 1-1 draw. Today's match was the fourth game between Tokyo and us this year, so we expected it to be a very difficult game. We knew there was a possibility of conceding a goal, but we also talked about how if we could score one goal in return, there would be extra time. I think the timing of conceding the second goal was everything in today's game."
It became very difficult when we were down 0-2 after being caught off guard by a set play. However, the players kept running until the end of the game and I think each of them felt what was necessary to move forward, experiencing their first knockout stage advancement. It was a big knockout stage for the team as well."