苦手？難敵･高校生チーム

Last week, in the Emperor's Cup 1st Round, Tokyo struggled against high school students (Kusatsu Higashi High School / Shiga Prefecture representative). Perhaps they relaxed after completing the big task of "promoting to J1," or maybe it was difficult to compete against high school students; in any case, they played a game that was "colder than the score difference" (2-0). Then came the 2nd Round, where they faced high school students again. The opponent on this day, Hatsushiba Hashimoto High School (Wakayama Prefecture representative), is famous for producing player Kouta Yoshihara, who is currently active as a star for Consadole Sapporo. This young school, in its 9th year since establishment, has rapidly developed into a nationally competitive team in recent years. They have qualified for the Winter High School Soccer Championship for the fifth time and have proven their strength by winning alongside Kusatsu Higashi High School in the Kinki Tournament (2 prefectures and 4 counties) held this year. In the Emperor's Cup 1st Round, they advanced to the 2nd Round by defeating a university team (Hachinohe University). Tokyo has a bitter experience from the 2nd Round of the Emperor's Cup in 1997, where they struggled against Ehime FC Youth and barely won with a golden goal in extra time, so they cannot afford to be careless just because they are facing high school students. To finish the game at Nishigaoka, which will be the last of the season, with a beautiful ending, they want to play a good game, giving 100% of their strength, regardless of the opponent!

Uneasy first half

"The ball is being passed around, but no goals are scored." Those who watched the first half of this match must have felt that way. Tokyo completely dominated the ball from the very start. Aside from a momentary lapse in the 5th minute that allowed the opponent to break through on the right side and create a major crisis, it was entirely Tokyo's pace. The players, who reflected deeply after last week's 1st Round, had regained their fighting spirit, always being tough in ball contests, and when they won the ball, they eliminated unnecessary plays and moved towards the goal. In the 1st Round, the opponent's pressure was one tempo slow, which led to poor ball release overall, but on this day, they passed the ball rhythmically with fewer touches and boldly attacked from the sides. Even so, they struggled to score because they had not completely broken down the opponent's solid defense in front of the goal. The opponent was fully aware of being attacked and naturally fortified their defense in front of the goal. They were originally known for their strong defense, with two tall players at 184 cm, making them strong in the air. No matter how much Amaral was present, simple cross balls were ineffective. On the right side, Yuki and Umehara managed to break through several times with their "promised" one-twos, but they couldn't dig deeper, resulting in few clear chances. In response, dribbler Fujiyama brought the ball into the center alone from the left side, but there was no fear in charging into a densely packed opponent's defense. The combination with Okahara on the left front did not mesh well, and attacks from the side (i.e., outside) lost power. The problem was how to draw the central center-back outwards. In the first half, the two forwards, Amaral and Enomoto, repeatedly engaged in post-play in the center, but they rarely flowed outwards or behind. Additionally, Almir, who was distributing passes, also moved into the center, causing the opponent's defensive line to remain solidly clustered in the middle.

The two goals in the first half were simply due to a difference in personal experience. The first goal came in the 14th minute, when Yukihiko crossed the ball from the left short corner, and Almir pretended to head it but instead trapped it with his chest and confidently scored with his right foot. The second goal came in the 42nd minute, when Almir kept the ball on the right side and crossed it to the center, and this time Amaral calmly anticipated the goalkeeper's movement with exquisite control. Both goals were not the result of breaking down the opponent, but rather the difference in individual skills and experience.

Explosive second half! Almir's first hat-trick!

After halftime, the Tokyo Eleven, instructed by Coach Okuma to have Amaral and Enomoto as a two-top and to make deeper runs on the sides, came back to life in the second half. In the 4th minute, on the right side, Yukihiko kept the ball, and then the fierce Ume山 overtook him. With perfect timing, a pass was made from Yukihiko to Ume山, shaking off the opponent and moving to the center. Enomoto, who was waiting for this cross, made a powerful header and scored the third goal. Tokyo did not ease their attacking efforts. In the 11th minute, this time Almir kept the ball on the left side, and when Amaral drifted to the left of the goal, he delivered a soft floating pass. The defender marking Amaral could not help but foul him. Okahara earned this penalty kick, making it the fourth goal. Furthermore, in the 21st minute, Kaburaki, who came on from the left side, sent in a cross that Amaral received and passed to Almir in the center. Almir dribbled sideways to evade the opposing defender and shot with his right foot, scoring the fifth goal! Finally, in the 89th minute, on a counterattack, Kaburaki received a superb heel pass from Okahara on the left side and surged forward. Kaburaki drew in the opponent sufficiently before making the last pass to Almir, who calmly scored the sixth goal, achieving a hat trick.

Originally, high school students have shorter match times (80 minutes), and it was expected that they would run out of stamina in the second half. However, considering that, Tokyo's management of the second half was commendable. In defense, Sandro, Komine, and the holding midfielder Asari were stable, and in attack, their movement, passing, chance creation, and above all, their proactive shooting attitude improved significantly. Next up, they will face a J1 team. First, on the 12th (Sunday) next week, they will compete against Bellmare at Hiratsuka Athletic Stadium. In past encounters in the Emperor's Cup, they have played three matches with one win and two losses. Last year's tournament also saw them meet in the 3rd Round, where they lost narrowly 1-2 while controlling the pace of the game. This time, the situation is different; Tokyo is aiming for promotion to J1, while Bellmare is heading to J2, reversing their positions. The mindset has shifted from 'it's okay to lose' to 'we cannot lose' this time, and from the voices around them, Tokyo will feel the pressure. However, the players who experienced 'real pressure' in the recent J1 promotion race are not burdened by it. Bellmare will likely show their determination as well. A tough game is expected, with a fierce battle for every point, but they want to win and advance to the 4th Round.