Seize the opportunity in the 4th round of the Nabisco Cup!

　Following last weekend, the Nabisco Cup will also be held this week. In Sec. 4, Vissel Kobe will play at home in the Japan National Stadium. Tsuchi and Kaji, who are members of the Japanese national team, will be absent, and in addition to the injured Kelly and Ishikawa, Lucas will be missing due to suspension. However, U-23 representatives Mobata, Konno, and Tokunaga will start as they did in the previous round. Yusuke Kondo made his first starting appearance of the season as a forward. Kondo has been performing well in recent training sessions, and his rise and the team's new battle are generating high expectations.

　In today's earlier match, Kashima, the leader of Group D, lost to Kashiwa, so they can take the lead even with a draw. It is important to take advantage of this opportunity and proceed with future battles in a favorable manner. The match started with clear skies and remaining brightness at the Japan National Stadium, with Baba and Yusuke Kondo standing at the center circle, and Tokyo kicking off.

Create a goal from excellent teamwork!

　Tokyo, where aggressive pressing works from the start, took control of the pace and created chances one after another. In the 50th second, Baba connected a right throw-in and Tokunaga scored from Doi's cross, winning a corner kick. From this corner kick, Shigetani headed a shot but it went over the goal. In the 2nd minute, Toda pressed the ball from Kobe's side change and ran up to the left area, crossing. Although they couldn't convert it in the middle, they created a close opportunity.

　Kobe took 5 minutes, FW Koijima scored from MF Fujimoto's cross and won a CK. In the 8th minute, DF Park attacked from the right side on a counter-attack, but the cross did not reach FW Hato. In the 12th minute, Tokyo had a chance. Toda fiercely chased after Kobe's pass play in the DF line. After stealing the ball, he sprinted to the goal, but couldn't finish in the area. However, he showed persistence and connected the play, and Baba, who had moved up for support, took a well-aimed shot. The shot was blocked by the GK and escaped as a CK, but in the 13th minute, Inomoto's header from Baba's left CK went into the goal! Inomoto's strength in scoring was evident in the league's 1st stage against Kobe, where he also scored 2 goals, but Toda and Baba's series of plays were the cause of the goal, and each of them utilized their strengths to create the opening goal.

Suzuki impressively demonstrated! Valuable additional point with a superb goal

　In the 17th minute, Asari cut off Kobe DF's clearance and immediately sent a through pass to the front line, but Toda, who had come out, was unfortunately offside. However, Tokyo started quickly, stealing the ball and scattering it from Baba's keep, Yusuke Kondo's post, and approaching the Kobe goal with a fast-paced development. In the 23rd minute, Yusuke Kondo, who received a pass from Baba, was fouled and won a free kick. The position was slightly to the left of the goal, and the distance was close to 30 meters. However, when Suzuki swung his left foot to lure Jean, the ball that ran across the wall pierced the right side of the goal!! The stands were also in an uproar at this powerful kick. Even after the scoring scene, the buzz continued for a while and spread to the spectator seats.

　Tokyo took a 2-goal lead with Suzuki's first J-League goal. They continued to play energetically and dominated the field. In the 26th minute, Inomata headed a long-range free kick from Baba on the far side, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 27th minute, Inomata received a feed from Baba on the front line and ran up the left side to cross. He picked up the loose ball and launched a wave-like attack. In the 28th minute, Tokunaga took a middle shot.

　There were scenes where Kobe was given a chance after 30 minutes, but in the 39th minute, a pass to Hato who came out of the area was cut off by a daring jump by Shioda, preventing the pinch. Just before the end of the first half, there was a left cross → Kondo's post → Baba aimed for a goal, but Toda, who followed up on the loose ball, was offside and the goal was not scored. Although they couldn't score an additional point, they went into the second half with a 2-point lead.

Despite conceding a goal, they stand at the top of the group with three consecutive wins in the qualifying league

　The halftime instructions from the former coach were "A 2-0 lead is not a complete lead. Let's create opportunities from the sides and build up. Let's move the ball easily and attack with a good rhythm." However, Baba was substituted by Miura Fumitake in the 50th minute due to an ankle sprain in the latter part of the first half. The doctor determined that it might be difficult for him to play in the second half... and when he was allowed to play a little, it was clear that he was dragging his foot (former coach). On the other hand, Kobe made a substitution in the second half, replacing midfielder Sugawara with forward Miura Tomo, and took a counterattack stance.

　I got caught up in the rhythm in Kobe. In the 45th minute, Fujimoto took the first shot of the second half from mid-range. In the 46th minute, Tsuchiya headed the ball from a right corner kick. In the 51st minute, Fujimoto entered the left area from a quick attack and took a powerful shot. It was saved by Shibata. In the 58th minute, Tokyo took a corner kick from the left side and Kanazawa picked up the loose ball, launching an attack. In the end, Miura tried to score from Nakano's right cross near the left end line, but narrowly missed.

　However, in the 61st minute, Yusuke KONDO received his second yellow card today and was sent off. With nearly 30 minutes remaining, Tokyo was forced to fight with 10 men. In the 64th minute, Abe was brought on to replace Suzuki. However, in the 67th minute, Toda, who had jumped into the area for a free kick, was in a shooting position but was cut off by a Kobe DF just before. In the 70th minute, Abe, who received a long feed from Shigenobu, was fouled, and Jean aimed for the free kick, but the opposing GK made a save. After missing the chance, in the 76th minute, Kobe's Fujimoto delivered a sharp early cross, and Bando and Tomo Miura jumped in front of the goal. Although they missed the timing and did not score, in the 77th minute, a pass was connected from the DF line, and Fujimoto sent a long through ball from the left side to the front line. When it reached Bando in the area, Shigenobu initially closed in, but the loose ball was picked up, and Bando scored. Tokyo's defense, which had held out well until now, finally conceded a goal.

　However, Kobe Univ, who tried to catch up with the tie, launched an attack, but in the 85th minute, Hato received a second warning and was sent off. The final stage, which became a 10 vs 10 battle, ended without either side giving in. Tokyo achieved victory with a score of 2-1 and took the top spot in Group D.

【Player Comments】《Yusuke Kondo》"I was nervous, but I calmed down with the first play. However, I think I should have scored there. I was careful to drop the ball that Yuta kept without any mistakes and also move forward. I think the combination was good in the first half. The red card was a shock. However, I want to prepare myself to continue playing in the matches without losing motivation."《Suzuki》"I felt like if I hit the free kick low, it would go in, so I told Jean, 'I want to take the kick. I hope you can be a decoy with a feint.' It didn't go in during practice, and it was the first time I scored in a match. I don't have confidence, but I want to keep shooting whenever there is a chance. But other than scoring, I'm completely useless. I want to be able to make an impact in the flow of the game."

【Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference】 "At the start, we executed our plan as intended, applying pressure from the front and creating opportunities from the sides and the center. We earned a corner kick, and from Baba's kick, Konno scored, and Suzuki also scored from a free kick for our second goal. We had several chances to score another goal in the first half, which we wanted to take. In the second half, Kobe brought in Kazu, and Kojima dropped back into midfield, becoming more aggressive. I substituted Miura for the injured Baba to stabilize the game, but after Kondo's red card, we got a bit chaotic. Although we conceded one goal, we held on well in the end. With Kashima losing to Kashiwa, it was significant to secure three points here. Lucas was suspended, and I was considering using Abe at a critical moment. Kondo, who started for the first time this season, didn't score, but he contributed well. The red card was unnecessary, but he can also play as a target man and is physically strong. Suzuki is rough around the edges, but he has a powerful left foot. He practiced free kicks a lot yesterday, but when he puts too much power into it, it doesn't go on target, so I told him to focus on just getting it on target. I also mentioned that he needs to become a kicker who can excite the stands just by taking a run-up like Roberto Carlos, but I think there aren't many players in Japan who can kick like that. I hope he can be a bit more skillful on the right side, and there are still issues like missing chances with handballs, but he is a completely different type from Ishikawa, and I have high expectations for his power and dynamism. The final line has been stabilizing. The balance between Konno and Asari has also improved. While we need to focus on how to score, I want to switch our mindset to the upcoming league matches and approach them with determination." (Regarding Konno's participation in the attack) "Initially, I thought of him as a player who would cover in front of the center backs, but his characteristic is to win the ball high up the pitch and go forward rather than waiting for loose balls. I wanted to pair him with the solid defender Asari to bring out Konno's strengths in attack. Recently, I've been telling him that it's okay to win the ball and then shoot again, and I think he has discovered the fun of scoring. He has also started to move forward during corner kicks. I believe he was the most aggressive player on the pitch today. I hope he continues to grow significantly."

[Kobe HASEK's press conference summary] "Today's game wasn't bad. I want you to have confidence. The chance of advancing to the Nabisco Cup final tournament may be small, but I still want to do my best until the end. The first goal was from a corner kick, so it was a mistake. The second goal was from a free kick, so there was nothing we could do."