Aim for the Title! Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round

　The semifinal round of the Nabisco Cup, which was postponed from October 9th due to the typhoon, will be held as a home game at Ajinomoto Stadium against Tokyo Verdy 1969. This battle is not only for advancing to the final, but also a match between clubs based in Tokyo, and both teams, including the supporters, are highly motivated. In the league matches this season, we have won both games, but in cup matches, anything can happen in a single game. In any case, victory must not be conceded――the result is expected to be an important match.

　Tokyo, Hibi and Kaji, who are members of the Japan national team fighting in the World Cup preliminary round in Oman, are absent. In addition, Toda injured his right foot during this postponed period. Fujiyama served as the right fullback, and Ishikawa started for the first time since July 17th (Nabisco Cup Kobe match) as the right midfielder. On the other hand, Verdy deployed a 3-5-2 formation. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff under cold cloudy weather with a temperature of 19 degrees.

Overwhelming Verdy with aggressive soccer

　Verdy was the first to take a shot. In the first minute, MF Soma, who had invaded the left area, took a CK and DF Yoneyama headed the shot. In the 3rd minute, Tokyo also attacked the center with Ishikawa and took a CK from Baba's right cross. Lucas competed for this CK with a header, and Ishikawa picked up the loose ball, evaded the DF, and took a shot. In the 4th minute, Shioda punched out Verdy's right cross. As Shioda was returning, Verdy MF Yamada took a middle shot aiming for the rebound.

　The start of the game was a back and forth battle, but it was Tokyo who seized the first chance. In the 5th minute, Kelly broke through the front line and won a corner kick, following Inamoto's through pass. Although it was initially cleared by the defense, Tokyo won another corner kick. Lucas headed the ball back from the far side after Baba's kick, and Jean pushed it into the goal with his head! They took the lead with an early goal in the 6th minute.

　Tokyo started moving and dominating the ball in the first half, stealing the ball from aggressive pressing and launching quick attacks one after another to push Verdy back. Then, in the 14th minute, Fujiyama intercepted the opponent's ball in his own half and passed it to Ishikawa. Ishikawa dribbled a long distance, cutting in from the right side to the center, and feigned a shot from near the penalty arc... and then delivered a perfect through pass to Lucas in front of the goal! Lucas swung his right foot directly, and the ball shook the net and went in. Ishikawa and Lucas combined to quickly score the second goal!

　An accident occurred for Verdy in the 22nd minute. MF Hayashi received his second warning and was sent off. For Tokyo, it can be said that they have an advantage with a 2-goal lead and the opponent being one player down, but they have often struggled against opponents who have become 10 players, becoming somewhat passive. It should not be a situation where they can let their guard down. It also became interesting to see how they would fight in the remaining 65 minutes or so with what game plan. In the 29th minute, Verdy MF Kobayashi cut in from the right area and took a shot from a close distance, but Shibata bravely came out and made a save. The loose ball was cleared by Shigeno, who put his body on the line. In the 35th minute, Soma from Verdy took a shot in the center after connecting with a right cross, but once again Shibata made a solid catch.

　Tokyo, which is conscious of switching between offense and defense, fights with concentration. In the 37th minute, the opponent's defender cleared Fujiyama's cross. Baba picked up the loose ball and made a last pass to Miura, who ran into the center of the goal. However, Miura's decisive shot floated above the crossbar. In the 39th minute, Konno, who had his pass stolen, fiercely regained possession and counterattacked. When he connected with Ishikawa, Baba received a pass for a side change and aimed for a middle shot, but hit the crossbar directly. There was no goal. However, in the 42nd minute, Fujiyama, who advanced on the attack, connected a pass to Ishikawa on the right side, and Ishikawa attempted to break through vertically and crossed from near the end line. Lucas headed this and scored an additional goal with the Fujiyama-Ishikawa-Lucas hotline for the second time today. They took a 3-point lead in a content that truly expressed the determination to win this game and turned to the second half.

In a sudden turn of events, the lead is caught up by a 3-point difference...

　The halftime instructions from Coach Hara were "Don't show any openings. Be cautious of counters from the opponent's right side. Press from the front line and launch fast attacks." On the other hand, Coach Verdy Ardiles' instructions were "Let's go all out from the start of the second half. If we score one goal, the situation will completely change. If you think it's a chance, take risks and go for it." And the situation indeed turned out exactly as Coach Ardiles had said.

　After 2 minutes in the second half, in the 47th minute, Verdy's forward, FW Hiramoto, competes for a long cross from the left with a header. In response to this, MF Yamada, who had advanced from the right side, was able to score a header shot, making it a 3-1 lead. However, Tokyo also immediately launched a counterattack, and Miura, who received a ground cross from Ishikawa in front of the goal, took a shot with perfect timing, but it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper, Takagi's nice save. From the resulting corner kick, Baba's header was also saved by the goalkeeper. Then, the opponent's DF -> GK catch was judged as a back pass, resulting in an indirect free kick opportunity from the goal area. However, Jean's shot was blocked by the wall, missing the goal.

　Verdy sends long balls to the front line and gradually gains rhythm by picking up second balls from there. In response to this, Tokyo substitutes Miura with Miyazawa in the 56th minute. However, Verdy also brings in Hugo as a replacement for DF Togawa. They have changed their defense to two players and are trying to counterattack. In the 61st minute, Tokyo's Baba crosses from a quick attack. Ishikawa's shot from the right area is blocked by the opponent's DF. In the 65th minute, they continue to attack the goal and invite danger.

　In the 74th minute, Abe was substituted for Ishikawa. However, they were unable to regain the lost rhythm. Then, in the 78th minute, Verdy connected from a throw-in and Yamada on the right side of the front line competed for a long pass with Hiramoto in front of the goal. The ball went to Hirano in front of the area, and MF Kobayashi received a short pass and took a shot. Jaan initially blocked it, but the loose ball was kicked in by Hiramoto, resulting in a goal. With the score reduced to one point, just one minute later, Kobayashi in the center connected passes with Hiramoto on the right side and received a pinpoint final pass inside the area, taking a direct shot. Verdy, who didn't make their numerical disadvantage apparent, had two goals scored against them in quick succession, and the game returned to square one.

Advancing to the first final with Lucas' V goal!

　Finally waking up to an unbelievable turn of events, Tokyo had a big chance in the 80th minute. Baba caught up to a ball played by Kelly into the space on the right side of the area, going one-on-one with the GK, but was thwarted by a quicker step. They won three corner kicks from there, but couldn't score. In the 87th minute, Suzuki was brought on for Baba. In the 89th minute, Jean's header from a left cross by Kanazawa was saved by the GK. Lucas's follow-up shot also went wide of the target. Tokyo pressed hard during the long stoppage time of five minutes, but just before the end of the second half, Verdy launched a counterattack, with Hiramoto breaking free in front of the goal to meet an early cross. His shot, taken after one touch, hit the post! Yoneyama's shot from the rebound went over the bar. Tokyo was lucky to escape. In the end, the tense battle saw neither side give an inch, and the match was finally taken to extra time under the V-goal rule.

　However, the battle between the two sides ended surprisingly quickly. In the first half of extra time kickoff, Abe dribbled and won a corner kick. Lucas scored a high header from the left corner kick taken by Miyazawa, and it was a goal!! Just 40 seconds into extra time, Lucas completed a hat-trick with a tearful and joyful goal, sealing the victory for Verdy! With this, they put an end to a tough battle and secured their first appearance in the Nabisco Cup final. It was a touching moment where not only the coach and players, but also the many supporters in the stadium, exploded with joy and emotions.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"In the first half, we were able to play our football with a good flow. In the second half, we became timid, and more than that, Verdy raised their spirits and we struggled with their momentum. The fact that we conceded three goals is the responsibility of all 11 players, including myself. I was frustrated and eager to win before entering extra time. However, I was able to calm down there, and I think the team's ability to regain focus contributed to our victory. The V goal was a first-time experience and was moving."《Kanazawa》"I was cautious about how we started the second half, but we ended up being affected by Verdy's efforts, and we couldn't pick up the second balls. We tried to endure and attack quickly, but even when we regained possession, our movements and distances were out of sync, and we couldn't create attacking shapes. I want to reflect on this and move forward."《Miura》"Since it was a cup match, I wanted to apply pressure rather than be cautious. It was good that we were able to create our rhythm in the first half... However, we showed some softness at the start of the second half, conceded a goal, and allowed Verdy to gain momentum. The fact that we conceded that goal and couldn't score the fourth goal to finish them off when they took risks in their attack was a significant point. However, since winning was the most important thing, I am happy that we ultimately won. I believe that the ability to stop the pattern of losing and the atmosphere of danger is a sign that the team has grown."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "In the first half, we were leading 3-0, and the opponent was down to 10 men. In the first stage match against Ichihara, we were caught up in a similar situation, so we talked about staying focused at halftime. However, Verdy started the second half by launching long balls early. They particularly targeted Yamada, and we struggled to respond to their strategy of going for the loose balls. Ultimately, we won, but Verdy was outstanding. Until now, Verdy had an image of connecting passes intricately, but they abandoned that and showed a real desire to score, which surpassed us. We tried to respond with substitutions and various strategies, but we couldn't contain them. Including their fighting spirit, I thought Verdy's attack was truly remarkable. Before going into extra time, Lucas was frustrated, but I told the players that we hadn't lost yet, and that being angry wouldn't bring back the goals we lost, so we needed to switch our mindset. I also told Lucas that we should focus solely on scoring from here on, and that’s exactly what happened. Ideally, if Ishikawa or Baba had scored at 3-0 or 3-1, we might have won more easily, but advancing to the Final is not easy. Today, even the players who didn't participate naturally gathered, and we formed a circle to approach the match together. I'm happy that the whole team could create that atmosphere, and many supporters from Tokyo came as well. I think everyone's desire to reach the Final helped prevent Hiramoto's decisive shot at the end of the second half and led to Lucas's V-goal. There will be a gap until the Final, but I thought that only Tokyo could defeat Urawa, so I want to win. However, for now, I want to switch my mindset to the next league match and fight like we did in the first half today."

　[Tokyo V · Ardiles coach's summary of the press conference] "First of all, I think it was a wonderful game. It became one of the most intense games in my life. I feel sad because we lost, but I am proud of the players. Unfortunately, we had a player sent off and we had to play with 10 men. In soccer, losing is inevitable. However, it is very frustrating to lose due to such a decision. FC Tokyo took advantage of their chances and advanced to the final. Congratulations on reaching the final. Although I feel frustrated, I want to use it for future games. In soccer, we always have to learn."