I want to win 3 points with a fresh team

　The 2nd round of the Nabisco qualifiers will be held at home against Vissel Kobe. In the previous round, we made mistakes under Kashiwa's high pressure and had a losing start. Coach Jofuku analyzed the cause as "not being able to fight in the one-on-one situations in front of us. The cause is the basic aspects." He talked about the points to be corrected, saying, "I want to do it while clarifying the individual situations and responsibilities within the team" for the Kobe match.

　Kobe, who will face us, is undergoing a transformation towards passing soccer under the command of coach CAIO JUNIOR, who took over this season. In the previous match, they drew with Chiba, and so far in the official matches, they have 1 win, 2 draws, 1 loss, 4 goals scored, and 4 goals conceded, which can be considered as a trial and error process. The attack, in which attackers like MF Yoshida and FW Ganaha jump out from a compact formation centered around DF Miyamoto and MF Kane, has power and the sharpness of the counter-attacks launched from a solid defense is also still present. We must pay close attention to them.

　Tokyo will face the match with a significantly changed lineup, consisting of fresh players. "Looking at other teams, young players are stepping up. Rather than giving them a chance, we have chosen the best formation to secure 3 points in the next match," said Coach Jofuku. In the defense, Mokuhara will be on the right side, and Konno, who just finished the Bahrain match the day before, will be the center back. In the midfield, Asari and Hanyu will be the defensive midfielders, with Otake and Kajiyama on the left and right sides respectively. Cabore and Akamine will form the attacking duo. Rookie Tanabe will also be on the bench.

　Kajiyama said, "I think Kobe will come to defend from the front. We want to calmly connect in the midfield and move the ball forward." Akamine showed his enthusiasm, saying, "It's not easy, but we want to change the flow of the team by scoring goals and getting results." We want to bypass the press from the front line with passing and take control of the game. It is a crucial battle where winning 3 points is an absolute requirement for advancing to the finals. We will win with all our strength! The match started at Ajinomoto Stadium, where the air is still cold, with Kobe's kickoff at 14:04.

Both teams were unable to create attacking opportunities due to intense pressing, and the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

　Kobe took control of the first half pace. Midfielders Kane and Matsuoka took the lead, stealing the ball with tough pressing and confidently circulating it to push the game forward. Tokyo couldn't help but stop with fouls, giving away several chances from free kicks. In the 6th minute, Kobe MF Yoshida's free kick was initially blocked, but Bamba volleyed the rebound. This was easily saved by Gonda. In the 14th minute, the ball was stolen near the center line, and Kobe DF Ishihako attacked the goal with a header from a feed by MF Matsuoka, but it was saved by the crossbar.

　Tokyo launches attacks from the side with a counter-attacking style. In the 31st minute, Mokuhara received the ball on the right side and skillfully bypassed the opponent's defender to enter the penalty area, but was fouled before that. In the 37th minute, Tokunaga's cross from the left aimed for Akamine in front of the goal, but Kobe's goalkeeper Enomoto caught it. In the 38th minute, Cabore received the ball on the left side and attempted a dribble, but appeared to be fouled outside the right side of the penalty area, resulting in a simulation decision...

　Kobe couldn't create a chance against the press, but they started to show signs of fatigue and kept possession in the midfield to launch attacks. In the 40th minute, Otake -> Mukuhara stuck to the right side and bypassed the opponent's DF to cross to the center. Kajiyama, who was in front of the goal, headed the ball down and Akamine took a direct shot, but the timing was off and it missed the target by a wide margin. Furthermore, in the 42nd minute, Akamine took another shot while falling down from Otake's through pass, but it also went wide. The first half ended 0-0.

Defend and secure a clean sheet victory by focusing on protecting Otake's goal

　Tokyo made adjustments to go for the ball in a high position during halftime. This worked well and the pace of the game changed in Tokyo's favor in the second half. Early in the second half, Akamine dribbled after picking up the clearance from the opponent's free kick. Kajiyama passed to Habu, who reacted to the through pass and took a shot, but it was saved by Kobe's goalkeeper Enomoto. After creating several scenes threatening Kobe's goal, the 59th minute arrived. Akamine received the ball from Mokuhara's right throw-in and cleverly changed his position to pass to the center. Cabore bypassed the opponent's defender and the ball reached Otake on the left, who entered the penalty area and took a shot. It went into the top left corner of the goal, giving Otake his first goal of the season and taking the lead.

　Kobe brought in Noriyuki Suzuki in the second half, trying to demonstrate his power as a kicker in set plays, but without creating any dangerous situations. In addition, with a focused defense centered around Sahara and Konno, they didn't even give Kobe a single scoring opportunity. On the other hand, Kondo and Tatsuya Suzuki were substituted for Cabore and Otake, aiming for an additional goal. In the 34th minute, Asari picked up a loose ball from a left corner kick and fed it to the front line. Konno, who had run out to the right inside the area, attempted to score, but it was blocked by Kobe's defender Kitamoto...

　In the 40th minute, the opponent's free kick was punched by Kanda. Hanyu, who picked up the loose ball, dribbled up the left side and made a long pass to Suzuki Tatsuya on the opposite side. Suzuki Tatsuya -> Kondo attempted to score a goal, but it was cleared by the defender. In injury time, Tokunaga received the ball on the left side from a counterattack, dribbled past Kobe's defender Miyamoto, and crossed. The ball reached Suzuki Tatsuya, who was free in the far area, and he trapped it with his chest and took a shot, but it went over the bar. In the end, despite having chances to score additional goals, they couldn't convert and the match ended as it was. They celebrated their first victory in the Nabisco Cup.

　[Player Comments] {Konno} "I thought it would be a tough match. I really wanted to win today no matter what, so I was very glad to achieve that. I had been able to practice well with the national team, and my physical condition was really good, so I wanted to play in the match today and I enjoyed it. I heard a little about the content of the match against Kashiwa on Wednesday, and it seems it wasn't very good. When I returned to the team, Coach Jofuku and all the players were a bit tense, and there was an atmosphere that we absolutely had to win today. It was unexpected to play as a center-back, but if we can keep a clean sheet, we won't lose, so I wanted to contribute more to the attack, but I couldn't do that. We didn't create any dangerous scenes, and I think it was significant that we kept it at zero. The low number of goals is not just the responsibility of the forwards; if we don't provide good feeds from the defensive line, it won't lead to good attacks. So if I play center-back again, I want to get involved in the attack and build-up more and provide good passes. Next is the league match. There are many things we need to do. Since we have a week off, I want to practice well and aim to win again with zero goals conceded and a lot of goals scored."

　Otake: "In the first half, I couldn't do anything, but in the second half, I was able to score, so today feels like a wash. I thought today would be a very important match for me this year, so I wanted to put my heart into it from the first half. However, I fell behind in defense, and I couldn't get into the attack at all. I couldn't show my strengths. In the second half, the opponent's movement dropped to some extent, so I was able to show a bit of my play and score, which saved me. In the first half, I and Kaji-kun (Kajiyama) were too deep, which dragged the side players down, causing the whole team to drop back too much. I lost every battle for the ball and loose balls in the first half, so I was scolded by the coach, and I thought I needed to improve that. I was yelled at a lot during the match. In the second half, I was able to improve my defense and go forward without falling behind, so we were able to create our rhythm. I think that was good. (What about the goal scene?) When the ball came to Cabore, I knew the left side was open, so when I ran, Cabore used his body well to set me up. I don't remember much of the moment I shot, but I'm glad it went in. However, while I was happy to score, I felt that everything else was completely lacking, so it feels like I just scored today. My goal this season is to consistently perform as a starter. Today was the first time I started this year, but I only scored, and I couldn't play my usual style of taking the ball and going towards the goal at all, so I want to work harder from now on."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "I think it was very good to be able to celebrate with the fans at home. I felt once again that the support from the fans is a great strength when the team is not doing well. In terms of the match content, we have been averaging 3 goals conceded except for the match against Yamagata in the league, so we strongly focused on defense as we entered the game. This includes the way the team defends and how we take risks when attacking, but first and foremost, it was about each individual's responsibility to prevent the opponent from having freedom and to take the ball away, and to confirm how we could maintain that for 90 minutes. Throughout both halves, there weren't many scenes where we were shaped and scored against. I think we gave away too many set pieces, but I recognize that we were not broken down defensively because each individual's defensive awareness was high. However, in the first half, the places where we were taking the ball away were too low, which led to the two forwards being isolated when transitioning to attack. There were situations in the first half where we were countered and attacked again. I think it was more about being passed around than being attacked. From around the end of the first half, spaces started to open up, allowing us to connect better, but we lacked a bit in keeping the ball up front and pushing forward in the first half. I believe one major reason for that was the low places where we were taking the ball away. In the second half, we were able to take the ball away a bit higher as a team, so I think we had more time to play soccer in the opponent's half, and we should have scored the second goal when the opponent came to attack. There were several chances where if that pass had connected, it would have been a chance. The last shot from Tatsuya SUZUKI was also a must-score situation. When the opponent comes out, we need to capitalize on that, and I want to reflect on this based on our defense this time and connect it to the next match."

　[Summary of the press conference by Vissel Kobe's coach CAIO JUNIOR] "We changed from a four-back to a three-back since the last match, and especially in the first half, it was functioning very well. Overall, the first half was a good match. It was probably very difficult for FC Tokyo to mark our team in the first half. There were a few scenes where we were shot at towards the end of the first half, but we were particularly able to switch sides, so the opponent couldn't mark our side changes, making it difficult for them in the first half. I think we were able to control the game mainly because we managed possession well. Last year's data for Vissel Kobe showed that we had the most fouls in the J1 League. Since I came to Japan, I have been saying that I want to reduce the number of fouls and yellows for the club, aiming for that kind of football, and I think we are seeing significant results. In the last two matches, we didn't receive a single yellow card. As a result, I believe we have been able to perform very well so far. Regarding today's match, we were progressing well, but unfortunately, in the scene where we conceded a goal, there was probably a foul that was overlooked, leading to the goal. I think it was a very unfortunate event. In the second half, the opposing team applied pressure on us from the front, and we felt that difficulty while playing, which ultimately led to this result. In the second half, we brought in MF Suzuki, DF Mogi, and FW Matsuhashi to increase our attacking depth and try to change the situation by putting pressure on the opponent, but we couldn't change the situation and the match ended as a result."