Finally, on April 29th (Fri, holiday), Tokyo will play its first J-League match at the new Japan National Stadium.
At the old National Stadium, we have played many official matches since the first year of J-League membership. There have been memorable super plays and impactful events. Since achieving the long-awaited title, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National Stadium.
Before taking a new step at the National Stadium, let's look back on the footprints and memories that have been left at the previous National Stadium, along with photos from that time.
2009 Explosive itself. Two Nao goals
[Match Information]
2009 J.League Division 1 Sec. 6
FC Tokyo 1-2 JEF United Chiba
2009 J-League Division 1 Sec. 15
FC Tokyo 2-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
The beginning of Naohiro Ishikawa Theater, which continued to score goals one after another like a magic mallet, was the Japan National Stadium.
Kickoff for the night game on April 18, 2009, J1 League Sec. 6 match between JEF United Chiba. The strike scored in the 18th minute of the first half, with the same number as the player's jersey, was brilliant.
Ishikawa cuts in from the left half space towards the center. In an instant where it seemed uncertain how far he would go, he turns towards his dominant foot as if evading or blocking the two opponents who are running alongside or trying to block him, and strikes powerfully. The right-footed shot is sucked into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Naogoal continues to score. In the away match of Sec. 8 against Gamba Osaka, he scored his second goal of the season, and in the Sec. 9 match against Omiya Ardija held at Ajinomoto Stadium, he achieved a hat-trick. He extended his record to 5 goals. In the Sec. 13 match against Kawasaki Frontale on May 24th and the Sec. 14 match against Kashiwa Reysol on June 20th, he scored one goal each, and the expectation of scoring in three consecutive matches was placed on Ishikawa, and he did it again.
This year's second match at the National Stadium was the 15th round against Shimizu S-Pulse, and it was another night game with a kick-off at 19:04. Yohei Kajiyama scored his second goal of the season to take the lead, but they were equalized 1-1 by Jansen's goal. Four minutes later, they took the lead again with Ishikawa's eighth goal of the season, making it 2-1.
Outside the box, Insoo YU captures the moment when the ball, rolling low, bounces and probably kicks it with his instep, and this ball pierces the net at an incredible speed. In this season, Ishikawa swings his right foot without tension and unleashes powerful shots without missing the timing.
Afterwards, Ishikawa scored one goal each in the Sec. 16 match against Vissel Kobe and the Sec. 17 match against Nagoya Grampus, achieving a streak of 5 consecutive goals. In the end, he accumulated 15 goals by the Sec. 29 when he suffered an injury.
It can be said that the image of "Ishikawa strong at the national level" was created with these two goals in the 2009 season and the goal of "J-League Day" in the 2013 season. Unfortunately, injuries occurred afterwards, but the brilliance of 2009 will forever remain in the memories of the blue and red supporters.
Text by Katsu GOTO (Freelance Writer)
