I want to win the Nabisco Cup 1st round "Fateful Kofu Match" decisively

The 2001 Nabisco Cup kicked off. The first round is a match against J2's Ventforet Kofu. This cup competition is played home and away. Today's first match is held at home at Tokyo Stadium. Tokyo has not been able to achieve results in the last two away matches in the league. In addition, in last year's Emperor's Cup, Tokyo lost to Kofu, who had advanced to the third round, so today's match cannot be underestimated. However, in this match, which can be called a fateful showdown, we want to win comfortably and gain momentum for the second match and towards the league.

The starting lineup consists of FW Robisu and Kagemi, who made his first appearance this season, in the front line. Kelly on the right side of the midfield, Masuda on the left, and Asari and Miura in the defensive midfield.

Before Kofu's concentration, a frustrating time continues

Tokyo, which had been calm since the start, struggled to get its engine running. The first shot came in the 11th minute, when Masuda volleyed a delicate cross from Kelly on the right, but it didn't connect perfectly and the goalkeeper caught it. In the 13th minute, Asari took a middle shot, and in the 15th minute, Lopes aimed directly for a free kick. In the 17th minute, Kagami shot from the corner of the penalty area, but it was a single attack that ended. Although Kofu initially placed both fullbacks in high positions and showed glimpses of attacking intent, they gradually found themselves pushed back by Tokyo's attacks from the sides, led by Kelly and Masuda.

At 20 minutes, Lopes kicked a free kick near the penalty arc, which hit the wall, and then Lopes connected with the loose ball for a header shot. At 25 minutes, Kelly in the midfield quickly attacked from the left to Morita in front of the goal, showing a fast and efficient attack, but Lopes' shots all missed the goal. At 28 minutes, Kagami struck a header shot from a right corner kick, but the goalkeeper caught it. Lopes tried to create chances by keeping the ball in the front line and passing it to the side for Kagami to cut into the penalty area and cross, but they couldn't break through the concentrated defense of Kofu and the frustrating situation of not being able to score continued despite their dominance.

Kofu, on the other hand, occasionally showed counterattacks but were one step behind and couldn't convert them into shots. Towards the end of the game, midfielder Yoshida took a shot after a one-two pass in front of the goal, but it ended with just that one shot, and both teams entered the second half with a score of 0-0.

From one penalty kick to a goal rush!

In the second half, Tokyo aggressively attacked the goal from the beginning. In the 47th minute, Asari advanced to the side of the penalty area and earned a free kick, which Miura then connected with a shot. In the 50th minute, Masuda took a free shot from the midfield. Then, in the 53rd minute, Miura applied intense pressure in the midfield and stole the ball, passing it to Wagner LOPES who dashed towards the goal. Wagner LOPES carefully surveyed the surroundings and once again passed the ball to Miura. The momentum of Miura, who caught up with the ball and entered the penalty area, could only be stopped by a foul from the Kofu defenders, resulting in a penalty kick for Tokyo. Wagner LOPES confidently converted the penalty kick to take the lead, and Kofu's concentration was broken. From here on, it became "Tokyo's time".

In the 58th minute, Kagami scored a header from Kelly's left corner kick, making it 2-0. With a well-aimed heading shot to the top right corner of the goal, Kagami showed his strength in seizing opportunities. In the 67th minute, Sato was substituted for Masuda. Shortly after, in the 69th minute, Kagami received a pass from Lopes on the right side of the midfield. Kagami dribbled a long distance into the penalty area, and with Kelly acting as a decoy in front of the goal, Lopes easily scored the third goal, making it 3-0. At this point, Kagami suffered an accident and was injured, but Toda, a forward who made his first appearance this season, was substituted. Just two minutes later, in the 73rd minute, a play similar to the one that won the first penalty kick was reproduced with Miura passing to Lopes, and finally Miura scored the fourth goal by shooting over the jumping goalkeeper. Despite this, Yamanashi Chuo Bank, who tried to counterattack by raising their defensive line, mercilessly piled on the goals.

In the 78th minute, MF Kina was substituted for CB Ito. Tokyo tried a 3-back formation with Asari taking care of the final line and a dense midfield. In the 89th minute, Toda was fouled in the midfield, but Toda and Sato quickly made a smart restart and sent the ball to Lopes in front of the goal. With this one play, they scored the fifth goal to seal the deal and stopped Kofu's momentum.

A match that showcases the essence of Tokyo, leading to the next one

Along with the performance in the first half, there was still room for improvement in terms of finishing. In the 56th minute, Kelly dribbled past the defenders from the right sideline and took a shot from inside the penalty area... In the 64th minute, Masuda sprinted past the defenders but was stopped by the goalkeeper... And in the 79th minute, Sato's free kick hit the crossbar, which was a close chance. However, Wagner Lopes showed that he is a truly formidable presence, contributing to four goals including a hat-trick, and Miura and Asari demonstrated Tokyo's style by winning the ball through basic pressing and turning it into attacks. It was a game that gives hope for the next battle.

【REIS Coach's Comment】

The first half was really good, but I think the players definitely thought "we can win". That's why they lost focus and became disorganized after the second half penalty kick. There were a few times when I thought Deiri and Yoshida were fouled in the contact play in the front line, but the game flowed and it became a frustrating battle. I think the result would have been completely different if we hadn't conceded a penalty kick. Robisu is a wonderful player and I feel strongly that he got the better of us. The players have been feeling the pressure from losing continuously, so we want to come up with a plan to achieve good results from now on.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

The first half was a boring and unimpressive game, with the players in the front line of Kofu lacking the motivation to challenge, despite Kofu also being on the defensive at times. In the second half, the opponents were getting tired, and players like Masuda and Robisu were showing their commitment to fulfilling their roles, so it was decent. However, there is still dissatisfaction in terms of being able to play only after the pressure itself had eased. In the future, we want to play with more intensity from the first half and create a new momentum with substitute players. It was a game that made us reflect on these points.