Towards qualification for the Nabisco Cup

　The 3rd round of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league will be against Vegalta Sendai. Despite the match being held only 3 days after the 2nd round and with a tough schedule this month including league matches on the weekend, it is an important game to earn "3" points towards advancing in the qualifying league. Jean is suspended for this tournament in Tokyo. Fuyuyama is included as a center back. Amaral starts as in the previous round. Abe, who has a right knee injury, is being cautious and is on the bench along with Ozawa, Miura, Wu, Baba, and Suzuki, who are fresh members.

　Sendai, on the other hand, is in a difficult situation with key players such as FW Marcos, MF Silvinho, Iwamoto, and DF Fabiano injured or suspended. However, in the previous league match against Yokohama F.Marinos, they showed a strong level of concentration with a 1-1 draw. Additionally, FW Yamashita has been selected for the Japan national team for the Japan-Korea match on the 16th of this month, so his morale should be high. We need to be very cautious. The match kicked off at the Japan National Stadium on a chilly spring night with strong winds.

Toda's opening goal gives momentum

　In the 1st minute, Toda breaks free behind the defense from a quick attack, but is slightly offside. In the 5th minute, they win two corner kicks, and in the 7th minute, Ishikawa passes to Amaral, who then passes to Miyazawa and sends a cross into the goal area. Unfortunately, it doesn't connect with Kelly's header, but Tokyo has taken control of the game from the start.

　And it was in the 8th minute of the match. Miyazawa from our own half made a good decision to pass to Toda, who was trying to break through the opponent's defensive line. The opponent's goalkeeper made a clearance mistake outside the penalty area. The ball spilled in front of the goal, and Toda calmly slotted it in for a goal! Although it was a result of the opponent's mistake, the strong determination to score already led to the opening goal.

　Tokyo attacked Sendai, who suffered damage from this early lead. In the 14th minute, using the wide pitch from Kanazawa and Shigeki on the left side to Kelly, Ishikawa, and Kaji on the right, Miyazawa volleyed from outside the penalty area. In the 17th minute, Miyazawa skillfully spread the ball from Amaral's post-play, and Kanazawa on the left, Amaral in the center, and Kaji on the right launched a strong attack from both sides with flowing passing work. In the 19th minute, Miyazawa's well-controlled shot from outside the left penalty area. It was saved by the goalkeeper's fine play, but Amaral then took an overhead shot from the corner kick obtained.

Amaral scores his first goal of the season!

　In the 32nd minute, Miyazawa made a good decision and passed the ball to the right side space. Ishikawa caught up and crossed the ball in front of the goal. Kelly's shot from just outside the goal area was blocked by a defender, but Amaral picked up the loose ball and shot with his left foot, shaking the net for a goal! With a splendid additional point that met the expectations of Amaral's surroundings, Tokyo gained momentum.

　In the 35th minute, a combination with Ishikawa on the left side, Toda broke through and delivered a cross like an arrow. In the 38th minute, Ishikawa's free kick from the left side of the penalty area hit the post unfortunately. In the 39th minute, Ishikawa took a shot from a one-two with Toda, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.

　Defensively, they prevented Sendai from having the ball and completely shut down their attacking line. However, it was in the 41st minute when Fujiyama, who had been perfectly containing the opponent with sharp anticipation and focus, was judged to have held down an opposing player in the penalty area and a penalty kick was awarded against them. Sendai FW Yamashita converted this and allowed them to catch up. Just before the end of the first half, they allowed Sendai to counterattack, but the Tokyo defense bounced back without losing their spirit and ended the first half with a 2-1 lead.

Tadashi BABA's consecutive goals in 2 matches sealed the deal.

　In the second half, the first shot was by Sendai. In the 48th minute, Yamashita aimed for the goal with a cross from the right side, but missed the target. After that, it became a back and forth game, but in the 55th minute, Kelly was fouled in the penalty area, and this time Tokyo got a penalty kick. Amaral took this penalty kick and scored it perfectly, putting Sendai in a tough position.

　In the 57th minute, Amaral was replaced by Baba as the lone striker, and in the 75th minute, Suzuki replaced Toda, and in the 81st minute, Wu replaced Ishikawa, and one after another, young players were brought in. The fresh lineup in the front played freely and stretched in a short time. In the 77th minute, Suzuki received a through pass from Ishikawa and took a shot. In the 83rd minute, Wu received a pass from Baba on the right side and brought it to the center, drawing out a shot from Miyazawa with a last pass. In the 85th minute, Baba → Suzuki → Kelly connected, and Kelly, who exchanged a one-two with Wu, took a shot in the end. They created chances and actively showcased their individual strengths.

　And Sendai's counterattack was firmly suppressed, and it seemed that the game would end like this in injury time. Kanazawa ran up the left side and was fouled near the left edge of the penalty area, earning a free kick. Miyazawa took the kick, and Baba, with his back to the goal on the near side, shook his head and scored a goal! Following his heading goal in the league match against Verdy on the 5th, Baba scored another valuable goal, securing an additional point and achieving a resounding 4-1 victory over Sendai. This win gives them momentum for the league match to be held in 2 days.

【Player Comments】《Amaral》"Since I couldn't score a goal in the previous match, I really wanted to score today and a goal was born. My condition is not yet 100% perfect, but it will continue to improve from now on."《Baba》"I couldn't be happy even if I scored a goal in the previous match, but I could honestly be happy today. I am being used as a top player because I am in good shape, but I don't feel uncomfortable even as a lone striker. I think it's important to keep scoring goals."

[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "The Verdy match the other day wasn't bad in terms of performance. Even if the performance is good, there are games that cannot be won. In order to become a strong team, I talked to the players about how to switch their mindset and play with more speed in terms of ball movement, aiming for the center or the sides. The first goal was partly due to the opponent's mistake, but it was a good execution of Toda's run into space and Ishikawa creating opportunities on the side. Although we scored four goals, there were more decisive moments. The desire to score goals is emerging, so we will continue to progress step by step from here. Sendai had many injured players, which was lucky for us, but it was good that we were able to win firmly in that situation. There is a high possibility of advancing to the qualifying league, so while playing these games, we want to improve our finishing ability and create an even stronger team."

[Sendai/Shimizu Coach Press Conference Summary] "We conceded a goal from a mistake and the line dropped in chaos. The plan for the first half was to have a 3-man midfield and solidly stop the attacks from the half side, aiming to bring the game to the second half with a 0-0 score. However, it collapsed early on. Towards the end of the first half, we regained our rhythm and turned around with a 1-2 score, so I told the players to stay calm and play the game in the second half. But we conceded a penalty after about 10 minutes, and from there the game fell apart significantly. We had many injured players, so we tried out young players and even tried Nakata as a right full-back, which resulted in a game that was inconsistent."