Nabisco Cup quarterfinals, snatch a tenacious away victory in the first leg

　The Nabisco Cup final tournament is being held. In the first match of the quarterfinals, Yokohama F.Marinos will play away. The semifinals will be played home and away, and the advancement will be determined by the total of two matches (points won -> goal difference -> goals scored -> away goals scored. In case of a tie, there will be extra time -> penalty shootout). It will be Tokyo's first appearance in the Nabisco Cup final tournament in 3 years, and the players are highly motivated. Inono and Inoha will be absent due to their participation in the Asian Cup for the Japanese national team, but the team's fighting style remains unchanged, and everyone will come together as one to win the title.

　Yokohama FM, who will face us, has been in good form with no losses in the last 6 league matches. Although they will be missing the national team's defender Nakazawa in the Levain Cup, defender Matsuda has returned since the 16th section of the league. Their defense has been solid, keeping clean sheets in the last 3 matches. Like us, they also press from the front and quickly deliver the ball to their forwards Oshima and Sakata if they win it back. In response, it is important for us to win the second ball battles. With coordinated defense, we want to contain Yokohama FM's midfielders Koji Yamase and Yukio Yamase, who are the source of their passes, and launch quick counterattacks. If Suzuki Nori, Rychely, and others can gain the upper hand on the wings, we should be able to create chances.

　A fierce battle is expected, with both teams fighting tooth and nail. The number of away goals may also have an impact on advancing to the next round. However, Coach Hara declared, "We won't do any calculations, we will go for the win confidently even away from home!" The goal is to keep a clean sheet in the first half and bring the game to our strong second half. If we can demonstrate the same tenacity we showed in the Kashima game, we should have a chance to win.

　Today, Shigeki Mogi started as a center back, and Asari started as a defensive midfielder. In addition, Nagatomo (currently studying at Meiji University) as a JFA/J.League designated player showed enthusiasm and good form, making his first appearance on the bench. On the other hand, Yokohama FM lined up with defenders Matsuda and Kuribara as center backs, and Kawai as a lone defensive midfielder in a 4-1-3-2 formation. The match started at exactly 19:00 with a kickoff in Tokyo at the humid Yokohama Mitsuzawa Athletic Stadium.

Launching a counterattack from a solid defense, unfolding as planned

　In the early stages, Yokohama F.Marinos took control. They pressed from the front, won the ball, and dominated the midfield by connecting passes. However, Tokyo defended with concentration and prevented them from finishing. Whenever they won the ball, Tokyo launched counter-attacks and created chances from the wings. In the 8th minute, Suzuki Nori received Kajiyama's pass, dribbled forward, and prepared to shoot, but was closed down by the defender and couldn't get a shot off. In the 12th minute, Lucas advanced on the right side and crossed the ball. Fukunishi attempted a volley from a distance, but it went wide to the right. In the 15th minute, Kajiyama intercepted the ball, evaded two opposing defenders on the left side, and sprinted forward. Kanazawa overlapped aggressively and skillfully trapped the ball in the area, winning a corner kick.

　At 26 minutes, an indirect free kick from Doi bounced over the heads of the Yokohama defenders. Noriyuki Suzuki tried to jump for it, but was challenged by Yokohama FM's defender Tanaka Hayato and couldn't make the shot. In the 28th minute, a long ball was played behind the Tokyo defenders and Yokohama FM's forward Sakata chased after it, but Fujiyama pushed him away and it resulted in a corner kick. In the 30th minute, Noriyuki Suzuki jumped for a long feed to Kanazawa's front line. The opponent's goalkeeper also came out and collided, but Noriyuki Suzuki's intended kick was blocked by the Yokohama defenders and resulted in a corner kick. In the 33rd minute, from Richele and Noriyuki Suzuki's wide attack, Lucas took a shot from the loose ball. Then, Fukunishi ran in for the loose ball from Kajiyama's left cross and took a well-aimed shot, but unfortunately it went to the right.

　Yokohama FC's cross was defended by Shigeki MOBATA, Fujiyama, and others, and they managed to avoid a corner kick. In the latter part of the first half, they were awarded consecutive corner kicks and free kicks, but they did not allow any goals with their focused defense. In the 44th minute, Yokohama FC's midfielder Koji YAMASE dribbled fiercely and passed to forward Sakata, who was running alongside from the left. Sakata unleashed a powerful shot from inside the left area, but Doi made a save! They managed to defend against the corner kick. In terms of shots in the first half, Yokohama FC had 4 shots compared to Tokyo's 2 shots, but the number of chances was almost equal. As planned, they reached halftime with a score of 0-0.

Norio Suzuki scores in 4 consecutive matches! Keeps Yokohama FM scoreless and wins away

　The game started moving in the second half. After about 30 seconds, Fukunishi passed to Lucas, who became a wedge and returned the ball to Fukunishi. From there, a pass was sent to Suzuki Nori, who advanced on the left front line. Suzuki Nori dribbled forward and unleashed a left-footed shot from the left corner of the area! The shot from his favorite angle hit the post on the opposite side and was sucked into the net, giving Suzuki Nori his fourth consecutive goal and the opening point.

　From here, the offense and defense rapidly change, with intense exchanges of counterattacks. In the 53rd minute, Yokohama FM's left midfielder Koji YAMASE advances into the left area. He sends a floating pass to the front of the goal. Forward Sakata was waiting freely, but Shigeki MOBATA clears it and Fukunishi launches a counterattack. From this quick attack, Rychely evades two opposing defenders and advances to just before the goal area. The ball is blocked by a defender, but Kajiyama follows up and shoots. However, it is saved by the goalkeeper. In the 56th minute, Tokyo's defense clears Yokohama FM's left cross. Koji YAMASE of Yokohama FM tries to close in with a fierce dash on the loose ball, but Asari cuts it off and turns it into a counterattack. However, both teams lack precision in their final plays and cannot create decisive chances.

　In the 64th minute, Kanazawa, who was feeling unwell, was replaced by Nagatomo, who made his professional debut. Yokohama FM made substitutions with Marques in the 57th minute and Karino in the 70th minute. They increased the number of attackers and tried to score a goal. In the 71st minute, Tokyo DF blocked Yokohama FM's shot. Kawai, the defensive midfielder, followed up on the loose ball and advanced into the area, but Tokyo DF also blocked it. Fujiyama dribbled up and launched a counterattack. In the 73rd minute, Sakata's header from a sharp cross by Yokohama FM's left full-back Komiyama narrowly missed the bar, avoiding a dangerous situation.

　Tokyo substituted Ishikawa for Rychely in the 73rd minute. In the 77th minute, Kajiyama cramped and went out of the pitch. During that time, Nagatomo took the free kick from the left side. However, no one could connect with the ball that bounced in front of the goal. In the 79th minute, Yokohama FM put DF Nasu as the right back and pushed DF Tanaka Hayato forward to threaten Tokyo's goal. In the 80th minute, Tokyo substituted Kajiyama with Baba, who had returned to the pitch once. They fought without losing focus, including player substitutions, and repelled Yokohama FM's attacks with solid defense, launching quick attacks whenever they saw a chance.

　In the 84th minute, Baba passed to the left and Ishikawa crossed to the left corner kick. From the loose ball after Baba's kick, Asari volleyed a shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 87th minute, Yokohama FM's midfielder Kawai received his second warning and was sent off. After that, without giving Yokohama FM, who became 10 players including 5 minutes of injury time, a chance. They won the first game of the quarterfinals with no goals conceded and took 3 points away.

　【Player Comments】《Shigeki》"I've been able to play my own game at key moments. It was good that I was able to keep a clean sheet and regain my confidence. When Tokyo is not doing well, there is a large space between Yohei and Inoha. They also bear a burden, so today we raised the line and were conscious of filling that space with everyone. I thought that controlling the line was the role expected of me. At the beginning, I was fully occupied trying to do my best, but from the middle, we all shouted together and I think it was good that we didn't drag on for 90 minutes. It was tough in a situation where it could be decided with "one shot", but we gave instructions to each other through eye contact and gestures, and our spirits didn't waver. Next time, we will have many fans coming to the home game, so there may be times when our voices don't reach. I want to do my best while looking at the expressions of my teammates."《Nagatomo》"(Playing) together in practice all the time, so there was no discomfort. But I was definitely nervous. Coach Hara instructed me to "defend well" and I played with the feeling of not allowing any goals in a situation where we were winning. I felt that I wouldn't lose in physical contact and gained confidence, but the challenge is the accuracy of the final play. I think it's important to overcome that challenge through daily practice. I'm happy to be able to play in the game and I'm grateful to those around me. I was also happy to receive support from the supporters. If I have the opportunity to play in future games, I will do my best for FC Tokyo, so please continue to support me."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Yokohama FM has been conceding few goals recently, with no goals conceded in the last three league matches. Today, we were playing at home against their strong attacking players, especially their two top forwards, and we expected them to come at us aggressively from the start. In response, if we had retreated, we would have been overwhelmed by their momentum. So, when we won the ball, we tried to use fast players like Rychely and Norio Suzuki to exploit the space behind the opponents. In the early stages, even when we won the ball, we only played short passes in close proximity, which allowed the opponents' defense to get involved, and we ended up hastily clearing the ball, only for them to regain possession. After the 20th minute, the ball started to reach players like Norio Suzuki and Rychely, who made some good opportunities. The most concerning aspect was the opponents' restarts. They have many tall players, and they scored from restarts in the previous league match against Oita. So, at halftime, I instructed the team to avoid panicking and committing fouls, and to stay focused on marking during restarts. After that, we simply tried to use the wings, or play one pass to Lucas or Fukunishi's feet, and then spread the play wide after drawing the opponents inside. We scored a goal right after the start of the second half with that approach. Kanazawa expressed discomfort at halftime. I was considering using Nagatomo if things didn't improve. There was also the option of Ikegami, but I decided to rely on Nagatomo's strong mentality. If it didn't work out, we could also make a change by substituting Norio Suzuki, moving Rychely to the left, and Nagatomo to the right. I knew Nagatomo had strength, but he performed well under difficult circumstances. Substitute players Ishikawa and Baba also showed great concentration. The unexpected factor this week was that Inoha, not just Konno, was absent due to national team duties. So far, we have been building rhythm with Kajiyama and Inoha as a duo. With one of them gone, I thought Ashizato would be the one to maintain the balance and make good use of Kajiyama's attacking abilities. Today, it was a bit chaotic at first, but his defense was effective from the middle of the match. That also helped Morinaka. In addition, today's achievement was Morinaka. I believe this team cannot become stronger without him. His abilities are not yet at their peak, but keeping a clean sheet gives us confidence. However, it's still only one match, and Yokohama FM is not a team that will end like this. We are not thinking about just protecting this one-goal lead. We want to prepare for a week to win at Ajinomoto Stadium."

　[Summary of Yokohama FM Manager Hayano's Press Conference] "Scoring 0 goals means that we didn't function well. In terms of cross accuracy and the ability to dribble past opponents one-on-one, we were lacking. FC Tokyo had a focused defense and their pressing was fast. In the first half, we were able to launch attacks from the sides but we couldn't take many shots. There were many situations where we could have taken shots but didn't. As for conceding goals, it felt like we were caught off guard for a moment. It can also be said that the lack of coordination and failure to cover properly by the center-backs were the reasons. The first leg ended with the worst result according to our plan, but if we can score the first goal in the second leg, it will be even. Although it's an away game, we will prepare to score that one goal."