Nabisco Cup Qualifying Round 2, Get "Results" Away!

　On the 14th (Wednesday), the Nabisco Cup qualifying league Sec. 2 will be held, facing Omiya Ardija away. In the league match against Kashima, we displayed aggressive soccer with great spirit, but only managed to earn 1 point, leading the players to express their regret, saying, "It was a match where we had to take 3 points. We feel a sense of frustration." Aiming for the Nabisco final, it is crucial to earn 3 points away, and we want to build further momentum based on the performance against Kashima. However, we must consider the condition of players with injuries. Regarding the lineup, Coach Jofuku explained, "This is a battle aimed at the final, not a Nabisco match to give someone a chance. However, realistically, there are players I want to rest without risking them in consecutive matches. I will use players who can showcase their characteristics and have the mental readiness to outperform others, including physical condition." Therefore, Tokunaga, Nagatomo, and Hanyu will start on the bench. GK Shiota, FW Ricardinho, and Tanabe will make their first starts of the season as defensive midfielders, with Akamine in one of the two forwards, and Matsushita forming a double pivot with Suzuki and Nakamura playing as MFs. On the other hand, Omiya has not won since their victory against C Osaka at the league opener. With incidents such as MF Fujimoto's injury, they particularly struggled in the league Sec. 4 match against Tokyo, where they had two players sent off at home. This time, they will come with a strong desire to take revenge and find a chance to ride the wave as a team. While starting young players like Aoki in the pivot and right MF Kanekubo, they will continue to play soccer with everyone working together in both attack and defense, maintaining strict pressing in midfield, organized defense, and dynamic runs from the second line, making for a challenging match ahead. Especially, Omiya's defense, including DF Mato and Fukaya, is strong in one-on-one situations and has height. How to break down this defensive line will be one of the highlights. Against Omiya's attacks led by FW Ishihara and Fujita, it is important to maintain focus and continue challenging and covering the ball. If we lose possession poorly, there is a possibility of being quickly brought back to our own half with fast-paced passing, so we want to stay calm and always be "prepared." Although it is an away game, we aim to not let Omiya seize control, compete fiercely in one-on-one situations and at the ball, and strive to capture 3 points. A cold wind reminiscent of winter blows at NACK5 Stadium Omiya, and the match started at 19:03 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Ricardinho, who started for the first time, marks his first goal and takes the lead

　In the 20th second, Omiya's left MF Uchida passed to FW Ishihara, who boldly aimed for a mid-range shot. Although it went wide, the strong determination of Omiya in this match was felt. Tokyo also launched a quick counterattack in the 6th minute from intense defense in their own half, with Ricardinho dribbling up the left side. He slowed down a bit in front of the area and tried to pass to Suzuki, who had moved up the center, but it ended in a mistake. In the 12th minute, Omiya was allowed to attack from a set piece, and Omiya's MF Uchida, who picked up a clearance from Tokyo's defense, took a shot. The rebound hit the defender, and Omiya's FW Ishihara ran to the right goal area and took a shot from close range, but it crossed the goal without an angle. In the 13th minute, Ricardinho broke free from a long pass from Konno to the front line, but was offside. In the 15th minute, Omiya's MF Uchida advanced to the left front line. Mukuhara and Tanabe surrounded him to take the ball, but Tanabe's next pass hit MF Uchida, who lost the ball and cut inside, taking a shot that Shiota caught directly. Tokyo responded calmly to Omiya's vigorous early attacks. With a composed defense centered around Shiota, they gradually connected passes and looked for chances. In the 19th minute, from a right throw-in, Suzuki, Matsushita, Tanabe, and Nakamura linked up, using the pitch widely to pass, and finally, Kim Yong-gun sent a cross, but they couldn't finish it. In the 27th minute, from Omiya's quick passing, FW Ishihara, who received a through ball from MF An Yong-ha, attracted Tokyo's defense, and FW Fujita broke free into the right area. However, just before the pass could be made, Konno slid in to deflect it for a corner kick. Still, there were moments when they struggled to move the ball forward against Omiya's intense press, but gradually they launched speedy attacks, and the match progressed at a fast pace. In the 32nd minute, Akamine connected while being pressured at the front line, and Suzuki dribbled into the left area. The last pass from the sideline hit the defender, but Ricardinho, who ran in free, took a shot. However, he was blocked by Omiya's DF Mato, and they couldn't capitalize on the scoring opportunity. However, in the 39th minute, Suzuki on the right side skillfully passed to the front line to Ricardinho. Ricardinho evaded the opposing defender with a lifted ball and dribbled to the center. Gaining speed, he charged into the right area and confidently pierced the net with a controlled shot for the GOAL!! Ricardinho scored his first goal, taking the lead after withstanding Omiya's fast attacks with resilient defense, and turned the match around as planned into the second half.

Despite being at a numerical disadvantage due to Muhara's expulsion, they snatch victory with a passionate play!

　In the second half, both teams displayed their fighting spirit, continuing a fast-paced back-and-forth. In the 47th minute, Omiya's right back Sugiyama forcefully evaded Tokyo's DF and attempted to cut inside, but the defense calmly covered and held firm. In the 52nd minute, midfielder Nakamura sent a lob forward, which Suzuki chased and aimed for directly, but was blocked by the DF. However, in the 55th minute, Omiya quickly transitioned from defense to attack, with MF Uchida sending a through pass behind Tokyo's DF. Omiya's FW Ishihara ran onto it, and Mukuhara contested for the ball but committed a foul in the area, resulting in a penalty kick. Mukuhara was sent off for this play, forcing the team to fight with ten men for the remainder of the match. In the 57th minute, Omiya DF Mato's penalty kick grazed Shioda's hand and struck the left post. Tokyo's DF desperately cleared the rebound, escaping to a corner kick. From this left corner, Omiya launched a wave of attacks in front of the goal, but a foul by Omiya allowed Tokyo to escape the danger. Shortly after, Nakamura and Tanabe were replaced by Nagatomo and Tokunaga. In the 63rd minute, Ricardinho, who had injured his foot, was substituted for Hanyu. Akamine moved to the front line, with Suzuki and Matsushita in the second line, and Tokunaga and Hanyu as holding midfielders, while Nagatomo played as the right back, trying to repel Omiya's counterattack. However, in the 73rd minute, Omiya's DF Mato's early cross was dropped by right SB Sugiyama, and MF Uchida attempted an overhead kick. The loose ball was connected to right MF Kanekubo, who took a shot from mid-range. This was saved due to a shooting error, but in the 75th minute, Omiya's FW created a scoring opportunity by running into the area. However, Konno cleared it with his body, escaping to a corner kick. Omiya, determined to capitalize on their numerical advantage and aim for an equalizer, pressed hard, but Tokyo remained focused. They applied pressure from the front line and tried to defend without breaking their defensive block. They also aimed for counterattacks whenever possible, and in the 77th minute, Tokunaga dribbled forward, with Akamine creating a play for Suzuki, who aimed for a shot from the left area but was blocked by the opposing DF. In the 80th minute, MF Aoki received a negative pass from Omiya's right front line and took a sharp mid-range shot just before the area, but it was saved by Shioda, resulting in a corner kick. In the closing stages, Omiya pushed DF Mato forward and launched a wave of attacks, but Tokyo also put their bodies on the line, extinguishing the seeds of danger with passionate play. In the 5 minutes of stoppage time, Nagatomo, Tokunaga, and Matsushita in the front line continued to hold the ball to create their own time, maintaining their concentration until the time was up. Despite the incident of Mukuhara's sending off, everyone unified their intentions and defended Ricardinho's single goal to secure a valuable three points away from home. 【Player Comments】《Shioda》"It was my first appearance in a while, but even with changes in the lineup, I had a strong desire to play the football we aim for and achieve results with this team, so I didn't get lost in personal emotions. I believe that our strong will to fight towards the football we aim for led to victory. At the start, the opponent's pressure was intense, so I focused on not conceding a goal in the first 20 minutes. We fought safely with concentration, and from there, we were able to connect passes. I think we were able to extend the time at 0-0 and score first, executing the game plan as intended. We conceded a penalty, but I was able to accept that it was unavoidable. We regrouped our game plan and fought together with a unified spirit." 《Ricardinho》"I'm happy about my first goal, but the team's victory is what makes me the happiest. However, this is just the beginning. I believe we will get better from here. Today, I focused on my movements and getting off to a quicker start. I think that resulted in the goal. It was my first start, but I didn't feel pressured. I was thinking about playing responsibly as a representative of the team." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】"Today was an important match to advance from the qualifying group. I knew Omiya would come in with high motivation, so I wanted to ensure we didn't lose to their intensity. There are points to reflect on regarding the series of plays that led to the sending off, but the players maintained their concentration until the end and secured three points. To make the most of this victory, we need to carry it into the next results and break through the qualifying league. Otherwise, today's efforts will lose their meaning. I think it was tough for the fans to come all the way to Omiya on a weekday night, but many came and gave us strong support. That was a significant factor in being able to hold on even with one less player. I'm glad we could share this joy with everyone. (Wasn't there a lack of attacking shape until after the 30th minute of the first half?) My perspective is a bit different; I think we were caught offside. Omiya was coming to steal the ball from quite early, and if we could have made a move a few steps back at that timing, or created time ourselves, there were several scenes where we could have gone one-on-one with the GK or slipped behind the DF. That was the shape we were aiming for, and I anticipated Omiya would come from the front, so in a sense, it was the game development we intended. We started to settle down after the 30th minute, but perhaps we lacked numbers in midfield to calm things down sooner. I believe one reason for the delay in starting to connect was that the double holding midfielders were positioned too low." 【Omiya Coach Zhang's Press Conference Summary】"When losses continue like this, my biggest concern is that the players will lose confidence. However, I think now is not the time to be patient. Today, the players fought until the end, and their play is improving. I believe we are making progress little by little. The movements the players aimed for were good, and they were able to do that even after conceding. We conceded due to the slowness of our final line, which is also our weakness, but apart from that, the flow, transitions, and ball duels were all things the players executed well. However, there was a lack of composure. We don't have players who can hold the ball like FC Tokyo and shoot accurately, so everyone is trying to do that together. Even with ideas, we rushed too much and ended up with hasty, unsettled play. FC Tokyo has representative players and rich experience. The performance differs between having a player who can play two roles and not having one."