Win to break through Kyoto's solid defense and advance to the Nabisco qualifying league!

　On the 6th, the Nabisco Cup qualifying Sec. 6 will be held on Sunday, where we will face Kyoto Sanga F.C. at Ajinomoto. In Sec. 5, we suffered a scoreless defeat against Sendai, dropping our rank to 2nd in the group. Based on the results of other matches this round, we absolutely need 3 points to advance to the knockout stage. Coach Jofuku and the players stated, "Even if we draw, it doesn't mean everything is over, but we see this as a tournament situation from here on. We will fight with a focus on securing 3 points," showing a strong desire for victory. During the 10-day interval since the last match, we focused on addressing the current issue of lack of scoring ability and made various attempts. During this time, Ishikawa had to adjust due to migraines, and Ricardinho had separate training days considering his foot condition. Ricardinho will miss this match as he wants to adjust for the Cerezo match (Coach Jofuku). As for Ishikawa, he is not at 100%, but his condition is not bad, so he will start. The formation will feature a two-top with Akamine and Suzuki, center-backs Morishige and Kim Yong-gun, with Nakamura as left-back and Matsushita on the right, starting in an attacking shape. Kyoto has already played 5 matches and currently leads the group with 11 points. Although South Korean national team defender Kaku Tehi will be absent, the defensive line will consist of Masushima in the center, with Morishita and Mizumoto on the sides in a three-back formation. The midfield will have two holding players, with forward Yanagisawa at the front and forwards Diego and midfielder Dutra in the second line, forming a 3-4-3 setup. In response, we want to quickly switch between offense and defense and exploit the space on the sides before the opponent's formation is set. However, since Kyoto can secure a top-two finish with a draw or better this round, they may choose to defend tightly. Therefore, the key will be whether we can launch attacks that shake the Kyoto defense. That said, even considering the current issue of lack of scoring ability, we want to avoid conceding the first goal. Coach Jofuku mentioned, "Allowing Kyoto's counterattacks means our attacking quality is not good. We expect them to solidify their defense, but we want to add sharpness to the end of our attacks and challenge to break through that." We hope this game will be a chance to create rhythm from defense and extend our time in control, breaking through our challenges. The match at Ajinomoto, under a sunny and warm climate, kicked off at 15:00 in Tokyo.

Control the ball and create opportunities, but Kyoto also counterattacks

　From the beginning, they connected passes and launched an attack. Hanyu and Kajiyama made one-touch passes into the goal area, while both side-backs Nakamura and Matsushita made timely overlaps. Suzuki, Ishikawa, and Akamine tried to create chances in conjunction with this. In the 7th minute, Ishikawa received a pass from Kajiyama, who got it from Tokunaga, evaded the opposing DF, brought the ball to the center, and took a shot from distance. On the other hand, Kyoto launched sharp counters from intense ball recovery in midfield. In the 11th minute, a long pass from Kyoto's midfield found forward Yanagisawa, who connected with a direct volley for a shot. In the 12th minute, Tokyo created a good opportunity, with Hanyu on the left passing to Akamine in front, receiving a return pass, and then passing to Suzuki, who had shaken off his marker in the center of the area. With his back to the goal, Suzuki turned and took a shot, but it lacked power and went straight to the GK. In the 13th minute, Matsushita's early cross saw Akamine and Suzuki dive in the center, but they just missed connecting. In the 22nd minute, Kyoto's MF Dutra dribbled past Tokyo's DF in succession and advanced, managing to take a shot, but Gonda caught it. After the 24th minute, Suzuki approached the Kyoto goal from a thick attack, but Kyoto's DF put their bodies on the line and held firm. In the 33rd minute, Ishikawa cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot, but it grazed the DF and resulted in a corner kick. In the 35th minute, a pass from Suzuki found Matsushita, who overlapped on the right, and Matsushita, running in, delivered a cross from a high position, but it was caught by the GK. In the 37th minute, a long ball was sent to the space on Kyoto's right front line, where right MF Watanabe made a run, but Tokyo's DF responded well and deflected it for a corner kick. Tokyo maintained a high defensive awareness and concentrated on fending off Kyoto's sharp attacks. However, despite controlling the ball and progressing the match favorably, they could not break the deadlock, ending the first half scoreless.

Young Gwon KIM flashes his left foot! He marks a powerful first goal and secures the victory!

　Tokyo continued to dominate possession in the second half, while Kyoto maintained their strategy of launching counterattacks from a solid defense. In the 52nd minute, Ishikawa dribbled up the right side and sent an early cross. It appeared that Hanyu was brought down in the area on the opposite side, but there was no foul called by Kyoto, and the ball went out of play. However, shortly after, Tokyo attacked again, and Akamine was fouled in the center of the opponent's half, earning a free kick. Although it was about 26-27 meters away, in the 53rd minute, Young Gwon KIM aimed directly for the free kick and struck with his left foot! The powerful shot grazed the left lower post, hit the goalkeeper, and bounced into the goal! Taking advantage of the set-piece opportunity, KIM marked his first goal, achieving the long-awaited opening score. However, without retreating into defense, in the 58th minute, Ohtake was brought on for Suzuki. While keeping an eye on Kyoto's counterattacks, they aimed for an additional goal. Immediately after, Nakamura surged up the left side and delivered a cross from a high position. Ohtake, in the right area, attempted a header but struck straight at the goalkeeper. In the 63rd minute, from Ohtake's left corner kick, Kajiyama aimed for a mid-range shot after a loose ball. This was blocked by the defense, but Hanyu picked up the second ball and connected with Ohtake and Akamine, launching a wave attack, but ultimately it was defended well. In the 66th minute, Shigematsu replaced Ishikawa, and in the 77th minute, Mukuara came on for Hanyu as a side back, moving Matsushita forward. However, Kyoto did not give up and used substitutions to chase the one goal, leading to intense back-and-forth action. Both teams continued to apply strict defenses, not allowing the opponent any freedom. In the 86th minute, from Shigematsu's switch of play, Akamine sent a last pass into the area. Ohtake made a run to create a great chance, but he lost his balance in front of the quick advance of the Kyoto goalkeeper and could not take the shot. Kyoto also attacked, centered around substitute midfielder Suzuki. However, in stoppage time, Suzuki's precise free kick was saved by Gonda's excellent save. Following that, after a counterattack exchange, Kyoto forward Miyakoshi took a decisive shot, but it was saved by a mistake, leading to the end of the match. Although they could not score during the flow of the game, they secured three points by effectively utilizing set-piece opportunities, greatly enhancing their hopes for advancing to the final tournament. 【Player Comments】《Young Gwon KIM》"I took the free kick with the desire to score and win the match. It was my first goal, and I was happy. When I took the shot, I looked at the wall's position and talked with other players before I kicked. The wall was closing in, so I aimed straight rather than thinking about a knuckleball. I kicked with confidence, and I was glad to show the results of my practice. My first goal is something I can't put into words how happy I am. In the first half, I was a bit unfocused and made some passing mistakes. In the second half, I refocused. As a defender, I think it was good to finish without conceding and to win." 《Suzuki》"Although we couldn't score during the flow of the game, it was a match where we felt a sense of achievement. Today, not only the balance of offense and defense but also the individual contributions to the team and the balance of utilizing individual strengths as a team were evident. If everyone aligns their vectors a little more, I think there will be more opportunities to get closer to the goal. I want to unify our intentions among the three to four players, not just in the front line. While contributing to the team, I also have the desire to achieve results through my own strength. I want to move more and more, not just aiming for the back but also drawing the ball out and always looking up to try." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】"If we didn't win today, we wouldn't be able to advance from the qualifying league on our own, so it was a must-win match. Considering that Kyoto could secure advancement even with a draw, I thought it would be a very difficult match. We created several good opportunities in the first half, but we couldn't finish them, and our defensive line did well to keep a clean sheet. I believe we were able to play quite well according to our plan in the first half, but the fact that we couldn't score remains a challenge. However, despite the challenges, winning 1-0 in the end was due to the players, including those who came on as substitutes, fulfilling their roles, covering for each other, and drawing each other out. The desire for victory is always present in everyone, but today, especially as a team, we saw many plays where we were aware of each other. I believe we improved on the parts that were not good in the previous Sendai match. It was really good to share joy with the fans at Ajinomoto after a long time." 【Kyoto Coach Kato's Press Conference Summary】"Today was a match where even a draw would secure advancement to the final tournament. However, if I said before the game that a draw would be fine, the players would naturally go into a defensive mindset. If that feeling arises, aggressiveness is lost, so I told them, 'Let's extend our points to 14 and finish the qualifying league.' Regarding how to fight against the opponent, FC Tokyo had to attack. However, I think they proceeded with the game surprisingly cautiously. I expected more pressure from them, but they surprisingly retreated and solidified their defense against our counterattacks and attacks. We were okay with them having the ball, but we focused on not allowing easy entries into the area and not allowing easy shots, which we managed to do to some extent in the first half. There were some parts where we retreated too much, but other than that, we did well to close down spaces and move the ball as a team. However, today, the concentration level of FC Tokyo when they entered defense was remarkable. I think the free kick situation where we conceded a goal was blind to the source of the ball, but the shot itself was excellent. It was unfortunate that it hit the goalkeeper's back and went in. Today, the players expressed their desire to score. It's disappointing that we couldn't earn points, but overall, I don't have a bad impression of the game. We have finished our qualifying league, but we can only wait as others have one match left. We want to prepare well and wait for the results."