The Nabisco Cup final tournament is held, facing off against Shimizu

　The Nabisco Cup final tournament has started. On September 1st (Wednesday), we will have the first match of the quarterfinals at home against Shimizu S-Pulse (2nd place in Group B in the qualifiers). Tokyo advanced to this final tournament by winning the qualifying league held from March to June and finishing first in Group A. However, in the league matches after the World Cup break, they have not been able to win a single game in the last 7 matches since the 14th round against Shonan. Nevertheless, they are confident after the last match against Kobe and are determined to aim for the semifinals, focusing on winning each game. On the other hand, Shimizu had suffered three consecutive losses in the league, but they won the last match against Kawasaki and rose to 3rd place in the standings. The team's atmosphere seems to be good. The key point will be how to break down their strong defense in this match, but since the quarterfinals will be played home and away, the way they play the two matches will also be one of the highlights. Especially, if the total points and goal difference are tied after the two matches, the number of away goals will determine the winner, so it is necessary to minimize conceding goals and not let Shimizu welcome the second match in an advantageous situation. It may be a long time to endure, but if we can dampen Shimizu's momentum, we should be able to create chances from the combination play of Daiku, Ricardinho, Otake, and Mori's attacking runs. Ishikawa is absent due to a back injury for Tokyo. Suzuki and Otake are on the sides. Morishige, who has finished serving his suspension, and Kajiyama form the defensive midfield, while Nakamura and Mukuhara serve as full-backs. In addition, Maeda has made his first appearance on the bench as a forward. On the other hand, Shimizu is without Ono in midfield and Ichikawa in defense. Honda plays as the defensive midfielder, and Ito and Hyodo play in the midfield in a 4-3-3 formation. Even in September, the heat remains at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started exactly at 7:00 PM with Tokyo's kickoff.

Evading Shizuoka's press, they grasp the rhythm and go on the attack

　Both teams focused on the start. In the early stages, neither team allowed the other to play freely with tough defense. However, Tokyo gradually found their rhythm by evading Shizuoka's press, and in the 10th minute, Ricardinho broke through the side and Mori Shige took a shot via Suzuki. In the 13th minute, Suzuki perfectly timed his run after receiving Kajiyama's long pass, attempting to exploit the opponent's defense. However, the Shizuoka defenders quickly recovered, preventing him from taking a shot but resulting in a corner kick. Suzuki passed the right corner kick to Otake, who then passed it back to Suzuki, winning two corner kicks. In the same manner, Otake passed it to Nakamura, who made a shot from the back. Afterwards, both Nakamura and Murohara, the fullbacks, also joined the attack, trying to create chances from wide positions. In the 29th minute, Ricardinho created an opportunity on the right front line, with Suzuki and Murohara providing support from the inside. Murohara sent a through pass to Otake in the right area, but it was slightly too long. In the 31st minute, the play developed from left to right, and Ricardinho's shot from the right side narrowly missed the left side of the goal. In the 42nd minute, Mori Shige headed the ball from a right corner kick, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. There were moments when Tokyo had to defend against Shizuoka's counterattacks, but in the 34th minute, the cross sent by Tsujio, the right fullback, who overlapped, was cleared by Tokyo's defenders, resulting in a left corner kick. From there, Shizuoka's midfielder, Hyodo, took a kick and the ball was headed by defender Hiraoka towards the far post, but the ball floated and was caught by goalkeeper Gonda. In the 40th minute, Murohara moved up on the inside of Suzuki on the right side and entered the area, returning the ball to Suzuki. From there, a right cross was sent, but it narrowly missed Daiki's jump in front of the goal. In the 42nd minute, Murohara attacked and crossed the ball, resulting in a corner kick. Mori Shige headed the ball from Suzuki's right corner kick with perfect timing, but it hit the goalkeeper straight on. Although they couldn't convert it into a goal, Tokyo only allowed Shizuoka to take two shots in the first half. Tokyo dominated the game and headed into the second half.

Although they conceded the first goal, they pushed Nakano up to the midfield and launched a counterattack, resulting in a draw with Morishige's header.

　In the second half, Tokyo launched a fierce attack from the start. In the 47th minute, Daigoku made a one-touch pass to the left, and Otake advanced with a dribble. He was fouled at the left corner of the area, earning a free kick. Connecting the loose ball, Ricardinho's cross reached Suzuki just in front of the right area. However, his trap was too heavy, and he couldn't take a shot. In the 48th minute, Nakamura entered the area and fell, but there was no foul by Shimizu. In the 50th minute, Ricardinho's pass was spilled by Shimizu's DF in front of the goal, and Daigoku reacted. However, he couldn't take a shot in front of Shimizu's tenacious defense. In the 65th minute, after a corner kick from the right, Kajiwara connected the loose ball with a lob pass to Konno, who was left behind the opponent's DF in the left area. However, Konno's shot hit the opponent's DF and went out of play. In the 68th minute, unable to secure Tokyo's goal kick as their own, Shimizu DF Iwashita advanced on the left side to MF Hyodo, sending in a cross. Konno fell on the bouncing ball in front of the goal. Unable to clear it, he allowed Shimizu FW Okazaki to score with a header from a low position, conceding the first goal. However, in the 69th minute, Tokyo substituted Shigematsu for Ricardinho, followed by Tokunaga for Otake, and in the 79th minute, Hirayama for Daigoku. Tokunaga moved to the defensive midfield, Morishige to defense, and Konno was pushed up to the midfield side to counterattack. They launched a vigorous attack. In the 79th minute, after Mukuahara's overlap, they earned a right corner kick, and from Suzuki's corner, Morishige scored with a header! They equalized by taking advantage of the set-piece opportunity. In the closing stages, they pressed further, but Shimizu remained focused. In the 85th minute, Suzuki sent a fast pass from the right side into the area, and Konno returned it directly in front of the goal from the left area. However, it was just a bit too long for the advancing Shigematsu... In the 87th minute, they overloaded the goal area, and from a cross, Hirayama and Shigematsu launched a wave attack, but in the end, they couldn't finish... They couldn't take the lead, and the first match ended in a 1-1 draw. 【Player Comments】《Morishige》 "As always, I thought it was important to do what we do. However, I wanted to produce results, such as scoring, because I caused trouble for the team by being suspended. It's disappointing that we couldn't win, but I'm happy that we scored. I confirmed the quality of Suzuki's kicks during practice, and I think we were able to show the results. In the defensive midfield, I focused on defense and was conscious of breaking into the goal area during attacks. However, I think there were few situations where we could enter the goal area in a good shape. In the second match, I will focus only on winning." 《Suzuki》 "We conceded the first goal, but we were able to equalize from there. Also, the atmosphere of trying to come up with attacking ideas was a gain for today. Those watching might have been frustrated, but we were able to move the ball in a way that was unpleasant for the opponent. Although we couldn't score during play, we tried to break through carefully, and I think we were able to create shapes. I believe we were able to play patiently against a strong team like Shimizu. I think we can take this as confidence and want to continue it." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 "It was good that the strong support from the stands reached the players and we were able to equalize, but I really wanted to win the first match at home. It's disappointing that we couldn't do that. In the next 90 minutes, I want to show our feelings for the Nabisco Cup. (Regarding the factors for not winning) Shimizu's counterattacks were sharp, and we were wary of set pieces and those counters. Conceding a goal from a single counterattack made it a tough situation. I expected to push in the second half, but the quality of breaking from the sides was insufficient, and there were many situations where we made the decision not to shoot from a distance where we could shoot. The team itself must gain confidence in kicks, which I feel in the league as well. If we could show precision in the final cross, confidence in shooting, and determination, I think the vital area would have opened up more. I feel that when the defense is solid and the goal area is closed, we need to improve the quality from the sides." 【Shimizu Coach Hasegawa's Press Conference Summary】 "I am grateful that many Shimizu supporters came to cheer us on. The players fought well for 90 minutes in Tokyo, which is more humid than Shizuoka, with a schedule of two days in between. Only those who play can understand the harshness of consecutive matches in this schedule and heat. Those watching from the outside might think, 'Please play better football,' and of course, I want to show good football in every match and have the desire to stick to attacking football. Today, we did not just negate FC Tokyo's strengths and play defensively. However, we couldn't make passes through the gaps of the solid block we built, nor could we send balls to draw the opponent in and switch to the opposite side. It might have been different if MF Ono were here, but I didn't bring him today so that he could be in good condition for the home game. In such a situation, we scored an away goal today and showed our fighting spirit. We fought realistically, and I can't ask for more than this. Since the second leg is at home, I want to prepare further to ensure we can advance to the next round.