In pursuit of advancing to the finals, two consecutive matches against formidable opponent Kobe

　After finishing the 2nd round of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league Group B with 2 wins in 2 matches, Tokyo is now entering a consecutive battle with the tough opponent Kobe in the 3rd and 4th rounds. This consecutive battle is a crucial key for Tokyo, who wants to secure their qualification for the league as soon as possible. However, Kobe, their opponent, is the only team that Tokyo has not been able to defeat since their promotion to J1. After achieving a victory with an extra-time V-goal in the 2nd match of the 1st round of the Nabisco Cup three years ago (1999), Tokyo has always been made to taste bitter defeat by Kobe.

　Tokyo, riding a wave of two consecutive victories, faces a tough situation with many injuries. With four matches left in the qualifying league, new MF Ishikawa and rookie MF Baba, who have been supporting the team's good form, will be absent due to the U-21 Japan national team expedition and U-19 Japan national team training camp, respectively, making the situation even more challenging. The demanding schedule of six matches in a row with only two days in between adds to the difficulty, but Tokyo needs to utilize fresh players both physically and mentally to succeed in this situation with a collective soccer approach. On this day, 21-year-old Hoshi was started in place of the absent right MF Ishikawa, and once again, no goalkeeper was included in the substitutes. The lineup mixed fresh young talents like DF Komine, 19-year-old MF Suwazono, 18-year-old rookie Maeda, and Sato, along with experienced veterans like Amaral in FW.

Kelly, although controlling the midfield with Miyazawa, was unable to score the decisive goal.

　Tokyo was the first to grasp the rhythm when the first half began. Tokyo's defense, which had kept two clean sheets in the previous two matches, showed stability again on this day. They easily took the ball from the opponent's two forwards and dominated the midfield with a big side change from Kelly and Miyazawa. Kobe's defensive line was shallow, and forward Fukuda and left midfielder Toda quickly flew into space using their speed. From there, Miyazawa sent a long pass from the back, and after creating a base on the side, Kelly pulled out the ball and repeatedly created chances by expanding it to the opposite side.

　Especially on the left side, Toda created a base, passing through Kelly in the center to Hoshi on the right side. There, right back Kaji joined in, and this pattern of crossing was seen multiple times. However, the Kobe defense, with the Brazilian duo of Shijikurei and Atariba in the midfield, was strong, and most attempts were deflected, failing to produce a decisive blow. Then, in the 6th minute, Hoshi was fouled on the right side, earning a free kick from about 35 meters, which Miyazawa aimed directly with his left foot, but the ball unfortunately hit the near side netting. The direct free kick scored in the previous match against Verdy had a strong impact both inside and outside the team, and now Miyazawa's free kick has become a lethal weapon for Tokyo, posing a threat to opposing teams. In the 12th minute, Kelly dribbled through the center and delivered a superb through pass to Toda, who was running into space on the left side. Toda charged towards the goal and shot from close range. However, it was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper's great save, and it unfortunately did not result in a goal.

　On the other hand, Kobe had Shijikure, who had been active as a center-back until last year, enter the position of defensive midfielder and become a key player in both offense and defense with his abundant physicality. Not only his high defensive ability, but also his ability to keep the ball using his long reach and his accurate long passes to become the starting point of the attack surprised us with his high attacking ability. Kobe's attack often developed from Shijikure to Daniel in the attacking midfielder position and then spread to the sides. From there, they either played the ball to the two forwards running into the vertical space or crossed it, but Tokyo's stable defensive line shut them down completely. With poor performance from the two forwards and no focal point in the front line, Kobe's attack was not intimidating, as they simply crossed the ball from both sides.

Both teams made many mistakes due to fatigue from consecutive matches.

　In the early stages, Tokyo had momentum but gradually showed signs of fatigue from consecutive matches, and the game became a stalemate. The situation was the same for Kobe, and although both teams showed attacking intentions, their movements lacked sharpness, the accuracy of crosses decreased, and there were scenes where dribbles were easily intercepted.

　Tokyo still aimed for long passes targeting the space behind the opponent's defense, but the ball often drifted due to the headwind, resulting in missed scoring opportunities. Forward Fukuda also actively competed for the ball from Miyazawa and drifted to the sides to become the focal point, but the midfield stretched a bit too much, causing a delay in support from the second line and preventing a cohesive attack.

　The first half continued with a back-and-forth battle, with no significant chances and ended without any goals. Coach Hara's halftime instructions were as follows: "It's tough and we're tired, I understand that. Let's move the ball more. Toda and Hoshi, when you have a one-on-one situation on the side, go for it. You can say it to each other or do a one-two with Kelly. Instead of dropping the ball in such a precious opportunity, let's take the challenge. This is where we need to give our all. Let's also try shooting from a distance. The opponent will surely come out strong in the second half, so let's concentrate and go all out from the beginning."

Shining star with fresh play!

　Shortly after the start of the second half, Tokyo showed an aggressive attack as instructed by Coach Hara during halftime. In the 1st minute, Fukuda and Toda took consecutive shots after Kelly's pass, but both were blocked by the opposing defenders. In the following 4th minute, Hoshi broke through the right side and sent a sharp cross. Although the opposing defenders cleared the ball, Hoshi chased after it persistently and passed it to Shimohira, who had moved to the right side. Shimohira immediately crossed the ball, and Fukuda took a shot near the goal, but it missed widely. In the next 5th minute, a pass was given to Hoshi on the right side due to the opponent's mistake. Hoshi rushed towards the goal and took a shot. Unfortunately, it missed to the left, but the team regained momentum thanks to Hoshi's aggressive play.

　On the other hand, as instructed by coach Kawakatsu during halftime, Kobe tried to unsettle Tokyo by making a big side change that goes beyond the center back instead of simply crossing the ball, which would be blocked by Jean and Ito. After winning the ball, Shijikure with strong kicking power quickly pushed forward with a big side change to the space created by Tokyo's full-backs moving up, and launched a speedy attack from there.

　On the other hand, Tokyo's defense line became more strict in their response compared to the first half, but they still did not allow any decisive moments with Jean's height and calm tactical vision, and Ito's sharp reading. On the contrary, the biggest chance of the day came in the 9th minute. Shimodaira passed an exquisite through ball to the space on the right side, and Hoshi reacted to it, dribbling deep into the penalty area before passing a ground pass to Kelly, who was free in front of the goal. However, Kelly's shot was not well-timed and the ball missed the target.

The intense battle ended in a scoreless draw. The resolution will be in the next match at Tokyo Stadium.

　In contrast to the first half, the second half clearly showed both teams' determination to attack and win from the start. However, many players who were playing their third consecutive match showed signs of fatigue, and their accuracy was lacking in the final finish. In the 20th minute when Tokyo was attacking, Miyazawa had his careless dribble cut off by Daniel, who was left alone up front near the center circle. Daniel then passed the ball to forward Jo, who had made a run from the long pass. Jo took a direct shot while maintaining his momentum, but the ball went over the bar. The fatigue from the consecutive matches was evident in the way Miyazawa lost the ball in a way he had not shown before.

　The intense offense and defense continued. In the 21st minute, Fujiyama intercepted with a sharp start on the left side and quickly passed it to the forward star. Star boldly dribbled from the left side and was fouled, earning a free kick. Star took the free kick and Jean headed the ball in front of the Kobe goalkeeper, but the ball didn't meet perfectly. In the following 30 minutes, Kelly dropped a pass from behind to Star with his chest on the left side, and Star passed it directly to Kelly who ran vertically. Kelly, who broke through with a beautiful one-two with Star, crossed the ball but it was cleared.

　Kobe's Hirano unleashed a powerful left-footed shot in the 37th minute, but it went over the bar. In the 40th minute, a middle shot from the center resulted in a corner kick. Kobe had many tall players, making set pieces a point of concern. In the closing stages, Tokyo, who had been pushed back, saw Amaral, who came on as a substitute, deliver a low cross from the right side in the 43rd minute, allowing Kelly to evade the defender and shoot. However, this was blocked by the opposing defender and caught by the goalkeeper. Conversely, in stoppage time, a free kick was awarded to Kobe on the left side, and a header was directed towards the goal, but it narrowly missed to the right. The second half saw an intense back-and-forth, but ultimately, after 90 minutes, the match ended in a scoreless draw. With this, Tokyo maintained their top position with 7 points, based on a solid defense that has not conceded a goal in three Nabisco Cup matches. The long-awaited victory against Kobe, which has not happened in three years, will have to wait until the next match, a home game at Tokyo Stadium in three days. Despite the challenging circumstances of consecutive matches, the players fought well without losing focus.

[Summary of the Press Conference by Manager Hara] "Both teams' players were physically heavy due to playing the third match in two days. Kobe came attacking from the beginning as they had only gained 1 point so far, and we also wanted to win this match to make a big step forward in advancing to the qualifiers. Although we could only gain 1 point in the end, it is difficult to press forward from the front line, which is our style, in this schedule, and we have done well to not concede any goals so far. We want to win the next two home games and advance (to the qualifiers). Today, we want to acknowledge the 1 point we gained."

[Summary of Coach Kawakatsu's Press Conference] "We created numerous decisive opportunities, but our finishing quality was poor and we couldn't score. Both teams showed sloppy play due to fatigue from consecutive matches. In the second half, I instructed the players to play balls behind the (Tokyo) center, as they are strong in that area, and to take more aggressive shots from outside the box. The players showed willingness to execute these instructions, but their accuracy was lacking and it didn't result in goals. Kazu is likely to return for the next match, so I believe we can have a strong attacking focal point with him leading the frontline. We want to overcome this situation in the next game."