Towards advancing to the finals, the team will unite and strive for victory

The 4th section of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league will be an away match against Kyoto Sanga F.C. Despite the frustrating comeback loss in the previous league match against Kawasaki, we will approach this match with a fresh mindset, without lingering on the shock of defeat. With only 3 matches remaining in the qualifying league, we will face a series of "must-win matches" in order to advance to the final tournament.

　Kyoto, on the other hand, is currently in last place with 3 losses in 3 matches in the Nabisco Cup. If they lose today, their hopes of advancing to the next round will be dashed, so they should come out with a winning mentality. Above all, they should be cautious of the counter-attacks led by FW Paulinho and Diego. Although they conceded 3 goals in the Kawasaki match, the key will be whether they can demonstrate their previous solid defensive capabilities. In the league match on May 9th, they had control of the game but failed to break through Kyoto's strong defense, resulting in a 0-0 draw. They will need to come up with various strategies and ideas to break down their solid defense.

　Tokyo, here comes Shigenobu and Hanyu injured. Bruno QUADROS is suspended for the Kawasaki match, and will also miss the Nabisco game this round. In addition, Nagatomo and Konno are absent from the national team, so the final line-up will have Sasaki and Hiramatsu as center-backs, and Tokunaga and Mukuhara as left and right full-backs. In place of Hanyu, Tanabe will start as left midfielder. Tanabe shows enthusiasm, saying, "I have more mental composure than when I made my debut in the Chiba match. I want to focus on moving forward and actively take on challenges without fear of mistakes." And Shioda, who is steadily preparing his condition, has also made his first appearance in the team this season.

　Manager Jofuku said, "Each player has clearly different characteristics, so it is impossible to play exactly the same as someone else. I hope that instead of being afraid of conceding goals and becoming passive, each player will demonstrate their strengths and professionalism, and face the game with confidence." Although they will face the match with a fresh lineup, they aim to create new competition, improve the team's performance, utilize individual strengths, and achieve victory, making a big step forward towards qualifying. The match started at 14:00 with a kickoff in Tokyo, under the strong sunlight and humid conditions of Nishikyogoku.

Leading with 2 consecutive goals by Ishikawa!

　A back-and-forth battle for possession since the start. However, Tokyo calmly moves the ball and creates rhythm, launching attacks through Ishikawa and Tanabe. Then, in the 12th minute, Tanabe attempts a dribble breakthrough near the area but is blocked by the opponent's defender. However, Mokuhara connects the loose ball and passes it to Tanabe, who runs into the area again. Ishikawa at the far post meets the subsequent right cross and firmly strikes a volley with his right foot, piercing the goal! Tanabe's and Mokuhara's bold plays, along with Ishikawa's consecutive goal following the Kawasaki game, give Tokyo the lead.

　Tokyo took control of the game from this point and proceeded with an advantage. In the 20th minute, Hirayama ran into the back of the defense from the left side after receiving a pass from Tanabe and took a shot. However, the ball lacked power and the goalkeeper caught it. In the 23rd minute, from Kajiyama's side change to Tokunaga on the left side. Tokunaga completely broke free with a one-two with Cabore, who was in the front line, and entered the penalty area vigorously, but the shot was not completed and resulted in a left corner kick. From the second right corner kick, Hirayama headed the ball but it went wide of the goal.

　Kyoto brought in MF Futoshi NAKAMURA in the 27th minute and changed their formation to contain Tokyo. As a result, Tokyo was unable to break through and in the final stages, they faced Kyoto's counterattacks. In the 41st minute, Kyoto MF Diego entered the area. He received a vertical pass and immediately turned around for a right-footed shot. This shot hit the crossbar. Paulinho followed up with a shot, but it missed the target. Kyoto continued their attacks, but Tokyo remained calm in defense and did not concede a goal. They went into the second half leading by one goal.

Unable to score additional points, they allowed a goal and ended in a draw

　In the second half, as the humidity increased, the players gradually lost their stamina and the lines became stretched, resulting in a back-and-forth battle. In the 50th minute, Tanabe dribbled up the center of the opponent's field and passed to the right side, where Ishikawa made a decisive final pass to the center. However, Hirayama in the center and Kabore in the far side missed the timing by a small margin and couldn't touch the ball. In the 53rd minute, Kyoto FW Paulinho, who reacted to the final pass to the center, was left free to take a decisive shot, but Kanda made a great save to avoid a crisis.

　Tokyo, 59 minutes, Hirayama sticks to the left side and passes to Cabore in front of the goal. He drops it to Ishikawa, who ran to the center of the area, and takes a shot. However, he is closed down by the defender and the ball is cleared. In the 63rd minute, Ishikawa breaks through the right side and crosses the ball along the ground. Hirayama becomes a decoy in the center in front of the goal, and Cabore creates a decisive opportunity, but his shot is blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 64th minute, Kyoto substitutes forward Yanagisawa, and Tokyo also substitutes Suzuki for Cabore, followed by Akamine replacing Tanabe.

　In the 68th minute, Ishikawa → Mukuhara attacked the right side with a dribble from a counter, and then took a shot. Hirayama in the left area seized the rebound from the goalkeeper and boldly aimed for the goal, but it hit the goalkeeper's face. However, in the 69th minute, a free kick was given inside the Tokyo team's territory, and Kyoto quickly restarted the game. Forward Yanagisawa broke through the defense line and scored a goal. Tokyo had been defending well, mainly with Kanda, until then, but they were caught off guard and equalized. Still, without rushing, they tried to create chances by connecting passes, but it didn't work out and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. They could only secure 1 point away from home.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"Today, we had a plan to win by scoring a goal, even if it was from a set piece, while maintaining a high awareness of defense. I had anticipated that if we took the lead, we might have to fall back and endure... In the first half, Yone, Yohei, Sota, and Kusatani created rhythm in the midfield, and I think we were able to create chances by involving myself and Cabore in that. However, we fell back a bit too early, and we lost the ability to create a starting point in the front line. As a result, we ended up equalizing and faced a counterattack from Kyoto. It would have been best to finish it at 1-0... Regarding the conceded goal, we were quite cautious about restarts, but I think there was a moment of communication and coordination lapse. We should not have lost our focus. I was able to show up in a good position for the goal. The interchange with Kusatani on the left and right was smooth, and Kusatani created rhythm well, ultimately looking for me. I was thinking about the movement of the third player. (Scoring in two consecutive matches, you're the top scorer in the team, right?) I don't really focus on how many total goals... Rather, there are always one or two chances in a match. If I can consistently convert those chances, it would be great." 《Gonda》"We were scored on from restarts in two consecutive matches, repeating the same mistake... We need to raise our awareness and fight together more. We should have prevented the play from being stopped by the wall, and I think our response to the movement of FW Yanagisawa was lacking. However, even with changes in the lineup today, we were able to play our football and move the ball just like before. I was able to coordinate without any issues with HIde and Matsu, and we were able to circulate the ball and create chances. In the second half, we knew Kyoto would come at us from the front, and we tried to create a starting point in the front to create chances in response. I think we were able to aim for the back and take shots as intended. I want to continue the good parts and do my best to win in the next two matches at home."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "If we could secure 3 points today, it would greatly increase our chances of advancing from the group stage, so we really wanted to get those 3 points and entered the game with that mindset. However, I didn't think it would be an easy match, and I expected it to be a close game. With the extremely high humidity, we aimed to move the ball and tire out the opponent to create chances. Even though the lineup in the first half was quite different from the last match, I believe each player challenged themselves. In the 15 to 20 minutes of the second half, we faced our challenge of scoring a second goal; despite having several big chances, not converting them leads to a tough situation, and the current J-League doesn't let you finish easily. Also, since this is an away game, I expected it to be a close match. If we can't secure a second goal, it could go either way in the end. However, I think the new members approached the game with determination, defending shots until the end, and I don't think a draw away is the worst outcome. I want to make sure we build on this result and gather points in our next two home matches. (We have been conceding goals from quick restarts) I didn't see it with my own eyes as it was during a substitution, but I can confirm that the marking was not clear. However, we were certainly paying maximum attention to restarts, and we knew that Kyoto uses restarts, including throw-ins, as a weapon, so it is very disappointing that we conceded a goal as a result. While I regret not being able to score an additional goal, I want to work hard to become a team that can push through with a 1-0 lead and show that to our fans."

　[Kyoto Coach Kato's Press Conference Summary] "The result ended in a 1-1 draw, but to be honest, I wanted to take all three points, so it's disappointing. However, regarding the content of the game, we are gradually becoming able to express the style of football we want to play, and various players, including young players who had little playing time and Yanagisawa, who had been away from actual matches due to injury, showed a performance that was not bad in today's match. I think it was a game that ended with a positive feeling for the team's future. We had several goal-scoring opportunities, and we were really close to opening the door, but the goal was born from the improvisation and the connection between Diego and Yanagisawa, so it was a gritty performance, and Yanagisawa scoring in his comeback match gave the team a good image moving forward. (Regarding the timing and instructions for Yanagisawa's introduction) In terms of timing, I was thinking of letting him play for about 30 minutes while watching the flow of the game. In that sense, there were several goal-scoring opportunities before Yanagisawa came on, and it was not a bad time in terms of flow, so there was a slight delay. I actually thought about bringing him on a bit earlier. However, since we couldn't score and the flow shifted to the other side, I thought this was the right moment to bring him in. The movements of top players PAULINHO and Toyota were not bad, so I replaced Tejima with Yanagisawa. From a tactical perspective, it was not a substitution of the same position, and yet the balance was not disrupted, and I think the development of the game changed. I instructed Yanagisawa to touch the ball once from the second line at the back, then open wide, and after that, to move into the goal area, but I didn't give too many orders."