Facing the final showdown with a spot in the Nabisco Cup final on the line!

　The second leg of the Nabisco Cup semifinals will be held at Ajinomoto Stadium, where Shimizu S-Pulse will face off against Cabore. In the first leg, Shimizu took the lead with goals from Yonehara and Cabore, but in the second half, they couldn't stop the momentum of Shimizu despite their numerical disadvantage. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. However, since they have scored two away goals, a 1-1 draw in the second leg would be enough for them to advance in 90 minutes. It can be said that they are in a favorable situation as they welcome the home leg.

　However, it is clear that Shimizu must take risks and attack. Tokyo, of course, aims for victory, but there is also the fact that if the match ends in a 0-0 draw, they can advance to the final round. Coach Jofuku talked about the difficulty of balancing the reality that stands in their way in this situation. Therefore, the key point is how thoroughly they can establish a common understanding. In the first match, Shimizu left room for improvement in their performance after a player was sent off, but it should be necessary to express that common understanding on the pitch.

　At the same time in the first match, we gained confidence that we can break through Shimizu's solid defense if we can play our own soccer. In the second match, we want to connect passes calmly, make moves from the sides, and take the lead. We aim for victory with a high awareness of scoring goals and a determination to win the crucial match. Shimizu will be without DF Iwashita due to a red card in the first match. On the other hand, DF Aoyama and FW Nagai will start. Tokyo will approach the match with the same lineup as the first match.

　The match started at exactly 18:00 with Shimizu's kickoff at the sunny Ajinomoto Stadium.

Initiating Tokyo-style soccer, taking the lead with Hirayama's powerful header!

　Both teams showed their fighting spirit from the beginning and engaged in intense offensive and defensive exchanges. In the 6th minute, after a cut in their own half, a counterattack was launched, with Ishikawa dribbling up and Bruno QUADROS, who had moved up the center, taking a shot, but it lacked power and was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 13th minute, Shimizu's left midfielder Edamura dribbled into the central area and took a shot, but it went wide of the goal.

　In the 16th minute, amidst a heated back-and-forth battle, Hanyu, who had moved up to the left front, received a pass from Yonemoto. He cut inside from the outside, switched the ball to his right foot, and sent a sharp left cross into the goal area. As the ball arrived, Hirayama shook off the opposing defender and leaped towards the near post, heading the ball into the goal in a straight line. Goal! Starting from the side, they made good use of the opportunity and scored the long-awaited opening goal.

　Tokyo took this opportunity to find their rhythm and play Tokyo-style soccer by connecting passes. In the 19th minute, Cabore cut in from the left side and Hirayama moved to the right. Ishikawa carried the ball inside and aimed with his left foot, but hit the goalkeeper's face. In the 21st minute, Mokuhara dribbled up the right side and crossed. Cabore dropped the ball in the middle, and Hirayama shot from behind, but it was blocked... In the 25th minute, after clearing the opponent's corner kick, Tokyo launched a counterattack. Ishikawa broke through and Hayu sent a through pass to the right area. Hirayama became free here, but couldn't create a scoring opportunity.

　After that, Tokunaga and Mukuhara also aggressively attacked, Ishikawa and Hirayama switched on and created chances, but in the 37th minute, Tokunaga dribbled fiercely to the deep left side of the front line, sent a cross parallel to the line, and Hirayama in the center hit it with his foot, but couldn't catch the frame. Yamamoto's middle shot in the 40th minute hit the defender and resulted in a corner kick. In the end, they couldn't score an additional point. They led by one point and turned to the second half.

With a tenacious defense, they snuffed out any potential threats and secured victory, advancing to the final stage!

　Shimizu tried to change the flow by substituting MF Fujimoto for FW Nagai in the 42nd minute of the first half. However, Tokyo was the one who found their rhythm at the start of the second half. In the 46th minute, Cabore on the left side passed the ball to Ishikawa who had moved to the center and then sent a through pass to the left area. Hanyu made a run here, but the ball was intercepted by a defender just before it reached him and caught by the goalkeeper. In the 50th minute, there was a competition between Cabore and Shimizu's defender for a right cross in front of the goal, and the ball spilled into the left area. Ishikawa, who was waiting, took a shot with his right foot. He tried to score with a volley, but it was saved by the goalkeeper... Cabore also couldn't follow up on the loose ball in front and couldn't take advantage of the chance.

　In the 53rd minute, Ishikawa broke through the right front line following a pass from behind, but he couldn't finish the shot. Shimizu DF Aoyama, who collided with Ishikawa in this play, was injured and went out of the pitch. In the 56th minute, he was forced to substitute for DF Hiraoka. Still trailing by one goal, Shimizu aggressively attacked. However, Tokyo maintained their concentration and defended tenaciously, launching counterattacks. In the 59th minute, Shimizu sent a left cross, but FW Yoensen in front of the goal couldn't touch it. Right SB Ichikawa -> MF Hyodo tried to send the ball to the front line from the right area, but it was blocked by the Tokyo DF's body.

　In the 62nd minute, Shimizu's right cross was dropped by FW YONSEN in the left area, and MF ITO shot, but YAMAMOTO blocked it with his body. In the 65th minute, KABORE broke through into the area, feinted the opposing DF and cut inside, and took a decisive shot, but... it was saved. In the 70th minute, Shimizu brought in tall FW NAGASAWA and started a power play. However, in the 72nd minute, Tokyo replaced HANYU with SUZUKI, and in the 80th minute, replaced HIRAYAMA with SAHARA. Bruno QUADROS took a defensive formation with 5 backs, with SAHARA on the right and MOBATA on the left, but never lowered the line, fiercely competed, and blocked the pinch at crucial moments.

　In the 86th minute, Hiramatsu was substituted for Ishikawa as the right midfielder. In the 89th minute, as planned, Hiramatsu cleared Shimizu's cross and passed it through to Cabore, who was trying to break through the front line at the right timing. The opponent's goalkeeper also came out, leaving the goal open, but Cabore's shot narrowly missed the target... Although they couldn't score an additional goal, they effectively used player substitutions and shut down Shimizu's counterattack. They protected the one goal scored by Hirayama without conceding any goals and secured their spot in the finals! On November 3rd, they will face Kawasaki Frontale on the national pitch for the first time since 2004.

　【Player Comments】《Hirayama》"I am happy to have reached the Final Round for the first time as a professional. We talked about not just drawing today, but winning to advance to the Final Round. I am happy with my goal, but I think we all earned this Final Round together, as the defense kept a clean sheet. The goal was a shape we practiced. I was aiming for the near side. Since I received a good ball from player Hanyu, I thought that if I could make my first move quickly, I could get in before the opponent. Throughout my soccer life, I won't have many chances to stand on the stage of the Final Round. I absolutely want to win." 《Hanyu》"From practice, I was thinking about the speed, position, timing, and pattern of the cross, especially being very conscious of the speed. We had an agreement that one person would definitely collapse at the near post. Since we communicated from practice, the results showed. Regarding Shimizu, I was particularly wary of the height of forward Yonsen. Even after scoring one goal, I think it was good that we were able to be aggressive and advance rather than just retreating to defend. In the end, there were a few moments of chaos, but I think overall it was good because we were able to be aware of both counterattacks and possession. In the Final Round, I want to repay the debt from the league matches. First, I want to feel happy to stand on the pitch of the Final Round and fight with confidence."

　【Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference】 "We prepared without regrets for the fans, supporters, and club staff's long-cherished wish to become finalists, and the entire team was able to fulfill their roles and advance to the Final Round. This is very gratifying, and it was truly wonderful to celebrate together with the fans. The way we ended the match today—the last 10 to 15 minutes—could have led to various situations. I anticipated extreme developments that we don't see in league matches. However, if we start with that in mind, we lose our greatest commonality. First and foremost, we need to maximize our common understanding as a team. We focused on entering the game with our usual fighting spirit and giving 100% of our usual strength. It would have been fine to remain at 0-0, and even if we conceded a goal first, I believed that if we played our style of football, we would definitely score at least one goal, so we fought aggressively without holding back. As a result, a 1-0 win is gratifying for today, but if we look at it calmly, I think we could have scored a second or third goal. However, it's harsh to say that today, and by reaching the Final Round, we can take the time to work on those issues. I was also moved by the players' efforts. This game made me feel once again that every player is necessary for this team. The Final Round is a stage that the players themselves have earned. It is also the result of the fans eagerly awaiting the Final Round to be held in Tokyo. There, without hesitation, we want to give our all and have a match without regrets. The fact that we were able to compete strongly against the formidable Shimizu in two consecutive matches in the Nabisco Cup gives us confidence. The league will start again soon, but we want to build on that, focus on winning each match, and prepare to compete for higher positions in the autumn."

　[Summary of Shimizu and Coach Hasegawa's Press Conference] "Although a large number of 3,000 supporters came to cheer for us, I am sorry that we could not deliver a good result despite their support. However, the players also did very well. I would like to sincerely congratulate FC Tokyo and hope they achieve a good result in the Final Round. Today's second match was a situation where a 1-1 draw or even a 0-0 draw would have been acceptable for FC Tokyo. I felt that if the score remained the same in the second half, it would be a difficult situation for us. Therefore, with the aim of taking the initiative from the first half, we started FW Nagai. However, there were many mistakes in the first half, and we could not create the attacking shape we wanted. Throughout these two matches, conceding the first goal was painful. We could not establish our rhythm or shape after going behind. In the second half, the ball started to circulate, and we were able to create some shape, but ultimately we could not break through for a goal, which is very disappointing. However, the Nabisco Cup is now over. The league will resume soon, and considering our current position, we are in a place where we can reach the ACL. We want to switch our mindset and work hard towards the league and the Emperor's Cup."