Nabisco Cup starts, aiming for the first official victory

The current season of the "J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup" has begun. Albirex Niigata will face them at home as the first match of the qualifying league. In the qualifying league of this tournament, Tokyo, along with Niigata, Matsumoto, Tosu, Kofu, Hiroshima, and Shonan, belongs to Group A and played 6 matches (until the 7th match). After that, the top 2 teams advanced to the quarterfinals. Note that the 4 teams participating in the ACL will join from the quarterfinals.

Manager Massimo says, "For us, the Nabisco Cup is a very important tournament. It is difficult to manage the team while also playing in the league, but we want to focus on each match and aim to advance through the qualifying league." However, Nara and Nakajima from the U-22 Japan national team are absent for this match. Also, due to the league match being held three days after the previous round, Ota, Yonemoto, and Kajiyama are replaced by Maruyama at left back and Yoshimoto at center back. Takahashi is used as a defensive midfielder, and Mita and Higashi are used as inside halves. Up front, Hayashi plays in the center, Ishikawa on the right, and Muto on the left in a 4-3-3 formation. Ishikawa starts for the first time since the Nabisco Sendai match (away) on April 5th of last season. Hayashi also makes his first start in Tokyo. Matsuda and Hashimoto are on the bench, taking a step towards the title with a fresh lineup.

Niigata, on the other hand, is led by coach Yanagishita in his fourth season, and they have been promoting an organized style based on their physicality. They have yet to secure a victory in the league with 1 draw and 1 loss, so they will surely come strongly seeking their first win. However, they have had to make changes to their lineup for the league matches due to the absence of key players such as U-22 Japan representative DF Matsubara and FW Suzuki. It is important to pay close attention to the playmaking ability of MF Leo Silva and the height and dribbling skills of FW Shibukusa and FW Yamazaki. However, we want to seize victory by playing aggressively in both offense and defense without being overwhelmed by their physicality.

During the day, it became the warmest day of the year, but under the weather that seemed like rain could start at any moment, the match started with Niigata's kickoff at 19:04.

We conceded a goal at the beginning and allowed Niigata to dominate, but...

The match started off with a lot of movement. Niigata connected the kickoff ball and broke through on the right side. They were able to put in a ground cross, but Tokyo escaped with a corner kick. However, in the following 2 minutes, Niigata's midfielder Leo Silva made a quick vertical pass. Right midfielder Kato, who had moved up to the front, continued to expand to the outside while carrying Maruyama on his back. He was able to put in another ground cross to the right side back Kawaguchi, who had timed his run well. Forward Yamazaki, who had crowded the goal, was unable to make the shot, but midfielder Yamamoto was free to follow up on the ball that had flowed to the far side and easily scored a goal... Niigata left both sides free and conceded a goal at the start of the match.

However, without being disturbed, aim for a counterattack calmly. In the 11th minute, Higashi on the left side played a through pass behind the opponent's defense. Ishikawa adjusted his position with the opponent's offside line and skillfully broke through to the left area. However, the shot from there narrowly missed the goal. In the 12th minute, Lin intercepted Niigata's pass, and Hayashi -> Ishikawa ran up the right side and took a shot at the middle.

After that, they allowed Niigata's quick passing and ball control, and received attacks starting from the sides, pushing Tokyo's defense back. However, they calmly defended and prepared for a counterattack. In the 38th minute, they launched a quick attack from their own half, with Mita on the right side passing to Tokunaga who crossed the ball. Niigata's goalkeeper came out and managed to punch the ball away, but Takahashi ran in to try a shot. In the 43rd minute, they cleared Niigata's right corner kick, and Muto and Ishikawa tried to counterattack, but Niigata quickly switched and couldn't bring the ball forward. In the 45th minute, Tokyo tenaciously turned a loose ball into their possession in the opponent's half, and charged towards the left area. Muto and Mita tried to connect with a short final pass in front of the goal, but it only resulted in a corner kick.

Changed the shape of the front line, with Muto and Hayashi as the two top players. In the latter part of the game, the team gained momentum and the counterattack mood increased by placing Ishikawa in the attacking midfield position. However, they were unable to score a goal and ended the first half with a one-point deficit.

Naoya scores his first goal since 2013! Seizing the come-from-behind victory together

Continuing their momentum in the second half, in the 48th minute, Igo Gabriel initiated a counterattack and dribbled through the center. Higashi, who had moved up on the left, entered the penalty area. Then, in the 52nd minute, Duke Carlos made a vertical run and delivered a low cross from the left side of the field. The ball spilled to Higashi in the left area, who had made a run from the opposite side. Although the shot went over the bar, they smoothly carried the ball up to the front line and created a scoring opportunity.

In the 63rd minute, Hayabusa replaced Mita in the center. Ishikawa moved to the right side, forming a formation similar to 4-4-2. This immediately proved successful, and in the 65th minute, Ishikawa received the ball from Tokunaga in their own half and dribbled towards the opponent's right side. He skillfully bypassed the opponent's defenders one by one and charged towards the left side of the penalty area, unleashing a powerful left-footed shot that soared into the upper right corner! This goal, scored by Ishikawa, equalized the score, marking his first goal since the 33rd round match against Kashiwa on November 30, 2013.

As Niigata's quick transitions gradually slowed down, Tokyo increased their momentum and created more attacking opportunities, further raising the mood for a comeback. In the 73rd minute, Takahashi, who had moved vertically inside from the left area, made a one-touch pass to Hayashi on the right front line. Hayashi sent the ball to Ishikawa, who was free in the right area, and although Ishikawa took a decisive shot, it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save, preventing an additional goal. However, in the 76th minute, Hayashi, with his back to the goal, attempted to receive a right cross in the right area but was fouled from behind, earning a penalty kick. In the 78th minute, Hayashi calmly converted this penalty kick, scoring a goal! Although Hayashi was forced to substitute due to injury in the 83rd minute, his contribution as a decoy up front helped secure the comeback. In the closing stages, Niigata managed to take several shots, but Gonda's reliable play kept them at bay, ending the match 2-1. With this victory, they kicked off the Nabisco Cup with a win and secured their first official match victory of the season.

[Player Comment]
《Ishikawa》
"I felt the support from the fans before the game, and I could sense the high expectations. It was a big pressure to live up to those expectations (laughs), but I wanted to respond somehow. I was able to score a goal with the feeling of being in a good condition. It's not only about converting few chances, but more importantly, I wanted to show our attacking momentum today."
I think we were able to score a goal as a result of not forgetting to be proactive from the first half. Being able to express it as one form gives us confidence."

《East》
"Niigata is a team characterized by high work rate and hard work. On top of that, we conceded a goal early, making the match very difficult. However, I think it was good that we were able to discuss on the pitch, centered around Morishige, 'Let's not break down here.' We had plenty of time, and we created an atmosphere as a team that 'if we can keep it to just one goal conceded, we have chances to score' and 'we can turn it around and win.' I want to prepare again to build on this victory and achieve consecutive wins."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference】
"As time passed from the beginning, the situation improved. It was a game with high intensity, and we were able to turn it around, showing a wonderful mentality. In the final moments, we were a bit flustered and created chances, but the whole team was able to control the game. I am satisfied with today's performance. We fought in the first half believing we could turn it around, but the second half was even more wonderful. Above all, Ishikawa missed last season due to back pain, and today was an important day for him. After going through a really tough time, he returned in top condition and scored a wonderful goal. In that sense, it was a victory that boosted the team's morale and had a positive impact on the league. Hayashi hurt his foot, but the details are still unclear. We want to assess his condition going forward.
(We replaced 7 players from the league match?)
Ota, Yonemoto, and Kajiyama were not in 100 percent condition, so we had no choice but to make substitutions. The players who came on today made some mistakes, but they showed great spirit and played well in terms of ball contests. This season we have 30 players, and our goal is to build on what we established last year, enhance the abilities of the new players who joined this season, and elevate the team. Even when we were behind, I believe we showed a true mentality of believing in victory, maintaining calm play, and having the determination not to give up.

【Niigata - Masaaki YANAGISHITA's press conference summary】
"In the first half, we were able to attack effectively by utilizing the opponent's open spaces. We played aggressively from the sides. However, in the second half, several players lost out in ball contests, leading to increased pressure and dangerous situations. The Tokyo players ran into spaces and sent balls behind us, creating space in the midfield. We saw several players losing out in ball contests there, which continued the pressure on us. Ultimately, we were turned around, but the second goal conceded was a gift goal. The play that led to the penalty was like that; I always say that if you go to take the ball when the ball and the opponent are in a straight line, it will only result in a foul. If you try to take the ball from a bad position, you won't be able to take it and will end up committing a foul. If we can correctly fix these small aspects, we should be able to take the ball without fouls. I want to correct this going forward."