Aiming for the semifinal round, fight tenaciously!

After about a month since the final round of the league, we will face Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the Emperor's Cup quarterfinals.
Aiming for the title, we focus on each game and aim to win the upcoming battles by breaking through one step at a time. However, manager Massimo and the players honestly admit that there were difficulties during the interval of more than a month. In addition, Massimo will retire after this season. Ota has agreed to transfer to the Netherlands next season. During the training in the break period, Maeda had separate menu time, but he worked on adjusting his condition to be in perfect shape for the game. Also, in the practice match against Urawa last week, Kajiyama returned to the actual battle for the first time since summer.
 

Hiroshima, who finished the season with the most points and became the J-League champion, also placed third in the Club World Cup. Led by players such as FW Asano and MF Chajima, the young team has been consistently playing their style and has matured even further. This season, including the Nabisco Cup, the record against Hiroshima is 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss. They have always had close matches and have played high-level games tactically, and they feel confident, but they have also experienced that it is not an easy game.
 

The members are Enomoto as GK, Tokunaga on the right, Morishige and Maruyama as CB, and Ota on the left. Takahashi at the bottom of the midfield, Hashimoto, Yonemoto as inside halves, and Kono at the top. Maeda and Higashi are in the front line. And Kajiyama returns to the bench after a long time.

On the other hand, Hiroshima will use Minagawa on the front line. In the shadow, MF DOUGLAS and Chajima, with MF Morisaki Kazu and Aoyama as double volantes, will play 3-4-2-1. On the bench are skilled players such as Sato Hisato, Asano, and Mikić.

It is a tough match aiming for victory against Hiroshima, who won the league and finished 3rd in the championship. The match started at 3pm with Hiroshima's kickoff at Nagasaki Prefectural Comprehensive Sports Park Athletic Stadium, where the chill can be felt as the evening approaches.

Seizing the few opportunities, we go into halftime with a 1-0 lead!

The game started with 40 seconds, Tokyo connected passes finely and headed towards the opponent's goal. In the end, Kono took a shot but it was blocked by Hiroshima DF. They continued to attack with great momentum and numbers, but were constantly repelled by the opponent's thick defense.

In the 9th minute, Hiroshima MF Shimizu crosses from the right side of their own field to the center. Kashiwa MF jumps in from the opposite side, but nothing comes of it.
After that, it was a back-and-forth battle, but in the 37th minute, midfielder Yonemoto passed a long ball from the opponent's left side to the right side to Tokunaga. Tokunaga perfectly trapped the ball and crossed it low to the center. Hashimoto touched it in the center and finally, Higashi jumped in and scored! They took the lead.

Amidst a time of mutual patience, Tokyo took advantage of few opportunities and ended the first half with a goal in the east.

Caught up in the late stages of the game, and after extra time...defeated

In the second half, early on, the opponent's MF DOUGLAS broke through from the left side and passed to the center's FW Minagawa. It didn't work out, but the game became more intense. In the 56th minute, the opponent quickly connected the ball and MF Kashiwa, who had broken through on the right side, saw the center well and crossed to the open space. MF Aoyama took a shot at the perfect timing, but Enomoto made a solid catch with a sideways dive. He made a super save and didn't allow a goal.
 

At 60 minutes, Tokyo gained momentum and Kono fiercely chased in the front line. Then, they pressed together in the midfield, but Hiroshima also showed their skill. They kept avoiding the press and approached the goal with MF Douglas as their starting point. However, Tokyo also solidly defended the center and held on with persistence. Later, the opponent substituted FW Minagawa for FW Asano. Immediately after, in the 62nd minute, Maeda made a one-touch shot from Ota's left cross near the goal, but it hit the bar and did not result in a goal. In the 65th minute, the opponent's DF Shiotani went up the right side and FW Asano turned around and took a shot. It went over Enomoto's outstretched hand, but hit the bottom left post.

66 minutes, Tokyo received their second warning while trying to stop Hiroshima's counterattack, leading to their expulsion... 70 minutes have passed, and Tokyo had been successfully defending against Hiroshima's attacks, but with Tokyo's expulsion, they are now down to 10 players. The formation now has Maeda at the front, with Kono and Hashimoto on both sides, and Takahashi and Yonemoto as the double pivot. However, there were increasing moments where they were pushed back by Hiroshima's momentum.
 

In the 74th minute, Tokyo substituted Hanyu for Kawano. Hiroshima also brought in FW Mikicchi on the right wide, replacing MF Shimizu. This moved MF Kashiwa to the left. In the 78th minute, Hiroshima made another substitution, bringing in FW Sato for MF Chajima. They have played their final attacking card. After 80 minutes, Tokyo has been dominated by the opponent and is playing defensively. However, they have not lost their composure and persistence in front of the goal, and have not allowed any goals.

However, in the 85th minute, the opponent sent a cross from the left side into the area. This cross was headed by FW Asano with a high strike point... Finally, they conceded a goal and were tied. Against Tokyo, who were forced to play with 10 players, Hiroshima continued to play attacking cards one after another. They had been defending well until then, but finally in the 85th minute, Hiroshima's FW Asano scored a header to tie the game. They were on the defensive, but still did not allow any additional goals, and the game went into extra time with a score of 1-1.

In extra time, in the 103rd minute of the first half, Hiroshima crossed from the right and FW Asano scored a floating header in the lower right corner... allowing them to take the lead. In the 114th minute of the second half of extra time, Mori Shige received a second warning and was sent off for a foul against Hiroshima FW Asano... forcing Tokyo to play with only 9 players. Just before the end of the first half of extra time, they allowed a second goal to Hiroshima FW Asano. Despite not giving up and trying to counterattack, Mori Shige was also sent off for receiving a counterattack from Hiroshima. However, they showed determination and fought with all their might, chasing after a goal until the final whistle... but it was not enough. In the final match of the 2015 season, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Emperor's Cup.

[Player Comments]

"Ota" "Regarding today, it's more like we let Hiroshima show their strengths... They were able to create a lot of 1v1 situations on the sides. We couldn't take control until the end against an opponent with a unique way of playing. Still, we were able to take the lead with few chances. I want to take the fact that we were able to hold on until the last 5 minutes as a positive. It was the same in the league, but we have to use this feeling of frustration for the future. I feel really sorry for the fans and supporters, but we have to use this frustration as motivation and become stronger, both individually and as a team. I feel really frustrated that I couldn't contribute anything to the team until the very end and couldn't get results. I have nothing but words of gratitude for everyone. I spent a really intense 4 years of my career in Tokyo. Without the support of the fans and supporters in Tokyo, I wouldn't be where I am now. I truly believe they are the best supporters in the world. (During the post-match, the fans kept calling out to you, but you went to greet them?) This is the first time I've experienced being called out like this even after the match. I have nothing but feelings of gratitude, but there are so many emotions that I can't express just by going to greet them. I will be leaving the team next season and moving to a faraway place in the Netherlands, but I think it's my way of repaying them by delivering good news there. I have the pride of being able to play in Tokyo, and I will fight with that pride, so I would be happy if you could support me even just a little. As a fan of Tokyo, I truly believe that my teammates will do their best. I sincerely support them in winning the title next season. Thank you very much."

"East" "I think we played a good game in the first half. The opponent came here in a tough schedule, and we have been preparing for today. We were able to take the lead in a good shape, but the flow changed when I was sent off. It was a regrettable red card, and I am truly sorry. Still, my teammates and friends worked hard until the end. I want to thank them, but I also wanted to win with coach Massimo and player Ota. It's very disappointing and it's my fault that we couldn't do it. I was not good today, but I want to become stronger and win. I want to become even stronger and aim higher as an individual and as a team. I have reaffirmed that feeling. To all the fans and supporters who came all the way from Tokyo to Nagasaki, I am truly sorry, but I want to show you our growth next season while thanking you for your support this season."

[Press Conference Summary by Massimo FICCADENTI] "I think the first half was very balanced and scoring first created space and made it easier to play. Hiroshima is a very strong team and has achieved their best results this season, but today we were able to compete with them at the same level. Even after being reduced to 9 players towards the end of the game, the players fought until the very end. I am truly grateful to them. Today was our last game, but I believe the players have gained the awareness that they can compete evenly against any opponent. We will be leaving behind some of the best players. At this point, the result is not important, so there is no need to talk about it anymore. I would like to praise Hiroshima's performance this season. And finally, to all Tokyo fans and supporters, and everyone I have been involved with, thank you very much."

[Hiroshima Manager Hajime Moriyasu's Press Conference Summary] "It's a tournament where if you lose, it's over, so it's good that we were able to advance to the semifinals in any way. We were scored on first and it became a chasing game, but the players fought without breaking down mentally. We could have been stopped if we attacked from the center in a numerical advantage, but we scored both goals from outside and fought calmly and toughly. It's our 7th game since entering December, but the players are strong and we were able to grab a victory. We have 2 more games to play with this team. We want to unite and end the season with a smile."