Emperor's Cup first match (Round 16), let's welcome it with our own soccer!

Emperor's Cup Round 16 (4th Round) will be held at Ajinomoto, with Mito Hollyhock facing off.
This is the first match for Tokyo in this tournament, and it will be held on Wednesday against a J2 team. Despite only having three days of rest since the previous league match, manager Massimo emphasizes the importance of focusing on this game. It is a different tournament and will be a challenging match against a lower category team. However, he promises to switch his mind and body to this tournament and approach it with full concentration, aiming for victory as always.
 

Mito is currently in 19th place in J2. With 2 more games left in J2, they are 5 points behind 21st place. Despite a mid-season coaching change, current coach Nishigaya has taken command, but they have not been able to escape the relegation zone and continue to struggle. However, they have been in good form with no losses in their last 5 league games. In the 3rd round of the Emperor's Cup, they showed their tenacity and determination by defeating Kashima in a penalty shootout. Their motivation for this game should be quite high.

However, they also made some changes to the lineup and formation as they have been playing consecutive games alongside the league. FW Yamamura (FC Tokyo U-15 Fukagawa ~ FC Tokyo U-18 ~ Meidai) will be used in the front line, forming a 2-top with MF Yuto Suzuki. MF Ishikawa will be on the right wing, and DF Tanaka on the left. In the midfield, MF Iwao, MF Funatani, and MF Shirai will play in a 3-5-2 formation.

Tokyo is without Morige, Maruyama, and Nathan BURNS due to national team duties. In addition, considering the Mito strategy, Enomoto is in goal. Yoshimoto and Nara are the center backs. Maeda is up front, with Higashi and Mita on the sides. Nakajima is in the top position in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Tanabe also made his first appearance in the team after returning from Spain. Captain Tokunaga leads the team. Although there were some sunny intervals during the day, the match started at 7pm in Tokyo under weather that reminded us of the arrival of winter.

Maeda scores first from Ota's cross, taking advantage of Tokyo's strength!

1 minute into the game, Maeda and Nakajima advance into the area after connecting from the kickoff. Although they couldn't finish, Ota passes the ball around and Takahashi heads it towards the center of the area. In the 3rd minute, Suzuki Yuto from Mito dribbles and takes a shot. In the 4th minute, Funatani from Mito aims for a middle shot. Both teams show an aggressive attitude and continue to attack each other, but Tokyo calmly avoids Mito's press and persistently wins the second ball to continue their attack.

At 9 minutes, Ota, who went up the left side, crossed to the inside and went up to the goal line, but Mita tried to head it in but it went outside the frame. In the 14th minute, Maeda from the midfield passed to Nakajima on the left, who then spread out even further. Ota attacked while sending a sharp cross into the area. Maeda jumped in near the goal and headed it in for a GOAL!! With the speedy passing and Ota's crosses, which can be considered Tokyo's weapon, they were able to take the lead from the side.

However, at the 18th minute, Mito quickly moved forward and MF Tanaka, who was free on the left side from FW Yamamura's drop, advanced into the area. He was able to bring the ball to a shot, but Tokunaga threw his body and escaped to a corner kick. In the 25th minute, Mito MF Funatani received a long ball sent into the area and ran into MF Yuto Suzuki, but Nara cleared it while returning. Yoshimoto also covered the second ball perfectly. Tokyo did not allow their opponents to move freely in their own half. In the 28th minute, they cut off Mito's cross, quickly moved forward, and Ota crossed. Nakajima followed the loose ball from the near side and took a shot from just outside the area, but it was blocked.

In the 30th minute, Mito launched a counterattack and right MF Ishikawa sent a shot-like cross. In the 35th minute, MF Funatani entered the area. The ball was spilled to Mito MF Shirai from a cutback and he took a middle shot. Mito had possession of the ball for a while, but Tokyo also changed their formation to 4-3-1-2 to adapt. Mito tried to target the middle range, but they were not able to create any decisive chances. Tokyo took the lead in the early stages with their strength in side attacks, and then maintained a stable game to end the first half with a one-point lead.

Hashimoto's spectacular first goal at Ajinomoto Stadium! Kept a clean sheet and advanced to the quarterfinals.

In the second half, we fought without panic and connected chances from quick attacks. In the 50th minute, Naka-jima jumped and hit the ball with one foot from Higashi's right cross... but it went wide to the right. In the 53rd minute, Tokyo substituted Mita for Hashimoto. Immediately after, Yone-moto sprinted to the left front line from a counter. Takahashi followed up on the loose ball from the cross and took a powerful middle shot, but it hit the opponent and resulted in a corner kick. At this point, Mito brought on FW Musashi SUZUKI. Immediately after, Maeda persistently headed down Tokyo's right corner kick and Yoshimoto volleyed in the midst of a scramble in front of the goal, but it went wide to the left.

57 minutes, Tokunaga from their own half → Maeda receives a pass from Nakamoto in the center and expands to the right. Hasegawa on the right outside receives the ball that Higashi passed through on the front line, takes a step forward and shoots. The eye-opening shot is drawn in an arc and sucked into the upper left corner of the goal... Hasegawa successfully scores an additional point with a super middle shot!

Tokyo, who widened their lead, showed a safe game. In the 62nd minute, Kono replaced Nakajima. Mito also brought in FW Baba and in the 67th minute, MF Ikegaya. FW Musashi Suzuki and MF Funatani formed a 2-top in a 4-4-2 formation. Tokyo also switched to a 4-4-2 and even when Mito held onto the ball, they concentrated and defended, and when they took the ball, they quickly launched a counter attack.

In the 90+1st minute, Julian replaced Maeda. In additional time, just after coming on, Julian made a run into the left area. He cut past the opposing defenders one after another and took a shot, but it was saved by the GK. Immediately after, from the left front line, Higashi connected with a one-two pass and made a run into the area. Hasegawa received the ball and skillfully turned past the defender, creating a clear shot. However, it was once again saved by the GK... Time's up.

Although we were unable to score a third goal, we shut out Mito's attacks without giving them any openings. We stayed united in both offense and defense, sticking to our own style and securing a spot in the quarterfinals.

[Player Comments]

"Hashimoto" "I knew it would be difficult to play against a team from a different category. Mito is a team that has also beaten Kashima, and I was thinking of using all my strength and fighting if I had the opportunity to play. I wanted to play aggressively because it was a time when I was a little tired, and I tried to shoot first. (In the shooting scene), I was only thinking about controlling and shooting without hesitation. I am happy to score my first goal at Ajinomoto Stadium, but I want to keep aiming for more middle shots in the future. I want to help the team by scoring goals, and I want to score in the league next time."

"Nara" "I thought it was great to win no matter what kind of game, situation, or opponent it was. It was good that we were able to move on to the next game firmly. I think each player understood the importance of this game and that feeling led to the result. Personally, there were some mistakes and it is a challenge to concentrate for 90 minutes in a game. However, I am simply happy to continue playing until the end of December as a soccer player. I want to cherish each day and continue to strive for growth."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference] "Mito is a team that beat Kashima in the 3rd round of the Emperor's Cup and has a lot of momentum. We knew that it was important to start the game well because they are a team that runs and moves a lot. We were able to have a good start to the game. We scored a goal and created a lot of chances. There was almost no risk in the first half. In the second half, we were able to score a second goal and control the game overall. We had a lot of space to play in, but we may have been able to control the game a little more. However, considering that our national team players were absent, the result is more important than the performance. We want to prepare well for the quarterfinals."

[Summary of Mito Nishigaya Takayuki's Press Conference] "Tokyo was one or two steps ahead both individually and as a team. This kind of experience can only be felt in the Emperor's Cup. We want to use this experience in our remaining two league matches. We had a game plan for today, but when we conceded the first goal, we were somewhat at the mercy of the opponent. I think that giving up the first goal was everything. We wanted to fight tenaciously against a stronger team, find the weak points of the opponent, and create chances to finish. In a difficult situation where we conceded the first goal, we had to push forward a little. However, the players challenged themselves to see what kind of play they could make against an opponent who was prepared. We won't be able to score unless we improve the quality of our play. I think the players also feel that way, so we want to continue to work hard in training."