Semifinal Round at National Stadium, facing off against the league champion

The Emperor's Cup semifinals are here, facing off against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. In the quarterfinals, they showed a strong determination to win and a never-give-up spirit, securing a dramatic victory. Although they were pushed back by Sendai and have some regrets about their performance, Shioda says, "Both personally and as a team, we didn't panic when things got tough. We always have the mindset of wanting to win, but we are also able to endure." At the same time, the team's weapons and positive factors are increasing, such as Ota's free kick and Hayashi's first professional goal in the Sendai match. Building on what they have achieved so far, they aim to further strengthen the team's unity and reach the New Year's final.

Hiroshima has advanced to the semifinal round by defeating Fukuoka University, Kumamoto, Kashima, and Kofu in the Emperor's Cup. Above all, they are the J1 champions who achieved a come-from-behind victory in the final match of this season's league. Their solid defense and never-give-up attitude can be considered as their trademark.

On the other hand, the key will be how much concentration and perseverance they can maintain. How well can they contain the movements of Hiroshima FW Sato, the attacking starting point of MF Takahagi, and the attacking runs of MF Mikic? Even if they are on guard, they have enough strength to surpass it, so it should be a moment-to-moment intense match.

Today, Hirayama is suspended due to accumulated warnings. At the same time, considering Hiroshima's measures, Kaga is starting as the right DF. Jang Hyun Soo will play in the center, and Morishige will play on the left in a 3-back formation. Watanabe will be at the top, with Hasegawa and Higashi as shadows. It is cold, but the National Stadium is calm and sunny. The match started at 3:04 pm with Hiroshima's kickoff.

Both sides cancel each other's strengths, and the intense offense and defense continues.

Both teams neutralized each other's strengths from the start. Tokyo's wing backs, Tokunaga and Ota, were conscious of their defensive positioning, but the entire DF line tried to maintain a high position. Even when Hiroshima had possession of the ball, they calmly took it back and connected it to their attack.

In the 12th minute, Ota's early cross is headed in by Higashi in the center. The ball was heading towards the goal, but was cleared by the Hiroshima goalkeeper. In the 14th minute, Kaga passes to Tokunaga on the right side, creating space in the midfield. Takahashi moves up and sends a shot towards the front line, but it goes through the area between Hasegawa and Watanabe and crosses the line.

Hiroshima sends the ball to FW Sato without wasting time, trying to create a chance. In the 37th minute, FW Sato breaks through the front line from a pass by Hiroshima MF Aoyama and moves to the center. Furthermore, MF Fansoko brings the ball to the center and creates a decisive opportunity, but the shot is blocked by Tokunaga's sliding tackle.

In the 44th minute, Tokyo snatched the ball in their own half and launched a powerful counterattack. They connected with Watanabe on the right side and tried to pass to Hasegawa, who was making a run from the far side, but... it was off target and Hiroshima took possession. Tokyo managed to contain Hiroshima's attacks and created some chances with their trademark combination plays, but they were unable to break through the opponent's solid defense. The second half began.

In the early stages of the second half, both teams had chances from set pieces. In the 57th minute, Mori Shige headed from a right corner kick by Higashi, but it went wide. In the 59th minute, Hiroshima was given a free kick and Takahagi from about 30 meters in the center aimed directly, but the shot that flew towards the goal was saved by Shioda with his right hand! In the back and forth battle, Hiroshima gradually picked up the pace and seemed to have found their rhythm, but in the 64th minute, Watanabe took advantage of a mistake by the opposing defender from Mori Shige's feed and charged into the area. He created a big chance, but his shot from the left area was blocked by the Hiroshima GK with his face...

In the 68th minute, Takahashi expanded to the left from Yonemoto's vertical pass. Morishige, who was attacking, crossed to the center on the ground. This went through the right area, and Tokunaga aimed for it, but only managed to get a CK by grazing the opponent's DF. In the 84th minute, Morishige controlled Hiroshima's long ball, but was run into by Hiroshima FW Sato in front of Shioda on the back pass, and connected to MF Mikic in the right area. It was a decisive pinch, but Morishige quickly returned and did not allow a finish.

In the 86th minute, Hiroshima FW Sato was replaced by MF Notsuda. In the 89th minute, Ishikawa was also substituted in for Tokyo. However, both teams were unable to capitalize on their chances while maintaining their defensive tenacity and focus, resulting in a scoreless draw and the fourth overtime of the tournament.

Unable to take advantage of the extra time, heartbreaking defeat in the penalty shootout

In extra time, both teams used substitution cards to chase after "1 point". In the 93rd minute, Tokyo replaced Higashi with Hayashi. In the 104th minute, Ota ran up and made a low cross. Hayashi rushed into the goal area, but Hiroshima's defenders crowded around and he couldn't take a shot. Towards the end of the first half of extra time, Hiroshima launched a counterattack and Notsuda, a free forward, dribbled up to attack, but Morishige calmly displayed his strength, took the ball away, and ended the first half.

Despite the deepening fatigue, they continued to push forward and fought hard in the extended second half. In the 106th minute, Mori Shige's attack led to a drop from the left by Hasegawa, and then Hasegawa charged into the left area again, but was blocked in the midst of the chaos. In the 112th minute, Mita came in for Takahashi.

In the 118th minute, Yonemoto cut in from the left area and made a last pass to the center. Mita stopped it with a trap and took a reverse shot, but it went wide. In the 119th minute, Ishikawa ran behind the opponent's defense, following Mita's through pass, and created a decisive opportunity, but his strong shot was blocked by Hiroshima's goalkeeper...

Throughout the 120 minutes, we fought tenaciously and did not allow any goals, but on the other hand, we were unable to score and the match was pushed to a penalty shootout. In this shootout, Ota, Morishige, and Jang Hyun Soo calmly scored. The first kick by Hiroshima's MF Aoyama was stopped by Shioda. The third kick by Chiba's DF ended in a miss, and at the end of the third kick, Tokyo was leading 3-1, with the situation being "one more goal and we win". However, Mita and then Hasegawa's kicks were both saved by Hiroshima's GK Nishikawa... The sixth kick by Yonemoto was successful, but the seventh kick by Ishikawa was saved, and in the end, we allowed a goal by Hiroshima's MF Notsuda...

Despite advancing with an advantage in the PK round, we were defeated by a comeback. We were unable to make it to the final round and ended the season in the Emperor's Cup Best 4.

[Player Comments]
"Shioda"
"Since the result is everything, it's really disappointing that we couldn't move on. In the penalty shootout, we were reminded of the fear of football just one step away. We pushed Hiroshima to the edge of the ring, but as expected of the league champions, they had the strength to push back and overcome it. They play fair and wonderful football, and they are a team that we can respect. However, we have to accept the reality of losing. We want to use this defeat as a stepping stone and move forward."

"Mori Shige"
"We played a soccer game where we both cancelled out each other's strengths, and it was a game where one chance could make all the difference. We both played good defense and patiently moved the ball to find openings in the opponent's defense. It's really disappointing to lose in a game where we had a chance to win, but penalties are no longer a part of soccer. It was decided that "the confident ones will take the kicks" and the order was quickly determined, but anyone can miss and anyone can score. That's just how it is. Through this Emperor's Cup, the team came together and showed a strong and determined attitude to fight until the end without giving up."

[Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference Summary]
"I was hoping to be here on New Year's Day again. There were big opportunities and we were able to get closer to them. However, this game made me realize that this is soccer. It was a game that contained all emotions. We couldn't succeed, but I want to tell the players that they did well. They fought well not only in today's game, but also for the past two years. We were able to see their matured selves and it was a team that grew. We were just one step away from the title and I think we have become a team that can consistently produce stable results."

And I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the 12th player, the fans and supporters. They have always been our strength and support. Although I am leaving the club after finishing my job here, the players, staff, and fans and supporters I worked with will always remain in my heart. I don't want to end on a sad note, and I am satisfied with the performance the players showed today. However, I hope they can learn from not being able to score when they had the chance, and use this experience to enrich their lives as individuals. We continued to strive for victory until the end. Although it did not result in a win, I think this is also part of football.
 

[Hiroshima Moriho Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"It was a goal to fight at the Japan National Stadium in the New Year's final, and we were able to advance, which was ultimately good. Today was also a very difficult and tough battle, but I think the players' desire to win led to the result. The game could have gone either way, and it was a tough battle tactically and physically, but we were able to come out on top. The Japan National Stadium was like a home for us in Tokyo, but even in that situation, the players remained calm and continued the game. I feel that the reason we were able to fight until the end was because of the many Hiroshima supporters who came to support us and push us forward. Above all, I am most happy to be able to share this joy with them."