Fight with the confidence and determination that we can succeed even in the absence of our representatives

The 4th Round of the Emperor's Cup will be a match against Omiya Ardija at NACK5 Stadium Omiya. In the previous league match, we were caught off guard by Cerezo Osaka's forward Kakitani and conceded a goal in the dying moments of the counterattack, resulting in a defeat that eliminated our chances of finishing in the top three for ACL qualification. The only title left to compete for is the Emperor's Cup, and with next season's ACL participation in sight, the players are approaching this 4th Round with a must-win mentality.
 
In addition to Morishige, Takahashi, and Gonda, who were selected for the Japan national team's European expedition, Hyun Soo JANG, who was additionally called up to the South Korean national team, is absent. Therefore, following the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup, goalkeeper Shiota and center-backs Kaga and Maruyama are positioned. Yone moto, who was also a concern due to an injury in the previous match, is included in the starting lineup, along with Hasegawa as the defensive midfielders. On the flanks are Mita and Higashi, with Lucas positioned as the attacking midfielder.
 
Omiya faced Gamba Osaka (J2) in the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup and won after a penalty shootout. However, in the league, they have not been able to find a breakthrough, suffering 8 consecutive losses, followed by 1 win, and then another 7 consecutive losses. In this match, DF Suzuki, who also played for Tokyo, started as a forward in place of the suspended FW Zlatan. Additionally, DF Neil was called up to the Australian national team, and DF Kikuchi is out due to injury, resulting in 4 changes to the starting lineup from the league match.
 
Omiya, originally sharp in counterattacks from solid defense. This season, they achieved a big victory of 5-2 in the away match here at NACK5, but they were temporarily overtaken by Omiya's side attacks. Additionally, at home Ajinomoto, they were sunk by a cross. This match is unlikely to be an easy battle, but still, Coach Ranko POPOVIC stated, "I want to show that we can achieve results with attractive and attacking football."
 
GK Shiota expressed his determination, stating, "Winning in any form is the most important thing. The members may change, but I have 100 percent trust in my teammates, and we will focus on fighting for victory." Surrounded by the atmosphere of Tokyo fans and supporters filling the away stand with a grand chorus of "You'll never walk alone," the kickoff from Omiya was welcomed at 19:03.

Took control and took the lead with Mita's super goal in first-half stoppage time!

Tokyo, starting aggressively, saw Watanabe shoot in the 2nd minute and Lucas in the 3rd minute. In the 10th minute, Lucas passed to Tokunaga, who advanced deep on the right side. Showing strength while competing with the opponent, he passed to Watanabe in the right area. From here, he took a decisive shot with his right foot, but it narrowly missed to the left of the goal.
 
In the 12th minute, it seemed that Tokyo had seized the momentum, but a horizontal pass in the opponent's territory was intercepted by Omiya MF Watanabe. A long ball was played from the right side behind the defensive line, allowing FW Suzuki to break free and face Shiota in a one-on-one situation. A decisive moment was created, but Shiota bravely came forward and made a save with his body!
 
In the 18th minute, a long ball was played behind the defensive line, leading to a cross from midfielder Watanabe from a deep position on the right side. Forward Novaković, who was waiting in the center, attempted a header, but it went over the crossbar. Tokyo is controlling the ball in midfield and creating opportunities to finish, but there are moments when they are startled by the sharp counters from Omiya.
 

In what seemed like it would end scoreless, during the first half stoppage time, Mita aggressively pressed and forced a mistake from the opposing defender. From a throw-in deep on the right side, Lucas maintained possession at the right corner of the area and passed to Mita, who followed from outside. Mita then took a touch to bring the ball inside and struck a controlled left-footed shot that pierced the far side net! They secured a valuable opening goal, leading by one point as they headed into halftime.

With a coordinated offense and defense, Tokyo's soccer saw Watanabe and Ota score additional points to secure victory.

At halftime, Coach Ranko POPOVIC said, "It's important to have a strong mindset and focus, and not to show any weaknesses. How we start the second half is crucial." As the second half began, the team followed his words by demonstrating strength in defense and applying pressure from the front, while maintaining a coordinated passing game just like in the first half, successfully dominating the match from the start of the second half. Then, a long-awaited additional goal was scored for Tokyo.
 
In the 54th minute, Lucas connected with Mita and Watanabe to break through the right side and sent a decisive ground pass to the center, but it didn't connect. The ball temporarily became Omiya's, but Yonemoto regained it on the left side of the opponent's territory and made a superb last pass to Watanabe, who had started to move between the opposing center-backs. Watanabe executed a delicate trap and struck with his left foot into the goal! The score is now 2-0.
 
In the 67th minute, a big chance arises. A pinpoint pass from Masaru HASEGAWA in midfield is sent to Lucas, who breaks into the area with a right-footed outside pass, facing the opposing goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation. However, the goalkeeper Kitano's advance is slightly early, and Lucas falls in a collision, but no foul is called. In the 70th minute, Lucas, Ota, and Watanabe execute a quick series of passes, completely breaking down the left side, but Watanabe, who enters the area, is unable to finish.
 
Then, in the 82nd minute of the second half, Watanabe was fouled, resulting in a free kick just outside the penalty area, central position. Six players from Tokyo stood in front of the wall, with Ota and Higashi at the ball. After Higashi's feint, Ota's precise left-footed kick arced and was absorbed into the top right corner of the goal. This was Ota's fourth goal of the season from a free kick, making it 3-0 and sealing the match.
 
In the second half of stoppage time, Hiramatsu, who made his official match appearance for the first time since March 31, 2010, came on as a substitute and received loud cheers from the stands. The team stayed focused without losing concentration until the end, winning without conceding a goal, and secured their advancement to the Semifinal Round on December 22.

[Player Comments]
<Shioda>
"It may have been brought out by the knockout tournament format, but today everyone was able to express their feelings completely. For 90 minutes, we never lost focus, and each person's strong desire not to lose contributed to our organization as a team. This kind of victory builds the team's confidence and will definitely lead to success in the league as well. I want to continue working hard to make that happen."
 
<<Mita>>
"(The goal scene) There was a similar situation before that, and at that time I chose to pass, so I thought if there was a similar opportunity next time, I would take a shot. The shots themselves weren't going in at all during the pre-match practice today... But when I took a curled shot, only one went in. That was the image I had. (You mentioned wanting to prove your strength even without the national team players, right?) Exactly, I think it was good to prove that Tokyo has depth and strength in its players."
 

【Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference】
"This was a very emotional match for me as well. I believe our players showed great play and attitude. I enjoyed being able to play this kind of football myself, and more than anything, I think it is significant that we performed and achieved results without feeling the absence of our four national team players in this match."
 
I believe I was able to prove that these past two years were not in vain. I'm glad to have realized what I have been saying since I took office. I also want to thank all the fans and supporters. I enjoy my work in Tokyo, and I want to continue together until New Year's Day. I have always said that we should create an FC Tokyo family. I think you can see from today's match that there is a sense of unity between the players on the pitch and the fans and supporters, and I feel it is a very good family.
 
There are still remaining games in the season, so I would like to achieve filling the stadium for our home games, and I hope everyone enjoys the football that the players will show.

【Omiya - Coach Ogura's Press Conference Summary】
"At the start of the first half, there were difficult moments due to some stiffness, but from midway through, we were able to play the game at our own pace. However, we conceded a goal from a mistake that should not have happened during stoppage time of the first half. In the second half, despite being behind, we were able to do what we wanted to do. However, we conceded another goal from a counterattack."
 
Rather than taking risks and attacking, there was an atmosphere that we could manage with the players on the field, so we went with that. In the end, we went on the offensive, but we conceded a goal from a free kick and ended up losing. Since it's a tournament, it's not about losing by a certain score, but it's disappointing to have lost. I feel very sorry that we couldn't win despite so many supporters coming out to cheer for us.