Fight with confidence and determination that you can do it even without the presence of the representative.

The 4th round of the Emperor's Cup will be held at NACK5 Stadium Omiya, where Omiya Ardija will face off against their opponents. In the previous league match, they were defeated by a last-minute counterattack goal by C Osaka's FW Kakitani, causing them to lose their chance at a top 3 spot and qualification for the ACL. With only the Emperor's Cup left to fight for, the players are determined to win this round 16 match and keep their hopes alive for next season's ACL qualification.
 
Japan national team members Mori Shige, Takahashi, and Gonda, who were selected for the European expedition, are absent, as well as Chang Hyun Soo, who was additionally called up for the South Korean national team. Therefore, for the Emperor's Cup 3rd Round, GK Shioda, and center backs Kaga and Maruyama were placed. There were also concerns about the impact of the previous match's injury on Yonemoto, who started in the defensive midfield alongside Hasegawa. On the wings were Mita and Higashi, and Lucas was positioned as the attacking midfielder.
 
Omiya, who faced them, won the Emperor's Cup 3rd Round against G Osaka (J2) after a PK match. However, after 8 consecutive losses in the league, they have only won once and have not been able to grasp the opportunity to rise again with 7 consecutive losses. In this match, DF Suzuki, who was also a member of Tokyo, replaced FW Zlatan, who was suspended, and started as a FW. In addition, DF Neil was absent due to being called up to the Australian national team, and DF Kikuchi was absent due to injury, resulting in 4 changes to the starting lineup from the league match.
 
Omiya, who has sharpness in their counterattacks from their solid defense. This season, they had a big win of 5-2 in their away game here at NACK5, but they were temporarily turned around by Omiya's side attacks. They were also defeated by a single cross at their home stadium, Ajinomoto. This match is also unlikely to be an easy battle, but coach Ranko POPOVIC says, "We want to show that we can achieve results with attractive and attacking football."
 
GK Shioda says, "The most important thing is to win in any way possible. The members may change, but I have 100% trust in my teammates and will fight with all my concentration for victory." As the Tokyo fans and supporters filled the away stand, a chorus of "You'll never walk alone" created an atmosphere that felt like Tokyo's home ground. At 7:03 PM, the kickoff for Omiya was welcomed.

Took the lead and scored a superb goal by Mita in the first half stoppage time!

Tokyo, who actively attacked from the start, had Nagai take a shot in the 2nd minute and Lucas in the 3rd minute. In the 10th minute, Lucas passed to Tokunaga who had advanced deep into the right side from the right side. Despite competing with the opponent, he showed strength and 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.
 
12 minutes into the game, it seemed like Tokyo had gained control of the flow. However, Omiya MF Watanabe intercepted a lateral pass in the opponent's territory and sent a long ball behind the DF line from the right side. FW Suzuki broke free and faced off against Shioda in a 1-on-1 situation. A decisive moment was created, but Shioda bravely came out and made a save with his entire body!
 
In the 18th minute, a long ball was sent to the back of the DF line, and MF Watanabe crossed from a deep position on the right side. FW Novakovic, who was waiting in the center, headed the shot, but it went over the crossbar. Tokyo is able to create opportunities to dominate the ball in the midfield and bring it to the finish, but they are also occasionally chilled by the sharpness of Omiya's counterattacks.
 

In the first half stoppage time, which seemed to end scoreless, Mita aggressively pressed and induced a mistake from the opponent's DF. From a deep throw-in on the right side, Lucas in the right corner kept the ball and passed it to Mita who was supporting from the outside. Then, with one touch, he brought it inside and struck a controlled left-footed shot into the far side of the net! They took a valuable lead and ended the first half with a 1-0 lead.

Tokyo's soccer, linked to offense and defense, wins with additional points from Watanabe and Ota

At halftime, coach Ranko POPOVIC said, "We need to have a strong mentality and concentration, and not show any openings. How we start the second half is crucial." In the second half, the team followed his words by showing strength in defense and pressing from the front, and also maintained their passing game from the first half. As a result, they were able to dominate the game from the start of the second half and eventually score a much-needed goal for Tokyo.
 
54 minutes, Lucas, Mita, and Watanabe connect on the right side and break through to the center, sending a decisive ground pass, but it doesn't connect. The ball goes back to Omiya, but Yonemoto, who had regained possession on the left side, brings it in and makes a perfect last pass to Watanabe, who moves towards the opponent's center back. He delicately traps the ball and takes a shot with his left foot, scoring a goal! The score is now 2-0.
 
A big chance comes in the 67th minute. A pinpoint pass from midfielder Hasegawa to Lucas, who breaks into the area with his right foot outside, facing the opponent's GK one-on-one. However, GK Kitano's quick jump out causes a collision and Lucas falls, but there is no foul. In the 70th minute, Lucas, Ota, and Watanabe quickly pass from the left side, completely breaking through, and finally Watanabe enters the area, but cannot bring it to a finish.
 
In the 82nd minute of the second half, a free kick was awarded to Watanabe after being fouled near the center of the area. Six Tokyo players stood in front of the wall, with Ota and Higashi on the ball. After Higashi's feint, Ota's well-aimed left foot kick curved into the top right corner of the goal. This was Ota's 4th goal of the season from a free kick, making it 3-0 and sealing the game.
 
In the second half stoppage time, Hiramatsu, who made his first official appearance since March 31, 2010, came on as a substitute and received a big cheer from the stands. The team stayed united and concentrated until the end, winning without conceding any goals and advancing to the quarterfinals on 12/22.

[Player Comments]

"Shioda"
"The knockout tournament format may have brought out the best in us, but today everyone was able to give it their all. We were able to maintain our focus for the entire 90 minutes, and each player's strong determination and refusal to lose contributed to our team's organization. This kind of victory gives the team confidence and I believe it will carry over into the league matches. We will continue to work hard to achieve this."
 
≪Mita≫
"(There was a similar situation before the goal scene, and at that time I chose to pass, so if there was a similar situation next time, I was thinking of shooting. The shot itself didn't go in at all during the pre-game practice today... But when I took the shot, only one went in. That was the image I had. (Even though the national team players were absent, they wanted to prove their strength by winning?) Exactly, I think it's good that we were able to prove the depth and strength of Tokyo's players."
 

[Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference Summary]
"A very emotional game for me. I think our players showed very good play and attitude. I was able to enjoy this kind of soccer and, above all, I think there is meaning in the fact that we were able to play without four representative players and still show that, and get results."
 
I think I was able to prove that these past two years were not a waste. I am glad that I was able to achieve what I have been saying since I took office. I am also grateful to the fans and supporters. I am also enjoying my work in Tokyo and I want to continue working together until New Year's Day. I have always said that I want to create an FC Tokyo family. As you can see from today's match, there is a sense of unity between the players on the pitch and the fans and supporters, and I feel that it is a very good family.
 
We still have the rest of the season, so we want to achieve a full stadium at home games and we hope that everyone will enjoy the soccer that the players will show.

[Omiya and Kokura Manager's Press Conference Summary]
"The start of the first half was difficult due to the stiffness, but we were able to play the game at our own pace from the middle. However, we conceded a goal from a mistake that should not have happened in the first half stoppage time. In the second half, we were able to do what we wanted to do despite being behind. However, we ended up conceding another goal from a counter attack."
 
We went with the players who seemed to be able to play rather than taking risks. In the end, we played offensively, but we ended up losing due to a goal from a free kick. It's not about losing by a certain score in a tournament, but it's still disappointing to lose. It's a shame that we couldn't win despite having so many supporters here.