First match of the Emperor's Cup, a battle to clear last year's regrets

This season's Emperor's Cup has kicked off. The 2nd Round features J teams, with Tokyo representative Yokogawa Musashino FC facing off. This 2nd Round match is a repeat of last year's game at the same venue. Last season, we couldn't score and were made to suffer a bitter defeat from a single chance taken by the opponent, making this a revenge match. We must secure a victory and advance to the 3rd Round.

However, Japan national team players Morishige and Gonda are absent. Therefore, GK Shiota and DF Maruyama will be included. Additionally, following the match against Hiroshima, Musashino-En is also a team that primarily uses a three-back formation, so Takahashi will serve as the central DF in the three-back setup.

Musashino-En belongs to the JFL and is currently in 12th place. Although there are ups and downs in the JFL, under the leadership of coach Yasuhiro Yoshida, who took charge this season, they aim for a more aggressive style. Their focus and resilience at crucial moments remain strong. In response to their high motivation and desperation, with statements like "we have nothing to lose" and "we want to win again this year," Tokyo will need to show something "beyond that." There is also a possibility that Musashino-En will strengthen their defense, but how to break through that will be a point of interest.

As September begins and autumn approaches, the humidity still lingers at Ajinomoto. The match started at 16:00 with a kickoff from Musashino-En.

Creating chances but unable to convert...

Although the match started with a back-and-forth battle against Musashino-En, Tokyo gradually took control of the ball. In the 11th minute, Tokyo created a scoring opportunity when Higashi broke free behind the opposing defense from the left area after receiving a pass from Watanabe, and took a decisive shot. However, this was thwarted by a great save from the GK. After that, even when they attacked into the opponent's territory, there were many instances where they lost the ball to the opponent's quick defense. Nevertheless, in the 26th minute, Tokunaga surged up to the sideline and delivered a low cross to the center. Lucas's header was met with another great save from the GK, and Higashi rushed in on the rebound, but his shot was once again blocked by the GK.

Immediately after, from Yonemoto's pass, Hasegawa broke free into the area and faced a decisive moment, but the Musashino GK rushed out and fouled Hasegawa. This play resulted in a penalty kick. However, Watanabe's penalty kick was stopped by the GK in the lower left corner of the goal. Ota reacted to the ball that spilled immediately to the left and shot right away, but it was saved again.

Entering the second half, in the 48th minute, Ota's cross was met by Higashi, who was free in the right area, after the goalkeeper's punch deflected the ball. In the 49th minute, Ota again cut in from the side and delivered a cross from the left area. Hasegawa in the center tried to push it in with his body, but only managed to earn a corner kick. Unable to capitalize on the chances, they would struggle against the defense set up by Musashino as time passed.

Therefore, Tokyo brought in Hirayama in the 60th minute and Mita in the 71st minute. Taking this opportunity, they launched a fierce attack, with the match progressing almost entirely within the Musashino-En territory. After the 75th minute, they created several scoring opportunities centered around Hirayama. However, Musashino-En also formed a defensive block with all players falling back to their own half. With the goalkeeper at the center, the defenders put their bodies on the line, and Tokyo was unable to break through for a goal. Despite taking 12 shots in the first half and 16 in the second half, the match ended scoreless after 90 minutes, leading to a 15-minute half of extra time.

Despite being reduced to ten men, they secured a hard-fought victory with Hirayama's valuable goal.

Musashino-En was brought into a development as planned, and an unpleasant atmosphere lingered. In the 92nd minute of the first half of extra time, Maruyama received a red card for sliding into an opponent in midfield and was sent off. From here, they were forced to fight with 10 men. However, they changed to a four-back formation. Without panicking, they maintained defensive balance and quickly initiated attacks from the front line.

In the 101st minute, Ishikawa was brought on. Even after that, the team maintained a strong performance without feeling outnumbered, pressing into the Musashino-En territory. This effort paid off during stoppage time of the first half of extra time. A throw-in from the right side was initially deflected by the opponent, but the ball was connected by Hyun Soo JANG and Mita with a header to the left side. There, Ota's pinpoint cross was met by Hirayama's header in front of the goal, which found the net! They finally succeeded in scoring the opening goal!

After that, Musashino pushed forward in pursuit of a goal, and Ishikawa and Hirayama launched effective counterattacks by exploiting their opponents' weaknesses. Although they couldn't secure an additional goal, they defended the valuable single point scored by Hirayama until the end, leading to a time-up. Despite struggling against Musashino's persistent efforts throughout the match, they achieved victory and advanced to the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup.

[Player Comments]
《Hirayama》
"From before the match, we all talked about how important it would be to score the first goal today. We struggled to find the net, but we didn't concede any goals in the meantime. I'm glad we managed to score at the end and win. The goal was set up by a cross from Ota, just like the other day. When Ota had the ball, he was watching my movements, and today he delivered it right on target. I'm happy to have scored a goal that contributed to the team's victory. However, I don't feel that much joy. Musashino-En played with a lot of heart and defended well with their physical play. I realized that we need to step up in that regard as well."

《Takahashi》
"As a professional, I think it's embarrassing, but winning in a gritty way is also necessary. I felt painfully aware of that in the world of soccer last year. Regarding today, it was different from the J-League, and everyone was really invested, showing strength in one-on-one situations. We should have scored earlier, and there were moments when we were blocked by the opponent's big saves and committed defense when we should have pressed harder. There is some embarrassment, but I think it's fine as long as we keep advancing like this."

【Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference】
"It was a long 120 minutes, but I think the players fought well, and I am grateful to the fans and supporters for continuing to cheer us on. During the match, there were moments when I felt we lacked respect... However, we had several chances to score, and not being able to convert those is a point of reflection. If Maruyama received a red card, then shouldn't the opposing goalkeeper have received a red card during the penalty situation? There were parts of the judgment that I couldn't agree with, but if we had converted our chances, we could have finished the match earlier. Even so, we were able to show growth in patience, resilience, and stability over the 120 minutes compared to last year. Achieving results even with one less player is commendable."

[Yokogawa Musashino - Director Yoshida's Press Conference Summary]
"In the end, it was 0 to 1. Looking only at the score, I think we had a good match. However, to aim for a higher level from here, I felt that the barrier of one goal is significant during the 120 minutes of the match. The players showed their fighting spirit from the start. We endured the first half and gradually created opportunities in the second half. I believe we were able to showcase what we have built up this season. Both defense and attack should be done collectively, not individually. The fact that we maintained an attitude of not giving up in any situation throughout the 120 minutes was an achievement."