Emperor's Cup first match, a game to redeem last year's regret

The Emperor's Cup of this season has begun. J Team will face Musashino-En FC, the representative of Tokyo, in the 2nd round. This 2nd round will be held at the same venue as last year's match, where they were unable to score and suffered a bitter defeat. This will be a chance for revenge. They must secure a victory and advance to the 3rd round.

However, Japan national team members Morishige and Gonda are absent. As a result, GK Shiota and DF Maruyama will be included. In addition, following the league game against Hiroshima, Musashino-En will also play with a 3-back formation, with Takahashi playing as the central DF.

Musashino-En, which is currently in 12th place in the JFL, is facing Tokyo. In the JFL, there are ups and downs, but under the guidance of coach Yasuhiro Yoshida, who took over this season, they are aiming for an even more attacking style. Their concentration and tenacity in crucial moments are still strong. Tokyo will need to show "something more" in response to their high motivation and desperation to win this year. There is a possibility that Musashino-En will defend by pulling back, but how Tokyo will break through that will also be a key point to watch.

As September begins, Ajinomoto Stadium remains hot and humid despite the arrival of autumn. The game started at 4pm with a kickoff at Musashino-En.

Unable to make a decision despite creating opportunities...

Tokyo gradually took control of the ball and created a scoring opportunity in the 11th minute, when East broke through the opponent's defense and took a decisive shot from the left area. However, the goalkeeper made a great save and despite Tokyo's continued attacks, they struggled to break through the opponent's quick defense. In the 26th minute, Tokunaga made a run down the line and crossed the ball into the center. Lucas headed the ball towards the goal, but the goalkeeper made another impressive save. East followed up with a shot from close range, but once again, the goalkeeper denied them.

Immediately after, Hasegawa broke free in the area from Yonemoto's pass, but Musashino-En GK came out and fouled Hasegawa. This resulted in a penalty kick. However, Watanabe's PK was stopped by the GK in the bottom left corner of the goal. Ota reacted quickly to the rebound on the left and took a shot, but it was saved again.

In the second half, in the 48th minute, from Ota's cross, East in the right area shoots freely after the goalkeeper's punch. In the 49th minute, Ota again cuts through the side and crosses from the left area. Hasegawa in the center tries to push it in with his whole body, but it only results in a corner kick. Unable to take advantage of the opportunity, they struggle against Musashino's defensive play as time passes.

As a result, Tokyo substituted Hirayama in the 60th minute and Mita in the 71st minute. This led to a fierce attack and the game progressed almost entirely within the Musashino-En. In the 75th minute, Hirayama created multiple scoring opportunities. However, Musashino also dropped all players back to their own half and formed a defensive block. Tokyo was unable to break through, with the goalkeeper and defenders putting their bodies on the line. Despite taking 12 shots in the first half and 16 shots in the second half, the game ended in a scoreless draw after 90 minutes, leading to a 15-minute extra time.

Despite having a player sent off, Hirayama's valuable goal secures a fierce battle victory.

Musashino-En was brought into the expected development and an unpleasant atmosphere was also felt. In the 92nd minute of the first half of extra time, Maruyama, who had slid into the opponent in the midfield, received a red card and was sent off. From here, they were forced to play with 10 players. However, they changed to a 4-back formation. Without panicking, they quickly attacked the front line without disrupting the defensive balance.

Substitute Ishikawa in the 101st minute. After that, they continued to push forward without showing any signs of numerical disadvantage, and they came close to the Musashino-En goal. It paid off in the first half of extra time. A throw-in from the right side was initially cleared by the opponent, but the ball was connected by Hyun Soo JANG and Mita with a header to the left side. Ota, who had been attacking, received a pinpoint cross and headed it into the net in front of the goal! They finally succeeded in scoring the first goal!

After that, Musashino-En came out and chased one point, and Ishikawa and Hirayama effectively countered. Although they couldn't score an additional point, they were able to protect Hirayama's valuable goal and time was up. Despite struggling against Musashino-En's persistent fight, they were able to achieve victory and advance to the 3rd round of the Emperor's Cup.

[Player Comments]
"Hirayama"
"We talked about how important it would be to score the first goal before the game. We couldn't score for a while, but we didn't concede any goals. It was great to score and win in the end. I scored from a cross from Ota the other day as well. When Ota has the ball, he always watches my movements and today it was a perfect pass. I'm glad I could contribute to the team's victory with a goal. However, I don't feel too happy. Musashino-En was a tough opponent and we were protected by our strong play. It's also a reminder for us to keep playing like that."

"Takahashi"
"I think it's embarrassing as a professional, but it's also necessary to win in a gritty way. I felt that painfully last year, that's the world of soccer. As for today, it was different from the J-League, everyone was also emotionally involved and I think we showed our strength in the ball. We should have taken it earlier and there were also moments where we were stopped by the opponent's big save or physical defense when we should have pushed more. It may be embarrassing, but I think it's good to keep winning like this."

[Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference Summary]
"It was a long 120 minutes, but I think the players fought well and I am grateful to the fans and supporters for their continued support. There were times during the game where we lacked respect...but we had many chances to score and not being able to finish them is something we need to reflect on. When Maruyama received a red card, the opposing GK also received a red card during the PK situation?...I can't fully understand that decision, but if we had finished our chances, we could have ended the game much earlier. Despite that, we were able to show our growth in terms of patience, perseverance, and stability compared to last year during the 120 minutes. It is commendable that we were able to produce results even with one less player."

[Yokogawa Musashino - Coach Yoshida's Press Conference Summary]
"In the end, it was 0-1. Looking at the score alone, I think it was a good game. However, in order to aim for one step higher from here, I felt that the one-point barrier was big in the 120-minute game. The players showed a fighting attitude from the start. We were able to withstand the first half and gradually create Yokohama's time zone in the second half. I think we were able to show what we have built up this season. Both defense and offense should be done by everyone, not individually. The result was being able to show a never-give-up attitude for 120 minutes, no matter what the situation was."