This season's Emperor's Cup as the defending champion

The Emperor's Cup for this season has kicked off. The 2nd Round features J teams, with Tokyo representative Yokohama Musashino FC facing off. As the reigning champions from last season, Coach Ranko POPOVIC stated, "We must play well to take a new step in this new tournament. That is the mission of the champions," emphasizing the need to focus on each match and aim for advancement.

　However, following the Nabisco Cup match against Shimizu, Japan national team players Takahashi and Gonda are absent. Considering the consecutive matches, the lineup has been changed, with Watanabe at the top and Nemanja VUCICEVIC making his first start as an attacking midfielder. The two wings are Ishikawa and Tanabe. The defense line will consist of Mukuhara as the right back and Maruyama on the left, forming a 4-2-3-1 formation.

　The opposing Yokogawa Musashino belongs to the JFL and is currently in 12th place. In the "Tokyo Soccer Tournament" held in August, which determined the representative for the Emperor's Cup from Tokyo, they demonstrated great resilience. In the final match against Tokyo 23, they equalized just before the end of both the second half and extra time, winning the penalty shootout and securing their spot in the tournament for the third time in three years. Then, in the 1st Round held on September 2, they won 2-0 against the Iwate Prefecture representative, Iwate Grulla Morioka, advancing to the 2nd Round.

　If Tokyo can get into the rhythm, a significant victory should be possible, but this is also the first match held under a unique atmosphere. Even if the situation becomes stagnant, it is necessary to fight without rushing. Regardless of how the game unfolds, it is essential to steadily secure the win. We want to control the game ourselves, advance with an advantage, and seize victory.

　With the wind blowing and the sunlight having the softness of autumn, the match started at 1:04 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo at the harsh late summer Ajinomoto.

Dominated throughout but lacking a decisive factor, the first half ended scoreless.

　Entered the match firmly, controlled the ball, and advanced forward. However, in front of Musashino's concentrated defense, they struggled to reach a finishing point. In the 15th minute, Hayato HASEGAWA sent a floated ball forward, which Nemanja VUCICEVIC dropped, allowing Ishikawa to advance into a high position in the right area. As he aimed for a right cross, Tanabe at the far post attempted a header, but Musashino managed to escape with a corner kick.

　In the 21st minute, they earned a right corner kick, and from Ishikawa's kick, Morishige made a precise header from a low position, but the shot on target was saved just barely at the goal line. From here, Musashino-En launched a speedy counterattack, but Tokyo quickly switched back to defense with everyone and did not allow Musashino-En to carry out their attack.

　In the 29th minute, Hasegawa spread the play to the left front. There, Ishikawa received the ball and Maruyama, who moved inside, aimed for the goal but shot straight at the GK. In the 33rd minute, Ishikawa sent a free kick from the left side of the opponent's half to the front line, and Tanabe headed the ball towards the bottom right of the goal, but it was blocked by the GK.

　While taking control, they lacked the decisive factor in front of Musashino-En's tenacious defense, leading to a somewhat difficult attacking situation towards the end. In the 40th minute, Ishikawa stole a clearance from the opposing defender and dribbled forward, taking a shot from just outside the left area, but it lacked power and went to the goalkeeper. They also had a chance from a set piece, but in the 41st minute, Maruyama's free kick from a distance went over the bar. In the 45th minute, Maruyama headed a free kick from the right side of the opponent's half, but it was ruled offside. They did not allow Musashino-En to create any real chances, and the match went into halftime scoreless.

Unable to capitalize on the chances, conceded a goal in stoppage time, and eliminated in the first match...

　Tokyo brought in Kajiyama in the second half. He created a starting point in the front line, further pushing Musashino-En back. However, Musashino-En launched a counterattack in the 51st minute, with left defender Ueda dribbling forward and aiming for a mid-range shot just outside the left area. A powerful shot was fired on target, but Shiota made the save. In the 54th minute, after Maruyama's interception, Yonemoto sent a direct pass to the front line. The ball briefly became the opponent's, but Kajiyama quickly regained possession and delivered a through pass into the right area. Watanabe caught up, but there was just a slight angle, and he couldn't finish the play.

　In the 56th minute, Lucas came in. However, the entire Musashino team continued to struggle to break through the defense that had retreated to their own half. In the 60th minute, Maruyama was substituted for Kajiyama, who broke into the left area and delivered a final pass in front of the goal. However, they couldn't take a shot in the midst of the scramble. Hasegawa, who followed up on the loose ball, passed it to Lucas in front and received a return pass, cutting into the goal area, but couldn't take a shot in the crowd.

　In the 65th minute, Maruyama's header from the right corner kick was blocked. The loose ball was persistently connected to Lucas in the right area, who headed it to Watanabe in the center. However, Watanabe's decisive header shot was saved well by the goalkeeper. In the 67th minute, Maruyama advanced to a high position and delivered a left cross. Lucas in the right area dropped it, and Kajiwara in front of the central area took a direct shot, but it went wide of the goal.

　In the 78th minute, Hanyu was brought on. They completely pushed Musashino-En back, but in the 85th minute, from a left corner kick, Hanyu sent a left cross, and Watanabe's shot from the right area was blocked by the opponent's body... Conversely, in the 86th minute, a counter from Musashino-En resulted in a left cross that went to the far side. It did not reach FW Sekino, avoiding a crisis, but even in the final stages, Musashino-En's concentration did not wane, and their momentum increased as they executed their game plan as intended.

　In the 90th minute, Mukuahara advanced to a high position and received a pass from Kajiyama just in front of the right area to Watanabe on the left. Watanabe, in the center of the area, took a direct shot that was decisive, but the ball grazed the bar and went out... It seemed they could not break through the thick wall of Musashino-En, and it looked like they were heading into extra time.

　However, in the 3 minutes of stoppage time that followed, Tokyo managed to contain Musashino's counterattack on the right side, but ended up giving away a free kick. For Musashino, the free kick was awarded near Tokyo's penalty area from the left side. Although there was some distance, MF Iwata's quick kick, aimed at the goal, seemed to be drawn in by the wind and found the back of the net at the far post... Despite Tokyo's overwhelming offensive efforts, they were unable to convert their chances. Conversely, they were caught off guard by a single opportunity, leading to their elimination in the first match of this tournament against Musashino...

【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"With the level differences between categories diminishing, and with no disparity in soccer itself, we cannot afford to show any gaps or complacency, and I don't think that's the reason for our defeat. The cause must lie elsewhere. When we couldn't break through, I believe we needed one more step in individual play and tactical creativity."

　"Kajiyama" said, "We tried to move the ball around and create openings by making the opponent move, but... there were too many opponents in front of the goal. However, I think Musashino-En gained momentum by solidifying their defense from around the end of the first half. Even so, when we got into the space, we were able to receive the ball, but they didn't come to challenge us. If we could have spread the play more to the sides and thinned out the center, and continued to play vertical passes in that shape, we might have had more chances..."

　【Summary of Coach Popovic's Press Conference】 "Such events happen in cup competitions around the world, but today we experienced a major upset ourselves. No matter what I say after the match, it will sound like an excuse, so I'm at a loss for words... I want to sincerely congratulate Yokogawa Musashino. Looking back at the match, we played in the opponent's half for 90 minutes, but we lacked precision, sharpness, and concentration at the finishing stage. The opponent's shot was like a free kick taken from a distance, almost like Hokkaido, but it ended up in the goal. Such things can happen in football. It's a really painful defeat, but we must turn this into our strength and look forward. We will give our all for the league and the Nabisco Cup and aim for good results. I want to thank the fans and supporters who came out to watch, and I want to show a solid performance in the next match."

　(Have you ever experienced a goal scene like today?) In a match where Serbia fought for the Euros, we conceded a similar goal and could not qualify for the Euros. Until then, it was thanks to the GK that we had prevented several crises, and of course, I cannot blame the GK for that goal. It’s not about losing because of someone’s responsibility or winning thanks to someone; my mindset is that it’s always about the 'team,' whether we win or lose. Looking at the content, it was just that the only shot that hit the goalmouth went in. I think the real issue is that despite overwhelming the opponent, we could not score.

【Yokogawa Musashino - Coach Yoda's Press Conference Summary】 "The individual abilities in Tokyo are very high, so we aimed to start with defense. After getting through the first half, I told the players that if we could continue in the same way, neutralizing the opponent's strengths, and if we had a chance, we could score and win... In that sense, it was a result that went according to our game plan, in an overly favorable situation. I was considering extra time, but when we scored there, I really wondered if we could continue like this. However, I think it was as if God was watching our players as they fought for the ball."

　(What are the defensive points?) It was the first time we started with a 5-back formation from the beginning of the match, but we aimed to minimize marking errors and create a situation where we could focus on the players while eliminating space. There are two key points: one is to prevent the Tokyo side midfielders and full-backs from gaining speed. The other is to not allow the players between the DF line and the midfield to face forward. We aimed to eliminate those two aspects. I honestly think that FC Tokyo's lack of movement in this heat may have contributed to not being able to create good attacks. In the first half, there weren't many long movements, and our DF line was not moved back and forth much. In the second half, with player substitutions, there were more forward movements like dribbling and height, which made it harder to maintain our marking.