A match where we want to stick to our style of football and focus on winning

The Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round will be against Cerezo Osaka. In the quarterfinals, the team demonstrated the resilience built up over the season. They defended the single goal scored by Ishikawa and achieved victory. This is the second consecutive Semifinal Round, but the team has never reached the Final Round in the Emperor's Cup in the past. As a culmination of this season, it is not only important to fight for next season but also to rewrite the team's history. It will be necessary to focus on the competition more than ever and pull victory closer.

　C Osaka, with 11 wins, 10 draws, and 13 losses, is in 12th place in the J1 League. There have been ups and downs in each match, but in this Emperor's Cup, they defeated Okayama 3-0 in the 3rd Round, and advanced by winning penalty shootouts against Sendai in the 4th Round and Shimizu in the quarter-finals. They boast particularly impressive scoring power, with a total of 67 goals in the J1 League, second only to G Osaka. Centered around the lone striker FW Sugimoto, shadow MF Kiyotake, and MF Kim Bokyung, who played as a defensive midfielder in the quarter-finals, along with side MFs Kurata and Murata, they launch powerful attacks with fluid positioning.

　Tokyo will approach with the same members as in the quarterfinals. Regarding defense, Konno stated, "We may not be able to stop them with individual strength. That’s why we want to thoroughly focus on covering and positioning as a team," and aims to actively press the source of passes to prevent easy connections to the forwards and full-backs. Whether they can avoid conceding the first goal and how patiently they can fight will likely determine the outcome of the match.

　Coach Okuma analyzed, "There will be times to endure, and there will definitely be times when we take the initiative. Especially C Osaka will play an aggressive style of football, even if it means taking risks, but there is no perfect team in both offense and defense." The key in attack will be how to exploit the opponent's weaknesses as before. In both offense and defense, perseverance and momentum, as well as decision-making in every situation, will be tested in this match. We will stick to our style of football and head to the National Stadium! The match started at 13:06 with Tokyo's kickoff at Osaka Nagai Stadium.

Created a decisive chance but couldn't finish... go into halftime scoreless

　From the start, both teams attacked. However, Tokyo applied pressure from the front and created rhythm by winning the ball with tight defense. They surpassed C Osaka in possession and gradually took control of the pace. In the 9th minute, Lucas created a chance in the left area and took a shot from the middle, but it went straight to the GK. In the 11th minute, they won the ball from an opponent's throw-in in their own half, and Hanyu passed to Ishikawa on the right front line. While the two opposing defenders hesitated, Lucas broke free and faced the GK one-on-one in the right area. However, the shot went wide of the target.

　In the 18th minute, C Osaka DF Moniwa cleared the ball forward. It flowed to the right side, where Ishikawa seized it and brought it into the area. The shot he took after cutting back past the opposing DF was deflected by the GK. In the 22nd minute, Ishikawa on the right side passed to Hanyu in the center, who returned the ball, allowing Ishikawa to break into the right area. Once again, he created a one-on-one situation with the GK, but was thwarted by a good save, resulting in a corner kick. In the following 23rd minute, from the flow of this corner kick, Hanyu took a middle shot that was on target, but it was cut off by the DF.

　While creating scoring opportunities, they missed the chance to take the lead. Nevertheless, in defense, they applied pressure in coordination and did not give away space in their own half. In the 39th minute, Tokunaga cleared a ball from a left corner kick and sent a long pass back to the front line. Morishige, who remained on the right front line, headed it down, and Konno took a shot, but it narrowly went to the left. Towards the end of the first half, there were moments when C Osaka's individual skills threatened the goal, but they held firm, centered around Gonda, and went into halftime scoreless.

Taniyama's middle shot pierced the net, and this became the winning goal to the National Final Round!

　In the second half, both teams utilized their strengths, resulting in a back-and-forth match. While Cerezo Osaka, known for their attacking power, pressed forward, Tokyo did not yield an inch, but Cerezo Osaka's defense was solid, making it difficult to break through. Cerezo Osaka made an early substitution, bringing in two attacking players, while Tokyo's energy began to wane. In the 75th minute, Suzuki came on for Hanyu, attempting to create opportunities by actively going for the ball.

　Immediately after that, in the 77th minute, defender Konno connected with Morishige, and Takahashi made a penetrating pass to Lucas in the central forward position. Taniyama received the ball just outside the penalty arc and struck with his right foot. The well-aimed shot skimmed over the outstretched hand of the opposing goalkeeper and hit the bar before finding the net! With Taniyama's brilliant goal, they finally took the lead.

　In the remaining time, they faced a fierce counterattack from C Osaka. However, with Gonda's excellent saves, Lucas, Suzuki, and others applied pressure with all their might, and the back line held strong. Substitutes Shimoda and Nakamura also joined in on this momentum, applying tight defense to contain C Osaka. In stoppage time, C Osaka's corner kick saw forward Bando shake the net, but this was ruled out for a handball foul. Although they endured a tough period, everyone covered for each other, creating no gaps and finishing the match without conceding a goal.

　Hard work on both offense and defense pays off with a 1-0 victory! The club advances to its first Emperor's Cup Final Round and will face Kyoto SANGA F.C. at Japan National Stadium on January 1, 2012, at 14:00.

　【Player Comments】《Taniyama》"(About the scoring scene) I knew that when Hide passed the ball, it would go to Rukon. It was just like we practiced. (Is it a memorable goal for you?) I don't usually score from outside the box (laughs), but today the pitch felt congested, and at that moment it felt a bit crowded too, but maybe that was actually a good thing (laughs). I'm honestly happy.

　C Osaka is aggressive, and everyone's individual abilities were high. Still, I don't think there were many moments where we were broken through at the final stage. We all have the same image in both offense and defense. I believe that is the reason for our victory. However, we have never been able to continue playing soccer for this long at this point in the year. ...It's a good thing (laughs). There is fatigue from the consecutive matches, but the opponent feels the same. We want to put everything we've done so far into practice, run together in defense, and confuse the opponent with our passing work in attack.　

　"Morishige" "I think we were able to move the ball well from the first half and create our own time. Also, since Cerezo's attacking players have high skills, I thought we would be in trouble if we gave them space. So, I tried to keep the line as high as possible and focused on maintaining the distance between the defensive midfielder and the center-backs to prevent them from receiving the ball in between. The defensive midfielder also worked hard, and we were able to coordinate well, which made it easier for me to play."

　In the second half, we couldn't press as effectively, but there are times like that. It would have been better if we had a bit more precision after winning the ball and could have made one or two more side-change passes... In the final stages, we naturally had to stick close to the goal, but enduring is also necessary. I think the time we had to just hold on was shorter than in the match against Urawa. If we can show our growth in each match like this, I believe we can win the championship.

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "The players worked hard on both offense and defense without thinking about the future. I conveyed that this match is not about skill, but about whether or not we create gaps. I believe they played their style of soccer without any gaps on both ends. In terms of spirit, every team in J2 is working hard, and there was also a sense of pride as a J2 team. While we may have laid the foundation for the team, I believe that winning matches like today’s is necessary to prove that we have become stronger. It’s difficult to express that we have gained that level of strength, but I think we have indeed improved."

　And the team has also become more cohesive. I think it has become a match where we can prove ourselves to some extent. There are only two days until the Final Round, so there isn't much time for adjustments, but now that we've come this far, I just want to give it my all and enjoy the match on New Year's Day in a good way.

　[C Osaka - Levir CULPI's Press Conference Summary] "Hello everyone. I think today's match unfolded as expected. In both halves, FC Tokyo started with full power. While enduring that, I anticipated that Cerezo would gain momentum from the middle of both halves. However, FC Tokyo had higher finishing accuracy, which led to goals. I believe this was indeed a performance worthy of victory. FC Tokyo truly has a sense of unity and is a cohesive team."

　However, if it had gone into extra time, we might have had a better chance due to our physical strength. Indeed, the result was truly disappointing, but I am sincerely proud of the players who fought until the very last minute for victory. Thank you all for your long support. We will be waiting for you in Brazil in 2014. Thank you very much.