Focus on the upcoming match and aim for the quarterfinals!

　The Emperor's Cup 4th Round will be played against Mito Hollyhock. In the final round of the league, we suffered a disappointing defeat away to Sapporo, leaving a bitter taste in our mouths. Now, we will face the last tournament of the season. Coach Okuma said, "There was no complacency in the Sapporo match, but we were caught off guard in terms of content. It is important to switch our minds and bodies and forget about winning or returning to J1 in a good way. It is really important how much we can concentrate on the Emperor's Cup, and Mito will also fight with all their might, so it won't be easy."

　Mito, on the other hand, finished 17th in the league, but in the Emperor's Cup, they have shown a remarkable performance by defeating Sapporo and G Osaka. They are a team that the J2 champions cannot afford to lose to, but since they know each other's tactics, it won't be an easy win. Moreover, anything can happen in a tournament. The key to victory will not be the difference in strength, but rather not giving any chances for 90 minutes, and also not missing any opportunities from the opponent's mistakes.

　Tokyo will face the game with Kajiyama returning to the starting lineup from injury. Hayu will be positioned as the attacking midfielder. As Kajiyama said, "Mito has players with individual strengths," Mito's forward Suzuki, who has a strong finishing ability, as well as the side midfielders Koike and Shimada, who have both dribbling and crossing abilities, so we want to focus on defending so that the ball doesn't reach them. Furthermore, even if we lose the ball during an attack, it is important to quickly switch to a high pressing to avoid conceding a counter and instead create a big chance, so a quick transition defense from the front line is also crucial.

　Regarding the Emperor's Cup, Coach Okuma states, "As a club, it is a fact that there are walls to overcome in order to defeat traditional teams and compete in Asia. However, we are determined to challenge and achieve victory with our own strength. We will maintain our focus for the upcoming match and do our best to advance to the quarterfinals." The match began at 1:04 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo at the sunny K's denki Stadium Mito.

Although they took the lead with an own goal, they were unable to gain momentum and ended the first half.

　The match started off in the early stages. In the 8th minute, we persistently regained possession after the opponent's short clearance from a left throw-in, and passed it to Hanyu on the left side. Taniyama skillfully dribbled the ball to the edge of the goal area and sent a final pass to the front. Kajiyama was closing in on the near side, but the ball that the opponent's defender tried to clear in the center ended up in the net. With a typical Tokyo-style combination play, we induced an own goal and took the lead.

　With this, we should have been able to take a mental advantage and progress the game, but Mito FW Suzuki used his keeping ability to draw fouls and create chances for the opponent from set plays. Still, we create scoring opportunities from set plays. In the 19th minute, a FK from the right side. Ishikawa sends it out with a minus feeling, and Mukuhara shoots it directly, but it's right in front of the GK. In the 22nd minute, Morishige jumps in with a header from a right CK, but it's cleared and goes back to a left CK. Kajiyama changes the course with a header from Taniyama's kick, but it's off target.

　24 minutes, Takazawa, who was pulling back, passed a wedge to Lucas on the right side of the area. Lucas skillfully received it and exchanged short passes with Hanyu before moving to the center. Kajiyama, who was free, ran in and took a shot, but it was blocked by the opposing DF just before... Immediately after, Takahashi stole the ball in the midfield and ran up the left side for a counterattack. He managed to get past the opposing DF and took a shot, but it went wide. After that, there were also moments where Mito created scoring opportunities from their second line, but they were held back by Gonda and both teams were unable to capitalize on their chances, ending the first half.

Finally, we defended against the opponent's attack with our bodies and achieved a victory without conceding any points!

　In the 47th minute of the second half, Mito MF Shioda was able to break through the defense and create a decisive opportunity, but Gonda made a quick save. The ball was then targeted by Mito MF Ozawa near the edge of the box, but it missed the target and the danger was avoided... After that, Mito continued to face dangerous situations due to their aggressive play, and were put under pressure for a long time. As a result, in the 57th minute, Roberto CESAR was substituted in for Hayu, in an attempt to use his speed to score another goal.

　However, there were many offside situations and we couldn't grasp the rhythm. In the 61st minute, Tokunaga dribbled up the right side and crossed. Lucas dropped it and Tanizawa took a powerful shot from the center, but it hit Lucas on the front line. In the 73rd minute, Tanabe was substituted for Ishikawa. Immediately after that, the opponent's right cross went through to the opposite side and Mito MF Julian Koike was free in the area. It was a decisive scene, but the shot went wide. Saved by a mistake.

　85 minutes, Morishige intercepts in his own zone and dribbles himself. He brings it to the front of the goal but can't take a shot. From here, they connect and in the end, Tanabe only manages to get a corner kick. In the final moments, Cesar breaks through the right area from Tanabe's exquisite through pass and takes a shot, but it is blocked by the goalkeeper... They were unable to score until the end and only managed to get one point from an own goal, but they kept Mito's counterattack at bay without losing any points and won. As a result, they advanced to the quarterfinals and will face Urawa Reds on December 24th in Kumagaya.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"Playing in the presence of opponents was a long time since I last did it, so at first I couldn't get a feel for it and my feeling with the ball wasn't good. However, I gradually got used to it and I think I was able to fight without any problems in the second half. The injury was also okay physically. (What about the goal scene?) It's something I always try to do to get into that position, but I didn't do anything just by getting in. I didn't even touch the ball. But it became an own goal, so maybe it was good that I didn't touch it (laughs). The pitch was bouncy, but we stuck to our own style of soccer and focused on connecting passes. There were a lot of mistakes, but I think it was good that we were able to keep the score at zero by being conscious of switching and covering. I think it was also good that we were able to put our bodies on the line for the full 90 minutes."

　《Konno》"Mito's defense, rather than taking care of the back, they were pressing against us, and we were pushed back because the ball couldn't be contained there. We couldn't create our own time, and although we didn't have many games where the opponent had the ball for so long, I think we were able to stay focused on the defensive side. I wasn't there at Ajinomoto Stadium when Mito played, but they were aggressive and had a lot of determination when playing away. It always feels like we're struggling against them. We were able to win today, but in a one-shot game, one mistake can be fatal. We want to use that as a lesson and improve for the next game."

　[Coach Oikuma's Press Conference Summary] "After scoring one goal, we lacked a bit of aggressiveness both mentally and physically. In particular, we were not able to effectively steal the ball or create opportunities on defense. As we were able to possess the ball to a certain extent, the opposing team tended to drop back, making it difficult for our players to make runs behind their defense. In terms of threat, I felt that we were a bit lacking. However, Mito has also solidified their lineup towards the end of the league season and has become a very strong team. We knew that today's match would not be an easy one. In the end, there was a scene where a sliding tackle was made, but I think players like Gonda, Takahashi, and others really put their bodies on the line."

　I think our persistence in defense, which we have been doing in the league matches, led to our victory. We need to improve our decision-making and accuracy when the game becomes prolonged, whether to dribble, pass, use teammates, or shoot. When we reach a higher level, we will face tough matches where we may be tied or reversed. We have homework for the next match. We want to solve it and prepare for the next game."

　[Summary of Mito's Coach Hashitani] I think the own goal at the beginning had a big impact, but I think it was a game where we were able to do everything we wanted to do and had to do for 90 minutes. The players fought well until the end. It was a game that we could accept losing. (What were the points of growth throughout the 3rd round?) I think it was the best game where we were evenly matched in all aspects. We didn't sit back and chased the ball well. Even when we were countered, we were able to defend calmly. It was a game where I really felt the players' growth."