The Emperor's Cup 2nd Round is held. A battle that leads to the league matches!

This season's Emperor's Cup has started. The J team will face FC KAGOSHIMA (Kagoshima Prefecture representative) in the 2nd Round, which is their first match. In the league, they achieved five consecutive wins despite struggling against Tokushima in the previous match. Coach Okuma stated, "We want to continue this momentum in the Emperor's Cup, do our best, and fight in a way that leads to the match against Okayama in the league." Traditionally, the first match against lower category teams tends to be difficult, but they vowed to win with an aggressive approach.

　Konno and Gonda are absent due to activities with the Japan national team. Therefore, the formation will feature Tokunaga as center-back and Nakamura as right side-back. Additionally, Shiota, who was injured, and Tanabe, who was suspended from league play, have both returned to the starting lineup. Roberto CESAR has also made the squad for the first time since August 13.

　The opposing team FC KAGOSHIMA (hereinafter referred to as Kagoshima) is an amateur team based in Kagoshima City, aiming for future entry into the J-League. The team's history is new, having belonged to the Kyushu Soccer League (a regional league one category below the JFL) since last year, and they are making their debut in the Emperor's Cup.

　In the 1st Round, they defeated Saga LIXIL (Saga Prefecture representative) from the Kyushu League 5-0 to advance to the 2nd Round. Kagoshima's basic formation is 4-2-3-1, but they can also adopt a 5-back formation when necessary, showcasing their ability to defend flexibly. However, there is a possibility that they may be forced to defend deeper, so the focus will be on how to break through that defense. Under the clear autumn sky at Ajinomoto, the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 13:02.

Taniyama scores first with a quick passing play! Morishige adds another goal starting from the side.

　From the beginning, Tokyo dominated possession of the ball. Kagoshima marked Lucas closely with a strong man-to-man defense, almost forming a five-back shape, but they tried to break through with movements from the front line. In the 3rd minute, Hanyu slipped past Kagoshima's tight defense on Lucas and made a through pass into the area. Nakamura ran into the goal area from the inside, but the ball was deflected for a corner kick. Conversely, in the 8th minute, Kagoshima launched a vigorous attack. A pass was dropped to forward Taniguchi, and left midfielder Tagami entered the area from a through pass. A dangerous situation was created, but Nakamura put his body on the line to prevent a shot.

　In the 14th minute, after a pass exchange between Tokunaga and Tanabe, Lucas in the center connected the play, and Kajiwara sent a final pass to the right area. It deflected off the opposing defender, but Tanizawa, who had timed his run perfectly, scored with a precise shot into the net on the opposite side to take the lead.

　In the 17th minute, Kajiyama was fouled in the area, earning a penalty kick. However, the penalty taken by Lucas was saved by the opposing goalkeeper in the bottom left corner, and they could not add another goal. Nevertheless, without getting discouraged, they continued to attack, and in the 30th minute, Morishige passed to Kajiyama to join the attack. Kajiyama spread the ball to the right, and from Nakamura's cross, Morishige, who had moved up into the area, made a powerful header! They built up from the defensive line and scored the second goal with an unexpected attack and by utilizing the sides.

　However, after Tokyo took a 2-point lead, Kagoshima also began to attack aggressively. In the 40th minute, they were awarded a free kick in Tokyo's territory, leading to a cross from the left side. In the 43rd minute, they managed to get a shot on goal from a free kick, but it went wide. Thanks to their missed shots, they went into halftime with a score of 2 to 0.

Despite being countered by Kagoshima, Lucas and Tanizawa scored to pull ahead, advancing to the 3rd Round

　In the second half, Kagoshima changed to a four-back formation and made substitutions to launch an attack. Tokyo also brought in Ishikawa for Hanyu in the 59th minute, moving Tanizawa up to the attacking midfield position. Then, in the 69th minute, Sakata was brought in for Tanabe as they aimed for another goal.

　Focusing on side attacks, in the 63rd minute, Tanabe jumped in from behind Tanizawa to meet a right cross from Nakajima after a pass from Kajiyama, but was thwarted by the goalkeeper's save. Although there were moments where they couldn't capitalize on their chances, in the 76th minute, Kajiyama spread the play to the right. After a series of passes between Ishikawa and Nakajima, Ishikawa sent a right cross. Lucas, competing with the opposing defender at the near post, headed the ball to the far side and scored! They once again initiated an attack from the side, pulling away from Kagoshima.

　In the 78th minute, Roberto CESAR came on for Lucas. This further increased the speed, and in the 83rd minute, Nakamura entered the right area freely from the quick passing play of Takahashi, CESAR, and Ishikawa. He aimed for a shot but it was blocked... There were moments when Kagoshima faced sharp counters trying to strike back throughout the second half, but they fought calmly and kept a clean sheet.

　In the closing moments of the match, Tanizawa intercepted the opponent's ball. ZAGO advanced up the left side and connected with Sakata in front of the goal. Although Sakata couldn't take a shot, he skillfully controlled the ball and laid it off for Tanizawa, who took a shot. The well-placed shot found the top right corner beautifully, marking Tanizawa's second goal. By maintaining the attack, they sealed the match with a 4-0 victory, advancing to the 3rd Round.

　[Player Comments] {Taniyama} "The opponent's defense was almost in a man-to-man situation, so I was thinking that as long as I didn't lose in one-on-one situations, it would be fine. It's inevitable to face counterattacks during the match. I think it was good that we managed to keep a clean sheet and win. Regarding the goals, for the first goal, the ball came to me from a pass by Kajiyama, so I aimed for the opposite side. For the second goal, since it was already late in the game, I was able to shoot relaxed. As a team, we have been wanting to create more opportunities from crosses and the sides. I think we were able to score today, and it was a shape that leads to the next step."

　"Shioda" said, "In the tournament, it is important to advance to the next stage no matter what. Before the match, we confirmed that 'there is no meaning other than victory' and took the pitch. The opponent set up a block to defend and aimed for counterattacks. Although it was different from what the system had analyzed beforehand, our attacking line resembled Okayama with one top and two shadows. The numbers were few, but we managed to avoid conceding and kept the goal difference at 0. The opponent must have found it difficult as they fell back, but we were able to score from the sides and through vertical movements, showcasing a variety of scoring patterns."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "I had been watching and analyzing FC KAGOSHIMA's matches on video, but today the system changed. We started with a focus on defense in a 5-4-1 formation, which closed down spaces. There was some confusion regarding this, but we have had similar experiences in J2. I wanted to make adjustments in a short amount of time. Against the opponent's five-back formation, our side backs were too deep, making it difficult to create gaps. In particular, MF Tanoue is a good player in both offense and defense, and I wanted to position him further away from the goal. I placed Tanizawa near the top and tried to keep Nakamura as high as possible, while pulling MF Tanoue back to exploit the gaps that were created.

　At the same time, I think we were able to circulate the ball from the build-up play of Tokunaga and Morishige. However, while maintaining possession, we lost the ball poorly, which led to several counterattacks as the opponent intended, and from there, we created opportunities for free kicks. We need to reflect on the gaps we created that could have been exploited. We want to improve the speed of our transitions between attack and defense, reassess how we lose the ball, and prepare for counterattacks to connect this to the league matches.

　【FC KAGOSHIMA・Director Tokushige's Press Conference Summary】"There were parts where we were overwhelmed by the name of FC Tokyo, and we started the first half with a 5-back formation. However, at some point, the players gained confidence, and I think they felt they could move the ball and attack. Just then, we conceded a goal. I believe that is where Tokyo's strength lies. In the second half, we changed to a 4-back formation and moved to a 5-man midfield, trying to connect the ball and score. We were able to move the ball more than I expected, and I think we created good opportunities, especially from the left side. However, there is a difference in individual skills, strength, and speed. I wanted to keep it as low as possible, but I think the four goals conceded were a result of the battle we fought. Many people came from Kagoshima to support us, and I could hear the loud cheers from those who always support us, as well as the passionate support from FC Tokyo's fans. It was a joy to be able to play soccer in such a stadium."