Emperor's Cup, aiming for the first final round appearance, challenges Kashima

　On Dec 29 (Wed), the Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round will be held. Kashima Antlers will face off against each other at the Japan National Stadium. In the quarterfinals against Fukuoka, they struggled but managed to get a tying goal from Ishikawa in the second half of extra time. They then pulled ahead in extra time and secured a spot in the Semifinal Round for the first time since 2008. By maintaining their balance and showing perseverance in their comeback victory, they have gained momentum.

　The semifinal round that we want to approach with that momentum. Coach Okuma says, "Even if foreign players leave, Kashima has a deep roster and a strong tradition and base. While respecting them, we want to overcome that wall and stick to our own soccer, aiming for the first Emperor's Cup final."

　Kashima, on the other hand, finished the league in 4th place and was unable to achieve their 4th consecutive title. Therefore, their determination to win the title and secure a spot in the ACL should be quite high. Although FW Marquinhos and DF Juton have already left the team, and DF Iwamasa will also be absent due to injury, the individual abilities of each player are recognized by everyone.

　"Kashima's pressing from midfield to the front line is outstanding even in the J-League. If we can't keep up with it, we'll be done for. We want to start with a solid defense, not a passive one, and connect it to our attack," says Coach Okuma. If Kashima takes the lead, they have the strength and confidence to tighten their defense, so they want to score the first goal if possible.

　As coach Okuma aims for, players such as Ishikawa and Otake are also preparing to change the flow of the game, and will find opportunities to win in a united effort. Tokyo's starting lineup includes GK Kantoda, right back Mokuhara, left back Yongun, and a midfield duo of Tokunaga and Yonemoto. Kajiyama on the right and Ricardinho on the left will support the two top players, Suzuki and Hirayama. The game will start at 3:03 PM with Tokyo's kickoff at the National Stadium on a clear winter day.

Take the lead with Hirayama's splendid goal! Seize the momentum with our own soccer.

　Kashima had a chance in the beginning. In the 2nd minute, FW Julian from Kashima's left side was allowed to enter the area. MF Lins ran freely and took a shot from a minus pass, but it went over the bar and avoided danger. In the 12th minute, FW Julian broke through on the left side, but his shot was saved by Gonda, and then they picked up the second ball well, passed it around and threatened Kashima's goal.

　22 minutes, tenaciously snatched in the midfield, Tokunaga feeds to the right front line. Suzuki skillfully keeps the ball and aims for a bold shot as he enters the right area. In the 24th minute, Ricardinho tenaciously passes to Nakamoto in the center. Nakamoto takes a ground shot but fails to hit the target. Although there were moments where Kashima received a sharp counterattack, they were able to connect to quick attacks from tenacious defense. In the 30th minute, Kim Yong-gun joined the attack and Kajiyama and Suzuki's skillful movements in the front line created scoring opportunities.

　33 minutes, Young Gwon KIM sends a through pass into the area, and Kajiyama, who has moved up from right to left, skillfully connects it with a short minus pass. Ricardinho, who has escaped between the left area and the opponent's DF, shoots decisively, but it goes outside the frame... In the 38th minute, Young Gwon KIM wins the battle with the opponent on the front line and advances to the left area. He sends a decisive last pass to the center, but the ball slips between Hirayama and Kajiyama...

　But in the 39th minute, Hirayama → Suzuki on the front line connected directly, Ricardinho crossed from the left. Hirayama, with his back to the goal, made a powerful overhead kick with his left foot! The ball hit the bar and bounced back inside, and Muhara also closed in perfectly, but before that, it went in! Hirayama scored a stunning goal to take the lead and ended the first half in an ideal situation.

Unable to score additional points, Kashima read the flow and was tied...

　Kashima made a substitution in the second half, replacing DF Oiwa with MF Aoki in the defensive midfield position. MF Nakata moved to center back. However, in the early stages of the second half, Tokyo attacked from the sides and gained momentum. In the 50th minute, a ball sent by Mori Shige to the front line was cleared by Kashima's DF and ended up with Kim Yong-gun on the left side. He took a shot, but in the 59th minute, Suzuki launched a counter attack, passing to Hirayama on the front line and then moving to the right. Muhara overlapped and sent a sharp pinpoint cross, but Hirayama's header went straight to the goalkeeper...

　Unable to score additional points in the decisive moment. Kashima brought in MF Motomura in the 61st minute. They launched a counterattack with a well-timed player substitution. Taking advantage of this, Kashima attacked with their passing and quick transitions. Then in the 67th minute, they connected on the right side with Tokyo and MF Nozawa's heel pass led to a cross from overlapping left back Miyazaki. And then FW Osako headed it in with a powerful strike from the far side...allowing the equalizer.

　Tokyo substituted Ishikawa for Suzuki in the 72nd minute, with Hirayama leading the front line and Kajiyama playing in the center. Both teams launched speedy attacks from tough defenses, resulting in an intense match. In the 84th minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and created a chance from a cross, but neither Ricardinho on the left nor Yonemoto, who had moved up to the center, could finish it off.

　Substituted Okubo for Mukuhara in the 89th minute. The formation changed to a two-top of Hirayama and Okubo, with Kajiyama in the defensive midfield and Tokunaga at right back. In the 90th minute +3, they launched a quick attack, trying to connect from Kim Yong-gun to Hirayama in front of goal, but were stopped by the Kashima defenders, and the game ended in a tie at 90 minutes. Following the quarterfinals, the match will now go into extra time.

Unable to overcome the numerical disadvantage, we conceded a goal in the last play... Finishing in the top 4.

　In the 92nd minute of the first half of extra time, Mori Shige sent a long pass from his own half, Hirayama took it out, and Okugawa on the right area crossed to Ishikawa on the outside. Hirayama headed the shot, but it went wide. They couldn't score no matter what, and in the 95th minute, Yonozawa from Kashima made a breakthrough and Yonemoto committed a foul, receiving his second yellow card and being sent off. They were forced to play with 10 men.

　In the 110th minute, Ricardinho was replaced by Otake in an attempt to take advantage of the gap and aim for a lead, but they were unable to overcome the numerical disadvantage and were unable to attack. However, they continued to concentrate and hold off Kashima's fierce attacks, and it seemed that they would enter a penalty shootout, but...

　With just over 10 seconds left in the additional minute, Kashima MF Motomura passed the ball to Tokyo DF's back, aiming for FW Osako who broke through. In the midst of chaos, the ball was passed to FW Okubo, who then scored a goal from the right area... But right after, the final whistle blew. They suffered a defeat by conceding a goal in the last play. They were unable to advance to the final round and ended this tournament in the top 4.

　　【Player Comments】《Hirayama》"The overhead kick was a reflexive movement. After that, we were caught up and had a player sent off, but if we could have held on and gone to a penalty shootout... It's such a waste to concede a goal in the last play. I want to refresh both mentally and physically for next season and do my best to help the team win."

　"Ishikawa" "We took the lead by creating a rhythm, and on the bench I was watching and thinking if we could continue with that flow, but we couldn't score another goal and ended up being tied, which I think symbolized this season's battle. Kashima was persistent, and I wonder what we were playing for and why we were participating... We should have felt the flow on the pitch. Kashima is known for being good at playing games, but maybe that's why we couldn't get results. It was a very short time for the supporters to see us perform throughout the year. We were truly grateful, but we couldn't repay that favor even in the Emperor's Cup. Next year, I want to repay that favor while fighting together."

　[Coach Okuma's press conference summary] "The result was disappointing, but the players fought through a tough season and prepared well in this difficult schedule. We had a player sent off, but we wanted to keep fighting with 11 players until the end. In the semifinal round, we were able to turn the game around with our own strength, but today it turned into the opposite. (Regarding Kajiyama's role) First, we wanted to use Kajiyama in a high position to take advantage of Suzuki's running ability and movements that the opponent dislikes, as well as to lower Kashima's defensive line. We changed him to the center later on because Tokyo's energy level dropped and Kashima's midfield dominance increased, so we wanted to calm the team down. We also placed Ishikawa on the right to utilize his breakthrough ability. Each player fulfilled their roles very well, but in the future, we want to improve the quality of passes and final plays in the attacking third, and pose a threat to our opponents as we consider playing in J2."

　(What is the reason for relegating to J2 with this member and game content?) Team is a living thing. In the limited transfer period, the club and team must humbly look at what they need to put in as a long-term preparation. For example, having an attacking power that can be a threat to the opponent creates time and stabilizes defense. Defense feeds the attack and increases its power. It is simple yet complex and has multiple aspects. It is not because of the lack of tenacity in defense, but even with 10 players today, if there were more threatening players... it could be considered. We must prepare to surpass the opponent and have the power of not just 11 players.

　Each of us will start the next season on our own path, but we must not forget about this year and use it as a starting line. There are also players who we can no longer fight with, but I hope that we can play good soccer and give excitement, just like in today's game, by preparing well. With that in mind, we will fight in the next season."

　【Kashima Oliveira Coach's Press Conference Summary】"The game was tough and difficult, but the players gave their all and fought until the end without giving up. Even with only 3 days of recovery time, they fought until the end. MF Honda was able to change the flow of the game when he came on and the final goal was created from his play. Honda has both good and bad aspects, but when he is used, he can make decisive plays and change the flow of the game, leading the team to victory. It is a problem if he cannot work consistently for a year, even with his talent and ability. It would be a waste for the club if he can only be used a few times in a year. I think it is necessary for the club to utilize and activate him more."