Emperor's Cup Quarterfinals, Starting a New Beginning

　On December 25th (Sat), Avispa Fukuoka will face off against their opponent at Kumagaya Athletic Stadium in the quarterfinals of the Emperor's Cup. This will be the final tournament of the season, and the team has set a new goal of winning the Emperor's Cup, already starting a new chapter. They will continue to fight towards the final, taking one step at a time towards the next season.

　Fukuoka, on the other hand, finished third in this season's J2 league and has secured promotion to J1. The last time they faced each other in J1 was in 2006, but today's match is expected to be a "litmus test" for both teams as they prepare for next season. Manager Okuma vows to maintain a strong mentality and fight aggressively, saying, "Fukuoka will come with a strong mentality to challenge us. If we don't stand up to them with the same mindset, we will be defeated."

　Fukuoka will also use a 4-4-2 formation, with FW Jogo as the front line and 190cm FW Yu Okubo playing a withdrawn role, using him as a starting point to launch attacks. At the same time, they will utilize the speed of left MF Nagasato's dribbling and the attacking runs of central midfielder Nakamachi, making counterattacks their strength. Even if they concede a goal, they will not panic and prioritize creating their own opportunities.

　Surviving the time period of patience. If we can continue to threaten in the attacking third, we can find a chance to win. We will calmly assess the decisive moments and boldly attack, aiming for a spot in the semifinal round. Tokyo's starting lineup includes GK Shioda. Kajiyama and Nakamura, who have been adjusting with a separate menu during practice, have not suffered any major injuries and will start, with Nakamura playing right back and Tokunaga playing left back. Ishikawa, who has recovered from an injury, will also be on the bench. The match started at 3:04 PM with Tokyo's kickoff, under a clear sky but with a cold and strong wind blowing.

Despite dominating the ball, they conceded a goal from a counter attack...

　They took control of the ball from the start and went on the attack. In the 3rd minute, Otake and in the 5th minute, Ricardinho dribbled past the opposing defender and took a shot. In the 8th minute, Mori Shige started the play with a pass to Kajiyama, who then connected with Okubo and Hirayama, before Kajiyama broke through and took a shot in front of the goal. In the 9th minute, Hirayama also took a shot in the area. It seemed like only a matter of time before they would take the lead, but they couldn't convert their chances in the early stages and in the 13th minute, they were caught off guard by Fukuoka's quick counterattack.

　Fukuoka DF Yamagata → MF Suetoshi with a right cross. Nakamura tried to clear it, but the ball fell to the far side and Fukuoka FW Yu Okubo scored a goal from an angleless position, resulting in a point. They were unable to take advantage of their one chance and ended up conceding the first goal... In the 17th minute, Nakamura was forced to be substituted due to injury, and Kim Yong-gun was brought in as a left fullback. Tokunaga was placed on the right, and they calmly tried to connect passes and launch a counterattack with their own style of soccer.

　However, by incorporating side changes and direct passes, we were able to move the ball forward. However, our accuracy and intensity in front of the goal were lacking, and we ended the first half with a one-point lead without being able to create any decisive opportunities.

Ishikawa saves the team with a dramatic goal at the end!! The game goes into extra time.

　In the 59th minute just after the start of the second half, Otake made a dynamic dribble from the right side to the center. Although blocked by the Fukuoka DF, he persistently picked up the loose ball and threatened the Fukuoka goal from crosses by Tokunaga and passes by Kajiyama. Otake entered the area but couldn't finish, but in the end Kajiyama didn't give up and followed up to the end line, earning a right corner kick. Otake then connected it with a short corner, and Tokunaga, who had moved up in the middle, struck a powerful shot into the net, but it was ruled offside...

　Substituting Suzuki for Okubo as a forward in the 60th minute, and replacing Yonemoto with Ishikawa on the right side in the 73rd minute, who had just returned from injury. Otake switched to the center and launched a counterattack. As a result, they were able to launch speedy attacks and dominate the game in Fukuoka's half. However, in the 74th minute, Ishikawa caught up to Kajiyama's pass on the right side and passed it to Tokunaga who had moved into the area. Tokunaga entered the area and connected with Suzuki in the center, but Hirayama couldn't turn around and was unable to take a shot.

　In the 78th minute, Hirayama on the left side passed to Suzuki in the area, and Ricardinho took a shot. In the 84th minute, Ricardinho received a pass from Konno and sprinted through the center, evading the opposing DF with great speed. He took a shot, but it was saved by the GK... Hirayama and Ricardinho were unable to capitalize on their chances. In the final minutes, Konno was moved up one line and Kajiyama supported the DF line as they launched a fierce attack. However, in the 86th minute, Ishikawa caught up to a ball that spilled to the right front line and sent a cross into the goal area, but it was cleared by the Fukuoka DF and they were unable to break through for a goal.

　Entering the 3-minute stoppage time. It seemed like the game was going to end like this... but no one on the pitch had given up. In the 90th minute + 3, Tokunaga's right cross was initially blocked, but they persisted and Kajiyama moved forward. Now Kono competes for it, and Ishikawa snatches the loose ball from Fukuoka's defense and drives it into the left side of the net, GOAL!! Just before the end, Ishikawa scores a valuable goal to save the team and equalize! The game will now go into extra time.

Hirayama and Ishikawa add points one after another, pushing Fukuoka aside and advancing to the semifinal round!

　Tokyo, who has gained momentum and rhythm, successfully took the lead in the 94th minute of the first half of extra time. Otake made a clever pass from the midfield, targeting the opponent's defense, and Hiraoka followed through and scored a goal from the opposite side of the net. In the 98th minute, Ishikawa received a through pass from Otake after a pass exchange, and managed to score his second goal by getting past the opponent's goalkeeper! They continued to dominate and scored two more goals, widening their lead.

　However, Fukuoka did not give up and in the 116th minute of extra time, DF Tanba scored a header from a CK, narrowing the gap to one point. However, they were able to hold off the subsequent counterattack with all members and the time was up. There are still challenges in terms of accuracy in front of the goal and how to close the game, but they were able to stick to their own soccer for 120 minutes and secure a victory, advancing to the semifinal round. They will face Kashima Antlers at the Japan National Stadium on the 29th.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"I didn't want it to end here. I joined practice the day before yesterday and I still had some concerns about my leg. But if I was needed, I wanted to respond by producing results. I also had a refreshed feeling from resting due to injury, and I think I was able to express that feeling in a positive way through my play, including taking responsibility."

　(I thought the goal in the second half stoppage time) would end with this play, so I had the feeling that I absolutely didn't want to miss the chance. I believed that the ball would come to me, and it actually did. I was able to hit a well-measured shot and score. (About my goal in the first half of extra time) When I calmly trapped the ball, the opponent's GK came out, so I didn't forget to head towards the goal and made a run inside. I think I was able to respond flexibly. As Tokyo, I have a strong desire to become stronger from here... and I'm glad we were able to grab the victory as a team. Personally, I will focus on improving my condition for the Kashima game."

　"Shioda" "I think not giving Fukuoka an additional point led to our victory. We were one point behind, but at halftime, we all talked and Daiki Oshiro said, "If we give up a second goal here, it will be really tough and the damage will be big. So please be patient in the back. If you do that, the players in front will score." I thought what was expected of me was to adapt to the situation and convey the team's direction to everyone. If our vectors don't align, the team will fall apart. For example, I kept repeating whether we should push up or drop back in each situation. It was good that everyone could fight with a common understanding."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "It was a game that condensed this season. After Ishikawa entered the game, both sides became a threat to the opponent and were able to pull them out and break through the middle. When the sides only had Ricardinho, the ball would circulate but it was difficult to pull out the opponent's defensive midfielder or stopper. Also, after the opponent scored first, there was a period where we couldn't break through. Not only passing the ball, but also creating threats with through passes in the attacking third, we need the ability to not only beat the opponent, but also finish with decisive work."

　In order to do that, I felt that individual efforts would directly contribute to the team's strength, but that was still lacking today. There are many things we need to do, but it was a game where we reaffirmed the need to create a team that the opponent would dislike while utilizing the players' individuality. In that sense, Ishikawa changed the flow of the game, scored a goal, and saved the team. There is also room for reflection on conceding one goal, but I think that winning and scoring two or three goals will give the team confidence. There are areas for improvement, but I want to take a positive approach. The schedule is tough, but first and foremost, I want to do my best in the next semifinal round."

　[Fukuoka Shinoda Coach's Press Conference Summary] "First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have supported us for the past year. I am truly grateful to the supporters who have come from far away and those who have been waiting for us in Hakata. I am disappointed that we were not able to win the game. FC Tokyo has very talented players, and it was a battle to see how far we could go. The players ran well and fought until the end without giving up. I have nothing but gratitude for the players. There are also players leaving the team, and I wanted to play as many games as possible with them in today's game, but we were not able to win and I feel responsible. Looking back at the game, we were able to settle down and enter the game from the beginning.

　However, gradually the pace became that of FC Tokyo and we ended up giving them dangerous opportunities. It's clear that there are still areas where our individual abilities and team dynamics are lacking. After taking the lead, FC Tokyo had more possession of the ball, but we patiently defended and were able to launch successful counterattacks from there. However, not being able to score a second goal and being equalized in the last 30 seconds is indescribable. We may need to reevaluate things after losing the game. We want to head into next season with new goals."