The Emperor's Cup has begun, facing Komazawa University, the seeded team.

　The Emperor's Cup for this season has begun. The 2nd Round, where J teams will appear, will see a match against Komazawa University. We want to make a good start in this new tournament and advance step by step on the road to the final.

　Although it has been three days since the first match of the Nabisco quarter-finals, during this time, Konno left the team for activities with the Japan national team, and Kim Yong-gun left for activities with the South Korean national team. Additionally, Ishikawa and Gonda are injured. Under these circumstances, Coach Jofuku explained regarding the lineup, "We want to win the Emperor's Cup until the end, and we don't want to miss the chance in Nabisco. This is the decision made within that context." The starting lineup includes GK Shiota, with Hirayama and Shigematsu as the two forwards. Matsushita and Tanabe form a double pivot, with Suzuki and Otake on the wings. The center backs are Morishige and Takahashi, while Mukuhara and Hiraide serve as the full-backs.

　Koma University won the "34th Prime Minister's Cup All Japan University Soccer Tournament" held in July. As a university seed, they earned the right to participate in the Emperor's Cup and advanced to the 2nd Round by defeating Tokyo Verdy Youth. Koma University is a strong contender nationwide. In the Kanto University League, they finished the first half of the season in 2nd place, boasting a total of 12 goals scored and only 6 goals conceded, showcasing a solid defense. Their attack is centered around 184cm forward Natsume (4th year), characterized by fast vertical play. The bench also includes players over 180cm, adding power to their play and set pieces. They aim to maintain high energy throughout the 90 minutes, applying pressure from the front and launching quick short counterattacks.

　In response, Tokyo wants to exploit the gaps in the defensive line. If they can evade the press from Komazawa's front line and connect it to their attack, with the two forwards and the sides, Ohtake and Suzuki, coordinating, they should be able to launch a variety of attacks. They want to break through not just with single attempts, but by repeating their efforts.

　The players from Komazawa University have been aiming for "Defeat FC Tokyo" right after winning the Prime Minister's Cup. Their unity and loyalty to the team, characteristic of university students, are outstanding. This will be FC Tokyo's first match against a university team in the Emperor's Cup, which may present some challenges, but they aim to advance to the 3rd Round with their typical style of football without playing defensively. The match started at 19:00 with Tokyo's kickoff at Ajinomoto, in the lingering humidity.

Although pushed back at the beginning, we calmly regained our rhythm

　In the early stages, the line dropped against Koma University's long balls. In the 4th minute, Shiota punched away a right cross from Koma University. This loose ball was picked up by Koma University MF Kanekubo, who took a direct shot. In the 9th minute, a left throw-in from Koma University was intercepted, leading to a shot from Koma University MF Usui. In the 12th minute, Tokyo's Hiraide advanced and after clearing an early cross, Matsushita took a shot from distance, but it went over the bar. From there, even when they regained possession, there were notable passing mistakes during the buildup phase and a lack of coordination in the frontline, resulting in several counterattacks against them.

　The match developed into a close contest against a spirited Komazawa University, but they were not allowed to take any decisive shots. Gradually, they settled down and found their rhythm, launching an attack with a Tokyo-style passing game. In the 24th minute, Suzuki passed from the left side, and Shigematsu took a shot inside the area. In the 29th minute, Takahashi passed vertically to Matsushita, who laid it off for Ohtake, sending a through ball back into the area, allowing Shigematsu to break free. However, both attempts were thwarted by the Komazawa goalkeeper. Following that, from Suzuki's right cross, Ohtake, who was free on the left side of the area, struck a volley. It was a decisive opportunity, but the shot was blocked by a sliding tackle from the Komazawa defender.

　In the 39th minute, Tanabe initiated a quick attack with a dribble, and Suzuki and Hirayama were involved as Jūmatsu entered the right area with a heel pass. Mukuahara followed up with a cross. Ōtake jumped in from the far side but got tangled with the defender and couldn't take a shot. Just before the end of the first half, Suzuki made another dribble and spread the play to the right side. Mukuahara sent a pass into the area, where Hirayama acted as a decoy, allowing Jūmatsu, who was free on the left side, to shoot. This was also a decisive opportunity, but the ball struck the ground and was blocked by the Komazawa University defender... Although chances were created, they couldn't break through the solid defense of Komazawa, and the match went into halftime scoreless.

Hanyu returns, pulling away from Koma University, who are holding on with Matsushita's free kick and Hirayama's header.

　In the second half, Tokunaga replaced Hiraide and Ohtake as a defensive midfielder, and Hayu was brought in as a left midfielder. Matsushita took on the role of left side back in this formation. Hayu made his return since Sec. 17 on August 8, bringing speed and significant movement, putting pressure on the Komadai goal from the start. In the 50th minute, Tokunaga and Hirayama passed the ball within the Komadai territory, and Mukuahara, who got behind the Komadai defense from Tokunaga's through pass, took a shot but was blocked by the GK's save. In the 51st minute, Suzuki on the left passed to Hirayama, who shot from the center but it went straight to the GK.

　In the 53rd minute, Tokunaga earned a right corner kick from a powerful shot from the middle. Suzuki's kick was met by Hirayama, who headed it down but it was caught by the GK. However, in the 58th minute, Hirayama was fouled just outside the left area, earning a free kick. Matsushita aimed directly at the goal, and the ball struck beautifully into the right side of the net, scoring a goal! Taking advantage of the set-piece opportunity, they finally took the lead.

　However, Komadai applied intense pressure to send the ball forward and launched a counterattack centered around set plays. In response, Tokyo remained focused and dealt with it. In the 70th minute, from a set play situation for Komadai, they initiated a counterattack. Hayu sent a pass to the forward, Shigematsu, which was cut off, but Mukuahara quickly threw in a left throw-in, allowing Hayu to break through on the right flank. In the end, he sent a pass to Hirayama running on the opposite side, but it was just slightly off.

　Immediately after that, in the 73rd minute, Hanyu picked up a clearance from the opposing defender on the right side and sent an early cross in front of the goal. Hirayama headed the pinpoint cross into the goal!! They scored the long-awaited additional point from the flow of the game. In the 78th minute, Maeda, who was making his debut, was brought on to replace Suzuki. In the latter stages, Komazawa also used substitutions to strengthen their numbers up front and attempted a power play, but they calmly shut down the counterattack with composed gameplay. Despite the difficult match, they won 2-0 and advanced to the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup. The 3rd Round will be against Giravanz Kitakyushu.

　【Player Comments】《Hanyu》"Before my return, I wanted to participate after testing things out in practice matches, but due to the situation of consecutive matches, I had to enter with limited time as my condition was right. However, there was tension in entering a severe situation of 0 to 0. Still, I was able to move more than I expected, and I think I was able to do my job. (After watching a few matches from the outside) I want to understand each other's characteristics, such as the relationship between the passer and receiver, and be able to make plays that are unpleasant for the opponent." 《Hirayama》"(Regarding the goal) During practice, Hanyu often provided me with crosses. I think the results came from that. I am happy to be able to respond with a goal to not only the staff and teammates but also to the people who always support us from the stands, and I want to work hard to score in the next match as well. Komazawa University has consistently maintained their style of soccer since long ago. There are aspects where I was stimulated by tough competitions. In the next Nabisco match, we need to score, so I want to approach it aggressively and proactively."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Our goal today was to advance to the next round. That was our only and greatest objective, so I am glad we achieved it. Considering the situation with injuries during the summer's consecutive matches and the big game on the 8th (Nabisco Semifinal Round Second Match), we made a very tight selection in terms of both the lineup and game management. I knew that Komazawa would come at us with an incredibly strong mindset, even with just one day in between, so I thought the first half would end 0-0. Even when the game wasn't going at our pace or in our time, we aimed to keep it at zero and confirmed with the players that we would find a way to score in the second half and close out the match."

　There were voices from the stands saying things like, 'What are you doing against college students?' However, I believe that the fans and supporters understand the situation we are in and the difficulty of today's match. We thought that as long as we could move on when the final whistle blew, there was no need to rush, and the players managed the game with their feet firmly on the ground. (Regarding the players who were brought in during the second half) Tokunaga had some tightness in his legs and was in a risky condition. I was afraid of a recurrence, so I didn't start him today and took precautions. Hanyu's injury has also healed, and I believe he can play for up to 45 minutes. There was also the intention to get him accustomed to the game, so he played for the maximum time today.

　[Summary of Coach Akita's Press Conference] "This result reflects our abilities. I wish we could have executed our concept a bit more, but there was a difference in strength. (Did we push in the first half?) We performed well in the first half, but in the second half, Tokyo utilized substitutions, and player Hanyu, who has good movement and can handle long balls, came on. From that point, we could no longer win in the air, and we were forced to run long distances as they moved the ball around. The difference in strength was evident in how we controlled the ball, positioned ourselves, and created space. They effectively exploited the gaps while circulating the ball. It would be great if we could fight like that, but we still have too few players who can create the game and see the overall picture.

　However, since this is an official match and not a practice game, the professionals will give their all and fight seriously with the goal of winning. I believe the players felt things that cannot be understood just by words. They noticed and learned various aspects such as the speed of their steps, the speed of the ball, the accuracy of their kicks, and the movements they make when preparing to act. (What was lacking to score?) Perhaps the determination to keep going without giving up was insufficient. Competing for the ball when it comes in, picking up the dropped ball, and continuing that for 90 minutes is tough, and I think the players did well, but they lacked the ability to maintain that for the full 90 minutes. If they keep going, since it's a competition, anything can happen. We also thought we might be able to seize goals and opportunities.