Unite the team's strength and aim for victory

　The Emperor's Cup 3rd Round will be a consecutive match against Zaspa Kusatsu, starting from the Nabisco Cup Final, and moreover, it will be played only 2 days after the previous league match against Urawa. It will be necessary to switch our mindset back to the tournament format. However, Coach Kelly stated, "There are some players who we want to rest considering their injuries, but right now they are in a critical condition. All field players who are not injured will be traveling with the team." This is a crucial match where we must gather the team's strength and do whatever it takes to win, in order to achieve the remaining two titles.

　Kusatsu, on the other hand, ranks 10th in the J2 league. In the league, they have 17 wins, 10 draws, and 21 losses, but FW Terry, who currently ranks 2nd in the scoring rankings, has scored 21 goals. With FW Takada, midfielders Kumabayashi, Hiroyama, Kita, Matsushita, and other technically skilled players, as well as many players with experience in J1, the team has a strong attacking power that is not inferior to J1. Manager Shirofuku analyzes, "They have a solid weapon." The first and foremost point will be how to suppress Kusatsu's attacking line with coordinated defense.

　Tokyo made significant changes to their starting lineup. Due to the absence of players selected for the Japan national team, Imamura and Tokunaga, the defensive line will see Hiramatsu on the left and Sato in the center, while the midfield will feature Asari and Tanabe in place of Kajiyama and Suzuki. Up front, Hirayama and Kondo will form a partnership as the two top players. Scoring the first goal will be crucial in stopping the opponent's momentum. Tokyo will aim to dominate the midfield and break down the compact and organized defense of Kusatsu with an aggressive approach. The tournament format allows for the possibility of extra time, but Tokyo will need to match their opponents' energy from the start and play with their own style.

　Asari said, "Even when we played against stronger teams, we felt like we could do it in the first 10 minutes and rode on that feeling. So the start of the game is important. We must not lose with our emotions, always take the lead, and show the difference in class. If we play defensively, it will become dangerous in an instant. We know this painfully well from the Emperor's Cup in recent years." It was a battle with a fresh lineup, but they will fight for victory without hesitation! The match started at 19:04 with a kick-off from Kusatsu at Nagasaki Prefectural General Sports Park Athletic Stadium, where a cold wind was blowing.

Sawara scores the first goal with his head! Leading and ending the first half.

　Tokyo calmly responded to being dominated by Kashima from the start. In the early stages, Kashima FW Tokura attempted an overhead shot but was caught by Shioda. In the 12th minute, MF Kumabayashi's direct free kick from outside the box was saved by Shioda and hit the crossbar. However, Tokyo did not panic and created a rhythm from their defense. In the 15th minute, Kondo broke through with a vertical pass and aimed for the goal from a distance, but it went over the crossbar.

　At 20 minutes, Kondo brought the ball into the area from a long feed by Shioda, and shot it after Hirayama competed for the loose ball. It was cut off by the opposing DF. At 24 minutes, Hirayama broke through the DF's defense and had a one-on-one with the GK after the opposing team's clearance, but was unable to shoot due to the desperate defense of the opposing DF. In attack, despite connecting passes in the DF line against Kashima's organized defense, there were not many vertical passes from the midfield to the front line, resulting in more long balls being played naturally.

　As time passed, Tokyo-like side attacks began to emerge, but the momentum of Kusatsu did not diminish. In the midst of this, in the 32nd minute, they earned a right corner kick from Mokuhara's attack. Kondo kicked the ball and Sasaki jumped in, hitting a header and scoring a goal! They took advantage of the set piece opportunity and took the lead with Sasaki's first goal of the season. After that, in the 34th minute, Kondo took a shot from Yonemoto's interception, and in the 40th minute, Hayashi took a middle shot, but they were unable to score another goal and ended the first half with a one-point lead.

Nakamura and Hirayama's goals put us ahead, and we managed to secure a victory despite the struggle.

　In the second half, both teams tried to connect passes and attack, but the beginning of the game was a back and forth battle. In the 57th minute, Hirayama shook off the opposing DF and broke through to the goal, passing to a free Kondo. They created a big chance, but the shot went straight to the GK... Just after missing the chance for an additional goal, Kusatsu MF Kumabayashi sent a long ball from their own half to the front line. This was met by FW Tokura, who ran behind the Tokyo DF. Shioda also boldly moved forward, but the one-touch shot rolled into the open goal... They were caught up to a tie.

　Tokyo substitutes Kajiyama for Asari and launches a counterattack. Then, in the 63rd minute, Kondo is fouled and earns a free kick from the left area. Substitute Nakamura swings his right foot and the ball drops straight into the top right corner without any spin. A magnificent free kick once again puts Tokyo in the lead. In the following 76th minute, Hayashi crosses from the left side after a side change from Kajiyama. Hirayama then heads the ball in for the third goal. It seemed like Tokyo was pulling away from Kusatsu, but...

　However, Kusatsu did not give up and kept the ball in the midfield, quickly attacking from wide positions. In the 81st minute, they took advantage of a weak mark from Tokyo and scored a goal from a cross on the left side, with FW Takada finishing it in the center, narrowing the gap to one point. The opponent continued to send long balls to the center, but Tokyo regained their composure, kept possession of the ball, and used up time until the final whistle. Although there are still challenges ahead, they managed to win 3-2 and advance to the 4th round, which will be held in Marugame on the 15th.

　【Player Comments】《Nakamura》"It was my first appearance in a while, but I have nothing but regrets. Even looking back now, all I can think about is my regrets. However, when we were immediately caught up and then scored a winning goal, my spirits were lifted and my adrenaline was pumping, making it easier for my body to move. I should have worked harder on the defensive side and could have done more. That's where I need to reflect. (What about the FK?) Actually, in my mind, I was aiming for the left side of the opposite side... It was a mis-kick. But it flew to a place I couldn't even predict, and I don't think the GK could predict it either... (laughs)? However, I have been practicing FKs for a long time, so I think if I can use today's goal as a confidence boost and make it my weapon, it would be great."

　There's another 4th round coming up soon, and with the strict number of players, I think the players who play in the game need to do their best to get results. I want to do my best. (The local support was amazing, right?) My hometown is really close to this stadium. So, I was happy to be able to show my playing here and the support was also great. Since the Tokyo fans couldn't come, my high school juniors from Kunimi High School also cheered for me. They're good juniors (laughs). If I assist and Aita scores, it might have been the most exciting moment."

　"Hirayama" "Since it was a tournament, I felt a strong determination not to lose. The goal was from a cross by Hanyu-san, who always sends crosses like that, so I was able to score perfectly. (My junior from Kunimi High School came to support me) When I heard the song "Big Nose..." that has been sung since my high school days, I couldn't help but laugh... But the cheers were encouraging. I will do my best, and I hope Kunimi High School will also do their best in the championship. The 4th round is coming soon, so I want to prepare well and win with everyone's strength, and leave a good result."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "First and foremost, it was important for us to move on to the next stage, and I think it was good that we were able to achieve that minimum goal. We predicted that today's game would be very difficult, so we wanted to avoid using players who were injured or needed rest, and in various situations, players who had not been in the lineup for a while had something to prove, and I believed they would play with the determination to move on to the next stage. There are some areas where we need to reflect on the quality, but we can only continue to work on that at the training ground in Kodaira, and I think we need to use the challenges we faced this time to move on to the next stage. The most important thing is to move on to the next stage, and we have a strong desire to continue playing with this team for as long as possible, until January 1, 2010. I think it was great that we were able to achieve that. It was also great to be able to celebrate with the fans who came from far away."

　(What are the points that need to be improved?) Even if the members change, we have to reflect on how much we were able to possess the ball firmly from the final line and carry it to the attacking third while making our own time. There are many things to reflect on. I don't want to just brush it off as the current members or the technical skills of the players who are currently playing. I don't want to give up on that with the current skills. I want them to grow and I want to logically push them. I think we showed the determination not to lose with this team, but I don't want to say that everything is okay with that."

　[Summary of Kashima-Sano's press conference] "We only had two days, but I think we were able to play the kind of soccer we aimed for against FC Tokyo. However, when it comes to the set pieces in the first half and the second goal, it's a point that hasn't been improved throughout the J2 league. It's very disappointing that we couldn't hold back at those crucial moments. I think we had plenty of chances to win and we were able to keep possession of the ball to some extent, as we had planned. However, in terms of crucial moments, the opponent was better. (What do you mean by "as planned"?) The opponent has many players with superior individual abilities, so we wanted to organize as a team and press while keeping possession of the ball for as long as possible. I think our organization was solid and we were able to control the lines, including the sliding parts."