With a strong desire for victory, we will seize our first advancement to the Final Round!

　In the Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round, we will face Kashiwa Reysol. On the 20th (Saturday) in the quarterfinals, despite allowing the first goal, we calmly turned the game around to achieve a victory against Shimizu. Coach Jofuku stated, "There is a good sense of tension while being in a relaxed state. During the middle of the league, there were times when the tension was too high and we became stiff. By utilizing the experiences from that time, we are now in a position to compete for the top spots in the final stages, and it has become natural for us to fight aiming for greater heights." With a strong mindset, we want to seize victory for the New Year's Day showdown.

　Kashiwa, on the other hand, has advanced to the Semifinal Round by defeating Kusatsu, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. They are rich in movement both offensively and defensively, with sharp counterattacks as their hallmark. Up front, FW Popo and MF Alex MILLER reliably create opportunities, while MF Suganuma, Ota, and others quickly make runs from the sides, launching dynamic attacks. In response, it is crucial not to lose in terms of movement, to increase ball possession, and to suppress the source of Kashiwa's counterattacks. Additionally, how to break down Kashiwa's solid defense centered around GK Sugano is key. By taking control on the sides and drawing out the DF that solidifies the center, we want to exploit the open spaces.

　Tokyo will be without Taira SHIGE due to accumulated warnings. Fujiyama will team up with Sahara. Additionally, Ishikawa has fully recovered from his injury and has joined the bench. "Right now, there is no unnecessary tension or pressure. We have built up what we have without wavering until now, both as individuals and as a team, so I am focused solely on bringing that out. I want to contribute to the team and I have the confidence that we will achieve results," he emphasized. Suzuki, who is on loan from Kashiwa, also mentioned, "Against Kashiwa's dynamic soccer, Tokyo can take action on our own and also play reactive soccer. While accurately finding the flow, we want to play our usual soccer and win," each spoke about the importance of maintaining composure in battle.　　

　Coach Jofuku strongly declared, "Regardless of the outcome, the daily practices up to this point will never be in vain. It means fighting with a sense of improvement for 365 days. It's about how much of the soccer we've built up can be shown. The players will fight in a way that satisfies themselves." Without losing focus, while showing a stronger determination than Kashiwa, they calmly executed their soccer and aimed for victory! The match started at 13:06 with a kickoff from Tokyo at the sunny Ecopa Stadium.

Suzuki scores with a long-range shot! Taking the lead and ending the first half

　From the beginning, both teams struggled to create decisive chances with intense pressing around the ball. In the 7th minute, Cabore passed to Kajiyama, who made a through ball to Akamine in the area. It was a great opportunity, but offside was called. In the 9th minute, from the left side, Kashiwa's forward Suganuma delivered a cross. It was aimed at midfielder Ota in the center, but the shot went well over the bar. In the 15th minute, Kashiwa's midfielder Popo sent in a cross, and midfielder Alex ran in to meet it with a header, but Shioda made a fine save to prevent a goal.

　Tokyo begins to gain momentum as the ball circulates in midfield over time. In the 18th minute, a right corner kick from Kajiyama is met by Sahara's diving header, but it hits an opponent. From the rebound, they win a left corner kick, and Suzuki advances into the area from a short corner and takes a shot from a tight angle. It hits the opposing defender, and after connecting with the rebound, Akamine takes a volley but misses the target by a large margin. Conversely, Kashiwa shows resilience and approaches the goal with a vigorous attack, but Tokyo counters with focused defense. The situation remains tense, with no moment to relax.

　In the 31st minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack with Kajiyama sending a through pass to Cabore behind the opposing defense. Although it was cleared once, Kajiyama picked it up again, and Suzuki received the ball in the center and unleashed a powerful shot from distance. This pierced the Kashiwa goal, giving Tokyo the opening goal. Gaining momentum, Tokyo displayed a calm approach to the game. They formed a solid defense and quickly launched attacks after regaining possession. Just before the end of the first half, Kajiyama took two strong shots from distance, finishing the first half without any trouble, leading by one goal as they headed into the second half.

Fought until the end without giving up, but allowed a comeback in the second half and lost the match

　After the start of the second half, Kashiwa brought in FW Franca to make a move for victory. Tokyo, as instructed by the coach during halftime, played cautiously from the start to prevent the opponent from gaining momentum. In the 54th minute, Cabore deflected Shiota's goal kick with his head, passing it to Akamine who took a shot. The ball went wide to the right of the goal. In the 60th minute, after a right-side free kick, Cabore made a brilliant through pass behind the opposing DF. Hanyu, who ran into the area, reacted but was closed down by the DF and couldn't take a shot. In the 63rd minute, Suzuki broke free on the left side and crossed the ball. Cabore attempted to connect with it using his left foot, but he couldn't make solid contact, sending it over the goal.

　Both teams focused and attacked quickly, leading to a tense back-and-forth. In the 68th minute, a left cross from Kashiwa was connected by midfielder Alex to forward França, who made an exquisite trap and shot. This went through Shiota's legs and into the goal, leveling the score. Tokyo, wanting to counterattack, substituted Emerson for Hanyu immediately after conceding. In the 73rd minute, Ishikawa was brought in for Suzuki. The match became intense with both teams exchanging goals. In the 75th minute, from a scramble in front of the goal, a ball spilled outside the area was struck by Kajiwara. This was caught by the Kashiwa goalkeeper right in front.

　In the 82nd minute, Kajiyama dribbled in from the right side, drawing in the DF before passing to the free Emerson on the left. He took a shot while free, but it went over the bar... Unable to capitalize on the chance, they couldn't secure an additional goal. Then, in the 88th minute, taking advantage of a momentary lapse in Tokyo's DF, substitute Kashiwa MF Lee took a long shot. It found the top right corner of the goal, allowing them to take the lead. Immediately, Tokyo substituted Kondo for Fujiyama, and Sahara moved up front, launching a power play in the remaining time, including stoppage time, but they were rebuffed by Kashiwa's concentrated DF, leading to the final whistle. They could not reach the Final Round for the first time and ended up in the Best 4 of the Emperor's Cup, concluding all their matches for the season.

　【Player Comments】《Suzuki》"Since the opponent is my former club Kashiwa, I tried to approach the match with the same mindset as usual, but I was somewhat conscious of it. I wanted to contribute to scoring, and today's goal was a result of that desire, so I am genuinely happy to have scored. I had been focusing on taking long shots during practice in Kodaira. It was a good goal, just like in practice. It would have been perfect if the team had won. The fact that we lost means that Tokyo was lacking something, so it is meaningless if we don't connect this to the next opportunity. I want to see this as a chance for both personal and team growth. Next season, I aim for a higher position in the league and hope to win the Emperor's Cup next year, using today's frustration as material for improvement." 《Nagatomo》"Not being able to score an additional goal was a factor in our loss. We weren't able to mark properly on the goals we conceded, and there were moments where we could have pressed a bit more. I think we lost in those areas. It's sad that soccer ended in December. We had aimed to play together until New Year's Day, so it's frustrating. This year, I experienced various things. Personally, it wasn't always a good time, but I think I grew by reflecting on different aspects. I want to be able to contribute more to the team and be someone who can lead with my voice. I feel a lot of regret because I know the supporters came this far and bought tickets for New Year's Day. I want to show a fighting spirit in front of the fans next year and play in a way that brings joy to everyone who supports us."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "It is very disappointing. Many supporters came from Tokyo, and we approached the match with a very strong mindset, but it is very regrettable that we could not reach the Final Round as a result. I would like to congratulate Coach Ishizaki. I do not think we were inferior in terms of content. Our defensive and offensive plans were almost as intended in the first half, and the start of the second half was not bad either. However, we were caught off guard by the forward Franca, whom we were most concerned about, and in the end, the vital area was left open, allowing midfielder Lee to score a wonderful shot, which of course has its reasons, and we were unable to respond to that. Such opportunities do not come often, so I wanted to become a finalist, but I couldn't, and this frustration, along with the frustration from the final match of the J-League, must be utilized by both myself and the team next year. That is what has turned into an experience for us. Reysol played a very passionate game. I hope they can win the championship in our place. (What was the plan after conceding the equalizer?) The positions of Hanyu and Suzuki required considerable hard work, so how to add an accent there was the key point. We conceded the equalizer just before bringing in Emerson, but I intended to substitute regardless of whether we were equalized or not. I wanted him to be the accent and to create our own time. Then, when Suzuki started to tire, I brought in Ishikawa, aiming for a speedy attack up front.

　[Summary of Coach Ishizaki's Press Conference] "Last time we won against Hiroshima in extra time, and we aimed to carry that momentum into the Semifinal Round, but MF Otani and MF Sugiyama were unable to play due to injuries. However, the players who stepped in did their best. We fell behind early, which was very tough, but it was good that we managed to turn things around in the second half. We created several decisive chances against us, but if we can reduce those, I think we can have an even better match. FC Tokyo was truly wonderful, and it was a match where either side could have won, but I believe the desire of MF Lee to win the match was reflected in the goal. We only have two days in between, but I want to prepare thoroughly and aim for the Final Round. (Why did you bring in FW Franca at the start of the second half and FW Lee midway through?) We wanted to respond quickly after going behind, but we weren't creating rhythm in our attack. So, we brought in FW Franca to calm things down. However, when he comes in, it does bring calm, but everyone tends to focus on him. MF Lee is a player who can burst forward past FW Franca. We wanted to create a situation where the ball goes to MF Lee when the focus is on FW Franca. The first goal was by FW Franca, and the second by MF Lee, so it was really great that the two substitutes scored. (A word for the Final Round) Only two teams in Japan can play on New Year's Day. While savoring this joy, I want to win in the end and share the happiness with everyone."