Seize victory with your own strength and aim for advancement to the Semifinal Round!

The Emperor's Cup quarterfinal will be against Shimizu S-Pulse. After suffering a comeback loss in the final league match against Chiba, finishing in 6th place, they were unable to secure a spot in the ACL, which was one of their goals, by finishing in 3rd place. However, during the two-week interval, they have switched their mindset and have been training with high motivation. They want to bet everything on this season's last official tournament, the Emperor's Cup, and aim for the top step by step with their own strength.

　Shimizu, who advanced by defeating Chiba 3-2 in the 5th Round of the Emperor's Cup, has ended the last 7 league matches with 6 wins and 1 loss, making them a team in excellent form. Notably, in this season's encounters, Tokyo has not secured a victory with 1 draw and 3 losses, highlighting a poor matchup. In previous matches, the sharp movements of Shimizu's forward Okazaki and Hara, which exploit the gaps in defense, often caused the line to drop too low, creating space in the midfield. This time, while being cautious of the defense's backline, it is important to play compactly. Additionally, we want to avoid being pushed back and giving the opponent set pieces from desperate fouls.

　Tokyo will see the return of Kajiyama, who was suspended for the last two league matches, to team up with Konno in the midfield. However, although Ishikawa has returned to practice, he has been left out of the squad considering his condition. Moniwa expressed his determination, saying, "Shimizu has players who work hard up front and they will send long balls. In response, we want to put our bodies on the line to repel them and pick up the second balls to connect to our attacks. No matter how the game unfolds, we want to keep fighting until the end and avoid conceding first. If we let our guard down for even a moment, we will be punished, so it’s important to maintain that focus." To achieve victory against a tough opponent, we will need to be gritty and persistent. We want to enter the match with a heightened awareness of our defense, without becoming passive.

　Kajiyama said, "Although there was a gap between official matches, I have been training, including practice matches, so I have no worries at all. I want to focus on making clear plays against Shimizu's press from the front line and not losing the ball due to mistakes. Considering that it is a tournament, it would be good to have a match where we can ultimately win, rather than focusing on the content of the game." The match started at 13:04 with Shimizu's kickoff at Yurtec Stadium Sendai.

Trailing by one point into the second half

　In the early stages, both teams exchanged kicks, but Tokyo picked up the second ball and connected it to their attack. In the 5th minute, they stole the opponent's ball in midfield, and Akamine took a long shot, marking Tokyo's first shot of the match. In the 6th minute, Akamine passed to Cabore, who advanced on the left flank and entered the area to cross. The cross was cut off once, but they crossed again from the rebound. However, no one was able to connect. In the 9th minute, Shimizu also attempted a counterattack, with left-back Kodama's cross being volleyed by forward Hara, but it went well wide of the goal.

　The back-and-forth battle continued, but in the 24th minute, Shimizu MF Hyoudo's right corner kick was headed back by FW Hara, and DF Aoyama took a header, resulting in a handball foul by Tokyo DF, giving away a penalty kick. In the 25th minute, this penalty was converted by DF Toru TAKAGIWA, allowing the first goal. Although it was an unfortunate way to concede, they remained calm and looked for counterattack opportunities through resilient defense. In the 27th minute, a left corner kick was cleared, followed by a right corner kick. Hanyu's kick was connected by Sahara, but the ball spilled in front of Akamine, who was unable to take a shot. They were held off by the opponent's solid defense.

　In the 32nd minute, Suzuki broke through on the left side, evading the opponent and delivering a perfect last pass in front of the goal. Cabore, who ran in, attempted to connect but the shot went wide to the left... unable to capitalize on the scoring opportunity. In the 37th minute, Kajiyama made a superb through pass into the area from the right side. Hayu, running in to overtake, took a shot with speed but could not hit the target. Shimizu also created chances from consecutive corner kicks, but the defense, led by Shiota, held firm and did not concede an additional goal. They went into the second half trailing by one goal.

A comeback victory with two goals from Akamine showcasing his strong competitive spirit!

　Tokyo launched an attack from the start of the second half. In the 49th minute, Cabore on the left side made a cross. Tokunaga sent a vertical pass to Suzuki, who had entered the right area, and as he aggressively attempted to dribble through, he was brought down by the opposing defender, earning a penalty kick. Akamine converted this penalty kick accurately, leveling the score early on. With this goal, the momentum shifted towards Tokyo, and just a minute later, in the 50th minute, Cabore headed the ball down to Nagatomo, who overlapped and delivered a left cross to Suzuki at the far post. Suzuki then returned it into the middle, where Akamine struck it directly and powerfully to turn the game around.

　Unfortunately, Cabore was injured in this play and had to be substituted for Kondo, but Tokyo's momentum does not stop. In the 54th minute, after clearing a corner kick from Shimizu, Kajiyama initiated a counterattack, and finally, Suzuki on the right side took a shot, but it was blocked by the defense. In the 57th minute, Kajiyama made a through pass behind the opposing defense during another counterattack. Nagatomo, who surged forward, entered the penalty area and took a shot, but it was met with a great save from the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick. In the 63rd minute, from a left throw-in, Kondo brought the ball inside and took a mid-range shot. They maintain an aggressive stance.　

　Shimizu did not give up and tried to change the flow with player substitutions, launching a vigorous attack. There were moments when they struggled with the speedy movements of the forwards, but Tokyo responded by substituting Fujiyama for the fatigued Suzuki and Hirayama for Hanyu. In the final stages, Shimizu brought in the tall forward Nagasawa, repeatedly sending long balls into the goal area, but each player maintained a high defensive awareness and successfully held on without losing focus. In the end, they won 2-1, marking FC Tokyo's first advancement to the Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round (they reached the Best 4 in 1997 during the JFL and Tokyo Gas era).

　【Player Comments】<Akamine> "(About the PK) Yesterday, during PK practice, somehow the atmosphere was like it was going to be me... Today, when I made eye contact with Hanyu and Konno, there was an aura of 'Go for it!'... Regardless of whether it went in or not, this was a chance, so I kicked boldly to make the most of it. For the second goal, I moved to a position where I could react to Tatsuya's pass since I was drifting a bit backward. He delivered it perfectly there. Other players said, 'Isn't that a trap mistake rather than a pass from Tatsuya?' (laughs). (Not just the goals, but you were often the starting point during the flow of the game?) I think there were moments when I was able to coordinate with Cabore and the midfield players according to the situation. Above all, I’m glad we got the result of victory. The goal was great, but the most important thing is that the team won." <Suzuki> "We conceded first on a PK, but I think we stayed calm and fought well. (About the second goal scene?) It was exactly as we practiced. Shimizu trained assuming the far post would be open. I knew Yuto was watching me, and I also knew Shingo was approaching. Of course, it was a pass. However, I was also considering getting a return from Shingo and then taking the shot myself... (About the situation where the PK was awarded) I’ve come to understand the referee’s standards for calling fouls or not, so I tried to be aggressive and daring. As a result, we earned the PK, which was exactly the plan. I was substituted because I bruised both legs and my calves started cramping. In the league match against Chiba, my leg cramped and I ended up disrupting the flow and causing trouble for the team, so today I spoke up myself. I absolutely wanted to win. (If you face Kashiwa in the Semifinal Round?) I might have mixed feelings, but I definitely don’t want to lose!"

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "In the second half, we faced Shimizu, who is in the best form and most stable in the J.League. Also, we have played four matches this year without winning, and since becoming FC Tokyo, we have never reached the best four. So today's challenge was very big and important. The players fought with very strong determination, and with the support of many supporters who created an atmosphere like a home stadium, we are very happy to have won. In the first half, we were not really dominated in terms of shape, but when the opponent's two forwards dropped back to receive the ball, there were some very panicked responses such as one-on-ones near the penalty area, which caused several dangerous situations, and we conceded a goal there. We do not recognize that our shape was broken, and since we also created chances, I thought if we calmly controlled the ball a bit more, we could have created more opportunities. In the second half, first, we did not change our approach, confirmed how to respond defensively and how to see the spaces, and we had a very good start. After creating two or three chances at the beginning, we were able to score two goals, and after that, we continued fresh play by pressing forward to win the ball without retreating. We were pushed back in the last 15 minutes or so, but I think we showed a very strong feeling toward this match until the end. I want to celebrate this victory together with the supporters. (What was the intention behind bringing in Fujiyama?) While keeping Emerson on the bench, we were also monitoring Suzuki's condition. We practiced using Fujiyama in midfield for defensive purposes all week, and since it was that time, I prioritized defense in my decision. Of course, I think he was mentally prepared, and he fulfilled his role well on the pitch."

　[Summary of Shimizu and Coach HASEGAWA's Press Conference] "Today's loss is very disappointing. Our first goal was also from a penalty kick, but regarding the opponent's first penalty kick goal, it was a scene that made me question it. However, the second goal we conceded afterward was a mistake we should not have made. I think we couldn't switch gears after conceding that goal. It doesn't feel like we lost or that it's over. I feel like we will have another match next week in the Emperor's Cup, but the fact is we lost. We want to properly switch gears and prepare for next year. I hope FC Tokyo will do their best on our behalf and go all the way to the end. Many supporters came all the way to Sendai to cheer us on. We are grateful. Thank you very much for this past year. (What was the intention behind the substitutions?) We brought in DF Jun Takagi and FW Yajima to be more offensive and try to score. In the end, we played a power play with Nagasawa. We created several chances from there, but we couldn't score until the end. (Summary of this season and aspirations for next year?) We struggled until the middle of the season, but the latter half was a season with many gains. We will strengthen where needed before next season, and with young players and those returning from injury, we want to raise the overall team level and compete next season."