Strive for victory and aim for the semifinal round with your own strength!

The Emperor's Cup quarterfinals will be played against Shimizu S-Pulse. Despite suffering a comeback loss in the final league match against Chiba, they finished in 6th place and were unable to achieve their goal of securing a spot in the top 3 for ACL qualification. However, during the 2-week interval, they have reset their mindset and trained with high motivation. They will now put everything on the line for the final official tournament of the season, the Emperor's Cup, and aim for the top step with their own strength.

　Shimizu, on the other hand, advanced to the 5th round of the Emperor's Cup by defeating Chiba 3-2. They finished the last 7 games of the league with a record of 6 wins and 1 loss, showing that they are in great form. In particular, in this season's matches, they have not been able to secure a victory against Tokyo, showing their poor compatibility. In previous matches, Shimizu's FW Okazaki and DF Hara's sharp movements behind the defense caused Tokyo's backline to drop too deep, leaving space in the midfield. This time, it is important to be aware of the defense behind while also playing compactly. It is also important to avoid being pushed back and giving the opponent set pieces from desperate fouls.

　Tokyo will have Kajiyama, who was suspended for the last two league games, back in the lineup to form a midfield with Konno. However, Ishikawa returned to practice but was left out of the squad due to his condition. Shigeki says, "Shimizu has strong players up front who kick long balls. We want to bounce back and pick up the second ball to continue our attack. No matter how the game goes, we want to keep fighting until the end and not concede first. We have to be persistent and gritty to defeat this tough opponent." We want to enter the game with a defensive mindset, without being passive.

　Kajiyama said, "I have had a break between official matches, but I have been training including practice matches, so I am not worried at all. I want to play clearly against Shimizu's pressing from the front line and not lose the ball from mistakes. Considering it is a tournament, it is more important to have a game that we can win in the end rather than the performance." The match started at 13:04 with Shimizu's kickoff at Yurtec Stadium Sendai.

Trailing by one point heading into the second half

　In the early stages, both teams kicked back and forth, but Tokyo also picked up second balls and connected them to attacks. In the 5th minute, Akamine stole the ball in the middle and took a long shot. This was Tokyo's first shot of the game. In the 6th minute, Akamine → Cabore moved up the left side and entered the area, crossing the ball. It was initially cut off, but the ball bounced back and another cross was made. However, no one was able to connect. In the 9th minute, Shimizu also had a counter attack where left SB Kodama crossed the ball to FW Hara, who took a volley but missed the target by a large margin.

　After that, the attack and defense continued to go back and forth, but in the 24th minute, Shizuoka MF Hyodo's right corner kick was crossed by FW Hara, and DF Aoyama headed it, causing Tokyo DF to commit a handball foul and give away a penalty kick. In the 25th minute, this penalty kick was scored by DF Takagiwa, giving up the first goal. Although it was an unlucky goal, they did not panic and instead looked for a chance to counterattack with persistent defense. In the 27th minute, the left corner kick was cleared and followed by a right corner kick. Sato connected with Hayashi's kick, but it fell to Akamine in front of the goal and he was unable to take a shot. They were unable to break through the opponent's strong defense.

　At 32 minutes, Suzuki, who broke through the left side, dodged the opponent and made a perfect last pass in front of the goal. Cabore, who ran in, tried to score but the shot missed to the left... Unable to capitalize on the scoring opportunity. At 37 minutes, Kajiyama on the right side made a perfect through pass into the area. Hayashi, who ran in from behind, took a shot with speed but couldn't find the target. Shimizu also created chances from consecutive corner kicks, but the defense, led by Shioda, held strong and prevented any additional goals. They went into the second half trailing by one point.

Red Mine's two goals showed their strength and led to a come-from-behind victory!

　Tokyo starts attacking from the beginning of the second half. In the 49th minute, Cabore on the left side changes the side. Tokunaga → Suzuki, who entered the right area, receives a vertical pass and aggressively attempts to dribble through, resulting in a PK after being fouled by the opponent's DF. Akamine takes this PK and equalizes the score early on. With this goal, the momentum shifts to Tokyo and in the 50th minute, Cabore heads the ball down to Nagatomo who overlaps and crosses to Suzuki on the far side. He then passes it back inside and Akamine scores a powerful direct shot to turn the game around.

　Unfortunately, Cabore was injured in this play and was replaced by Kondo, but Tokyo's momentum continues. In the 54th minute, Kajiyama clears Shizuoka's CK and starts a counterattack, with Suzuki on the right side taking a shot that is blocked by the DF. In the 57th minute, Kajiyama makes a through pass behind the opponent's DF from the counterattack. Nagatomo, who has been aggressively pushing up, enters the area and takes a shot, but it is saved by the GK and results in a CK. In the 63rd minute, Kondo brings the ball into the middle from a left throw-in and takes a shot. Their aggressive attitude remains unchanged.　

　Shimizu did not give up and tried to change the flow with player substitutions, launching a powerful attack. There were moments where they struggled against the speedy movements of the front line, but Tokyo responded by substituting Fujiyama for the visibly tired Suzuki and Hiraoka for Hayashi. In the final stages, Shimizu brought in tall FW Nagasawa and repeatedly sent long balls into the goal area, but each player maintained a high defensive awareness and concentration, successfully holding on to the lead. In the end, they won 2-1 and secured their first appearance in the Emperor's Cup semifinal (they reached the best 4 in 1997 as JFL Tokyo Gas).

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》「(About PK) During yesterday's PK practice, I had a feeling that I... and that atmosphere. Today, I made eye contact with Hayabusa-san and Konno-san and felt an aura of 'Go for it!'... However, regardless of whether it went in or not, this was a chance, so I kicked it with all my might. For the second goal, I drifted back a little, so I moved to where Tatsuya-san's pass could reach me. He delivered it perfectly. The other players were saying, 'Wasn't that a pass from Tatsuya, not a trap mistake?' (laughs). (Not just scoring goals, but also being a key player in the flow of the game?) I think there were moments where I was able to link up with Cabore and the midfield players according to the situation. Above all, I'm glad we were able to get the result of a victory. Of course, scoring a goal is great, but the fact that the team won is the most important thing.」《Suzuki》「We conceded a goal first from a PK, but I think we were able to play calmly. (About the second goal?) It was just like in practice. We had trained for the scenario where the far side would be open. I knew Yuto was looking at me, and I knew Shingo was coming closer. Of course, it was a pass. However, I was also thinking about receiving a return pass from Shingo and taking a shot... (About the situation where we got a PK) I've come to understand the criteria for the referee to call a foul or not, so I just tried to be aggressive and take risks. As a result, we were able to get a PK, just as I had planned. I was substituted because both of my feet were bruised and my calf was cramping. In the Chiba league game, my leg cramped and ended up disrupting the flow of the game and causing trouble for the team, so I told them today. I definitely wanted to win. (If we face Kashiwa in the semifinals?) I might have mixed feelings, but I definitely don't want to lose!」

　【Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference】"Shimizu, who is in the best condition in the second half of the J-League and is the most stable, was our opponent. Also, we haven't won in four games this year, and we haven't made it to the top four since becoming FC Tokyo, so I thought that today's wall was very big and important. The players fought with a very strong feeling, and thanks to the support of many supporters who created a home stadium-like atmosphere, we were able to win and I am very happy. In the first half, we weren't really broken down, but when the opponent's two top players flowed and received the ball, there were some very panicked responses in the penalty area, which led to some chances and we conceded. We didn't feel like we were being broken down, but we were also creating chances, so I thought we could create more chances if we calmed down and kept the ball. In the second half, we first changed our approach, confirmed our defensive responses and how to see the space, and we were able to make a very good start. After creating 2-3 chances at the beginning, we were able to score two points, so we were able to continue playing fresh, going forward and trying to take the ball. In the last 15 minutes, we were pushed back, but I think we showed a very strong feeling towards this game until the end. I want to celebrate this victory with the supporters. (What was the purpose of putting in player Fujiyama?) We had Emerson waiting on the bench and were also watching Suzuki's condition. We have been practicing using Fujiyama in the midfield for defense all week, and when that time came, I prioritized defense in my decision. I think he was mentally prepared and he also fulfilled his role on the pitch."

　【Post-match Interview with Shimizu Coach Hasegawa】"Today's loss is extremely disappointing. Our first goal was also a penalty kick, but the opponent's penalty kick for their first goal was a scene that makes you wonder what happened. However, the second goal we conceded was something we should not have done. I don't feel like we lost, or that it's over. I feel like we have another game next week in the Emperor's Cup, but the fact is that we lost. We want FC Tokyo to do their best for us and go all the way. Our supporters also came to Sendai in large numbers to support us. Thank you very much for that. (What was the intention behind the substitutions?) We wanted to be more attacking by bringing in DF Jun Takagi and FW Yajima. In the end, we had a power play with Nagasawa. We created some chances from there, but we couldn't score until the end. (What is your overall assessment of this season and your aspirations for next year?) This year was a difficult one until the middle of the season, but it was a season with a lot of rewards in the end. We will reinforce the team before next season and we also have young players and players returning from injury, so we want to raise the overall level of the team and compete in the next season."